Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harrow School (550 Harrow Street, Winnipeg)

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

The land where this Winnipeg school sits was purchased in 1931 by the Manitoba Power Commission and used for its shops and storage facilities. A large metal building from the Transcona Cordite Plant was moved here in 1946. The land was sold to the Winnipeg School Board in 1952.

Later that year, the single-storey, nine-classroom Harrow School, designed by the architectural firm of Moody and Moore, was built at a cost of about $172,000 by the Swanson Construction Company. A sod-turning ceremony was attended by School Division Vice-Chair A. N. Robertson and a cornerstone was laid by trustee Adam Beck. Also present were trustee Campbell Haig, School Building Commissioner William Anderson Martin, trustee “Nan” Murphy, School Board Chair S. B. Laing, trustee Stanley Mirus Carrick, architect Robert Elbert Moore, and contractor Anders Wilhelm “Bill” Swanson.

The school was partnered with Harrow School in London, England, a storied institution with roots back to 1571 AD, and was granted use of its name, crest, and motto. The school was opened officially on 10 June 1953 before a crowd of some 1,000 attendees, at which Principal Inez Lillian Falardeau McCallum read greetings and well-wishes were read from the headmaster R. M. Baldwin of the Harrow School at London. Also present were Deputy Minister of Education Ronald Oliver MacFarlane, Acting Winnipeg School Superintendent Wesley Crawford Lorimer, Winnipeg School Board Chairman A. N. Robertson, and architect Herbert Henry Gatenby Moody.

Additions to the structure were made in 1955, 1962, and 1975. Capacity was added in 1995 on designs of Moody and Moore.

Principals

Period

Principal

1953-1962

Inez Lillian Falardeau McCallum (1898-1979)

1962-1963

Hilda Kinney Ellis (1905-1987)

1963-1966

Harold Murray Lord (1918-2018)

1966-1968

John Arthur Lionel Holmes (1913-1968)

1968-1977

Cecil Drummond “Cec” Muldrew (1923-2004)

1977-1979

Frances L. Martin

1980-1981

W. Gary Lally

1981-1983

Carol M. Basarab

1984-1987

Frank J. Froese

1987-1995

Jeannette Ryan

1995-1999

Roberta Hechter

1999-2004

Maryse Mymin

2004-2005

Robert Falconer

2005-2011

Laurie MacDonald

2011-2016

Leslie MacGillivray

2016-2017

Maxine Geller (1956-2020)

2017-?

Evelyn Siddall

Teachers

School Year

Teachers

1953-1954

Mrs. B. Berthelette, J. N. R. Clark, Miss E. R. A. Edwards, Mrs. G. Johnson, Miss R. J. King, Mrs. F. Milne, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss A. Shalay, Miss E. Strindlund

1954-1955

Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss E. Cross, H. DeJersey, Miss E. Edwards, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. F. Milne, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss A. Shalay, Miss E. Strindlund

1955-1956

Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss W. Cook, H. deJersey, Miss D. Dutton, Bernice G. Hearn, Miss L. Hinchliffe, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. J. Kowaluk, Miss M. Lyons, Miss M. Malcolm, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowasad

1956-1957

Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss D. Dutton, Miss H. Frances, Bernice G. Hearn, H. deJersey, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. Kowaluk, Miss M. Malcolm, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. Norah Oxby, Miss E. Strindlund, Mrs. E. Thorlakson

1957-1958

Mr. A. Gwynne, Mr. L. Baron, Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss B. Dirkson, Miss D. Dutton, Mrs. M. Enns, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. Kowaluk, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss M. Wallace

1958-1959

Mrs. I. Grant, A. Gwynne, L. Baron, Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss B. Dickson, Miss D. Dutton, Mrs. M. Enns, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. B. Lockshin, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss N. Nowasad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Miss D. Staples, Miss E. Strindlund

1959-1960

L. Baron, Miss B. Dickson, Mrs. D. Dutton, Mrs. N. Fehr, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. B. Lockshein, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Mrs. B. Purdy, Miss D. Staples, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss E. Ward

1960-1961

Mrs. E. Arnason, L. Baron, Miss B. Dickson, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. A. M. Prefontaine, Mrs. D. Robertson, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss E. Ward, Miss B. Warshawsky, Miss L. Wood

1961-1962

Miss M. Adam, Mrs. E. Arnason, L. Baron, Miss B. Byars, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Miss C. Keith, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss T. Lambert, Miss C. Schellenberg, Miss E. Strindlund, Mrs. J. Suderman, Miss B. Warshawsky, Miss L. Wood

1962-1963

?

1963-1964

Miss A. Berkey, Miss C. Birnie, Mrs. E. Black, Mrs. E. Colyer, Mrs. W. Frehs, Muriel Jean Gass, M. Hanna, Miss L. Hudon, Miss T. Lambert, Miss P. McManus, Miss K. Pelk, Miss C. Rose, Miss C. Schellenberg, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss W. Templeman, Miss M. Wright

Other teachers of Harrow School included Evelyne Holenski.

Photos & Coordinates

Harrow School

Harrow School (July 2020)
Source: Nathan Kramer

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.85793, W97.15626
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Moody and Moore / MMP Architects

Manitoba Business: Swanson Construction Company

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Defence Industries Limited Cordite Plant / Transcona Cordite Plant (RM of Springfield)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harrow School No. 464 (Municipality of Riverdale)

Sources:

City of Winnipeg Building Permit 4434/1952, City of Winnipeg Archives.

[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 August 1952, page 3.

“Trustees list more changes in Principals,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 June 1952, page 3.

“City school gets name, crest, and motto of Harrow,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 1953, page 3.

“Tenders for school building,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 1955, page 38.

“2 new city schools open, total cost tops $300,000,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 January 1953, page 3.

“Board names new principals,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 July 1963, page 16.

“Farenhurst to head Aberdeen School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 June 1968, page 6.

Fort Rouge Through the Years, Souvenir Booklet, 1974 by Fort Rouge Centennial Sports Committee, 1974, page 33.

“School chiefs named,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 July 1979, page 18.

“Mother vows to fight grade 2 son’s suspension from school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 April 1987, page 3.

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

Winnipeg School Division: Celebrating One Hundred Fifty Years, 1871-2021 by Winnipeg School Division, 2021.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 12 July 2024

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