This school in Longlac, Ont. is marking a milestone in French-Catholic education

Rajpreet Sahota · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 08, 2025 1:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima successful Longlac is marking a milestone — its 75th anniversary.

Since its founding successful 1948, the schoolhouse has served generations of French-speaking families crossed northwestern Ontario. The schoolhouse archetypal opened its doors successful 1950 renting abstraction from the Longlac Canadian Legion. 

A caller gathering was constructed successful 1961 and officially named École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima. Over the years, the schoolhouse expanded some physically and academically, reflecting the increasing request for French-language acquisition successful the region.

In 1988, Notre-Dame-de-Fatima became the largest Catholic schoolhouse successful northwestern Ontario eastbound of Thunder Bay, with 425 students. A turning constituent came successful 1998 with the instauration of the Conseil scolaire de territory catholique des Aurores boréales, which gave French-language Catholic schools successful the portion afloat governance implicit their programming. École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima transitioned to being afloat French-language.

"It is simply a root of pride," said main Vicky Rancourt, who has worked astatine the schoolhouse for 2 decades. 

"We're a French Catholic school. So I'm truly blessed to spot the improvement and that parents inactive bring their kids to our school."

Rancourt, who started arsenic a teacher earlier becoming main 2 years ago, said she's noticed a important alteration successful the pupil population.

"We person much students from English families that judge that it's important to person the 2 languages," she explained.

Today, the schoolhouse serves 93 students. But its bequest extends acold beyond enrolment numbers.

Former teacher Micheline Blais, who spent much than 30 years astatine the school, remembers organizing trips to determination events successful Thunder Bay, Marathon and Manitouwadge.

"It was determination that my students were capable to spot that they weren't the lone francophones successful our region. It was a existent eye-opener," she said, successful a media release.

Gabie Couture, the school's caput from 1973 to 2019, besides witnessed the school's improvement implicit the decades.

"As the longest-serving committee assistant, I had the close to take which committee I wanted to join. My prime was clear: I wanted to proceed with the French-speaking board," she said successful a media release, explaining that it was owed to her attachment to the section community. 

To observe the 75th anniversary, the schoolhouse and the Conseil scolaire de territory catholique des Aurores boréales organized a bid of events including a enactment for erstwhile students, a peculiar day wide and a family night for existent students and their families. 

According to École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, families gathered successful a warm, relaxed ambiance connected household night. They accidental the lawsuit was filled with laughter, songs and joyful moments, arsenic children played freely connected the tract and shared successful the solemnisation astir a birthday cake.

Rancourt said the celebrations are much than conscionable commemorative: they're an accidental to bespeak connected the school's roots and future.

"We person a assemblage for the parents and parents get progressive if we request assistance oregon to bash activities," she said.

"We tin each get unneurotic and enactment unneurotic to amusement the French assemblage is inactive present and we inactive usage the French language."