Plaxtol School District No. 3677
Plaxtol School was built on the NE ¼ 23-47-7 W4, and was named for Mr.
Geoff Golding’s home in England. Classes opened there in 1919. Mr.
Bartlett Tory was the teacher; Ashton and Allan Golding, Connie and Bill
Fletcher and Danny Smith were the pupils.
Other teachers included: Mrs. Rodgers, Phyllis Kent, Miss Halpin, Miss Sissons, Mary (Peggy) Brown, Kathleen Murdock and Jean Wilson. As the latter three ladies married local farmers, it was decided to hire a man, so Darryl Peterson was hired followed by Mary Watson who became Mrs. Bill Woods, Phyllis Stevens, Miss Halstead, Florence Morgan, Mrs. M. P. Veitch, Adele Irving, and Grace Ewert who became Mrs. Burton Seale, Mary Dyer and Mrs. Nagy.
Other uses for the school were church services and Sunday school, concerts, plays, meetings, suppers and many dances. It was certainly the hub of the community.
Common to the rural schools of those days was the old black stove. It was a ‘hate-love’ object. Hated for its obstinacy for not catching fire, for its belching smoke (at times) and for its ashes. But it was loved for the warmth it finally radiated on cold winter mornings making it possible for children to sit in their seats and remove their coats. It heated frozen lunches and pails of beans or cocoa. Perchance the lid was not loosened, it would blow off with such force the contents would be spewed to the ceiling, there to remain for some time. When a basement was added in 1936 and a furnace put in, this hazard was eliminated.
One half hour weekly was given a young student minister for religious instruction in two successive years, 1924 and 1925. He also formed a boys’ group that met weekly. He left his studies for the ministry and coached big league football. He later resumed his studies at university and finally became president of Stanford University. After twenty years, he retired from that position to become chancellor of that institution. He became Dr. J.E. Wallace Sterling, by an Honorary Doctorate of Law bestowed on him about 1970 when he gave the Convocation address at the University of Alberta. Plaxtol is proud to have been a part of his life.
During the ‘30s there was friendly rivalry between the school ball teams and the neighboring schools of Passchendale and Battle Heights. With the Veitch 1927 Ford packed full and a few of the older boys on horseback, they descended on either of the other ball diamonds and generally were quite happy with the results. Return games were played.
In the 1940’s with both teacher and pupil shortages, and centralization of schools, the school bell was soon to be silenced. There were teachers Joy Enger and Muriel Wakefield with temporary teachers and supervisors, among whom were Mrs. Ione Hetherington, Muriel Wakefield, Fred Brimacombe, Florence Fletcher and Betty Larson.
Finally the school was closed. Harold King bought the building and moved it to Wainwright.
Plaxtol students: Maurice & Mildred Bamelis; Ernest, Hazel and Marjory Brink; Alberta, Dale, Harlan, Hazel, Icel, Ila, Orie and Veva Casper; Allan Colby; Billy Enman; Bill and Stuart Farnsworth; Bill and Mary Fedoruk; Bill, Cecil, Clifford, Connie, Doris, George, Harry, Ronald and Vernon Fletcher; Arthur, Edna, Fred, Harry, Helen, John and Susie Ford; Forence, Kostym, Peter, Violet and Olga Gidora; Ashton, Allan and Margaret Golding; Jim, Margaret, Raymond, Stanley and Velva Hill; Kenny and Tommy Kelly; Mary Landers; George Morley; Adrienne, Denice, Maurice and Roger Pare; Audrey and Emery Ross; Eva and Helen Skoreyko; Jim Veitch and Gordon Woods.
Plaxtol School District No. 3677
Submitted by Marie Valleau with acknowledgment to “Buffalo
Trails and Tales”
42-43