Although September still feels a little ways off, some students (and their parents) may already be looking ahead to the new school year with anticipation. For those attending Coldstream Elementary School, the site they will return to has been a place of learning for over a century.
Coldstream Elementary began as a one-room schoolhouse on Kalamalka Road. It opened on September 1, 1908, serving the children of a small but growing farming community. According to The History of Schools and Other Learning Facilities in School District #22 (Vernon) by the Vernon Retired Teachers Heritage Committee, planning for the school began in 1907, when ten school-aged children were identified in the Coldstream area. A board of trustees was elected in January 1908, and $250 was authorized to purchase a suitable plot of land.
Miss Laird, the school’s first teacher, was hired at a monthly salary of $85.00, a relatively high wage for the time. In 1910, a teacher’s residence was added to the site, with a budget of $1,200. Just two years later, in 1912, the school expanded with the addition of a second classroom. At that point, one teacher was responsible for 28 students of various ages and grade levels.
By the mid-1930s, Coldstream Elementary had three teachers, and by 1937, enrollment had grown enough that the school could no longer accommodate all grades. Students in grades 7 and 8 were bused to schools in Vernon. Despite its modest size, the school remained a central hub for the community.
In 1947, Coldstream Elementary was still operating as a two-room schoolhouse. Teachers, often young women in their early twenties, were expected to handle both educational and maintenance duties. This included chopping wood and lighting the stove on cold mornings before the children arrived. That same year, the school’s students participated in the first May Day celebration held in the District of Coldstream, marking their role in the life of the community beyond the classroom.
The school continued to grow in the decades that followed. In 1954, a lunchroom, medical room, and staff room were added. In 1959, a new wing was constructed with an auditorium and stage, additional classrooms, more washrooms, and a covered play area. In 1962, land was purchased to expand the playground. By the late 1970s, enrollment had reached over 500 students, before declining after the opening of Kidston Elementary School in 1982.
By the early 2000s, the original school buildings were clearly aging. After more than a century of use, the need for a modern facility had become apparent. In 2009, the decision was made to construct a new school on the same site, and the new Coldstream Elementary opened its doors in 2010. To mark the transition, Principal Tracy Godfrey rang the original 1909 school bell—a symbolic connection between past and present. Play areas and parking were completed by 2012, and once students had fully settled in, the old building was carefully demolished.
Today, Coldstream Elementary continues to operate on the same grounds where it all began. From a single-room schoolhouse serving ten children to a modern school building, it remains a cornerstone of education and community in Coldstream.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans