Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harrow School (550 Harrow Street, Winnipeg)

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

The land where this Winnipeg school sits was purchased in 1931 by the Manitoba Power Commission and used for its shops and storage facilities. A large metal building from the Transcona Cordite Plant was moved here in 1946. The land was sold to the Winnipeg School Board in 1952.

Later that year, the single-storey, nine-classroom Harrow School, designed by the architectural firm of Moody and Moore, was built at a cost of about $172,000. A sod-turning ceremony was attended by School Division Vice-Chair A. N. Robertson and a cornerstone was laid by trustee Adam Beck. Also present were trustee Campbell Haig, School Building Commissioner William Anderson Martin, trustee “Nan” Murphy, School Board Chair S. B. Laing, trustee Stan Carrick, architect Robert E. Moore, and Swanson Construction proprietor A. W. Swanson.

The school was partnered with Harrow School in London, England, a storied institution with roots back to 1571 AD, and was granted use of its name, crest, and motto. The school was opened officially on 10 June 1953 before a crowd of some 1,000 attendees, at which Principal Inez Lillian Falardeau McCallum read greetings and well-wishes were read from the headmaster R. M. Baldwin of the Harrow School at London. Also present were Deputy Minister of Education Ronald Oliver MacFarlane, Acting Winnipeg School Superintendent Wesley Crawford Lorimer, Winnipeg School Board Chairman A. N. Robertson, and architect Herbert Henry Gatenby Moody.

Additions to the structure were made in 1955, 1962, and 1975. Capacity was added in 1995 on designs of Moody and Moore.

Principals

Period	Principal
1953-1962	Inez Lillian Falardeau McCallum (1898-1979)
1962-1963	Hilda Kinney Ellis (1905-1987)
1963-1966	Harold Murray Lord (1918-2018)
1966-1968	John Arthur Lionel Holmes (1913-1968)
1968-1977	Cecil Drummond “Cec” Muldrew (1923-2004)
1977-1979	Frances L. Martin
1980-1981	W. Gary Lally
1981-1983	Carol M. Basarab
1984-1987	Frank J. Froese
1987-1995	Jeannette Ryan
1995-1999	Roberta Hechter
1999-2004	Maryse Mymin
2004-2005	Robert Falconer
2005-2011	Laurie MacDonald
2011-2016	Leslie MacGillivray
2016-2017	Maxine Geller (1956-2020)
2017-?	Evelyn Siddall

Teachers

School Year	Teachers
1953-1954	Mrs. B. Berthelette, J. N. R. Clark, Miss E. R. A. Edwards, Mrs. G. Johnson, Miss R. J. King, Mrs. F. Milne, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss A. Shalay, Miss E. Strindlund
1954-1955	Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss E. Cross, H. DeJersey, Miss E. Edwards, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. F. Milne, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss A. Shalay, Miss E. Strindlund
1955-1956	Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss W. Cook, H. deJersey, Miss D. Dutton, Bernice G. Hearn, Miss L. Hinchliffe, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. J. Kowaluk, Miss M. Lyons, Miss M. Malcolm, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowasad
1956-1957	Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss D. Dutton, Miss H. Frances, Bernice G. Hearn, H. deJersey, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. Kowaluk, Miss M. Malcolm, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. Norah Oxby, Miss E. Strindlund, Mrs. E. Thorlakson
1957-1958	Mr. A. Gwynne, Mr. L. Baron, Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss B. Dirkson, Miss D. Dutton, Mrs. M. Enns, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. G. Johnson, Mrs. A. Kowaluk, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss M. Wallace
1958-1959	Mrs. I. Grant, A. Gwynne, L. Baron, Mrs. B. Berthelette, Miss B. Dickson, Miss D. Dutton, Mrs. M. Enns, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. B. Lockshin, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss N. Nowasad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Miss D. Staples, Miss E. Strindlund
1959-1960	L. Baron, Miss B. Dickson, Mrs. D. Dutton, Mrs. N. Fehr, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. B. Lockshein, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. N. Oxby, Mrs. B. Purdy, Miss D. Staples, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss E. Ward
1960-1961	Mrs. E. Arnason, L. Baron, Miss B. Dickson, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Mrs. N. Morley, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Mrs. A. M. Prefontaine, Mrs. D. Robertson, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss E. Ward, Miss B. Warshawsky, Miss L. Wood
1961-1962	Miss M. Adam, Mrs. E. Arnason, L. Baron, Miss B. Byars, Muriel Jean Gass, Miss L. Hudon, Miss C. Keith, Mrs. N. Nordlinger, Miss A. Nowosad, Miss T. Lambert, Miss C. Schellenberg, Miss E. Strindlund, Mrs. J. Suderman, Miss B. Warshawsky, Miss L. Wood
1962-1963	?
1963-1964	Miss A. Berkey, Miss C. Birnie, Mrs. E. Black, Mrs. E. Colyer, Mrs. W. Frehs, Muriel Jean Gass, M. Hanna, Miss L. Hudon, Miss T. Lambert, Miss P. McManus, Miss K. Pelk, Miss C. Rose, Miss C. Schellenberg, Miss E. Strindlund, Miss W. Templeman, Miss M. Wright

Other teachers of Harrow School included Evelyne Holenski.

Photos & Coordinates

Harrow School (July 2020) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.85793, W97.15626 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Moody and Moore / Duncan Rattray Peters and Searle / MMP Architects

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Defence Industries Limited Cordite Plant / Transcona Cordite Plant (RM of Springfield)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harrow School No. 464 (Municipality of Riverdale)

Sources:

[Photo caption], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 August 1952, page 3.

“Trustees list more changes in Principals,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 June 1952, page 3.

“City school gets name, crest, and motto of Harrow,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 1953, page 3.

“Tenders for school building,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 1955, page 38.

“2 new city schools open, total cost tops $300,000,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 January 1953, page 3.

“Board names new principals,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 July 1963, page 16.

“Farenhurst to head Aberdeen School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 June 1968, page 6.

Fort Rouge Through the Years, Souvenir Booklet, 1974 by Fort Rouge Centennial Sports Committee, 1974, page 33.

“School chiefs named,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 July 1979, page 18.

“Mother vows to fight grade 2 son’s suspension from school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 April 1987, page 3.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

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

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 22 April 2023

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