Fonds glen-2706 - Beatrice Shand fonds

Beatrice E.G. Shand, 1888-1978, was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, the eldest of five daughters. She was educated at Acadia Girls School and King's College, and then worked as a teacher in eastern Canada. In the early 1930s she was headmistress of the International School in Yokohama, Japan. In 1937 she moved to Calgary, Alberta where she served as headmistress of St. Hilda's School for Girls until it closed in 1949. During her time at St. Hilda's, the number of students increased from 82 to over 100, and the number of boarders from 11 to 39. She subsequently taught in Ottawa. She retired to Windsor, where her youngest sister, Katharine Shand, cared for her until her death.

Bow Valley School, a Protestant boarding school for girls, was opened in Calgary, Alberta in 1904. At the suggestion of Bishop Pinkham, it was moved to Anglican church property and renamed St. Hilda's College after the girl's school in England. The curriculum stressed the humanities with an emphasis on languages, social studies, art, music and religious instruction. Physical education featured tennis and gymnastics, and sewing and mending were taught on Saturdays. In 1924, it became a non-denominational school and changed its name to St. Hilda's School for Girls. Principals of the school included Mrs. Gerrie-Smith, Laura Shibly, Dorothy Cleveland, Sara Macdonald, and Beatrice Shand. Marion Chattey was the head matron for many years. The school closed in 1949. For further information see the chapter about St. Hilda's in Nil Nisi Optimum : The History of Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School / Sharon Mercer. -- Calgary : Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, 2005, p. 8-31.