Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harold Edwards School No. 2340 (Southport, RM of Portage la Prairie)

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

Located on the grounds of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Portage la Prairie Air Station, the Harold Edwards School District No. 2340 was Special Revenue School formed in August 1952 and named for RCAF Air Marshal Harold “Gus” Edwards. The school, which hosted the children of parents in military service, was staffed by teachers employed through the Department of National Defence. Like the base it was located on (later renamed to CFB Portage la Prairie), the school was closed by the time of the base’s closure in September 1992, owing to military cutbacks. The building was demolished and a commemorative monument stands at its former site.

Principals

Period	Principal
1952-1975	James George “Jim” Dark (1910-1979)
1975-1981	?
1981-?	Mr. Matiation

Vice-Principals

Period	Vice-Principal
1959-1970	Guy William John Costley (1924-1988)

Teachers

School Year	Teachers
1952-1953	James George Dark (grades 1-8, 1952; grades 8-9, 1953), Helen Margaret Judd (substitute, 1952; kindergarten, 1953), Olga Jean Onyschuk (grades 1-2, 1953), Minnie Pearl Onyschuk (grades 3-4, 1953), Alma Hazel Norton (grades 5-7, 1953)
1953-1954	Evelyn Alice Burgess (kindergarten), James George Dark (grades 8-9), Helen Margaret Judd (kindergarten, 1953), Minnie Pearl Onyschuk (grades 3-4), Olga J. Onyschuck (grade 1), Effie H. Sloik (grade 2), Grace Bertha Taylor (grades 5-7), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1954-1955	Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grades 7-9), James George Dark (grades 10-11), Lyla June Helena (grades 2-3), Helen Margaret Judd (kindergarten), Effie H. Sloik (grade 2), Lois Doreen Sturtevant (grades 3-4), Grace Bertha Taylor (grades 5-6), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1955-1956	Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grades 7-8), James George Dark (grades 9-10), Joan Lillian Irvine (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (kindergarten), Jennie Victoria Kosimski (grade 3), Elizabeth Shabits (grade 2), Lois Doreen Sturtevant (grade 4), Grace Bertha Taylor (grades 5-6), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grades 1-2), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1956-1957	Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grades 7-8), Joan Lillian Irvine (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Dawn Alayne Miller (grades 5-6), Carol R. Shanks (grade 2), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 4), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 5), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grades 1-2), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1957-1958	Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grades 1-2), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Joan Lillian Irvine (grade 4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Anna Viola Lamont (grades 5-6), Betty J. Mansbridge (grades 3-4), Dawn Alayne Miller (grade 6), Carol R. Shanks (grade 5), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1958-1959	Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grades 1-2), Betty Jean Bertram (grade 4), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Marie-Josephe Durand (kindergarten), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grades 3-4), Carol R. Shanks (grade 5), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Annie Valentine Wilman (kindergarten)
1959-1960	Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Betty Jean Bertram (grade 4), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Marie-Josephe Durand (kindergarten), Dawn Alayne Miller Hogue (grade 6), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 3), Shirley Norton (grades 5-6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1)
1960-1961	Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Doreen Elizabeth Blight (grades 5-6, December), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten), Shirley Norton Furdievich (grades 5-6, September-November), Dawn Alayne Miller Hogue (grade 6), Joan Lillian Irvine (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 4), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), ? (grades 5-6, January-June)
1961-1962	Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 3), Marie Rachelle Ritchot (grades 3-4), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 4), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Joan Lillian Irvine (grade 6), Dawn Alayne Miller Hogue (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8)
1962-1963	Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten, AM), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (kindergarten, PM), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Marie Rachelle Ritchot (grade 3), Betty Jean Bertram (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Grace Tucker (grades 4-5), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Joan Lillian Irvine (grade 6), Helen Mae Brown (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8)
1963-1964	Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 3), Grace Tucker (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Joan Lillian Irvine (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Stanislawa J. Bahyrycz (French)
1964-1965	Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 3), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grade 3), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Stanislawa J. Bahyrycz (French)
1965-1966	Marie-Josephe Durand Lecog (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grades 2-3), Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (grade 3), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grade 4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Dawn Alayne Hogue (grade 5), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Stanislawa J. Bahyrycz (French)
1966-1967	Lois Doreen Sturtevant? Mollard (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Helen Mae Brown (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 2), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grade 3), Lucille Marie Rennie (grades 3-4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Margaret Mary McTaggart (grades 4-5), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Phoebe LaBrie (French)
1967-1968	Helen Mae Brown (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Allayne Elsie Brown (grades 2-3), Cynthia Gifford Benbridge (grade 3), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grade 4), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Margaret Mary McTaggart (grades 5-6), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Guy William John Costley (grade 8), Phoebe LaBrie (French)
1968-1969	Helen Mae Brown (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Frances Muriel Ackroyd (grade 1), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Lois Janet Edgar (grades 2-3), Allayne Elsie Brown (grade 3), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 4), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grades 4-5), Anna Viola Lamont (grade 5), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Harold William Sibley (grade 8), Raoul Joseph McKay (grade 9), Phoebe LaBrie (French)
1969-1970	Helen Mae Brown (kindergarten), Annie Valentine Wilman (grade 1), Therese Marie Hebert (grades 1-2), Geraldine Evelyn Thompson (grade 2), Lois Janet Edgar McConville (grades 2-3), Allayne Elsie Brown (grade 3), Percelyne Donna Manahan (grade 4), Margaret Mary McTaggart (grades 4-5), Helen Margaret Judd (grade 5), Grace Tucker (grade 6), Grace Bertha Taylor (grade 7), Harold William Sibley (grade 8), Raoul Joseph McKay (grade 9), Phoebe LaBrie (French)

Photos & Coordinates

Harold Edwards School commemorative monument (March 2016) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.92047, W98.27545 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: Harold “Gus” Edwards (1892-1952)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Edward School No. 1134 (RM of Stanley)

Sources:

“Applications will be considered,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 November 1952, page 33.

“DND School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 Mary 1966, page 43.

“The Harold Edwards School District,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 July 1981, page 57.

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.

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

Manitoba School Records Collection (GR11219), Harold Edwards School District No. 2340 Daily Registers, Archives of Manitoba.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 15 March 2020

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