Historic Sites of Manitoba: Virden School No. 144 / Mary Montgomery School (Ninth Avenue South, Virden)

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Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Virden School District was established in Virden in June 1883. Initially, classes were held in the local Presbyterian manse or Methodist parsonage until a building could be erected. Classes began under teacher Miss Sparrow. In 1886, a two-room school was built on land donated by the Canada North West Land Company. Its life was short, as it was destroyed by fire around March 1887. A replacement two-room school was erected later that year.

By 1892, crowding at the school was becoming dire so the decision was made to build a four-room replacement for it. Designed by Winnipeg architect Walter Chesterton, the school was built by contractor J. A. Saul later that year. Problems with the structural integrity of the building were discovered almost immediately, with the wall facing Queen Street requiring the addition of timber buttresses and iron rods to keeping it from bowing outward.

In late 1905, a new school building was designed by Winnipegq architect V. W. Horwood and built along Ninth Avenue South. The two-storey brick structure comprised eight classrooms and a playroom in the basement. It was one of the first two school consolidations in Manitoba, the other occurring at Holland. The former school building was then used as an immigration hall.

In 1948, high school grades of Virden Collegiate Institute were moved to the new Virden Collegiate, along with junior high grades to the new Virden Junior High in 1965.

In June 1963, Virden Public School was renamed Mary Montgomery School in honour of former teacher Mary Montgomery. An addition built behind the structure in 1980 housed a gymnasium, dental clinic, and kindergarten. A new school building was constructed beside the old school in the early 1990s, including a special needs suite, library, computer lab, and administrative offices. In 1992, the 1905 building was demolished and replaced by a play structure. A commemorative arch in front of the new school is made from its bricks.

Principals (Virden School)

Period	Principal
1887	Mr. Erskine
1888	Sidney Edward Lang (1864-1950)
1889-1890	J. T. Wright
1891	Marshall Hall-Jones (1865-1927)
1891-1893	James Martin
1893-1896	James Cooper Butchart (1865-?)
1896-1900	Percy Dewart Harris (1871-1953)
1900-1904	Charles Kenning Newcombe (1877-1944)
1904-1906	A. J. Mather
1906-1916	Alexander M. Shields (1853-1940)
1916-1918	Thomas Addison Neelin (1882-1970)
1918-1920	Thomas Orton Durnin (1889-1964)
1920-1924	John Marshall Nason (1887-1963)
1924-1929	W. A. Anderson
1929-1933	Charles Philip “Charlie” Kerr (1903-1990)
1933-1938	Arthur Augustus Harris (1903-1982)
1938-1943	Barney Thordarson (1904-1974)
1943-1948	Cecil Cullen Foster (1911-1998)

Teachers (Virden School)

School Year	Teachers
1906	Josephine M. Dow (grades 4-5), Marion K. Dow (grades 6-7, grade 8), Annie T. Gillespie (grades 1-2), W. G. Henderson (grade ?), David Bruce Huggins (grade ?), Mina H. McLaren (grades 4-5), A. J. Mather (grade ?), A. Moulton (grades 6-7), Ella R. Scarth (grades 3-4)
1907	Agnes Bannerman (grade 2, September-December), Jennie E. Beynon (grade 2, January-June; grades 4-5, September-December), Thomas Walter Halligan (grade ?, September-December), David Bruce Huggins (grade ?, January-June), Mina H. McLaren (grades 4-5, January-February), Nellie M. McGregor (grades 3-4), A. J. Mather (senior grades), Ella R. Scarth (grades 4-5, February-June), Evans Struthers (grades 3-4)
1908	A. L. Craig (grade ?), Olive A. Ferguson (grades 6-7), Thomas Walter Halligan (grade 5?)
1909	M. M. Dodds (grade 3), Gertrude Dutton (grade 3)
1910	Agnes Bannerman (grade 4, September-December), Jennie E. Beynon (grades 4-5, January-June; grade 5, September-December), Miss J. M. Blyth (grade 8, September-December), I. Colton (grade 7, January-June), M. M. Dodds (grades 3-4, January-June; grades 6-7, September-December), B. C. MacLean (grade 8?, January-June), Alexander M. Shields (grades ?), Myrtle M. Wocks (grade 1), Sophia M. Wocks (grade 1)
1911	Miss J. M. Blyth (grade 8), Barbara S. Purdon (senior grades), W. Clarke Sandercock (senior grades, January-June), Alexander M. Shields (senior grades), Arthur Wade (senior grades, September-December)
1912	(Spring only) Barbara S. Purdon (senior grades), Alexander M. Shields (senior grades), Arthur Wade (senior grades), ?
1912-1913	Alexander M. Shields (senior grades), ?
1913-1914	W. G. C? (grade 8), W. A. Hunter (grade 9), ?
1914-1915	?
1915-1916	W. A. Anderson (grade 8), Charles H. Egan, Miss Gilray (grade 10), Alexander M. Shields (grades 11-12), ?
1916-1917	?
1917-1918	W. A. Anderson (grade 10), M. Dodds (grade 3, August-November; grade 8, January-June), Robert Haddon Flewelling (grade 8, August-December), E. R. Goring (grade 9, August-December), Birdie A. Hepburn (grade 4, November-December), Edith Insley (grade 5), Merle McNiven (grade 6), Blanche Megaffin (grade 4, August-October; grade 9, January-June), Elizabeth “Ina” Milne (grade 1), B. J. Ross (grade 2, September-November), Jean Sanford (grade 2), Alexander M. Shields (grade 11?), Marjorie Somerset (grade 1), Mabel Sproat (grade 3, December-June), Norma F. Stirling (grade 2, August & December), Eleanor Titmus (grade 4, January-June)
1918-1919	?
1919-1920	?
1920-1921	E. Pearl Blakeman (grade 3), May Dodds (grade 5), Grace Louise Gibson (grade 2), Annie May McLachlan (grade 10, January-June), Blanche Megaffin (grade 9), J. M. Nason (grade 11), Bertha May Sanford (grade 2)
1921-1922	Jean Coutts (grade 5), Mary Dodds (grade 6), W. D. Flatt (grade 9, December-June), Grace Louise Gibson (grade 3), Viola Hill (grade 4), Annie May McLachlan (grade 9, September-November), J. M. McNiven (grade 8), J. M. Nason (grade 11), Adelia Sanford (grade 7), Bertha Sanford (grade 2), Bessie Sarah Jean Scales (grade 1), Simon Shannon (grade 10), Alexander M. Shields (grade 12), Elma Spence (grade 1), ?
1922-1923	Jean N. Coutts (grade 7), W. D. Flatt (grade 7, September-December; grade 9, January-June), Annie May McLachlan (grade 9, September-December; grade 11, January-June), Arthur H. G. Mitchell (grade 10), J. M. Nason (grade 11), Alexander M. Shields (grade 12), ?
1923-1924	E. Fraser (grade 9, January-June), Arthur H. G. Mitchell (grade 10), J. M. Nason (grade 11), G. Pettingel (grade 9, September-December; grade 11, January-June), Annie Robson (grade 9), Alexander M. Shields (grade 12), ?
1924-1925	G. Pettingel (grade 11, January-June), E. Schmidt (grade 11, September-December?), ?
1925-1926	J. W. Lawson (grade 11), ?
1926-1927	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 10, daughter of William Alexander Bridgett), J. W. Lawson (grade 11), ?
1927-1928	Alice Persis? Doyle (grade 10), ?
1928-1929	Mona May Insley (grade 2), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 3), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 8, daughter of John D. McNiven), Mary Edythe Mathers (grade 6, 1929), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Janet Mary Palmer (grade 4, 1928; grades 3-4, 1929), Neta Sadler (grade 1), Dorothy Rose Wilkins (grade 6, 1928), ? (grades 7, 9+)
1929-1930	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 11), Georgina Alice Rynehart Dobbie (grade 7), Alice Persis? Doyle (grade 10), Mona May Insley (grade 2), Charles Philip Kerr (grade 12), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 1), Roy A. Lind (grade 9), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 8), Mary Edythe Mathers (grade 6), Janet Mary Palmer (grade 4), Bertha May Sanford (grade 3), ? (grade 7)
1930-1931	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 11), Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 9), Alice R. Dobbie (grade 8), Alice Persis? Doyle (grade 12), Arthur Augustus Harris (grade 10), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 5), Mona May Insley (grade 2), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 1), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 6?), Mary E. Matthews (grade 6), Janet Mary Palmer (grade 4), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 3), ? (grades 7)
1931-1932	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 11), Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 9), Alice R. Dobbie (grade 8), Alice Persis? Doyle (grade 12), Arthur Augustus Harris (grade 10), Mona May Insley (grade 2), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grades 1-2), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 7), Mary E. Matthews (grade 6), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Janet Mary Palmer (grade 4), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 3)
1932-1933	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 11), Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 9), Alice R. Dobbie (grade 8), Alice Persis? Doyle (grade 12), Arthur Augustus Harris (grade 10), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 4), Mona May Insley (grade 3, 1932; grades 1 & 3, 1933), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grades 1-2), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 7), Mary E. Matthews (grade 6), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 3), ? (grade 7)
1933-1934	Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 12), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Phyllis John Stark (grade 11), Ida Gertrude Wilkinson (grade 10), ? (grades 2-9)
1934-1935	Eunice H. Bennett (grade 5), Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 12), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4, 1934; grades 1 & 4, 1935), Phyllis John Stark (grade 11), Ida Gertrude Wilkinson (grade 10), ? (grades 7-9)
1935-1936	Eunice H. Bennett (grade 6), Doris Marietta Cochrane (grade 12), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Theodore Sigurdson (grade 9), Phyllis John Stark (grade 11), Ida Gertrude Wilkinson (grade 10), ? (grades 7-8)
1936-1937	Henry Charles Avery (grade 10), Georgina Alice Rynehart Dobbie (grade 7), Olive G. Goadwin [Goodwin?] (grade 11), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 8), Walter William Mark (grade 9, son of John Wesley Mark), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Phyllis John Stark (grade 12),? (grades 9+)
1937-1938	Eunice Helen Bernett (grade 8), Georgina Alice Rynehart Dobbie (grade 7), John K. Friesen (grade 10), Olive G. Goadwin [Goodwin?] (grade 12), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Jessie Merle McNiven (grade 8), Walter William Mark (grade 11), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Annie Georgina Sanford (grade 1), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Bethel Harold Stinson (grade 9)
1938-1939	Henry Reginald Abernethy (grade 8), John K. Friesen (grade 10), August-September; grade 11, September-June), Olive G. Goadwin [Goodwin?] (grade 10, September-June), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Charles Whitefield Johnson (grade 9), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Walter William Mark (grade 12, August-December), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), E. E. Nelson (grade 12, January-June), George William Sadler (grade 7), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Annie Georgina Stafford (grade 1)
1939-1940	Henry Reginald Abernethy (grade 8), Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 9), John K. Friesen (grade 12), Olive G. Goadwin [Goodwin?] (grade 11), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 3), Charles Whitefield Johnson (grade 10), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), George William Sadler (grade 7), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Annie Georgina Stafford (grade 1)
1940-1941	Henry Reginald Abernethy (grade 8), Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 10), John Archibald Carmichael (grade 7), Molly C. Stalker Finkbeiner (grade 3), David Bruce Fraser (grade 9), Olive G. Goadwin [Goodwin?] (grade 12), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Mona May Insley (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), ? (grade 11)
1941-1942	Henry Reginald Abernethy (grade 8, 1941), Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 11), Evelyn Cecilia Brimacombe (grade 3), Molly C. Stalker Finkbeiner (grade 3, 1941; grade 7), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 9), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Alexander Greenway McClellan (grades 7-8, 1941; grade 8), Margaret Mitchell (grade 1), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Barney Thordarson (grade 12), Helen Huntly Tuck (grade 10)
1942-1943	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 12), Nellie Nettie Dunits (grade 1), Molly C. Stalker Finkbeiner (grade 7), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 10), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Margaret Mitchell (grade 3), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Isabel G. Hayes Muirhead (grade 3, 1943), John Wesley Alexander “Jack” Muirhead (grade 8), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4), Barney Thordarson (grade 9), Helen Huntly Tuck (grade 11)
1943-1944	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 9), Evelyn Cecilia Brimacombe (grade 4), Nellie Nettie Dunits (grade 1), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 11), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Edith A. M. Moody (grade 12), Isabel G. Hayes Muirhead (grade 3), John Wesley Alexander “Jack” Muirhead (grade 8), Harold Payne (grade 10), Audrey Marion Poyser (grade 7)
1944-1945	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 10), Evelyn Cecilia Brimacombe (grade 4), Annie Keir Butcher (grade 7), Joseph W. Butcher (grade 11), Nellie Nettie Dunits (grade 1), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 12), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Edith A. M. Moody (grade 9), Isabel G. Hayes Muirhead (grade 3), John Wesley Alexander “Jack” Muirhead (grade 8), Audrey Marion Poyser (grade 7, 1944)
1945-1946	Henry Reginald Abernethy (grade 8), Annie Keir Butcher (grade 7), Nellie Nettie Dunits (grade 1), Olga Ewashkiw (grade 3), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 11?), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), J. A. Menzies (grade 12), Mary Montgomery (grade 5), Edith A. M. Moody (grade 10), Alfred John Moran (grade 9), Bertha May Sanford (grade 4)
1946-1947	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 12), Jean Dickie (grade 1), Cecil Cullen Foster (grade 10), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 4), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Marjorie Lorraine McLean (grade 1), Thelma Kathleen Meadows (grade 9), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Edith A. M. Moody (grade 11), Alfred John Moran (commercial), Peter Raymond Mudery (grade 7; grades 7-8, 1947), John Wesley Alexander “Jack” Muirhead (grade 8, 1947), Edith Mary Shorthose (grades 5-6), Angus G. Spence (grade 8)
1947-1948	Helen Elizabeth Bridgett (grade 9), Winnifred May Cockbill (grade 1), Mary Jane Floyde (grade 10), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 4), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Gertrude Elizabeth Martin (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Edith A. M. Moody (grade 12), Alfred John Moran (commercial, no grade), Peter Raymond Mudery (grade 6), Edith Mary Shorthose (grade 5), ? (grade 11)

Principals (Virden Public School / Mary Montgomery School)

Period	Principal
1948-1953	Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (1922-2005)
1953-1956	Lorne Avery Chapple (1920-2000)
1957-1968	Myrtle Aleta Lane (1903-2002)
1968-c1980	Glen Burton Young
c2000	Emma Lou Evanson
?-?	Brad Hayward

Teachers (Virden Public School / Mary Montgomery School)

School Year	Teachers
1948-1949	Marjorie Maude Chestnut (grade 1, 1949), Ruth Thelma Cotter (grade 4), Isabella Margaret Dryden (grade 5), Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (grade 8), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Joy Lyon (grade 1, 1948), Marjorie Lorraine McLean (grade 1, 1948), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Trevor Finlay Sterling (grade 7), Mary Stewart (grade 1, 1948), Phyllis Vera White (grade 5)
1949-1950	Marjorie Maude Chestnut (grade 1), Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (grade 8), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 4), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Marjorie Lorraine McLean (grade 1), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Trevor Finlay Sterling (grade 7)
1950-1951	Ruby Marie Burnash (grade 1), Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (grade 8), Mary Jeanne Frazer (grade 5), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 4), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Trevor Finlay Sterling (grade 7)
1951-1952	Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (grade 8), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Jean Elizabeth “Jennie” Graham (grade 5), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Harold Roy Rudy (grade 7 and Virden Technical School)
1952-1953	Lorne Arnott Finkbeiner (grade 8), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Jean Elizabeth “Jennie” Graham (grade 5), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Harold Roy Rudy (grade 7), Eva Dorothy Thompson (grade 1)
1953-1954	Lorne Avery Chapple (grade 7), Norma Marjorie Agnes Ficek (grades 3-6), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Jean Elizabeth “Jennie” Graham (grade 5), Ada Pauline Herkes (grades 1-2), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6)
1954-1955	Evelyn Cecilia Brimacombe (grade 1), Lorne Avery Chapple (grade 7), Ila Della Colquhoun (grades 5-7), Norma Marjorie Agnes Ficek (grades 3-4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 2), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Lily Doreen Sharratt (grade 5, January-June), J. E. Storey (grade 5, September-December)
1955-1956	Jean Lenore Chapple (grade 6), Lorne Avery Chapple (grade 7), Ila Della Colquhoun (grade 3), Rose E. Ramai Congram (grade 1), Donna Jean Davison (grades 2-3, September-December), Norma Marjorie Agnes Ficek (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Ada Pauline Herkes (grade 2), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Evelyn Elaine Pateman (grades 2-3, January-June), Janet Isobel Reid (grade 6), Lily Doreen Sharratt (grade 5), Elizabeth Grace Shoemaker (grade 7), Elizabeth Eileen Swan (grade 5), Joan Constance Wells (grade 2), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1956-1957	Lorne Avery Chapple (grade 4, September-December), Bernice Amelia Cochrane (grade 3), Ila Della Colquhoun (grade 3), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Evelyn Elaine Pateman (grade 4, January-June), Irma Mae Smith Howard (grade 1), Joan Constance Wells (grade 2), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1957-1958	Iola Armstrong (grade 4), Ila Della Colquhoun (grade 3), Hazel Lauree Cumming (grade 2), Lorna Mae Evans (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Phyllis E. Jamieson (grade 2), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Frances Mary Wilson (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1958-1959	Ila Della Colquhoun (grade 3), Hazel Lauree Cumming (grade 2), Lorna Mae Evans (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Eveleine Mildred Lambourne (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Helen Flora McKinney (grade 5), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Frances Mary Wilson (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1959-1960	Hazel Lauree Cumming (grade 2), Lorna Mae Evans (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Nora Sybil E. Jelfs (grade 1), Eveleine Mildred Lambourne (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Frances Mary Wilson (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1960-1961	Hazel Lauree Cumming (grade 2), Lorna Mae Evans (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Eveleine Mildred King (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Gayle Elizabeth Morris (grade 1), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Frances Mary Taylor (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1961-1962	Brenda Marie Clayton (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4), Eveleine Mildred King (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Janet Susan Malcolm (grades 2-3), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Gayle Elizabeth Morris (grade 1), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Ann Ruth Restau (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1962-1963	Minnie Lillian Brownlee (grades 3-4, January-June), Brenda Marie Clayton (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Gardiner (grade 4, September-April), Margaret Isabel Hughes (grades 1-6), Ileen Ruth Keown (grade 4, May-June), Eveleine Mildred King (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Janet Susan Malcolm (grade 3), Mary Montgomery (grade 3), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Ann Ruth Restau (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1963-1964	Joyce Evelyn Alexander (grade 1), Kathleen Anne Barker (grade 3), Minnie Lillian Brownlee (grade 4), Suzanne Margaret Healey (grade 3), Margaret Isabel Hughes (grades 1-4), Eveleine Mildred King (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Brenda Marie Clayton Lund (grade 4), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Irene Evelyn Whyte (grades 4 & 6), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1964-1965	Joyce Evelyn Alexander (grade 1), Kathleen Anne Barker (grade 3), Minnie Lillian Brownlee (grade 4), Mary Elizabeth Day (grade 3), Margaret Isabel Hughes (grades 1-6), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Brenda Marie Clayton Lund (grade 4), Rita Marie Peloquin (grade 1), Elizabeth Jane Reid (grade 2), Irene Evelyn Whyte (grades 4), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1965-1966	Mary Elizabeth Day (grade 3), Maureen Ann Freeborn (grade 2), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Brenda Marie Clayton Lund (grade 4, September-December), Madge Catherine Hull (grade 4, January-June), Penny Lynne Johnston (grade 3), Rita Marie Peloquin (grade 1), Irene Evelyn Whyte (grades 4), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1966-1967	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Valerie Janis Elliott (grade 4), Maureen Ann Freeborn (grade 2), Penny Lynne Johnston (grade 3), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Barbara Lee Munnoch (grade 3), Herta Liselotte Peters (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1967-1968	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Myrna Joyce Black (grade 3), Valerie Margaret “Val” Bray (grade 1), Myrtle Aleta Lane (grade 2), Valerie Janis Elliott MacKenzie (grade 4), Edythe Margaret Robertson (grade 3), Donna Florence Russell (grade 4), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1)
1968-1969	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Myrna Joyce Black (grade 3), Valerie Margaret “Val” Bray (grade 1), Sharon Helen Moreau (grade 2, September-March), Evelyn Elaine Pateman (kindergarten), Shirley Jean Rudneski (grade 2, April-June), Donna Florence Russell (grade 3), Sharon Jean Williamson (grade 2), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1969-1970	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Myrna Joyce Black Drake (grade 3), Sharon Gail Forrest (grade 2), Donna Florence George (grade 3), Viola Sarah Hill (grade 1, May-June), Evelyn Elaine Pateman (kindergarten), Jo-Anne Marie Radics (grade 1), Sharon Jean Williamson (grade 2), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1, September-April), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1970-1971	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Eileen Rose Brennan (grade 2), Florence Audrey Brocks (grade 2), Myrna Joyce Black Drake (grade 3), Donna Florence George (grade 3), Barbara Ann Knuttila (kindergarten), Jo-Anne Marie Radics (grade 1), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1971-1972	Frances Gail Bayliss (grade 4), Eileen Rose Brennan (grade 2), Donna Florence George (grade 3), Margaret Carolyn McAulay (kindergarten), Bernice Annette Tanasychuk (grade 3), Loreen Carol Warren (grade 2), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1972-1973	Eileen Rose Brennan (grade 2), Marilyn Grace Duffin (grade 4), Donna Florence George (grade 3), Margaret Carolyn McAulay (kindergarten), Bernice Annette Tanasychuk (grade 3), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1973-1974	Eileen Rose Brennan (grade 2), Marilyn Grace Duffin (grade 4), Donna Florence George (grade 3), Maxine Beth Martin (kindergarten), Bernice Annette Tanasychuk (grade 3), Mary Annie Workman (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1974-1975	Dorothy Braun (grade 3), Eileen Rose Brennan (grade 2), Marie Louise Downing (grade 2), Maxine Beth Martin (kindergarten), Rolanda Jean Eirikson (grade 1), John William Leslie “Jack” Welsh (grade 4), Donelda Jean Wheelans (grade 1), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1975-1976	Marian Fay Kalynuk (grade 2), Maxine Beth Martin (kindergarten, September-December), Elizabeth Mary Pearson (grade 3), Kathleen Kelly Maude “Kathy” Welsh (grade 1), Donelda Jean Wheelans (grade 1), Irene Evelyn Whyte (kindergarten, January-June), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1976-1977	Marie Louise Downing (grade 2), Elizabeth Mary Fridd (grade 3), Marian Fay Kalynuk (grade 2), Kathleen Kelly Maude “Kathy” Welsh (grade 1), Lorna Hilma Naherny (grade 3), Donelda Jean Wheelans (grade 1), Irene Evelyn Whyte (kindergarten), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1977-1978	Marie Louise Downing (grade 4), Emma Lou D. Evanson (grade 2), Elizabeth Mary Fridd (grade 3), Barbara Louise Jones (grade 1), Marian Fay Kalynuk (grade 2), Lorna Hilma Naherny (grade 3), Donelda Jean Wheelans (grade 1), Irene Evelyn Whyte (kindergarten), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)
1978-1979	Marie Louise Downing (grade 4), Emma Lou D. Evanson (grade 2), Mildred Harkness (grade 3), Barbara Louise Jones (grade 1), Marian Fay Kalynuk (grade 2), Lorna Hilma Naherny (grade 3), Donelda Jean Wheelans (grade 1), Irene Evelyn Whyte (kindergarten), Glen Burton Young (grade 4)

Among the other teachers who worked at Virden School were George Florence (1910s) and Maxwell Addison Parker.

Photos & Coordinates

Postcard view of the original Virden School (1904) Source: Andrew Cunningham Virden School building erected in 1905 (circa 1906) Source: Education Department Report, 1906, Manitoba Legislative Library. Postcard view of Virden School (1907) Source: Rob McInnes, VR0007 Postcard view of Virden School (no date) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2012-0035 Virden School / Mary Montgomery School (1967) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Virden 25. Virden School / Mary Montgomery School (1967) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Virden 26. Commemorative arch in front of Mary Montgomery School (May 2022) Source: Rose Kuzina Plaque on the commemorative arch in front of Mary Montgomery School (May 2022) Source: Rose Kuzina   Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.84578, W100.93320 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Goulter School (200 Queen Street East, Virden)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Virden Junior High School (447 Princess Street West, Virden)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Virden Collegiate Institute (251 Kent Street, Virden)

Memorable Manitobans: Mary Montgomery (1890-1977)

Sources:

Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.

“Virden’s fine school,” Manitoba Free Press, 8 July 1905, page 8.

“Virden, Man,” Western Canada Fire Underwriters’ Association map, 22 August 1916, Archives of Manitoba.

“Personalities,” Manitoba School Journal, Vol. 6, No. 9, May 1944, page 2.

“Virden schools soon open for fall term,” Brandon Sun, 29 August 1952, page 17.

The Virden Story by Ida Clingan, Virden: Empire Publishing Company, 1957, Manitoba Legislative Library.

“26 teachers on Virden School staff,” Brandon Sun, 6 September 1967, page 23.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 (Virden School) - Daily Registers, GR0466, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 (Virden Collegiate) - Daily Registers, GR0466, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 - Daily Registers, GR2066, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Fort la Bosse School Division No. 41 (Virden School) - Daily Registers, GR2066, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 - Daily Registers, GR2068, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 (Mary Montgomery School) - Daily Registers, GR2068, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Virden School District No. 144 (Mary Montgomery School) - Daily Registers, GR2072, Archives of Manitoba.

Manitoba School Records Collection, Fort la Bosse School Division No. 41 (Mary Montgomery School) - Daily Registers, GR2072, Archives of Manitoba.

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

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.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Andrew Cunningham and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 16 November 2022

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