CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION

Evening Star, Issue 23101, 29 October 1938, Page 13

CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION

EXHIBITS FROM THE SCHOOLS PHYSICAL EDUCATION DISPLAYS [Per Uniter Press Association.] WELLINGTON. Oct. 28. When the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition is onened at Wellington next year one of the most important parts of the Government Court will be the education section. Suggested types of exhibits from primary schools, both public and private, secondary schopls, technical colleges, teachers’ training cclleves. universities, kindergartens and the Education Department have been reported on by special sub-committees and approved bv the Minister of Education (Mr P. Fraser), who is president of the Education Committee. Mr W. V. Dyer, chairman of the Wellington Education Board, is chairman of the committee, Mr W, I Devoll, secretary of the Wellington Education Board and of the New Zealand Education Boards’ Association, is secretary, and Mr O, J. Howartn, headmaster of the Island Bay School. Wellington, is chairman of the Primary Schools’ Sub-committee. It is proposed that a master from the Art department of one of the technical schools will be selected about four months before the opening of the Exhibition to lav out the education section in as artistic a manner as possible. This renders it necessary for schools to take advantage of work prepared by senior pupils during the remaining period of the school year and to begin collecting without delay suitable class exhibits, which it is expected will be later taken in hand and sorted out by the Central Selection Committee. It has been decided not to have actual classes under instruction as at the Dunedin Exhibition. Members of the Primary School Sub-committee however. attached the greatest importance to the active participation of the children of the Dominion at the Centennial, stated Mr Deayoll to-day, and a strong effort was being made to secure the introduction of living displays in physical education, folk dancing, choral work, verse speaking, dramatic expression, school bands and handwork. The sub-committee was confident that the schools of the Wellington district could be relied on to provide a daily programme, holidays excepted, during the centennial, and that during the Christmas holidays the programme could well be supplied by pupils, including Maori pupils, ot schools visiting the centennial. A good deal of organisation would be involved, Mr Deavoll added, but a comprehensive programme could be compiled before the opening of the exhibition. Care would be taken, however, that it would be sufficiently elastic to accommodate schools in any district which at the time of the request could not state definitely their intention to visit the centennial. The following list of exhibits has been approved:—Handwork, geography, history, Nature study, and elementary science, English, and social education. It has been considered advisable; as far as the primary schools are concerned, to eliminate exhibits of handwriting, print scrip, arithmetic, and English anthologies of prose and drama. KEEN INTEREST OVERSEAS WELLINGTON, Oct. 28. News that great interest is being taken in the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition was brought by Mr R. H. Nimmo. of Wellington, on his return by the Monterey from Britain,' the Continent, and America. Representations made by him as the official representative, said Mr Nimmo. had been well received everywhere, and most encouraging reports had been given him concerning likely exhibits from the - United Kingdom, the United States, particularly California, Canada. Honolulu, and Suva. Indications were that many people from the Pacific area and elsewhere would arrange holiday visits for the centennial period. Mr Nimmo, who was in America during the war ,risis, said the Americans were just beginning to realise the significance of Mr Chamberlain’? achievement. The whole weight of American opinion during the crisis was behind the British Empire.