Historic Sites of Manitoba: General Byng School (1254 Beaumont Street, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

Built in 1921 by the Fort Garry School District No. 2047 (which also constructed and operated the General Steele School nearby), General Byng School No. 1 opened on 24 October 1921. It became part of the Fort Garry Municipal School District No. 2361 in 1959 then, later that year, part of the Fort Garry School Division. The building hosted the Fort Garry High School until the senior grades were moved to the new Viscount Alexander High School in 1949. A new four-room school, General Byng School No. 2 was erected on the grounds in 1956, to host grades 4 to 7. An eight-classroom addition was made in 1959 on a design by Winnipeg architect Laurie Ward.

The original building was still standing of the early 1990s.

Principals

Period	Principal
1921-1923	Mrs. E. Hill
1923-1943	William John Robinson (1882-1947)
1943-1946	?
1946-1949	Richard “Dick” Moore (1908-1996)
1949-1965	Katherine Carol Weber (1912-1986)
1965-1970	?
1970-1971	Mr. Latter
1971-1974	?
1974-1982	Fred Olson
1982-1985	Mr. Teed-Grott
1985-1987	?
1987-1989	Val Burch
1989-1990	Rick Martin
1990-1991	Val Burch
1991-1993	Rick Martin
1993-1995	?
1995-1998	Peter Francis
1998-2004	Alan Geske
2004-2005	Gerard Gill
2005-2011	Darren Juby
2011-?	Judy Pirnie

Vice-Principals

Period	Vice-Principal
1970-1971	Mr. Hildebrand
1971-1982	?
1982-1985	Val Burch
1985-1987	?
1987-1989	Rick Martin
1989-1990	Mr. R. C. Harvey
1990-1991	Rick Martin
1991-1992	Lorraine Evelyn Henley (1944-2018)
1992-1993	Dave Benson
1993-1995	?
1995-1996	Clair Panchard
1996-1998	Gerard Gill
1998-2002	Lisa Boles
2002-2005	Darren Juby
2005-2008	Lorraine Compayre
2008-2011	Gail Walker
2011-2013	Dawn Thompson
2013-2014	?
2014-2015	Janet Tomy
2015-?	Susan LaSpina

Teachers

School Year	Teacher
1921-1922	Alison T. Usher, ?
1922-1923	Alison T. Usher, ?
1923-1924	Jean McIntyre, ?
1924-1925	Jean McIntyre, ?
1925-1926	Jean McIntyre, ?
1926-1927	Jean McIntyre, ?
1927-1928	Jean McIntyre, ?
1928-1929	Jean McIntyre, ?
1929-1930	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1930-1931	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1931-1932	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1932-1933	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1933-1934	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1934-1935	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1935-1936	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1936-1937	Jean Gammon, Gertrude Manchester
1937-1938	?
1938-1939	?
1939-1940	C. Avery, Gertrude Manchester, Miss J. Wheelans
1940-1941	?
1941-1942	?
1942-1943	?
1943-1944	?
1944-1945	?
1945-1946	?
1946-1947	?
1947-1948	?
1948-1949	?
1949-1950	Eva Gould, Mrs. J. Ryall, Mrs. I. Sveinson, Miss M. Westgate
1950-1970	?
1970-1971	Mrs. Boyko (grade 2), Mrs. Carr (French), Mrs. Fast (grade 6), Mrs. Godard (grade 7), Mr. Hildebrand (math, science), Mr. Holowka (grades 8-9), Ms. Klapprat (grade 3), Mr. Menzies (grades 7-8), Mrs. Peterson (grade 4), Mrs. Pratt (library), Sister Rita (grade 1), Miss Rogers (grade 2), Miss Turek (kindergarten), Mrs. Wiens (grade 5), Mr. Wyatt (grade 6)
1971-?	?

Among the other teachers of General Byng School was Elsie Claire Dewar.

Photos & Coordinates

General Byng School No. 1 (circa 1922) Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 9 September 1922, page 5. Portion of a Winnipeg fire insurance map showing the positions of General Byng School No. 1 and General Byng School No. 2 (1960) Source: ManitobaMaps Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.84342, W97.15967 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: General Steele School (757 Lyon Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

[General Byng school opening], Winnipeg Tribune, 18 October 1921, page 6.

“Fort Garry’s school system shows great development,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 September 1922, page 5.

“Fort Garry,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 October 1923, page 19.

“Fort Garry,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 June 1929, page 27.

“News of the suburbs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 August 1929, page 6.

Marriage registrations [Alison Tait Usher, Jean McIntyre], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“News of the suburbs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 September 1934, page 23.

“News of the suburbs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 August 1936, page 34.

“Fort Garry notes,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 September 1939, page 4.

“Fort Garry schools name teaching staffs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 September 1939, page 23.

“Open house set at Fort Garry’s new high school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 August 1949, page 3.

“20,420 pupils for suburbs,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 August 1956, page 3.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

“Tenders for General Byng School addition,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 March 1959, page 43.

One Hundred Years in the History of the Rural Schools of Manitoba: Their Formation, Reorganization and Dissolution (1871-1971) by Mary B. Perfect, MEd thesis, University of Manitoba, April 1978.

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

“South Winnipeg schools are switching principals,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 July 2004, page S3.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Susan LaSpina.

Page revised: 26 March 2021

Historic Sites of Manitoba This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Please note that inclusion in this collection does not mean that a particular site has special status or protection. Some sites are on private property and permission must be secured from the owner prior to visiting. Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes. Search Tips | Suggest a Site | FAQ | Acknowledgements Send inquiries to the MHS Webmaster.