School History
GLENBORO SCHOOL 1960 - Present
The current Glenboro School complex has evolved from three building programs. The original cinder block constructed building of eight classrooms and a multipurpose gym/theatre was built in 1960. As student population grew with consolidation of surrounding country schools, an addition of ten classrooms was added in 1969. Later it was decided to combine the high school and elementary into a K-XII complex resulting in a third building program in 1973. This saw the addition of the high school wing which included a full sized Gymnasium, Library, Home Economics Lab, two Industrial Arts Shops, classroom space, Business Education Center, and Science Labs. The latest development has been the addition of a modern technology lab as well as the advent of an IITV classroom providing interactive audio and visual access to schools throughout the division. Glenboro School was originally part of the Tiger Hills School Division. In the late 90's, an amalgamation was formed with neighboring Pembina Valley School Division, and eventually the union to be named Prairie Spirit School Division. A few years later from there, Mountain School Division joined in with Prairie Spirit. Prairie Spirit School Division currently has 28 schools and approximately 2100 students.
Academically, over the years, Glenboro School has had great success. The school has produced its share of doctors, nurses, teachers, trades people, and other professionals. The academic area has always been well represented. In the 1970's and early 1980's, Glenboro School was a powerhouse in the Reach for the Top competitions. The school team, coached by Carl Plohman, constantly won over schools of much greater population and our school even represented Manitoba at the national championships in P.E.I. The success of the programme was attributed to the hard work of the students and the organization and dedication of Coach Carl Plohman. Glenboro School has also done very well in regional Math contests, Essay contests, Science fairs, Art competitions and the latest of course, the Manitoba Provincial Exams.
Glenboro School has had a solid record of providing extracurricular programmes for the students of the area. Over the years activities have gone through an evolution, but many remain strong and viable. Some activities however have disappeared because of the drop in the student population of the school. A population that has seen a decrease from about 520 in the early '70's to about 205 in 2015. One programme that has come and gone is the Tiger Hills Division Band which had seen many participants from Glenboro travel over to Holland for the band practices. At present, a choir programme has been re-established under the direction of Meagan McGill. Our choir program involves students from Grade 1 up through Grade 12. Drama has always been popular at the school. Plays have been directed by such people as Helen Levi, Liz Bronson, Ryan Diehl, Gail Hamilton, Meagan McGill, Marilyn Cullen and many others who have provided assistance. Productions of three evenings are now necessary because of the current interest and support from the public. The student councils have always been active in the school and have provided many opportunities for the students to enjoy school life while pursuing their studies. The Woods and Home Economics programmes continue to be a part of the school curriculum. Other successful programmes and activities offered at the school include the Recycling programme, the Volunteer programme, Rachel's Challenge Group, We Day Group, Youth in Philanthropy Group, Guitar Club, student exchange, and the Parent Advisory Council. All of the extracurricular programmes have contributed to the family atmosphere and school pride that can be found in the school community.
Glenboro School has always been active on the sports scene. The football programme was very popular at one time as the team has won 4 league banners and has participated in the provincial championships. Volleyball is still a popular sport at the school with the boys’ team winning numerous zone championships and competing in the provincials where they have been to the "Final Four" many times. Many provincial boys' volleyball championship banners hang on the south side of the "Pantherdome". The team was coached by Daryl Ford from 1975-2008. Daryl incidentally was recently inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Association Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. The boys' Panther volleyball team is now under the capable direction of Keith Braaksma. The girls' volleyball team have won quite a number of provincial titles, in 1994 under Kevin Newton, 2001 under Rick Scott, followed several times by Angie Gudnason (nee Tosh), and Karen Kirk (nee Rawlings). The basketball programme has been going for as long a time as the volleyball programme. The boys' programme has won multiple provincial titles in 1998 and 1999 under Coach Rick Scott and numerous times under Mr. Ryan Diehl. The girls, coached by Sharon Prost, have had many successful years, winning the provincial championship banner five times. Junior varsity programs in volleyball and basketball have also been very competitive at the zone and provincial level as well. Track and Field has seen many successes with numerous athletes coming home from provincial championship track meets with medals of one colour or another. Perhaps one of the high points for the programme occurred when our school won the Provincial Jr. Girls' title at the provincial track meet in 2001. Fastball remains popular with the girls as does baseball with the boys. In recent years, baseball, curling, golf and hockey have been added to the list of teams in the school. The hockey programme was started by Corey Forbes, our current Phys. ed. teacher, and is currently in a co-op venture with Carberry Collegiate and Baldur School. . Golf in the fall, has also been very successful, both at the Zone 6 and provincial level. Curling is no different. Alexis Einarson and Marilyn Cullen head up our curling program at the middle years’ and senior levels. Besides all of these senior programmes, the school has also provided a full slate of sports for the middle years' and junior varsity students, all of which have created interest in the senior teams. Many of our athletes and coaches have participated on Provincial, College, and University teams. Both have also been recognized in numerous ways at regional and provincial award ceremonies. The Glenboro Panthers remain strong and viable, certainly something that our school is most proud of.
In 2013, the community of Glenboro having worked together over two previous years, put in a world class playground facility on the elementary playground. On September 21st, 140 community members showed up on a Saturday morning to put in a wonderful facility that includes a commercial play structure, 10 bay swing area, amphitheatre, outdoor classroom, creative play space, natural play space, large community gathering space sign, and a 100 x 400 foot arboretum with 140 trees planted!
In 2015, a Coat of Arms was designed and established as the official logo for our school – along with the Panther. The coat of arms has representation using the following symbols:
Spruce tree & crocus - the geographical location and proximity to Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Open book - the school’s commitment to academic excellence
Atomic symbol – representing the use of technology
Wheat - the farming culture and history/heritage of the area
Treble clef – representation of the “arts”.
Panthers & medals - the many sports played by students at Glenboro School and the high level at which they compete
Three stars on either side of the top banner - the three buildings that were combined to create the existing facility. The first portion built in 1960. The Coat of Arms was designed by a Glenboro School alumni student, Paige Murray.
Glenboro School has always been a wonderful place to teach and work. Many teachers, administrators, and support staff have spent a good portion of their professional careers working at Glenboro School. The principal positions of Glenboro School have been held by Ruth Christie, Thor Sigurdson, Larry McCrady, Garth McIntyre, Doug Metcalfe, Tony Martin, Ken Karlander, Kevin Newton and currently Ryan Diehl. For teachers, the hallways and classrooms have been monitored by personnel too many to mention. The support staff, including our admin. assistant, continue to work hard providing an alternative, inclusive, and adaptive environment for all students. The custodians at the same time take great pride in our school being one of the cleanest and most well maintained buildings in the province! The relationships all staff have fostered with students, peers, and community citizens have been special and life-long.
In closing, Glenboro School has no doubt left a legacy in the minds of many people as they spent time in one form or another related to the building. The pride, the tradition, the caring, the relationships, the culture... they have all impacted so many in a multitude of ways. This history only lays the foundation for the wonderful opportunities of the students that are yet to walk through the doors in the years to come!
