Salt Spring Island Archives
Ruby and her brothers and sisters attended the one-roomed Isabella Point School
It was a typical little rural schoolhouse with no electricity or plumbing, the same as those that were found all over Western Canada until consolidation took over and one-by-one they were closed and the children were bused to population centers for their education
It was a sad day for the local communities when the children were gone for the day to the far off consolidated schools. Perhaps there were more amenities and resources in the big school, but there was a loss of the personal touch and the community spirit found in the one-roomed schools where everyone was involved in one way or another; builder, janitor or school board member, parent, pupil or teacher. The children could go home for lunch and the teacher was part of the community, boarding with one of the families who lived in the area and taking part in community activities.
Arthur Lacy was the secretary-treasurer of Isabella Point School during the years in which his children attended and possibly beyond. Mr. and Mrs. Pearce, who lived in the house at the bottom of the switchback, presently the home of Chris and Stella Weinert, boarded the teacher.
As you can see from the pictures, one of the important items on the school calendar was the annual Christmas concert. Every pupil took part and the whole community attended the big night. The school was the center of the community. Often the small building hosted meetings, church services and card parties or became a tiny dance hall for a special celebration. It was the forerunner to the larger community hall. After the Fulford Community Hall was built, the Isabella Point School pupils walked there and back to practice for the Christmas Concert. It was a long walk, but ‘shanks mare’ was the only means of transport for them at the time. According to Ruby’s sister, Kathleen, no one thought they were hard done by. They were used to walking anywhere they wanted to go. When they had to catch the school bus that took them to the Consolidated School in Ganges, they caught it at the corner of Isabella and Fulford-Ganges Roads.
In one of Ruby’s diaries, she mentions that she went to clean the school. The older pupils did the janitor work at the time. They stacked the wood in a shed for the heater in the school and carried it into the school, as well. Apparently a load of wood was dropped off whenever the supply ran out. Drinking water was drawn from several wells in the area, one, at least, on a neighbour, La Forturne’s property. Older pupils carried it into the school in a bucket that was supplied with a dipper for the convenience of the thirsty.
Bea Hamilton donated an old pump organ and came regularly to the school to play for the singing. Kathleen said that singing was a favourite exercise and the children put a lot of effort into the enjoyable sessions with Bea.
The mountain side where the Isabella Point School was located, was in constant drainage during all but the dry summer and early autumn months, so there were drainage ditches across the school property and skirting the school to prevent water undermining the post foundations of the little building.
All the one-roomed schools on Salt Spring were closed in the mid-fifties. The end of an era.
