HOLIDAYS BEGIN

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 62, 6 December 1930, Page 10

HOLIDAYS BEGIN

Training College Break-up A HAPPY CEREMONY The atmosphere of holiday time pervaded the Teachers’ Training College at Kelburn yesterday morning, when the main hall was thronged with students, and there was a hum of excitement in anticipation of the ceremony which was to relieve them of further study until after the summer vacation.. All of them, however, will not reassemble at the Training College, for many have completed their training, and are looking forward to. securing appointments in their profession. Festoons had been hung from all the walls to the centre of the ceiling, and prior to the formal ceremony there were many personal leave-takings. . Mr. T. Forsyth presided at the official closing, at which an address was given by his Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe. He was accompanied by Lady Bledisloe, to whom a beautiful bouquet was presented. Others present were Sir John Luke, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., Mr. W. H. P. Barber, Dr. J. Mcllwraith, Mr. H. E. Nicholls, Mr. G. L. Stewart, Mr. A. Bell, Assistant-Director of Education, and Mr. G. S. Hill, president of the Wellington head centre of the Royal Life Saving Society. . Extending a cordial welcome to their Excellencies, the chairman remarked that they had before them the most influential —potentially—audience they could possibly have. The possibilities before those who were leaving the college were unbounded, and he hoped that the Education Board .would be able to find places for them all. He referred to the retirement of Mr. L. J. Watkin, who for some years had been art master in the college, and wished him happiness in his retirement. Responsibility of Training. The principal, Mr. A. K. Lomas, gave a resume of the year’s work, and said he and the staff felt keenly the responsibility of the work of the college. It was not like building a house where the builder had the satisfaction of seeing the complete result of his labours. At the college students attended for two years, and then went into their profession. It had been said that teachers were born, not made, but that was only half a truth, for while teachers were born they also had to be trained. The work of training for the profession was criticised by everyone, and it was difficult to break away from tradition and bring in something which had not been introduced before. It was very necessary, in accordance with the motto of the school, that new light should radiate into the profession. . Mr. Lomas expressed the debt owing to the headmasters for their co-operation in the training of teachers, and acknowledged the great help rendered by the Education Board. He thanked the staff of the college and also the staff of the Thorndon School for their help and cooperation during the year. Speaking to the senior students who were leaving for real teaching in the school, he said that they _ were really only just beginning, and he wished them every success. In regard to the juniors, he hoped they would return to the college fit and well after the vacation to continue their training. Life-saving Work. Awards for life-saving work were presented by Lady Bledisloe as follow:.— Diplomas, Misses Nancy Webber, Sinclair Breen, and Landon-Lane; award of merit, Misses Brockett, Cooney, Partridge, and Longbottom. Mr. G. S. Hill said the Life-saving Society welcomed the support given to the movement by the college, as extra marks were awarded to those students who took up the work of life saving. In going into the teaching profession they would broadcast the knowledge of life saving from one end of the Dominion to the other. The society believed that every child attending school should ■ be compelled to learn the methods of swimming and life saving. They had been advocating for some years that such a policy should be followed in "schools which were in a neighbourhood where bathing facilities existed, and hoped that when the Government thought of building new schools provision for swimming baths would be made. . . . . It was announced that the training.in life saving in the college had been carried on under the direction of Mrs. Davis. The students were addressed by the Governor-General, who dealt with the nobility of the teaching profession and the value of a rural bias in education.. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Hebridean melody. “Parting Song,” and the students rendered seve,ral part songs, including “Dulce Dornum.