Faye Lippett
Contributor
There are few folks who know High River schools better than former Highwood MLA Don Tannas, who spent more than a quarter of a century in their halls as student, teacher and administrator.
Tannas went to High River High School when it was located in the original sandstone portion of what is now Spitzee School. When asked about his memories there he laughed and repeated his old school chant,
“Big high mountains, solid rock, High River High School sitting on top.”
Mr. Harper was the principal then, and he was a great believer in Air Cadets, which Tannas joined. Tannas particularly remembers Miss Houston, who taught literature and was an accomplished artist, and Floyd Henheffer who taught science and math.
It seems that in those days the Grade 12 students took great pleasure in tormenting the Grade 9 freshmen. The seniors decided just what the “freshies,” as they were called, got to wear for their first week of classes. Tannas recalls sporting a diaper, bonnet and bottle, and carrying shoe polish in case a senior classmate needed his shoes shined.
Tannas finished his high school in Edmonton where his father was working, and went on to get a B.A. in History, and then a Bachelor of Education degree from the Calgary campus of the University of Alberta. It was there that he met and married Chris, his wife of 47 years.
Tannas and Chris returned to High River in 1961 where he attended Education classes at the Calgary campus. Upon graduation, he taught for seven years at both Blackie and Cayley schools when they included Grades 1 through 12.
In 1969, the division decided to amalgamate all three high schools into one, that one being Senator Riley High School. With three principals eyeing one job, Tannas set his sights further afield, took a leave of absence from Foothills School Division, joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and left for Uganda.
“We were packing up stuff when someone was walking on the moon,” he said of his memories of the time.
In Uganda, Tannas taught at a teacher training college for two years. He and his family were there in 1971 when Idi Amin, who became known as the Butcher of Africa for his atrocities, came into power.
The Tannas family left Africa six months after Amin came into power, and returned to High River to raise their two boys. The first position he was given in the division was teaching English at Oilfields High School in Black Diamond.
“My culture shock did not occur in Africa, but rather when I arrived back in Canada,” he said. “The students here were not a bit as keen as those in Uganda. Besides, I didn’t know a proverb from an adverb. English wasn’t exactly the perfect position for me.”
Shortly thereafter he was transferred to Senator Riley High School where he taught just about every subject there was for three years, before completing his Masters degree in Education. He then became principal at Longview School for six years. In 1981 Tannas became the first principal at Joe Clark School in High River and taught there till 1989.
Politics always held a fascination for Tannas. When he won the nomination for the Progressive Conservative Party in 1989 he embarked upon a new and very satisfying career as MLA for Highwood.
Tannas represented the Highwood riding in the Legislature for four terms, from 1989 to 2004. He was Deputy Speaker for three of those terms. During that time he successfully sponsored two Private Member’s Bills; one that proposed rough fescue as our provincial emblem and the Protection for Persons in Care Bill.
Although semi-retired, Tannas presently works for his son Scott who is CEO of Western Financial Group in High River. Tannas is the executive director of Western Communities Foundation, which is the charities division of Western Financial Group.
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