SCHOOL REUNION

Evening Star, Issue 19615, 22 July 1927, Page 10

SCHOOL REUNION

TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY The Maori Hill Coronation Hall was well tilled last night, the occasion being the twenty-first anniversary of the Maori Hill School. In order to fittingly observe the anniversary the School Committee and the Ex-Pupils’ Association, with the assistance of a band of ladies who have rendered, much assistance to the school, organised a social evening and dance. Mr 11. Armit, chairman of the School Committee, presided, while others on tho platform were Mr JWallace (chairman of the Otago Education Board), Mr F. Rolfe (president of tho Ex-Pupils’ Association), and Mr J. F. Wilson (head master of the Maori Hill School). , r In -the course of Ins remarks Mr Armit said that it was a very great pleasure to be present at such a gathering. The school was opened first on July 17, 1906, and consisted at that time of two rooms, with a staff of two teachers, while there were 165 pupils on the roll. Now tho school buildings comprised seven rooms, and there was a staff of eight teachers aiid a probationer, with a roll number of 380, so that it had made a good deal of progress. Since tho opening of the school some -2,220 pupils had passed through it. A band of ladies was working for the benefit of the school, and its efforts, combined with tho generosity of parents and friends, had enabled the committee to collect a considerable sum with which to convert an ugly hillside into two fine playing areas. Ho was sure that in the future Maori Hill would have one of the linest schools in Dunedin. , , , Mr F. J. D. Jlolle endorsed the remarks of the previous speaker. He was sure that when tho Ex-pupils’ Association was properly organised it would be of great benefit to tiio school. Though the school was only twenty-one years old .it had traditions of its own. Tho ex-pupils had Jeft their mark on the school, and the school had left its mark on them in more ways than one. 1 Mr Wilson (the present head master) said that ho was afraid tho young J people of the present day were Jiving too much iu the present. \\ hen people came to that state when they ceased do observe anniversaries, they had come to a very lamentable state indeed, it was a pleasure to teach in the Maori Hill School. School children at the present time wore in the charge of their teachers for one hour in every seven. There wero others besides the teachers, therefore, who had a tremendous responsibility in regard to the children. He was pleased to bo able to say that yesterday morning there had been the hit'best attendance at tho school’that it had had during the last twelve months. The teachers of the standard classes had an average of fifty-six children to teach, and they wore therefore working under difficulties. Modern methods required small classes. There had been so many changes of method recently that the teachers were becoming bewildered. Mr Wilson referred to the importance of training in character. Ho would rather turn out 90 per cent, of respectable citizens than teach 10 per cent, of geniuses, and let 90 per cent, leave tho school morally weak. A pleasant function was the presentation to Mr E. H. Allen, who hud served on the School Committee lor tho past nineteen years, sixteen of which were in the post- of clerk. In making the presentation Mr Armit said that Mr Allen had been a conscientious worker in tho cause of the school, and was always up to date. iu returning thanks Mr Allen said that tho work had always been a pleasure to him. M hen he was first put on the committee it was only a small one, but as the school had grown, so had the committee. Ho was pleased to be able to say that during his nineteen years on tho committee the members had always pulled together, and had kept any personal jealousies out of their dealings. - , . . r A,* ,1 Later in the evening Mr J. Wallace said he was pleased to see that the school was celebrating its twenty-first birthday. This showed that people in the district were taking an in their school, and that was a really fine thing. Ho was not a member of the Education Board when the Maori Hill i School was opened, but ho-was interested, because he was connected with the George Street School,_ which lost a Jot of pupils on that occasion. lie took a great interest in the Maori Hill School, because lie had been a schoolmate of its late head master, Mr J. A, Fitzgerald. , No one had a higher estimation of Mr Fitzgerald than he and the Education Board had. The school had been fortunate in its staffs, which had done excellent work, and it had also been fortunate in regard to its committees. Men who had impressed him most had been Mr S. N. Brown and the late Mr P. L. Clark. Both had done great .work in the cause of education. Committees, like too

Education Board, did not get ranch thanks for their work. (Laughter.) Tho Maori Hill School had done tine work in regard to ground improvements. Ho remembered the struggle the board had had in having tho infant room opened. The school had turned out good citizens. He always liked to say a good word for the product of New Zealand’s education system, for ho was satisfied that the schools of the dominion turned out citizens equally as good as those of any other part of the world. He extended the congratulations of the Education Board.

During the evening the following programme was rendered Piano duet, Misses M. M'Donakl and A. Wilson; song, Mr J. Simpson; song, Miss A. Young; saxophone solo, Mr M. Horn; vocal duct, Messrs J. and A. Simpson; recitation, Miss M. Randle; song, Mr G. Allen; piano solo. Miss M. M'Donakl: song. Mr H. Harvey ; flute solo, Mr H. Neva ; recitation, Miss P. Hutton; song, Mr A. Simpson. Miss M. M'Donakl acted a s accompanist.