A Short History of Pelham District High School

By R.V. Howard

[Pnyx 1960]

Pelham Continuation School opened in 1922, thirty-eight years ago, with an enrollment of seven pupils and one teacher, Miss Margaret Bonis, Miss Bonis taught Lower school subjects in one room of the old Fenwick Public School where E.W. Farr was the Principal. The School Trustees of S.S. #9 Pelham at the time were George Kappler, Merrelle Stirtzinger and Norman Swayze. They had been supported in the plan to have high school subjects taught in Fenwick by two well known residents, Fred Morgan and Arthur Armbrust. And by others whose children had to go  back and forth to Smithville High School on the train where their conduct was not commendable.

The new school crew rapidly,. In 1924 a second teacher Miss Margaret Metler, joined the staff; another room was opened in the I.O.O.F. Hall, and Middle school subjects were taught. As there were forty-eight pupils by the spring of 1926, the Department of Education, in March, declared that the  temporary quarters could no longer be approved.

Accordingly between March and September of that year the ratepayers held many meetings to debate the question of S.S.#9 Pelham taking on the responsibility of supporting, by itself a secondary school. As usual in such debates there was opposition because of the  cost. But a school had to be  built somewhere in the district. The pressure of increased school population was forcing similar action throughout the province.

One factor in the increase was that the Ontario Legislature, because of heightened appreciation of the value of education after the  First World War, had passed the Attendance Act of  1921 raising provision for increased grants to the secondary schools from the province and from the county.

The feeling of the majority of the voters in S.S.#9 was shown by the election to the school board of two men who favored building a school in Fenwick. These were Mr. William Julian, who began a  twenty-five year term of office in 1925, and Mr. W.E. Boyes, who came on the board in 1926 to serve, as a trustee for twenty-one years.

A point of historical interest in connection with the finances of the district is that the public schools of  the Township of Pelham had a revenue, which still amounts to $800 a year, from the interest on investments made with the money received from the  sale of Clergy Reserves.

But much greater sums than $800 were needed from the province, the county and other municipalities to carry on high school work and to build a school. The ratepayers  argued these points back and forth until they finally decided to build a school.