Small
Upon his arrival, Mr. Douglas Craig McTavish, a lay missionary and minister for the Presbyterian Church, realized that the town of McMurray was in need of a school for the children. He immediately set about making this happen. On September 25, 1912, the McMurray District School Board No. 2833 was officially established. Mr. McTavish’s new bride, Cassia Patton McTavish, a trained teacher, was hired to take on the role as McMurray’s first schoolteacher.
The Board of Trustees for the original McMurray District School Board included: Mr. William Gordon, Mr. William Biggs, and Mr. D. S. McKenzie. Mr. McTavish, who had previous experience as a carpenter, was appointed to build the first schoolhouse. The building was completed in December 1912. It was a one-room schoolhouse with a cloakroom by the door. A teacherage building was located adjacent to the school to provide living quarters for the teacher. On the first day of school, there were 13 students in attendance.
As a boomtown for the oilsands industry, the population and the town of Fort McMurray have increased extensively. 100 years later, there are now 13 Public Schools, including an Islamic School, a Christian School, an outreach school, and several bilingual and French Immersion schools. Our community also has 10 Catholic Schools and a Catholic School Board that came into being in 1936.
This exhibit will display the changes, improvements, additions, and challenges that have been faced by the citizens of Fort McMurray and the school boards over the last century. We hope this will help us learn from the past as we press on into a new century of education in Northern Alberta.
This exhibit was researched, written, and compiled by Sarah Robertson. She is currently holding a position as a Curatorial Intern at Heritage Park in Fort McMurray. Sarah has completed a Double Honours B.A. in Classics and Art History with a minor in Archaeology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed working on this Virtual Museum of Canada project for Heritage Park and hopes to have similar, unique experiences in the future.
We hope you find this exhibit interesting and exciting. We hope you are able to identify with some of the people and events, and enjoy the stories they have to share.
Thank you for your interest in our Centennial Anniversary Public School Board virtual exhibit. Enjoy your visit!
