SCHOOL PICNICS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 48, 20 November 1928, Page 3

SCHOOL PICNICS

ARE THEY A WASTE OF MONEY? Are school picnics worth while, and could the money spent in this direction be more profitably and wisely spent. This question was raised at the meeting of the School Committees’ Association, when Mr. J. Edie, of South Wellington School, suggested that the time had arrived when the annual school picnics should be abandoned. There were many grievances against them, he said. The collecting of funds was usually left to the headmaster. Pupils nowadays had many picnics; in fact, the life of the average child was one long picnic. Most of them went to pictures at least once a week. For an average school it cost about £lOO. Supposing they obtained a £lOO subsidy, look what £2OO would mean to any large-sized school. He thought a good deal of money was wasted which could well be spent on getting a reference library which would enable the children to Improve themselves. He thought the annual picnic could be replaced by the annual sports, which were now becoming a regular feature in the schools. They could also do a good deal in the way of improving school playgrounds with the money spent on picnics. Mr. J. B. Hopkirk said the school picnic was an institution at Brooklyn, and he was rather doubtful as to the reception such a proposal would get up there. School picnics had been going on so long he did not know how they were going to stop them. Mr. C. Ingram opposed the abolition of picnics, saying the parents by a vote nt Island B(iy gave them a mandate to hold the picnic, and subscribed most of the funds. It was decided to place the matter on the agenda for the next meeting.