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Inside the CBE Vault
A Day in the Life
Here is Abbeydale School's contribution to the CBE's 125th Anniversary Celebration. A beautiful photo montage that brings the past to the present. |
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Pioneer Stock
As a former student (and now teacher) within the CBE, I have been following the 125th Anniversary stories with some interest. I come from pioneer stock, so there are some interwoven histories there. Born and raised, dyed-in-the-wool Calgarians are becoming a rare breed!
Stephen Jarrett, one of the first trustees, was the great-uncle of my grandmother, Mollie Jarret. Her grandfather, Henry Jarrett (younger brother to Stephen. As well, Henry Jarrett was actually one of the first teachers at Haultain School, alongside Ms. Annie Foote), and her grandmother, Margaret Workman-Jarrett, were teachers and missionaries, and my great-grandmother, Anna Jarrett, was also one of the early teachers in the area, though I am unsure of which school she taught at. My grandmother attended Crescent Heights when William Aberhart was principal, and Douglass Harkness was one of her teachers. If not for the outbreak of WWII, she would have also followed in her mother's footsteps; instead, she joined the WRCAF as a wireless operator and was married shortly after the war ended. Coincidentally, I attended Douglass Harkness Elementary in the 1980s, so it would seem that it was somewhat inevitable that I would end up in the family business also!
I can remember family gatherings in the company of various generations of Shorts and Cushings, and my dad can remember some of his mom's stories about Col. Walker and family.
In the last few years, I have had the good fortune of taking part in Campus Calgary Open Minds - Stampede School, and I have been able to literally walk my students through our local history at Union Cemetery. They think it's kind of neat that their teacher has a connection to the boneyard, and some were further inspired to seek out their own roots by hearing about mine.
Just thought I'd contribute my small piece of the bigger picture. I would say that the education system in Calgary is certainly part of my family's fabric.
Regards,
Heather Racz
Did You Know?
Between 1910 and 1912 Calgary had the largest percentage increase in population and construction of any city in Canada. The land boom is best demonstrated by the rising price of a single lot on the corner of 7th Ave and 2nd St. S.W. which jumped from $150 dollars in 1895 to $2000 dollars in 1905 to $300,000 dollars in 1912.
To provide accommodation for children whose families had moved into half empty subdivisions during the pre-1914 boom, the Board launched a program of building two-room cottage schools on small sites until larger permanent buildings could be constructed. 17 cottage schools were built between 1910 and 1912.
Summer of 1883 – Although Calgary ha d several retail stores and service providers, it did not have a school.
January 1884 - Colonel James Walker encouraged the Calgary Civic Committee to establish a school district and to use native sandstone for the schools. One CBE school proudly bears his name, and it is, appropriately, a sandstone building!
February 1884 - The first school opened on February 13, 1884 with 12 students. The school was located on Stephen Avenue. Today, CBE has over 100,000 students in 217 schools.
March 2, 1885 – The Calgary Protestant Public School District No. 19 was officially established. In 1914, the district became known as the Calgary Public School District No. 19. Around the 1900s, the district became commonly known as the Calgary Public School system, and eventually, Calgarians started calling it the Public School Board.
April 11, 1885 - The school district’s first trustees were elected. The three trustees were Stephen Jarrett, James Lougheed, and C.W. Peterson. Today, the CBE board has seven trustees: Board Chair Pat Cochrane, Board Vice Chair Carol Bazinet, Trustee Gordon Dirks, Trustee Lynn Ferguson, Trustee Pamela King, Trustee George Lane and Trustee Karen Kryczka.
1887 – The first big school was built. Aptly named Central School, it was the first of four schools bearing the name “Central”. The name continues today with Central Memorial High School. 
1888 – James Short was named the principal of Central School. A sandstone school bearing his name was built in 1904 on 5th Avenue SW. Decades later, the school was torn down but its cupola with the hand winding clock was rescued from the wrecking ball. In 1991, the cupola was placed in the James Short Park, the original site of the school. The James Short Memorial School opened in 1972 in southeast Calgary.
Stay tuned for more fun facts!
Historical references:
Bourassa, Kay et al. From Slate Pencil to Instant Ink: Calgary’s public, separate and private schools. 1975
Stamp, Robert M. School Days. A Century of Memories. 1975
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