Girwood #1225

Girwood School District # 1225

During the winter of 1932, the district was becoming populated with families with school age children. There was no school for these children to attend. Some of them were almost fifteen years of age and had not attended school. A meeting was held in February 1933, at the home of James Carswell, to discuss the formation of a school district. James Carswell was elected secretary treasurer and initially paid $10 per year. Vincent Vasey was appointed chairman. Trustees elected at this meeting were: James (Jim) Carswell, Jack Rogers, and Jacob Bengert.

The name, "Girwood" was selected after the first settler of the district, Jim Girwood. After the necessary arrangements had been made, it was decided to build a school about 22 feet by 30 feet with logs which had the slab sides cut off, leaving 6 by 6 inch squared logs. The cracks were chinked with mortar. The volunteer work was all done by ratepayers of the district. Logs were cut and hauled to the selected school site, which was the northeast corner of NE 31-45-12, almost the centre of the district.

School opened on January 10, 1934, with Miss Jean Stewart as the first teacher. She taught until May when she resigned to be married. She moved to the Melfort area. The teacher's salary was about $250 per year out of which she paid $10 per month for room and board. Mrs. Carswell was the first janitor of the school for the meager sum of $10 a year. Some of the double desks and other necessary equipment were purchased from Moyer's School Supply in Regina, but since there were only enough desks for 30 pupils, Mr. John Henderson made six more. Two chairs with a plank across them at the teacher's desk, were used to accommodate the overflow. The peak enrolment was about 45 pupils.
The school was heated by a large heater made from a 45 gallon barrel situated in the centre of the room. Three-foot lengths of wood were used as fuel. In cold weather, the teacher had a rotation system so that everyone got equal time beside the stove.

The log school served from 1934 until 1948 when a new school was constructed. A teacherage and school barn were erected in 1958 or 1959. By 1960 the power was installed.

Some of the fun time memories of Girwood were the dances, school picnics, and Christmas concerts. The school was also used to hold church services for several denominations. The school was the centre of community activities until it closed in June of 1964. It was later used as a community centre for a few more years, until it, too, became obsolete. Lands in the Girwood School District No.5006 were added to Crooked River School District No. 2219, effective March 17, 1972. In 2002, Girwood School, in somewhat dilapidated condition, still stands on the original site.

Almost every family took a turn on the school board over the years. The last trustees to serve on the Girwood board, from 1960 to 1964 when the school was closed, were: Doris Grieves, Winnie Stevenson, and Ernie Wicks. Henry Stensrud was on the Unit Board.

Many of the original Girwood pupils have moved to Tisdale and become active seniors.Winnie (Rogers) Stevenson was born in the Girwood District. She was eight years old when the log school was opened in January, 1934. However she could not attend school until spring as she had no winter boots. Winnie married Tom Stevenson. They had a homestead in the Girwood District where they raised their family. She was very active in the district and was a member of the school board when it closed. Anita (Fullerton) York has fond memories of the great hockey games that they played using frozen "road apples" for pucks. Anne (Marklinger) Bidwell remembers the fun they had with games - Fox and Geese in the winter and ball in the summer among the trees and stumps - no umpires or organizers.

The Teachers:

Jean (Daglish) Stewart	1934	Norma Deacon	1934-35
Catherine (Brown) Morrison	1935-37	Irene Orchard	1937-39
Mary Curtis	1939	George Lamers	1939-41
Dorothy Dextor	1941-42	William Seneshen	1941-42
Gladys Hamilton	1942-43	Josephine (Martin) Pahalko	1943-44
Louise Keller	1944-47	Doreen (Bush) Cleary	1947-49
Elizabeth Evans	1949-50	Isabelle Fengstad	1950-51
George Hess	1951-52	Sylvie Forli	1952-54
Marie (Annette) Mahussier	1954-55	Helen Lanning	1955-59
Audrey Reese	1959-60	Ivy Biliske	1960-64

The School Districts Tisdale School Division a compiled history