Brydon Marchand attended George P. Vanier School from 1989 to 2003 and is organizing an inaugural reunion of the school for students and teachers.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Brydon Marchand started attending George P. Vanier School in 1989 before graduating in 2003. About to turn 40 years old in late June this year, he wanted to have a reunion with teachers and fellow classmates before he reaches that milestone.
“I’ve been there so many years ago. I haven’t seen my teachers for a long time,” said Marchand.
CORE Association employee Pam Darley was telling Marchand about her high school reunion and that is what sparked the idea.
“He brings in yearbooks all the time,” explained Darley. “We go through them and we remember this memory, and remember when ‘so and so’ scared someone else at a campfire, and we talk about all the times they had from the camping to the teas to performing at Christmas parties.”
Marchand talked about taking arts and crafts, track and field, math, learning to take the bus and cooking while at school.
“We cut hotdogs to have arms and it looked like an octopus.”
He also took the initiative to learn sign language so he could communicate with one of his friends and still uses it regularly by teaching the skill to those at CORE.
Each December since 2005, Marchand does Kids on the Block Puppeteers.
“Reading all the scripts and performing, he does all of that very independently,” said Darley.
It was more than a school to Marchand, it was like a family where there were many different connections. Graduating was a big change but he’s created strong bonds at CORE, which he has been going to for almost 18 years. He also volunteers at the hospital two days a week helping with the mail and works one day a week at HR Solutions.
Executive director of CORE Rita Bessant explained the history of the school and CORE, which both began in 1954. “Concerned parents and volunteers felt there should be the same rights for persons with disabilities as anyone else.”
In the first year, there were four students at George P. Vanier School, which the association bought for $1 from the public school division.
“George P. Vanier is not there no more,” said Marchand. “They moved to Herald School and that is when they turned it into the Vanier Group Home.”
Vanier House is a residential home for people with developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s and dementia. On the morning of the reunion, there will be a tour of the building to see what changes have taken place, and Marchand promised to show the News his old classroom.
This is the first reunion of the school and Darley said the response has been fantastic and people are coming from as far as Edmonton to attend.
Each year at the school, teachers and students would have a tea. During the tea, there would be a slideshow to the song “I Have a Dream” by Abba. Marchand is creating a slideshow for the reunion to the same song from all the photos that are coming in through social media.
The reunion will take place at CORE on May 27 from 1-4 p.m. In addition to the slideshow, there will be refreshments and baking along with a photo booth. The tour of the Vanier House will be at 11 a.m. the same day.
