In 1971 I joined a large group of first year teachers at Tahayghen. Faith Thorgeirson, Nash Meralee, and Helen Scully were our pillars and mentors.
Over the years I was an on-again, off-again teacher, TA, sub.
When I was asked to write for this event, memories began to swirl. I was talking with Melvin in Jessie’s Garden the other day.
He reminded me about a book we worked on – we walked through town looking for edible plants, tasted, collected, pressed, glued and wrote about the plants to make a book. It was in the school library for years.
In the school yard after rain there was great water play – ditches and dams and dams bursting into ditches, and kids coming in happily muddy, no matter what rules the school attempted to enforce.
Every year there was Faith Thorgeirson’s Spring Carnival extravaganza – mounds of Pink Elephant treasures, the French Café, and students running a gym-full of carnival games.
The Xmas Concerts – Nash with her Hawaiian or western cowboy dances. Island Sports Days were always fun, fuelled by Russel Herkes’ and Len Merriman’s enthusiasm. The Art and Science Fairs.
One time we built a big volcano for the Fair. The sign said: “Eruption at 2:00”.
I kept worrying about it – the kids’ expectations; would it work?
At 2:00 I was horrified to see eight rows of people surrounding the volcano expectantly.
A student began the process. The volcano began to bubble very slowly.
For some reason I reached over and held a funnel upside down on the mouth. The volcano erupted big time, up and up and up to the gym ceiling.
Things were not all good – the strap for one. In 1973, B.C. was the first in Canada to ban it.
There were long, long staff meetings. Winter mornings going to school in the dark and going home in the dark.
I soon realized that some words in the readers had no meaning to some Island children – You can park a car, but I had to explain “what’s a park?.”
Then I backed into the school wall and had to go to the principal to confess that I had put a big hole in his brand new building.
But there were Authors’ Teas, young authors proudly sharing their stories.
Nash Merali’s Grade 1s spent a day baking bread, turning berries into jam and milk into butter for a class feast.
Another time, Nash’s classroom was full of greenery and the chirping of crickets. For years, Wiley Creek was the place where salmon reared by Tahayghen classes were set free, the children calling, “Goodbye fish.”
There were special times when school spilled into real life.
John Yeltatzie shared a salmon story. The story went home and was told to a younger brother who came back to school next day – even before class began – and re-told the story to his classmates.
Or like the model trollers. I had a vague idea of a project of hull-shaped two-by-fours, a block of wood for a cabin, and dowels for poles.
Then Elvis stepped in, made a cabin for each boat and shared some model fishboat bits.
Dee Williams appeared. She outfitted each boat with red and white fishing floats for bumpers.
And Naanii Mary helped them to introduce their boat in X̱aad Kil.
And the wonderful, week-long class camp-outs at Grey Bay. The Fisheries net brought in a huge variety of fish from the mouth of the river.
Important learning, hands on, about our island home, helping to cook and clean, and how to get along with others in a tent.
Tahayghen memories are not much about the building, but about the youth and the villagers who gave it life.
This big move for Tahayghen students is more of a return, back to the original elementary-highschool that was used before Tahayghen was built. I wish you all a happy return.
As Naanii Leila used to say, “That’s all.”
This speech was first given by Jenny Nelson at the school’s closing ceremony. Printed with permission.