Historic Sites of Manitoba: Schoenwiese School No. 2134 (Schoenwiese, Municipality of Rhineland)

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

In the 1870s, Schoenwiese was one of the larger villages established in the Mennonite West Reserve, in what is now the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. By 1881, its 31 households had a total population of 171 people, including many children. Until the 1920s, the children were educated at a private German-language school. In 1923, the school became bilingual, with half of the instruction occurring in English and half in German. In July 1925, this was no longer considered acceptable, and the English-only Schoenwiese School District was organized formally. During this transition period, many residents of the area moved to Mexico. Grade 1 and 2 classes were held in a building at the south end of the village, while classes in grades 3 to 8 were held in a building at this site. A two-room schoolhouse was constructed here by 1930.

The school operated until 1982 when children were bused to Reinland School No. 2130 at Reinland, along with children from the surrounding communities of Rosengart and Haskett. After a period of use as a community centre, the school building was removed from the site. The original school building was renovated into a teacherage then was used as a granary and later a workshop. Still standing in Schoenwiese (about N49.03530, W97.82078), it is used for accommodating livestock.

Principals

Period	Principal
1934-1937	Bernard Daniel Hildebrand
1937-1941	Jacob Peter Friesen
1941-1943	Peter Aron Rempel
1943-1944	Katherine Wiebe Peters
1944-1945	Frank Peter Giesbrecht
1945-1947	Margaret Reimer
1947-1949	Katharina Wiebe Peters
1949-1950	Jacob J. Bergen
1950-1952	Esther Pearl Schellenberg
1952-1955	Daniel D. Peters
1955-1957	no Principal
1958-1959	Arthur Frank Sawatzky
1959-1963	no Principal
1963-1966	Abram Jacob Friesen
1966-1968	Jacob J. Enns

Teachers

Period	Teachers
1934-1935	Bernard Daniel Hildebrand (grades 4-9), Mary E. Hildebrand (grades 1-3)
1935-1936	Bernard Daniel Hildebrand (grades 4-7), Anna Janzen (grades 1-3)
1936-1937	Bernard Daniel Hildebrand (grades 4-8), Anna Janzen (grades 1-3)
1937-1938	Ella J. Adrian (grades 1-3), Jacob Peter Friesen (grades 4-9)
1938-1939	Jacob Peter Friesen (grades 4-10), Anna Wiebe (grades 1-3)
1939-1940	Jacob Peter Friesen (grades 4-9), Anna Wiebe (grades 1-3)
1940-1941	Jacob Peter Friesen (grades 4-8), Anna Wiebe (grades 1-3)
1941-1942	Jessie Dyck (grades 1-3), Peter Aron Rempel (grades 4-8)
1942-1943	Jessie Dyck (grades 1-3), Peter Aron Rempel (grades 4-9)
1943-1944	Jessie Dyck (grades 1-3), Katherine Wiebe Peters (grades 4-10)
1944-1945	Jessie Dyck (grades 1-3), Frank Peter Giesbrecht (grades 4-9)
1945-1946	Justine Reimer (grades 1-3), Margaret Reimer (grades 4-10)
1946-1947	Justine Reimer (grades 1-4), Margaret Reimer (grades 5-9)
1947-1948	Susie E. Hildebrandt (grades 1-4), Katharina Wiebe Peters (grades 5-9)
1948-1949	Katharina Wiebe Peters (grades 5-9), Sarah Zacharias (grades 1-4)
1949-1950	Jacob J. Bergen (grades 4-8), Margaret Bergen (grades 1-3)
1950-1951	Helen Penner (1-4 grades), Esther Pearl Schellenberg (grades 4-9)
1951-1952	Tina Redekopp (grades 1-4), Esther Pearl Schellenberg (grades 4-9)
1952-1953	Daniel D. Peters (grades 5-8), Mrs. Daniel D. Peters (grades 1-4)
1953-1954	Daniel D. Peters (grades 5-9), Louise Peter (grades 1-4)
1954-1955	Daniel D. Peters (grades 5-9), Elma Peters (grades 1-4)
1955-1956	Daniel D. Peters (grades 1-10)
1956-1957	Arthur Frank Sawatzky (grades 1-9)
1957-1958	Justine Falk (grades 1-3, 1958), Arthur Frank Sawatzky (grades 1-8; grades 4-8, 1958)
1958-1959	Arthur Frank Sawatzky (grades 1-10)
1959-1960	Erdman Klassen (grades 1-9)
1960-1961	Erdman Klassen (grades 1-10)
1961-1962	Peter J. Voth (grades 1-9)
1962-1963	Peter J. Voth (grades 1-9)
1963-1964	Abram Jacob Friesen (grades 1-8, 1963; grades 4-8), Hilda Friesen (grades 1-3)
1964-1965	Caroline Ann Elias (grades 1-3), Abram Jacob Friesen (grades 4-8)
1965-1966	Caroline Ann Elias Ens (grades 1-4), Abram Jacob Friesen (grades 5-8)
1966-1967	Caroline Ann Elias Ens (grades 1-4), Jacob J. Enns (grades 5-8)
1967-1968	Caroline Ann Elias Ens (grades 1-4), Jacob J. Enns (grades 5-8)

Among the teachers of Schoenwiese School were Ida Hiebert (1926-1927), Isbrand J. Krueger (1927-1928 & night school), Anna Hendricks (1928-1929), Peter Jacob Heinrichs (1929-1934), Mary Ann Wiebe (1981-1982), and Peter Friesen (1981-1982).

Photos & Coordinates

The original Schoenwiese School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 101. The original Schoenwiese School building (February 2015) Source: Albert Falk The original Schoenwiese School building (November 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina The second Schoenwiese School building (1941) Source: Albert Falk The second Schoenwiese School building (circa 1986) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 1085. Former location of Schoenwiese School, marked with the sign that was once displayed over the entrance door to the building (February 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.03729, W97.82258 denoted by symbol on the map above

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.

Border Valley Yearbook, 1982-1983.

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Schoenwiese School No. 2134 Daily Registers, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E0757), Archives of Manitoba.

We thank Albert Falk, Margaret Friesen, Marjorie Hildebrand, and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 18 December 2020

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