Blast from the past

BLAST FROM THE PAST Back, way back, to school

BY JOËLLE SÉVIGNY

September symbolizes the return to school for many. Interestingly, there is a long history of schools in Powell River and its surrounding area; the first school was actually on Texada Island and opened in 1898 at Honeymoon Cottage.

On the mainland, in 1910, with the development of the Powell River Company well underway, the need to educate children, whether their parents were loggers, fishermen, settlers or company employees, was evident. The first school in the Townsite was established in 1911 with classes taking place in a poolroom! Eventually, a school was built in 1913 and named Henderson School, in honor of Dr. Andrew Henderson.

Carol Regnier, who attended Henderson School in the 1940s, remembers the large classes of over 30 students per classroom, the old blackboards and mimeographs used for copying, as well as playing hopscotch

in the school yard. Every morning, the classes would line up before entering the school and they would sing God Save the King. At 12 pm, the mill whistle would signal lunch time and at five in the afternoon, the whistle would signal to the children that wherever they were playing after school, it was now time to go home.

Henderson school was thus where many Townsite kids received early education, as well as children from Wildwood and Cranberry until schools were formed in those regions. In the mid-fifties, enrolment increased even more with the post-war years, hence plans for a new school on Willow were drafted. You may have passed by Henderson Park in the Townsite today; it is in fact the site of the old Henderson school!

Blast from the Past is a monthly historical column written by the Townsite Heritage Society’s board member Joëlle Sévigny.

COLOSSAL CLASSROOMS: At Henderson School (top), teachers faced over 30 students per class. The 1913 building was named after Dr. Andrew Henderson (above, with his family, on the steps of the school.) It was a substantial step up from the previous arrangement – holding classes in a pool hall. Photos courtesy of Townsite Heritage Society