Community Spirit

Crossing Guards, late 1950's

he Academy and Convent was a community comprised mostly of women. They were strong and independent and tried to impress the idea that women could have those important qualities upon the Novices and students. One woman stated, "I learned from a long heritage that the difference between male and female was just that they were male and female, that they weren't any cleverer, intellectually." (S. Scott) The connection to the Mother House in Lachine remained strong, and these ties to their Foundress and their peers was important to the Sisters. It is telling that reunions continue to bring alumnae from distant shores, to see their fellow St. Ann's teachers, classmates and roommates, for they too developed a connection, through a common experience.

Life was not always about work. The Sisters planned great celebrations. Feasts marked the important dates on the religious calendar, and food, although simple, was carefully prepared for these occasions. Graduation parties and banquets were staged for student accomplishments. It was the task of the Grade 11 class to come up with a theme and decorations for the Grade 12 dinner. During the final two graduations at the high school, the Middle Ages and a 1920s Speak Easy, complete with servers dressed as flappers, were great successes. Mini carnivals, music and games were played out in the halls. Everyone came together in the chapel, beautiful, serene and often called "the heart of St. Ann's". It must therefore have been the heart of the community.

Many aspects to the constant support of other women made even the most trying times bearable. There was a hierarchy within the Convent, with women who were assigned to different types of duties and others who had more crucial responsibilities and decision-making powers. However, they attempted to live harmoniously and to find a balance that would enhance their order.

Very little is known about the many lay persons that worked at the Academy. These were the staff members who had chosen life at the convent, but had not become part of the religious order. From Mary Mainville, who arrived with the first four Sisters in 1858, to the service men who maintained the building, to the teachers of art, literature, science and a myriad of other subjects during the school's long history, these people also played a vital role at St. Ann's, one that is constantly overshadowed by other aspects of the Academy's history.

Presentation of a Trophy for being "Best School in Victoria" during Fire Prevention Week, 1962 (click for large image)

There were many occasions when the girls got themselves into mischief. Sometimes their antics were amusing, and sometimes they tried the community spirit, as solutions were sought for 'bad behaviour'. A small bell, used in Belgium during World War I, was rung to draw the attention of the students, and when it came time for classes to commence and the bell hadn't sounded, it was cause for concern. When a Sister discovered the clapper was missing from the bell, she worried about the cost of replacement as well as the theft. An assembly was called and a student eventually came forth: she had been collecting the clappers as souvenirs, one for each year she had been registered at the school!

In another incident, the girls gathered for a party in the dorms, late at night. They laughed and ate snacks they had smuggled in. Although they were quiet, soon the entire boarding school was involved. They all returned to their beds, thinking they would get away with their soirée, until the next day, when a sheet was posted, for the girls who had the party to sign up for window washing duty. When the Sister saw all those names, she called the students together. She said, "I only have one thing to say. Next time, INVITE ME!"

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