Margaret Dickson

See also Helen Koepke
Helen Koepke and Margaret Dickson, both from Waterloo, have individually and together contributed to education in Waterloo Region.

In their careers, both women worked for the Waterloo Region District School Board as Primary Education and Early Years consultants.

In their retirement, Koepke and Dickson continued their focus on education – of both children and adults.

In 1996, they founded and developed the Victorian Classroom, located in Suddaby School in Kitchener. Re-creating a classroom in the year 1900, Koepke and Dickson wrote education programs for elementary grades, so that students could experience a school day from a century ago. With the support of the Waterloo Region District School Board, hundreds of students visited the Victorian Classroom and gained a better understanding of education in the past.

Working together for more than 20 years, Koepke and Dickson have researched, organized and guided one-day heritage bus tours in Southern Ontario, enriching the historical literacy of residents in Waterloo Region. The popularity of these tours, showcasing agriculture, industries, geography, geology and history of the Grand River watershed, led to the publication of several historical guides based on the tours. Funds collected from the tours were donated to the Victorian Classroom, the Waterloo Historical Society and outreach projects in the region.

Koepke and Dickson have conducted workshops for museum educators on the topic of how children and adults learn. They have also given numerous heritage presentations to local community groups.
In 2005, Koepke and Dickson were jointly awarded the Dr. Jean Steckle Award for Heritage Education by the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.

Photograph courtesy of the University of Waterloo Library, Kitchener-Waterloo Record Photographic Negative Collection.