Parkdale School was a city centre K-9 public school located in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...
. Built in 1912, it is one of Edmonton's oldest schools. Parkdale was one of seven schools belonging to the
Edmonton Public Schools
Edmonton Public Schools (legally Edmonton School Division) is the largest public school division in Edmonton, the second largest in Alberta, and the sixth largest in Canada. The division offers a variety of alternative and special needs programs, ...
City Centre Education Project.
During its final years of operation, Parkdale was one of five Edmonton Public Schools that operated on a modified school calendar. Students attended classes the same number of days as other schools, but breaks were spread differently throughout the year. Instead of the customary two month summer holiday that is enjoyed by other Edmonton students, Parkdale’s summer holiday was condensed to five weeks in July. The intent of the modified school year was to keep students engaged and able to retain knowledge easier after breaks.
Roughly 60% of Parkdale students were of
aboriginal heritage, and the school's programs and methods often reflected this. Aboriginal awareness and culture were integrated into classroom learning. Optional
Cree language
Cree (also known as Cree– Montagnais–Naskapi) is a dialect continuum of Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Alberta to Labrador. If considered one language, it is th ...
and
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
culture courses were offered to its grade 7-9 students.
Architecture
Parkdale was built in 1912 for $1,000,000. Its
Collegiate Gothic
Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...
style is considered an uninspired version of the
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
design and was common for educational buildings built in Canada from 1900 to 1925. The three-storey building constructed of brick and Bedford trim features a crenulated roof line,
Tudor arches,
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
ing, a crest inscribed with the construction date, and traditional separate entrances for boys and girls.
In 1919, to ease overcrowding at other area schools, four classrooms were added to the third floor. In 1957 a $805,000 gymnasium was built on the east side of the building. The fourth floor gymnasium was converted into classrooms and a library.
History
1912 fire
Parkdale School was scheduled to open on April 13, 1913, but was delayed a month due to a fire which cost more than $20,000. The mythological
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
was chosen as the school mascot because it symbolizes their principle, rising from the ashes, and Parkdale School rose from ashes too.
Closing
Parkdale School was closed on June 19, 2010. The subject received much controversy from concerned parents and people who live close by. The building is currently leased to Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and is being used as their main office.
Students
*Edgar (Spike) Millen, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
officer who was killed in 1932 by
Albert Johnson—the Mad Trapper of Rat Creek—studied at Parkdale from 1913-1920.
*Seven members of the
Edmonton Grads
The Edmonton Grads were a Canadian women's basketball team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada active from 19121940. The team continues to hold the North American record for the women's sports team with the best winning percentage. The Grads won the ...
girls basketball team first played the game in Parkdale's third floor gymnasium before moving on to McDougall Commercial High School. At one point the Grads starting line-up was composed of all Parkdale girls. From 1915 to 1940, the Grads won 502 of 522 games, held 108 local, provincial, national, and international titles.
*Dr. Boris Boyko, joined the
Glen Sather
Glen Cameron “Slats” Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers ...
Sports Medicine Clinic as a consultant in 1994. He has served as an
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
team doctor and is currently an
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
medical staff member.
*W.P. Kinsella, Author of many novels including the baseball novel "Shoeless Joe", later turned into the motion picture
Field of Dreams
''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel '' Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...
attended at least grade 9 at Parkdale School in 1949.
References
{{Reflist
External links
City Centre Education ProjectEdmonton Public School BoardCommunity partnerships
Bent Arrow Traditional Healing SocietyBig Brothers Big Sisters of Canada In-School MentoringThe Family CentreUnited Way's Partners for Kids
Middle schools in Edmonton
Elementary schools in Edmonton
Educational institutions established in 1912
1912 establishments in Alberta
Educational institutions disestablished in 2010
2010 disestablishments in Alberta