ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE BREAK-UP

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 70, 16 December 1937, Page 8

ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE BREAK-UP

Very Successful Year

COMMENT ON LEAVING AGE

OF SOME PUPILS

A successful year was reported at the break-up ceremony last night of St. Patrick’s College, Wellington. Attention was drawn, however, to the tendency of boys to leave school too soon for occupations with little or no prospects.

Father Lysught, the rector, in his report, said that despite the broken year through the infantile paralysis epidemic, there were excellent results iu school work and in sporting activities. The type of physical exercises in use iu the college had proved highly satisfactory, and had been very favourably commented on by competent authorities outside the school. He welcomed the increasing importance attaching to physical training iu schools. He welcomed also the reorganised course of instruction iu military training. Though military training had not been compulsory in secondary schools for some years, the cadet corps had beeu gladly maintained as inculcating the full duties of citizenship and a sense of discipline and a certain smartness in carriage, and he trusted that-with the wider, freer and more useful course of instruction provided, the college cadets would continue to flourish. Examinations and Leaving Age. Dealing with examinations, he welcomed the re-introduction of the PublicService Examination as giving an objective for such boys as must leave in the middle of their school course —an. objective that in a registered secondary school was worth very much more than the intermediate examination. He stressed also the enhanced value of the higher leaving certificate. He reminded parents of the gulf between fifth form work and university degree work, and made bold to say that a lad even above the average in ability and grounding was not prepared to undertake a university degree course with ease and satisfaction unless he had spent a year in the sixth form.

Insufficient Time at School,

The total enrolments for the year numbered 208, and of these 90 were flrstyear enrolments. The number of boys on the school roll at present was 183. “When we consider the ease with winch boys who so desire may obtain employment, the fall in numbers during tjie year was not considerable,” he said, "and may be taken as showing a glowing recognition of the value of sound general education as qualifying for first-grade work and the greater security that goes with such work. The average age ot boys who left in the course of the year was a little over 15 years and this,, apar t from the few cases where work is advisable in the interests of the lad himself, is unsatisfactory for it indicates an insufficient period in which to reapthe benefits the school has to give, and also, often, the acceptance ot work that from its very nature has little or no prospects. Boys with qualifications who left in the course of the year had no difficulty in securing excellent employ™A t system of class libraries had been introduced, affording a basis for more active study, and it also developed interests and greater powers of discrimination. More time and attention had also been given to powers of expression, both oral Ind written. He felt that every boy leaving a secondary school was inadequately equipped unless he could take his stand and speak his “reasons for the faith that is in him.” He favoured discussions rather than debates, for debates suffered from two great drawbacks —they encouraged the habit of taking sides first and finding the arguments afterward, and the equal y had habit of suppressing such facts as were inconvenient. In Form VI he desired to introduce a course in elementary logic—not formal logic of the older textbooks but the practical logic of everyday life, for in these days of propaganda, emotionalism and “smudgy” thinking he could conceive of no better preparation for sound citizenship. , Archbishop’s Praise of School. Archbishop O'Shea, who presented the prizes, congratulated the school on the success of all its activities. St. Patrick s College had, ever since the boarding section was shifted to Silverstream, done invaluable work in providing education for boys whose parents would not otherwise have been able to give their sons the religious secondary education which they desired, and he hoped that there would always be loyal support of the college and its work in Wellington. The Catholic Board of Education recognised the worth of the work of the college, in forming and developing character as well as in teaching knowledge, and would as soon as possible give its help to the secondary schools. That desirable development, however, was bound up with the problem of finance. He acknowledged the fair and just treatment given schools, irrespective of creed, by th? Minister ot Education. , T n The Minister of Education, Hon. 1. Fraser, congratulating The college on its work for the year, said the report would do credit to any college. Father Lysaght was a worthy successor of two really great educationists, Father Gilbert and Bather Ryan. . xi- i. Acknowledging references to his woik, he said he believed that all boys and girls were future citizens and so should be helped in their education. Although fie thought public schools did really wonderful work, he would be simply blind if he could not see that private and denominational schools also performed services of great educational value. The prize list is as follows: — Good conduct (gold medal presented by his Grace Archbishop O’Shea): Stanley Form VI, dux of the school (gold medal): John Parker. Next in merit: Brian Kelly, G °Chrls y tlan o doctr l ine (Sixth and Fifth Form, K: P StX%ui y il. th Parker, Keith Whitehouse. Form VA, general excellence (gold medal presented bv Mr. B. F. Kelly); Francis &rty, 1; John Duffy, 2; Anthony MeLaughllu, 3. Next in merit: Francis Mooney, Bartholomew Sheehan. Form V Remove, Christian doctine. Angus Williams. Next iu Hoequard, Patrick Anderson. General ex_ cellence: Peter Caldwell, 1; 1 atnek An Vineent »e presented by Monsignor Connelly) .Maur Next ta Anthony *ionergan, James Giiwn. Oratory: Bernaid Jones. Form HI Professional.-Christlan not trine: Maurice Gradwell. Next in Desmond Ross, Brian Pohlen. General excellence: Desmond Ross 1, Maurice rjrfldwpll 2* Earle Crewdbon, o. 111 merit* Brian Northcott, Kevin lemni. Bernard Ryan. Next in merit: Leonard Stafford, Frederick Ellis. Gtner al excel_ lenee: Henry Connor, 1 lin id Hill, Patrick Touhy, 3. Next iu mclit. 1 atnek doctrine- Robert Keith. Next in meiit. John Nolan, 3. Next in merit: Terence Minihan, D lnter- L clui> r Shield: Won by Vare-poi, pre--Be&^ffi“n“ Francis Evenson, . f ° a ’‘s p c^ e ° a l Thorndon (Archbishop O Shea s); ues mon ( ’She 11, Marist Brothers, Newtown (St Patrick’s college): 3. Peter Hosey, Vl-n-lsf Brothers’, Newtown (St. Annes Parish)’ 1 Gerald O’Brien. Mar st Brothers’, Newtown (St. Mary of the Angels); •). -lohn Mullieron Mans Brothers’, Thorndon ?i lea - r .! Parish)- G. Joseph Phillips, Marist Brothers', Miramar (St. Patrick s Parish). Leaving Certifieates.-Godfrey Goodson, Brian Kelly, John Parker, Stanley Quill.