Baldonnel students present slideshow on 100 years of commuting to school

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Baldonnel Elementary School students recently presented a slideshow on the many ways students would get to school over a 100 year time period.

According to principal Christine Todd, 2023 marked the 100 year anniversary of schools being in the community.

The first Baldonnel Elementary School was a single-room log cabin built in 1923, which no longer exists. The elementary school has been in its current building for 40 years.

The Baldonnel Primary School was built in 1942, and during that time, it had a play area and a barn.

According to the presentation, many teachers lived with their students’ families, while some stayed in their family homes. Others still lived in boarding houses owned by local families or in a teacherage, a home built on the school grounds.

Until the 1940s, the poor roads and lack of communication systems kept remote communities isolated from the rest of the province, said the presentation. Teachers who worked in rural areas could not visit or contact friends and family, and most teachers relied on mailing letters home.

The students also found out that early teachers would have to commute to the school via walking, cycling or horseback riding on trails shared by wild animals and sometimes cows.

Teachers sometimes used snowshoes or cross-country skiing to get to the school. The skis were made out of wood with leather straps.

After the 1940s, the teachers’ isolation was reduced due to improvements in road and communication systems.

The Baldonnel students said cars were a more common sight by the 1940s, with many teachers owning one while others used public transportation or carpooling.

The students also had an easier time getting to school, as it was either closer to home or a school bus was then available.

Baldonnel School is now an eight-room school with a full-sized gymnasium, library, computer lab and playground for approximately 130 students.

Some of the resources utilized by the students include The Canadian Encyclopedia and Alaska Highway News.

A slideshow presented at Baldonnel School can be viewed below: