The History of Emma King! 

Emma King was born in England on June 29, 1858. She immigrated to Canada with her parents Robert and Sarah King, at the age of three. The King family would have landed in Lower Canada and travelled upriver to Upper Canada. On arriving in Barrie in 1861, the King family moved to a farm near Crown Hill. There was no electricity or running water, and heating was by a wood fire. Emma King began her teaching career in 1875 at the age of 17 and spent about 23 years teaching at Central School. The school was on the north-west corner of Collier and Owen Streets. She also taught at West Ward School which was then renamed Prince of Wales School. Following her retirement from teaching in 1917, Emma King became the first woman to sit on the Barrie Public Library Board, a position she retained for twenty years, until the age of eighty. Miss King was responsible for initiating Story Time at the library, which is still attended by pre-school children today.

A portrait of Emma King hangs in the front foyer of the school and her history is depicted in a series of murals in the school library.

School Details

Yard Supervision

8:55 AM

Entry Bell

9:10 AM

First Break (Lunch & Recess)

11:10 - 11:50 AM

Second Break (Snack & Recess)

1:50 - 2:30 PM

Dismissal Bell

3:30 PM

Grades

JK - 8

Students

337

Bus Zone

Central Zone