School Prize Days

Southland Times, Issue 14815, 17 December 1900, Page 3

School Prize Days

INVERCARttILL MIDDLE. The annual prize distribution in connection with the Middle School took place on Friday in the presence of a large assembly of parents of the pupils. Specimens of penmanship and drawing, and of needlework of many kinds, were on view in one of the rooms and attracted a good deal of attention. In the lower rooms classes were kept for a while at kindergarten work in order that visitors might obtain an insight into the methods that arc at present in vogue in this interesting branch of education. All were impressed with the suitableness of the several employments for the purposes for which they arc designed, viz, the training of the eye and hand. Action songs were also given as a further means of entertainment. To many the most interesting feature of the whole function was probably the competition in club-swinging and dumbbell practice. Captain Mackenzie, assisted by Messrs Wm. Smith and W. A. Stout, made the awards, a task of no mean difficulty considering the evenness with which many of the competitors performed the varied movements. At the conclusion of the competition, which was held in the playground, an adjournment was made to the examination room of the main building where the upper classes were assembled in full force. Here the chairman, Mr W. N. Stirling.briofly addressed his very crowded of young and old. He congratulated the girls on the fino display they had made in the competition, and he was glad to be in a position to report that the school had had in al£ ways a highly successful year. The increased attendance would secure for the coming twelvemonths an additional teacher, news that would be pleasant to the staff, the members of which had had much more than average work to do during the past six months. He had pleasure in calling on the head teacher, Mr Mehaffey, to read his report, which was as follows : — The school year has been in every respect a prosperous one. The percentage of attendance establishes a record. This has been the result partly of immunity from sickness, partly of the prevalence of fino weather, and partly also-of an increasing desire on the part of parents to secure regularity of attendance. As an almost necessary consequence the progress of pupils has been distinctly good The school closes with a roll number of 63f> and an average attendance of nearly 600. At the close of last year four pupils gained scholarships and quite a considerable number qualified for the reduction of half-fee made on conditions by the Higli School Board. Nearly all of these became pupils of the High School. The loss through this cause and through a large number of the older boys and girls leaving school to enter upon employment or engage in home duties haß been more than met by an influx of now pupils, so that the roll is higher by 40 than it was at the close of 1899. During the year Mr A. Lindsay resigned his position on the staff to enter upon commercial pursuits. I desire to record my appreciation of the valuable service rendered by Mr Lindsay during the sixteen years of his association with the school. Wo have to congratulate ourselves in having secured as, a successor so competent a teacher as Mr Alfred Grenfell The old pupils — botli boys and girlssignalised the year by presenting the school with a fine flagstaff and set of flags. The fund, which reached the handsome total of £42 10s, was contributed to by some 350 pupils. The staff and flags will form an excellent memento of an eventful year. Last May a successful entertainment was given in the theatre for the purpose of liquidating the debt due on the school piano. It is proposed during the coming year to hold a festival for tho purpose of erecting a substantial iron fence and of asphalting the space between the main building and the infant school. Tho cadet corps has been maintained, and has been strengthened by the continuanco in its ranks of ex-pupils. During the j'ear the members have had frequent occasion for making a public appearance. The highest, or Standard VII class, lma been well supported, pupils attending it

from all ports of the district. Parents are more and more recognising that a year in this class after the passing of the Sixth Standard serves to give a finish to the educational course. I desire in conclusion *to testify to the enthusiasm and efficiency displayed by the members of the staff, and to express on my own and on their behalf oar indebtedness to the co-operation that has been extended to us by the chairman and members of the committee. The Mayor (Mr J. S. Goldie) said it was gratifying to hear so satisfactory a report. He trusted pupils would not rest on their oars in the coming year, but endeavour to excel every previous [performance. A growing. Khpol indicated to a large extent a 'growing district, and he trusted the increase for 1901 would be even greater than that for the year concluded. The Rev. J. Gibson, in genial fashion, gave the boys and girls some good advice, especially those about to leave school and enter upon their life work. Sir R. Gilmour was equally genial, and kept the attention of all while he adverted to the fine physique of the girls, to the advantage: of healthful exercises and out-of-door pastimes, to the benefits of our school flyatem, »nd to the need for making the best use of knowledge. The Rev. J. F. * Jones advised the boys against the pernicious habit of cigaretteemokiog. If a lad wished to become k strong, well-developed man he must avoid the banefnl practice. He would say to each boy, Don't smoke till you are twenty-one, and then, if yon desire ; but not till then, decide as to whether you will or will not bo a smoker* The prises were, then distributed simultaneously in the class rooms, after which the usual cheers were given with the usual heartiness. Following is the prize list, with the names arranged in the order of the percentages gained.^the lowest entitling to a prize being 75 :— Standard VlL— John Hamilton, J. Grant, F. Acheson, W. Stewart, A. Forsyth, S. Rowley, G. Edwards, V. Jones, C. Batchelor, Special subjects— Latin : Jas. Nicholls ; Algebra : Hector Fallow. Girls —Mary Donnan, Elsie Nickless, Ethel Dalton, Agnes, Stewart, Nellie Gardiner (shorthorn). Standard Vl.— David Smith, A. Smith, V. Stocker, A. Tull, A. Pyper, Wan. Lawson, A. Strong, fX Brass, Wm. Crowther, H. R. Millar, V. Scandrett, J McKellar, P. Fredrick. Girls— Belle Pitcher, Isa Dobie, Mabel jKingsland, Kate Sinclair, Kathleen Cbiltnan, Annie Robinson, Daisy Lumsden, Victoria Young, Alice McGmer, Jessie Seed, Ada Sinclair, Maud Frampton. Standard V— R. Selby, J. Fisher, A. Gilmour, H. Christophers, G. McKenzie, A. Von Tiuuelman, E. Stocker, J. Smith, A. Vyner, 0. Barlow, G. DriscoU, C. Millar, A. McKellar, A. Thomson, C. Doable. Girls— Joan Sutherland, E. Loskhart, B. England, M. Steele, R. Field, E. Varcoe, R. Hinton, F. Welsh, A. Pilcher, P. HodgbmvN. Mair, B. Trow, M. Lynch, L. McKellar, F. Ross, E. Raeside, J. Stewart, M. Strang, J. Raeside, J. Dyson. Standard IV (Upper)— V. Hall, W. Goodiir, D. Campbell, F. Mulholland, Girls— Rose Hunter, T. Murdoch, E. Frost, G. Murdoch, M. Leete, A. Springfoid, G. Dalton. Standard IV— J. Pope, W. Anderson, E. Allan, E. Selby, L. Mair, R. Kingsland, T. Lewis, T. Webb, L. Jemisen, H. Anderson, J. Stewart, G. Lewis, J. Doogin, B. . McGregor, G. Mitchell, R. Richards, "J. McMuUan, J. Sutherland, A. W. Jones, W. Donaldson, B. Blodora, F. Carswell, H. Hammond, F. Springford, W. Murdoch, J. Loihaby, J. Grant. Girls— Elsie Jones, G. Lumsden, E. Porter, E. England, J. Carmicbael, G. Gilbert, E. Mehaffey, E. Winder, M. Mair, R. Lindsay, M. MeNaught, P. Mullay, G. Jones, E. Ashley, E. Legge. Standard 111 (Upper)— F. Ollerenskaw, B. Hinton, A. Hamilton, A.*Goodsir, S. Chilman, F. Davis, J. Petrie, A. Millard, J. Macrae, E. Wesney, F. Webb, W. Welsh, A. Robs, D. Strang, N. Hamlyn, T. Dyer, G. Gilbee, S. Webb, A. Winder, R. McCarthy, C. Morgan. Girls— Mary Garron, E. Stirling, L. Clark, E. Raymond, R. Stout, S. Kingsland, M. Browning, M. Shields, C. Mitchell, E. Murdoch, J. Wat ,_- J9«> 8. Nash, J, Thomson. Btaxtdard III— F. Simon, G. Smith, S. Reid, O. Gilmour, H. Webb, B. Warring, W. Agnew, F. Ayling, H. Strang, D. Dobie, A. Grant, W. Doogin, J. Gilbert, S. Hay, H* Thomson, A. Kingsland, D. Grant, H. Brass, H, Leete, T. Millar, E. Wesney, A. Barlow. Girls— May Field, W. Anderson, V. Deadlier, G. Fisher, E. Smith, M. Strong, M. Hope, E. Dewe, P. Raeside, M. Potter, K. Mehaffey, E. McKellar, A. Thornton, R. Stirling, E. Thomson, D. Sutherland, E. Baird. Standard IL— Neil Porter, R. Chiluian, A. Jones, J. Donaldson, W. McMullan, F. Pilcher, C. Dewar, E. Faris, G. Agnew, M. Thomson, W. Stewart, F. Sutherland, W. Simpson, T. Wilson, D. Buchanan, A. Hayward, T. Springford, N. Trotter, E. Jones, B. Jones, G. Harris, H. Garron, A. Pope, J. Btobo, R. Glennie, A. Donaldson, W. Murdoch, H. Frampton, A. Double, S. Trotter. J. Hamlyn, J; Mitchell, S. Strang. GirlsMary Harper, E. Ayling, N- Lyons, E. Ferguson, B. Ibboteon, A. Kinnaird, V. Millar, D. McCarthy. L. Stirling, S. Sutherland, I. Strang, M. Veint, M. Findlsy, G. (Thomson, A. Doogin, E. Dewe, E. Deschler, I). Edwards, R. Holland, E. McGregor, V. Prentice, E. Lay, D. Stout, D. Veitoh, E. Newton, M. Mitchell, J. Smith, M. McKenzie, O. Neill, B. McKellar, F. DriscoU, M. GotterelLW. Hewett, W. Smith, B. Kendall, H. Jones. < ■ ■ . LOWER DEPARTMENT. (Of the classes here the names of leading pnpilß only are given.) Standard I— D. Anderson and A. St. Pawl (equal), E. Lewis, T. Baird. Girls— Gertrude Smith, M. Mabson, F. Frost, J. Aiken. Preparatory (I)— Jas. Roberts, J. McQueen, C. Colvin, A. Clark. Girls— lrene Millar, T. Warring, L. Fisher, M. Browning. Preparatory (2)— William Robinson, M. Hughes. Girls— Martha Howells, G. Raerid*. Infant Class.— W. Millar, G. Davidson, G, Fearn, S. Lindsay. Girls— Kathie McK«9ne, I, Lqmsden, H. Bryce, L. McNatty. Kindergarten.— Eric Patterson, A. Dewe. Girls— Annie Roberts, E. Dumbleton, A. Bailey, G. Thomson, A. Harper. Sewing.— Standard 7 ; Nellie Gardiner ; Standard 6 : Jessie Seed ; Standard 5 : Joan Sutherland and Mary Steele; Standard 4 : Jean Carmichael. Dumb-bell Competition.— l, Maud Frampton, 2 Annie Robinson. Club-swinging . (Senior: division).— l Mabel Kingsland, 2 A. Robinson, 3 Agnes Stewart ; (junior) 1 Edith Stirling, 2 Elaine Raymond, 3 Mabel Browning. -