New Ribstone School District No. 3049
The first school in Ribstone was held in the municipal hall about 1918.
Mrs. Corriveau was the teacher and trustees were Corriveau, Williams and
Teddy Smith who also acted as secretary. His job was to collect taxes,
pay bills and generally run the business of the school district.
The first school house was built in 1921, a one-room building on a cement foundation located on the SE ¼ 17-43-2 W4th. It was named “New Ribstone” to distinguish it from “Old Ribstone” which was north of the village.
As the years passed, a high school was needed so the municipal hall was moved to the school site, a basement was added and Crest Hill School was moved in for a third room. A teacherage was built in the basement of the high school.
When surrounding rural schools were closed, a new, larger school was built in 1954 but shortly after was moved to Chauvin and children bussed there.
The former school building was purchased by Ben Gray, and later sold to Jack Worrall, then Wayne Buck and today is the home of Michael and Gail Wright. The municipal hall was also bought by Gray to house his school buses and eventually Jack Worrall used it for the same purpose. The hall was moved to the R.L.D.S. church site and is now part of the building.
Ribstone was noted for its social activity and culture. In 1953, to honour Coronation year, the junior students put on an outdoor play to mark the occasion. This play depicted English drama. Ann (Oliver) Pilgaard was the princess with all her ladies, knights and followers. Grace (Darling) Burton supplied the proper effects on the piano.
Students entered the forces of World War II. Some who have been noted are: Bob and Harold Clifford, Earle Brabbins, Harold Gregory, Orville Dallyn, Albert Burton, Fred and Gordon Hilker, Glen and Ronald White, Ken Oliver and Alf Chandler who, after his death, had a lake in northern British Columbia named after him.
Students went on to become authors, teachers, doctors, musicians, ministers and successful farmers in the district, as is evident in the names of their descendants — Hilker, White, Tizzard, Clifford, Moncrieff, Burton, Dallyn, Blair, Morrison, Buck and others are all familiar.
A note of interest, Don Gunn, who was an active member of A.R.T.A., before his death, was a former teacher at New Ribstone.
New Ribstone School No. 3049
Submitted by Mildred Goede Reinhart
12-13