YEAR’S WORK ENDED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9747, 13 December 1922, Page 6

YEAR’S WORK ENDED

BREAKING-UP CEREMONY. ASHBURTON TECHNICAL SCHOOL

PRESENTATION OF PRIZES

The largest , classroom at the Ashburton Technical School was crowded to overflowing afternoon, the occasion of the annual “break-up” ceremony and presentation of mazes, it was estimated that over 350 parents, friends, and children were assembled. Among those on the platform ware members of the Board of Directors, Mrs J. Cow, and Mr R. J. Thompson, Director. Mr C. Reid, board chairman, presided. He expressed pleasure in the fact that the gathering was so large, and read a number of apologies for absence from prominent citizens. Mr T. Bullock then addressed the gathering, speaking more particularly to the children. He had attended these functions over a number of years, and it w-as pleasing to note that the 1 attendance grow on each successive occasion. The children to-day enjoyed many advantages and facilities that were not available in years past. As a consequence, however, much more was expected of them. He was pleased that the parents were taking an interest in technical education and sending their children along. Mr Bullock urged the children to take full advantage of all that was provided for them in the way of technical education, a system that was proving as great a boon to this country as it had in other parts of the world. Technical schools enabled girls, in particular, to fit themv,fives for everything in life. To the boys he would stress the importance ui putting their shoulders to the whoel. The Premier, as a lad, had done that in this very County., There was no position in the Dominion to which they could noff aspire. He urged the people, individually and collectively, to ask themselves if they had done their share a» settlers towards the assisting of education for the young. All ’'should banish unselfishness, and help. Mr Reid congratulated the scholars on the progress made, and said such progress reflected great credit on the teachers and Director. Despite tho powers that be, however, there was a tendency, He thought, for things educational to slip back. This was noticeable latterly. He'was not an authority on education, but he considered that while there had been great progress in the primary schools mat- , tors seemed to be changing further on. The technical schools, it had generally been considered, was the place at which the scholar’s avocation was found out; but the tendency now was that the whole’ order of things was being altered. He was sorry that junior high schools, were being established, and he hoped that very careful consideration would be given the question before further progress was i made in this direction. The education ‘ system should not be altered without very good cause. Mr Reid : concluded with encouraging messages to the boys and girls, and also spoke , of the necessity of providing education facilities for the back-country. The Director’s Report.

The Director then read his annual report. At the outset’ he congratulated all concerned on the high standard of work done and the excellent spirit prevailing throughout the school. Owing to the dropping of the compulsory clauses of the Act at the beginning of the year, two-tliirds of the compulsory students immediately ceased attendance, with the result that many of the evening classes had to be discontinued. One qf the first effects of the change was the closing of several classes to paying students, who were not in sufficient numbers to warrant separate classes being formed for them. The Education Department had decided to close all country classes, but, in response to the board’s protest, it allowed the classes which had already been arranged for to carry on. at Rakaia and Mayfield. In other years tho school usually had country classes at four centres, and this, together with' fewer men taking the shearing class, accounted for the drop in the number of paying students. The following wore the particulars of the roll number for the year, last year’s figures being placed in parentheses for comparison: Boys. Girls. Totals

Included in last year’s figures were Convent pupils who were this year included with the primary schools. The number of primary scholars attending for cookery, woodwork, and metalwork are as follow: —Cookery 306 (233), woodwork 248 (243), metalwork 32 (57)totals, 586 (565). Sixteen students attended from the High School, as against 32 last ye aland 66 in 1920. In spite of the fact that some of the free place students who were attending from compulsion left during the year, it was pleasing to record a slight increase in the number of both junior and senior students. In the teachers’ “D” examination, notwithstanding that a year’s work had to be crammed into about five months, the results were surprisingly good, and reflected credit on both the students and their instructors. One student obtained the bookkeepers’ diploma, two students passed their Public Service entrance examination, and one obtained first-class honours in the City and Guilds of London examination in millinery. In sport, too, the school had held its own. The girls’ team succeeded in winning the seven-a-sido competition in basketball, while tho • boys • now hold the cup given to the winners of the fourth grade football (under 16) competition. In the seven-a-side competition our boys, in spite of strong opposition, succeeded in gaining second place. The Prize List. Mrs J. Cow then presented the prizes as follow :

PRIZE LIST. Drawing—Clara McKee 1, Fred Gluyas 2, Mary Lamb 3. Painting—M. Kennedy 1, E. Sundry 2, Vera Moore 3. Machine Drawing—First year : H. Montgomery 1, S. 0. Stevens 2, C. Jackson 3. Second year: A. Dyhrberg 1, E. Henderson 2, M. Holland 3. Geniuetricai Drawing-First year :

M. Holland 1, H. Montgomery 2, S. 0. Stevens 3. Second year:..A. Dyhrberg 1, E. Henderson 2, L. Hopwood 3.

Dressmaking—First yeair, (day): Ivy Hydes 1, Mary Lamb 2, Annie Orerai* 3. Second year (day): Alma Mauger 1, Alma Watson 2, Mary Murchie 3. Senior (day): Lizzie Hydes 1, Irene Cook 2, Mary Jewell 3. Second year l (evening): May Thompson 1, Ivy Barber- 2. Senior (evening): Linda Penman 1, Gerty Bolton, 2, Alice Keen 3. Country Classes: Lone Muckle 1, Thelma Hydos 2, Molly Manger and Gareth McPhail (equal) 3. English—First year': Phyllis McKee 1, Cicely Bolton 2, Gwen Soal and Kathleen McLanchlan. (equal) 3. Second year: Ella Anderson and Agnes Gourley (equal) 1, Mary Lamb 3.' Monday evening: Ivy Barbel- 1, Doris Barber 2, Eric Withell 3. Tuesday 'evening: May Thompson 1, Gladys Gale 2, Ellen Brosnahan 3. Arithmetic—Monday evening: R. Horrill 1, D. Barber 2, J. Brophy 3. Tuesday evening: W. John 1, E. Brosnahan 2, G. Gale 3. - Applied Mechanics—First year: H. Montgomery 1, C. Jackson 2, S. O. Stevens 3. Second year: A. Dyhrberg 1, E. Henderson 2, R. Dalton 3. Metalwork—-First year: H. Montgomery 1, L. Houston 2, K. McCormick 3. Second year: A. Dyhrberg and E. Henderson (equal) 1, M. Hob land 3. Mathematics—First year 1 : H. Montgomery 1, P. Brown 2, C. Jackson 3. Second year: A. Dvhrberg 1, R. Judge 2, M. Holland 3, Oil Engines—First year: F. Gluyas I, C. Jackson 2, H.' Montgomery 3. Second.year: A. Dyhrberg 1, M. Holland 2, E. Henders'on 3. Geography—Alf. Dyhrberg 1, M. Holland 2, E. Henderson 3. History and Civics —C. Chambers 1, J. Hood 2.

Hygiene and’ Civics —E. Brosnahan 1, A. L. Silcoek 2, W. John 3. Home Nursing —Jean Burns 1, Gwen. Sba! 2

Home Science —Mary Lamb 1, Mary Cambridge 2. Magnetism and' Electricity—First year: Hugh Montgomery 1, S. 0. Stevens and L. Houston (equal) 2. Second year: E. Henderson 1, A. Dyhrberg 2, R. Dhlton 3’. Short 1 -and —First year: E. Stevenson 1, J. Hood 2, V. Sutherland 3. Second’ year : Mabel’ Jennings 1, Harriet Jones 2, Mavis Wright\3 Science (Director’s prize)—Alf. Dyhrberg 1, Les. Hopwood 2, E. Henderson 3. Typewriting—First vear: Ray Judge I. John Hood 2, V. Sutherland 3. Special:' C. Bolton. Second year: H, Jones and C. Chambers (equal) 1, Muriel Kennedy 3 Woolclassing—First year : Cyril Burton 1, W. Turton 2, E. Houston 3. Second year: K. McLanchlan I. Accountancy—Agnes Gourley 1, Clarence Tutty 2. Agriculture —Les. Houston 1, Ivan Barr 2, Keith McCormick 3. Arithmetic —First year: . Walter Jones 1, Annie Crerar 2, Jessie Dawson, G. Hopwood', and C. Turnbull (equal) 3. Second year: Harriet Jones and M. Lysaght (equal) 1, E. Henderson 3. | Bookkeeping—First vear: Raymond Judge and Eileen Bolton' (equal) 1, Cecil Andrews 3. Second year: Mavis Wright 1, John Hood 2, M~. Jennings 3. Business Methods —First year: Gwen. Roal and F. Capstick (equal) 1, George Lysaght 3. Second vear: Ivan Barr I.’ Muriel Shaw 2, Harriet Jones 3. Cookery—Tuesdav: Eileen Eden 1, Olive Begg- 2. Wednesday: Rhoda Dahlherg 1, Jessie Nish 2T, Mary Cambridge 3'. . • Carpentry—First year- (day): LI. Montgomery 1, W. Shellock 2, C. Jackson 3. First year (evening): Ray. Judge 1. J. Bropby’2. Advanced day : M. Holland 1, E. Henderson 2, A. Dvhrberg 3. Advanced' evening: R. Horrill 1, E, Withell 2, R'. Millichamp 3 Special AwartcSs.

The following special, prizes were awarded.: -—Workshop practice in metalwork, and. first in agriculture, Leslie Houston; arithmetic (first, year), Jessie Dawson and Walter Jones; Wednesday cookery, Rhoda Dahlberg; Tuesday cookery, Eileen Eden and' Olive Begg; painting, Jessie Nish and Muriel Kennedy ; drawing, Clara McKeo; g‘tography, oil engines, and science, Alfred Dyhrberg; engineering, Hugh Montgomery ; carpentry (special for oil engines), Monty Holland; home nursing, Jean Burns and Gwen Soal; home science, Mary Lamb; earnest endeavour, Mabel Jennings; progress, Cicely Bolton; history, Cecil Chambers; general good' w r ork, Harriot Jones; workshop practice, Eric With ell; progress in shorthand, typing, and bookkeeping, Ray Judge; general progress, Effie Stevenson, Agnes Gourley, Ivan Barr, Richard Horrill, Lilian Alexander, Mary Murchie, and John HoodV esprit de corps, Gertie Bolton and May Hastie; English (evening classes), May Thomson- and Ivy Barber; hygiene; civics, and arithmetic, Ellen Brosnahan. In the shorthand and typing speed examination at the Ashburton Technical’ School the results are as follows :—Mavis Wright, shorthand, 90 words a minute, typing 30 words' a minute;-. Muriel’ Kennedy, 70—35; Ivan Barr, 65 ; Cecil Chambers, 60 —3O; A’gnes Gourley, 60—25; Mabel Jennings, 60—25; Harriet Jones, 60— 25; Muriel Shaw, 50 —25; Gladys Gale 50—20; Muriel Wright 40 — ; Cicely Bolton, 40— . The following students have been recommended for senior free places: Lilian Alexander, Ella Anderson, Jessie Anderson, Dorothy Andrews, Doris- Barber, Ivy Barber, Gordon Begg; Winnie Blee, Eileen Bolton, John Brophv, Ellen Brosnahan, Jean Burns, Annie- Cairns, Cecil Chambers, James Clark, Mildred Cretney. Rhcda Dahlberg, Roland Dalton, Arnold Dunstan, Alfred Dyhrberg, Gladys Gale, Mary Gallagher, Frederick Gluyas, Edward Henderson, John B. Hood, Robert L. Hop wood, Richard Horrill, Mabel B. Horrill, Ethel Houston. Margaret Jacobs, Bessie Jary, Mabel Jennings, Wallace John, Raymond Judge, :Tris Kerr, Mary Lamb, Alma Manger, !Ed ward Millichamp, Hedley Moses, Mary Murchie, Daisy Mcllroy, Edward Mclnnes, Mabel Nish, Muriel Shaw, Jean Shearer, Alfred Sileock, Mary Stenhons, Muriel V. Sutherland, Winii fred M. Thomson, Doris E. Wakelin, Alan W. Watson, Ruby P. Whiting, Ethel D. Wilson, Erie D. Withell, Mavis A. Wright, Kenneth McLaughlan., The following have been recommended for another year’s extension of their free place:—Harold Ashton. Pnarl Boucher, Hugh Donaldson, Mabel Harrison, Irene Higgs, Clive G. Hood, Mlfss Johnstone, Rena McElhinnoy, Samuel- Protheroe. The. ceremony concluded with the singing of the National Anthem, after which a dainty afternoon tea was provided. All the cooking for this had been done by the Cookery pupils, under Miss Gordon,

Paying students . 15 94 109 (39) (149) (188) Compulsory . 14 28 42 (49) (75) (124) Junior free place . . 57 83 140 (59) (74) (133) Senior free place . . 17 63 80 (24) (42) (76) Returned soldiers ... 3 — 3 (11) - (11) Totals . . ... 374 (532)