The Vernal one room country school was situated
on the south east of section 14-4-23-4 and opened
in 1927.

Teachers included:

1927-31 Miss Earl, Miss Gibb
1931-32 Fredda Karren Kenney
1932-33 Reta Miller Orr
1933-34 Vinessa Tanner Hamilton
1934-35 Alice Ririe Fowler
1937-38 Ida Svensen
1938-39 Dean Cook
1939-40 Leroy Rollins
1940-41 Brock Christie

Vinessa Hamilton relates that she lived in a
granary with a coal bin at one end, in the barnyard
of the Hofer's. She walked one mile south to the
school, always careful to walk the fence line,
as there was a large fearsome bull in the pasture
and it might be necessary to get to safety on the
other side of the fence, quickly. Occasionally in
bad winter weather, Dave would give Vinessa
and his sisters Mary and Betty a ride to school
with a horse and sleigh. Bert Parkinson was chariman
of the school board, and Ray Bennet was secretary.
Vinessa was paid by the day, averaging forty dollars
a month, with a maximum of fifty dollars a month for
ten months, and nothing for the two months of
summer. Once an extremely heavy snow storm forced
her to take the train from Magrath, leaving at 10 a.m.
and not arriving at Spring Coulee until 5:00 p.m..
Needless to say, she wasn't paid for that day. In spite
of the hardships, a person was grateful to have a
job during the depression.

Brock Christie was the last teacher at Vernal. His
contract stipulated ten cheques for $70.00 each
for a grand total of $770.00. Minimum salary was
supposed to be $840.00 per year. but as this was
his first year teaching, with no previous experience,
that was the excuse given for the salary level. Sid
Hesketh was the school superintendent and signed
the cheques. A so called benefit was a rent-free
teacherage, provided in exchange for doing the
janitorial duties in the school. After completing the
term at Vernal, he had a summer job at Waterton. Mrs.
Christine Thompson offered him a cook car and
loaned him a tractor with which to pull it to Waterton.
Her only request being that he paint the cook car.
Also Christine purchased his 1934 Chrysler coupe
for her sons Johnny and Donald, as Brock would be
joining the Airforce at summers end, and had no
further need for a car. His airforce career included
being shot down over Europe, and smuggled back to
the Allied lines, via the French Underground.

Families attending the school were:
1. The Rene Peirens family - Arriving from Belgium and
working for Albert Parkinson, Rene attended Vernal to
learn English, later his daughter Bertha was a student.

2. The George Lee family - Gladys, William, Florence,
Mildred, James, Earl, Saylor, Philip and Leslie. William
acted as school janitor and can vividly remember the
difficulties in readying the school room for the next
days classes after a prairie dust storm had rolled through.

3. Allred family - Mary, Fern, Norman.

4. Joe Navratil family - Joe, Mary, Annie, Frank and
Johnny.

5. Tony Navratil family - Tony, Frances, George,
Carl and Jerry.

6. Browns - Muriel, Joyce and Alice.

7. Larsons - Lee, Andy, Chalmers and Ruby.

8. Hofers - Mary and Betty.

9. Hills - Teddy.

10. Tom Morrow family - Doris, Tom and Billy.

11. Albert Parkinson family - Fern.

12. Herman Johnson family - LeRoy and Don.

13. Ray Bennett family - Don.

14. Jack MacKenzie family - John,

15. Walt Bengry family - Lawrence.

Students either walked, rode bicycles or horses to
school, with a barn provided for horses. Activities
included trackmeets in the spring, sometimes held
in Cardston. Earl Lee recalls running with desperation,
as the winner was to receive 5 cents. The annual
Christmas concerts were a highlight of the year.

The 1939-40 School register of teacher Leroy Rollins
listed 12 students: Donald Johnson, Bertha Peirens,
Leslie Lee, Donald Bennett, LeRoy Johnson, Earl Lee,
Philip Lee, Saylor Lee, James Lee, William Morrow,
Elizabeth Hofer and Mildred Lee.

The Vernal school closed in the spring of 1941, but
remained complete with blackboards, chalk, library
books, desks and playground equipment for
several more years, so was a very entertaining
place for young children to play. Eventually the
school building was moved to Cardston and still
serves as a residence, located across the street
west from the United Church. The teacherage
was moved to Ray Bennett's farm, and the play
ground equipment to the Spring Coulee school. The
era of the one room school was over and consolidation
brought the now familiar sight of the yellow school bus.

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