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The Sprague School District was established in February 1902 and a school building was erected in Sprague, in what would later become the Rural Municipality of Piney. A new one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1917 and an addition was made three years later. These two rooms were used until 1956 when the students of Hardy School No. 2179 were added, necessitating the use of the local Womens’ Institute Library as a classroom. A high school addition was made in 1960.
In July 1965, it became Sprague Consolidated School No. 2439, merging with the Middlebro School No. 2227 and Golden Branch School No. 1845, and the school was renamed Ross L. Gray School in commemoration of local school board official R. L. Gray. Three more school districts: Gobeil Special School, Whitemouth Lake School No. 1672, and South Junction School No. 1615, joined in 1967 and, finally, Vassar School No. 1329 and Burns School No. 2003 joined in 1968. Between 1966 and 1968, six new classrooms were constructed and, in 1970, a new gymnasium, three classrooms, and a staff room were added. Another addition was made in 1980, providing an industrial arts room, home economics room, business education room, and a classroom.
In 2002, Sprague Consolidated School No. 2439 was forced by the provincial government to join the Border Land School Division. A budgetary surplus accumulated by the local school board was used to build a stage on the gymasium.
Period
Principal
1947-1951
Rose Williams
1951-1952
Mary A. Williams
1952-1953
C. B. Buhler
1953-1955
Edna M. Lee
1955-1958
Katherine Gray
1958-1959
T. V. Fulton
1959-1961
Mrs. Rose Smook
1961-1964
Katherine Gray
1964-1965
Mrs. Rose Smook
1965-1966
G. J. Gamey
1966-1977
Marvin W. Hovorka
1977-1984
Terry Gotziaman
1984-1985
1985-1987
Ronald Buzahora
1987-1989
Larry Slashinsky
1989-1995
Chester Rouleau
1995-2007
Doris Hovorka
2007-?
Danielle Charrette
Among the other teachers of Sprague School was Lucy Evaline Mills (?-?).
Sprague School (no date) by Clarence Moore
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 70.
Painting of the Sprague School (no date)
Source: Sprague and District Historical Museum
Ross L. Gray School (August 2023)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.03673, W95.64169
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.
We thank Doris Hovorka (Sprague and District Historical Museum), Nathan Kramer, and Rose Kuzina for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 November 2023
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