Historic Sites of Manitoba: Margaret Underhill School (25 Regina Place, Winnipeg)

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

This two-storey elementary school commemorates Margaret Underhill, the first full-time female Principal in the Transcona School District. Built of Tyndall stone in 1965, the school was based on designs of Winnipeg architectural firm of Ward and Macdonald. It had 24 classrooms, a music room, and library, all centered around an auditorium. The school opened to students in September 1965 and was officially opened on 19 November 1965 by Underhill at a ribbon-cutting event. The ribbon was held by two other veteran teachers, Miss C. Irving and Miss M. Webster. Speaking at the event before a crowd of 200 were Superintendent Bobby Bend, Mayor Harry Fuller, Manitoba Legislative Assembly Speaker Thelma Forbes, MLA Andrew Russell Paulley, and Department of Education Director of Special Services C. J. Muller. Other local long-serving female teachers in attendance included Miss E. Hammond, Miss Millie Webster, Miss Kay Irving, Miss I. Coltart, Mrs H. Spackman Kerr, Miss Marion Webster, Miss M. Wright, Miss H. McKellar, Miss M. Hammond, Miss E. Nevens, and Miss C. Hurst. Keys to the school were presented by Louis Ducharme to Principal A. J. Robson, architect Laurie Ward, Superintendent Bobby Bend, and Maintenance Supervisor G. Demare.

Inside the entrance of the building is a plaque, unveiled on the same as the school’s official opening, that commemorates female educators of notable tenure in the district, most of which taught at the Central School, who provided a combined 741 years of service. Their names, along with their respective years of service, are: Mrs. Myra Inez Barton Fowler (32), Miss Annie Bell (18), Miss Victoria M. Brown (20), Miss Isabelle Mary Coltart (31), Mrs. Linda Dozois Crossland (26), Miss Elizabeth Florence Hammond (35), Miss Mildred Mary Hammond (36), Mrs. Alice Elsie Harvey Peck (38), Miss Marian M. Hurst (34), Miss Catheryne [Cathryne] Barbara Irving (41), Miss Mae Masters (29), Miss Florence Catherine Matheson (34), Miss Helen May McKellar (26), Miss Lulu Violet Moir (24), Miss Edythe Murdock Nevens (36), Miss Lily Almyra Nevens (39), Mrs. Eliza Lillian Scott Hunt (17), Mrs. Helen Spackman Kerr (17), Miss Helen Tandy (16), Margaret Underhill (36), Miss Millie Webster (38), Miss Marion Elizabeth Webster (37), Mrs Mattie Ward Widlake (24), Miss Effie Marian Wilson (21), and Miss Mary Elma Wright (36).

In September 1993, the school introduced a French Immersion program for the Transcona-Springfield School Division and, in September 1996, it became Ecole Margaret-Underhill. It is now within the River East Transcona School Division.

Principals

Period	Principal
1965-1972	Aleck J. Robson
1972-1982	Teddy Emilio “Ted” Stoyko (1938-2018)
1982-1988	Nestor Gylywoychuk (1936-2019)
1988-1989	Thelma Hitchen
1989-1992	Bill Heather
1992-1993	Ken Renaud
1993-2003	Odile Dube
2003-2008	Mario Beauchamp
2001-2011	Marjorie Millman
2011-2020	Joelle Guillou

Vice-Principals

Period	Vice-Principal
1965-1969	Teddy Emilio “Ted” Stoyko (1938-2018)
1969-1972	Gordon Mushey
1972-1977	John Oberton
1977-1986	Ian Hamilton
1986-1988	Thelma Hitchen
1989	Art Peters
1989-1992	Judy Balabas
1993-1994	Gilbert Dupuis
1994-1995	Rena Lawrence Brown
1995-1996	Gilbert Dupuis
1997-1998	Jeannine Porteous

Teachers

Period	Teachers
1965-1966	Genevieve Elsie Brown (grade 7), Anthony Patrick Chastko (grade 7), Alice Sophia Cox (grade 2), Colleen Mary Dame (grade 4), Thelma Emma Doan (grade 7), Rose Doroschuk (grade 1), Joan Mary Paulana Dunlop (grade 1), Walter Ganetsky (grade 8), Katherine Hamilton (grade 3), Sandra Anna Kawa (grade 2), Henry Klassen (grade 8), Jarvis Korchak (grade 7), Diane Georgina Kowalchuk (grade 4), Benjamin Chung Ming Lai (grade 8), Kathryn Elizabeth McKay (grade 7), Jessie Isabel McLean (grade 3), Walter Manulak (grade 7), Boris Nazeravich (grade 8), Laurel Mary Piragoff (grade 5), Gayle Karen Robertson (grade 1), Teddy William Emilio “Ted” Stoyko (grade 6), Egon Ulrich (grade 6), Shirley Elaine Zasitko (grade 5), Susan June Zubricki (grade 2)
1966-1967	Gayle Karen Auld (grade 1), Anthony Patrick Chastko (grade 7), Rose Doroschuk (grade 1), Joan Mary Paulana Dunlop (grade 1), Katherine Hamilton (grade 3), Jeannette Sylvia LeBleu (grade 2), Jessie Isabel McLean (grade 3), Sharon Louise Paschke (grade 2), Diane Georgina Kowalchuk Rever (grade 4), Colleen Mary Dame Ross (grade 4), Wendy Lynne Sampson (grade 3), Muriel Elizabeth Anne Sawatsky (grade 5), Teddy William Emilio “Ted” Stoyko (grade 6), Egon Ulrich (grade 6), Lorraine Merle Wedel (grade 5), Margaret Christine White (grade 4)

Photos & Coordinates

Margaret Underhill School (October 2014) Source: Nathan Kramer Margaret Underhill School commemorative plaque (September 2020) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90314, W96.99477 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Margaret “Maggie” Underhill (1898-1986)

Sources:

[Photo caption], Transcona News, 11 June 1965, page 1.

“Lady teachers honored in newest elementary school,” Transcona News, 25 November 1965, page 1.

“Teachers honored,” Transcona News, 25 November 1965, page 12.

“School meeting makes parents even angrier,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 May 1972, page 3.

“Push-button arithmetic - help or hindrance?,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 September 1975, page 17.

From Slate to Computer in the Transcona-Springfield Area 1873-1983 by Nan Shipley, 1983, page 350.

“Alert teacher scares off attacker during schoolyard assault on girl,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 December 1987, page 3.

“New Principals appointed,” Winnipeg Free Press Weekly Rural Edition, 12 May 1992, page 11.

“Warm-hearted students collect blankets,” Winnipeg Free Press Community Review North, 21 November 2001 page 1.

About Ecole Margaret-Underhill, River East Transcona School Division.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Transcona School District No. 39 (Margaret Underhill School) - Daily Registers, GR9482, Archives of Manitoba.

We thank the River East Transcona School Division for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 28 February 2023

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