Historic Sites of Manitoba: Purple Bank School No. 682 (Gardenton, RM of Stuartburn)

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Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The Purple Bank School District was organized formally in October 1891 and a log school building operated in the northern half of NE 33-1-6 East. This first schoolhouse was replaced with a wooden frame building around 1910 in Gardenton in the Municipality of Stuartburn. The structure was expanded in 1926 based upon the architectural designs of Gilbert C. Parfitt. In 1967, it became part of the Boundary School Division and continued operating until 1970. Later, no longer in use as a school, the building was converted into a private residence.

Principals

Period	Principal
1926	Florence Victoria McKnight Cameron (1903-1966)
1926-1927	Mildred C. Shatsky Cohen (1906-?)
1927	Teresa Demchuk (1904-1994)
1928	Lily A. Gillespie
1928-1929	Nellie Chorneyko
1929-1930	Grace Reykdal
1930-1931	John Boes Quinn (1894-?)
1931-1934	John Peter Tanchak (1905-1983)
1934	Hymie Litwack (c1906-1992)
1934-1935	Daniel Harry Dziuba [Juba] (1914-1993)
1935-1937	Sarah Ann Sproat (1885-1976)
1937-1940	Wolodimyr B. “Walter” Wachna (1909-1984)
1940-1941	Jessie Ostaff (1915-2005)
1941-1948	Peter Jacob Olchowecki (1911-2011)
1948-1949	Gordon Henry Wiebe (1928-2005)
1949-1953	Nicholas Bilash (1890-1961)
1953-1954	Nettie Bereziuk
1954-1958	Mytro “Tony” Onysko (1928-1992)
1958-1959	M. Koroscil
1959-1960	N. M. Podolsky
1960-1962	Frank John Gustaw
1962-1964	Walter George Chomiczuk
1964-1965	Edmond Hormidas Lacasse (1941-2021)
1965-1966	John Daniel Runke
1966-1967	Orest James Dykun
1967-1968	Kenneth Peter Allen Chura
1968-1970	?

Teachers

Period	Teachers
1925-1926	Florence Victoria McKnight (grades 4-8, 1926), Louise Amelia Neilson (grades 1-7, 1925; grades 1-3, 1926)
1926-1927	Annie E. Bush (grades 1-3, 1927), Lily A. Gillespie (grades 1-3, 1926), Ann Mihaychuk (grades 1-3, 1926), Mildred C. Shatsky (grades 4-8)
1927-1928	Annie E. Bush (grades 1-3, 1927), Teresa Demchuk (grades 4-8, 1927), Lily A. Gillespie (grades 3-8, 1928)
1928-1929	Nellie Chorneyko (grades 4-8), Olga Chorneyko (grades 1-3)
1929-1930	Elizabeth Jean Parker (grades 1-3), John Boes Quinn (grades 4-9, 1930), Grace Reykdal (grades 4-9)
1930-1931	Mary Buzdygan (grades 1-4, 1930), John Boes Quinn (grades 4-9), Mary Solar (grades 1-4, 1931)
1931-1932	Dmytro Tanchak (grades 1-3), John Peter Tanchak (grades 4-9)
1932-1933	Dmytro Tanchak (grades 1-4), John Peter Tanchak (grades 5-11)
1933-1934	Dmytro Tanchak (grades 1-4), John Peter Tanchak (grades 5-10)
1934-1935	Daniel Harry [Juba] Dziuba (grades 5-10), H. Litwack (grades 5-9, 1934), Helen Mary Tanchak (grades 1-4)
1935-1936	Slawka Jean Harasym (grades 1-4), Fred Anthony Rekrut (grades 5-8), Sarah Ann Sproat (grades 9-11)
1936-1937	Slawka Jean Harasym (grades 1-4), Sarah Ann Sproat (grades 9-11), Walter B. Wachna (grades 5-8)
1937-1938	Slawka Jean Harasym (grades 5-8), Nathalia Mayowosky (grade 1-4, 1938), K. M. Tomick (grades 1-4, 1937), Walter B. Wachna (grades 9-11)
1938-1939	Nathalia Mayowosky (grade 1-4), Maurice I. Probzanski (grades 5-8), Walter B. Wachna (grades 9-11)
1939-1940	Jessie Ostaff (grades 1-4), Maurice I. Probzanski (grades 5-8), Walter B. Wachna (grades 9-11)
1940-1941	Jessie Ostaff (grades 9-11), Sonia Popowich (grades 1-4), Mathilde Presch (grades 5-8)
1941-1942	Emanuel Peter “Manuel” Tanchak (grades 5-8), Margaret Tanchak (grades 1-4), Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11)
1942-1943	Emanuel Peter “Manuel” Tanchak (grades 5-8), Margaret Tanchak (grades 1-4), Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11)
1943-1944	Emanuel Peter “Manuel” Tanchak (grades 5-8; grades 1-8, 1944), Margaret Tanchak (grades 1-4), Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11)
1944-1945	Mary Kolton (grades 1-8), Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11)
1945-1946	Mary Kolton (grades 1-8), Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11), Anne Sokolyk (grades 1-4, 1946)
1946-1947	Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11), Mary Wachna (grades 1-8)
1947-1948	Peter Jacob Olchowecki (grades 9-11), Mary Wachna (grades 1-8)
1948-1949	Mary Wachna (grades 1-8), Gordon Henry Wiebe (grades 9-11)
1949-1950	Mary Bilash (grades 1-8), Nicholas Bilash (grades 9-11)
1950-1951	Mary Bilash (grades 1-8), Nicholas Bilash (grades 9-11)
1951-1952	Mary Bilash (grades 4-8), Nicholas Bilash (grades 9-11), William Kosilnyk (grades 1-3)
1952-1953	Mary Bilash (grades 4-9), Nicholas Bilash (grades 9-11), Mary Koniak (grades 1-3)
1953-1954	Nettie Bereziuk (grades 9-12), Mary Koniak (grades 1-3), Nicholas Melnychuk (grades 4-8)
1954-1955	Mary Koniak (grades 4-8), Marjorie Onysko (grades 1-3), Mytro “Tony” Onysko (grades 9-12)
1955-1956	Mary Koniak (grades 4-8), Marjorie Onysko (grades 1-3), Mytro “Tony” Onysko (grades 9-12)
1956-1957	Helen Mae Clark (grades 1-3, 1957), Mary Koniak (grades 4-8), Marjorie Onysko (grades 1-3, 1956), Mytro “Tony” Onysko (grades 9-12)
1957-1958	Jean Gray (grades 1-4), Mary Koniak (grades 5-8), Mytro “Tony” Onysko (grades 9-12)
1958-1959	Kristin S. Benedictson (grades 1-4), Mary Koniak (grades 5-8), M. Koroscil (grades 9-11)
1959-1960	Kristin S. Benedictson (grades 1-4), Mary Koniak (grades 5-8), N. M. Podolsky (grades 9-11)
1960-1961	Walter George Chomiczuk (grades 5-8), Frank John Gustaw (grades 9-11), Bernice Olga Kozak (grades 1-4)
1961-1962	Walter George Chomiczuk (grades 5-8), Frank John Gustaw (grades 9-11), Olivia Ann Kolodzinski (grades 1-4)
1962-1963	Joyce Louise Amy (grades 1-4), Walter George Chomiczuk (grades 9-11), Edward Vincent Domaratzki (grades 5-8)
1963-1964	Walter George Chomiczuk (grades 9-11), Mina Carol Critchley (grades 1-4), Sonia Podolsky (grades 5-8)
1964-1965	Jeanette Eliuk (grades 1-4), Edmond Hormidas Lacasse (grades 9-11), Sonia Podolsky (grades 5-8)
1965-1966	Connie Dzaman (grades 1-4), Pauline Nedohin (grades 5-8), John Daniel Runke (grades 9-11)
1966-1967	Orest James Dykun (grades 5-8), Pauline Nedohin (grades 1-4)
1967-1968	Kenneth Peter Allen Chura (grades 7-8), Helen Kozachenko (grades 5-6), ? (other grades)
1968-1969	Eva Bially (grades 3-4), Helen Kozachenko (grades 5-6), Pauline Nedohin (grades 1-2)
1969-1970	Eva Bially (grades 3-4), Helen Kozachenko (grades 5-6), Pauline Nedohin (grades 1-2)

Among the teachers of Purple Bank School were J. W. Zaban [Czaban] (1906, 1909-1910), Michael Barran (1907), P. B. Chaykowski (1907), J. M. Mysyk (1908-1911-1914), Violet Drelenkicwiez? Smook (1908-1909), Peter S. Sankey (1915), Alma Neilly (1915), Elspeth A. Moffatt (1916), Amy Wier (1917), Violet S. Taylor (1917), Mollie Weinberg (1918), Winnifred D. Boughton (1918-1919), Katherine Wachna (1919-1920), Maria Wachna (1920), Anton P. Dolensky (1921), William Andrew “Bill” Kachur (1921), Anselina Stromquist (1922), Mr. E. G. Christilan (1922), Achsah G. Rogers (1923), Margaret Clossick (1923), Alfred E. Williams (1924), C. S. Sharpe (1924-1925), and Ivan L. Hamilton (1925).

Photos & Coordinates

Purple Bank School (no date) by A. A. Herriot Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 108. Purple Bank School (no date) by A. A. Herriot Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 108. Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.08908, W96.69682 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

School District Formation Files [Purple Bank School District No. 682], GR1688, E0027, Archives of Manitoba.

Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.

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

Manitoba School Records Collection, Purple Bank School No. 682 Daily Registers, GR2088, Archives of Manitoba.

Plans and shop drawings (GS 0100), Purple Bank School - Addition, GR3125, Archives of Manitoba.

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.

We thank Don Machnee and Brian Nedohin for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough

Page revised: 29 January 2022

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