PRIZES PRESENTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 56, 16 December 1941, Page 3

PRIZES PRESENTED

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

THE YEAR'S WORK IN REVIEW.

' CEREMONY LAST EVENING. • i The annual prize-giving and break-up ceremony of the Ashburton Technical High School was held in the school Assembly Hall last evening, when there was a very large attendance of parents' and friends of -the school. The chairman of the Board of Managers (Mr J. Shaw) presided and with him on the platform were Mr E. H. Andrewsi (Mayor of Christchurch), Mrs Shaw, members of the Board and the teaching staff.

At the outset, the audience stood in silence out of respect to the memory Ibt the foriher pupils of the sch’ool who have given their lives While in the ariiied forces and the National Anthem was-sung. ,

Appreciatioh of Support,

t. The chairman expressed the Board’s appreciation Of the support given to the school by the residents of the town and country. Parents and well-wishers could rest assured that the members of the Bdard were deeply conscious of the importance of technical education in*these modern times, and it was their constant endeavour to ensure that all the equipment necessary was provided to enable teachers to give instruction in conformity with inodern education trends. The Board has concentrated on the supply of Equipment, which had enabled radical <;Mnges to “be introduced in the in-

struction of arts and crafts for girls of electricity and engineering for boys/ The extensive display Of work

recently staged at the school must have impressed with the great strides

education had made in recent years. The school Red Cross Club had continued its splendid) task of knitting garments for the children in bombstricken areas at Home. During this year 160 garments were knitted and made up by a comparatively small front of girls. “When I point out in • the case of the greater number of garments, either the wool for these had to he unravelled from old garments, washed and re-knitted, or the garments had to be made up from short pieces of wool of different colours, the Club is to be commended not only for its patriotic endeavours, but also for its * patience and pereerverauce,” he added. The effective strength of the staff had been reduced by two owing to war circumstances, Mr Stigley (assistant in science and woodwork) and Mi Werry (agriculture and science instructor) having been called up for overseas service. Including Mr H. Montgomery, the school staff had three of its members in the fighting forces out of a total male staff of eight. Despite this depletion of the stafrt'by war requirements and also by sickness, t e Work of the school had gone steadily on in all departments.

Principal’s Annual Report.

The Principal (Mr W- Crawford), in his 29th annual report stated that as Was to lie expected the enrolments ter this year showed a decrease: New cnlolments at 130 were practically the same as in the previous year. The total enrolments reached 282, a decrease o 40 bn the 1940 figures, duo in the mam to smaller numbers forthcoming from the primary schools. The numbers attending manual training showed an increase of 29. Evening class onro - ments, totalling 207, showed a fa o 7G, and the evening classes totalled 22! Classes in metalwork and in English and arithmetic and women trans-

port mechanics were reduced by one, motor mechanic's was dropped, but a class in technical electricity was established. The following table summarised the enrolment position:—Day school 282 (331 last year), evening school 207 (283), manual training, 567 (538); 1056 (1152).

Examination Successes. —The evening school continued its successful preparation for public and Government service examinations. Results for 1940 Public Service Entrance, 1 gained Partial Pass School Certificate Examination, 1 passed Section of N.Z. Society of Accountants’ Examination, 4 passed sections of examination of N.Z. Institute of Secretaries (May, '1941); 2 passed N.Z. Technological Intermediate examination in Carpentry, Joinery and Building Construction; 1 passed section of Postal Entrance Examination, 5 gained certificates in Invalid Cookery, 9 passed Plunket Society’s Mothercraft Examination (1 with honours), 1 passed the Electx-ical Wiremen’s Registration examination. Kenneth Roberts, a student in the electric wiring class and in the technical elec,tricity was awarded the gold medal of the Cable Makers’ Association for the highest marks (91 per cent) in the practical section of the wiremen’s registration examination.

Positions gained by Students.—Tin’s year 78 pupils secured positions. Of these 30 were girls and 48 boys, and the occupations taken up were:—Clerical 20; shop and warehouse assistants, 23; building trade, 8; engineering, 5; other trades and industries, 10; farming, 8; Government service, 4. There seems to bo 110 doubt that the school was satisfactorily meeting the needs of industry generally so far as juvenile employment was concerned.

Fairly heavy expenditure was incurred by the Board in respect of both maintenance and new equipment. Among new equipment purchased during the year was an electric laundry unit for the domestic science class. The Sports Activities.

The school had a reasonably successful year on the sporting side. The usual activities of the various clubs (craft, radio, drama, gardening and lied Cross) were continued throughout the year. The Gardening Club had done excellent work, and the present beautiful appearance of the flower plots was a tribute to the energy and enthusiasm of the riicmbers. The school Young Farmers! Club had been very active through the. year. Trial experiments in top dressing, pastures and wheat varieties arranged by the Department. of Agriculture were undertaken and the club won the N.Z. Farmers’ Union challenge shield for most points in the sheep judging competition at the show. Patriotic Activities.—Last April a special effort was made by the pupils to raise funds for the Ashburton quote, of the Million-pound appeal, and the fine sum of £ll9 was handed over to the local patriotic fund committee. The School Red Cross Club, with a member •ship varying from 12 to 9, continued its .activities, and had this year completed IGO garments, which had been dispatched to distressed children in the bombed areas at Homo. Since its inception this club had completed and dispatched 455. garments . Women’s transport classes were liolcl in the'engineering shop and a class in mathematics and mechanics fo- Air Fores trainees had been in operation throughout the war. The formation of an Air Force Cadet. Corps was being attempted to provide preliminary training for future Air Force pilots and observer.?. Old Pupils on Servig?—Old pupils cm Service numbered at least 142, and were to be found in the three services Navy, Army and Air For.o. Thre'> old boys bad given their lives in the Empire’s cause (Sergeant .1 fern pi .ton Sergeant-Observer K. Hepburn ai.d Leading-Aircraftman D. Hanrahanj to

whose relatives sympathy was extended. Congratulations to Corporal J. J. W. King on the award of tiig Military Medal for gallantry under fire, were expressed. The school song was sung by the pupils and Mr Andrews, who was tile chief speaker for the evening, gave his address, which will be found in another column.

The girls of the school sang “I Vow to Thee, my Country.” The general prizes were then presented, being handed over by Mrs Shaw. The girls sang another song, “Forth Rode the Knights of Old,” and the sports prizes Were handed out. The recipients or prizes and trophies were given hearty applause as they' stepped out on tile calling of their names. The boys sang “Fellowship,” and after the Principal had briefly addressed the pupils, with a special reference to those who were about to leave the school, the singing of the New Zealand National Song brought a very happy function to a close. „