Celebrating 50 years at SRSS

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This article was published 28/04/2023 (801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A community celebration will honour the 50th anniversary of Steinbach Regional Secondary School (SRSS).

Organizer Megan Turnley said the free event will take place on May 4 in the Gold gym with a program beginning at 6 p.m.

The $4 million facility was built in 1972, with the first students attending in September of that year.

An official opening ceremony was hosted on Jan. 25, 1973, when Manitoba Premier Edward Schreyer unveiled a bronze plaque honouring the occasion.

Turnley said the organizing committee felt it was important to mark this milestone.

“I think it’s a good time to recognize this because so many members of our community have gone through this school,” she said.

A member of the 2005 graduating class herself, Turnley came back as a teacher, something she said is quite common among staff.

The celebration itself will include a program featuring Elbert Allan Toews, the first principal who presided over the school for nearly half of its history.

According to the Manitoba Historical Society, Toews was principal from 1972 to 1996.

Michelle Sawatzky-Koop will also speak about her experiences in athletics and her time as a student in SRSS.

The event will also feature a piece from “The Music Man”, the only musical the school has performed three different times.

“We’re hoping maybe some people that come out are people that were in their school’s version,” she said.

Teacher Andrew Unger will also offer a trivia contest about the school.

After the program guided tours will be offered guests, or they can simply wander the halls and relive their memories of yesteryear.

Turnley said the event is open to everyone no matter their connection to the school.

“Call up old friends and go back to high school,” she said. “It’s really an opportunity just to come.”