This four-class school, lo­cated in the village of Pretoria in the Orenburg Men­nonite settlement of the Orenburg province, Russia, owed its existence to the energy and sacrificial spirit of Peter P. Dyck, a minister now living at Rose­mary, Alberta. In 1907 Dyck organized an associa­tion to raise the educational standards of the Oren­burg Mennonites, and in the same year began a school by teaching about 25 students in a private home in Pretoria.   The attendance soon rose to about 100. During World War I instruction was halted on government orders. It was resumed in 1918-1919, with as many academically trained teachers as possible. Beginning in 1921, the school passed gradually into Soviet hands, leaving no authority to the Mennonite settlement. But in 1907-1921 the school was of great benefit to the settlement, for many of the preachers, most of the teachers, and many other local officials attended it and then worked successfully for the settlement and the congregations.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 216. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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