The little brick schoolhouse was built in 1927, the Diamond Jubilee of Canadian Confederation, and one year after the incorporation of the Village of Val Marie.
The substantial brick and masonry construction reflected the small community’s commitment to education and its optimism for future growth.
There were two classrooms on the main floor. By 1939, over-crowding caused some classes to be moved to the nearby Catholic Convent (restored as the Convent Inn in 1996).
The school was closed in 1985, when a larger, more modern facility was built. By 1997 the schoolhouse was derelict.
PWSS volunteers saved the school from demolition by refurbishing it and having it declared a Municipal Heritage Site. PWSS took out a 10-year lease from the Chinook School Division and in 2007, ownership of the building passed on to the Village of Val Marie.
Today, the school is one of only a few of its era in Saskatchewan still in use. Its distinguishing architectural features include simple massing and form, hip roof with cedar shingles (the originals were replaced in 2007, and again in 2019 after a hailstorm), double hung, multi-plane windows, and wood flooring and mouldings.
The considerable effort of the Sand Lake Hutterite community in restoring the roof is gratefully acknowledged.