ANNUAL DINNER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 17, 1 November 1935, Page 5

ANNUAL DINNER

PUBLIC BODY MEMBERS MEET. TECHNICAL SCHOOi; FUNCTION. Senior girls of the Aslihufton Technical High School, under the direction of Miss E. . Vesty, entertained members of the Ashburton Borough and. County Councils and of the Board of Managers of the school at the annual dinner held at the school to-day. . Mr W. G. Hillier (chairman of the School Board) presided, and associated with him were the Deputy-Mayor (Mr E. H. Orr) and the County. Chairman (Mr D. J. Morrow). Mr Hillier welcomed visitors and said the dinner at which they had been entertained was practically the same as that provided for country children during the winter at a cost of 6d‘a day. All the courses had been prepared by the pupils with slight supervision. The Ashburton Technical School was filling an important place in the community. Fifty pupils had been found employment so far this year and, with the lack of apprenticeships offering at the present time, their, training fitted them for their work. This number did not include boys and girls who went to work at home when they left school. The school had a capable staff and the work was undoubtedly of a high standard. • i

Mr Morrow expressed the appreciation of the County Council members of the entertainment. The Council realised the value of the work being done at the Technical' School and congratulated the staff on the success which was following its efforts. Mr Orr apologised for the absence of the Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods). He expressed appreciation of the dinner and asked that the visitors’ thanks be conveyed to. the students. The Principal (Mr R. J. Thompson) explained that the Technical School aimed to make itself a half-way house between primary school and after-life. Cultural subjects were included in the curriculum, but training was also given in subjects which would definitely be of value to the student in his after-life. The school endeavoured to' find' what boys were most interested in, and so help to find them a suitable vocation. In this way the school v r as taking the place of the old apprenticeship system. The girls were completely fitted for office work, and could take up office routine straight from school without a special commercial course in between. As far as farm work was concerned, the school realised that there were many allied subjects in ah agricultural course, and the course provided at the school was confined to the theoretical side. The speaker did not consider that at any school a practical training in farming could .be satisfactorily provided, and so most attention was given to theory. Most of the boys from farms had a practical background to what they were learning. Cultural subjects were embraced, and all manual subjects were included. Mr Thompson appreciated the attendance of the public body members at the dinner. “From a general point of view there is noi more satisfactory career, apart from the financial outlook, than farming,” said Mb* J. Carr. The boys who took up farming from the school, lie considered, would be those who were naturally anxious to go on jthe land, and there was no doubt that the life was a most interesting and satisfying one. The farmers were co-operating with nature, and all their work was definitely productive. The visitors later inspected the cookery department.