More School Accommodation

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 19, 6 February 1948, Page 5

More School Accommodation

Four New Classrooms And Storage Space Advice has been received by Mr W. Sullivan, M.P. from the Minister of Education, that Cabinet has approved the construction of two double unit prefabricated classroom blocks to provide four additional classrooms and storage accommodation at the District High School, Whakatane. These should relieve very considerably the pressure on accommodation which was apparent during last year, in spite of the new rooms completed early in the year. These prefabricated rooms are usually fairly large, and should serve to accommodate some of the classes for which it has so far been very difficult to make adequate provision. Over the last few years there has been a steady increase in the school roll comparable with the growth of the town, and in consequence the restricted building programme has been unable to cope with the situation. The typing classes have had to be squeezed into a very tiny room originally intended as a staff room, the sewing classes have had to use a converted shelter shed, one porch has been consistently in use as a classroom, and a storeroom built by the School Committee for tools and equipment had to be converted into a room for the evening class in plumbing.

Reasonable Conditions Now “The new rooms should give the school a chance to provide reasonable 'conditions for art and science work and evening classes and'to allow for expansion to include metal work, trade drawing, and engineering. The thanks of the school are due to the committee for the energy with which they have pressed for further accommodation, and to Mr W. Sullivan for his help. It is to be hoped that it will not be long before the buildings materialise, and also that a start will soon be made on the homecrafts block for which plans have been submitted,” commented the headmaster, Mr I. B. Hubbard. __