Woodworking Club (1936-37): When P.S.H. was granted an addition from the government thanks to Mr. Sheffield, one of the amenities that was being added was a woodworking and metal shop. This intention of this shop was to teach the boys of the high school practical skills that they could use on the farm or in their professional career. Mr. Mellado was the Industrial Arts and Farm Mechanics teacher at P.S.H., and he was the teacher who started the woodworking club on campus [1]. One of the many things that this club did was provide furnishings for the community and the school. There is mention in one of the student newspapers in 1938, that the woodworking club had finished building a bookshelf for the library to store their reference books on. This indicates that the students in this club were resourceful, as they were able to build a presumably sturdy shelf using whatever wood they had available to them. This is just one example of the usefulness of having a practical extracurricular club, such as the woodworking club [2].
Hi Y Club (1936-37 and 1937-38): This club was created with the goal of promoting school spirit through the creation of activities and school events. The initial event of the club, which was led by Ms. Lehman in co-ordination with the United Church, was a candlelit ceremony in which the girls of the club pledged to “live a richer, fuller, and more worth-while life”. In the initial years, this club was responsible for setting up many different fundraisers for the school. Likewise, there were also conferences all over the Pacific Northwest for members of this club to attend in order to gain ideas to improve life at the school. In the 1937-38 school year, students of P.S.H. attended conferences in Seattle, Portland, and Calgary, all with the goal of making the school a better place for the students. However, as the school grew this club was eventually abandoned, despite high initial interest and involvement from the students [3].
The Geography Club (1938-39): This club formed in the 1938-39 school year with the goal of learning about different areas of our planet. For this year, the topic of study was Africa, and the students, under the guidance of Ms. York, were keen to learn. Beth White was the President and Mary Courtman was the Secretary, and they did a great job and creating an engaging and thought provoking club. The tag line for the geography club, likely created in a bid to get more members, was “the combination, work and play, is what makes the geography club so fun”. Despite the initial success and positivity generated by the geography club, it was only around for this school year [4].
First Aid Club (1940-41 – 1943-44): This club consisted of twenty members who had the goal of learning the basics of first aid. It was composed of girls and boys of P.S.H. and they were eager to learn the basics of first aid. In order to secure funding for their club, as they had no teacher sponsor, they organized various fundraisers throughout the school year. The girls for instance, held a candy sale, with the goal of raising five dollars, to allow for them to buy some supplies. Later on in the year, the boys played the girls in a basketball game, with the girls dressed up as “the moderns” and the boys dressed as elderly women. The funds raised from this game purchased blankets and a stretcher for the club. In the years after its inception, the First Aid Club became focused on aiding in the war effort. The yearbook of 41-42 states that “today there is a great national need is felt for citizens that are trained First Aiders. We of the First Aid Club feel that we are preforming a patriotic duty by making ourselves capable of such a service to our country” [5]. In the year following in 1943-44, the First Aid Club became integrated with the Cadets, but it is noted that there was not much of a following this year and they club felt as though they were barely noticed [6].
References
[1] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1936-37, The Reach Gallery & Museum.
[2] Student Activities At Sheffield High School, Abbotsford, Sumas & Matsqui News, 1937. The Reach Gallery & Museum.
[3] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1936-37, The Reach Gallery & Museum.
[4] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1938-39, The Reach Gallery & Museum.
[5] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1941-42, The Reach Gallery & Museum.
[6] Philip Sheffield High School Annual 1943-44, The Reach Gallery & Museum.