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From the Smoky Lake Signal, June 28, 1978. Harry Leskiw Principal of H.A.Kostash Retires
Harry Leskiw principal of H.A. Kostash School in Smoky Lake is retiring after 40 years of service. On June 29 he will turn in the keys to the school and from then on for him "every night will be a Friday night and every morning a Saturday morning." In September of 1938 Harry, fresh out of Normal School started his teaching career as principal of Cashe Lakes two room school. He taught for 6 years in this same school that he had attended as a student a few years before. Harry was born on a farm near Spedden. His dad, 93 and now retired lives along with his 83 year old wife, in Edmonton. After Harry received his primary education at Cashe Lake School, he attended, first Ashmont where he took grade 10, then St. Paul for grade 11 and then Victoria Composite School in Edmonton for grade 12. After teaching at Cashe Lake, he moved to Victoria, 6 miles South of Smoky Lake to become principal of another two room school. "There was no centralization in those days," Harry said. "I taught for 6 years at Victoria." It was a good place, a central gathering point for people in the area. There were meetings, sports, activities and recreation functions held at the school all the time. It was the kind of place that a person could get involved. Harry Leskiw must have been involved. He was the first teacher they ever had a going away party for when he left in the fall of 1950 to come to H.A.Kostash at Smoky Lake. His first home room was grade 8. These were the days of departmentalization so along with grade 8 he taught in the math departments of grade 9 and 10. "The elementary school is no longer departmentalized" said retiring principal Leskiw, "But the high school is." The reason is that the electives; arts, music, industrial arts, and home economics are areas in which specialized teachers are needed for each of the diversified departments. So the rest of the school programs are departmentalized too. H.A.Kostash High School is also on the semester system. The year is divided into two terms of 95 days each. Half the year's subjects are taken in each semester. "So instead of 40 minute class periods," said Harry Leskiw, "there are now 80 minute class periods." These are especially good for lab courses, home economics and shop. Courses like English are now also double periods with the resultant number of days to study the course being halved. The advantage is a longer more continuous period of study on each subject during the day. Harry was a classroom teacher at H.A.Kostash until 1961 when he became vice-principal. Then in 1969 he took over the principalship of H.A.Kostash when the then principal Harry Holowaychuk retired. What does the Principal do? His job is basically to plan the program of the school. The handbook of high school is a guide and the department heads have input but the principal himself is responsible and therefore must choose the areas of raining that are available and suited to the area. Staff, space and community desires help show the direction that the electives will go. Basic courses are English, math, social studies, and sciences. The electives are industrial arts, music, home economics and business education. It is the principal in each school that turns the somewhat philosophical ideas of the handbook into the reality of the classroom. The reality of Smoky lake is that the enrollment is dropping. In 1969 there were 630 students and 32 teachers teaching from grade 1 to 12. Today because of failing enrollment there are only 500 students and 27 teachers including the administration. This is generally because of the exodus of farm peoples to the cities. As families grew up the kids moved out because there were few jobs for them in the towns. The trend is slowly changing. The joys of rural living are drawing back the young. Harry Leskiw has been an active part of the Smoky Lake community for many years. He has served on the Provincial Teachers Association for six years and during that time he was on the curriculum board and the educational finance committee. He served as town councilor for eight years and has been president of the Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, Curling Association, and is presently president of the Agricultural Society. "Many of the recreational and cultural needs of the community can be met at the school," said Harry Leskiw, "I believe the school should be a focal point." The school is open to meetings clubs and sports activities. To often in small communities there is a tendency to duplicate the things that are available. For instance "we have a library at the school and a library at the town office. We would have an even better equipped library if they were combined and the duplicate spending eliminated." The town library's funds could help service the school, the central school library could be open to service the community. Harry was married to his wife Sophie in 1940. Her dad was a coal miner from Drumheller before the mines closed and he moved to this area. The Leskiws have two boys. One son Terry, 32, started as a draftsman in 1971 and worked his way up to estimater with Can-Force of Canada in Edmonton. His twin brother Ron is a school teacher in Bonnyville. Lori their youngest is a teacher in the Public School System in Edmonton. The forty years as a teacher are now over for Harry Leskiw. Retirement and probably a new round of activities await Mr. Leskiw, as soon as he turns in the keys.
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