Irene Rigler came to Prince George with her family from Saskatchewan where her father had managed the Indian Head experimental farm. The dust storms inspired the move, she said.

The family came to British Columbia because of the opportunity provided by the government that offered land as long as the farmer could continue to develop it over the years.

Rigler said her mother wanted better for her daughters and told her she would be a teacher and she was. "It was that simple."

Rigler is now writing her memoirs and this is just one small part of what she's written so far, about the Sylvan Glade School

"It was in April 1931 that Sylvan Glade school was accredited.

The school was a 24 by 36 foot one-room log structure, boasting six tall windows facing eastward towards a field bounded by two narrow roadways.

The building was on a quarter section of lot 8775. The area is now known as Viivan Lake Resort.

There were about 12 children ready to begin school at that time. Those were the days when one-room schools could be built and remain open with a minimum of 10 students.

It was the first school in the area and the first school I attended.

Few young teachers who found themselves in charge of one-room schools in a rural district escaped without experiencing some rather odd situations.

When the teacher was hired, the children were there but the building was incomplete. Education had to begin, though, so my parents, Stanley and Mary Campbell, opened the door to our home and welcomed the children into our living room.

That was where teaching took place at Sylvan Glade for three months, until the end of June 1931.

Hilda Knight, our first-year teacher, coped with limited space and limited supplies.

She boarded in our two-bedroom home and enjoyed the hospitality of my parents.

I shared bedroom space with my younger sisters, Enid Mae, born 1933, and Joyce Marie, born 1925, in a small area of the living room. (Irene Nancy was born in 1923.)

In those years, there were few choices. I would carry water into the house from the lake and there was no electricity. Those were horse and buggy days and we were quite content with what we had. We were happy with simple pleasures and were thrilled to attend school.

My mother was a versatile homemaker who coped with the extra work load with patient endurance mixed with pleasure.

My dad was an experienced farmer who stoically carried on the business of land clearing with an aim to productive farming.

Together, they contributed to a positive learning environment in our home.

I believe they enjoyed the challenge.