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Water

The drinking and washing facilities in most one roomed schools consisted of a small bench or shelf, a water cooler or a water pail, a common drinking cup or a dipper, a wash basin, a bar of sap, a wash cloth, a towel and a slop bucket. There might be a cream can if the water was transported to the school. Some schools had their own well, which meant carrying the water in a pail to the school.

The water container was usually a pail without a lid, or a crock. It usually sat on a shelf or on a little cupboard in the corner. The crock held about 4 or 5 gallons of water and had a little push button tap near the bottom.

Country schools had a tin cup or a dipper that hung on the wall. Everybody drank out of the same cup or dipper. Why should it be any different than the way they did it at home. The Department of Health didn’t approve of this method but it took years to change. They changed from the dipper or cup to individual cups. Some students even had a folding cup that they were to keep in their desk. The pupils still shared each others cups, as some got lost, others just seemed to disappear and sometimes it was just easy to borrow the cup next to you. Soon the school boards had to buy paper cups and dispensers.

It is interesting to note that in the minutes of the school board dated January, 1935, a letter was received from the Red Deer Health Region regarding the tin cup that was used in the Bentley High School. The students were asked to bring their own cups to drink from. Some of them probably did this, but then shared with their friends anyway. At home families shared a cup or dipper, and if neighbours or even strangers stopped by they would use the common dipper too. Students didn’t expect it to be any different at school.