Link to:
Princess Elizabeth Principals | Princess Elizabeth Teachers | Princess Elizabeth & Princess Margaret Principals | Princess Elizabeth & Princess Margaret Vice-Principals | Princess Elizabeth & Princess Margaret Teachers | Princess Margaret Principals | Princess Margaret Vice-Principals | Princess Margaret Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Located in Winnipeg, this North Kildonan school site was formerly operated by the North Kildonan School District No. 2116 (NKSD) which by 1950 featured four wards. Wards One and Two were serviced primarily via Lord Kitchener School while Wards Three and Four both had classroom capacity respectively at McIvor School and Rosewell School, the latter two of which formally separated later that same year to create the McIvor School District No. 2323 / New Rosewell School District No. 2323 (and its new New Rosewell School).
In fall of 1951, the NKSD built a two-room wood frame and stuccoo school near the northwest corner of Rothesay Street and Hawthorne Avenue, helping alleviate overcrowding which had seen the basement of the nearby North Kildonan Mennonite Church (NKMC) at 1131 Roch Street utilized to host classrooms. Plans for this school had been previously rejected that spring when presented as a $75,000 bylaw that would have seen five classrooms added to the district (split between this site and Lord Kitchener School). That earlier vote, defeated in a 97 for to 146 against decision, represented a turnout of less than a 20%. An additional attempt at alleviating over-capacity problems, that time successfully made, also helped reduce the necessary walking distance of area students to Lord Kitchener School, when a $10,000 debenture was secured around August 1951 for a two-room school. Construction was quickly underway by September, with the new school named to commemmorate Princess Elizabeth who - along with the Duke of Edinburgh - visited Winnipeg during their Royal Tour in October 1951. It opened around October of that year and eliminated the need for staggered classes within the district, though instruction for some student groups was still held in the basement of the NKMC.
The original Princess Elizabeth School was expanded a few times, including a one classroom addition in 1953. The buildings final size was approximately 25 feet by 85 feet. From 1955 until 1959, both Princess Elizabeth School and Princess Margaret School were overseen by a shared administration, at first lead by a Vice-Principal and then Principal. Princess Elizabeth School closed during the summer of 1959. Local attempts in 1961 and 1962 to move the abandoned Princess Elizabeth School building to the eastern school grounds of the Springfield Heights School and utilize it as a clubhouse for the North Kildonan Community Club (NKCC) were either rebuffed or fell through. That objective was finally attained in early 1963, and the former school structure relocated. Renovations were undertaken to convert the facility into a community centre, including a social hall, meeting rooms, storage rooms, cloak rooms, and washrooms. The work however came to naught when, on 14 March 1963, a fire consumed the building and its mid-progress overhaul, severely setting back early efforts NKCC [itself formed in 1960].
In June 1954, the districts $50,000 building plan for a new four-room elementary school next to Princess Elizabeth School was defeated by local electors, coming up 8 votes short. That outcome cultimated with all trustees of the school board resigning. As a result, A. A. MacDonald was installed as the official Provincial Trustee (1955-1956), and during which time plans for a new school were developed. Princess Margaret School (commemorating the sister of Queen Elizabeth II) was designed by local architect Laurie Ward (via Ward and Macdonald) and constructed in 1955 at a cost of $32,000. Its initial configuration comprised of four classrooms, though was repeatedly expanded in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1966, and 1995. It became part of the River East School Division in 1967 and, since 2002, remains in operation within the River East Transcona School Division.
Period
Principal
1951-1955
School Year
Teachers
1951-1952
?
1952-1953
?
1953-1954
?
1954-1955
Lydia Neufeld (grade 2), ?
Period
Principal
1955-1957
None
1957-1959
Henry Schmidt (1929-2011)
Period
Vice-Principal
1955-1957
Henry Schmidt (1929-2011)
1957-1959
?
School Year
Teachers
1955-1956
Agnes Dyck (grade 1), Shelia Hartman (grade 5), Irene T. Johnson (grade 4), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 3), Lydia Neufeld (grade 2), Lorraine Regehr (grade 1), Henry Schmidt (grade 6)
1956-1957
(Incomplete): Shelia Hartman (grade 4), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 3), Helen Owchar (grade 2), Henry Schmidt (grade 6)
1957-1958
Agnes Dyck (grade 1), Helen Epp (grade 5, September-December), Ilse S. Funk (night school), Shelia Hartman (grade 4), Helen Hopko (grade 2), Lydia Neufeld (grade 2), Elizabeth A. Peters (grade 1), Elizabeth Peters (grade 5, January-June), Lorraine Regehr (grade 3), Henry Schmidt (grade 6)
1958-1959
Catherine Joyce Crookshank (grade 5), Agnes Dyck (grade 1), Emelie Dyck (grade 2), Selma Guenther (grade 2), Helen Hopko (grade 4), Ethel Mary Kindefora (grade 6), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 3), George William Neufeld (grade 7), Lydia Neufeld (grade 2), Lorraine Regehr (grade 3), Lillian Alice Wall (grade 1), Anna Wenzel (grade 4), Betty Wiebe (grade 1)
Period
Principal
1959-1969
Henry Schmidt (1929-2011)
1969-1976
John Alexander Melnyk (1927-2022)
1976-1980
James Bruce Brown (1939-1985)
1980-1985
Joseph Gardner Anthony “Joe” Degen (1929-2016)
1985-1992
Ronald Arthur Ford
1992-1994
Roger Eugene Minkus (1942-2025)
1994-2023
?
2023-2025
Susan Reynolds
Period
Vice-Principal
1959-1967
?
1967-1977
Jacob David Reimer
1977-1978
Joseph Gardner Anthony “Joe” Degen (1929-2016)
1978-1981
None
1981-1982
Edna Joan McCreath Gemmell (?-2022)
1982-1984
Henry Masaru Kojima
1984-1985
Ronald Arthur Ford
1985-1986
Roger Eugene Minkus (1942-2025)
1986-1992
Sylvia Dorothy Taylor
1992-2023
?
2023-2025
Marie Klassen
School Year
Teachers
1959-1960
George Duravetz (grade 7), Agnes Dyck (grade 3), Emelie Dyck (grade 2, September-January), Beulah Marguerite Hatchen (grade 7, September-December), Anna Herman (grade 4, May-June), Helen Hopko (grade 4), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 1), Sarah Klassen (grade 2), Mrs. L. Koop (grade 1), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 6), Marjorie Ruth Laurie (grades 3-4), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Mrs. E. L. Philips (grade 1), Lorraine Regehr (grade 3), Inez Elizabeth Richardson (grade 4, April), Lillian Margaret Thorarinson (grades 1-2), Anna Wenzel (grade 4, September-March), E. Wiens (grade 2, February-June), Darlene M. Williams (grade 2)
1960-1961
George Duravetz (grade 7), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock (grade 2), Rose Doreen Froese (grade 2), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 6), Anna Herman (grade 4), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 1), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 1), Lillian Alice Koop (grade 3), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 7), Marjorie Ruth Laurie (grade 5), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 5), Margaret McClelland (grade 4), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Lorraine Regehr (grade 1), Guenther Strempler (grade 6), Lillian Margaret Thorarinson (grade 2)
1961-1962
Lynne Dell Brooks (grade 3), George Duravetz (grade 7), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock (grade 2), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 4), Anna Herman (grade 4, September-February), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 1), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 1), Lillian Alice Koop (grade 2), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 6), Marjorie Ruth Laurie (grade 5), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 5), Margaret McClelland (grade 4), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Lorraine Regehr (grade 1), Henry Schmidt (grade 8), Dorothy Evelyn Smith (grades 3-4, March-June), Guenther Strempler (grade 6), Marie Vivian Wangen (grade 2, September-December), Eva Elizabeth Wolfe (grade 2, January-June)
1962-1963
Carole Frances Beard (grade 1), Lynne Dell Brooks (grade 3), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock (grade 2), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 4), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 1), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 1), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 6), Marjorie Ruth Laurie (grade 3), David Daniel Loewen (grade 5), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 5), Margaret McClelland (grade 4), Rita Irmgard Matthies (grade 2), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Dorothy Evelyn Smith (grades 4-5), Guenter Strempler (grade 6), Eva Elizabeth Wolfe (grade 2)
1963-1964
Shirley Jean Andrews (grade 8, January-June), Joseph Ramon Bahr (grades 5-6), Carole Frances Beard (grade 1), Lynne Dell Brooks (grade 3), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock Drewe (grade 2), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 4), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 1), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 7), Henry Krickhan (grade 7), Marjorie Ruth Laurie (grade 3), Marjorie Lillian Lodge (grade 2), David Daniel Loewen (grade 5), Lore Loewen (grade 4), Patricia Pauline McCarthy (grade 5), Rita Irmgard Matthies (grade 2), Elsie Martha Neufeld (grade 4), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Wayne Orser (grade 8, September-December), Adelheid Redekop (grade 1), Tina Redekopp (grade 6), Barbara Catherine Wiens (grades 3-4), Neville George Yurkiw (grade 6)
1964-1965
Joseph Ramon Bahr (grade 7), Carole Frances Beard (grade 1), Burkhard Dittberner (grade 5), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock Drewe (grade 1), Richard E. Holland (grade 5), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 3), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 2), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 7), Elsie Martha Neufeld (grade 4), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Carolyn Pearl Prigroski (grade 2), Max Samuel Pronin (grade 8), Adelheid Redekop (grade 1), Tina Redekopp (grade 6), Marjorie Lillian Lodge Salki (grade 5), Lynne Dell Brooks Smith (grade 2), Toby Star (grade 3), Guenter Strempler (grade 8), Lore Loewen Warkentin (grade 4), Neville George Yurkiw (grade 6)
1965-1966
Joseph Ramon Bahr (grade 7), Carole Frances Beard (grade 1), Burkhard Dittberner (grade 5), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock Drewe (grade 1), Elsie Martha Dyck (grade 4), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 5), Kathy Louise Janzen (grade 6), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 3), Adelheid Elsie Koop (grade 2), Ethel Mary Koshelanyk (grade 7), John Ernst Martens (grade 8), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Janice Eilene Pippus (grade 3), Carolyn Pearl Prigroski (grade 2), Adelheid Redekop (grade 1), Tina Redekopp (grade 6), Lorraine Regehr (grade 2, April-June), Marjorie Lillian Lodge Salki (grade 5), Lynne Dell Brooks Smith (grade 2, September-April), Guenter Strempler (grade 8), Lore Loewen Warkentin (grade 4), Barbara Catherine Wiens (grade 4), Neville George Yurkiw (grade 6)
1966-1967
Joseph Ramon Bahr (grade 7), Burkhard Dittberner (grade 5), Judith Anne “Judy” Govenlock Drewe (grade 1), Mrs. D. Dyck (*), Elsie Martha Dyck (grade 4, September-December), Venetia Elinore Harvey (grade 5), Kathy Louise Janzen (grade 7), Ruth Helen Janzen (grade 3), Janice Eilene Kowbel (grade 3), Erwin Frank Kroeker (grade 7), John Ernst Martens (grade 8), Peterette Maria Muzyk (grade 1), Lydia Neufeld (grade 3), Carole Julie Penney (grade 2), Carolyn Pearl Prigroski (grade 2), Adelheid Redekop (grade 1), Tina Redekopp (grade 6), Jacob David Reimer (grade 8), Marjorie Lillian Lodge Salki (grade 5), Katherine Anne Slota (grade 4), Irmgard Ruth Tiede (grade 6), Anne Delima Todd (grade 2), Mrs. A. Wall (*), Lore Loewen Warkentin (grade 4), Barbara Catherine Wiens (grade 4), Neville George Yurkiw (grade 6), Ruby Eileen Zaporzan (grade 4, January-June)
1967-1968
?
1968-1969
?
1969-1970
?
1970-1971
?
1971-1972
?
1972-1973
?
1973-1974
?
1974-1975
?
1975-1976
?
1976-1977
?
1977-1978
?
1978-1979
?
1979-1980
?
1980-1981
Edna Joan McCreath Gemmell (grade 6), ?
Princess Margaret School (October 2019)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Princess Margaret School (October 2019)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Princess Margaret School (October 2019)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Princess Margaret School (June 2024)
Source: Greg Petzold
Princess Margaret School (June 2024)
Source: Greg PetzoldSite Location (lat/long): N49.93723, W97.08259
denoted by symbol on the map above
“Trustees sworn in at N. Kildonan meet,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 January 1950, page 3.
“North Kildonan group charges discrimination,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1950, page 3.
“Kildonan board replies to school referendum item,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 April 1950, page 7.
“New building planned,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 July 1950, page 3.
“3 nominated for Kildonan School Board,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 July 1950, page 17.
“North Kildonan District seeks two-room school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 September 1950, page 3.
“Schools,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 September 1951, page 11.
“North Kildonan turns down school bylaw,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 March 1951, page 7.
“North Kildonan group to probe school wants,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 March 1951, page 15.
“Royal visit route for St. Boniface,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 September 1951, page 21.
“For Royal Tour,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 September 1951, page 23.
“Aitken guides steps of North Kildonan,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 November 1951, page 3.
“Current revenue builds school, ends ‘staggering’,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 December 1951, page 9.
“Suburbs spending million on schools,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 April 1952, page 3.
“Tenders,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 July 1953, page 45.
“Rural Municipality of North Kildonan Public Notice,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 June 1954, page 30.
“$50,000 school vote,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 June 1954, page 3.
“Ratepayers reject bylaw, trustees quit,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 August 1954, page 3.
“N. Kildonan school bylaw,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 April 1959, page 3.
“Municipality of North Kildonan,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 August 1962, page 6.
“N. Kildonan teachers listed,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 September 1966, page 13.
NKCC [North Kildonan Community Club] - 25th Anniversary: 1960-1985 [copy held by Mitch Rosset].
Manitoba School Records Collection, Princess Margaret School (North Kildonan School District No. 2116) Daily Registers, GR8245, Archives of Manitoba.
Manitoba School Records Collection, Princess Margaret School (North Kildonan School District No. 2116) Daily Registers, GR9482, Archives of Manitoba.
School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.
School division student yearly attendance reports (E 0758A), Archives of Manitoba.
We thank Mitch Rosset (North Kildonan Community Centre), Greg Petzold, and Jim Smith for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 February 2025
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