Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
In 1905, a two-classroom, two-storey brick school building was constructed at Kenton in the Rural Municipality of Woodworth on land donated by A. W. Kent. When it opened for classes in 1906, it drew students from the nearby Ralphton School. In 1914, it became Kenton Consolidated School and, six years later, a new two-storey brick structure was erected on a design by Winnipeg architect Eldred Dodsworth Tuttle. It was opened at a ceremony held on 3 January 1921, and attended by William Albert McIntyre and School Inspector William Robertson Beveridge.
The school district joined the Birdtail River School Division in 1959 and a new four-classroom collegiate and auditorium was built, with classes starting in 1960. Elementary grades continued in the older building under the control of the school district trustees. In 1967, students in grades 11 and 12 were transferred to Hamiota. The following year, grade 10 students followed them and the elementary grades became the responsibility of the School Division. The school building from 1920 was closed in the late 1970s and was demolished in 1980.
A monument at the site contains the original school bell, commemorative plaque, and cornerstone from the building listing the name of the architect and members of the school district at the time of its construction: I. Cormack (Chairman), C. Jones, A. S. Bowes, J. B. Bray, and W. Hudson (Secretary-Treasurer).
Principals
Teachers
Among the early teachers of Kenton School were Miss L. Willis, E. N. McGirr, C. Langton, L. Stewart, F. Langton, Miss J. Delmater, R. Greeway, Harold E. Riter, Miss E. Black, W. A. Hunter, C. B. MacKay, Ada Pauline Herkes, L. G. Kines, Miss G. Gibson, and Miss A. McKinnon.
School Year |
Teachers |
1920-1921 |
Annie McKinnon, Miss O. Thomas |
1921-1922 |
Wilbur Walter Crosby, Sarah E. Donald, Grace Harrison, Minnie Hutchison, Elsie Miller |
1922-1923 |
Wilbur Walter Crosby, Minnie Hutchison, Sarah McDonald, Elsie Miller |
1923-1924 |
Wilbur Walter Crosby, Sarah McDonald, Marion McKinnon, Elsie Miller |
1924-1925 |
Wilbur Walter Crosby, Emma Fowler, Elsie Miller, Margaret Tidsbury |
1925-1926 |
Agnes Bannerman, E. B. Fowler, Gladys Mann, Hugh Hamilton Saunderson |
1926-1927 |
Jean Babb, Agnes Bannerman, Gladys Mann, A. S. Trueman |
1927-1928 |
Jean Babb, Agnes Bannerman, Gladys Mann, A. S. Trueman |
1928-1929 |
Jean Babb, Agnes Bannerman, Ida Blakeman, Gladys Mann |
1929-1930 |
Agnes Bannerman, Ida Blakeman, Blanche McIntyre |
1930-1931 |
? |
1931-1932 |
Ida Blakeman, Blanche McIntyre, Lorna E. Thorpe |
1932-1933 |
Ida Blakeman, Victor H. Hugo, Lorne E. Thorpe |
1933-1934 |
Ida Blakeman, Victor H. Hugo, Lorne E. Thorpe |
1934-1935 |
Frank Harder, Annabelle McLennon, Esmee White |
1935-1936 |
E. M. Bell, Frank Harder, Annabelle McLennon, Esmee White |
1936-1937 |
E. M. Bell, D. G. Currie, Frank Harder, Annabelle McLennon, Esmee White |
1937-1938 |
D. G. Currie, Frank Harder, Annabelle McLennon, Esmee White |
1938-1939 |
John Buchanan, D. M. Cooper, D. G. Currie, Annabelle McLennon |
1939-1940 |
John Buchanan, J. G. Laird, Margaret Mitchell, Molly Stalker |
1940-1941 |
John Buchanan, Earl Bullock, Margaret Mitchell, Harold Payne |
1941-1942 |
J. G. Anderson, John Buchanan, Harold Payne, Emily Stewart, Audrey A. Young |
1942-1943 |
Phyllis Fraser, Alice Graham, Harold Payne, Audrey A. Young |
1943-1944 |
Ila D. Cannon, Mable Geisel, J. W. Graham |
1944-1945 |
Ila D. Cannon, Mable Geisel, Wes Graham, Kathleen Reddon |
1945-1946 |
Wes Graham, Kathleen Reddon, Margaret Skuse |
1946-1947 |
Jean Dandy, Wes Graham, Hugh Russell Makepeace |
1947-1948 |
Jean Dandy, Wes Graham, Hugh Russell Makepeace |
1948-1949 |
Jean Dandy, Louise Garnett, Wes Graham |
1949-1950 |
Edith Bruce, Louise Garnett, Marjorie Genung, Wes Graham, Jona Paulson |
1950-1951 |
Eleanor Brown, Edith Bruce, Louise Garnett, Matthew Samuel Pritchard Glowe, Wes Graham, Marion McKenzie, M. Helen Rolph |
1951-1952 |
Madeline Brown, Edith Bruce, June Campbell, Wes Graham, Joyce Poersch |
1952-1953 |
Marguerite Andrew, Louise Bailey, Edith Bruce, Wes Graham, Molly Vance |
1953-1954 |
Marguerite Andrew, Wes Graham, Molly Vance, Joan Veal |
1954-1955 |
Margeurite Andrew, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance, Joan Veal |
1955-1956 |
Helen McGregor, John Russell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1956-1957 |
Eleanor Beatty, John Russell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1957-1958 |
Eleanor Beatty, John Russell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1958-1959 |
Elizabeth Dodds, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1959-1960 |
Elizabeth Dodds, Marie Godlien, Edith Johns, Margaret Mitchell, Charles Ramsey, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1960-1961 |
Elizabeth Dodds, Marie Godlien, Edith Johns, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1961-1962 |
Elizabeth Dodds, Edith Johns, David Lypchuk, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance, Ian Whyte |
1962-1963 |
Janice Bothe, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Phillip Johnson, John Longstaff, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1963-1964 |
Janet Bothe, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Phillip Johnson, John Longstaff, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1964-1965 |
Eileen Grant, Maureen Hay, Edith Johns, Philip Johnson, H. D. Lund, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1965-1966 |
Jean Embury, Eileen Grant, Maureen Hay, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, Dale Lund, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1966-1967 |
Jean Embury, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, D. Lund, Bette McLennan, Margaret Mitchell, Tom Tesarski, Molly Vance |
1967-1968 |
Jean Embury, Lynne Henuset, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, Bette McLennan, Margaret Mitchell, Molly Vance |
1968-1969 |
Maisie Blackwell, Jean Embury, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Merril Kiliwnik, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Bette McLennan, Dorothy Smith, Molly Vance |
1969-1970 |
Maisie Blackwell, Sharon Boyd, Jean Embury, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, Merril Kiliwnik, Erva Lindsay, Lorraine Lonsdale, Helen McGregor, Molly Vance |
1970-1971 |
Maisie Blackwell, Louise Bond, Sharon Boyd, Jean Embury, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, Merril Kiliwnik, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Molly Vance |
1971-1972 |
Maisie Blackwell, Velma Doupe, Lorraine Dykman, Jean Embury, Frances Finnie, Eileen Grant, Edith Johns, Joyce Johnson, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Robert Mitchell, Larry Taylor |
1972-1973 |
Maisie Blackwell, Jean Embury, Frances Finnie, Eileen Grant, Joyce Johnson, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Wayne Rudd, Larry Taylor |
1973-1974 |
Jean Embury, Frances Finnie, Eileen Grant, Gene Hodgson, Joyce Johnson, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Larry Taylor |
1974-1975 |
Eileen Grant, Gene Hodgson, Erva Lindsay, Helen McGregor, Molly McLennan, Eleanor Miller, Janice Speelman, Larry Taylor |
1975-1976 |
Jean Embury, Eileen Grant, Gene Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Molly McLellan, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
1976-1977 |
Eileen Grant, Gene Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
1977-1978 |
Jean Embury, Gene Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
1978-1979 |
Gene Hodgson, Glennis Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
1979-1980 |
Gene Hodgson, Glennis Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
1980-1981 |
Gene Hodgson, Glennis Hodgson, Helen McGregor, Eleanor Miller, Gary Nicholls, Larry Taylor |
Photos & Coordinates

Postcard view of the original Kenton School, constructed in 1905 (no date)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2014-0271

The Kenton Consolidated School building, erected in 1920, was lighted with electricity. There was a teacherage, skating rink, and curling rink on its seven-acre grounds (circa 1921)
Source: Education Department Report, 1921, Manitoba Legislative Library.

Kenton School (no date) by W. R. Beveridge
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 14.

Kenton School (1967)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Kenton 1.

Kenton School commemorative monument (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.98787, W100.61915 denoted by symbol on the map above
|
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ralphton School No. 280 (RM of Wallace-Woodworth)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Verity School No. 561 (RM of Wallace-Woodworth)
Sources:
Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.
“Council reports,” Birtle Eyewitness, 3 October 1961, page 10.
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.
Cradle to Combine, Volume 2: Kenton, 1881-1981 by Kenton History Committee, 1981, pages 265-270. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5648.K45]
“Trustees conduct regular meeting,” Hamiota Echo, 13 September 1988, page 7.
“Teacher assistants,” Shoal Lake Star, 27 July 1998, page 8.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 August 2022
 |
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
SEARCH the collection
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other
Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes. |
|
|
|