ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

Southland Times, Issue 2244, 24 December 1875, Page 2

ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

The annual examination of St. Mary's Boman Catholic School was held in the schoolhouse, Conon street, on Thursday. The school has been under the charge of Mr Tracey for more than twelvemonths, and has made very appreciable progress since he took it in hand. Mr Tracey attends to the ceneral instruction, of the school, and is efficiently assisted by Miss Thompson, who manages the female division of the pupils. There is considerably more than a hundred names on the roll, but the regular attendance averages a hundred pupils, boys and girls. The schoolroom was tastefully got up on Thursday, and was decorated' with ferns and evergreens, and amongst the conspicuous objects we noticed several tables loaded with many pretty and variously devised samples of girls' fancy work done by the female pupils. These reflected much credit on the girls themselves, and on their instructress, Miss Thompson At a centrally situated table, which was strewed with a large number of handsomely bound prize- books, the Rev, Father Higgins, pastor of St. Mary's, supported on the right by Mr David Koche, presided, and supervised the examination, which was conducted alternately by Mr Tracey and Miss Thompson. The pastor frequently cross examined the pupils in a most kind and genial manner with the view of testing the extent to which they could practically apply the instruction which had been imparted to them, and the answers were for the most part highly creditable to the boys and girls, and gratifying to the questioner. In this way the intelligence of the pupils and their progress in knowledge were well brought out to the view of aJJ present — many of those being parents of the children. The various classes examined showed themselves to be well grounded in a knowledge of grammar, reading, penmanship, writing from dictation, arithmetic, and geography, general and particular. Alter this part of the proceedings was brought to a close, prizes were distributed amongst the pupils who had most distinguished themselves. At intervals during the examination, Miss Keid lent variety to the proceedings by singing, in a clear, pleasaut voice, several of Moore's Irish melodies. In presenting the prizes, Father Higgins expressed himself as being much pleased with the progress which the pupils had made since iiia assuming charge of the pastorate, and he paid a graceful and well-merited compliment to Mr Tracey and Miss Thompson for their efficiency.