HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS BODY

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1934, Page 3

HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS BODY

MEETING ADOPTS CONSTITUTION. SUCCESSFUL EVENING AT HAWERA The Hawera Technical. High School Parents’ Association began its existence in auspicious fashion on Friday night, when a particularly'well-attended social evening and meeting was held at the High School. Two plays were acted by school dramatic groups, and the proposed constitution was adopted after one minor amendment had been made. Pongratulatioris were offered by various speakers to the staff on the success gained by school teams in the annual basketball and football matches with the Feilding High School and on the honour gained by Elsa i lavell in literary competition.

The performance of two plays, the groups takXg part being selected at random from the several there are at the school, occupied the earlier part of the evening. Such work, explained the principal, Mr. J. Dash, was purely part of the school curriculum and was being done in costume for the first time that night. The first play was “Snobs,” by Temple Thurston, in which the parts were taken as follows: Hepple, Muriel Ellis; Bradbury, Joan Harding; Mrs. Bradbury, Barbara Campbell; Lord W. Savile, Betty Woods; warder, Margaret Hill; producer, Miss Jenkin.

The second was “Dorigin,” a tale retold from Chaucer. The actors were: Dorigin,. Sybil Collier; Arveragus, Phyllis Howell; Aurelius, Whoki McCallum; Mervius, Gwyn Marshall; fool, Olga Fox; producer, Miss Earl. Mr. Dash explained that the recentlyformed executive of the Parente’ Association had suggested that a social evening might be arranged with a programme to be given by the school. The one-act plays produced both formed part of the school activities, but that work did not mean the loss of any school time whatsoever. The large attendance Was very gratifying, said Mr. Dash, and the formation of an association of parents would confer benefits too numerous to mention upon the school. Enthusiasm was always infectious. The enthusiasm of the association had already taken concrete form in the shape of improvement to the hall stage by the provision of an extra door in the wing. The main desire, however, was more to establish and maintain a definite contact between the school and parents. Mr. Dash then introduced Mr. J. Kirkby, president of the association for the coming year. The choice had been, a happy one) considered Mr. Dash, as no school function for some time had been complete without Mr. Kirkby’s presence. Mr. Kirkby mentioned the presence of many members of the school staff, which he welcomed. As parents they worked in a fairly small sphere as far as their children were concerned, and they desired to assist the teachers. Mr. Kirkby referred to the control of parents’ association in other centres, where he had obtained many useful ideas. He congratulated Miss O. Britland arid Mr. H. G. Whitehead coaches of the school basketball and Rugby teams respectively on the wins against Feilding High School, and congratulations were also to be offered to Miss Elsa Flavell. It was good to know that in sport and academic matters the school could hold its own with other similar institutions.

The proposed constitution was discussed clause by clause, the objects, briefly put, being to form a body of wellwishers and parents of past and present pupils of the school to assist in a practical manner in furthering the welfare of the school, without interfering in any way with the management and administration of the board of managers. Mr. H. Collier raised the question of the parents’ representation upon the board, giving it as his view that the three representatives should be co-opted members of the association executive. Dr. W. M. Thomson considered the representatives should not be governed by “corpus rule.” They should be free agents, and should not be bound to do as the association directed. Mr. Kirkby thought the matter one to be decided by the executive of 20. Mr. J. W. Harding suggested the Parents’ Association should have a channel to place its views before the board. The matter was left to the executive to deliberate upon and the constitution as passed clause by clause was adopted as a whole.

Mr. Kirkby dealt with the particular objects of the association, referring more intensively to the need at a school the size of Hawera for a reference library. He stressed the need for quiet, active methods in the work of the association and the avoidance of the limelight. Mr. T. M. Ellis pointed out that co-opera-tion was necessary between the teaching staff, the board of managers and the Parents’ Association, and it seemed assured.

The meeting endorsed the executive’s action in asking the retiring representatives of the parents upon the board to stand again for election. It was stated the representatives had agreed to this. Supper was provided in the home science block by the ladies of the executive, assisted by girls of the school under the supervision of Miss Earl.