Winterbourne, Ontario

Winterbourne is a small community in Woolwich Township, Ontario. It is located just northeast of the city of Waterloo.

Geography

Cox Creek flows through the village. The village is close to the Grand River.

Transportation

The community's main street is Waterloo Regional Road 23, known as Katherine Street. Winterbourne has never been served by rail.

History

This place was first known as Cox's creek. Around the year 1854, it was renamed to Winterbourne by Captain William H. Lamphier, who had bought the farms on which the village is built. The name comes from Winterbourne, where Lamphier had lived in England. The name "Winterbourne" means "One who lives by a winter-brook (a stream that flows only in the wet winter season)". Officially, the community was still known as Woolwich until 1859, when the post office was renamed to Winterbourne.inote|ref=Wintemberg, p. 372

Education

In 1872, Winterbourne Public School was built in the community. The building was located on large grounds fringed by wooded nature trails. The public school was closed in 2003. In 2006, the Waterloo Region District School Board sold the school for $550,000 to Lori Laronde, a supporter of a new private school, Foundation Christian School.inote|ref=D'Amato, p. B2

Foundation Christian school opened in September 2006. It serves around 60 students between junior kindergarten and grade 8. The school offers a nondenominational Christian education, and claims that it is the first Christian school to be formed independently of a church or denomination. The school's curriculum, which also meets Ontario standards, includes Biblical creationist theory (although the school will also teach evolution as a scientific theory), morning and end-of-day prayers, religious gatherings, and religious instruction. Extracurricular activities include guitar lessons, choirs, before-school and after-school programmes, and opportunities for volunteer work.inote|ref=D'Amato, p. B1

References

*D'Amato, Luisa (August 3, 2006). "Former rural public school reborn." "The Record", Kitchener, Ontario: B1, B2
*Wintemberg, W. J. (1927). "Origin of the Place and Stream Names of Waterloo County, Ontario." "Fifteenth Annual Report of the Waterloo Historical Society":15, Waterloo, Ontario: 351–380