GREY TECHNICAL SCHOOL

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 March 1941, Page 5

GREY TECHNICAL SCHOOL

BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEET. The Board of Governors of the Greymouth Technical High School met last evening, there being present: Messrs. T. E. Coates (chairman), A. A. Adams, W. H. Parfitt, C. F. Shapcott, J. B. Kent, P. J. McLean, E. B. E. Taylor, J. E. White, Mrs. C. H. Lindsay, and the Principal, Mr. W. M. Stewart. The Finance Committee’s report was adopted. School accounts totalling £B5/18/2, and hostel accounts totalling £155/1/6 were passed for payment. The hostel credit balance was shown at £l7l/0/10, and the school credit balance at £147/17/2. The Church of Christ Easter Camp and Conference Committee wrote, asking for the use of two gas cookers from the school from April 10 to April 15. —Granted.

The Railways Road Services Manager wrote asking that children who boarded the school bus at Wallsend should be asked to wait in the railway station on wet days. He stated that many children had been in the habit of waiting under the verandah of Mrs. Devlin’s shop, and besides their making a lot of noise, there was the danger of the window being broken.— The Principal said he had carried out the request. Mr. Shapcott asked if the question of having the Blackball bus take the children right to the school on wet days instead of leaving them in town had been taken up. The Principal said he understood that the service was from Blackball to Greymouth, and that the bus could not go on to the school as there was a service already on the route from the town to the school.

Mr. Taylor said that application would have to be made to the License ing Authority for a license to travel to the school.

The Education Department wrote, stating that in regard to the extended Territorial training in prospect, arrangements had been made for the Army Department to give at least one month’s notice to teachers required for any such training to enable Boards to make arrangements to fill the temporary vacancies.

The Principal commented that the trouble was the month’s notice might be of some use for the larger city schools, but the period might just as well be one week as far as the smaller schools were concerned.

The Education Department advised that the Government proposed providing an apple per school day per child for three months, and that the scheme would not interfere with the milk-in-schools scheme. —The Principal stated that the scheme would be conducted at the school by Mr. Wick, and it was proposed to distribute the milk in the mornings as at present, and the apples in the afternoon. The Education Department wrote asking the Board’s co-operation in the conservation of petrol supplies.—The Principal stated that the only petrol used at the school was for the lawn mower, and the use of petrol for that machine had been cut down to a minimum.

VISITING COMMITTEE. For the Visiting Committee, Mr. McLean reported that he and Mrs. Lindsay made the inspection. At the manual school he was agreeably surprised to see the number of the children, and the way the work was. being conducted. The windows there had been nailed up on account of the smoke nuisance from an incinerator in the grounds, and ventilation was badly needed. The smoke nuisance was considerable when there was an unfavourable wind. The ground "was also overgrown with long grass and blackberry and was in a most unsatisfactory state. It badly needed clearing. It would take only about £2 to have the ground cleared, and if the people using the incinerator used a little discretion as to the times rubbish was burnt, there would be no smoke nuisance. The school and the school grounds were in very fine order, and the blacking-out of windows had been creditably done. The Visiting Committee had been very pleased to see a class of girls preparing material from old clothes for delivery to the Lady Galway Guild. The hostel was also in fine order and everything there was satisfactory. The only suggestion the Matron had to make was that the Board consider the painting of the

(roof. There were no requirements at I the Hostel.

On the motion of Mr. McLean, the Principal and the chairman were deputed to arrange for the clearing of the ground at the manual training school, and the improvement of ventilation, and it was decided that the Education Board be asked to abate the smoke nuisance.

On Mr. McLean’s motion it was resolved that tenders be called for the painting of the roof of the hostel. , Mr. McLean asked that in view of the controversy, it be noted that the Matron of the hostel had no requests to make.

Messrs. Adams and Taylor were appointed as the Visting Committee for the month.'

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT. The following report by the Principal was read and adopted:— The total number of pupils on the school roll as on March 1, the date on which the staffing ratio for the year is determined, was 360, comprising 178 boys and 182 girls. Since that date, 'two pupils have been admitted, and eight have been withdrawn, all of these having secured positions in the district, and most of them having enrolled in the evening classes. Of the present roll of 354, 175 are boys and 179 girls. Owin'g to shortages in local staffs caused by the departure of men for military duties —Air Force or overseas or Territorial—it is to be expected that in the near future and periodically thereafter, withdrawals will be made in sharp bursts to fill the gaps. If this proves correct, it is to be hoped

that employers consult the best (interests of the pupils—and ultimately their own interests also —by engaging those who are in their later years and therefore more ready for errtployment. .The average attendance for the period of four weeks has been 91.6 per cent. The year’s programme of work is now going on in full swing, the new timetable having been completed. Owing to shipping conditions, some delay has occurred in the arrival of text-books from overseas, but fortunately this has been minimised by the extra care taken in securing supplies of second-hand books. The arrival of supplies from overseas is expected [very shortly. The resignation of Mr.

R. G. Pilling, to accept an appointment with the R.N.Z.A.F. Educational Ser- | vices made it necessary to advertise lthe position, which .is a war-time vacancy vice Mr. L. E. Tweedie, who is on active service abroad. I hope to be in a position very shortly to recommend an appointment to the Board. Twenty-one boys and 17 girls are in residence at the school hostel. Of ‘these, 14 are full-time, and 24 go home at the week-ends. Mr. D. J. Knapp, who was appointed to the war-time vacancy caused by the departure of Mr. J. D. Lyon, of the manual training staff, for Air Force camp, has tendered his resignation, but we have been fortunate in securing the services of another suitable instructor, so that no interruption will occur’in the work. The swimming sports and the athletic sports held on February 19 and March 12 respectively, were fortunate in having ideal weather, and both functions proved even more .successful than usual. Many parents and other supporters attended, and at the athletic sports, visitors were entertained at afternoon tea. I have to acknowledge with thanks the contributions made by parents to the provision of this entertainment. I also wish to express thanks to the local swimming centre for help in connection with the swimming activities, and to Mr. Davies, custodian of the baths, for his assistance. It is hoped that the inter-schools sports will be held on Wednesday, March 26. A numbei' of pupils, both boys and girls have undergone their tests for various awards in life-saving. Teams of boys and girls played enjoyable matches in tennis with pupils of the Hokitika District High School. The first cricket eleven and the girls’ tennis team will travel to Christchurch on Thursday, March 20, to play the annual niatches against Christchurch West High School. Four cricket elevens are in regular play, three of them being engaged in regular competition games on Saturday. Subscriptions received during the past four weeks amount to £l4/5/-, making a progress total to date of £45/18/6. Accounts outstanding amount to £B/10/-. Balance in hand £124/0/10. Evening classes opened for the year!

; on Monday, March 3, and enrolments, in view of the prevailing conditions, > are satisfactory. Two difficulties which have had to be faced are, first- . iy, the number of students who would normally be enrolling but are on military service, or are engaged in Air Force classes, or are awaiting being called up, and secondly, the reduced lighting regulations. Having received no advice from the Education Department, I got into touch with Wellington by telephone, and was advised that, while it was expected that classes, where possible, should go on, each school would be subject to the conditions laid down by the Reduced Lighting Committee for the district. Thanks to the hard work and the skill of Messrs. Mitchell, Judkins and Excell and Miss Macdonald, steps have been taken to fulfil adequately the requirements for as many rooms as are used for the evening classes. The chief difficulty lay in the engineering and woodwork block and the domestic science wing, owing to their great window-space and the number of skylights, but successful efforts have been made at very moderate cost to comply with regulations and keep the classes in action. The class for candidates for Third Marine and Stationary Engine Drivers’ Certificates has been founded. The class in Institutional Cookery, conducted by Miss Macdonald for the Women’s War Service Auxiliary, is in action. The Auxiliary also asked that a room be provided, if possible, for its class in Motor Mechanics. As I was able to provide a room, I anticipated the consent •of the Board in this direction, and the class is being held on Wednesday evenings. I inadvertently omitted to mention in my last report that J. B. Shannon was successful in passing the first section of the professional accountant’s examination from the evening commercial classes. Efforts are beign made to bring once more into action the examination classes for University Entrance and allied examinations, which were successful for several years, but lapsed in 1940 through lack of enrolments. The Principal’s action in granting the use of a room for the motor mechanics class was approved, and a motion of thanks was passed to Messrs. Judkins, Mitchell, Excell and Miss Macdonald for their work in connection with the black-out.

PLANS FOR ANNIVERSARY. The Principal said he wished to place before the Board for its consideration a plan which was already under way, but which could be stopped if the Board did not approve. In 1948, the school would have its twenty-fifth anniversary, and it was desirable that that anniversary should be worthily marked. >’ With that object, and the possible development of the school in view, he had in mind the making over of the old engineering workshop as a gymnasium—at a cost of about £2OO or £3OO, the extension of the aboretum, and the construction of a swimming bath, the whole plan being concerned with the Marlborough Street side of the school grounds. He was looking well ahead, no doubt, but with the money to be raised it was wise to begin early. The whole proposal could be carried out for £2OOO or £3OOO. He had discussed the matter with tribe leaders, deputy-tribe leaders, prefects and deputy-prefects, and had suggested that a'war savings account be opened by the children with funds from all the concerts and suchlike efforts held at the school. The proposal had been enthusiastically taken up, and he had been able to open the account with about £B. By the time the account matured in 1945 they would have about £ 120 or £ 150 in hand and that would form the nucleus of the fund. They would then, he hoped, be able to do something among the old pupils. In reply to Mr. Adams, the Principal said that the concerts and functions from which money for the account would be raised would not be in the form of appeals to the public. They would be purely domestic. Qn the motion of Messrs. Taylor and McLean, the Board recorded approval of the action of the Principal, and appreciation of his foresight and effort. SCHOOL' CADETS. i I The Principal said thpre was another plan he had in train and for which he required the approvafof the Board. He had always been keen on school cadet companies, but he found soon after he came to Greymouth,

’that owing to train and other unsuitable conditions it was not really practicable to have a school cadet company. Now, however, with the institution of the Blackball bus service, the main difficulty had been overcome, and he considered thei’e was the op-' portunity for the establishment of an excellent cadet company at the school. His idea was to have the training made more comprehensive and interesting by the inclusion of field engineering and field ambulance work, etc., and while the boys were doing their cadet, training the girls could be engaged in Red Cross, Lady Galway Guild, and other such work. He had written to the parents of every boy in the school, and only a very few had replied that they preferred their boys not to take the cadet training. Mr. Ormandy, who was an experienced Territorial officer, would be in. charge, and he already had an N.C.O. squad in training, v -

The Principal’s action in preparing the establishment of a cadet company was unanimously approved.

The Board went into committee to discuss staff and other matters.