Early Education

 

According to Furrows, a local history book, the Mennonites came and organized the first schools in the municipality.

 

The early schools were conducted in private homes large enough to accommodate students and benches. Following a petition by KG Aeltester Peter P. Toews, Rosenort and Rosenhoff became district public schools Rosenort #60, Rosenhoff #61 in 1878. The agreement was that the communities could run and teach their own schools, however the government would supervise education by appointing school inspectors to monitor progress. The schools would receive a $100.00 grant for the school year.

The first licenced teacher for the area was a woman, Miss Maria R. Friesen (1844-1925) later Mrs. Radinzel. She taught Rosenort children for the 1879-1800 year and a few years previous. For the 1880 year she moved to Blumenhof. Oral history suggests David B. Klassen taught in Rosenhoff at the same time. The following school year Johann K. Friesen took the position in Rosenhoff and David Hiebert in Rosenort. At the time of the 1881 census there were approximately 20 students combined.

The reading program consisted of the Fibler for the primary class, Catechism, New Testament and the Old Testament as well as the Gesangbuch and the Choralbuch. All teaching was in German.

Both Rosenhoff and Rosenort built new church-schools in 1889. It is believed that JW Dueck conducted school in the newly built Rosenort church school. He describes the situation as follows ”...in the winter of 1893-94 , my wife and I, lived there in the north end of the building, all by ourselves. There were many people lying outside there, only a few steps away; these, however, did very little to take away the feelings of loneliness, for they were lying in the ground an dead. On the contrary one would have to steel himself, whenever someone had just been laid to rest, and we would return home from our parents.” In 94-95 they lived in a “small one-roomed teacherage.”

Some Rosenorters used the old Froese house as a private school for a number of years (approx. 1907-1924?). “John Thiessen, Abram F. Friesens, and the Jacob Klassens children attended the private school."Mrs. Dave K. Dueck remembers playing with dolls and playing German games like: "Eck vell nem vaste fohre-vest met?", Luttschen and Duttschen", Adam has seven sons...Other entertainment included Knipsbrat and catch. The Froese house was a large 2 story. The main floor was gutted to make one large room.

The Rosenort Public school # 60 served both the KG and Holdeman people during the week. On weekends the Holdemans and KG’s alternated using the school for services. This meant that when the KG church met in Rosenhoff, the Holdeman’s met in Rosenort. When the KG met in Rosenort, the Holdemans had their service in Rosenhoff. The north end of the school was the sanctuary while the south was the school. The blackboards that divided it were raised up to the roof during services. Games played during recess include pom-pom-pollaway, anti-over and hide and go seek. Typically the school year was 2 terms of 22 weeks: mid-Oct to December and then January to mid-April.

In 1907 the government passed a decree forcing district schools to fly the Union Jack. Immediately the Mennonite schools were privatized. No difference in curriculum -only the absence of the Union Jack.

The Holdemans initiated the change to fully English school in Rosenort #60 in 1914, hiring Peter T. Kroeker as a teacher for that first year. The private German school continued til about 1924 with many of the KG’s electing to send their children there instead.

In 1916 the government passed the Compulsory Schools Act. All schools were to be conducted in English and with certified teachers.The schoolteachers then taught Catechism and German in the last 1/2 hour of the school day and added on another 1/2 hour of instruction.

In 1919 the Holdeman people built their own church building and in 1920 the Kleine Gemeinde followed suit. School and church were separated.

Two Schools Rosenhoff North and Rosenhoff South began in 1926. More information on these school in the community history book Furrows in the Valley. It will be added to this site eventually.

In 1933 two schools were serving the community: Rosenort West (original) and Rosenort East (2 miles east of the school). In 1939 Rosenort East became Clover Plains and Rosenort West became just Rosenort. In 1947 the two schools amalgamated and the Rosenort school was sold by auction. A new two-room school was built one mile west of the original site. By 1957 another classroom was added and 10 years later 1967 a new school built and it became a consolidated school.