DSBN News:   More Previous Next

History of Princess Elizabeth Public School

The present school structure with the exception of the school gymnasium was erected in 1949. Princess Elizabeth Public School was one of six elementary schools operated in Crowland Township by the Crowland Township Board of Education : Area one.

The addition of a gymnasium in the early 1960's allowed conversion of the existing gymnasium into the present library resource area .

The school initially operated as a dual track language facility, educating both Franco and Anglophone populations Kindergarten to grade 8 . In fact, the majority of the population was Francophone, which led to the creation of a French Language School in 1961.During this time the school building housed the Crowland Township board officers, which eventually moved to King Street in Welland.

In 1965, Princess Elizabeth Public School became a Welland Board of Education structure, and with regional reorganization in 1969, became a part of Niagara South Board of Education. In 1981 the school was designated an English language facility with a Kindergarten to grade 6 population. Intermediate pupils attended Plymouth senior school. With the creation of kindergarten to grade 8 public school in 1982, the school added a grade 7 section in September of that year, and a grade 8 the following year. The closure of Welland south school in 1984 altered the boundary definitions for Princess Elizabeth.

A perusal of the school principals’ list perhaps helps identify some transition from dual track to French to English language education at Princess Elizabeth. To some extent, the return to the school roots occurred in September 1987 with the placement of a grade 7 French Immersion class at Princess Elizabeth. This program was extended to grade 8 in September 1988, grade 5 in 1991 and grade 6 in September 1992. Major maintenance records for the school show the new gymnasium, new furnace, plumbing, electrical updating and landscaping (tree planting for the Canadian centennial) and new windows. During the 1994-95 school year the existing paint room was redesigned to be used as a staff resource room.