Jasper Place High School prepares to commemorate 50th anniversary
By Maxwell Rausch
EDMONTON — Staff and students who have attended Jasper Place High School are invited to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary on Feb. 24 and 25.
The festivities will begin Friday, Feb. 24, with a basketball game between the Jasper Place Rebels and their longtime rivals, the Ross Sheppard Thunderbirds.
Jasper Place principal Jean Stiles said the healthy rivalry between Jasper Place and Ross Sheppard is something to be celebrated.
“We love Shep, and we’ve always said they’re a great school,” Stiles said. “But we bleed red and they bleed blue.”
Saturday’s activities, starting at noon, will provide attendees with a chance to literally take a stroll down memory lane, or “Decade Alley” as it will be called at Jasper Place.
Each room off Decade Alley will take alumni back to a certain decade of the school’s existence. Stiles said that staff from each era will be present to share memories as well.
“I know the school originally wasn’t a part of Edmonton, and certainly it’s undergone a number of changes over the years,” she said.
When Jasper Place Composite High School was founded in 1961, it was part of the Town of Jasper Place. Since the town was amalgamated with Edmonton in 1964, the school has become the largest in Edmonton, with 2,300 students currently attending, Stiles said.
“It’s interesting the number of students at JP whose parents also went to JP,” Stiles said. “It seems to be that phenomena that continues. People stay in the west end.”
Jasper Place High School is gearing up for its 50th anniversary celebration on February 24 and 25, 2012. Photo supplied.
The school has earned accolades in recent years for the variety of programs it offers its students. Maclean’s magazine recognized Jasper Place High School as the best high school in Canada in 2005.
More recently, the school has been recognized for innovative additions to their science programs. Jasper Place School has become known for its year-round permaculture garden which supplies many of the ingredients for the school cafeteria and culinary students.
The school is also in the process is of implementing a fish farm, or aquaculture, that will supply seafood as well as fertilize the permaculture garden, simulating a full-fledged ecosystem.
“They looked at the sheer number of programs the school offers… there’s something for everyone,” said Stiles.
The anniversary celebration, organized by Jasper Place school, will be open to the public at no cost.
The celebration of JP’s legacy comes as Jasper Place alumni are in the process of planning a reunion event for all past students for Sept. 15 and 16.
The reunion will be held at the Edmonton Oilfield Technical Society Park at 2104 156 St., said Grant Strand, chairman of the planning committee. Tickets are $65 per person.
Strand said the more people register for the September event, the more expansive in scope it can become.
We need some means to contact our fellow students to attend this important milestone celebration. We are finding it impossible to find even males, who have not changed their names as women would have. Wow what a daunting task you have before you! If we could get even one lead we could begin our search. My husband graduated in1966. He wants to find his buddies from Mr. Dennis Blakeman’s class. We have contact with Mr. Blakeman and he, too, wants to find some of the class. can you help us?
Join this blog I set up and post a “looking for” article, like mine:
http://jpchsreunion.blogspot.com/2011/12/bob-kenyon-jasper-place-high-school.html