Understanding my appreciation for documenting historic and cultural sites, I was invited to explore and photograph Riverside School as it looked in its final few months of operation. Similar to the former Earl Kitchener School, which was also built in 1916, the cost to modernize and maintain the building are cited as the main reasons for closure. While the future of the building remains unknown at this time, it will cease to be a public school come June.
Riverside School is an interesting mish-mash of history rolled into a modern school. Smart boards cover blackboards, computer stations are fitted where the original architects never would have considered them, and simple things like wood stain separate the original part of the school with the expansion that was added to the back in the 1950s. In many ways the classrooms aren't dramatically different from other elementary schools, and yet, for any of the thousands of kids who went here over the decades I can imagine that nostalgia clearly sets them apart.
Much like when I photographed Medicine Hat High School prior to its massive renovation last year, there's always a bit of sadness in seeing a chapter come to a close. However, it is the change that keeps things interesting and progressing. No doubt, Riverside School will be missed, especially as things start getting packed up in the months ahead.
Enjoy this visual exploration of the school as it was, and stay tuned for the second half of my images from Riverside School when they go live here. Also, explore even more Medicine Hat history and original photo essays by checking out my Around the Hat photo series.
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| Boys entrance and the back expansion added in the 1950s. |
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| Girls entrance. |
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| New school bell and old school bell. |
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| Kids heights marked on the wall in the gym. |
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| Brick mural by James Marshall. |
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| Riverside School cornerstone laid on December 11, 1916. |
4 comments :
Thank you for sharing these nostalgic pictures, I attended a likewise named school in Calgary from grades 4 to 6
What will become of this school? I love that you document the dinosaurs of our world.
I attended this school from in 1942/43, grade 5 and 6. I had to walk a long way from just past the Railroad Bridge to school, and one winter I remember my ears froze black! Was there a principal name Allergoth? Pardon the spelling, but the name is familiar. Thanks for these pictures and others of Midicine Hat from those days. Brings back a lot of memories.
The cornerstone for Riverside was laid by my grandmother, Jean Williamson, who was the first female school trustee in the Hat. My father and mother were also teachers in the Hat. Yes, there certainly was a Henry Allergoth who was no doubt a principal at one time. He also operated the Allergoth Lodge at Elkwater and developed the ski hill there.
Donna Williamson Quick
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