Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Known originally as Barker School when it was organized formally in February 1921, in Sommerfeld in the Municipality of Rhineland, it was renamed Sommerfeld School during the summer of 1923. Until 1940, when a new structure was constructed, the school occupied a private building that had operated in the community. In 1961, another school building was moved to the site from Lowe Farm for use as a second classroom. The two separate buildings were, for a time, identified as No. 1 South School and No. 2 North School. The district was dissolved in 1971 but one of the building continued to be used for elementary classes for another five years. The second building was sold and moved out of the village. The remaining building was sold to the community in 1977 and used as a community centre. It now appears to be unused.
Period
Principal
1961-1962
Waldemar “Wally” Rempel (1936-2015)
1962-1964
Lawrence Giesbrecht
1964-1966
Susan H. Giesbrecht
1966-1967
Jake Letkeman
1967-1968
John Janzen
Period
Teachers
1957-1958
1958-1959
1959-1960
1960-1961
1961-1962
Patricia June Froese (grades 1-6), Waldemar Rempel (grades 7-10)
1962-1963
Patricia June Froese (grades 1-6, at No. 1 South School), Lawrence Giesbrecht (grades 7-10, at No. 2 North School)
1963-1964
Patricia June Froese (grades 1-4, at No. 1 South School), Lawrence Giesbrecht (grades 5-9, at No. 2 North School)
1964-1965
Susan H. Giesbrecht (grades 5-9, at No. 2 North School), Wilhelmina Alyce Hoeppner (grades 1-4, at No. 1 South School)
1965-1966
Susan H. Giesbrecht (grades 5-8, at No. 2 North School), Marjorie Eileen Janzen (grades 1-4, at No. 1 South School)
1966-1967
Marjorie Eileen Janzen (grades 1-4), Jake Letkeman (grades 5-8)
1967-1968
Susanna “Susie” Heide (grades 1-4), John John Janzen (grades 5-8)
Among the other teachers at Barker School / Sommerfeld School were W. Toews (1922-1923), J. F. Kroeker (1923-1927), J.? P. Zacharias (1927-1829), Abram Daniel Friesen (1928-1929), ? (1929-1930), Jacob J. Enns (1930-1931), Katharina Wiebe “Kath” Peters (1931-1934), Henry Schellenberg (1934-1940), George Schellenberg (1940-1941), William Friesen (1941), Peter J. Peters (1941-1942), Dorothy Janzen (1943), Jacob J. Enns (1943-1946), Peter Bernhard Krahn (1946-1952), Abram P. Hildebrand (1952-1955), and Jacob J. Koop (1955-1957).
The original Sommerfeld School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 86.
The former Sommerfeld School building, constructed in 1940 (circa 1986)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 1093.
Exterior of the former Sommerfeld School building (February 2012)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Exterior of the former Sommerfeld School building (November 2020)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of the former Sommerfeld School building (February 2012)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.07130, W97.44832
denoted by symbol on the map above
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.
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, Barker School District No. 2058 - Daily Register, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.
Manitoba School Records Collection, Sommerfeld School District No. 2058 - Daily Registers, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.
We thank Al Schmidt (Altona and District Heritage Research Centre) and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 3 November 2023
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
