Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Francois de Sales School / Queen Elizabeth School No. 975 (Howden, RM of Ritchot)

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

The St. Francois de Sales School District was organized formally in May 1898 and a two-room schoolhouse operated on River Lot 49 in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, on the west side of the Red River. Destroyed by fire in 1939, a new two-classroom building with laboratory was constructed and renamed Queen Elizabeth School (for the monarch who had visited Canada earlier that year). Damaged by a flood in early 1950, a new foundation was constructed a few feet to the west and the building was moved onto it. Destroyed by fire on 22 February 1955, elementary students attended classes in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church while senior students went to the St. Norbert Boys’ School. A new building with two classrooms and a laboratory opened in the fall of 1955.

The district was dissolved in April 1967 and its catchment area became part of the Seine River School Division. The school closed permanently in June 1967. The former schoolhouse was sold and became the St. Joseph’s Social Club. Badly damaged by a flood in early 1997, the building was burned as a training exercise for local firefighters and replaced by the present structure at the site, now known as the Howden Community Centre.

Principals

Period	Principal
1909-1911	Theo. N. Petryshyn (1885-?)
1912-1921	none
1922	Nicholas M. Halas
1922-1923	S. E. Radomsky
1923-1939	?
1939-1942	Margaret Gorawski
1942-1953	?
1953-1954	Laura May Cooke Gall (1912-2004)
1954-1956	Michael P. Lysack (?-1989)
1956-1957	Nicholas “Nick” Andrusko (1900-1983)
1957-1958	Ole Bejyzk
1958-1960	Frank Mikolayenko (c1919-2001)

Teachers

Among the early teachers of St. Francois de Sales School were Maria Laporte (Spring 1898 - Spring 1899), Charles Castel (Fall 1899), Gilbert A. Leroux (Spring 1900), G. Philaes Cloutier (Fall 1900 - Fall 1901), records not available (Spring 1902 - Fall 1904), Antoinette Lamoureux (Spring 1905 - Spring 1906), and Corinne Gagnon (Fall 1906).

Later, again under single-teacher operation included Stephen B. Wolanczyk (Spring 1913), M. Mihajczuk (pt Fall 1913), M. P. Ostapowicz (pt Fall 1913 - Spring 1915), William M. Cahute (Fall 1915 - Spring 1917), Anthony F. Hachkiewich [Hahkiewick?] (Fall 1917 - Spring 1919), Nicholas M. Halas (Fall 1919 - Spring 1920), and Stephen Krawczyk (Fall 1920 - Spring 1921).

School Year	Teachers
1907	Corinne Gagnon, Theo. N. Petryshyn
1908	A. F. Caron (Fall), Corinne Gagnon (Spring), Basil Kudryk (Fall), Theo. N. Petryshyn (Spring)
1909	A. F. Caron, Basil Kudryk (Spring), Theo. N. Petryshyn (Fall)
1910	Caroline Courchene, Theo. N. Petryshyn
1911	Antoinia Gregoire (junior grades, Spring), Theo. N. Petryshyn (senior grades, Spring; all grades, Fall)
1912	Theo. N. Petryshyn (all grades, Spring), Did not operate (Fall 1912)
1913-1921	(See above)
1921-1922	Nicholas M. Halas (grades 1-6, Fall; grades 3-7, Spring), Marie Carmelie Armandine Desautels Laflamme (grades 1-3, Spring)
1922-1923	Olga Perch (grades 1-3, Fall; grades 1-2, Spring), S. E. Radomsky (grades 4-8, Fall; grades 3-8, Spring)
1923-1924	?
1924-1925	?
1925-1926	?
1926-1927	?
1927-1928	?
1928-1929	?
1929-1930	?
1930-1931	?
1931-1932	Michael John Kozier, ?
1932-1933	Michael John Kozier, ?
1933-1934	?
1934-1935	?
1935-1936	?
1936-1937	?
1937-1938	?
1938-1939	?
1939-1940	Margaret Gorawski (grades 6-9), Frances Lasko (grades 1-5)
1940-1941	Alexandra “Alice” Krett (grades 1-5), Margaret Gorawski (grades 6-10)
1941-1942	Frances Andrusko (grades 1-5), Margaret Gorawski (grades 6-10)
1942-1943	Miss Alsip (grades 1-8)
1943-1944	Michael William “Mike” Tataryn (grades 1-9, Fall & substitute, pt Spring), Mr. Armin Sawatzky (grades 1-9, pt Spring)
1944-1945	Miss Elizabeth Olivier (grades 1-8)
1945-1946	Miss Annette Dorge (grades 1-8)
1946-1947	Miss Annette Dorge (grades 1-8)
1947-1948	Mrs. Bella Bruce (grades 1-8)
1948-1949	Miss Jean Markowski (grades 1-8)
1949-1950	Miss Jean Markowski (grades 1-8)
1950-1951	Miss Jean Markowski (grades 1-8)
1951-1952	Miss Jean Markowski (grades 1-8)
1952-1953	Miss Jean Markowski (grades 1-8)
1953-1954	Laura May Cooke Gall (grades 7-10), Jean Markowski (grades 1-6)
1954-1955	Thelma Emma Doan (grades 1-6), Michael P. Lysack (grades 7-11)
1955-1956	Michael P. Lysack (grades 7-11), Mrs. Kay Snatenchuk (grades 1-6)
1956-1957	Nick Andrusko (grades 7-11), Mrs. Kay Snatenchuk (grades 1-6)
1957-1958	Ole Bejyzk (grades 9-11), Miss E. V. Masiowski (grades 1-8)
1958-1959	Miss E. V. Masiowski (grades 1-8), Frank Mikolayenko (grades 9-11)
1959-1960	Miss E. V. Masiowski (grades 1-8), Frank Mikolayenko (grades 9-11)
1960-1961	Alvin Matskiw (grades 1-7)
1961-1962	Alvin Matskiw (grades 1-7)
1962-1963	Mrs. Dora Zacharias (grades 1-8)
1963-1964	Miss Diane Gottfried (grades 1-8)
1964-1965	Lionel H. Sussman (grades 1-7)
1965-1966	Lionel H. Sussman (grades 1-7)
1966-1967	Lionel H. Sussman (grades 1-7)

Photos & Coordinates

St. Francois de Sales School (circa 1935) by A. A. Herriot Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 33. Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.71809, W97.12805 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Tache School / Queen Elizabeth School (Kenny Street, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Queen Elizabeth School / Henri Bergeron School (363 Enfield Crescent, Winnipeg)

Sources:

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.

Coming Together: A History of Howden, unpublished manuscript by Rob Stewart and Howden History Steering Committee, 2019.

Board of Education registers (A 0050), GR7643, Archives of Manitoba.

Summative half-yearly returns for school districts (A 0051), GR0571, Archives of Manitoba.

Board of Education meeting minutes and office files (A 0052), GR1622, Archives of Manitoba.

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.

We thank Ken Kozier for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Ken Niziol, Rob Stewart, Nathan Kramer, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 21 November 2023

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