Ellison School and the Community - Kelowna, British Columbia - British Columbia Heritage Markers on Waymarking.com

THE PAST

Ellison School and the Community
Historically, the Ellison district was an active area of the Okanagan with settlement occurring only 13 years after the Oblate Priests built the first permanent settlement in the Mission area in 1860. Prior to the influx of settlers, the area was inhabited by migratory First Nations people and used by fur traders as a route linking the mouth of the Columbia River with trade posts to the north. Many factors other than the fur trade were responsible for attracting pioneers to the valley including the gold rush, the completion of the CPR and the promise of land for cattle ranching.

With the increase in population came the first schools to the area. Under the British Columbia Public School Act of 1872, it was required that the government provide school facilities and staff in areas where there was more than 8 children of school age residing. It was then, in 1894, that George Whelan donated an acre of land on which to build the first schoolhouse for the growing number of children in the valley. Often a teacher was secured before the school was built. When this happened, usually a local resident was willing to lend out a room in his house for the education of the pupils.

This was the case with the Ellison school, so Mr. Christien offered a room in his home to be used for teaching while construction was underway. In 1895 the one-room schoolhouse was opened and the first teacher was Miss Dorothea M. Thomson.

By 1912, there were enough children in the Ellison district to warrant a new school. The Ellison Primary School consisted of two rooms and at the time was considered very modern. It had a folding partition between the rooms that could be opened to allow for community meetings and other social events. The schoolhouse was an important building in the Ellison community and was a social focal point that held the community together.

The school hosted a stream of events through the years including concerts, recitations, skits, dances, plays done by the adults, casinos, baseball games, Cubs, Beavers and Brownies meetings. Two larger celebrations included the Centennial Celebration in 1967 and the 75th Anniversary celebration for the school held in 1987. Local residents produced a book called the Ellison District Pictorial History 1912 - 1987 and buried a time capsule on the school property. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in the year 2012 for the 100th Anniversary of the school.

The building underwent major renovations in the 1960's and remained a functioning school and community space until it was closed by the local School District in 1996.

The Present

Ellison Heritage School Community Centre
Ellison Parks and Recreation Society
A group called the Ellison Parks and Recreation Society Recreation coordinated many of the events that took place at the school. The group started out as the school PTA in 1951 and helped fund and organize school events. In 1964 they became the Ellison Parks and Recreation Society and coordinated and funded both community and school events. Later still, they became the Ellison Centennial Parks and Recreation Society in celebration of Canada’s 100th birthday and the events they coordinated.

In 2000, Ellison Parks and Recreation Society partnered with the Regional District of the Okanagan to renovate the old school house. The Society has been involved since the beginning involved from the beginning of the project by sitting on a steering, completing a concept plan for the renovations and by working as volunteers to renovate the school. The Ellison Paths and Recreation Society will continue to operate the hall on behalf of the community.
The School Today:
Ellison Heritage School Community Centre
Ellison Primary School remains a landmark in the community today. As a matter of fact, when you fly into the Kelowna Airport the Primary School is one of the first building identified from the Sky.

Ellison Primary School is now called the Ellison Heritage School Community Centre. It has been renovated and restored to include a new fire department administration office, a rural police station, and office space for the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue Society and a community hall on the main floor.

From the Sign near the Building