Rolling River School Division has been in operation since the beginning of the fall term in 1961. In March 1962, Elton Collegiate, Minnedosa Collegiate, Oak River Collegiate, Rivers Collegiate, and Sandy Lake Collegiate celebrated their opening ceremonies. These five schools were the start of the Rolling River School Division.
The name of our School Division is derived from that of a small river which traverses the northeast part of this area. This river was named "Odetebanaywe Seebee" by the Saulteaux many years before the arrival of the settlers. This Indigenous American word when translated, means "Rolling River" and it was so called because the Indigenous Americans found that the swiftly running water and the sharp decline in the river bed caused large rocks to roll down into their fords below. These rocks had to be cleared out each spring, and after heavy rains, to allow safe crossing.
One main branch of the river starts in Kerr's Lake in the Rural Municipality of Clanwilliam, and another one comes from Muskrat Lake in Riding Mountain National Park. The river runs westward to a point where a branch enters from Otter Lake and from there it proceeds northwest where it is joined by the Whirlpool River just west of Bethel. At this point, the river turns south, and branches from both Ditch and Proven Lakes enter it. It crosses P.T.H. No. 10 just East of the junction with P.T.H. No. 45. The river runs west of Erickson through the whole length of Rolling River First Nations and joins the Minnedosa River on a farm in the Rural Municipality of Minto.