Acknowledgements
Four people are acknowledged for their contribution to Arden Leigh School.
Acknowledgement of Sigurd Sundberg for his role in designing and supervising the construction of Arden Leigh is paramount. The building he designed was both aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound. His strong leadership as chairman of the board during the construction resulted in a facility that was completed in record time.
My father, Clarence Chandler, not only contributed to the formation of the district, but was a significant influence in the approval of building the school. Further I would like to acknowledge my deceased father for his involvement as the attendance officer, as a school trustee, often as a chairman and unofficial representative to the larger school unit. His contribution to education in a rural school in Saskatchewan is unparalleled.
My grandfather, George Sokolowski, who was illiterate in both English and Ukrainian made a significant contribution to Arden Leigh School. Prior to the construction he hosted ratepayers’ meetings at his house including the June 12th, 1935 meeting that approved the construction of the school. As well he provided the land on which the school was built, worked as a plasterer on the school and did touch-up plastering as needed. He was the janitor who was paid four dollars per month for a number of years and even lent his grandfather clock to the school when it first opened.
Previous documents have been written about Arden Leigh School #5015. My sister, Shirley (deceased), made a significant contribution as the leader of a group that prepared a document for the Arden Leigh reunion in 1982 entitled “The History and Memories of Arden Leigh School District #5015, 1934-82”. This document briefly gave the history, but more extensively gave the students’ and residents’ memories of the school. It also named the students that attended, listed the teachers and the trustees that served. This information was invaluable in preparing this history. A special thank you to Shirley and her committee for their work in retaining this piece of history.
Furthermore, this book acknowledges all the Arden Leigh ratepayers who worked to ensure that the school was open for all the years 1936-54. They were always able to obtain the funding to employ teachers which was not the case for many other schools in the province.