14 14 Castlegar News, Sept. 28, 1967 News, Sept. 28, 1967

The history of what is now School District No. 9. (Castlegar) is one’ of progress. From small, insignificant beginnings to’ a school district ranking among the best in the province, the Castlegar district has grown im- measurably,' as has the. town and district it strives to educate,

The | secretary-treasurer of the district at present, and a man who has been in this position since the school district system

was set up in 1946. C. H. King

tells of a budget. amounting to

. $1.5 million, as compared with

a similar 1947 figure of $136,- 000.

Figures for 1946 are not comparable, since they did not cover an. entire fiscal’ year.

The present division of school districts came into being in April of 1946.

But the beginning of educa- tion in: the Castlegar’ district stretch to a beginning far be- fore this time.

At the turn of the century Robson was enjoying: significant

- importance as a shipping point

for: the. Arrow Lakes, the main transportation route for the area, .

But with the coming of the OPR, Robson’s importance soon flagged and when a fire destroy- ed most of the townsite some years later, there was almost no one left to watch the destruc-

on,

However, by 1908 the popu- lation of Castlegar and Kinnaird had’ .grown Sonaideranly, and Robson, too, was coming back| w as a residential area.

In \that year, two schools opened with-:10 pupils each—one in Castlegar and the other jn Robson.

The Castlegar school, locat- ed in‘a small uncleared valley, ‘had little room for recreation areas. The one open space avail- ‘able was utilized as a tennis court. seis

Early residents report a de- gree of isolation in the Castlegar. area at this time, but this very isolation resulted in two distinct advantages: the entire communi- ty ‘was. one: extremely. close-knit group of. friends and acquain- tances and: the town was rela- tively free from epidemics of any.

: The ‘health: of people in Castlegarand ‘Robson was the concern ‘of Dr. Yeld of Nakusp. who visited once every year.to poke and press and listen to the aches and pains of many. ; The younger, more timid

patients, were encouraged with

7

a proffered piece of candy —. a ‘very rare treat —. generally dispensed ‘by. the doctor's wie,

A. second incentive which worked in the doctor’s favor— although not by .anyone’s ‘parti-'

School District Has Grown Grea 1)

cular design — was the:fact ‘that

the day-to-da: denly. became ‘an examination room.

“With the doctor making use of the schoolroom, there was — as all of the children would have told. you — nothing to do but dismiss school for the day, ‘or sometimes for two.

. The doctor.was popular with healthy children, as well as with sick ones... ©

The development of Castle- gar, and its schools, continued unabated for several years, ‘but the: great spurt came with the development, simultaneously, of the smeling industry in Trail and good roads to that centre.

At ‘this time the very. fact |

that Castlegar was several miles away from Cominco installations made it a desirable place to live, as it was away from the smoke problem, yet near enough that the distance of commuting was. not a problem.

In 1917 the first school opened in Kinnaird. -

The year 1928 saw the Cas- tlegar and -Kinnaird = schools

come under single management, Iie

with the first school bus acd ed that same year.":

Robson school came in as a

third party of the school system’ in 1942. At this time, students working on their’ secondary

.| school education were’ taken to

Robson for ‘classes, - - However, overcrowding soon

became a serious problem for.

-the senior students. They began attending. Raspberry . school while an annex was under con- struction to relieve the conges- on. Even this, though, was.a

‘}mere stop-gap. method, design-

ed: to carry the load while a permanent and adequate high school: was built.

The school which’ re: is the Stanley Humphrie: ondary: School of today, alth' eh additions. to ‘the building ' been made since then.

teachers:.and 1,522. pupils: \+In' the year 1946 the Castle- gar school ‘system was

‘Orpo) ‘lated’ with a ‘province-wide scheme and: became School: Dist- :

rict No.9.

tthe time: of the etintive rom: ‘then ‘on ‘the distrie -omenal Bath! notes Mr. King: i Abe: bert fayy teas r ae 2} just kept growing and growing. and: this ‘is expected to continue

ue Second referendum, in| or even’ expand. 28 bie tions: dor “school pop-

on Mr. “King: pointed. out that atten are: a‘number. of ‘teac! rs | this nin that still pra

-2| were’ doing so..when

30 teachers..009;5° Baty | Bob i and Mrs f guess, az 1C.

cole o, time of the change, “The district has had phen: Dp; not down.!" become known, had a total of site 58 students in grades 9-12.’ Prin- cipal was G. H. Magwood.:

Among: the ‘dates remem- bered.. by: Mr.° King, Sept. 1947

‘| was. one: of the most ‘importan

and: the: "most: ‘heart-breaking: ‘ “At this time the school dis-.

trict Hosted. its first large ‘re-

ferendum for. school construc: |:

| tion“in’ the ‘amount of $211,000.

Schools proposed under the question were Kinnaird Blemen- ||: tary,’ Gibson’ Creek and Tarrys. ; Elementary.. -

~All three. were subsequent ly built, ‘an open: house :was ‘held in ‘the. Tarrys school, and before it.-had “housed a pupil; it was

‘| swept ‘by! a‘ dire which ‘levelled: :| the ‘building completely.

Before the fire ine school was: valued at $87,000 : Tt_was several years before ; ‘ it-was rebuilt, * ayes ; ic

thing is’sure, though, we will a

and Treasurer.

Al ‘Stev

: Jankola .

—usema