The story of Kildonan East school
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This article was published 28/04/2021 (761 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Kildonan East School, built in 1871, was the first public school in northeast Winnipeg.
Located on a three-quarter-acre parcel of land on the west side of Henderson Highway, just north of what is now Rowandale Avenue, it was a one-room log cabin building measuring 36 feet by 24 feet, built at a cost of $799 including land, building costs and furnishings. Snow and rain often came often came through the cracks between the logs.
Although the school was part of the Protestant School Division, it was not run as a Protestant school but as a public school open to everyone in the community. A school board of eight was created with Peter Kauffman as chairman.
George Munroe was one of the early teachers. His 1877 salary was listed at $. In 1871-1872, Mr. Whimster taught in the first half of the year with Mr. A Sutherland teaching in the second half. A total of 59 students in grades 1 to 5 were taught in the first year. By 1876, enrolment had increased to 93 students but barely half came to school on a regular basis and around 20 per cent of all potential students in the community were never registered at all because there was no legal requirement for children to attend school until 1915.
From the 1870s to the 1890s, the classes taught included spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history and bookkeeping. Generally, more boys attended school than girls with Grade 6 being the last year for almost all students, with many leaving after just Grade 4. To continue after Grade 6, students had to travel outside East Kildonan or study by correspondence.
As the only public building in the area, the school building was used for other purposes such as school board meetings, public meetings, concerts and elections.
By the early 1900s the school was outdated, too small and too far away for many students to attend on a regular basis. This was especially true for students living in the northeast corner of the municipality so, in 1906, a new school, Rosewell School, was opened. In 1908, Kildonan East School was closed, and the building was torn down when a new school opened where the current strip mall is located.
Jim Smith is a community correspondent for Elmwood, East Kildonan and North Kildonan. Email him at jimsmith@mts.net
Jim Smith
Jim Smith is a community correspondent for Elmwood, East Kildonan and North Kildonan. Email him at jimsmith@mts.net