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Jennie Elliott was born in Arnprior, Ontario, on December 20, 1876. At the young age of 17, after attending Normal School, she began teaching in her hometown. Then, at the turn of the century, full of the spirit of adventure, she moved west to Alberta, which at the time was known as the North-West Territories.
Elliott, like so many young single women, was initially itinerant—that is, she taught in a number of small rural towns, before moving to Calgary early in the last century, where she taught social studies and history at Central Collegiate. She also briefly returned to eastern Canada and completed a B.A. at Queen’s University, in Kingston, and subsequently served on the executive of the Canadian Federation of University Women.
After 40 years in the classroom she retired, though her sense of commitment to public service and public education remained strong. She was elected and served three terms as a trustee on the Calgary Public Education board. Throughout her career, Jennie Elliott was dedicated to encouraging student excellence and respectful behaviour, and to forging strong partnerships between teachers and the community.
Elliott was a greatly respected teacher known for her broad knowledge and her deep sense of humanity. A school named for her was built in Calgary in 1962, and a portrait of her graces the library of Jennie Elliott Elementary School, which is committed to excellence, like Jennie Elliott herself.
