MHS Resources: History in Manitoba Schools and Universities

The names of many educational facilities in Manitoba commemorate historical personalities. Unfortunately, the basis for some names has not been recorded. This project will attempt to list the basis for as many Manitoba school names as possible. Those with obvious names (for example, those named for the street or town in which they are situated) will not be included.

NOTE: This is a work in progress, and information will be added as it becomes available. Please send corrections and updates to Gordon Goldsborough at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.

Link to:
University of Manitoba | University of Winnipeg | Brandon University | Winnipeg School Board | Brandon School Board

School name	Manitoba City/Town	Notes	Sources
Alf Cuthbert School	Moosehorn	Named for school trustee Alfred O. Cuthbert.	[20]
Andrew Mynarski School	Winnipeg	Named for war hero Andrew Charles Mynarski.	MHS
Angus McKay School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1953; named for Kildonan municipal councillor Angus McKay.	J. Smith [7]
Anna Gibson School	Winnipeg	Named for teacher and volunteer nurse Anna Gibson (1896-1918).	MHS
Arthur Day Middle School	Winnipeg	Named for school trustee Arthur H. Day.	[14]
Arthur A. Leach School	Winnipeg (Fort Garry)	Opened in 1975; named for school division superintendent Arthur A. Leach.	MHS
Arthur Meighen School	Portage la Prairie	Named for lawyer and politician Arthur Meighen.	MHS
Arthur Oliver School	Winnipeg	Named for school board official Arthur Oliver.	MHS
Arthur E. Wright Community School	Winnipeg	Named for politician Arthur E. Wright.	MHS
École Bannatyne	Winnipeg (St. James)	Named for pioneer Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne.	MHS
Lt. Col. Barker VC School	Dauphin	Named for aviator William George Barker.	MHS
Bernie Wolfe School	Winnipeg	Named for school trustee and municipal councillor Bernie Wolfe.	J. Smith [7]
Bertrun E. Glavin School	Winnipeg	Opened in September 1973 in River East School Division; named for school trustee Bertrun E. Glavin.	[5], J. Smith [7]
Betty Gibson School	Brandon	Named for educator Betty Gibson.	MHS
Cecil Rhodes School	Winnipeg
Chapman School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official George Thomas Chapman.	MHS
Collicutt School	Winnipeg	Named for West Kildonan municipal official and community activist Albert Hedley Collicutt.	[40]
D. R. Hamilton School	Cross Lake
Dr. D. W. Penner School	Winnipeg	Named for St. Vital School Board chair Dr. D. W. Penner.	MHS
Daniel McIntyre Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for educator Daniel J. McIntyre.	MHS
David Livingstone School	Winnipeg	Named for the explorer, doctor, philanthropist, and missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873).	MHS, [15]
David Thompson School	Winnipeg	Named for early explorer and cartographer of Western Canada, David Thompson.
Dufferin School	Winnipeg	Named for Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, First Marquess of Dufferin (1826-1902), who visited Winnipeg during his tenure as Governor General of Canada from 1872 to 1878.	MHS
Earl Grey School	Winnipeg	Named for Albert Henry George Grey (1851-1917), the 9th Governor General of Canada, who served from 1904 to 1911.	MHS
Edmund Partridge School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official Edmund Partridge.	MHS
Constable Edward Finney School	Winnipeg	Named for police officer Edward Finney.	MHS
Edward Schreyer School	Beausejour	Name for politician Edward R. Schreyer.	MHS
Ellen Douglass School	Winnipeg	Named for M. Ellen Douglass, the school catered to the needs of handicapped children. Constructed at 700 Elgin Avenue in 1960, the school was relocated in September 1980 to Lord Roberts School.	MHS
Elwick Community School	Winnipeg	Named for community activist Neville Meldrum Elwick and his wife, Ursula Stella Peterman (c1914-1967)	[39]
F. W. Gilbert School	Pinawa	Named for engineer F. W. Gilbert.	[21]
Dr. F. W. L. Hamilton School	East St. Paul	Named for dentist and school trustee F. W. L. Hamilton.	[3]
Faraday School	Winnipeg	Named for British scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867).	[28]
Fleming School	Brandon	Named for Alexander Fleming.	MHS
Florence Nightingale School	Winnipeg	Named for British nursing and sanitation reformer Florence Nightingale (1820-1910).	[28]
General Vanier School	Winnipeg	Named for Governor-General Georges Philias Vanier (1888-1967).	MHS
General Wolfe School	Winnipeg	Named for the British military general who won the battle at the Plains of Abraham, in 1759.	MHS
George Fitton School	Brandon	Named for school board official George A. Fitton.	MHS
George Johnson Middle School	Gimli	Named for physician George Johnson.	MHS
George McDowell School	Winnipeg	Named for horticulturist George S. McDowell.	[9]
George Waters Middle School	Winnipeg (St. James)	Named for school board chairman George Waters.	[12]
Gordon Bell High School	Winnipeg	Named for physician and educator Gordon Bell.	MHS
Goulding School	CFB Gimli	Named for Service Flying Training School No. 18 (RCAF Gimli Station) Commanding Officer Acheson Gosford Goulding.	[41]
Goulter School	Virden	Named for lawyer H. H. Goulter.	MHS
Governor Semple School	Winnipeg	Named for Robert Semple.	MHS
Gray Academy	Winnipeg	Named for Gerald B. Gray.	[4]
Greenway School	Winnipeg	Named for Manitoba premier Thomas Greenway.	MHS
H. C. Avery School	Winnipeg	Named for long-time school trustee Harry Avery.	MHS
H. L. Softley School	Winnipeg	Named for administrator H. L. Softley.	[31]
H. S. Paul School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official Harry Paul.	[26]
Ecole Harrison	Brandon	Named for long-time Brandon teacher Lily A. Harrison.	MHS
Harold Edwards School	Southport, RM of Portage la Prairie	Named for Royal Canadian Air Force Air Marshal Harold “Gus” Edwards (1892-1952)	MHS
Harold Hatcher School	Winnipeg	Named for school official Harold Coveney Hatcher.	MHS
Hazel M. Kellington School	Neepawa	Named for educator Hazel M. Kellington.	[25]
École Henri-Bergeron	Winnipeg	Named for broadcaster Henri Bergeron.	[31]
Henry G. Izatt Middle School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1998; named for school division superintendent Henry G. Izatt.	MHS
Hugh John Macdonald School	Winnipeg	Named for judge Hugh John Macdonald.	MHS
Isbister School / Winnipeg Adult Education Centre	Winnipeg	Named for Alexander Kennedy Isbister.	MHS
J. A. Cuddy School	Sanford	Named for James Anthony Cuddy, President of the Manitoba School Trustees Association in the early 1950s.	MHS
J. B. Mitchell School	Winnipeg	Named for architect James Bertram Mitchell.	MHS
J. H. Bruns Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for educator J. H. Bruns.	MHS
J. M. Young School	Eden	Named for school trustee J. M. Young.	[32]
J. R. Reid School	Brandon	Named for educator J. R. Reid.	MHS
J. R. Walkof School	Winkler	Named for educator John Robert Walkof.	MHS
James K. MacIsaac School	Winnipeg	Originally named Our Lady of Victory School, in 1971 it was renamed for cleric James K. MacIsaac. It reverted to the original name in 1999.	[26]
James Nisbet School	Winnipeg
John Dafoe School	Winnipeg	Named for journalist John Dafoe.	MHS
John De Graff School	Winnipeg	Named for market gardener and North Kildonan municipal councillor John De Graff.	J. Smith [7]
John Henderson Junior High	Winnipeg	Named for farmer and municipal official John Henderson.	MHS
John H. Gunn School	Winnipeg [West Kildonan]	Named for municipal official John H. Gunn.	[35]
John W. Gunn Middle School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official John W. Gunn.	[23]
John M. King School	Winnipeg	Named for educator and cleric John Mark King.	MHS
John Pritchard School	Winnipeg	Named for fur trader and pioneer John Pritchard.	MHS
John G. Stewart School	Winnipeg	Named for educator J. G. Stewart.	[24]
John Taylor Collegiate	Winnipeg (St. James)	Named for pioneer John Taylor.	MHS
Joseph H. Kerr School	Snow Lake
Joseph Teres School	Winnipeg	Named for police officer Joseph Teres.	[10]
Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for businessman and philanthropist Joseph Wolinsky.	MHS
Julia Clark School	Winnipeg	Named for community activist Julia Clark.	MHS
Julie Lindal School	Ilford
Ken Seaford Junior High	Winnipeg	Named for Kenneth G. Seaford.	[37]
Krawchyk School	Winnipeg	Originally named Brooklands School, it was renamed for politician Stephen Nicholas Krawchyk after his death. After sitting empty for several years, the school building was demolished on 6 February 2009.	MHS; Winnipeg Free Press, 7 February 2009, page B1
Laura Secord School	Winnipeg
Lavallee School	Winnipeg	Named for Louis Lavallee and other members of the Lavallee family	[42]
Léo Rémillard School	Winnipeg	Named for Léo Rémillard.	MHS
Lord Roberts School	Winnipeg	Named for British soldier and Boer War general Frederick Roberts (1832-1914).	MHS
Lord Selkirk School	Winnipeg	Named for Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk.	MHS
Lord Wolseley School	Winnipeg
Collège Louis-Riel	Winnipeg (St. Boniface)
Luxton School	Winnipeg	Named for teacher and journalist William Fisher Luxton.	MHS
Machray School	Winnipeg	Named for clergyman Robert Machray.	MHS
MacNeill School	Dauphin	Named for Henry N. MacNeill.	MHS
Major Pratt School	Russell	Named for educator and historian Albert Maurice Pratt.	MHS
Margaret Barbour Collegiate	The Pas	Named for educator Margaret Inez Barbour.	MHS
Margaret Hayworth School		Named for Second World War casuality Margaret Hayworth.	[33]
Margaret Scott School	Winnipeg	Named for nurse Margaret Scott.	MHS
École Margaret Underhill	Winnipeg	Named for educator Margaret Underhill.	[30]
Ecole Marie-Anne-Gaboury	Winnipeg	Formerly known as Hastings Immersion School, it was named for pioneer Marie-Anne Gaboury.	[27]
Mary Duncan Elementary	The Pas	Named for educator Mary Duncan.	MHS
Mary Montgomery School	Virden	Named for educator Mary Montgomery.	[22]
Mary Newell School	Granville Lake
McLaren School	Brandon	Named for war veteran Joseph McLaren.	MHS
Mel Johnson School	Wabowden
Miles Macdonell Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for pioneer Miles Macdonell.	MHS
Mulvey School	Winnipeg	Named for politician Stewart Mulvey.	MHS
Murdoch Mackay Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for physician Murdoch Mackay.	MHS
Neelin High School	Brandon	Named for educator T. A. Neelin.	MHS
Neil Campbell School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1956; named for Kildonan municipal councillor and school trustee Neil Campbell.	J. Smith [7]
Nellie McClung Collegiate	Manitou	Named for feminist Nelly Letitia McClung.	MHS
Nelson McIntyre Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for School Board official Nelson K. McIntyre.	MHS
Norquay School	Winnipeg (Point Douglas)	Named for Manitoba premier John Norquay.	MHS
O. V. Jewitt School	Winnipeg	Named for educator Oliver Victor Jewitt.	MHS
Oscar Blackburn School	South Indian Lake	Named for educator Oscar G. Blackburn.	[18]
Chief Peguis Junior High School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1970; named for Chief Peguis.	MHS
Phoenix School	Headingley	When the Headingley School in North Headingley burned to the ground in the early twentieth century, it was replaced in South Headingley with a school that “rose from the ashes” in an analogous way to the mythical Phoenix bird.	[1]
Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau	Winnipeg
Pinkham School	Winnipeg	Named for clergyman William Cyprian Pinkham. The school's first principal was Frank Howard Schofield.	MHS
Prince Edward School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1920; named after Prince Edward who later became King Edward VIII.	J. Smith [7]
Princess Margaret School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1955; named for the sister of Queen Elizabeth II.	J. Smith [7]
Principal Sparling School	Winnipeg	Named for educator and clergyman Joseph Walter Sparling.	MHS
R. B. Russell High School	Winnipeg	Named for labour leader R. B. Russell.	MHS
R. D. Parker Collegiate	Thompson	Named for mining engineer Ralph Douglas Parker (1898-1983).	NK
R. F. Morrison School	Winnipeg	Opened in 1962; named for West Kildonan municipal councillor Robert F. Morrison.	MHS
R. H. G. Bonnycastle School	Winnipeg	Named for businessman Richard H. G. Bonnycastle.	MHS
R. J. Waugh School	Carberry	Named for physician Reuben J. Waugh.	MHS
R. W. Bobby Bend School	Stonewall	Named for teacher and politican Bobby Bend.	MHS
Radisson School	Winnipeg	Named for fur trader Pierre Radisson.	J. Smith [7]
Ralph Maybank School	Winnipeg	Named for politician Ralph Maybank.	MHS
Robert Andrews School	East St. Paul	Named for market gardener Robert Percy Andrews.	[3]
Robert Smith School	Selkirk	Named for municipal official Robert Smith.	[33]
Robert H. Smith School	Winnipeg	Named for school division secretary-treasurer Robert Houston Smith.	MHS
Rod Martin School	Moose Lake	Named for municipal official Roderick “Rod” Martin.	[29]
Roland Lauze School	Nelson House	Named for educator Roland Lauze.	[19]
Ross L. Gray School	Sprague	Named for community activist Ross L. Gray.	MHS
Ruth Betts School	Flin Flon
Ruth Hooker School	Selkirk	Named for community activist Ruth C. Hooker.	[13]
St. Amant School	Winnipeg	Named for health care pioneer Beatrice St. Amant	[38]
St. Germain School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official Simon St. Germain	MHS
Samuel Burland School	Winnipeg	Named for educator Samuel Burland.	MHS
Sansome School	Winnipeg	Named for municipal official Joseph H. Sansome.	MHS
Scott Bateman Middle School	The Pas	Named for educator B. Scott Bateman.	MHS
Shevchenko School	Vita	Named for Ukrainian poet Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1814-1861).	NK
Sigurbjorg Stefansson Early School	Gimli	Named for educator Sigurbjorg Stefansson.	[2]
Sir John Franklin School	Winnipeg	Named for British naval officer and Arctic explorer John Franklin (1786-1847).	[28]
Sisler High School	Winnipeg	Named for educator William James Sisler.	MHS
Sister MacNamara School	Winnipeg	Named for educator Geraldine MacNamara.	MHS
Smith-Jackson School	Dauphin	Named for community activist William Smith-Jackson	MHS
Stanley Knowles School	Winnipeg	Named for politician Stanley Howard Knowles.	MHS
Stevenson-Britannia School	Winnipeg	Named for aviation pioneer Frederick J. Stevenson.	MHS
Ecole Tache	Winnipeg	Named for cleric Alexandre-Antonin Taché.	[43]
Taylor Elementary School	Swan River	Named for early teacher Robert Gardner Taylor.	MHS
Thomas Greenway Middle School	Crystal City	Named for Manitoba premier Thomas Greenway.	MHS
École Van Belleghem	Winnipeg	Named for politican Joseph Gustave Van Belleghem.	MHS
Vermette School	Winnipeg (St. Vital)	Named for early St. Vital resident William Vermette (c1858-1925)	MHS
Victor Mager School	Winnipeg	Named for politician Victor Magar.	MHS
Victor H. L. Wyatt School	Winnipeg	Named for educator Victor H. L. Wyatt.	[8]
Vincent Massey Collegiate	Winnipeg	Named for Governor-General Charles Vincent Massey (1887-1967).	MHS
Vincent Massey High School	Brandon	Named for Governor-General Charles Vincent Massey (1887-1967).	MHS
W. C. Miller Collegiate	Altona	Named for politician William Conrad Miller.	MHS
Walter Whyte School	Grand Marais	Named for businessman Walter H. Whyte.	[36]
William Morton Collegiate	Gladstone	Named for politician William Morton.	MHS
Sir William Osler School	Winnipeg	Named for renowned Canadian physician William Osler (1849-1919).	[34]
William S. Patterson School	Clandeboye	Formally named Clandeboye School, when a new structure was erected, it was named for school inspector William S. Patterson.	[6]
William Whyte School	Winnipeg	Named for railwayman William Whyte.	MHS
Wolseley School	Winnipeg	Named for an area of Winnipeg which, in turn, is named for soldier Garnet Joseph Wolseley.	MHS
Woodsworth School	Winnipeg	Possibly named for cleric J. S. Woodsworth.	[35]
Yellowquill School	Portage la Prairie

University of Manitoba

Building	Notes
Allen	Named for early professor Frank Allen.
Armes	Named for early professor Henry P. Armes.
Arthur V. Mauro	Name for former University Chancellor Arthur Valentine Mauro.
Brodie	Named for philanthropists Earle and Marion Brodie.
Buller	Named for early professor Arthur Henry Reginald Buller.
Chown	Named for Henry Havelock Chown.
Drake	Named for Drake International, a firm founded in Winnipeg by businessmen J. R. Shore and William Pollock, which made a major contribution to the building fund. [16]
Duff Roblin	Named for politician Dufferin Roblin.
Elizabeth Dafoe	Named for librarian Elizabeth Dafoe.
Ellis	Named for Joseph Henry Ellis.
Fitzgerald	Named for artist Lionel Lemoine Fitzgerald.
Fletcher Argue	Named for early professor Robert Fletcher Argue.
Frank Kennedy	Named for physical education director Frank Kennedy.
Helen Glass	Named for nursing educator Helen Preston Glass. [11]
Isbister	Named for lawyer and philanthropist Alexander Kennedy Isbister.
Machray	Named for cleric Robert Machray.
Marcel A. Desautels	Named for philanthropist Marcel A. Desautels.
Mary Speechly	Named for Mary Barrett Speechly.
Max Bell	Named for businessman George Maxwell Bell.
Parker	Named for early professor Matthew Archibald Parker.
Robson	Named for Hugh Amos Robson.
Russell	Named for early professor John A. Russell.
Schultz	Named for Robert B. Schultz.
Sinnott	Named for cleric Alfred Arthur Sinnott.
Tache	Named for cleric Alexandre-Antonin Taché.
Tier	Named for early professor William Tier.
Wallace	Named for early professor Robert Charles Wallace.

University of Winnipeg

Building	Notes
Ashdown	Named for businessman James Henry Ashdown.
Bryce	Named for cleric George Bryce.
Duckworth	Named for University administrator Henry Edmison “Harry” Duckworth.
Graham	Named for educator William Creighton Graham.
Lockhart	Named for University administrator Wilfred Cornet Lockhart.
MacNamara	Named for community activist Geraldine MacNamara.
Helen Betty Osborne	Named for murder victim Helen Betty Osborne.
Riddell	Named for cleric John Henry Riddell.
Sparling	Named for cleric Joseph Walter Sparling.
Wesley

Brandon University

Building	Notes	Sources
Brodie	Named for businessman and philanthropist John R. Brodie.
Dr. James & Mrs. Lucille Brown Health Studies Complex	Named for physician James S. Brown and his wife
Champ Gymnasium	Named for journalist Henry Champ.
Darrach	Named for nurse and philanthropist Sarah Persis Johnson Darrach.
Flora Cowan	Named for businesswoman Flora Cowan.
Jeff Umphrey	Named for businessman E. Jefferson Umphrey.	[17]
Knowles-Douglas	Named for politicians Stanley Howard Knowles and Thomas C. “Tommy” Douglas.
McKenzie	Named for businessman and philanthropist Albert Edward McKenzie.
McMaster	Commemorates the university’s former affiliation with McMaster University.	MHS
George T. Richardson	Named for businessman George T. Richardson.

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: School Inspectors of Manitoba

Sources:

1. Larry Taylor, Winnipeg, 19 November 2008.

2. Joan Christenson, 21 December 2009.

3. Heritage, a Story of East St. Paul, by Robert Andrews School, 1967. [Manitoba Legislative Library]

4. “Philanthropist wasn’t flamboyant” by Bill Redekop, Winnipeg Free Press, 14 October 2010, page B2.

5. “Staff planning for a new school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 July 1974, page 40.

6. Lynn Nolden, 11 October 2011.

7. Jim Smith, June 2013.

8. Nathan Kramer, 25 October 2013.

9. Nathan Kramer, 28 October 2013.

10. Nathan Kramer, 4 November 2013.

11. “New nursing centre at U of M,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 September 1999, page 4.

12. Nathan Kramer, 27 November 2013.

13. Nathan Kramer, 5 December 2013.

14. Nathan Kramer, 18 December 2013.

15. Nathan Kramer, 23 December 2013.

16. “U of M centre opens,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 June 1987, page 33; “U of M inspires hometown boy to forge fortune,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 October 1987, page 25.

17. “Mental research centre opened,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 1970, page 65.

18. Obituary [Oscar G. Blackburn], Winnipeg Free Press, 5 March 2007, page 18.

19. Obituary [Roland Lauze], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 February 1970, page 27.

20. Obituary [Alfred Otto Cuthbert], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 March 1970, page 32.

21. Nathan Kramer, 10 January 2014.

22. Nathan Kramer, 27 January 2014.

23. Nathan Kramer, 3 February 2014.

24. Nathan Kramer, 5 February 2014.

25. Nathan Kramer, 8 February 2014.

26. Nathan Kramer, 17 February 2014.

27. “Happy anniversary,” Winnipeg Free Press Weekly, South Edition, 5 November 1989, page 2.

28. “Impressive Empire Day services held,” Manitoba Free Press, 24 May 1924, page 4.

29. “Timber operation short of cutters,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 May 1974, page 6. “Blaze claims northern community’s school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 2005, page A7. “Fire fast-tracks construction of new school at Moose Lake,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 February 2005, page A14. Schedule: LA 0018 - Voter Lists, Accession: GR 10171, Location: G 13136, Item: The Pas, Archives of Manitoba.

30. Nathan Kramer, 21 March 2014.

31. Nathan Kramer, 1 April 2014.

32. Nathan Kramer, 5 April 2014.

33. Nathan Kramer, 9 April 2014.

34. Nathan Kramer, 12 April 2014.

35. Nathan Kramer, 15 April 2014.

36. Nathan Kramer, 21 April 2014.

37. Nathan Kramer, 10 July 2014.

38. Nathan Kramer, 23 December 2014.

39. Nathan Kramer, 2 January 2015.

40. Nathan Kramer, 24 March 2015.

41. Nathan Kramer, 17 April 2015.

42. Nathan Kramer, 2 May 2015.

43. Nathan Kramer, 15 August 2015.

“New school opens at Moose Lake,” Thompson Citizen, 1 October 2010.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 7 August 2023