Centennial School was built in 1966 and opened in 1967, despite a tragic construction accident. It quickly became an important community hub, offering activities like operettas, a children’s choir, and special learning experiences. The school has continued to play a key role in education and community life in Selkirk.
The Creation of Canada
From 1864 to 1867, leaders from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada negotiated with Britain to form a new nation. The Province of Canada at this time was made up of Ontario and Quebec, and it merged with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This formed the Dominion of Canada.
In 1867, the British Parliament passed the British North America Act, which allowed the Dominion of Canada to be born on July 1, 1867, a day originally referred to as Dominion Day. The name of this day was officially change to Canada Day on July 1, 1982.
Canada’s Centennial Celebrations
Canada’s Centennial celebrations started at midnight on December 31, 1966, with the lighting of the gas-powered Centennial Flame. This monument on Parliament Hill still burns today with the help of biogas, which means that this fountain never freezes in the winter.
Canada’s Centennial was celebrated countrywide in various ways. There were fireworks, parades, lighting ceremonies and bell ringing, with many of these activities attracting crowds of thousands. The centennial celebrations lasted the entirety of 1967. All events and publications that had to do with Canada’s Centennial were branded with a unique Centennial logo. The logo was designed by Stuart Ash. It consisted of eleven triangles, which represented Canada’s ten provinces plus the Northwest Territories, which was the accepted geography of Canada at this time.
Canada’s Centennial Celebrations in Selkirk
Much like the rest of Canada, Selkirk took part in these celebrations. The Town, under the direction of the Centennial Project’s Committee focused on building a school, Centennial School, and making improvements to Selkirk Park and Rotary Lake.
The construction of the school started in 1966, and it was officially opened in November 1967. Unfortunately, that same year, one of the walls within the school collapsed while under construction. One of the construction workers was injured, and another was killed. Centennial School was built during the restructuring of the Lord Selkirk School Division in 1967.
Centennial School hosted a variety of different events, which created a unique learning experience for the students. In 1968, Centennial School hosted an operetta which was titled Four Feathers West. The cast was made up of a hundred students. The operetta was a huge success according to the Selkirk Enterprise, who wrote on December 4, 1968, “On Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoons, Youngsters from other schools visited. Parents and Friends filled the gym Wednesday and Thursday nights. There weren’t enough chairs to seat everyone on Wednesday nights, even with the ones from the teachers’ desks!” Because of the success of this first operetta, Centennial School began hosting an annual operetta, each one as successful as the last.
The school also hosted a children’s choir that had been formed under the direction of Terry Walker. Children between the ages of ten and fourteen were encouraged to join and register at Centennial School.
In 1969, the Lord Selkirk School Division launched an in-service program to support teachers in primary, intermediate, and junior high schools. The program aimed to help teachers explore new approaches to instruction. It focused on enhancing their understanding of how to teach subjects such as mathematics, social studies, science, language arts, home economics, drama, and physical education. Teachers from Selkirk and Winnipeg worked together to develop new curriculum, which would ideally help students better understand their lessons. The various sessions for the Selkirk and Winnipeg teachers were held between Centennial School and Robert Smith School.
One notable Centennial School teacher was Ron Wilkinson, from Lockport, who had an interest in dog sled racing. He competed in the annual winter event Festival on the Red and even competed in the famous Alaskan Iditarod.
In 1970, students attended cruises on the Paddlewheel Queen and the Paddle Wheel Princess. These experiences gave students a unique way of learning about Manitoba’s past. In 1975, students at Centennial School held a Christmas tea where the public was invited to a bake and craft sale while the school’s choir provided entertainment.
Though there isn’t much information about Centennial School and its construction, it has held and continues to hold a very important role in Selkirk.
Centennial School Collection
Click on images to enlarge
Prediction of Selkirks Property for Canadas Centennial, 1956, Selkirk Enterprise
Sources
Selkirk Enterprise, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1973
Selkirk Journal, 2007
Canada’s Centennial Celebrations, 1967, The Canadian Encyclopedia
Centennial Symbol, Canada Modern
Celebrating the Centennial, Canadas History
Parliament Hill grounds and the Centennial Flame, Canada.ca
