Lightwoods School District #825

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By early 1912 there were fifteen school age children in the district with nineteen tax assessable persons. In January of that year a “Petition for Organization of a School District” was sent to the Department of Education by W.H. Prosser, S.G. Sands, and C.W. Connell. The petition was approved by the government on February 8, 1912. The first meeting of the Lightwoods School District was held on March 18, 1912 at the farm home of C.W. Connell. At a poll held that day, six voted in favor and five against the organization of a school district. The name, Lightwoods, suggested by W.H. Prosser, after a park by that name in Birmingham, England, was chosen for the school district. C.W. Connell acted as the first chairman with Mr. Prosser as secretary- treasurer. The school site was obtained from O. Bostad at the southeast corner of SE 9-42- 15-W2. This was a central location in the district

On May 18, 1912 a motion was passed by the Lightwoods School District No. 825 to borrow $1,000.00 to purchase the land and to build and equip a one room frame school. A blueprint was adopted and debentures were accepted from the Alberta Supply Co. for a loan of $1,000.00 at 6 per cent. Lumber was supplied by the Farmers Lumber of Valparaiso at a cost of $380.00. O. Bostad agreed to clear the one acre site for $6.00. E.G. Harris was hired to load, haul, and unload the lumber from Valparaiso for $10.00. Frank Hey was awarded the tender to build the school for $250.00 plus an extra $100.00 for paint and labour. The firewood was delivered and piled at 75 cents per cord. Taxes for 1912 were set at 5 cents per acre.


The school opened in the fall of 1913. The first grant, issued by the Department of Education, in 1918 was $78.45. The teacherage was built in 1940-41. In 1949 a new chimney was installed, the basement was enlarged and a new furnace was installed in the basement to replace the old barrel type stove. The total cost of these renovations was $276.30. The school was never equipped with electricity or running water.


During the early years, the children were allowed to do janitor work at $4.00 per month. The money went toward their parent’s taxes. During winter months they had to carry water from home and come in early to preheat the school with the wood burning stove.


Instruction was provided for grades one to eight, however, older students were allowed to take their correspondence courses at the school. The assignments were sent away to be corrected.

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Lightwoods' Teacherage

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Over the years the Lightwoods School House served the district as meeting hall, community centre, and a church, as well as a school. A school garden was started in 1917. In 1921 the students sold forty bushels of potatoes, some beans and some beets and earned $16.20. At the annual meeting held in January of 1919, Jim Whitson, secretary-treasurer of the local Red Cross Society, reported a balance of $382.25 was handed over to the Red Cross. The money was raised at two box socials and a picnic and dance.

The Tisdale School Unit No. 53 was established in 1952 and the Lightwoods School District was included in Sub-Unit No. 2. In June, 1958, the Lightwoods School was closed and the district children were bussed into McKague School. At the time the school closed, there were fifteen students enrolled. The school building was sold to the Lightwoods Community Club in 1960 for $110.00. In 1961 the club sold the building to Myrtle and Vince Dickson.

The Teachers :

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Mary Levia

1913-14

C. L. E. Cambell

1913-14

Dorothy Horsfall

1916

James Armstrong Whitson

1917-19

Joseph A. Holland

1919-20

Miss Pennington

1921

Albre Elliott Ettinger

1921-22

Dorothy Bunce

1922-23 

Mary Dempsey Argall

1922-23

Hilda I. Dougherty

1922-23

Marion Hill

1923-24

Jean E. Dickson

1925-26

Dulcie J. (Phelan) Trotter

1926-28

B .T. Plunkett

1928-29

Francis F. Isley

1929-30

Robert Frances Perry

1930-32

John Wesley Joyce

1932-35

Mary Elva Yake

1935

C.B. Brownridge

1935

Lucille Estella Tuck

1936-37

Margaret G. Scott

1937-38

Mabel Anderson

1938-39

Lucille Estella Tuck

1938-39

Gregory J. Dickson

1939-40

Frances Marty Labelle

1940-41

Mary Frances Adock

1941-43

Pauline Antoski

1943-44

Glajys Elizabeth Hamilton

1944-45

Myrtle A. Bourne

1944-45

Dorothy Martha Kirstein

1944-45

Edith Alice Will

1945-46

Robert Francis Perry

1945-46

Annie Huk

1946-47

Andrew William Gillanders

1946-47

Iva Maude Fry

1947-51

Marie-Ange Rose Casavant

1950-51

William Harry Femiuk

1951-52

Elizabeth Mae Lazonby

1952-53

Louise Hartman

1953-54

Noreen Jacobs

1954-55

Mary Jean Fisk

1955-58







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Information based on an article by Carol C. Clark
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