École Van Belleghem

More Information

École Van Belleghem officially opened on November 6, 1967—Canada’s centennial year. Designed by local firm Duncan Rattray Peters Searle, the building is a single-storey structure clad in rough-hewn random-patterned limestone contrasted by dark trim. The school's construction was completed in two stages to allow classes to begin sooner, leaving some open-air classroom space until 1968. The angular design features a variety of window treatments and a varied roofline that expresses the building's modern layout. The school has seen little exterior alteration. École Van Belleghem is a French immersion school for students in Kindergarten to Grade 8.

The school is named after prominent Manitoban Jospeh Van Belleghem. Van Belleghem served as an alderman for 18 years between 1931 and 1965. In 1949, he was elected to the Manitoba Legislature and he represented the St. Boniface constituency for four years. The City of St. Boniface also elected him as mayor for three, two-year terms from 1955 to 1960. He held many other important posts including membership of the Greater Winnipeg Investigating Committee in 1959; vice-president and then president of the Manitoba Mayor’s and Reeves’ Association as well as of the Manitoba Hotelmen’s Association. In 1964, he had been appointed Belgian Consul for Manitoba—he served in that capacity until his death. He also belonged to the Native Sons of Canada, to the Canadian and to the Empire Clubs. For a number of years he was president of the Belgian Mutual Benefit Society and an executive of the Belgian Club; last but not least, he was an active member of the Belgian Sacred Heart Parish in St. Boniface. Van Belleghem passed the same year the school honoured him by its name.