Historic Sites of Manitoba: Thames School No. 1991 / Thames South School / Thames School (Municipality of Rhineland)

Link to:
Principals (Thames School) | Teachers (Thames North School) | Teachers (Thames School / Thames South School) | Principals (Thames South School) | Teachers (Thames South School) | Principals (Thames Elememtary School) | Teachers (Thames Elementary School) | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Thames School District was established in February 1920 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE20-2-2W in what is now the Municipality of Rhineland. Increasing student enrollment necessitated the construction of a second school building at the site. In 1938, as enrollment increased even more, the original school was renamed Thames South and a second building, called Thames North, was constructed about two miles north at NW29-2-2W (about N49.16238, W97.69736). The two buildings at the Thames South site were replaced in 1946 by a single, two-classroom structure. A third classroom in its basement was opened in 1959, to accommodate students in grades 9 to 11.

The Thames North School closed in 1964 and was moved to another site for use as a granary. Its former site reverted to agricultural land. In 1971, the district became part of the Rhineland School Division. The two-classroom Thames South School building continued in operation until 1976 when it closed. The building was dismantled in 1977 but the schoolyard continued to be used for community activities. A monument at the site erected in August 2004 commemorates the pioneers, teachers, trustees, and students of Thames School.

Principals (Thames School)

Period	Principal
1930-1931	John Peter Dyck (c1902-1990)
1931-1932	Bernard D. Hildebrand
1932-1938	Anne Nora Reimer
1938-1940	Herman Stephen Schellenberg (1915-1943)
1940-1942	John Henry Goossen
1942-1943	Jacob Driedger
1943	Susann Enns
1943-1945	Victor John Peters (1915-1998)
1945-1946	Margaret Harder

Teachers (Thames North School)

Among the teachers at Thames North School (1938-1964) were Gerhard G. Ewert (Fall 1941 - Spring 1942, grades 1-6), Pete Hoeppner (Fall 1956 - Spring 1957, grades 1-8), and Victor Enns (Fall 1960 - Spring 1961, grades 1-8).

Teachers (Thames School / Thames South School)

Among the early teachers of Thames School were Oscar Andrew Wurster (Fall 1921 - Spring 1922), school closed due to measels and scarlet fever (11-29 May 1922), H. W. Reimer (Fall 1922 - Spring 1923), school closed due to flooding and impassable roads (16-20 April 1923), George G. Siemens (Fall 1923 - Spring 1925, Fall 1926 - Spring 1929), and Susie Hooge (Fall 1925 - Spring 1926).

School Year	Teachers
1929-1930	John Peter Dyck (grades 1-8)
1930-1931	John Peter Dyck (grades 2-8), Martha I. Winters (grades 1-3, October; grades 1-2, November-February; grades 1-3, March-June)
1931-1932	Bernard D. Hildebrand (grades 4-8), Mary E. Hildebrand (grades 1-3)
1932-1933	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 4-8), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4)
1933-1934	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 4-8), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-3)
1934-1935	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 4-8), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-3), school closed by Health Officer (16-31 January 1935)
1935-1936	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 5-8), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4)
1936-1937	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 5-8), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4)
1937-1938	Anne Nora Reimer (grades 5-9), Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4)
1938-1939	Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4), Herman Stephen Schellenberg (grades 5-9)
1939-1940	Mary Dorothy Reimer (grades 1-4), Herman Stephen Schellenberg (grades 5-8)
1940-1941	John Henry Goossen (grades 4-8), Peter David Matthies (grades 1-4)
1941-1942	John Henry Goossen (grades 5-9, Peter David Matthies (grades 1-4)
1942-1943	Mary Brown (grades 1-4, March-June), Jacob Driedger (grades 1-4, September-December; grades 5-9, December-February), Susann Enns (grades 5-9, March-June), John Henry Goossen (grades 5-9, September-November), Susann Klassen (grades 1-4, January-February)
1943-1944	Jacob Krueger (grades 1-2, August-September), Elizabeth [Elisabeth] Peters (grades 1-4, October-June), Victor John Peters (grades 5-8)
1944-1945	Elizabeth [Elisabeth] Peters (grades 1-4), Victor John Peters (grades 5-10)
1945-1946	Margaret Harder (grades 5-8), Elizabeth [Elisabeth] Peters (grades 1-4)

Principals (Thames South School)

Period	Principal
1946-1948	John Wiebe Driedger
1948-1949	Jacob Jacob Bergen
1949-1954	Henry George Ens
1954-1955	Nicolai G. “Nic” Neufeld (1902-1988)
1955-1957	Henry Dick
1957-1961	John B. Wiebe (1929-2014)
1961-1963	Cornelius Donald Guenter
1963-1964	Arthur Frank Sawatzky

Teachers (Thames South School)

School Year	Teachers
1946-1947	John Wiebe Driedger (grades 5-9), Marie Alvina Driedger (grades 1-4)
1947-1948	John Wiebe Driedger (grades 5-9), Annie Voth (grades 1-4)
1948-1949	Jacob Jacob Bergen (grades 5-9), Helen Ens (grades 1-4)
1949-1950	Helen Ens (grades 1-3), Henry George Ens (grades 4-10)
1950-1951	Helen Ens (grades 1-4), Henry George Ens (grades 5-10)
1951-1952	Helen Ens (grades 1-4), Henry George Ens (grades 5-10)
1952-1953	Henry George Ens (grades 5-10), Betty Klassen (grades 1-4)
1953-1954	Henry George Ens (grades 5-10), Betty Klassen (grades 1-4)
1954-1955	Nicolai G. “Nic” Neufeld (grades 5-9), Tiena Victoria Warkentin (grades 1-4)
1955-1956	Henry Dick (grades 5-10), Tiena Victoria Warkentin (grades 1-4)
1956-1957	Henry Dick (grades 5-9), Margrita Agnes “Rita” Schroeder (grades 1-4)
1957-1958	Margrita Agnes “Rita” Schroeder (grades 1-4), John B. Wiebe (grades 5-10)
1958-1959	Leona E. Ginter (grades 1-4), John B. Wiebe (grades 5-10)
1959-1960	Margaret Harder (grades 1-4), Ulrich Janz (grades 5-8), John B. Wiebe (grades 9-11)
1960-1961	Helen Giesbrecht (grades 5-8), Margaret Harder (grades 1-4), John B. Wiebe (grades 9-11)
1961-1962	Cornelius Donald Guenter (grades 9-11), Margaret Harder (grades 1-4), Helen Giesbrecht Rempel (grade 5-8)
1962-1963	Margaret Rose Froese (grades 1-4), Cornelius Donald Guenter (grades 9-11), Mary Sawatzky (grades 5-8),
1963-1964	Dorothy Anne Hildebrandt (grades 5-8), Arthur Frank Sawatzky (grades 9-10), Janice Sharon Walkof (grades 1-4)

Principals (Thames Elementary School)

Period	Principal
1964	Valentine Zacharias
1965	Peter D. Zacharias
1965-1970	Peter Fehr
1970-1971	Anne Chen
1971-1973	Bernhard Epp
1973-1974	Bernard Klassen
1974-1975	Barbara Ann Brown

Teachers (Thames Elementary School)

School Year	Teachers
1964-1965	Nettie Penner (grades 1-4), Peter D. Zacharias (grades 5-8, January-June), Valentine Zacharias (grades 5-8, August-December)
1965-1966	Peter Fehr (grades 5-8), Kathleen Milly Olfert (grades 1-4)
1966-1967	Peter Fehr (grades 5-8), Kathleen Milly Olfert (grades 1-4)
1967-1968	Peter Fehr (grades 5-8), Kathleen Milly Olfert (grades 1-4)
1968-1969	Peter Fehr (grades 5-8), Kathleen Milly Olfert (grades 1-4)
1969-1970	Peter Fehr (grades 5-8), Elizabeth Marie Hoeppner (grades 1-4)
1970-1971	Anne Chen (grades 1-4), Gloria May Klippenstein (grades 5-8)
1971-1972	Bernhard Epp (grades 5-8), Gladys Loraine Groening (grades 1-4)
1972-1973	Bernhard Epp (grades 5-8), Gladys Loraine Groening Hiebert (grades 1-4)
1973-1974	Bernard Klassen (grades 5-8), Wendeth Anne Neuman (grades 1-4)
1974-1975	Barbara Ann Brown (grades 5-8), Valerie June Mochoruk (grades 1-4)
1975-1976	Anne Eileen Thokelsson (grades 1-6)

Photos & Coordinates

The first Thames South School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 73. Thames North School building (no date) by G. G. Neufeld Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 73. The two-classroom Thames South School built in 1946 (no date) Source: Irene & Walter Giesbrecht Thames School commemorative monument (November 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina Plaque on the Thames School commemorative monument (no date) Source: Al Schmidt Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.13359, W97.68448 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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

Manitoba School Records Collection, Thames School District No. 1991 - Daily Registers, GR2656, Archives of Manitoba.

Altona East topographic map, 62H/4 East, Edition 1 ASE, Series A743 [UFS Reference Collection].

Thames High School [Yearbook], 1961. [Copy in possession of Gordon Goldsborough]

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.

We thank Al Schmidt (Altona and District Heritage Research Centre), Henry Unger, J. C. Fehr, Irene & Walter Giesbrecht, Ed Giesbrecht, Marie Dueck, Rose Kuzina, and Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 23 March 2026

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