The Rondeau School Picnic will return Aug. 23, celebrating one of Manitoba’s few remaining country schoolhouses and raising funds to help preserve it.
The event begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Inwood-area landmark. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, a dish for the potluck and cash for the canteen. The afternoon will feature foot races, a nail-pounding competition, a water balloon toss, tug-of-war, and entertainment by Diamond Disc Dogs with Steve and Cindy. A silent auction will raise money to put new siding on the building.
First built in 1907, Rondeau School served generations of students before closing in 1967. That day left a lasting impression on former student and teacher Freida Jorheim.
“On the last day of school, I sat on the steps after all the children left and the birds were singing in the bush and it was so peaceful and so quiet and the school seemed to be so lonely,” she said. “I said that morning, ‘you’ll never leave your foundation as long as I’m around.’”
Jorheim kept her promise. She formed a committee to save the building from being sold or demolished. Over the years, the group—now eight members—has secured grants and held fundraisers to keep the school standing.
About four years ago, they reshingled the roof, and last year they installed new steps.
Jorheim, who taught at Rondeau in the 1950s and 1960s, remembers the tight-knit school community.
“We walked two miles to school. There were no buses at that time. Just a dirt country road, no cars,” she said. “The teacher also walked to school. They came and boarded in the community at one of the family’s homes. The older children helped the younger ones.”
She also recalls concerts and dances to raise money for student gifts. “Santa Claus always came in at the end of the program and gave everybody a present,” she said.
Now, more than 100 years after it was built, Rondeau remains a gathering place—one the committee is determined to protect.
“I was able to keep my promise to the old school,” said Jorheim. “There was so much history in it, I didn’t want to just see a bit of boards and stones left there if they had moved it or ruined it. Our little committee worked hard to keep it there.”
