LA CRETE, AB

There was a time when Mennonite children had their mouths washed out with soap anytime they uttered a hearty “ ?” on the schoolyard. Things have changed, however, and now the world’s first Plautdietsch immersion school has opened in the nothern Alberta town of La Crete.

“We’re hoping to have schools in Altona, Abbotsford, and even Coaldale, Alberta by the end of the year,” said dairy farmer and self-appointed school principal Isaac Neufeld. “So far everything’s running smoothly, although our high school Physics textbooks leave something to be desired.”

The school is scrambling to translate the entire Alberta curriculum into Plautdietsch and have enlisted local omas and opas to help out.

“So far the kids have learned , , and ,” explained Neufeld. “They’ve got a long way to

See Full Page