The first school was built in Brilliant in 1910, with 10 more following in Doukhobor areas around Castlegar by 1920. It wasn't until 1919 that Doukhobor girls were allowed to attend school. With overcrowding and the beginning of the new village of Malinvoye, meaning
raspberry in Russian, this two room school was built in 1934. It was essentially identical to another, the
Fructova School, built at about the same time in Grand Forks. In each school, between the two classrooms were a pair of living quarters for the teachers.
After the dissolution of the Doukhobor communes, this school went to private hands. It was converted to "The Schoolhouse Restaurant" for a while, but is now a private residence.
By 1929, thirteen schools had been destroyed, mostly by arson. These activities were blamed on the extreme zealot group, who opposed the compulsory attendance law.
The name of 'Brilliant' was given to each of the schools within a five
mile's radius. They were identified as 'Brilliant No. 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5'. Brilliant No. I began as a small school, with the teacher being principal for all of the five Brilliant schools. Eventually, overcrowding caused the school to close and a large brick school to be built. It was located at the junction of Pass Creek Road, Brilliant and Raspberry. [This is the Raspberry School.
With Peter Chistiakov Verigin being a strong supporter of education,
construction of this school by the CC of UB began immediately after the Raspberry Village was finished. It had two classrooms and, between them, private living quarters for the two teachers. When the school opened its doors in 1934, the two teachers, Margaret MacDonald and Eileen Horswill, were there when pupils from Brilliant and Raspberry Village filled the two classrooms to study in grades that ranged from one to eight.
On the way to school, village children had to walk past rows of raspberries, also grown for the jam factory. These rows stretched from the highway bridge that was across the Pass Creek to the Pass Creek road junction, just below the school. This plantation was looked after by Brilliant community residents.
Today, the only reminder of those raspberries that grew there is a sign that indicates the first exit from the highway to the residential homes that are just below the school. It reads
Raspberry Road.
From Doukhobor.org
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