SYDENHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT No.1869

1. Sydenham School, in its new location on the SW ¼ 30-45-6 W4, opened
2. in September of 1928. It was ahead of most rural schools in that it was
3. heated by natural gas brought in from a nearby refinery. The large
4. register at the front of the school was a popular place to warm up our
5. bodies and dry out our mitts. Also, the school had indoor toilet facilities,
6. almost unheard of in those days! A full basement with small windows to
7. let in light provided a place for students to spend out of class time on
8. bitterly cold winter days.
9.  
10. A red barn was situated at the back of the school yard. We arrived for
11. school each day, travelling in or on various modes of transportation. Our
12. mounts or drivers spent the day in the barn. Some were fed at noon and
13. some were not – it all depended upon whether we had brought any feed
14. with us or not.
15.  
16. Much of our clothing left a lot to be desired as far as warmth went in
17. those days. Come spring, the horses would be about to stand on their
18. heads in the barn. However, things levelled off with the warm weather
19. and the barn had its annual cleaning during the summer months.
20.  
21. It was in March of 1929 that I entered Sydenham School to continue my
22. education in Grade Two. Marjorie Fleming was our teacher and when she
23. eventually married Clarence Alexander and became my aunt it was a happy
24. occasion for me. Miss Marjorie Sinclair, Mr. M. Saville and Miss Willetta
25. Armstrong also came to teach at Sydenham during my years as a student
26. there.
27.  
28. The teachers usually boarded with our close neighbors, the MacKays.
29. Consequently, they often accompanied the three of us when we drove a
30. buggy or cutter. What stands out in my mind most about Mr. Saville (who
31. eventually became a doctor of veterinary medicine) was the time he was
32. driving our conveyance. My brother got out to open the gate and he almost
33. drove over him. In trying to rectify this, he ended up backing over him!
34. Fortunately, Allen ended up between the wheels so not a lot of harm was
35. done.
36.  
37. Miss Sinclair directed us in our most outstanding drama production – “A
38. Christmas Carol” when we presented the whole play for an annual
39. Christmas concert.
40.  
41. Miss Armstrong was my teacher as I was getting older and she always
42. seemed to have such good rapport with us. Eventually I met her brother
43. and Miss Sinclair’s brother when they were doing their internship while I
44. was in training for a nurse.
45.  
46. The highlights of the year were the Christmas concert and the school
47. picnic, held the last day of the school term, at the school. These events
48. served as a fine time for neighbors to get together and were looked
49. forward to with great anticipation. Many were the old clothes made over
50. or handed down for these occasions.
51.  
52. For some time an Anglican Pastor, Rev. Trendall, gave an hour of religious
53. education after school every Friday for those who wished to remain for it.
54.  
55. Very occasionally, we would travel to another rural school for a softball
56. game. This came about after the advent of some cars in the district.
57.  
58. The school is now in a state of disrepair, having been used for grain
59. storage at one time. Now it stands – a reminder of time gone by – and a
60. home for a flock of pigeons.

Sydenham School District No. 1869
Submitted by Jean (Dixon) Brower

76-77-78