While it was still a hamlet in 1911, Morrin was growing. Already general stores had popped in “Blooming Prairie,” as did the Crown Lumber Company and a Livery Stable. Telephone service was already in the works.
This summer Morrin School is celebrating its centennial. Katie Pennock, the current Morrin School Wellness worker, says they have a day of fun planned for August 27. This includes a dinner and an alumni volleyball game.
“We're getting a great response from staff,” said Pennock. “I have sent out 75 invitations to staff alone."
The Morrin School District was established in 1911 as settlers became more and more concerned about their children’s education. While the School Division has since disappeared, for 100 consecutive years the school has endured as a place for area students to become equipped for the future.
The first recorded meeting of the Morrin School District was on August 1. Charles Johnson was elected chairman, Griffith Parry secretary and Oscar Devaleriola was treasurer.
According to an account in the Morrin History Book, it was a struggle from the get go. The original site selected for a school was not approved by the Education Department, and another site had to be selected. A school was not built however, and at Christmas, classes had begun in the Union Church.
Attracting and retaining a teacher was also a struggle, however Frank Boyer was named the first teacher. This remained a struggle, especially with the beginning of the Great War. In 1915, Miss Anna Martin was hired.
The school board continued to work towards a school, and in 1918, a bylaw was passed to secure a loan of $3,000 to build a two-room school. When Morrin became a village in 1919, the bylaw was cancelled. New arrangements were made to apply for a $7,000 loan, and finally in 1920, the new school house was built. The following year a teacherage was erected, but in a few years, it too became a classroom.
The school thrived through the Dirty '30s and through the Second World War. In 1946, however the Morrin School District entered the Drumheller School Division.
In 1951, the district saw a new modern school built. In 1957, a gymnasium was added and in 1960, the south wing was added.
Through this time, education became more centralized as smaller schools closed, and children were bussed to Morrin. In the 1960s, the Starland School Division governed Morrin School. Currently Morrin School is under the jurisdiction of the Prairie Land Regional Division.
The school built in 1951 is on the same site as the current school. The most recent modernization was in 1989.
The school continues to evolve. This coming year “The Hub” has been turned into a home economics lab with kitchen space, and will be showcased at the centennial.
On August 27, they are celebrating this history with breakfast sponsored by Project Reach, followed by an alumni volleyball tournament, as well as tours throughout the day. After the day of volleyball, they will be holding a dinner at the Morrin Hall. They plan to continue the evening at Rowley Pizza Night.
There is still time to register a volleyball team and organizers hope to firm up numbers for the breakfast before August 19 for planning.
For more information contact Pennock at 403-820-0819 or see the Morrin School’s 100 Year Celebration Facebook page.
