Draft:Vergland School District, Saskatchewan (1913-1954)
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|  |
| Vergland School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public School |
| Established | December 1913 |
| Founders | Mr. & Mrs. Bowley, Mr. Savyolk |
| Status | Closed |
| Closed | June 1954 |
| School district | Pennant |
| School number | S.D. #2909 |
| President | Mr. Ben Estenson |
| Teaching staff | 34 (from 1914 to 1954) |
| Fight song | The Big Bad Wolves From Vergland School |
| Tuition | 15 cents per day |
Vergland was a public school district in the Swift Current region of Saskatchewan, Canada. The Vergland School District was created in the fall of 1913, nine miles south of the town of Pennant, Saskatchewan, on Section 17, in Township 17, in Range 17, west of the 3rd Meridian, Pennant, Saskatchewan.[1]
Beginnings[edit]
In 1904, people started to settle in southern Saskatchewan, looking for large plots of land. Upon arrival, huts were build with mud or wood, with many Englishmen bringing oxen to plow their farms.
Along with the wave of people came many Norwegian families, settling on farms and building up small communities, with no electricity and only candles and kerosene lamps to bring them light. As the communities grew larger, the need to educate children also grew, with many Norwegian families having many children, and other families having no children but wanting to teach.
In 1913, Mr. and Mrs. Bowley disliked the fact that the town children had nothing to do, as the Bowleys had no children other than their English Terrier, so they wanted to create a place for the community children to learn during the day.
On March 14th, a town meeting was called, and it was decided that Mr. N. K. Savyolk was to build a school - 22 by 28 feet- by that fall. Two outhouses, 4 by 5 feet, were included in the total price of $1,135 Canadian dollars.
Opening[edit]
By December 1913, the school had been established, being named the "Vergland School District, S.D. #2909.[2]" Mr. Ben Estenson was chosen to be the District President, with Mrs. Frank elected to run the secretarial affairs. Mr. Hans Lynnes, Ole, Rud and Eric Markem, and Halvor Paulson looked after the school's supplies, and the first children entered the school.
On May 30th, 1914, a giant meeting was held to outline the school's budget. They needed to raise $30 to maintain the school's heating, and students were happy to try and raise funds to help the school.
First Teachers[edit]
Mr. Fred Ross was hired to teach for $560 a year, but had to be replaced by Mr. Austin after Ross was drafted into the war. Following him was Mr. Brown and Mr. Woodsides, and later on Miss Cowan, hired for $800.
At the end of the year Miss. E. Wright was hired, and she was given permission to punish students with the strap. This did not go well with the trustees in the district, so she was quickly replaced with Miss Nellie McDonald, offered $1,000 dollars to take control of the situation. That year the school had a high amount of children enrolling compared to before.[3]
Expansion[edit]
With the new students now joined, the school needed an expansion, with a barn being built by everyone volunteering their time to build it in 1920. It was completed with only $100, spanning 18 by 14 feet.
Mr. Herb Bateman then dug 35 feet to look for a fresh water source, as there was no water in the school at the time. He was unable to find any, so he instead built a see-saw for the children despite his unlucky endeavor.
In 1922 the school got a new coat of Kalsomine (Whitewash), new lightning rods built, and new classroom seating, but still no running water, so the water instead had to be hauled to the school, and was used for drinking and bathing.
New gravel was hauled in along with a new fence, and sports equipment as well, following with a swing being built and an organ bought all by the school.
By 1928 the school had been completely built- the only thing missing was shingles for the barn, which the School Act[4] would not pay the $15 fee to help them complete the school barn, and the tuition of 15 cents from each student per day would not be enough to pay for the staff and building repairs.
Sometime later the roof was finished through fundraising, and the teacherage was also built as a home for the teachers. The Trinity Church was also built near the school in 1938 with a cemetery next to the church.[5]
School Life[edit]
Christmas[edit]
During the holiday season, children would participate and watch the Christmas shows put on by other students, celebrated with novelties such as nuts, candies and oranges, and a Christmas tree lit with glowing candles throughout.
Picnics[edit]
In the summer months, the Aslakson and Christianson families would host picnics on their family farms with all of the schoolchildren. This slowed down during the Great Depression years when no one had enough to feed their own families, much less have more children to feed on their farms.
Concerts[edit]
Vergland had many performances and concerts at the school, some produced by students, particularly students Richard Svalestuen and Carl Anderson, who hosted many dance events, charging 35 cents for entry. Their dance music eventually became popular in the community, with many people flooding in to dance, and they started charging $1.00 each.
A new orchestra was started in Pennant in the 1940's, and the school hired them to raise money during the school dances, charging $25 to play.
Drama[edit]
Vergland had a Drama program with mostly older students, and they put on many plays during the years before the school closed in 1954. In the Pennant School District Reunion event in June 1980 during the 75th birthday of Saskatchewan, students from Vergland returned to put on one last play.
Sports[edit]
Vergland had a sports program, with Mrs. Alma Carlson as the teacher. This program did not last very long, stopping when the Great Depression hit.
Vergland also had a chant that was a part of their sports events, and it is possible they had sports teams at the school that competed with other schools in the Pennant district sometime during the year.
The Vergland 'Big Bad Wolves' Chant[edit]
"WE'RE WILD AND WOOLY AND FULL OF FLEAS,
WE'RE HARD TO CURRY, BELOW THE KNEES,
WE'RE THE BIG BAD WOLVES FROM VERGLAND SCHOOL
AND THIS IS OUR DAY TO HOWL.
VERGLAND! VERGLAND!
RA! RA! RA!"
Pennant School District Reunion[edit]
In June 1980, commemorating the 75th year of Saskatchewan joining Canada, students from the Vergland School District returned to Pennant along with students from neighbouring schools[6] Valentine[7], Ohioville[8], Grampian[9][10] and Battrum.[11] Around 185 people gathered, sharing their memories of the schools they once attended, and finished in Vergland on June 7th.
That day students that returned from the drama class gave speeches and acted out a play in remembrance, and everyone had a potluck supper on the schoolgrounds before heading to the Trinity Lutheran Church, stopping to pay tribute to family buried in the cemetery next to the church.
The school was still there at the time after closing due to lack of enrolment in 1954, when the district inspector Mr. Fleming decided it could no longer run, taking all of the school's records along with him. The windows have been closed ever since, and the door locked, with Mrs. Lynnes keeping the only key to the closed schoolhouse, which can still be unlocked.
References[edit]
- ^ "V". SkSchool. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Saskatchewan Gen Web - One Room School Project - Alphabetical Schoolhouse Listing Department of Education / SK Provincial Archives handwritten database". sites.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Vergland - Teachers Wanted Advertisement". Star-Phoenix. 1948-12-30. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details". esask.uregina.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Constance Pauline Christianson/Thoreson Obituary - Pennant, Swift Current - The Leader-Post". The Leader-Post. 1935-11-29. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "River Hills to Sand Hills - Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan". search.saskarchives.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Valentine School District 2824, near Pennant, Rural Municipality of Riverside #168,- Saskatchewan Gen Web - One room School Project". sites.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Ohioville School District No. 1854 - Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan". search.saskarchives.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Battrum school district 3075 , Saskatchewan Gen Web Project". sites.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Grampian School District No. 3638 - Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan". search.saskarchives.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Battrum School District No. 3075 - Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan". search.saskarchives.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
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