History is Where You Stand

Part 10: Schools

 

The first official school in the BC South Peace opened in 1915 after a group of parents insisted that their children deserved a trained teacher and a suitable building in which to learn. Prior to that year, a number of informal schools operated in homes or vacant shacks. Soon every district with enough school-age children had a one-room school, built with a $50 government grant and much volunteer labour. The schools quickly became the social and political meeting places for the rural districts. Each school was an independent unit with its own school board until consolidation was imposed in the mid-1930's. Photo by Gerry Clare, 1991

10-01: Dr. William W. Plenderleith

10-02: School Board Members, SD#59, from 1946 to 1972

10-03: C.D. Ovans in Peace River South

10-04: Inspectors and Official Trustees, 1927-1938

10-05: Public Reaction to School Consolidation, 1934-35

10-06: The Struggle to Get Schools

10-07: Dr. J.F.K. English, Inspector of Schools

10-08: Beginning of Schools in the Peace River District

10-09: Early South Peace Schools and Teachers

10-10: Teaching in Dawson Creek, 1940 to 1944

10-11: Recollections of Miss Lydia Hinke

10-12: The School-Marm Role was real for Jean Gething

10-13: Mrs Eleanor Sutherland

10-14: The Music Festivals -- Over and Above the Call of Duty

10-15: New Teacher at Charlie Lake (1929)

10-16: Gerry Andrews, First Teacher at Kelly Lake

10-17: Annie Bray Retires after 28 Years of Service

10-18: Jean Gething

10-19: Memoirs of Oscar Palsson, Rural Teacher

10-20: Charlie Lake Pioneer Teacher

10-21: Memoirs of the First Rolla Festival

10-22: First Schools in the South Peace

10-23: Charlie Lake Teachers from 1924 to 1948

10-24: The School at Clayhurst

10-25: The Coleman Creek School

10-26: The South Dawson School

10-27: Teachers at the South Dawson School, 1921 to 1944

10-28: The North Dawson School, 1922 to 1946

10-29: Moving to the New Dawson Creek Elementary School, 1952

10-30: Notre Dame School, Dawson Creek

10-31: Central Junior High School, Dawson Creek

10-32: The South Peace Secondary School Fire, 1966

10-33: The South Peace Secondary Fire - a year later

10-34: The Doe River School

10-35: The Landry School

10-36: The North Rolla School

10-37: The Farmington-Parkland School

10-38: About the Peavine School

10-39: The Rolla School

10-40: The Saskatoon Creek School

10-41: The Sunnybrook School

10-42: The Two Swan Lake Schools

10-43: Claude Galibois Retires

10-44: Central Jr. High School Teaching Staffs, 1964 to 1966

10-45: Were You in School Back Then?

10-46: Mervin Simmons, Early Teacher

10-47: Dorothy Clarke, Early Rural Teacher

10-48: Archie Livingstone -- Modernizing the School System

10-49: Murray Ryan Remembers the 1950's

10-50: Walter Schoen Remembers the old Tate Creek School

Recent history 1998

BN10-01: The Peace River South Retired Teachers' Association

BN10-02: Retired Teachers say, "To Hell With The Bell"

BN10-03: Enterprise Centre at SPSS Attracts Visitors -- Again

BN10-04: Inge-Jean Hansen Wins Major Academic Award

Recent history 1999

BN10-05: School-based Internet Slow to Arrive in North

BN10-06: Students won't fail grade in School District 59

BN10-07: South Peace Student Leslie Dampier gets Premier's Award

BN10-08: Northern Lights College focus on job training

BN10-09: Awards presented to Northern Lights students

BN10-10: Automotive Program at South Peace Secondary

BN10-11: Enterprise Centre noted in Toronto Awards

BN10-12: Science Student Wins $1000 PRIS/Science Council Award

BN10-13: Area Students do well at University

BN10-14: Cobus Kirtzinger wins top scholarship

BN10-15: Farm Mechanics Technical Program for South Peace?

BN10-16: AHCOTE students graduate from Teacher Training program

BN10-17: School District 59 honours three retiring educators

BN10-18: Northern Lights College ranked first

BN10-19: Grandview teacher finds job challenging and rewarding

BN10-20: Area students win Alberta scholarships

Recent History, 2000

BN10-21: SD#59 Reviews kindergarten policy

BN10-22: Co-Op Education program at South Peace Secondary

BN10-23: Northern Lights College history written

BN10-24: Former Students Give NLC a High Rating

BN10-25: Supernault wins $10,000 with essay

BN10-26: Local chefs cook for gold

BN10-27: James Brown wins Governor-General's medal

BN10-28: Enterprise Centre wins award at Chicago forum

BN10-29: Northern Lights College expansion to continue

BN10-30: High School Band concerts return

Recent History -- 2001

BN10-31: South Peace Produces "South Pacific"

BN10-32: Schools now Drug Free Zones

BN10-33: Northern Lights College at top of the class

BN10-34: WoodLinks program coming to South Peace Secondary

BN10-35: SPSS gets two post-secondary programs

BN10-36: UNBC Teacher Training Program Concerns School District

BN10-37: Young Scientists head for Science Fair Nationals

BN10-38: Kolkea Wins Prime Minister's Award

BN10-39: Bev Hendricks will be missed in School District #59

BN10-40: Crescent Park Elementary Celebrates 40 Years

BN10-41: Class of 2001 Graduates from South Peace Secondary School

BN10-42: Dry Kiln Latest Addtion to South Peace Industrial Programs

BN10-43: Lindsay Dellow Wins Major Award

Recent History -- 2002

BN10-44: Northern Lights College cooks win silver at NAIT

BN10-45: Northern Lights students share $12,000 in awards

BN10-46: School District forced to cut $1.6 million from budget

BN10-47: Program for deaf brings out best in students

BN10-48: Carla Maxwell wins Kiwanis scholarship

BN10-49: Chetwynd's Power Engineering program a success

BN10-50: Youth entrepreneurs win Junior Achievement Award

BN10-51: Kelly Lake School closed

BN10-52: Draft policy for school planning councils

Recent history -- 2003

BN10-53: Aircraft program takes off at Northern Lights College

BN10-54: Northern Lights graduates first class of Licenced Practical Nurses

BN10-55: Longer school days but fewer of them

BN10-56: New Administration Centre for Northern Lights College

BN10-57: Hangar expansion at Northern Lights College

BN10-58: School Space Under Review

BN10-59: School Closures an Emotional Issue

Recent History -2004 - 2006

BN10-60: More Concerns About School Closures

BN10-61: Rolla looking at traditional school to avoid closure

BN10-62: Rolla needs 50 pupils to survive

BN10-63: Northern Lights College opens new administrative centre

BN10-64: Plans for a new Pouce Coupe School

BN10-65: Northern Lights College's apprenticeship program grows

BN10-66: Rolla searches for students for traditional school

BN10-67: Trying to get kids back in school

BN10-68: 47 students enough for Rolla's traditional school

BN10-69: Northern Lights College celebrates expanded aerospace program

BN10-70: Aspiring teachers on display

BN10-72: Rolla Traditional School -- update

BN10-73: New Principal at Rolla Traditional School

BN10-74: School District 59 approves $42 million budget

BN10-75: Northern Lights College a busy place to be

BN10-76: Adult Basic Education at Northern Lights College

BN10-77: Home-Schooling for Carpentry students at NLC

BN10-78: Modular School considered for Pouce Coupe

BN10-79: School District #59 adopts dress code for students

BN10-80: SPSS Working Hard on Aboriginal Education

BN10-81: School District 59 moving to new building

 

School children at the North Swan Lake School, sometime in the 1930's Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number B-00260

A school in the Hays district, west of Dawson Creek, as it appeared in 1949. Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number B-01534

The Farrell Creek School in the North Peace area. Note the sod roof in this 1930's photo. Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number D-00875

Mrs. R. Price's class at the Fort St. John School in 1949. Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number D-00900

A class photo, 1945, from the Fort St. John High School. Image courtesy BC Archives -- Call Number D-00905