Mennonite Educational Institute
| Mennonite Educational Institute | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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4081 Clearbrook Road Abbotsford, British Columbia, V4X 2M8 Canada |
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| Coordinates | 49°4′34.62″N 122°20′49.09″W / 49.0762833°N 122.3469694°WCoordinates: 49°4′34.62″N 122°20′49.09″W / 49.0762833°N 122.3469694°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Independent |
| Motto | Equipping students for life and forever |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Mennonite |
| Founded | 1944 |
| Principals | Mr. David Neufeld (Secondary), Dr. Heather Smith (Middle), Mr. Shawn Burkinshaw (Elementary) |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 665 (Secondary), 398 (Middle), 469 (Elementary), (2006/7 figures) |
| Language | English |
| Area | Clearbrook, Abbotsford |
| Colour(s) | Blue and Gold |
| Team name | Eagles |
| Website | www |
Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) is an independent school consisting of four day schools — a preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary school — in the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1944 as a private high school by a group of Mennonite churches, governance, at a board level, is provided by representatives of 14 Society churches.
In May 1944, representatives of fourteen Mennonite churches in British Columbia were invited to a meeting to discuss starting a Mennonite high school. Support for this concept grew very slowly. Only seven churches were represented at the first meeting, and one of these was strongly opposed to the idea. However, at a second meeting on June 5, 1944, representatives from nine churches voiced their support; this group of supporters became the MEI Society churches. At this meeting, Mr. C. Toews, Mr. G. Sukkau and Mr. A. Bauman were elected to go to Victoria to present the plan to the provincial government.
The committee met with Dr. Samuel John Willis, British Columbia's long-serving Deputy Minister of Education, who pointed out the advantages of integration into the public Canadian school system for students of Mennonite origin. Eventually, however, he stated that the government had no objection to the establishment of an independent school, if three conditions were met: there would be no financial support from the government, qualified teachers must be hired, and the English language must be used. In addition, Grade 12 students would be required to write departmental examinations.
However, further obstacles surfaced. Due to wartime restrictions, no building permits could be obtained to erect a new building. On July 3, 1944, representatives from ten churches met to discuss this. It was decided to enlarge South Abbotsford Bible School, allowing Grades 9 and 10 to be offered in the fall. Mr. Isaak J. Dyck of Winkler, Manitoba was hired to teach at a salary of $1,500 per year. Mr. F.C. Thiessen taught as well, and served as principal for the first year.
A 26'x46' addition was hurriedly built onto the Bible School at a cost of $1,500. Churches which had pledged support were levied a $1 per member fee, thereby raising $2,300 to cover the costs of building and outfitting the school with desks, blackboards, and basic library and lab equipment. Student tuitions were set at $80.
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