House Lake School District No. 3235
On March 22, 1915, the Minister of Education gave the order for the school
district of House Lake to be formed. In June 1916, the site was chosen in
an unusual manner, that of balancing a map of the district on the point of a
lead pencil. The school was built on the NW ¼ 29-43-5 W4 by Alex
Chartier and the official trustee was H.M.V. Pecknold of Greenshields Post Office.
The first teacher was Miss Faith Douglas. Others were: Dr. Aykroyd, Miss McLeod (Mrs. Johnny Deyell), Mrs. Callar, Jerry Fieldhouse, Gwen Pecknold, Mrs. Florence Cowan, Rose Palmer, Marjory Reeves, Ruth Stronach (Jack), Isobel McFarland, *Emma Kinghorn (Valleau), Stella Gardner, *Emmy Johnson (Nysetvold), Mrs. B.A. MacLean, *Marie Perkins (Valleau), Amy Berg, Peggy Challenger, Josephine Middlemas, Mrs. Mary Carl, *John Taylor, and Harry Lewin.
When the school opened, it was one pupil short of the number of eight set by the Department to start a school. Consequently Mrs. Valleau was persuaded that her son Stanley, five years old and very shy, attend. This lasted only until Dr. Aykroyd came and decided Stanley was not yet ready for school. A picture in Buffalo Trails and Tales lists Dr. Aykroyd’s pupils as Edna Hughes, ? Richardson, *Stanley Valleau, Mildred Terpening, Ivan and Marguerite Sargent. Later students included Edith, George, Margaret, and Evelyn Bartons, Keith, Arley, and Phyllis Hughes, Fred, and Sargent Attewell, Cecil, Inez, and Packer Roy and *Allen Valleau.
A 1928 picture names *Marcella and *Dorothy Plater, *June and Beryl Jackson, Ivan and Marshall Jackson, Phyllis, Lloyd and Arley Hughes, *Glenn and Rita Valleau, Joan and Micky Williams, *Lillian Pfluger, Edith and Clara Attewell. Other families were June, David, Bert, *Joan and Alex Hutchinson, Winnie Jackson, Marvin and Jacky Jackson, and Clara Attewell.
In March 1948, because of a shift in population, a more central site on the NW ¼ 31-43-5 was granted. By 1952 the population of school had dwindled to two families, the Hines and Hutchinsons. Parents were paid to transport their children to Greeshields. Soon after, all students were bussed to Wainwright. The building was sold and moved to town to become the home of Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Perkins.
House Lake School District No. 3235
Submitted by Marie (Perkins) Valleau
68-69