Historic Sites of Manitoba: Providence School No. 2184 (Municipality of Harrison Park)

The Providence School District was organized formally in August 1928. A school building operated at this site, SW16-19-20W in the Municipality of Harrison Park, until it closed in 1960 and students in the area went instead to Sandy Lake Consolidated School No. 2370. The former school building was converted to a granary but is now unused. It remains at the site along with a metal sign commemorating it.

The teachers of Providence School were Isabella Macdonald (1930-1931), Ethel C. Johnson (1931-1932), Margaret Kippen (1932-1933), Florence Menzie (1933-1934), Annie Chornomaz (1934-1937), Michael Mazier (1937-1940), Mary Wachok (1940-1941), Victoria Gallant (1941-1942), Marie M. Zatylny (1942-1943), Lenora Gusdal (1943), Elizabeth Dutkay (1943-1944), Muriel Yarych (1944-1945), Lena Giesbrecht (1945-1946), Leslie Grace (1946-1947), L. E. Livingston (1947-1948), Melvin Mushmanski (1948-1949), Louise Ushey (1949-1950), B. M. Trakalo (1950-1951), Gordon Williams (1951-1952), Ann Pawluk (1952-1953), Allen Borys (1953-1955), Steven J. Novakowski (1955-1956), and Joe T. Zatylny (1956-1958).

The former Providence School building (circa 1986) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 961. The former Providence School building (circa 1990) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 964. The former Providence School building (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough The former Providence School building (September 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina Interior of the former Providence School building (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Interior of the former Providence School building (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Interior of the former Providence School building (September 2020) Source: Rose Kuzina Providence School commemorative sign (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.62420, W100.20601 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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.

A History of Sandy Lake and District, 1984. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.S32 His]

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 28 September 2020

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