1920: 1921 - Oyama School—High School

By 1921 the Oyama community felt that it needed a high school. An extra classroom was added to the back of the Oyama School at a cost of $6,000.

The high school went from grade nine to grade eleven, which was matriculation at that time. Later, grade twelve was added. Mr. Bendrodt was the first high school teacher and he conducted classes in the kitchen of the Community Hall for the first few months until the new room was finished.

Until 1945 Oyama had the only high school between Vernon and Rutland. In 1924 students from Winfield were allowed to attend high school in Oyama but were limited in number to the capacity of the room. They also had to pay tuition, paid by the parents and/or the Winfield School Board, to the Oyama School Board. Students travelled from Winfield to Oyama in the ‘Winfield School Bus’ which was a car driven by Eldred Berry. Later some students came by bicycle because there wasn’t enough room in the car.

In 1922 water pipes were installed and a drinking fountain was put in the main hallway upstairs.

Most of the teachers at that time were boarded with families in Oyama.

Source: Bernardo, Sandra. The Histories of Winfield, Oyama, Okanagan Centre and the Commonage Schools.

See also: 1905, 1910, 1915, 1935, 1945, 1955, 1960, 1970, 1975, and 2000.