Upon his arrival, Mr.
Douglas Craig McTavish, a lay
missionary and minister for
the Presbyterian Church,
realized that the town of
McMurray was in need of a
school for the children. He
immediately set about making
this happen. On September
25, 1912, the McMurray
| District School Board No.
2833 was officially
established. Mr. McTavish's
new bride, Cassia Patton
McTavish, a trained teacher,
was hired to take on the role
as McMurray's first
schoolteacher.
The Board of Trustees for
the original McMurray
| District School Board
included: Mr. William Gordon,
Mr. William Biggs, and Mr. D.
S. McKenzie. Mr. McTavish,
who had previous experience
as a carpenter, was appointed
to build the first
schoolhouse. The building was
completed in December 1912.
It was a one-room schoolhouse
| with a cloakroom by the door.
A teacherage building was
located adjacent to the
school to provide living
quarters for the teacher. On
the first day of school,
there were 13 students in
attendance.
As a boomtown for the
oilsands industry, the
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