Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

School Consolidation in Clare - The passing of the Free School Act, commonly known as the Tupper Law, in 1864, saw the gradual establishment of small village schools throughout Nova Scotia. Circa 1900, nearly all of Clare’s Acadian villages had their own school. Until the end of the Second World War, these schools remained small in terms of enrollment and human resources. Indeed, Acadians typically called them “petites écoles”—“little schools”. Teachers were poorly paid and young boys rarely attended school after grades 7 or 8, while young girls tended to stay in school a little longer.

After the Second World War, Eudist Father Thomas Castonguay, Saulnierville’s parish priest, decided to build a large consolidated school using parish funds. It was the first consolidated school west of the City of Halifax. He approached the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus, a French-speaking teaching community, to run his school.

With great effort, the parish provided the lumber and an investment of about $100,000, while local men each donated 5 to 10 working days. The Gay School (pictured in this photo) was completed in 1949. It marked the first time that the region had a large school with indoor toilets, a central heating system and two school buses, as shown in the photo. This meant that parish youth who had attended seven small schools were now grouped into a central school with classes consisting of a single grade level from K through 12 and a staff of twelve well-trained nuns and lay teachers.

During the 1950s, all of Clare’s schools were consolidated, leading to the closure of the small village schools. The government had a central school built in each parish. In 1957, the government commissioned the Clare High School to be built in Meteghan River, which finally brought together all young people from grades 7 to 12. Thus, access to secondary education became a reality for all of Clare’s youth.

Topic: Education

Date: 1949

Reference: Centre acadien Collection Centre Acadien Photo 2

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