Vignettes
/ Greater Winnipeg
/ Pavilion-York
Principal Sparling School
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Principal Sparling School was named in honour of Reverend
Dr. Joseph Walter Sparling (1842-1912), a theologian and
educator known as "the Father of Winnipeg Methodism." Sparling
attended universities in his native Ontario and in Illinois
before being ordained in 1871. He served in Belleville,
Ottawa, Kingston, and Montreal, then was sent to Winnipeg
in 1888 to establish Wesley College (now the University
of Winnipeg). He was instrumental in founding several of
the city's Methodist churches.
Manitoba’s student enrolment was growing quickly
as a result of immigration and natural population increases
at the turn of the century. Like many other public institutions,
the District was hard-pressed to meet service demands caused
by this growth.
