I only now realize how fortunate I was to attend Calgary’s Lord Beaverbrook High School. I don’t recall an awareness of its comparatively large size nor the breadth of what it had to offer; it was brand new the year before I started.
LBHS was enormous – my graduating class was nearly 500! In addition to the academics wings, there were studios for hairdressing, fashion and design, and shops for autobody, welding and construction (students even built a house in the shop!!). When I review the school’s site today I am astounded by even further expansion of this list.
There were two gyms and a full-fledged auditorium with sound and lighting capabilities and backstage dressing rooms – when I was part of a dance production, we had our make-up applied by students of that program and our show’s lighting run by students of that program! One of the city’s public swimming pools was on the same plot of land and a corridor was built between the two so that we could walk from gym to pool for swim classes. I didn’t give any of this much thought… just taking it for granted like everyone else.
Today’s website notes that the team mascot for the “Lords” is a crowned black and silver lion. Wow! When I was there the mascot for the LBHS “Beavers” was – you guessed it – and one of the annual traditions was to decorate a VW Beetle as a beaver. (I also remember, without malice, the suggestion by some that I could be the mascot with my big front teeth, sigh.) I guess the lion has more class.
We’d moved to a neighbourhood that fed the school and Dad had accepted a position as head of the English Department (with a stipulation that none of his children would be in his classes). He was instrumental in developing a school-wide learning module (even students studying the trades required English courses) in which we proposed and completed an essay, poster, photograph, art, brochure, or audiovisual presentation that demonstrated use of core English principles. We loved it.
I had two close girlfriends and a core group of 10-12 others, girls and boys, that I hung out with regularly. We were involved with student council, yearbook, and sports of all kinds. We all learned to drive. And we all magically became adults at 18 when the province’s age of majority dropped from 21 in 1971.
About that Change to 18
As it happened, one of the city’s larger hotels was situated only a couple of blocks from the school and it became a tradition to hit the bar for a drink with other “adults” on one’s birthday. It was no different for me… except, since I was a year younger than my friends, we made the trip on my 17th birthday. I remember the laughter as we prepared for the event. I even remember entering the bar, but try as I might, I don’t know if we succeeded with our deceit or were kindly ushered out!
Dress Code
I was in Grade 11 when girls were FINALLY allowed to wear pants at school. “Proper” attire hadn’t allowed them… but did allow incredibly mini mini-skirts and no one batted an eye as we moved about the gym corridors in our gymnastics leotards or shorts. Fairness was one thing but doing something to alleviate freezing in the winter was quite another. We’d bundle up until inside the building, then scurry to the bathroom to change and hope there was no fire drill! With the code change in 1971, it allowed dress pants or pant suits only but we took what we could get. Jeans would be out of the question for years yet.
Fab(rics) and Dress
My girlfriends and I all learned to sew; it had started with Home Ec(onomics) in Junior High and continued here. We had a well-equipped sewing lab with the perk of brushing all our fabric scraps to the floor as we worked to find them magically cleaned away the next day! Our two main projects in Grade 12 were something tailored and our graduation evening dress.
Sports
I enjoyed most sports except soccer (oh how I hated soccer – I hated running). I gravitated toward those which were individual-based, particularly gymnastics and swimming, and spent hours at practices in the early mornings and after school. Interestingly, most of my friends favoured group sports.
My first boyfriend was an avid curler and I grew to love it myself. I also started downhill skiing and spent many happy weekends with friends at the world-class hills in Banff, part-time work financing my first set of skis. We even managed a couple of weekend bus trips further afield – Schweitzer Basin in Idaho stands out.
Football!
Spring football season was huge in high school, and inter-school competitions were highlights of the weekends.
A friend and I even got involved at field level as part of the “chain crew”, moving those first-down markers during the game. It gave us great close-up views of the action! My love for football carried on as an adult culminating in season-tickets passes to see our beloved Calgary Stampeders. When we moved to rural Ontario years later, our focus moved to hockey but I’ve never lost my football roots.
I graduated at 17, excited about the world ahead, but chose to work for a year (in a bank) to get some spending money and add a year to my life before hitting the books again. High school had been wonderful. Of my two closest girlfriends, one left for university in the States, and the other I have kept in contact with ever since.
My Name is Sydney Jo 