Necessary Idealism:

A History of Westgate Mennonite Collegiate

Using both documentary materials and oral history methodologies, Janis Thiessen has produced a splendid institutional history of a private Mennonite high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba – Westgate Mennonite Collegiate. This volume undertakes a careful, historical examination of the school’s history, admittedly by a sympathetic insider (alumna and former teacher), and makes a significant contribution to the history of ethnic and religious private schools in Canada.