Little Schools in the Parkland

Trafalgar – the seat of learning for its community; a recreation centre, a church, a place where you could go to a concert, a meeting, a dance, to vote and most of all, to learn. In the beginning, Trafalgar School took the same route as all other rural schools. Many names and dates have not been lost, so for the purpose of this article they will be recorded here.

At an organizational meeting, held on April 9, 1910, Mr. Hartman Mills, Jim Wilson, and Mr. A. McLean were a committee chosen to proceed. Required forms were applied for and received from the department of Education. These gave official procedures to follow. A school district was not to be more than four miles by five miles square, should have four persons who were taxpayers and have a minimum of eight children, 5 to 16 years old.

Two acres of land, on the NW ¼ 36-44-6 W4, were purchased from A. Martin at $50 per acre. The official name Trafalgar was the one selected as submitted by William A. White. W. (Bill) D. McKay’s tender of $1835 was awarded for the construction of a 24 ft. x 36 ft. school with full basement. Plans for the school and outhouses were provided by the Department of Education. Other carpenters on the project were P.D. Laird and Fred Perkins.

Classes began in August, 1911 with 13 pupils. Miss Annie McLean was the teacher. In February, 1912, it was Miss Clara Cummings and in May, Clarence R. Pearson was the teacher. He and Annie McLean seemed to alternate over the next few years.

Outdoor plumbing (ah! Ah!) was the norm. In winter a trip there was delayed at all cost. Besides its intended purpose, it served as a safe haven for girls if being chased by boys with snow balls or a gopher.

For a time in the late ’20s, water was fetched from the Zehnder farm. A couple of the older students would get an early morning recess to go for it. We let a pail down the open well and drew it up – not a safe practice. Later a rope and pulley made it a little safer. Then a new well with a pump was put down at the school. The water flowed freely for drinking, water fights or for drowning out gophers.

No pot-bellied heater in the middle of our classroom for us. We had a furnace in the basement. There was always a good supply of coal and kindling for the fuel and a reliable school boy as fireman. One onerous job for the fireman was to remove the ashes and cinders from the furnace and carry them out to the ash pile. For all this, he earned a few cents a day. I remember Howard Murray being a fireman. Later Garney Murray and Jack Perkins did the job. Jack said he got 25 cents a day. When Garney left school, he hauled the coal. For sweeping the floor, a girl got 25 cents a day in the early ’30s. Nice money for then, I assure you.

Over a grate in the floor, we warmed our toes, dried our mitts or thawed our lunch and maybe a syrup pail of cocoa. If the lid were not loosened, the lid would pop off. At least once it exploded with such a force that the contents was spewed over the ceiling.

A large bottle of ink was supplied for pupil use. Small ink wells in the right hand corner of the desks were filled from this. There were no ball points, only straight pens or if lucky, a fountain pen. To avoid frozen ink and a broken bottle, the teacher would take it home with her on weekends.

Until the late ’20s, the fall term began the last two weeks in August. Some boys missed during harvest time to assist dads in the fields. Because of distance for many, poor roads and cold weather, school was generally closed during January and/or February in the early days of schooling. From November first to March first the school day was from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This helped compensate for dark, cold mornings. There was no electricity so on dark dismal days, it was often difficult to see the blackboard through the gloom.

Game time was the noon hour and at the fifteen minute morning and afternoon recesses. Softball, especially for boys, was the most popular. What energy they expended! There were team games: anti-i-over, pom- pom-pull-away, red light, 9 sticks, ride the wheel, marbles, scrub, snaring and drowning out gophers, and horseshoes. In winter, it was fox and geese, and snowballing. Forts of snow blocks were built by each team. Party games were: the farmer’s in the dell, London bridge, drop the handkerchief, over and under, upset the fruit basket, pussy wants a corner and two deep or I wrote a letter.

There were inside games, on bad weather days, often played on the blackboards: X’s and O’s, hang the man, fill in the dots to make squares to be initialed, hide the button (for lack of thimbles), geography matches, hopscotch (inside and out) – squares were drawn on the floor with chalk. The basement served for more active games.

Trafalgar school had a good library for the times. Books that stirred the imagination and whetted our minds: story books, fairy tales and a great resource in a set of Books of Knowledge; a globe and a set of roll-up maps.

First and foremost was the Christmas concert. Practice started early in November, when one or more roles were selected for each pupil. Recitations, dialogues, drills and carols made up the program. How one worked to learn their special parts! The George Murray family generously loaned their piano for the duration of the practices. Mrs. Olive Wilson was our accompanist for several years. Dedicated she was, for she walked nearly two miles several times a week to practice.

A week before the concert, a man from the district came and constructed a stage and erected a tree. Decorations were “made” by the pupils. On the night of nights, the best clothes that could be afforded were donned, boys’ hair had been cut and girls’ curled.

After the program, sleigh bells were heard and with a flourish Santa bounded on the stage. After he had distributed the gifts and candy bags and had flown off with his reindeer, lunch, provided by the mothers, was served. The platform was quickly dismantled, the benches pushed back, young children were put to sleep on coats and the dance began. What a night! What a morale builder for children who achieved beyond anyone’s expectations!

Musical Festivals began for us in the early ’30s. Most schools from Chauvin to Irma participated and they travelled to Wainwright, some by team and lumber wagon. There were chorals, solos, drama and elocution numbers. Adjudicators were brought in. Diligent practice, to be note and word perfect, was required. Trafalgar had the honour, one year, of receiving an award for singing “Sweet and Low.” The culmination was an evening performance by all the winners. It was a cultural opportunity not otherwise afforded.

Immunization shots were not yet given, so infectious diseases would spread to any child who had not already had “what was going around.” One time, our school was closed for two weeks when all but the teacher and one pupil had contacted red measles. Another time the teacher had scarlet fever – a six week siege. School was closed until a substitute was obtained. A polio epidemic suspended classes another time.

No record of a year-end picnic has been found for the early years. One well remembered, about 1925, was held in a lovely park-like bluff near the school, for pupils only. The teacher, Miss Patsy Fieldhouse, had a boyfriend who earned “big” money in the oil field and was generous with it. On this day he brought a tub full of ice cream, a rare treat for those days.

With the car becoming the mode of transportation two or three schools joined in the school picnic often at Morrisette’s Lake (also know as Ebbern’s). A peanut scramble, races, swimming (with blood suckers) and visiting amongst the parents was enjoyed. Food, laid on cloths which were spread out on the ground, was shared by everyone, sitting cross- legged around the “table.” So ended the school year.

Teachers were: August 1911 – Annie McLean who seemed to alternate with C.R. (Clarence) Pearson. He boarded with Mary Wilson. Later he taught at Camrose and was one of the supervising teachers in the Normal School when Elfreda Wilson attended.

Teachers from 1912 to 1936 were: Clara Cummings, Miss Bessie Borden, Mrs. Marcella Rose Barber, Miss Patsy Fieldhouse, Miss Mary Watson, Miss Margaret Calder, Miss Velma Norris, Miss Jean Moorehead, Mrs. B. (Bertha), A. McLean (Sandy) and Miss Levigood, whose accounts of her travels inspired some of her pupils to do well in the future. She married Arthur Toogood and formed a travel company.

In August, 1911, when school opened, pupils who attended were: Wilsons, McLeans, Zehnder, Lawrences, Murrays, Whites, Dahlgrens, Wilsons and Cummings. These were joined in February, 1912 by Abernathys, Birtles, Mills and Rodmans.

In 1920 and on there were: Gunns, Murrays, Perkins, Browns, Morrisons and Barracloughs.

1921 – Wilsons, Carls, Daniels, Perkins, Davidsons, Chynoweths and Gunns.

1923 – La Bontes, Hedlunds, Murrays, Smiths, Sydneys, Hores and McDougals (who attended Trafalgar when there was no school at Greenshields).

Other families (no dates) were: Wilsons, Daniels, Perkins, Whites, Coopers, Murrays, Greenways, Gordales, Deyells, Rajottes, Comishes, Gunns and Girards.

In the late ’40s a dwindling rural population led to falling enrolments which resulted in the demise of Trafalgar School along with others. The Divisional School District was formed and children had to travel by bus to larger centres. Trafalgar school house was acquired by a community association. It was used for meetings, socials and dances until it was struck by lightning and burned. The site is now the home of Bernard and Lil Schoenberger.

Trafalgar School District No. 2123
Submitted by Marie (Perkins) Valleau

60-61-62-63-64