Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School

Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (Q.I.R.S.) or Qu'Appelle Industrial School was a Canadian residential school in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. As one of the early residential schools in western Canada, it was operated from 1884 to 1969 by the Roman Catholic Church for First Nations children and was run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Grey Nuns. As of November 8, 2021 Star Blanket Cree Nation started searching for unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar.
It was located on what is now the Wa-Pii Moos-toosis (White Calf) Indian Reserve of the Star Blanket Cree Nation adjoining the village of Lebret. Lebret is situated on the north-east shore of Mission Lake in the Qu'Appelle Valley, six kilometres east of Fort Qu'Appelle on Highway 56.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action are dependent on identifying and making publicly available the history and legacy of residential schools and the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. There is a lack of documentation for their history as it was one of forced assimilation by a dominant culture looking to erase those cultures, which means little may be available. Plus digitization efforts to date have not prioritized items under copyright nor non-mainstream cultures and languages, resulting in claims of digital or electronic colonialism. Thus there is a lack of mainstream culture references for this entry, plus last century and early 20th century Indigenous references for a school that celebrated a Centenary in 1984.
Qu'Appelle Industrial School was built in 1884 to fulfill one of the conditions of Treaty 4, signed in 1874, which was to provide schools and education for First Nations children. Fifteen students were enrolled in the first year with Father Joseph Hugonnard as the first principal. (It was a boys only school until 1887 when girls accommodation were built. See Laviolette in references below) In 1886 there were 86 students and by 1914 there were 280 students.
The first building was destroyed by fire in 1904 and the second Qu'Appelle Industrial School was destroyed by fire in 1932. It was replaced by the Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School in 1935. The school was expanded with additions and a gymnasium (1894) and in 1948 high school classes started to be held onsite. A bronze statue of Joseph Hugonard (sic) by Toronto sculptor Charles Duncan McKechnie was installed in 1926. Located near the entrance of the school, the base of the statue appears in graduation photos.
In 1951, St. Paul's High School was added to the complex. In 1952, an 800-seat auditorium was erected. The decision was made in 1965 to close education above grade 9 and the high school ended up closing in 1969
The school reopened under the operations of the reserve in 1973 under the name White Calf Collegiate, in charge of the residences but not education. Grade 10 was added in 1977 at the expense of losing grade 1, then Grade 11 was added in 1978 and in 1981 the Board became the School Council and took over the school. Grade 12 was added, with the first graduating class May 21, 1982. The school finally closed in August 1998. White Calf Collegiate, operated by the Star Blanket Cree Nation, was demolished in 1999.
Sister G. Marcoux wrote a history of the school in 1955, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the province of Saskatchewan and an article of its history on its centenary was published.
"The program of studies was oriented towards christianity (sic) and the pupils enjoyed manual work, art, singing and music and various sporting activities." The students spent half their time on vocational training and half academic with housekeeping and farm chores required. The curriculum included "reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, geography, history, music, singing and drawing." For the boys the emphasis was on "animal husbandry and farm related subjects, with additional training in tailoring, shoemaking, printing and painting." The girls were taught "homemaking skills such as spinning, weaving, baking, cooking and sewing." Unfortunately, reports indicated that education was sub-par,
Fr. de Bretagne "re-organized the school program, the farm operations, the manual training facilities" and "obtained funds to permit the creation of a 24-piece military band which won many prizes in provincial festivals."
Fr. Piche organized the Cadet Corps in 1944.
It is noted that the school had a gestetner and may have had a printing press earlier in its history.
The Lebret Indians Junior "B" Hockey Team dominated the province for five years, from 1955-59. When Indian Affairs phased out grades 11-12 in 1959, Arthur Obey, the Coach of the hockey team at the school, reported it wiped out Junior "B" hockey at Lebret and the league ended up folding. Zeman et al. state Junior "B" hockey didn't return until 1962. Sports were very important method of assimilation at the residential schools and Lebret, for one, "developed outstanding athletic programs" and athletes. Sports and games were also by students to endure their institutionalization. Art Obey spent "15 years [as] Director of Recreation and Sports at the Lebret Indian residential School, Sask." starting in 1950 through the time of Lebret's successful sports program. He returned at some point as it is noted he "remained involved with sports at Qu'Appelle into the 1970s, when he served as the Qu'Appelle residence's recreation director."
Hockey teams (boys) at Lebret have won:
The boys track and field team "dominated many local meets from 1955 to 1960.
Further:
Graduates:
Photos of some students, teachers, the school and their activities may be in copies of the Indian Record and Indian Missionary Record at the Engracia De Jesus Matias Archives and Special Collections at Algoma University, through the Centre de Patrimoine, in Sister Marcoux's history, and Library and Archives Canada's Residential Schools: Photographic Collections - Saskatchewan..
Four Saskatchewan students of the Lebret Indian school have won the Tom Longboat Award, an award that honours outstanding First Nations athletes and sportsmen in each province. National male and female winners are selected from the provincial winners.
Other students included:
In November, 2021 the Star Blanket Cree Nation began searching using ground-penetrating radar, for students who did not survive their stay at the school. The search could take up to 3 years.
50°45′32.9″N 103°42′40.26″W﻿ / ﻿50.759139°N 103.7111833°W﻿ / 50.759139; -103.7111833