Emma Stark
Canadian teacher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emily Arabella "Emma" Stark[1] (born February 17, 1856) was a Canadian teacher.[2] She was the first Black Canadian teacher in Vancouver Island[3] and the first teacher in the new North Cedar School, in 1874.[2]
February 17, 1856
Emma Stark | |
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| Born | Emily Arabella Stark February 17, 1856 California, US |
| Died | July 31, 1890 (aged 33) Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada |
| Education | Salt Spring Island Central School and Nanaimo high school, Teacher's certificate |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Years active | 1874–1890 |
| Spouse | James Clarke (m. 1878) |
| Mother | Sylvia Stark |
Early life
Emily Arabella (Emma) Stark was born on February 17, 1856, in California, United States, to parents Louis (1816–1895) and Sylvia Stark (1840–1944),[1][4] who had been slaves in the United States.
In 1860, Stark arrived with her family on Salt Spring Island, B.C.[2] While on Salt Spring Island, her siblings John Edmond (1860–1930), Abraham Lincoln (1863–1908), Hannah "Anne" Serena (1866–1888) and Marie Albertine (1867–1966) were born.[1] The Estes-Stark family moved to Cedar, Nanaimo, in 1875, where Stark's youngest sister Louisa Edna was born (1878–1971).[1]
Education
Stark attended Salt Spring Island Central School, and she completed secondary school at Nanaimo high school.[1] Her instructor was primarily John Craven Jones, a graduate of Oberlin College.[5] Afterwards, Stark graduated high school; she trained to be a teacher.[1][6]
Career
Stark became a teacher at the age of 18 years.[1] In August 1874, she was hired to teach in a one-room school in the Cedar District;[1] her starting salary was $40 per month.[2]
She lived in a cabin that was provided for the teacher.[1] Students who lived a long way from the school boarded with Stark, including her younger sister Marie.[2]