Historic Sites of Manitoba: Rackham School No. 2123 (Municipality of Harrison Park)

The Rackham School District was established at this site, in what is now the Municipality of Harrison Park, on 7 April 1925. Construction of a school building followed that summer by Dan Mytruk and Mike Belan. The official opening occurred on 14 October 1925 and six students attended the first classes, under teacher F. D. McKenzie. A second classroom was added to the structure in 1938. Due to declining enrollment, the school closed in 1962 and the district was dissolved in 1963, by which time a total of 386 students and 34 teachers had passed through its doors. The former school building was moved to the Sandy Lake Golf and Country Club near Sandy Lake where it was used as a tourist cabin. A small model of the school stands beside a monument erected at the original site in commemoration of the district pioneers, teachers and pupils of Rackham School.

The teachers of Rackham School were F. D. Mackenzie (1925-1927), W. Frederickson (1927-1928), Muriel Patmore (1928-1929), S. A. Medicott (1929), Constance Actbury (1929-1930), Beatrice Margetion (1930-1931), D. A. W. Brown (1931-1933), P. R. Simbolisty (1933-1935), J. W. Patterson (1934-1936), B. J. S. Bodvarsson (1937-1938), John Chalaturnyk (1938-1941), M. Melnychuk (1938-1939), Anne Bachewich (1939-1942), Tom Kiez (1940-1941), Walter Nowasad (1941-1942), Eva Onofreyo (1941-1942), A. E. Wetheral (1941-1942), M. J. Syrnyk (1942-1943), Cassie Pawluk (1942-1943), Michael Gilchak (1942-1943), Helen Rystephanuk (1942-1943), Basil Trakalo (1943-1947), Lillian Trakalo (1943-1946), M. S. Szwaluk (1947-1948), Paul Michalyshyn (1947-1948), S. Biluke (1948-1951), M. Szwaluk (1948-1949), Margaret Penner (1949-1950), Frances Zachary (1950-1951, 1953-1955), Donald T. Maluk (1952-1953), C. P. Misanchuk (1953-1954, 1958-1959), Edward Misanchuk (1954-1955), Elsie Nowalkowsky (1955-1957), A. Otchenash (1955-1956), Natalie Lenkewich (1957-1958), L. A. Schultz (1957-1958), Mike Skrupa (1958-1959), K. Zachary (1959-1960), Mike Skrupa (1959-1960), and Mrs. N. C. Bereziuk (1960-1961).

Rackham School (no date) by W. C. Hartley Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 98. Rackham School after the addition of second classroom (circa 1939) Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Districts - Rackham, N16423. Rackham School commemorative monument and model (August 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.54163, W100.06924 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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.

A History of Sandy Lake and District, 1984. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.S32 His]

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 30 January 2021

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