Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesMon Petit Coin by Norm Léveillée
École Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil
Memories of a Franco-Canadian-American Institution
There were thirty-four families in the center of the village of my youth. There were another fifty or more in the surrounding area. More than ninety percent of the children went to the local catholic parish school - Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil (Our Lady of Good Counsel). I never learned the English name of this parish until I was in high school. We also referred to it as Notre Dame when speaking English. I am sure that anyone who attended a French-Canadian-American catholic elementary school (grades 1 through 9) will be able to identify with my experiences.
First of all, the school was located within walking distance of several villages: my own Harris Village, Phenix, Riverpoint, Arkwright and Fiskeville. Those further away, like in the village of Hope, would take the local bus or get a ride from a parent or relative. There were no school buses available to us. My home was a ten minute walk from the school. Occasionally, during the first years of school, my father would come home for the noon day meal and drive me to school in the mill truck. I very seldom walked to school alone. There were always some friends or classmates who banded together to have fun on the way to and from school. Of course, the younger ones were always watched over by the older children. There were times when this group of travelers stopped on their way from school to play a game of baseball or tag footbal in one of the fields nearby. Every adult along this well-travelled route knew who we were, where we had come from and where we were going. As I noted in a previous article, there were no secrets here. There was always adult supervision and, if needed, help along the way.
The first school of Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil was held in a church-school when the parish was a "Mission of St. John", the Catholic Church in the Arctic section of West Warwick, Rhode Island.
This building served both as a chapel and school. During the early years, 1891-1897, lay teachers taught the students. Among the first teachers were Mrs. Mary Achey, Miss Audette, Miss Dufresne and Miss Blanchette. In 1897, the "Mission" became the independent parish of Notre-Dame du Bon Conseil. Its first pastor, Fr. J.D. Lebel was able, over the span of twelve years, to build a new church, a rectory and a convent. In 1908, Father Lebel requested two nuns from the Arctic convent to come to Phenix to teach the children. A house was rented in 1909 for these Présentation de Marie sisters.
The following year, Father Renaudet, the second pastor of the parish, built a convent on a parcel of land on the corner of North Pleasant and Summit Streets. In 1926, under the guidance of Father Grenier, an annex was added to the convent to accommodate the growing number of sisters: four rooms, an ironing room, a bathroom, and a porch surrounding two sides of the original bulding, with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. The grounds of the Convent were enhanced by the Notre-Dame Veterans in 1954-1955. The kitchen was modernized in 1957 and running water was installed in the twelve rooms of the Sisters' residence in 1958. The old school was restored and converted in 1957 into a Social Center.
The first graduate of the old school was Rose Achey in 1911. Under the administration of Father Grenier, a new school was built in 1925 and renovated over the years. The new school consisted of two floors: grades 1 through 4 and the principal's office were on the ground level; grades 5 through 9 on the upper floor. There were also an auditorium and lavatories beneath the ground floor. There was one classroom for each of the nine grades: grade 1 through grade 9, taught by a Sister of the Presentation of Mary. There was a "Directrice" - a principal of course. You hoped never to meet her.
The day was divided into two segments. The morning was devoted to French subjects: la grammaire (grammar), la lecture (reading), la littérature (literature), l'histoire de l'église catholique (church history), le catéchisme (Catholic catechism). All these subjects were taught in French. The afternoon classes were taught in English: grammar and writing, world history, mathematics, literature. The afternoon session was separated from the morning session by an hour and half for the noon-day meal. Except for the children who were outside of the walking distance, all of us went home for "le dîner" - dinner for us was the noon-day meal. The evening meal was "le souper" - supper. Those not going home ate in the sister's convent either a hot meal cooked for them by Sister "Cuisinière" (Chef) or a bag lunch. Again, we travelled back and forth for dinner within our traveling group, sometimes delaying arriving at home on time for the meal that was always ready to be served. Most of us hurried back to school to be able to "jouer dans la cour" - to play in the school yard with our other classmates - those not being part of our "traveling gang".
I can remember some of my teachers' names: Soeur St-Louis de Notre-Dame, Soeur St-Oscar, Soeur Ste-Christine, Soeur St-Aimé, Soeur Ste-Éphiphanie, Soeur Marie du Saint Rosaire, Soeur Marie-Antoine and Soeur Marie Michel-Archange. We had two sisters per day.
Some of these taught the French courses; others taught the English courses. Some of them have left a lasting impression on my life. Soeur Marie Antoine, our teacher of English classes in the eighth and ninth grades, was one of my favorites. She was always very pleasant and helpful to all her students. She remained in our parish for some 30 years. Another favorite was Soeur Marie Michel-Archange. In the fourth grade, she asked if any of our parents would be able to take her to the Mother House in Hudson, New Hampshire. I volunteered my parents. As a result of this, she remained very friendly with my parents who visited her at whatever parish she had been assigned throughout Rhode Island and New Hampshire. My mother continued to visit her long after we had moved out of this parish. Soeur St-Louis de Notre-Dame was our "sports enthusiast". She played right along with us before and after school, and during recess.
I can remember one particular sister, Soeur Ste-Christine, who upon reading the roll in the ninth grade, and coming across my name, looked up and reminded me that I had better not be a discipline problem like my father Jean-Baptiste had been in that school some 30 years previously. What a challenge that was for me to live up to my father's reputation! Needless to say, my father did receive a phone call or two from his also least-favorite teacher. There were two other least-favorite nuns of mine - both of these teachers of our French courses. When I look back, I must have been like a Jekyl and Hyde - a model student for the teachers of our English courses and the opposite for the French teachers.
The sisters were a strong influence on discipline, both the discipline in class as well as in the school playground. There was never any nonsense in the classroom. If, however, someone did try to distract from the business at hand, a note or a phone call home usually took care of the matter. Very few students were sent to the "directrice" for more severe discipline. The principal was not one to socialize with the students. She was the one who made sure that we walked the straight line.
We were taught manners "Bonjour, ma soeur!" whenever we met one of our teachers. When the parish priests came over, it was always "Bonjour, mon père". The sisters taught us religion, some the old-fashioned type, others a more subdued version. We learned about our duties towards our Creator. The parish priests took an active role in making sure that we practiced our religion. The teaching of the Catholic religion was of the utmost priority for these sisters. The learning of these religious practices was also of the highest priority for us students. In addition to the religion and church history classes, we were brought to the church frequently to learn how to participate in the various liturgies of our Catholicism. The sister would march her class over to the church for confession on a regular basis. We were required to attend Sunday Mass and urged to attend afternoon Vespers. The eight o'clock mass was always reserved for us school children. We sat in pews reseved for each class, boys on the right side, girls on the left. Our parents sat in the rear pews. We sang and we prayed. The boys were urged to become altar servers. Education and religion were intertwined throughout our school experience.
There was always a Music Teacher within the Convent. We learned some music theory, but mostly church music so that we could sign during mass. This teacher, Soeur Marie Ambroise, also taught piano and organ after school hours for those youngsters wishing to play these instruments. My sister was one of these students. She loved her music teacher, who made learning fun and exciting for her students.
It is years after that each of us learned how influential these dear nuns were in our religious and secular education. I remained bilingual because of this experience. And for that, I will be forever grateful to these wonderful - well most of them were wonderful - Soeurs de la Pésentation de Marie - Sisters of the Presentation of Mary.
Amitiés & Zôbi Widôbaid & Métañdossañtz8añgan & Nidi-nwendaginag,
Norm
Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
Copyright © 2003 & 2004 Norm Léveillée
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Created 1 Feb 2003