RURAL EDUCATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 28 May 1942, Page 4

RURAL EDUCATION

TAPAWERA DISTRICT HIGH l SCHOOL ~ MODERN FACILITIES PROVIDED OFFICIAL OPENING TO-MORROW The biggest school consolidation scheme in the Nelson Education Board’s area has been effected by the establishment of the Tapawera Consolidated District High School which will !>«• officially opened 6' the Minister of Education, the lion. 11. G. R. Mason, to-morrow afternoon. The new school will provide many additional educational ad van- I tages for the children of the district to be served by it, particularly in the opportunity now offered for secondary education, and by the introduction of manual insti uction in woodwork and cooking for the primary classes. Nine schools were involved in the consolidation: Tapawera, Golden Downs, Kor e re, Motupiko, Malariki, Sherry River, Kiwi, Tadmor and Stanley Brook. lIOW SCHEME ORIGINATED This large consolidation scheme originated at a combined meeting ol school committees in the district, held at Tapawera in June. 1938. In the next , month, on 2nd July, the proposal came | before a large meeting of householders at Tapawera, at which the chairman of | the Education Board (the Hon. W. il. Mclntyre) presided and which was attended by representatives from the Kiwi, Korere. Matariki, Motupiko, Sherry River, Stanley Brook. Tadmor. Tapawera, Golden Downs, Kikiwa and Tui schools. From that meeting representations were made to the Education Board for thi* proposed consolid - ation. The scheme received the board’.', support and blessing before it was sent j on to the Education Department with the request for authority to acquire a site for the establishment of a newprimary school with a secondary department to be known as the Tapawera Consolidated High School. Requests were also made for authority to extend and remodel the existing school for the purpose of converting it into a manual training centre for the instruction of woodwork and cooking, also for the erection of a new dental clinic. The Minister of Education soon gave his approval to the scheme and a site of four acres adjoining the Memorial Park at Tapawera was acquired from the McMahon estate. i DESCRIPTION OF BUILDINGS i The new school has been provided ! with the best buildings, facilities and I equipment that it is possible for the j Education Board to give. The pupil. : are accommodated in two buildings. The Infants’ school comprises two class ■ rooms each 26ft by 24ft and of the open air type. A new feature has been introduced by the inclusion of two glassed-in sunporches. In addition the cloakrooms, shelter sheds and lavatory accommodation are all under the one roof. The main building consists of four classrooms and a central administrative block. Three of the classrooms (26ft by 24ft) will be used by the upper division . of the primary department, the other being a combined science and classroom for the secondary department, measur- ! ing 28 feet by 24 feet. The administraj lion block includes the headmaster’s of- | j flee, teachers’ common room, women ; teachers’ room and storeroom. In addition the shelter sheds, cloak rooms and lavatory accommodation are all under , the one roof. This building is centrally j heated and has a hot water heating sysj tern. A verandah extends along the I front of the block, an innovation • being the provision of a glass roof to the verandah. It is the first school in the district to have this feature. All the furnishings and equipment in , the school are new. Each pupil has an individual table and chair. These ; are made in eleven different sizes to suit the size and ages of the children throughout the school from the primers - to the secondary classes. All the black- : boards are suspended on the walls. i The manual training classes will be conducted in the old school building, i which has been remodelled to provide - the necessary equipment. This block is a little distance away from the new buildings. > A new dental clinic has also been pros’ vided. BETTER EDUCATION ’ The nine schools which have been ’ included in the consolidation were ", scattered over a wide country area, each one being a sole charge school • with the exception of Tapawera which i had two teachers. The area covered is from about 35 to 50 miles from Nelson [ and that distance and the lack of suit- > able train or bus services made it im- ? possible for children in the district to » receive secondary or manual training i unless their parents couid afford to » board them at a college or in an area ? with a District High School. The par- , ents, the Education Board and the Det partment were keen to give the child- - ren those advantages, and the enthusiastic support given to the tion has resulted in the establishment i of a school with buildings and facilities - equal to, if not better, than any other i school of its size in the Dominion. In 1 addition to the advantage of secondary 5 education and the new courses of instruction at the manual training centre 1 the pupils will have the advantage of L association and competition with a lav- ’ ger number of children. > I THE STAFF | The headmaster of the new school is ■ Mr P. F. Osborne who has transferred ’ from the Horahora Native School to take up the appointment. The assistants are Mr V. F. Moore. Miss L. M. Dodson, and. in the meantime, Mrs Osborne, who has kindly consented to act as an assistant teacher pending the ap- . pointment of a probationary assistant i The infant mistress is Miss F. M. Jordan I The secondary department will be in 1 charge of Mr E. P. Bone, until recently on the staff of the Denniston District High School. I R ANsro RT SE R VICLS The consolidation of so many schools ; over such a wide area required careful organisation of the transport services to the school. Five different school bus routes will be provided, four | of them by Mr S. L. Wadsworth, of Tapawera, under contract. The following buses run daily: From Stanley , Brook, 21 children: from Matariki via i Sherry, Kiwi and Tadmor, 38; from Gol. i den Downs, 32; from Atapo, Korere, and Motupiko, 34: and one from Glenrae, operated by Mr W. Creep, 11 chili dren. The Atapo and Matariki buses are in charge of teacher drivers. Messrs Moore and Bone respectively, the other ( ' two drivers being provided by the contractor. SCHOOL ROLL 175 ' The new school, which was occupied for the first time last Monday when schools resumed for the second term, commenced with a roll of about 175 160 primary and 16 secondary. THE COMMITTEE The new committee for the school has been elected on a basis which gives all th * former school areas representation as follows: —Two members from the old Golden Downs, Korere and Motupiko areas; one from Matariki and Sherry: and one each from Kiwi, Tadmor, Stanley Brook and Tapawera. The members of the committee are: Messrs K. Kodgkinson (chairman), S. Mead (secretary). F. R. Berryman (treasurer). V. R. Nicholls, E. K. Eban, O. A. Phillips and A. R. Drummond.