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Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
The Laufas School District was established in January 1903 and a one-room schoolhouse, purchased and brought from the village of Howardville, operated at SW2-23-3E in what would later become the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton. Originally, teachers were boarded at the nearby Gislason farm. Later, a teacherage was built beside the school building as a residence for the teacher. In October 1921, a $1,400 debenture was issued to pay for a basement furnace and repairs to the school site. Until 1940, the Spring Term of each school year was commonly shortened, rather than the standard January to June format.
In 1961, the old school building was sold for $10 and a new one-room wood frame structure replaced it at the same site. During the 1964-1965 school year, the school district cooperated with Island School No. 2105, wherein students in grades 1 to 4 were taught at the Island School building while those in grades 5 to 8 were taught here. The experiment proved unsuccessful and was not repeated in the following year. By 1966, the district was dissolved and its area became part of the Riverton Consolidated School District No. 2443. The former school building was renovated into a private residence.
Period
District Principal
1964-1965
Shirley Diane Obach
Among the teachers who worked at Laufas School were Serra Sigvaldson (1903), Bella Smith (1904), Gudrundur O. Einarson (Spring 1905), Belle M. Smith (Fall 1905), A. S. Petursson (March-June 1906, September-December 1906, April-June 1910), Sigridur Palsson (April-June 1907), Halfrigur Kristjanson (September-December 1907 & March-June 1908), Ingibjorg Bjornson (September-December 1908), Alla Eastman (April-June & September-December 1909), E. J. Helgason (September-December 1910), A. Falleister? Eastman (April-June 1911), Gudrun Pjeturson [Peturson] (September-December 1911, January-March 1912), Helga Sigurdson (January-June 1913), Anna S. Bjarnason (Fall 1913 - Spring 1915), Skuli Hjorleifson (September-December 1915), Kristin Lovisa Skulason (January-June 1916, Fall 1916 - Fall 1917, Fall 1919 - Spring 1920, January-June 1922, September-December 1922, January-June 1923, March-June 1924, September-December 1925, March-June 1926, September-December 1926, March-June 1927), J. Runolfson (March-June 1918), Margaret Ingimindson? (September-November 1918), Gudrun Rafukelson (March-June 1919), Kristin Brynyolfson (Fall 1920 - Spring 1921), Hilda J. Arnason (October-December 1921), H. Sigurdson (September-December 1923), Th. Johnson (September-December 1924 and March-June 1925), Eva Lenore Barker (September-December 1927, March-April 1928), Eva Thompson (April-June 1928), Sigurborg Anna Marteinsson (September-December 1928, March-June 1929, September-December 1929, March-June 1930), Lilja Maria Guttormsson (September-December 1930, February-June 1931, September-December 1931, February-June 1932, September-December 1937, February-June 1938, September-December 1938, February-June 1939, September-December 1939, January-June 1940), Pauline Iris Palsson (August-December 1932, March-June 1933, August-December 1933, March-May 1934), Sigurbjorg S. Olson (June 1934), Gudrie? Edward “Eddie” Borgford [Bjorgford] (September-December 1934, March-June 1935, September-December 1935, March-June 1936, September-December 1936, February-June 1937), Einar Gislason (Fall 1940 - Spring 1941), Gudlaug Lilya [Lilija?] Irene Hodgson (Fall 1941 - Spring 1942, Fall 1944 - Spring 1945), Ljotrun Thorsteinsson (Fall 1942 - Spring 1943), Lilja Margaret Eyolfson (Fall 1943 - Spring 1944), Audrey Marie Payne (Fall 1945 - Spring 1946), Edna G. Caryk (Fall 1946), Leifur Fridfinnson (Spring 1947), Irene Dorothy Jorheim (Fall 1947 - Spring 1948), Iris Sigridur Frederickson (Fall 1948 - Spring 1949), Lucinda Marie Aspelund (Fall 1949 - Spring 1950), Asta Halldora Finnson (Fall 1950 - Spring 1951), Ellen Alfreda Fredborg (Fall 1951 - Spring 1952), Wanda Theresa Varga (September-November 1952), Swanlaug Eyolfson [“Sigga” Eyjolfson?] (November-December 1952, March 1953, Fall 1955 - Spring 1956), Elva I. Johasson? (January-February 1953), Gerhard Henry Enns (April-June 1953), Marguerite Breland (Fall 1953 - Spring 1954), William Philip Baumgartner (Fall 1954 - Spring 1955), Hazel Kwasney (Fall 1956 - Spring 1957), Edna Matheson (Fall 1957 - Spring 1958), John Walter Melosky [Meloski] (Fall 1958 - Spring 1962), Donald “Don” Warkentin (Fall 1962 - Spring 1963), Svava Wagner (?-?), Irene Eyjolfson (?-?), Mr. Wolosky (?-?).
Period
Teachers
1963-1964
Donald “Don” Warkentin (grades 1-8)
1964-1965
Shirley Diane Obach (grades 5-8), Jeanne Marie Lupyrypa (grades 1-4 at Island School No. 2105)
1965-1966
Carla Lue Tomasson (grades 1-8)
Laufas School (no date) by H. D. Cumming
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 78.
The former Laufas School building (May 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Laufas School commemorative sign (May 2015)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.95051, W97.07775
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Island School No. 2105 (Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton)
Summative half-yearly returns for school districts (A 0051), Archives of Manitoba.
School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.
Manitoba School Records Collection, Laufas School District No. 1211 - Daily Registers, GR6124, Archives of Manitoba.
Corporate Security registered documents (ATG 0089), #21 School District of Laufas, GR12576, Archives of Manitoba.
Arborg topographic map, 62I/14, Edition 1, Series A743 [Archives of Manitoba].
A History of Education in the Evergreen School Division by John C. Gottfried, MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 1965.
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.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 November 2023
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