National exposé is not a balanced view: MPC

The Manitoba Co-operator | December 13, 2012
By Donna Gamache
Freelance contributor
Recently, as I drove past a
country school set off by
itself in a snowy field, my
thoughts turned back to longago
Christmases, particularly
those when I was a child attending
classes in a similar oneroom
school. In the eight years I
attended, our school population
ranged from about 20 students
in the early years, to perhaps 14
later on.
As the days turned colder and
shorter, the minds of teacher and
pupils alike turned to plans for the
Christmas concert. Looking back
now, I wonder how the teacher
ever managed to arrange classes
for six to eight grades of students,
at the same time as he or she
organized a concert that would do
the school proud. With low numbers
of pupils, it must have been
challenging. One first-year teacher
recalls that it became almost a
competition with a nearby school,
to see which one could produce
the better concert.
Children in the younger grades
usually performed short, individual
recitations, while older pupils
would memorize lines and take
part in short plays or skits. At least
two plays were performed, sometimes
three, and depending on the
number of actors required, one
child might be needed to take part
in a couple of them — making for a
lot of memorizing.
Besides plays and recitations,
there was always singing —
which involved everyone, not
just the musically talented —
and usually a simple dance or
a drill, where costumed pupils
crossed the stage in criss-cross
patterns. For musical numbers,
someone from the district
who played the piano
usually came to help with the
practices, and over the years
we learned nearly all the traditional
Christmas carols, as well
as some of the newer songs.
Parental help was also needed
to help with costumes and
decorations.
Some schools, located near a
district hall, had a permanent
stage for their performance,
but our district had no hall so
the concert was held in the
school. During the final week
before the concert, a temporary
stage of planks was set up
across the back of the schoolroom,
and curtains were hung.
The desks would be crowded
towards the front of the school
— but by that time we weren’t
doing much schoolwork anyway!
When the Christmas tree
was set up and decorated, there
was even less space for actual
schoolwork.
Excitement grew and the
big night finally arrived. I
don’t recall that we ever had to
postpone the concert, due to
storms, although I did hear of
that happening in some districts.
December nights were
often frosty and snowy, but the
concert was a district highlight,
and everyone came. The tree,
festooned with tinsel and garlands,
seemed magical as we
crowded into the school. Desks
had been shoved against the
walls and chairs and benches
were set up for the audience.
Usually the performance
went off with only a few minor
hitches. Perhaps the curtains
weren’t closed at quite the correct
time, or someone forgot a
line or two in a play, but these
were trivial items. I recall one
year when we sang “Frosty
the Snowman,” that the pupil
attired as Frosty accidentally
tumbled off the stage, but for-
29
COUNTRY CROSSROADS
Country school concerts of the past
Everyone came out to watch this district highlight
Send Someone a hug
By Pat Gerbrandt
Freelance contributor
Would you like to send someone
a hug? With modern
printing capabilities, you can
provide a hug pillow to ease
someone’s loneliness or help
distant grandchildren remember
your face.
Supplies:
• A good-quality photo
with fairly high resolution,
enlarged and printed
on white cotton (see note
below)
• 18x45-inch (46x114-cm)
washable fabric for cushion
cover
• 18x18-inch (46x46-cm)
lightweight woven fabric
• Matching thread
Optional:
• A pillow form [I used
18-inch (46-cm) square
and removed about 25 per
cent of the stuffing, making
flatter pillows for younger
children]
Note: While there are fabric
sheets for use in home printers,
not all are guaranteed to
be colourfast. I went to a commercial
printer. Make sure
to ask about a process that
results in a washable product.
Prices will vary for the printing,
and you may get a better
deal for multiple copies.
Instructions:
Pin the stabilizing fabric to
the middle of the larger piece,
wrong sides together. Pin your
photo fabric, face up, to the
right side, centring it on top of
the stabilized area. Machine
baste the side edges of the
stabilizing piece and cover
fabric. With regular-length
stitch, sew along the edges of
the photo. Trim excess fabric
from photo piece. Use a
wide zigzag for satin stitching,
carefully covering the cut
edges of the fabric photo.
Make a narrow double hem
A typical rural class in the ’60s, dressed up for a photo
(with young teacher in the back). photo: Donna GaMache
at each of the long ends of the
cover. Then, with the picture
in the centre of the length of
fabric, fold both ends over,
right sides together, overlapping
the ends to create a
square pocket. Stitch sides,
using a 1/4-inch (2-cm) seam
allowance. Zigzag or serge
seams and trim threads. Turn
the cover right side out and
stuff the pillow inside.
If it’s too costly to mail the
completed cushion, you could
send just the cover. A soft
towel or T-shirts could be used
to stuff the hug pillow.
Who can put a price on a hug?
Pat Gerbrandt writes from Grunthal,
Man.
This toddler took one look at her gift, exclaimed “Papa!” and showed she
knew it was a hug pillow. photo: pat GerbranDt
tunately he wasn’t hurt — perhaps
because he had sufficient
padding to create the snowman
effect.
Near the end of the program
the Christmas Nativity story
was always performed. There
would be Mary, Joseph, three
wise men, perhaps a human
donkey or cow, and as many
angels and shepherds as
needed so that all the children
were included.
Of course, for the smaller
children the highlight of the
By La’Costa Godbout
Freelance contributor
Here’s a handy, inexpensive
project made with items
you may already have in your
home.
Supplies:
• Old cookie sheet, washed
and dried
• Steel wool or sandpaper
(optional)
• Leftover primer and paint
(either spray paint or canned
— read label to see if suitable
for metal)
• Paintbrush (if using canned
paint)
• Painting drop cloth
• Plate stand
• Magnets and/or embellishments
as desired
Instructions:
Tip: If using light-coloured
paint, use two coats of primer.
Optional: With a piece of steel
wool or sandpaper, use circular
motions across the entire surface
of the cookie sheet. This
will allow the paint to adhere
better. Wipe down well before
painting.
Work in a well-ventilated
area. Place cookie sheet face
side up on the drop cloth and
evening was the arrival of
Santa Claus. The last Christmas
song was invariably “Here
Comes Santa Claus,” and without
fail — at least so far as I can
recall — the jolly gentleman
always appeared on cue, bringing
in small bags of candy (purchased
by the school trustees)
and sometimes a Christmas
orange for each child. The
smallest ones might receive a
little gift as well. The reindeer
never appeared, but we figured
they were resting in the
school’s old barn — not much
used by that time.
For some years my father was
the school board chairman, so
I suppose the choice of selecting
a Santa sometimes fell to
him. Indeed, I recall that one
year Santa sounded remarkably
like my uncle (Dad’s brother),
though I didn’t find it suspect
at the time.
Today’s larger schools often
still hold a “holiday concert,”
with each class contributing
one musical item. But
those who attended one-room
schools still remember with
pleasure the Christmas concerts
of the past — a time when
teacher and pupils co-operated
fully, a time for bonding and
friendships that today’s larger,
many-roomed schools sometimes
don’t produce.
These concerts were the
country school version of the
performing arts!
Donna Gamache writes from MacGregor,
Man.
From old cookie sheet
to new magnet board
photo: la’coSta GoDbout
put on primer. Let dry one
hour or as specified on container.
Turn cookie sheet over
and prime the back. Let dry.
Place cookie sheet face side
up and coat with paint. Let dry
one hour or as specified on
container. Turn cookie sheet
over and paint the back. Let
dry for at least two hours or
overnight to ensure that it is
fully dry.
Embellish as desired. Keep it
simple and use fancy magnets
or use stencils and paint on a
trim. Use your imagination and
have fun!
Set up plate stand on the
counter and place cookie sheet
on the stand. Use magnets to
hold recipes while cooking and
baking or use to display weekly
menu.
La’Costa Godbout writes from Winnipeg.