Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School

Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School opened in 1971. It is the only high school in the Lord Selkirk School Division, offering diverse academic and vocational programs. Over time, it expanded with facilities like a community pool, library, and continues to support students through initiatives such as the Indigenous Student Centre.

Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School was opened on November 27, 1971, to replace the Selkirk Collegiate School. After the Regional Comprehensive Secondary School was built, high school students from Selkirk Collegiate transferred to the new high school. Also referred to as “The Comp”, the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School serves as the only high school in the Lord Selkirk School Division.

The Lord Selkirk School Division encompasses fifteen schools and services not only the City of Selkirk but surrounding areas such as Petersfield, Clandeboye, Lockport, St. Andrews, Libau, Grand Marais and Victoria Beach. This high school provides its students with vocational programming, French Immersion, Enrichment classes, and other academic programming to encourage them to pursue post-secondary education.

New Additions

In 1974, the school underwent renovations which included a large indoor pool. This was only the beginning of renovations for the school. In 1987, a library was constructed. The library would eventually be named the George B. Schreyer Library. During the first round of renovations to the building, there was a tender put out by the school for architects. The renovations were done by Ikoy Partnership: Architects. Contracted work consisted of a total of 35,000 square foot expansion to the school. This included 22,000 square feet of classroom space which included an autobody shop, and 7,000 square feet of material resource additions such as equipment, technology and any other upgrades for the school’s infrastructure.

A New Community Pool

The desire for a community pool in Selkirk started in 1960 with school board member, Dr. Bill Rozecki. Rozecki worked in partnership with a local group called “Swim to beat ‘70”. This group was successful in collecting money and pledges from locals in Selkirk.

According to Bud Oliver, “People were pledging $100 in a year which during the 1960’s was a lot of money.” Swim to beat ‘70 had an ambitious goal of $300,000 but due to unforeseen circumstances the build was halted early. Construction was canceled, and the project was shut down for two years.

After being on pause, another group took over funding for the pool. This group consisted of the Kinsmen, Rotarians, Kiwanis, and the Knights of Columbus. Together, they referred to themselves as the United Club for Pool Completion.

In the spring of 1974, the construction of the pool resumed. The work was completed by CanPro Industries Ltd., a Winnipeg-based construction company. The City of Selkirk and the surrounding areas put together a financial campaign to support the construction of the pool. Driven by community volunteerism and hard work, the Selkirk Community Pool was completed. The pool is the largest indoor pool in the Manitoba Interlake and is operated by the Lord Selkirk School Division.

When the Community pool opened on April 20, 1975, the students were a large part of the ceremony. The group which had helped with the finishing of the pool had members in attendance for the opening where they sat along the sides of the pool. The students were invited to jump in after the ceremony to officially ‘open’ the pool, but Father Art Seaman, Chairman of the United Clubs for Pool Completion jumped in first, fully clothed, making for an unforgettable day!

After the opening, a plaque, and a list of those who contributed financially and otherwise to the construction of the pool were placed by the entrance to show appreciation for the substantial support that was received on the monument achievement.

After years of operation, repairs were needed on the pool. The pool closed in 2013. After some facility updates the Selkirk Community Pool reopened. A Grand Reopening was held in 2014.

Indigenous Programming at LSRCSS

The Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School offers Indigenous programming through the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC), known as Maniidoo Mai’igaan Shkaabewaagthis term means “Spirit Garden of the future” or “Spirit Garden of Tomorrow” an Ojibwe phrase to inspire their Indigenous students to strive to do their best.

“It houses an Indigenous counselor Allison Savoie, an Indigenous teacher – Kim Moore, and an Indigenous ally teacher, Mark Walterson. There are also Indigenous and Indigenous ally Educational Assistants as part of the program. They can come and check in with any of the teachers and the counsellor as needed – homework support, graduation support, mental health, etc. Family members of the Indigenous students are welcome to connect through the ISC Counsellor at any time.”

The ISC program does more than support their students, it also provides culturally relevant programming and events. This allows Indigenous students to connect with ancestral and cultural resources while gaining their education. Jacquline Bercier the lead teacher for Cultural Perspectives and Languages at the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School said:

“ISC offers culturally appropriate activities: feasts, ceremonies, connection with Elders/Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous-based workshops, etc., for all Indigenous students. ISC is a home base for Indigenous students as well.”

This program has existed at The Comp for 20 years and has evolved over time. It began with only an Indigenous counsellor and one educational assistant. Today, it includes an Indigenous Ally Teacher, additional assistants, and a Cultural Proficiency Lead Teacher who supports the core ISC team.

List of Principals For the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School

1971-1977	W. Regehr
1977-1993	Ed. Dyck
1994-2002	H. Skogan
2003-2009	S. Kwasnitza
2010-2013	V. Cielen
2014-2017	J. Long
2018-2020	M. Ingemey
2020-Present	D. Nazimek