Lord Byng Elementary School

Infobox Education in Canada
name= Lord Byng Elementary


imagesize= 200px
motto=
motto_translation=
streetaddress= 3711 Georgia St
city= Richmond
province= British Columbia
postalcode= V7E 6M3
areacode= 604
phone= 668-6649
fax= 668-6657
email=
url= [http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~ByngWeb Official school site]
schoolnumber= 3838005
schoolboard= School District 38 Richmond
superintendent=
trustee=
affiliation=
principal= Deb Collins
viceprincipal= Joanne Rooney
administrator=
staff=
fundingtype= Public
schooltype= Elementary school
grades= K-7
language=
area=
mascot=
teamname=
colours=
founded=
enrollment= 343
enrollment_as_of= January 16 2006

Lord Byng Elementary School in the Steveston neighbourhood of Richmond, British Columbia, is an elementary school named after The Lord Byng of Vimy, the Governor General of Canada from 1921 to 1926.

It is located at 3711 Georgia Street. As of 2008, the current school principal is Deb Collins, and the vice-principal is Joanne Rooney.

=History=

The Steveston School

Parents in Steveston objected to their children having to walk over a mile to the one-room school at the corner of No.2 Rd. and No. 9 Rd. (now Steveston Highway). Classes were held in the Opera House, Maggie Quinn's ice cream parlor on Second Avenue, the Methodist Mission, and at least two private homes at various times. In 1897, B.C. Lands donated a two-acre lot between Pleasant and Georgia Streets east of Second Avenue, and a new Steveston School was built. In 1902 the Steveston School spent $759.95 for all costs. A teacher's salary was $50 a month. The first teachers, in order, were Miss Alice Blake, Mr. Blair, and Mr. J.A. Rowe. Lord Byng Elementary School now stands on the original school property. (CRA)

The First Lord Byng School at Steveston

In 1921 construction began on this four-room school. The two eastern rooms were completed by 1922. In that year the Richmond School Board agreed to teach Japanese- Canadian children, and the Japanese community of Steveston raised several thousand dollars to finish the school building. The school was renamed Lord Byng School to honour the Governor General of Canada. Classes were also held in the two-room Steveston School and its third room addition at the back. While the school was integrated, some early classes were exclusively made up of Japanese-speaking students. Among the teachers were Elsie Esplin (Hunter), Elva Carson (Mooreside), Jessie Steves (Hall), Greta McKenzie (Cheverton), and Hide Hyodo (Shimizu). (CRA).

The Second Lord Byng School

By 1928 the existing school was overcrowded. The provincial Department of Education promised to match whatever money the community could raise towards the cost of a new building. In 1930 the new 14-room, 2-story Lord Byng School was built with $20,000 raised by the Japanese community in Steveston, a $20,000 government grant, and $8,000 from the Richmond School Board for furnishings. Steveston's Japanese community also contributed $700 each year for light, heat, and janitor services in exchange for being allowed to hold Japanese language classes in the building. When the Japanese Canadians were evacuated in 1942, the student population at Lord Byng dropped from 550 to 137, and sixteen teachers were laid off. (HS).

The Third Lord Byng School

The second Lord Byng School was destroyed by fire in 1946. The third Lord Byng School was built on the same site with the same floor plan but the peaked roof was replaced by a flat one. The official reopening took place on March 25, 1948.

Present

In 1995 the fourth Lord Byng School was built on the original site of the 'Little School' (First Lord Byng), and the Third Lord Byng building was demolished.

References

* [http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=search_record_detail&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000127&rd=63035&hs=0&sy=cat&st=&ci=270 Steveston Recollections]
* [http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000117&sl=2319&pos=1 School Yard Memories]

External links

* [http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~ByngWeb Official school site]

chool Reports - Ministry of Education

* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/class_size/03838005.pdf Class Size]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/sat_survey/2005/03838005.pdf Satisfaction Survey]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/school_perf/03838005.pdf School Performance]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/fsa/03838005.pdf Skills Assessment]