Killarney School District No. 2536
On November 13, 1911, a meeting was held to form a school district in
Killarney. Newly elected officers were: Chairman L. Borregaard and
Secretary, T. Armour. The land of SE ¼ 25-42-2 W 4th was purchased
from E. Paquette for $10 and acre.
While negotiations were in progress, school was held in a sod house owned by H. Semple. Mrs. Ladd was hired to teach during the summer months. Some of the first students were: Charlie Foreman; Ina and Andrew Armour; Ester Ellen, Louis and Willie Borregaard; Philip, Bertha, Margarite and Beatrice Lambert; and Edna Sevigny.
The school was completed in the fall of 1912 at a cost of $1500. In 1913, $150 was borrowed to pay a teacher. The teachers boarded with families and usually walked to school. As there were both French and English speaking families in the area, the teacher was expected to speak both languages. A former student, who spoke only French said, when he started school, some children learned both languages.
In 1915, the Killarny Presbyterian Church donated $70 and the U.F.A. built a barn.
Some of the teachers in these early years were: Pratt and Judd Perry, Miss Colin, Miss O’Gorman, Miss Olive Folkins, Miss Edna Nelson, Grant Saul, Miss Kluck, Miss Agnes Laplander, Miss Stella O’Brien, Carl Cayford and E.H. Mickeljohn. One teacher wrote that she was fortunate enough to have a telephone in 1923.
The enrollment was large and usually included grade nine. A picture taken in 1922-23 shows Miss Folkins (McKenzie) with her large class. In 1940, the enrollment was still large. Some of the students recognized in a picture at that time include Philip and Annette Cote Eric Allen, Gordon, Chapman, Melvin and Eva Holden, John Girard and John Sevigny.
In 1947-48, eight or nine supervisors came and went until Mrs. Perry finally took over after Christmas that year. When teachers became hard to get, the school was closed and the students were bussed to Chauvin. The Killarney school building was used as a house for some time and was later moved to Chauvin to be used as a warehouse by D.W. Parcels. It was later torn down and the lumber was then used in the construction of a two-car garage built by Ezra Fahner.
The original site of this school, built by pioneers, is lost in a field owned by George Chapman.
Killarney School District No. 2536
Submitted by Mildred Goede Reinhart
118-119