School Improvement League

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School Improvement League

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The School Improvement League, established about 1943, was dedicated to improving conditions in the four city schools (Prince Street, West Kent, Queens Square, and Rochford Square) in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The League's first president was Mrs. J. Gordon (Helen) MacDonald. The School Improvement League met on a regular basis during the school year and meetings were held at member's homes until the fall of 1947. After that time, the schools, Prince of Wales College, and Charlottetown Y.M.C.A. also became regular meeting places. League meetings often included guest speakers, educational films, and lively discussions. The meetings usually closed with a lunch prepared by League members.

Through their lobbying efforts, the School Improvement League succeeded in securing improvements in the physical and sanitary conditions of the city's schools. Fire safety, acquiring needed equipment, addressing overcrowded classrooms, better salaries for teachers, and obtaining a composite high school for the city (combining academic and vocational training) were some of the issues taken up by the School Improvement League during its nine years in operation. The League also organized school activities, such as concerts, career talks, and public speaking contests, and donated student prizes. The League raised funds for its various activities through membership fees, rummage sales, and pantry sales.

In 1952, there was an Island-wide movement to organize a provincial home and school federation. The last meeting of the School Improvement League was held on 29 May 1952 at the Charlottetown Y.M.C.A. The following motion was passed: "That the organization known as the School Improvement League shall cease to function, it having been understood that, when the city schools organize Home and School Associations of their own, the work of the League would be more suitably done by them." It would appear that many of the members of the School Improvement League went on to become active members of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Home and School Associations. In fact, the first two presidents of the School Improvement League (Mrs. J. Gordon (Helen) MacDonald and Mrs. J. P. Lantz) would become the first two presidents of the Federation.

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