REGIONAL SURVEYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24236, 1 March 1940, Page 5

REGIONAL SURVEYS

CENTENNIAL COMPETITION PRIZE-WINNING SCHOOLS HIGH STANDARD ACHIEVED (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON. Feb. 29. The results of the centennial competition among the schools for regional surveys by the schools themselves, and not by individual pupils, were characterised by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) to-day as representing a high standard of achievement. The competition, i said, nad been one of the most successful features of the whole centennial celebrations, and he was sure that the 55 schools which submitted entries had derived as much pleasure from patting their entries together, as the judges had in inspecting their excellent work. It was noteworthy that the entries were nearly all of a high standard. In view of that excellent result, the judges in the competition. Mr H. C. D Somerset, ot Feilding and Mr W. B Harris, of the Christchurch Training College, had wisely decided to recommend the spreading of the £2OO prize money, made available by the Government, as widely as possible to allow every entry which showed genuine effort to receive recognition. Co-operative Work “At the outset,” Mr Parry said. “it was made clear that the competition was for regional surveys to be submitted by schools and not by individual pupils, schools being divided into sections for the competition according to size and type. These regional surveys are the result of planned effort and co-operation between teachers and pupils. So much freedom was allowed m the choice of a subject that while some schools wrote studies of the history of their neighbourhood others treated its botany, even including varieties of seaweed, and one remarkable, entry submitted by a girls’ school consisted of an accurate model in soap of four successive stages in the development of a particular urban area. Most entries were attractively presented; many, indeed, are real works of 'art. “Among work of such a high level of merit it is invidious to single out particular instances, but I would like to commend especially the survey of the Wellington Technical College and of the Kairakau School (Chatham Islands), which were outstanding among the many meritorious entries. At the same time. I wish to congratulate all the successful competitors on their very interesting work, which was both original and painstaking.” The judges have placed the prizewinning entries in each type of school in three classes. In Class A is placed work of outstanding merit, faithfully carried out and ably presented One survey in each section was classified A. In Class B is placed work which might be classified as very good in conception and presentation. Class C contains work which the judges considered to be worthy of recognition. List of Prize-winners The classification of the prize-win-ners is as follows: Technical and Secondary Schools.— Class A: Wellington Technical College. Class B: Otago Girls’ High School, Rangiora High School. Timaru Boys’ High School. Feilding Agricultural High School. Wellington Girls’ College.' Class C: South Otago High School, Balclutha, Waimate High School, Otago Boys’ High School. Waitaki Girls’ High School. Rotorua High School, St. Joseph’s Maori Girls’ College, Napier. - x Native Schools.—Class A: Hicks Bay Native School. Class B: Manaia Native School,. Whakarara Native School. Secondary Departments of District High Schools, Grades A and B.—Class. A: Roxburgh District High School. Class B: Owaka District High School. Wyndham District High School. Secondary Departments of District High Schools. Grades C and Upwards. —Class A: Kaitaia District High School. Class B: Huntly District High School, Waihi District High School. Te Karaka District .High School. Primary Schools. Grades I. H and Hl.—Class A: Kairakau. Chatham Islands. Class B: Turiroa. Ruapekapeka, Naseby. Tahora, Matarawa, Kimbell, Manaroa. Class C: Waihi Beach, Maxwell, Tinui, Hae Te Moana. Albany, Hinakura, Glengary. Primary Schools, Grades IV and V. —Class A; Riwaka. Class B: Pungarehu, Moturoa, Thames Central. Tinwald, Brightwater Primary Schools, Grades VI and Upwards, Intermediate Departments and Schools. —Class A: Waitaki Girls’ High School Intermediate Department, Class B: Shirley Intermediate. Dargaville. Te Papapa, Belmont. Miramar South The Minister added that the prizes would take the form of books for school libraries to the value of the prize awarded. 7 The prize-winning schools would receive notification in the near future of the amounts awarded to them and of the arrangements governing the selection of those books.