S-162 conventionDeclaration detailLevel http://ica-atom.org/doc/RS-2#5.4 Partial Non-IRSSA School Non-Denominational Image: [The Rooms Archives, Item Number **IGA 4-33**](http://gencat.eloquent-systems.com/therooms_permalink.html?key=131193) History: Procter, Andrea. 2020. [A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland](https://memorialuniversitypress.ca/Books/A/A-Long-Journey). St. John’s: ISER/Memorial University Press. North West River (Yale) Residential School conventionDeclaration Yale Boarding School conventionDeclaration 1926-10-093 - 1980 North West River, Labrador

School history courtesy of [A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland](https://memorialuniversitypress.ca/Books/A/A-Long-Journey) *

By the early 1900s and, with the success of the Labrador Public School at Muddy Bay, it was decided that a similar school be constructed at North West River, Labrador. Dr. Harry Paddon was instrumental in the planning and fundraising events necessary for the school, through the International Grenfell Association (IGA). Yale school opened on October 3, 1926 with 16 boarding students. The school offered education for children in nearby communities and day students from North West River. In the next two years, the IGA would build two small, cottage-like dormitories to house the students.

These dormitories did not have indoor plumbing and did not have a large number of staff or domestic workers. The school was not physically separated from the community, but part of it. The children from the outlying communities joined children from North West River in the classroom.

Schooling was not compulsory until 1942, and attendance was not enforced until after Confederation with Canada in 1949 when school officials could threaten to take away family allowance payments if parents did not send their children to school.

A new, more modern, Yale school building replaced the worn-out building in 1948.

By the 1950s, as larger numbers of children began to attend the school, the smaller dormitories were replaced with a larger, more institutional building. The new dormitory had indoor plumbing and central heating. The new building accommodated 52 students in four rooms that divided the children into older and younger boys and girls.

By the 1970s, a high school and senior dormitory had opened and the original Yale school became an elementary school for Kindergarten to Grade 6. The older dormitory became known as the Junior Dormitory, housing children between the ages of 6 and 12. The once staff house became the Infants’ Home for preschool-aged children who had been apprehended by social services.

While the school aimed to provide children with an academic education, the IGA also set out to instill the social values and skills promoted by the school’s staff. The intent was the same for all institutional schools – to separate children from their home environments, and teach a colonial way of life.

School attendance was voluntary until 1942, however Grenfell staff sometimes used their stature to pressure parents to send their children to school. The pressure became even greater after Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949. Threatened with the withdrawal of the newly created family allowance bonus, parents often found themselves in a very difficult position.

Children living at Yale were expected to do many chores throughout the day. In the earlier days, chores were divided by gender: the girls kept the dormitory and school clean during the week. They would make beds, learn how to cook, set the table for mealtime, heat water on the wood stove, and hang clothes on the line. They would iron clothes, scrub and wax the floors, clean and fill the lamps. The boys brought water and wood.

When the new buildings opened in the 1950s, chores became mixed, and were no longer necessarily divided by gender.

Students attending Yale School varied in age, and all had different experiences, but the shock of being immersed in a foreign and institutional environment was experienced by all children. Many children experienced and suffered from homesickness and loneliness upon arrival at school.

Sadly, dormitory life opened up opportunities for abuse to occur and the effects of such situations has had a lifelong impact on many individuals and communities. Some of the children suffered physical, verbal and sexual abuse from older students as well as from staff. Lack of supervision, a blind respect for authority and societal acceptance of male sexual violence often created these opportunities for abuse and assault.

For many children from coastal communities, integration in North West River was a difficult experience. Many children felt a sense of alienation upon arrival to the community.

Many students found returning home very difficult and adjusting to home life again was hard. While they looked forward to re-joining their parents and families, the transition back to the community was often painful and confusing, and some recalled that they felt like an outsider. The time away from family often left a disconnect that was difficult to rebuild. People at home sometimes sensed that the students had adopted a new and disparaging attitude towards their Inuit heritage and that caused some resentment. Many returning students felt ashamed of their Inuit heritage.

Not all experiences at Yale School and dormitory were negative. In some cases, children developed close friendships for mutual support and protection in the dormitory. Some students developed lasting relationships with the teachers and staff as well.

Only time frame after Confederation with Canada (April 1, 1949) included in Newfoundland and Labrador residential schools Settlement Agreement.

Newfoundland and Labrador