COLUMN: Carillon Flashback July 19, 1967 – Niverville teacher honoured at Carmichael School reunion

It was Monday, Sept. 10, 1928, that Cornelius David “C.D.” Toews signed the school register at Niverville’s Carmichael School for the first time as a teacher.

He continued to sign in in that capacity for the next eight years, serving his final term there in 1936-37.

That is a long time ago, and generally speaking, one forgets people when they leave a district for that length of time, but even after 30 years, former students of “C.D.” have not forgotten a teacher they hold in high regard.

A group of these former students began planning a reunion to pay tribute to the Carmichael teacher, who now lives in British Columbia, deciding it should be held during Canada’s centennial year.

After much discussion, the present school board of the district finalized plans for the reunion at the Niverville Elementary School on Sunday, July 16.

C.D. Toews, who is now a pastor in British Columbia, came out for the occasion, bringing Anna, his bride of a few months, with him.

The day was one of reminiscing. During the eight years Toews was at Carmichael, he instructed 91 pupils from 26 different families. Five of his former Carmichael pupils have since passed away.

It was recalled too, that Toews’ salary range had been from $450 to $950 per year. In order to keep his household going, he had a small farm as a sideline, keeping some chickens, bees and a cow, which helped to make ends meet.

Toews got his first experience as a farm-hand early on in life in Russia. He attended the village school there as a child, and in his teens he took music lessons, which he paid for by foraging for feed for his teacher’s horse.

On July 3, 1926, Cornelius and his first wife, Anna, arrived in Quebec City, and traveled to southern Manitoba to work on a farm. They moved to Gretna, where Cornelius enrolled in the Mennonite Collegiate Institute to learn English. Toews then attended the Winnipeg Normal School and was hired to teach in the rural school near Niverville in 1928.

The Niverville Mennonite Brethren Church ordained Toews to the ministry on July 12, 1936. He accepted a teaching position in the Niverville Public School in 1937.

In 1943, the Mennonite Central Committee invited Toews to move to Yarrow, BC to serve as chaplain to conscientious objectors working in the BC Forest Service Camps.

About 35 of Toews’ former students arrived to take part in the July 16 reunion program, coming from British Columbia, Alberta, Petersfield, Winnipeg, Steinbach and Niverville. They thanked Mr. Toews for patience he had had with them, as a young teacher.

Toews did not just teach the “Three Rs”, but being musically inclined, organized a school choir as well. At the reunion, 16 former members of the school choir joined Toews on the stage, to sing a few hymns, as part of an afternoon program at the Niverville Elementary School.

Fourteen of the former students at the reunion took part in a panel discussion, reminiscing about the happenings at the school during the eight years Toews taught there.

Discipline was one of the topics discussed, and they all agreed Mr. Toews had had a way of keeping things orderly without too much of an effort. Eyes all around him, and they got away with very little mischief behind his back, someone remarked.

A few mentioned lessons they would never forget, on different subjects also in the German and in the Religious periods. Occasions such as the outing to the neighboring bush, Christmas concerts, preparing for the concerts and the picnic were school day highlights touched upon.

Several members of the school board during those years are still living in the district, including P.H. Hiebert, John E. Derksen and Jacob K. Friesen, who attended the reunion.

Rev. Abe Neufeld, a former student, closed the afternoon program by saying he was glad to take part in the reunion and to see so many former friends and classmates, not forgetting the five former students who had passed away.

After the closing hymn and prayer, everyone went to the Carmichael school grounds, where they enjoyed a visit and a barbecue. The old school registers were there to look at, and Carillon correspondent Betty Giesbrecht said it was touching to see all the former students and their teachers just sitting or standing around there, reminiscing.