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Schools were an integral part of the early days as well. Families wanted their children to be educated as well as farm savvy. Most children, at least once the towns began to spring up, went to at least grade school before working full time on the family farms.In 1899, the first log schoolhouse was built in Lamerton, and each of the nearby districts, as they were formed, also built their own one-room schools. The Lamerton school was built on the site where the Mirror Cemetary now is.
Children on the farms would walk, ride a horse, drive or be driven in a horse-drawn wagon many miles to learn to read and write.
Often the children's education had to be flexible, as many times during the growing season, some of the children would need to stay at home to help out with crops or extra home duties.
Soon after Mirror was born, a large, brick school was built. It offered more to the students than the country schools were able to, including high school.
Eventually the smaller district schools closed one by one, sending their students to the newer, larger one in Mirror.
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Mirror's High School, built in 1913.1913
Mirror, Alberta
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Mirror School, hand built in 1913 of all brick.It served the village and rural areas of their district from 1913 to 1946, offering Elementary and High school.
Other uses were made of the school after this, and it was eventually demolished in 1966.
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More Mirror High School Students1925
Mirror, Alberta
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A Mirror high school photo, taken somewhere around 1925.Left to Right are:
Top Row
Russel Flewelling, Mac Steele, Ross Flewelling
2nd Row
Virginia Bransager (behind B. Cairns), Dorothy Boyer, Edith Hutchison, Lois Stevenson, Thelma Purcell, Aritha Cook
3rd Row
Bob Cairns, Ruth Jewell, Maisie Durant, Nancy Wolferston
4th Row
Peggy Wolferston, Douglas Williams, Eileen Webster, Mildred McDonald, Kathleen Goater,
Betty Goater, Annie Wheeler, Barbara Walker
5th Row
Isabel Cairns, Elna Moller, Nettie Backeruk, Jean Cairns
6th Row
Sydney Moller, Arthur Jewell, Jack Strenatko, Myrtle Beyerstein
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Mirror High School Kids1922
Mirror, Alberta
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Another Mirror high school photo, taken in 1922.8
School Bus with Len Clarke, the driver1918
Mirror, Alberta
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The horse drawn school bus, driven by Leonard B. Clarke, of Lamerton, in 1919.It was a steel tired wagon, with a covered top built of lumber and picked up children to the North and East of Mirror. The van held about a dozen children.
Another van of similar design picked up children to the West of Mirror, and was driven by Tom Tait.
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A Horse Drawn School Cart Transporting the Inions Children1912
Near Mirror, Alberta
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This is the Inions children, Jewell, Olive, Dorothy and Victor, in their horse drawn school cart, getting ready for the ride to school.12
Mirror's First Horse Drawn School Van, Driven by Mr. Jewell1914
Mirror, Alberta
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Mirror's first horse drawn school van, 1914.14
Marjory Hume, Getting Ready to Ride to School.1912
Near Mirror, Alberta
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