Features | VSB Archives & Heritage | Celebrating 150 Years of Public Education in Vancouver

Sir William Van Horne Elementary – Reviving Our Historical Exhibits and School Archives

July 9, 2018

Author: Lisa Glandt, MAS. With the support of the VSB Archives and Heritage Committee, I recently updated the historical exhibits at Sir William Van Horne Elementary and organized our records into a school archive collection. A full disclaimer – aside from being a mom of 2 kids who attend Van Horne, I am a professional Archivist and [...]

Britannia High School: Photos featuring the Class of 1950

May 24, 2018

Britannia School Dance (1948)) at Clinton Hall [...]

Carleton Elementary School – Photos from 1914 – 1959, contributed by Bobbi Senft. (Bobbi was school secretary at Carleton for many years.)

May 4, 2018

(Photo above) Carleton student, Beverley Dean, presents a bouquet of flowers to Queen Elizabeth during a one-day Royal Tour of Vancouver. King George VI stands ready at the car door. This was an unscheduled stop ordered by King George VI after he caught sight of Beverley on a viewing stand holding the bouquet. The stop happened on Kingsway Road [...]

Maple Grove Elementary School – Group Photos from the 1950s (contributed by Tim Woodworth)

April 20, 2018

Date: 1955 Grade 3 Class Photo Date: 1956 Grade 4 Class Photo Date: 1957 Grade 5 – Class Photo (Teacher: Mr. Parker) Date: 1957 All the pupils in the choir, led by Mr.Downs (at far left). Date: 1958 [...]

IN 1917, THE VANCOUVER BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES ASKED FOR, AND RECEIVED, A ‘REPORT CARD’

April 17, 2018

Date: 1917 In 1917, the Vancouver Board of School Trustees commissioned two school administrators, Principal W. H. Vance and Dr. John Mckay, to conduct a thorough evaluation of the ‘efficiency’ of the Vancouver School District. As shown in the following extracts, Vance and Mckay were granted broad powers and means to conduct their [...]

VANCOUVER’S OPEN AIR SCHOOL

March 19, 2018

Vancouver ‘s Open Air School was operated by the Rotary Club. The first “Open Air” schools appeared in Germany and Britain in the early 1900s. They were seen as playing a key role in eradicating tuberculosis, an often fatal lung disease. Proponents of Open Air schools believed (wrongly, as later research showed) that [...]

Interview with Hilary Clark, King Edward Class of 1948

March 4, 2018

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Class 8J-9J at Britannia Secondary

March 2, 2018

A history written by Mary Jo Campbell, founder of the 8J-9J program. The Twins, Dani and Lizzy Nelson, Class of 2003, present Mary-Jo with the plaque they created. This program was originally part of the Vancouver Free University, and operated from a church, on the East Side of Vancouver. That church became the ‘Vancouver East [...]

The Rise of Alternative Education in the Vancouver School District

March 2, 2018

Students pose on the fire escape outside the Total Ed Alternative School. Author: Mary Jo Campbell, Founder of the 8J9J Alternative Program at Britannia Secondary School In the volatile 1960s and the early 1970s, when Alternative Education was born in Vancouver, ideas about education and public education were changing rapidly. It [...]

The Early History of Britannia High School: 1908 – 1939

February 24, 2018

This history Of Britannia High School was published in the school newspaper in four installments during October 1938 – May 1939. It is a remarkable story of challenges met, disappointments overcome, traditions celebrated. The contributions of beloved teachers and student heroes are described in detail. The tone is, by [...]