MODEL SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23809, 16 May 1939, Page 4

MODEL SCHOOL

RESULT OF UNUSUAL SYSTEM HOME-MAKING FOR CHILDREN PRACTICAL EDUCATION IN BUSH In the heart of the West Coast bush country at a place called Kotuku is the Jack’s Mill School, which is becoming known throughout the Dominion as one of the finest examples of its kind of modern practical and progressive education. The curricula and schedule of work have been designed to capture and hold the attention of the young idea and to furnish an atmosphere of creation and inventiveness that has its chief result in the disinclination of scholars to leave the school at the end of their primary period. Three years ago, Mr E. R. Darracott a member of a well-known Dunedin family, went to the coast to take charge of the Jack’s Mill Schcol. It was a square block of a building of a design all too familiar in country districts, standing in the middle of a swampy patch of waste land growing little more than blackberry. A yard away from the schoolroom windows was a shingle pit 10 feet deep, and on the opposite side of the structure were the remains of a garden plot. There was scarcely any really level ground and the general outlook was drab and discouraging. To-day the school is surrounded by an acre of garden, ornamental pools, neatly kept paths, and, most surprising of all, a miniature homestead, bungalow and grounds, designed and built by the pupils of the school. This bungalow has been finished and furnished inside by the arts and crafts which the girls have learnt, and fashioned into a genuine going concern, the evolution of which has provided a thorough practical training in homebuilding in all its aspects. Mr Darracott, when interviewed yesterday, explained to a Daily Times reporter some of the work that has been done by the_ youthful home-builders, and exhibited a natural pride in their achievements, which, he is very anxious to emphasise, are largely the result of juvenile initiative and enterprise. Birth of an Idea The idea of a model school had its birth in the original attempts to clean up the school site. It was an ambitious task in view of the slenderness of financial resources, but a successful carnival organised and staged substantially by the boys and girls of the district, produced a sum of a little over £IOO. Levelling and re-formation were immediately started, and the grounds were laid out for gardens and paths. And now the desert has blossomed like the rose. Neat borders, plots, pools, fountains and oaths have replaced the shingle and the blackberry. Illustrations published in this issue indicate the extent of the transformation achieved. The central figure in the foreground is a statue of Pgter Pan, floodlit at night and surrounded by day in their season by successive floral displays. Eight hundred bulbs of all kinds furnish the! spring display and 2000 forget-me-nots give the effect of a soft blue carpet when the early colour fades. In a cunningly executed frog pond are four of the school’s many mascots, four frogs, named and known, by all the scholars, lizards, turtles and star fish. At the foot of the Coronation Tree is a gnome pond with its intriguing little figures standing guard over the tadpole life which abounds in the pool and is the subject of special study by a section of the school.

The gardens and appurtenances are the work of the scholars and their maintenance and care are regarded as communal responsibilities in which all take their share. The cataloguing of plant species in the garden plots has been carefully carried out and full records of the life, habits and development of the reptile and other life in the pools have been compiled by the Nature study enthusiasts among the children. Building the Bungalow The gardens having been properly established, attention was directed to the building of the model dwelling, the erection of which disclosed remarkable aptitudes among the pupils, and resulted in many almost unbelievable examples of ingenuity and tradesmanship among young craftsmen barely into their teens. Stones were used for the first models of the bungalow by the smaller children. Then a representation in wood blocks and cardboard was produced, after which the senior pupils procured old architect’s plans and worked out the details, compiling blue prints drawn to scale in every particular. Design, materials, dimensions and lay-out were settled in this way, and thework of construction began. Enthusiasm ran high, and it was often impossible to say when the school day began or when it finished. The children came early and stayed late, and gradually the little home took shape. Everything' was done by the children themselves. Materials were quickly forthcoming from many commercial houses as soon as the news of this practical and modern system of instruction was spread about Fittings and Furnishings One of the first donations was the locally milled timber, and then came many other materials and fittings as the work progressed. A full-size electric range is in use for cooking at the school pending its installation in the bungalow, which has been wired by the young tradesman. The provision of a hot and cold water system is engaging the juvenile plumbers at the moment, and needlewomen of the school are busy with a carpet for the bedroom, having already completed a similar covering, seven feet square for the dining room. These carpets are the children's own design and handiwork, and the same can be said of a beautiful gold bedspread which has just been finished. All the interior decoration has been devised and agreed upon by the The rooms will be finished in fibrous plaster with the exception ot the bathroom, which has a green and white tiled floor and modern green and white granite walls. The outside of the house is now practically completed, and the furnishings inside are progressing raoidlv. Many articles of furniture and ornaments have been presented to the school by Christchurch and Greymouth fa-ms and by one or two Dunedin firms also. An Importan t Aspect A vital aspect of the project which has been receiving attention is the costing of everything and the commercial side ol the building. Every

piece of material used, every gift received, and all furnishings procured are listed and costed. A girl secretary sees to this part of the work, acknowledging all gifts and making due allowance for them. She sees to insurance and all expenditure, and all correspondence and documents relative to the undertaking are filed and available for examination and discussion. Considerations of profit and loss in house building receive every attention, and the files disclose possibilities in home-making in the heart of the bush which few people would credit. The house has recently been wired for the telephone, which is con-

nected with the school and the office of the secretary The wiring for light and power is also completed, and in this connection one youth wished to dam a nearby creek and provide the school with its own power. He produced the necessary plans and specifications, but the idea was found not easily practicable, with the result that the source of supply is the community one. An Unusual School In every way the Jack's Mill School must be regarded as an unusual one. It has a roll of from 40 to 50. under the charge of two teachers. It has its own distinctive school uniform, drill leaders and prefects, and the programme of phy-

sical instruction and recreation is drawn up and carried out by the pupils. Recently, the girls have been basing their physical work on the Russian Ballet, with the aid of recordings and literature, and they are now concentrating on gipsy dances. Gymnastics and physical drill for the boys is also controlled by the drill leaders. Although only a small backblocks school, the Jack’s Mill School has its own secondary department. All last year’s Standard VI scholars returned of their own free will at the begining of this year and comprised a secondary school of half a dozen based on practical lines, and not on a matriculation course.