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P04710 – The original Albion school with 11 students and their teacher posed outside the door. This is the only image we have of this building. 1920’s.
P00199 – May Best Hampton who was teacher at the Albion School in 1908.
P02540 – The second Albion school after its first expansion to two classrooms. 1960.
Albion Elementary
The children of Albion, or East Haney as it was once called, first attended the Lillooet school at what is now 232nd Street and Dewdney Trunk. In 1898, the first school in Albion opened in the home of the Robertson family on 240th Street at 104 Avenue with J M Inglis as teacher.
In 1904 a schoolhouse was built on the property of Joe Baker on Baker Street (now 240th Street). Being the only public building in the settlement, it did double duty as the first church as well.
In 1910, a separate church was built nearby. At that time, the district registry listed Albion as a one-room school with 44 students with Miss Beatrice Loat as the teacher.
In the early years of the school’s operation, parents had a large influence in the way that they school was run, and could read about school issues in the Gazette newspaper. For instance, a 1924 Gazette article notes that “evidently the parents of Albion have had their wish, for Mr. Todd, of Vancouver, has been appointed teach of the Albion school.”
In the 1930’s, that first Albion school closed and the students were bused to Haney Central School.
The first school on the current Albion site was built in 1952. It started as one classroom and expanded as needed over the years.
Erna Hill of the Hill House family served as custodian for Albion Elementary for twenty seven years, starting when the new larger school first opened. When she began, her salary for keeping the one room school clean every day was $35 per month.
Even though a couple years prior the school completed a major addition to upgrade the school’s capacity, the year 2002 saw further extensive renovations at the school site, including a seven room addition.
In 2003, the school was given over $400,000 by the provincial government in order to complete seismic upgrades in case of earthquakes.
Albion Elementary in 2009 had the most aboriginal students – 57 – in the school district and was therefore chosen as the recipient of a cultural project. Aboriginal cultural worker Quentin Harris, along with students from the school, came together to paint a totem pole to place in front of the school.
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