The new name for Wolseley School has been announced

Wolseley School (image source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

The Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has announced a new name for an elementary school currently bearing the name of a 19th-century British military general who led the suppression of the Red River Resistance.

As of the 2026/27 school year, Wolseley School will officially be renamed Little Bluestem School, the division announced Tuesday. The school’s new name comes from the native prairie grass found along Omand’s Creek in the Wolseley neighbourhood.

“The new name honours the deep roots of the neighbourhood, where bison once fed on the native grass and Métis communities long thrived,” the division said in a news release. “The name reflects a connection to the land and the enduring relationship between plants, animals, and people.”

This name change process has been in the works since 2024. The school, built in 1921, is named after General Garnet Joseph Wolseley, who was sent in to suppress the Red River Rebellion in 1870.

Back in April, the division took submissions from the community weighing in on what the new name should be.

“The Board is grateful to everyone who contributed their voices. The new name honours both the place the school calls home and the learning that happens inside its walls,” Kathy Heppner, chair of the WSD board of trustees, said in a news release.

The division said more details about the timeline, signage and celebrations will be released in the coming months.

This is not the first school in the division to get a name change. In 2022, the WSD changed Cecil Rhodes School to Keewatin Prairie Community School in the wake of protests over the school’s colonial namesake.