Albert School District No. 2358
The first Albert School was built in 1911 by William Smith on land
donated by Mr. William Matthews on the NW ¼ 36-47-9 W4. The district
was originally called Zoldovara but was changed to Albert after Alberton,
Prince Edward Island, home of many district pioneers. The first Board
consisted of Herbert Oakley, W.D. Ramsay and E.J Jones. Miss Rooney
Christenson, the first teacher, taught Pyles, Mitchells and Larsons.
In 1938 the first school was sold and a second one built by Ivan and Gerald Currie. This building stands today, but for a time was part of Albert Centralized School. In 1954 Avonglen School was moved in, and in 1955, a basement was dug between the two buildings so they could be joined to form a fully modern Albert Centralized School. Wilf Symington and Vance Shippy bussed students from Albert, Orbindale, Education Point, Lynx, Echo and Willowview districts to the central school.
In 1957-58 a record number of teachers - Mrs. Larson, Mrs. Landers, Miss Van Hyfte, Mrs. Meakins and Mr. Spomitz taught at Albert. A teacherage called “The Apple Box” was brought in during 1955, but was replaced in 1959 by a larger one.
As the barn and coal shed were no longer needed they were sold and moved away. A skating rink maintained by Tri-way Association was built north of the school and provided a lot of entertainment for school and district. In 1960 the school bus transported pupils from Albert district to Irma High School. Graduation exercises were held in 1961 for the last class of Grade 9 attending the Albert Centralized School. The following term saw the end of Junior High. From 1962 to 1969 just two rooms with Mrs. Genon Astley, Mrs. Carol Prior, and Mrs. Phyllis Craig as teachers, were in operation. The fall of 1969 saw the full closure of the school.
In 1971 the newly formed Albert Community Association purchased the school and made it into a community centre, which is in full use today.
Albert School District No. 2358
from “Down Memory Lane”
28-29