The History of Educational Administration in Merasheen
From 1930 to 1968
Part II
Submitted to: Dr. G. L. Parsons
Submitted by: Tobias Pearson
Date: November 21, 1984
Course: Education 3410
Aims and Goals in Merasheen Education, 1930 – 1968
Within the two decades following the twenties, educational administration at Merasheen took on a more formal mien. The government was becoming more financially involved and Merasheen had its own local school board. Forming our own school board was quite an achievement, which was made possible through the interest and dedication of our parish priest who gave as much time to education as to his regular duties. When we think of the educational system in Merasheen, there is one person who immediately comes to mind because he played a very important role in the lives of the people and the community, i.e., Monsignor Anthony Fyme.
The responsibility for the school at Merasheen was now under the care of the Roman Catholic School Board of Merasheen. Monsignor A. Fyme was its chairman. The members were chosen from the elite (big bugs) of the community. Here are some of the occupations they represented: Justice of the Peace in Merasheen, Secretary-Treasurer of the Ophelia Co-op Credit Society, Schooner Captains, Manager of the Co-op Store, other local merchants and three or four local fishermen.
Catholic doctrine, concerning moral and ethical values, was of paramount importance: however, in the 1930s other worthy goals were added to the domain of education at Merasheen. These included:
1. The necessity for the student to learn more of his background, his history, his culture and his heritage;
2. Understanding nature and the environment;
3. Development of salable skills;
4. Civil, social, and moral responsibility.
Monsignor Fyme was considered by the residents of Merasheen to be the "father of industrial arts" in Newfoundland. In 1939, he had the residents erect, through free labor, a school. It was a concrete structure consisting of two classrooms and a workshop. The sand used to make the cement blocks was pulled by horse and dray from the back beach. This sand had to be brought by schooner from Toslow, a neighboring community about five or six miles across the western side of Placentia Bay. A large hand cement mixer was used to make the concrete blocks. The cement was mixed by hand. Father Fyme directed the work and even took an active part in the actual building of the school.
The classrooms were fairly large--quite adequate for the school population. The workshop was equipped with most of the tools necessary for carpentry. There was also a weaving loom, mat frames and mat hooks. This equipment was used by the elementary and senior boys and girls on Friday afternoons. The adults were encouraged to make use of the workshop on certain nights each week.
Monsignor Fyme took an active part in the actual teaching of the high school students. The two subjects he taught were Religion and Latin. I can tell you everyone studied these real hard. These were studied more out of fear than out of a desire to know and understand them. Each student dreaded getting his/her ears pulled or being turned into a billy goat (the latter of the two evils was conveyed to us by our parents when they felt that we were behaving badly).
The programs of study and the school supplies used were chiefly those set out and supplied by the Department of Education. Very seldom were we short of text books. This was mainly due to the number of large families in our community. A family whose number of children was twelve or sixteen was common. Indeed, there were two families who were able to boast that their children numbered twenty-one in each family. Thus, as one or two members of each family had used a text book, it was passed on to the next in line the following year. Bigger brothers and sisters were able to help the younger ones in the family with their lessons.
In 1939-40, upon the completion of the new school, there were two teachers at Merasheen. One of them, a Miss Connors was a resident of the community. There were at that time thirty-eight boys and forty girls attending school, for a total of seventy-eight. (As you can see, the numbers of both sexes were almost equal.) The grades being taught were I-XI. For the next ten years, the school population was stable, with a total yearly enrollment of about eighty-two pupils.
In 1949-50, there were three teachers for a school population of 91. Since there were only two classrooms, makeshift classrooms had to be found. The senior students — grades eight to eleven - had to be taught in a room above the Co-op store. From then on, there seemed to be always a need to have more classroom space.
In 1953-54, classes for the elementary and senior students were held on the second floor of the Parish Hall. The two sections were separated by a screen pulled across the front of the stage. The reason for the shift of these classes to the Hall was due to a shortage of coal. Since Father Fyme had the second floor of the Hall heated by oil burners, this would save what coal there was for the primary students.
In 1955-56, because of the increase in 5'ludent enrollment, the senior grades had to be taught in the workshop. While the other two rooms had hardwood floors, the workshop floor was of concrete, causing the room, though small and heated by a Dixie stove, to be quite cold much of- the time.
In the latter half of the 1950s and early 1960s (with the aid of government bursaries) Grade XI was phased out. Those wishing to continue their education went to St. John's to attend school. Several young people attended St. Bon's and Holy Heart of Mary. Several young men were successful in passing Grade XII at St. Bon's.
During this period, another event of significance took place. Merasheen School Board became consolidated with the Roman Catholic School Board for the Burin Peninsula. This consolidation ceased in 1967. This was chiefly due to centralization. The following year, 1967-68, Merasheen's school system was taken over by the Roman Catholic School Board for Placentia-St. Mary's. At that time, there was a total school enrollment of forty-eight. There were two classrooms with myself being one of the teachers.
In 1968-69, Merasheen closed out due to centralization.
Conclusion
Merasheen had a long history of academic excellence in the schools due, in no small measure, to the leadership and drive provided by Monsignor A. Fyme. As a community, the people of Merasheen can feel proud of the quality of people coming from so small a place; number of "Religious" who came from the island. From a population that reached its peak of 380 people in 1921 came two priests and fourteen sisters.
Of the forty-one teachers who taught school at Merasheen from 1939-1965, twenty were residents of Merasheen, eighteen of which came up through the school system I have covered in this paper.
Well, John Tobias, your papers finally are published and there could be no more appropriate place than in our Merasheen Reunion book I Minds da Time.
Congratulations on a fantastic job!