BROOKLYN SCHOOL ENLARGED

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2533, 6 August 1915, Page 9

BROOKLYN SCHOOL ENLARGED

THE OPENING CEREMONY,

An extra story has been added to tho Brooklyn School, providing two large class rooms, capable of accommodating 104 children, and a retiring room for women teacjiers. This extension was declared open yesterday morning by the chairman of tlie Wellington Education Board (Hon. J. G. AV. Aitken) in the presence of the scholars and' a large gathering of parents and friends. The ceremony was initiated' by the presentation to Mr. Aitken of ah engraved silver key by Mr. D. Kennedy, acting chairman of the School Committee. Mr. Aitken expressed pleasure at being requested to perform the opening ceremony. The rooms that had -been newly provided would be found; to be a considerable help to the carrying out of the scliool work at Brooklyn. As chairman of the Education Board be could say tlita- Brooklyn had always had a first-rate School Committee, and at the present time they had just as good a committee as they well could wish for. In Mr. Hopkirk and his staff they had a very efficient set of teachers, and j he was sure that when the hoys and girls came to manhood and womanhood they would carry with them very sweetmemories of their school days at Brooklyn. In giving an outline of the history of the school, Mr. Aitken said that the site of the first school in tho district was at Vogeltown,- where one room was built in 1882. It was opened in 1883, with Miss- M. R. Warren as head mis-tress, and a roll number of 24. In 1887 Miss Warren was succeeded by Miss E.-Brown,-and the roll number was 50. In 1888 n not her room was added, and four years later an increasing attendance necessitated still 'motherroom. In 1899 the school was removed from Vogeltown to the present tite, and it to-day formed the wooden structure on the lower level. That year Misa Brown resigned, and Mr. J. B. Hopkirk was appointed master at a time when the roll had reached 217. In 1900 two rooms of the main school on the tt[per level were built, and in 1903 it was found necessary to add three more rooms. Sevon years later the attendance necessitated the crection of two more class rooms, which were added (in brick) to the infant school on tho lower lovcl. During the present your another two rooms were found to be wanted, with tho result that the new addition was made. The school roll for tho June quarter was G93, with an average attendance of 650. (Applause.) Mr. Aitken added that the addition rad completed tho growth of tho school, as the policy of tho Education Department forbade any larger schools lliaii the Brooklyn School. If in the future further accommodation were required another school would liavo to be provided. Ho then formally declared 1 the addition open, and the scholars sang the i Russian National Anthem lustily. Messrs. Davis and Roberts were tho builders of tho addition, which cost the hoard about £1100. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) was among those present at tho function.