Yukon who is who

Laura Stanger, nee Harris

Laura Harris was a payroll officer at Camp Bordon, Ontario when she met her future husband Charles Stanger. Charles was still in the military when he was stationed in Whitehorse and he and Laura started their family there.¹⁾ Charles studied at St. John’s College, Winnipeg, University of Manitoba, and was then ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church. He came to Christ Church, Whitehorse in 1950 as curate in charge and shortly after [1951] was appointed principal of the Chooutla School in Carcross. The federal government built and opened the new residential school in 1954 and the Stangers made the transition from the old buildings to the new.²⁾

In 1951/52, Laura Stanger started the Beginners class with 14 pupils to teach social skills and ease unprepared students of all ages into Grade 1. The room was small, so she had seven students on the morning and seven in the afternoon. Boys and girls were probably separated.³⁾ Some of the beginner students were young teen-agers without any pre-school pencil and paper skills.⁴⁾

In 1953/54, Laura Stanger continued to teach a Beginners class, of 17 students this year. They used two log buildings, the first by the lagoon and the second across the yard from the principal’s residence. The pupils in the first few levels were taught here as well. The building had been a hen house and then a residence for Principal Ellis for a year. Mrs. Stanger’s own children went to the school with her. Judy worked on her Grade 1 correspondence course and John was part of the regular Beginner’s class.⁵⁾ Miss. Betty David arrived from Ottawa and was temporarily helping Mrs. Stanger at the school.⁶⁾

In 1956, Chooutla had over 120 resident students and four teachers. Mrs. Stanger taught primary and Grade 1. Mrs. Carr taught Grades 2 and 3. Mr. Pesklivets taught Grades 4 and 5, and Mr. Buckle taught Grades 6 through 8. Principal Stanger was in charge of the school staff and everything that went on in the school plus he looked after all the religious instruction.⁷⁾

The Stangers and their two children, Judy and John, moved to Alberta in 1956 where Reverend Stanger became principal of St. Cyprians Indian School in the diocese of Calgary.⁸⁾

Mrs. Laura Stanger wrote a self-published book in 2012 reflecting on her time at the Chootla school.⁹⁾