Polska Szkoła im. Marii Chrzanowskiej
About Us
Maria Chrzanowska Polish Saturday School - educates children from Polish families living in Edmonton in the field of Polish language, history, geography, raising them according to traditional, well-proven patterns, instilling culture and broadening their horizons, working for the good of the old and new homeland.
The teaching staff of our school consists mostly of teachers, educated and having worked in Poland in the past. They also have many years of experience working in our school. The school's activities are supported by the Parent Council.
Many years of school activity translate into many successes achieved by our students. When they go to Poland, they do not feel alienated and lost. In Canadian schools, they often stand out with a broad view of the world, knowledge of facts from the past and present history of the world, better orientation in the problems of Europe and knowledge of culture (also - applied). They have instilled respect for the diversity of behaviors and the wealth of languages and thanks to this they adapt very well to life in Canada, a country that is a mosaic of traditions and cultures.
Heartfelt thanks go to the parents who founded and run the school, trying to meet its needs as best as possible. Without the active social work of the Parents' Committee, the school would not be able to function.
History
In 1991, there were already two Polish schools in the city of Edmonton, one full-week, named after J. Paul II, the other Saturday, named after H. Sienkiewicz - both in the north of the city. In the meantime, the then young southside was settled by more and more Polish immigrants coming from Italy, Spain, Germany. Parents took their children "across the river" so that they could continue learning Polish. One day in June, waiting for them, they wondered whether it would not make more sense to create another school somewhere where it would be closer to travel.
They sorted everything out in three and a half months. The Temporary Parent Council worked very energetically. In the rooms of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland, decisions were made - the school will be financed by fees paid by parents of students, it will have eight grades, classes will last from 9 to 12, it will mainly be teaching Polish, but also elements of history and geography of Poland.
September 21st was the beginning of the school year. The Allendale School (6415, 106 Street) became the school's home and took the name of Maria Chrzanowska, a Polish activist who ran a Polish school, scouting and radio station for many years. The founders of the school were Helena Fita, Halina Madej, Wiesława Bąk, Grażyna Nieradka, Henryk Lang and the Mrówka family, and over 100 children were enrolled in the new school. Now, over 10 years later, we are still teaching our homeland's language, culture and history with the same passion in the south of Edmonton.
Maria Chrzanowska
1913-2003
Mrs. Maria Chrzanowska was born on January 16, 1913 in Kuty, located in the eastern regions of pre-war Poland. Her childhood fell on the years of World War I. After finishing primary school, she began her education at the First State Seminary named after A. Asnyk in Lviv. She passed her secondary school leaving exams in 1932. After several years of teaching, she married Mr. Jan Chrzanowski, also a teacher. Their son, Zbigniew, was born before the outbreak of World War II. Mr. Jan, called up for military service, had to leave Kuty, and soon Poland. The family lost sight of him for 7 long years, because he fought under British command. In 1946, they found each other - Mrs. Maria and her son left for her husband in Germany, then to England, and decided to emigrate to Canada.
On May 4, 1948, they arrived in Edmonton. Here, in 1951, their daughter Teresa was born. Since their arrival, Mrs. Maria and Mr. Jan have been involved in the life of Edmonton's Polish community. For 31 years, Mrs. Maria has worked at the H. Sienkiewicz Polish Saturday School, running it and organizing scouts. She participates in the work of the Canadian Polish Congress and is a member of ethnic organizations. In 1962, she began working for Polish radio - for 33 years, she hosted Polish-language programs on CKUR.
On July 2, 2003, the patron of our school, Mrs. Maria Chrzanowska, passed away forever. On the first anniversary of her death, we are painfully aware of her absence. During the ceremony of the end of the school year 2003/04, a minute of silence was held in memory of both of them, Mrs. Maria and Mr. Jan, who died shortly after her. They will no longer sit in the front pews of our church to look with pride at their life's work - their children, who were born in Canada and learn Polish and the history of Poland. But - their memory will remain as long as this school exists. Maybe even longer - as long as the students live and remember it.
