Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ellen Douglass School (700 Elgin Avenue, Winnipeg)

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

Constructed in 1960 and named for Margaret Ellen Douglass, this building housed a six-classroom school catering to the needs of disabled children and, on the second floor, the Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg. It was funded jointly by the Winnipeg School Division and the Manitoba Department of Health and Social Services. It was designed by William Isaac Enns, the in-house architect for the School Division who also designed St. John’s High School and Kelvin High School. On 28 April 1960, the building’s cornerstone was laid by Canadian Governor-General Georges Philias Vanier and the building was opened officially on 20 January 1961.

The school was closed in June 1980 and most of its students were relocated to Lord Roberts School where it was known as the Ellen Douglass Program. The main floor of this building was then leased to the International Centre, primarily as ESL classrooms for new immigrants, before the building was taken over completely by the Child Guidance Clinic. By 2015, the clinic, now called Clinical Support Services, had vacated and the School Division put the building up for sale.

In February 2017, the building was purchased by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Principals

Period	Principal
1960-1963	Margaret Ruth Crosland (c1919-2006)
1963-1964	Mrs. May Robertson (Acting)
1964-1967	Margaret Ruth Crosland (c1919-2006)
1967-1973	Mrs. May Robertson
1973-1977	Wayne R. Bembridge
1977-1985	Catherine Anne “Cathi” Hill

Teachers

School Year	Teachers
1960-1961	Margaret Ruth Crosland (grades 3-5), Edna Ruth Halford (grades 1-2, at Montrose School), Florence Mary Patey (kindergarten - grade 2, at Montrose School), Jean Ann Robertson (grades 1-3), Bernice Stebbing (at Montrose School)
1961-1962	Edna Ruth Halford (grades 3-5), Shirley Frances Jarvis (primary ungraded, May-June), Florence Mary Patey (primary ungraded, September-April), Mrs. O. Flatt, Mrs. Phyllis Frayer, Mrs. J. Robertson
1962-1963	?
1963-1964	Olive Eleanor Flatt (grades 2-3), Phyllis Dare Frayer (grade 1), Edna Ruth Halford (grades 4-6), Sydney A. Lecker (intermediate ungraded), Mary Pankiw (grades 1-3), Ethel Louise Sutherland (primary ungraded), Mrs. J. Clark, Mrs. Ellen McQuaker
1964-1965	Margaret Ruth Crosland (grades 7-11), Olive Eleanor Flatt (grades 2-3), Phyllis Dare Frayer (grade 1), Edna Ruth Halford (grades 4-6), Sydney A. Lecker (intermediate ungraded), Jean Ann Robertson (grades 2-4), Ethel Louise Sutherland (primary ungraded), Mrs. Ellen McQuaker, Miss M. Metcalfe
1965-1966	Mrs. Phyllis Frayer, Edna Ruth Halford, Miss M. Harder, Sydney A. Lecker, Mrs. C. McLean, Mrs. Ellen McQuaker, Mrs. J. Robertson, Miss Ethel Louise Sutherland
1966-1967	Mrs. Phyllis D. Frayer, Edna Ruth Halford, Miss M. Harder, Sydney A. Lecker, Mrs. Ellen McQuaker, Mrs. C. McLean, Mrs. J. Robertson, Miss Ethel Louise Sutherland
1967-1968	Mrs. Phyllis D. Frayer, Edna Ruth Halford, Miss M. Harder, Mrs. R. Johnson, Sydney A. Lecker, Mrs. M. McKerchar, Mrs. Ellen McQuaker, Mrs. J. Robertson, Ethel Louise Sutherland, Mrs. M. Wallman
1968-1969	Frances Irene Clement (grades 2-3), Margaret Harder (grades 4-5), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 6-8), Sydney A. Lecker, Elaine May McLeod (kindergarten), May Robertson (grades 9-10), Ethel Louise Sutherland (grade 1), Martha Warkentin (grade 2), Mrs. Ellen McQuaker, Miss M. Metcalfe
1969-1970	Marlene G. Batke (kindergarten), Frances Irene Clement (grades 1-2, 1969; grades 2-3, 1970), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 3-4), Sydney A. Lecker, May Robertson (grades 5-7), Ethel Louise Sutherland (grade 1)
1970-1971	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Angela Marion Einarson (grade 1), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 3-4), Sydney A. Lecker, May Robertson (grades 5-7), Sylvia Torbiak (grade 2)
1971-1972	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-6), Sydney A. Lecker, Belinda Agatha Rossler (grades 1-2), Sylvia Torbiak (grades 2-3)
1972-1973	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-6, 1972; grades 4-5, 1973), Sydney A. Lecker, Belinda Agatha Rossler (grades 1-3, 1973; grades 2-3, 1974), Sylvia Torbiak (grades 3-4)
1973-1974	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Margaret Harder (grades 3-4), Catherine Anne “Cathi” Hill (ungraded), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-5), Sydney A. Lecker, Sylvia Torbiak (primary ungraded), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded)
1974-1975	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Margaret Harder (grades 3-4), Catherine Anne “Cathi” Hill (ungraded), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-6), Sydney A. Lecker, Sylvia Torbiak (grades 1-2)
1975-1976	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - grade 1), Margaret Harder (grades 2-3), Catherine Anne “Cathi” Hill (ungraded), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-5), Sydney A. Lecker, Sylvia Torbiak (grades 1-2), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded), Mrs. L. Wawryko (ungraded)
1976-1977	Marlene G. Batke (kindergarten - grade 1), Jane Dawson (ungraded, 1977), Margaret Harder (grades 2-4), Catherine Anne “Cathi” Hill (ungraded, 1976), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 5-6), Sydney A. Lecker, Jo Lynne Overall (ungraded, 1976), Sylvia Torbiak (grades 1-2), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded, at Montcalm School)
1977-1978	Marlene G. Batke (nursery - kindergarten), Heather Crawford (ungraded), Margaret Harder (grades 2-4), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 5-6), Sydney A. Lecker, Sylvia Torbiak (grades 1-2), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded, at Montcalm School)
1978-1979	Heather Crawford (ungraded), Mary Belle Jaffray (grades 4-6), Sydney A. Lecker, Sylvia Torbiak (kindergarten - grade 2), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded, at Montcalm School)
1979-1980	Marlene G. Batke (grades 1-3), Barbara Trudy Goldstine, Margaret Harder (grades 3-6), Janice Arlene Hunter, Sydney A. Lecker, Thomas Maxwell Shelton, Charlotte Kay Sloan (ungraded, 1979), Neil Martin Stern (ungraded, 1980), Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko (ungraded, at Montcalm School)
1980-1981	Lord Roberts School: Marlene G. Batke (kindergarten - grade 2), Margaret Harder (grades 3-6), Janice Arlene Hunter, Sydney A. Lecker, Thomas Maxwell Shelton, Charlotte Kay Sloan, Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko
1981-1982	Lord Roberts School: Marlene G. Batke (grades 1-3), Margaret Harder (grades 3-6), Janice Arlene Hunter, Sydney A. Lecker, Charlotte Kay Sloan, Dave Taylor, Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko
1982-1983	Lord Roberts School: Marlene G. Batke (grades 1-3), Margaret Harder (grades 3-6), Janice Arlene Hunter Foge, Sydney A. Lecker, Charlotte Kay Sloan, Dave Taylor (grades 5-7), Ira Udou, Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko
1983-1984	Lord Roberts School: Marlene G. Batke (grades 1-3), Janice Arlene Hunter Foge, Margaret Harder (grades 3-6, 1983), Charlotte Kay Sloan, Dave Taylor, Barbara Town (grades 3-6, 1984), Ira Udou, Anthony Paul “Tony” Wawryko

Photos & Coordinates

The former Ellen Douglass School building (May 2015) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.90566, W97.15735 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Lord Roberts School (Daly Street South, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Montcalm School (Tecumseh Street, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: Margaret Ellen Douglass (1878-1950)

Memorable Manitobans: William Isaac “Bill” Enns (1923-2006)

Sources:

“Vanier to be asked to lay cornerstone of new city school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 April 1960, page 24.

“Official ceremonies set for Vanier visit to city,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 April 1960, page 3.

“Vaniers wave goodbye,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 April 1960, page 1.

[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 February 1961, page 11.

“The Winnipeg School Division No. 1,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 January 1973, page 43.

“Bembridge new Principal,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 April 1973.

“School’s goal - to make children independent,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 December 1977, page 46.

“HSC to revamp old school into $8.8-M clinic,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 October 2017.

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

Manitoba School Records Collection, Winnipeg School District #1 (Ellen Douglass School) - Daily Registers, GR13335, Archives of Manitoba.

Winnipeg School Division: Celebrating One Hundred Fifty Years, 1871-2021 by Winnipeg School Division, 2021.

We thank the Winnipeg School Division for providing information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer, Christian Cassidy, and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 September 2023

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