WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOLS

Evening Star, Issue 22808, 17 November 1937, Page 2

WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOLS

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Major H. S. Orbell presided at the monthly meeting of the Board of Governors. Leave of absence was granted Miss M. S. Fitzgerald for the purpose of making a trip abroad. Miss D. G. T. Hall, M.A., Dip. Educ., was appointed to a permanent D grade position on the staff of the girls’ school. A letter was received from the Education Department stating that as the payment of subsidies on voluntary contributions had not yet been reinstated the department was unable to approve of the request for a subsidy of £ls on moneys for the purchase of library The lady principal (Miss J. B. Wilson) reported that Miss G. Hall and Miss W. O. Farnie had returned to the school. Miss Farnie attended the fifth Empire Summer School on World Affairs at Oxford under the auspices ot the Royal Empire Society. She also visited two important secondary schools for girls—Highbury Hill High School and Clapham Common School. Both Misses Farnie and Hall attended the City of London vacation coursein education at Bedford College. Miss Hall while in Belfast spent a day at a fine modern school, Strandtown School, and, by way of contrast, visited a primary school in the industrial centre of Belfast, where conditions were very cramped. Demonstrations , with an

Evans universal projector at the London Summer School were seen and the value of teaching estimated. Miss Wilson'recommended that such a projector should be ordered for the science equipment next year. Miss Fitzgerald had applied for « year’s leave [or fun ther study in England and on the Continent. She would devote much of her leave to the study of science. Miss Wilson placed on record her appreciation of the good services of Miss D. M. P. Prebble, M.A., and Miss L. Sheppard, 8.A., who had acted as relieving staff mistresses during the absence of Misses Farnie and Hail. The appointment of Miss Hall brought the staff to full trength for 1937. The secondary schools inspectors (Mr E. Carrodus and Miss M. May) visited the school on October 21 and 22 in connection with the award of intermediate and higher leaving certificates and the grading of teachers. Seventeen intermediate certificates were awarded, and 14 higher leaving certificates were granted. The rector (Mr F. Milner) reported that since his last report the junior high school sports, the massed schools athletic display, interhouse < sports, and intersecondary school athletic championships of Otago and Southland had been held. Ten schools competed at the lastmentioned, Waitaki gaining the senior shield and being runner-up in the intermediate and junior divisions. The gold medal awarded to the competitor gaining most points in the senior competition went to the Waitaki captain, John Sutherland, who broke two records and won the sprints events in promising style. J. Blakely (equal) was awarded a similar medal in the intermediate competition. The cricket season had opened auspiciously. The annual matches with the Timaru High School, plaved at Timaru,, were both won by Waitaki. In the annual Wellington Navy League essay competition Waitaki took ‘first, place in ail tine grades. The secretary complimented the school

on the thorough knowledge of the international situation which the essays from the school displayed. The Minister of Education visited the school _ on November 9, and presented the prizes won by Eliot Robertson (first senior prize) and D. Meek (second junior class) in the 1936 Royal Empire essay competition. Mr Fraser complimented the school highly on its utilisation of the library for essays and debating. The secondary school inspectors (Messra Tomlinson and Learning) spent threa days'at the school. They accredited 82 candidates for senior free places. On November 8 Mr Reynard (manual and technical inspector) visited the woodwork and metalwork classes and made some important recommendations. Mr Robert Milligan had presented a facsimile reproduction of the historic olive branch petition of 1775 which King 1 George 111. refused to accept from the American delegation. A specimen pew showing the design of the proposed hall seating had been placed in the vestibule of the Hr. 11 cf Memories by the Old Boys' Association The reports were received.