Community Worries of K-5 Impact on Bradner’s May Day Celebration

Bradner May Day Royalty 2014 - Image Source - Facebook

By Lynda Richard - The community of Bradner is well known for its annual Bradner May Day Celebration.
This important community event has been taking place for nearly 100 years! May Day
began 97 years ago and involved all of the communities in the northwest Abbotsford area,
formerly known as Matsqui. 

May Day gradually fell solely on the shoulders of the community of Bradner and in particular, the Bradner Elementary School. Although the entire community and surrounding areas participate, it is actually the parents, staff and children of Bradner Elementary working together who are responsible for the success of this event. Without them, this important and historic event would not take place. 

The event begins with a pancake breakfast, an opportunity for friends, neighbours and visitors to our community to visit and get to know each other. Bradner Hall is full of people enjoying the warm country atmosphere and of course, the lead up to our famous parade. The parade travels down Bradner Rd from Townshipline, giving many
community organizations, clubs and sports teams all kinds of chances to show what they are all about. Everyone from students, groups such as 4H, Girl Guides, & Shriners, the Mayor and MLA Mike de Jong on his rollerblades, are all a part of the celebration. Perhaps this year the School Trustees would be interested in participating by entering a float in the parade?!?

As many of you may know, Grade 6 and Grade 7 students are the crux of the May Day Celebration. Each year the competition to be elected May Queen or Princess is greeted with anticipation by all Grade 6 students and, in the last few years, has not been limited to the girls! Not at all a pageant, this competition is an opportunity to have the children research and educate themselves on the history of our wonderful community and the most important component in the judging is the speech each student puts together to illustrate what May Day means to them.
May Day is also famous for its May Pole Dance, and the tradition is so revered that Mrs. Faye Hansen, a retired Bradner teacher, voluntarily returns each year to work with the children as part of their physical education programme. Ms. Val Duma, another retired Bradner teacher, also returns regularly to work with the Grade 6 and 7 children, teaching them to play the hand bells. For some, this is the only musical education they will receive
– and they LOVE it!

Bradner May Day is the biggest fundraising event that the school has, if the older children’s grade levels were no longer a part of Bradner Elementary this tradition, almost 100 years old, would surely die. As an active community member I am very concerned about the loss and degradation to our community that a K-5 school configuration would bring.

I currently serve as the Secretary for Bradner Community Club, the President of Jubilee Community Hall Association, a founding member of The Bradner Barker, and a member of the Abbotsford Rural Ratepayers. 

We cannot afford to keep having our community and its traditions dissected and removed bit by bit. People move to this area at great expense just to be a part of something that we have because it is so unique and special. Our elementary school is second to none and the parents work hard to keep our traditions alive and our community intact.

I fully support any proposals our young parents have to keep our school operating and to have choices about where their children will attend.

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Join us! Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 7 PM at the Abbotsford School District office (2790 Tims Street, Abbotsford, British Columbia) 

Save our K-7 Schools is sending an official delegation to the February 2nd school board meeting to present the results of our petition and to make a case for K-8 education and the crucial importance of this choice.

WE NEED ALL THE BACK UP WE CAN GET! PLEASE COME OUT AND PACK THE PLACE OUT AND CHEER REALLY LOUD!!

Let's show the school board how mcuh support there is for our rural K-7 schools.

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Historical Photo Gallery

Image Source - The Reach #P24602

Above - Bradner May Queen, Shelly McIntosh, centre, and Princesses. McIntosh is a 12 year old Bradner Elementary School student. The weather is too wet and cold, so many of the ball games are postponed a week to occur on the following Friday. The planning chairman for the event is Chris Engh and the May Queen is 12 year old Shelly McIntosh, a student at Bradner Elementary. Students from Bradner, Aberdeen and Dunach Elementary schools are taking part in the traditional May Pole dances. There are 15 floats entered in the parade, in categories including Parent-Teacher Association, general, commercial, community and the children

Image Source - The Reach #P4620

Above - May Day celebrations at Bradner. Bradner began its May Day tradition about 1915 but ceased celebrations from 1934 to 1948. In 1949 a May Queen was crowned and the long-standing Bradner event reinstated, continuing through the present day.

Image Source - The Reach #P24600

Above - May Pole Dance at Bradner Elementary School during May Day celebrations in Bradner. The weather is too wet and cold, so many of the ball games are postponed a week to occur on the following Friday. The planning chairman for the event is Chris Engh and the May Queen is 12 year old Shelly McIntosh, a student at Bradner Elementary. Students from Bradner, Aberdeen and Dunach Elementary schools are taking part in the traditional May Pole dances. There are 15 floats entered in the parade, in categories including Parent-Teacher Association, general, commercial, community and the children

Image Source - The Reach #P24608

Above - A vehicle, covered in rosettes,in the Bradner May Day Parade. The weather is too wet and cold, so many of the ball games are postponed a week to occur on the following Friday. The planning chairman for the event is Chris Engh and the May Queen is 12 year old Shelly McIntosh, a student at Bradner Elementary. Students from Bradner, Aberdeen and Dunach Elementary schools are taking part in the traditional May Pole dances. There are 15 floats entered in the parade, in categories including Parent-Teacher Association, general, commercial, community and the children