In March of 1954, the trustees requested City Council to reserve a school site in the Dieppe area. On January 4th, 1955, the Board received a recommendation at a special meeting that steps be taken to provide a four or six room school in the aforementioned area. At a regular meeting of the trustees held on November 1st, 1955, a motion was passed whereby an eight room masonry and brick elementary school to be located at the site known as Lot 17, Plan 822FR, Corvette Crescent (Veterans Subdivision) would be built. On December 1st, 1955, By-Law #33 was read and approved in the amount of $350,000 for the purpose of building and equipping two eight room elementary schools (one in North Lethbridge and one in South Lethbridge).
During February 1956, the Board invited the Veteran’s Organization to suggest a name for the new school to be built in the Veterans Subdivision. Mr. William J. Ede was appointed to the principalship of the new school and the Board accepted the bid of Dorigatti-Phaff Construction in the amount of $293,240 for the construction of the school for which the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans Association had suggested the name General Stewart School.
John Smith Stewart was born in Brampton, Ontario in 1877. He graduated from the Toronto Dental College and lived in Edmonton prior to coming to Lethbridge in May of 1903 to establish a dental practice. Dr. Stewart had an exemplary Army career in both the Boer War and the First World War. He attained the rank of Brigadier General and commanded the 3rd Canadian Division, R.C.A. He served in the Alberta Legislature for more than twenty years and represented the Lethbridge riding in the Federal House of Commons from 1930 to 1935. Dr. Stewart was a gentle man who had the respect of all who knew him. He died on August 14th, 1970 at the age of 93 years.
Mr. K. P. Stewart, brother of General Stewart, was invited to lay the cornerstone on Wednesday, October 3rd, 1956. Brig. General J. S. Stewart was the guest speaker for the program that afternoon. The school opened in October of 1956, with one class each of grades one through six. The students who had attended Allan Watson School up to this time marched over to their new school one mild afternoon. For those who had been in basement classrooms previously, the change was a most welcome one. The formal opening of the school took place on March 1st, 1957 at 8:00 p.m. under the chairmanship of Mr. G. G. Woolley.
In the 1967-68 school year a redesignation program took effect making General Stewart School a primary school (Grade 1-3) and Allan Watson School an upper elementary school (Grade 4-6). After a period of nine years (with the commencement of the 1976-77 school year) General Stewart School reverted to a Grade 1-6 school. Today, General Stewart is a Kindergarten to Grade 5 school.