The War and Educational Resources

Many classes were not equipped with the supplies needed. This was especially evident during the months that the two new high schools were being built and high school classes were hosted in elementary schools. The son of two teachers from Queen Elizabeth reported that his father had to teach science without any equipment at all, while his mother taught typing without any typewriters. She had to instead work with cardboard keyboards to help the students use fingering techniques. After the school officially opened in November of 1940 there were minimal typewriters available for students, and each typing student was only able to practice on a real typewriter for roughly 15 minutes each week.¹

These supply issues extended to athletics. This is demonstrated by a student reporter when discussing the school’s excitement calling one basketball, two volleyballs, and two sets of ping-pong “the pride of the school.” Students had started league games despite not having enough equipment. In the early 1940’s Semiahmoo High School’s equipment room held only “one basketball, one baseball, and one baseball bat,” with the gymnasium only having one basketball hoop.²

Certain events were also affected by rationing requirements. The High Y girls, a club that focused on service, often sold refreshments at events in order to fundraise; rationing made this more difficult. They were only able to serve tea at the 1943 annual Visitor’s Day, due to it being saved from the prior term, before tea rations were in effect. The refreshments sold at student events, such as mixers, and track meets changed due to rationing. Hot dogs became much more popular at these functions, and a student reporter from Lord Tweedsmuir commented that the hot dogs sold at a track meet in 1943 were “a change from other years, when we were fussy about all the things sold at the refreshment booth.”³