PRIZE NIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 304, 20 December 1912, Page 8

PRIZE NIGHT.

AT THE fiKATWHIfAK SC_-OOI_ AX ISTTEKESTING FTTXCTION. The annual prize-giving at tne Auckland Girls' and Boys' Grammar Schools took place at the Choral Hall last night, la the presence of the pupils of both schools and of a very large attendance of their j parents aDd friends. Sir Maurice O'Rorke I (chairman of the Board of Governorsi pre- j sided, and with him on the platform were | Miss Butler ("headmistress). Mr. J. W. Tibbs ! ("headmaster), and the staffs of both schools. ' the lion. F. M. B. Fi__er. the Mayor and j Mrs. Tarr. Dr. Makgill, Mr. P. M. Mack3y, and members of the Board of Governors. | Apologies for absence were read from Sir j Robert Stout (Chancellor of the University I of New Zealand*), the Prime Minister iHnn. W. F. Massey). the Hon. R. H. Rhodes, and Messrs. A. M. Myers, M.T.. and Jno. Bollard, M.P. HEAD-MISTRESS' REPORT. Miss Butler (headmistress of the Girls' i School) announced that the school roll in I 1 the three terms had been -430, 42_. and 306. j j respectively, the numbers showing some mi- I | provement on the numbers for ine corI responding terms of last year. The r'' st j year, from a scholastic point of view, bad ! been a very successful one. The girls had j ■ worked well, and shown much public spirit, j j and tbe headmistress could not. she said. | i speak too highly of the efforts of the siriff ! Ito ensure the school's success. Drawing i classes, under Mr. Watkins. had been hell | 'in the Lower School, and painting classes j in the Senior School. There was mum I talent, which was being ably developed. The ! Sketch Clnb had a much larger membership j this year than it had last, and some ex- | ! ccllent studies had been sent in. I'Vass j | singing was taken by each form once a ! ! week, three sets of pictures being offered j ! for competition. The school was greatly i • indebted to Mr. Dutton for his kindness in . I makin c the awards. The hope was e\- ' pressed that the newcomers (who seemed to be very nervous of coming forward) i would support the school orchestra. Physical culture was still a mneh appreciated branch of school life, and great enthusiasm | had been taken in the drill competitions, j Basket-ball, tennis, nnd cricket had been , taken up keenly, and hockey was played j with great zest last season. The long list j of swimming prizes testifier! to the prowess I of the school in that art. In conclusion, the headmistress thanked the parents for | support given during the past year: :bc; -iris for their loyalty and industry and ready response to any appeal: The staff ' for loyalty and untlrinz zeal for the pood i of the school: and the Board of Governors | for their careful consideration of requirements, and their ready acquiescence in. | ■and support of. any measure to advance ! the Interests of the school. HEADMASTER'S REPORT. I In his annual report of the school work 1 for the year, the Headmaster (Mr J. W. j Tibbs) stated that the numbers on the roll for the three terms were 615, oM, 530; the. corresponding numbers last year were ">47, 527, oCiG. The number who entered during the first week of the session was '-"*-. and j 12 came later in tbe year from Si-co-daryi schools, chiefly the sons of parents who have ! removed to Auckland from the South. Of. those who entered in February, exactly _30; came with junior free places— _ were under 12 years of age, 41 In their thirteenth year, 06 in their fourteenth. 101 In their -.'tccnth. and 10 in their sixteenth. Out of I_o under the age of fourteen. 22 came from small country schools, while out of 111 who were over fourteen at the time of entry only 11 j 'came from the country. Of the boys under thirteen, more than half held, or had quaii-J fled for scholarships, and all of them were 1 : bright little fellows who have done well l . from the day they entered the school: of. | the 06 boys under fourteen, ,10 had quaiifi -v i for scholarships, or had passed the department's examination, the rest had gained t. c sixth standard certificate of proficiency. Of tbe seniors, 69 had passed the dcpanment s examination, and 42 held :he proficiency cor--tificate, which admits to free places those. under fifteen on the first day of the preceding • December. In the original regulations tor! the award of free places the age of fourteen was the limit for the exercise of the sixth; standard certificate, and he had from the first protested against its extension to the! higher age. He used to be inclined to think that some concession might be made to the country boys; and when he found that only 10 per cent of these late entrants came from rural schools. It came as a surprise that it was the town boy. and not _.s country brother. t__t needed indulgence, j Among the distinctions of the year twoi are specially worthy of note. They were the winning of three out of the five cadet-! ships awarded to New Zealand at the Royal | Australian Military College at Diintroou,' N.S.W.. by W. G. Stevens. E. T. Rowllings.' D E. Bremner, and one of the two entrance, scholarships of Canterbury Agriculture Col-| lege at Lincoln, won by W. R. McCormicb. Of late much had been heard about agricul-l tural education, and. in this connection, Mr ( Tibbs said that he constantly received visits, during the year from old boys who wvre engaged In agricultural pursuits in and beyond the Auckland provincial district, who' were doing well because they had their in-' j teliigence awakened and trained for any . occupation they might choose. There ccn-| , tinned to be an unsatisfied demand fori i Grammar School boys in every profession in! I the city, and he w_s confirmed in the opinion that the so-called vocational school was' not of the same practical usefulness as the, i school where a thorough education of a more! ; general character was professed. When | once it was realised that it was both pos-j j slide aDd advisable to send to the Grammar I School the primary boy at thirteen, they I j could undertake to pass him through matri-1 I culation by the time he was sixteen, or at' I least seventeen. He would then be ready to start his vocational training a t the Uni- j versity. which they hoped to see eventually the true vocational school of the Dominion, j An exception in the way of special prepara- ■ tion at the school for vocational work was] to be found in the excellent results of this j year's drawing classes. I PRESENTATION OF PRIZES. I The prizes won by the snccessfnl pupils were presented by Sir Maurice O'Rorke. Mrs. Farr presented the trophies won by the cadets. The Heathcote-Williams Shield, held by the school, and regained by Christchurch Boys' High School, was presented to a member of the latter eleven by Mr. B. B. Dusk. In wishing; the scholars ___ the teachers a happy New Year and pleasant holidays. Sir Manrice spoke with keen appreciation of the growth of the school during his knowledge of it for forty years, and of the provision that must still be made for an extension of its usefulness. — I