Celebratory weekend to mark school’s 50th
Fort Richmond Collegiate marking half a century
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This article was published 17/04/2017 (3284 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
After half a century of growth in southwest Winnipeg, Fort Richmond Collegiate has remained a constant in the community.
Dubbed the “centennial school” for an opening date that coincided with the 100th anniversary of confederation in 1967, the high school at 99 Killarney Ave. was a central point in the development of the community in rural Fort Richmond.
Fifty years later, the faces that compose the school’s student population may look different and the horizon is mostly blocked by the suburbs, but the culture and values that the first principal Bert Kroeker established at Fort Richmond have not changed, Mike Weekes said.
“He sort of coined the term Centurion Spirit,” Weekes, Fort Richmond’s vice-principal, said. “Climate is something that changes year to year and is hard to maintain whereas the culture is something that’s embedded and he’s the one who started that.
“He inspired a culture around inclusion.”
Sabrina Longobardi, a science teacher at Fort Richmond and co-chair of the FRC 50th anniversary committee, said the upcoming anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the high school’s history in the neighbourhood and share that heritage with a student population that’s much more diverse than years prior. More than 50 per cent of the students currently attending Fort Richmond were born outside of Canada, Weekes estimated.
“I think the kids in the school need to see the importance of the school in the community and the growth that’s happened over the years,” Longobardi, who is also a Fort Richmond grad (1993), said.
“The 50th is a big deal. Back in the ’60s, (Bert Kroeker) was a pillar in the community. People looked up to him and he really liked the work that he was doing. He stayed here for a long time. Sometimes I think we do it for him.”
The anniversary will be celebrated with a reunion event the weekend of May 5 to 7.
Some of the events for the reunion will pay respect to the traditions of Fort Richmond Collegiate dating back to its days in the Fort Garry School Division, prior to the formation of Pembina Trails School Division.
The annual alumni basketball tournament will take over the school’s gym on May 5 and 6. Weekes said they are hoping to organize an old-timers team as a nod to the wildly successful Fort Garry Invitational tournaments the school used to host.
“I’d like to see a large number of people gather and enjoy their time,” Weekes said.
The weekend’s events also include a wine and cheese night at Nicolino’s Italian restaurant on Friday night, a “Good Ol’ Manitoba Social” Saturday evening, an open house with school tours, yearbook and era displays, and on Sunday a memorial will be held to honour alumni and members of the Fort Richmond Collegiate community who have died.
Longobardi said organizers are expecting about 1,000 people to attend the events throughout the weekend and noted that they are all fundraisers for the school’s arts programs in memory of Bert Kroeker.
“We have set up a legacy fund and all the money that is raised… will go back to the school arts programs and arts programs were chosen because they were connected to what Bert really loved,” she said.
For more information about Fort Richmond Collegiate’s 50th anniversary and reunion go to www.frc50.com or call the school at 204-275-7520.