WAIMATAITAI SCHOOL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 18755, 19 December 1930, Page 12

WAIMATAITAI SCHOOL

BREAKING-UP CEREMONY. A NOVEL PROGRAMME. The end-of-the-year ceremony in connection with the Waimataitai School was held in the Bay Hall last night. In by-gone years there has been associated with the function a musical programme, which has been provided by the pupils, and while last night’s ceremony followed the customary lines so far as the nature of the programme was concerned, in character it was decidedly novel. All the songs and dances were emblematic of various units of the Empire, and they were presented in a manner which reflected the greatest credit on the pupils and the staff. The public expressed their appreciation of the efforts of the children in hearty applause, and although the programme was a long one, encores were demanded in several instances. The function was presided over by the headmaster (Mr R. Malcolm), who apologised for the unavoidable absence of the chairman of the School Committee (Mr G. Benstead), who had been called to Wellington. The first part of the evening was taken up with items by the children, and addresses were then given by the Rev. Clyde Carr, M.P. for Timaru, and Mr T. D. Burnett, M.P. for Temuka. Mr Carr’s Address. Mr Carr, who was introduced by Mr Jflalcolm. said that probably they would expect him to say something on schools and education, seeing that he was the Member for the District, and also a member of the Committee Which had been so much talked about; which had been criticised on the one hand, and had received commendation on the other. The School Committees’ Association had brought before him certain complaints, and most of those present were familiar with the difficulties that had inspired the complaints. In many of the schools there had been changes in the staffs, and very often these changes had been made at inopportune periods. For instance, a headmaster might be transferred towards the end of the year, when preparations were being made for the most important part of thfe year’s work, and it was easy to understand how disastrous such a change might be. The Committee which went into educational problems realised the great importance of this matter, and brought down certain recommendations in connection with it. The most important was:—“All appointments to be made in the same month of the year, with consequential appointments in the month following; vacancies then remaining to filled by transfer, and sufficient permanent relieving staff to be maintained to fill casual vacancies until next period of appointment.” Mr Carr went on to say that there would, of course, be exceptions. It might so happen that a teacher was due to retire on superannuation, and in that case an adjustment would have to be made. A teacher might be taken ill, and his or her place would have to be filled. A lady teacher might be desirous of getting married, and here again the position would have to be met

Mr Carr went on to say that another Important matter which had occupied the attention of the Committee was the difficulty which School Committees were experiencing in meeting the demands on their exchequer. In this connection the Committee recommended as follows: —“That the allowances paid to School Committees Bhould be increased and adjusted so as to provide adequate funds to meet essential requirements, and that subsidies on moneys raised locally for school purposes should £e on a generous basis.” The speaker added that he thought all would agr.ee that this was a step in the right direction. {Applause.) “'Abere are two recommendations in the report for which I was responsible/’ said Mr Carr. “I don’t know what the teachers will think in regard to them, but I am sure the children will

heartily agree. The first one reads— , ‘That in the opinion of the Committee, homework in the primary schools should not be necessary; that in the primary schools the setting of homework in grammar and arithmetic should be prohibited; and that in all schools, post-primary as well as primary, the the imposition of homework should be reduced to a minimum.’ ” At this stage there was hearty cheering from the children, and Mr Carr was prompted to add: “You must remember it is only a recommendation.” He went on to say that under the present system of examinations. homework was necessary, because the teachers were compelled to ‘keep the children up to a certain standard. It was recommended that the present system should be superseded by record cards and a system of* accrediting. The teaching should be- done in the schools, and after all, that was what the teachers were for. The other recommendation for which he was responsible was:—“That corporal punishment be reduced to a minimum, and that a record be kept in all cases where it is inflicted.” Jn conclusion, Mr Carr said that he had a certain attachment for the school, and he hoped and believed that it\ would go on from strength to strength, and would exceed past achievements. He wished the school every success in the future, and extended to me staff, the narents and the pupils every good wish for the festi. c reason. iApplause.) Member for Temuka. Mr Burnett expressed pleasure at having been privileged to be present tor enjoy the very fine entertainment which had been provided. He was sure hq was voicing the feelings of all when he said that they owed Mr Malcolm and his staff a deep debt of gratitude for having put on National songs and dances. The old songs and dances wfere worth keeping up, and they should not forget the stock from which they had sprung. (Applause.) Mr Biirnett went on to say that happiness was infectious and contagious. On entering the hall that evening, every one of them had been infected with the youthful happiness in the hall. It! made one think of the old saying: “Laugh and the world laughs with you. weep and you weep alone.” The entertainment that evening had been an undiluted pleasure to all. Mr Burnett said that he was not present that evening to sermonise, but he desired to remind the children that the country was passing through difficult times. It was no fault of New Zealand, but it was up to everyone to do his or her bit to tide the country through the time of stress. He had two words of advice to give them, and the first was to sink self in the interests of the home. His people had been associated with South Canterbury for very many years, and he could assure them that in the many difficult times which South Canterbury had seen, the people who had survived w’ere those who were members of families who had sunk self in the interests of their family. There was nothing which would pull the country through more than unselfishness. The other-point was that the foundation of every successful life lay in a simple beginning. There was a place for

everything, and they should put everything in its right place. There was a place for their money, and that was in the bank—under the clock. They might have high ideals, but they should remember that the best friend they had was the golden sovereign. They should earn it and stick to it. Mr Burnett concluded by saying that New Zealand was the finest country under God’s sun, and it was up to them to work for it, to retain It, and improve it, thereby maintaining it as the finest country in the world. (Applause.)

The programme presented by the children was as follows:—Song in unison, “Flag of Empire”; song, “New Zealand My Homeland," girls; song in unison, “The Irish Piper,” girls; dance, Irish Jig, Joyce Chambers; violin solo, Zoe Cox; English folk song, “The Great Meat Pie,” boys; sea shanty, “The Capstan Bar,” boys; sailor’s hornpipe, Norma White; folk song, “The Farmyard,” boys; Maori songs, “E Pari Ra,” girls; "Hoea Ra,” girls; Scottish song, “Caller O’u,” girls; Highland fling, four girls; playette, “Father Christmas and the Hubbard Family,” Standard 6 girls and boys. At the conclusion of the performance, the speakers were accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of Mr H. L. Warsaw, who also thanked the parents and the staff for their hearty co-operation during the year. PRIZE LIST. The prize list was as follows: Standard 4b—Merit—Neal Leggott, William Carter, Alan McLeod. Progress—Norman Hoare, John Hogg. Handwork and drawing—Len McGrath, Malcolm Charteris. Writing—Harold Greathead. Sports—John Duncan, Wendell Lawrence. Standard 4a—Merit—Verna Lamb, Gertrude Archer, Margaret Wilson. Special Merit—Eva Ridley. Progress— Joyce Chappell, Olive Rayne, Annie Stewart, Elsie Prosser. Sewing—Ngaio Blaikie, Verna Lamb. Writing—Ettie White. Handwork—Vida Campbell. Sports—May Foster (colour camp), Norma Leslie (colour camp), Rena Foote (colour camp), Ngaio Blaikie (runner-up quoits championship). Standard sb—Merit—Graham Innes, Malcolm Dowler, John Stockwell, Raymond McLauchlfin. Progress—John Anderson, Sylvester Cronin, Howard McPherson. Woodwork—John Stockwell (b group), Allen Hall (a group). Gardening—Edgar Lithgow, George Ward, William Gardyne. Sports— Clifford Bell, Harry Campbell. Standard sa—Merit—Margaret McLeod, Helen Tweedale, Jack Ridley. Progress—Joan Fawcett, Lily Duggan, Mae Marsh. Special progress—Marjory Leslie. Steady work throughout the year—Annie Wells. Sewing—Rebecca Sinclair, Mary Barnett. Writing— Winifred Tuck. Cooking—Lily Duggan, Betty Moody, Margaret McLeod, Kathleen Taylor (first equal). Geography and History—Olga Palmer, Spencer Wright. Sports—Rona James. Quoits championship—Mildred Foster. Standard 6b —Proxlme Accessit— Bertram Allen. Merit—Frederick Tozer, William Tozer, Douglas Eliot. Progress—Allan Annand, Carlyle Powell, Desmond Andrews. Science books and Gardening—Hilton Welford and Cecil Shears. Agriculture—Norman McDonald. Writing—Raymond Saggers. Woodwork —Bertram Allen, David Stewart, Alan Kay. Drawing—Lyall Johnstone. Prefects—Melville Jordan. Sports—Football (senior)—Best forward, George Ward; best back, Hilton Welford. Junior—Best forward, Ross Loach; best back, John White. Cricket (senior)—Andrew McDonald; (Junior) —John Keen. Athletics—Hilton Welford (senior champion).

Standard 6a—Dux of School—Sybil Grant. Merit—Mary Talbot, Lillian Woods, Jessie Buchan. Progress— Joyce Chambers, Rita Hodson, Norma White. Drawing Shirley Lamb. Frances Wright. Writing Sadie Chapman. Geography scrap album— Roma Foden. Sewing—Betty Tiplady, Betty Calder, Roma Foden. Cookery —Lillian Woods and Evelyn Hart (first equal). Prefects prize—Jessie Buchan. Sports prize—Zoe Cox. HONOURS LIST. Standard 6 —Sybil Grant, Mary Talbot, Lillian Woods, Jessie Buchan, Norma White and Betty Ede (equal), Roma Foden, Muriel Blanch, Kathleen Smythe and Margaret Murray equal). Standard 6b —Bertram Allen, William Tozer, Fred Tozer, Douglas Eliot, I. Johnson, David Stewart, Melville Jordan, Lyall Johnstone. Standard 5a —Margaret McLeod, Helen Tweeddale, Jack Ridley, Lily Duggan, Rebecca Sinclair, Winifred Tuck, Spencer Wright, Betty Moody. Standard sb—M. Dowler and M. McLauchlan (Ist equal), J. Stockwell, S. Innes, A. Bird, O. Price, A. Hall, L. Cross, H. Hughes, J. Webb. Standard 4a—Gertrude Archer and Verna Lamb (Ist equal), Margaret Wilson, Joyce Chappell, Joy Saunders, Olive Hayne, Elsie Prosser, Amy Spencer, Joan Gregg, Annie Stewart, Noeline Edwards. Standard 4b—Neal Leggott, Alan McLeod, William Carter and Wendell Lawrence (equal), Geoffrey Joyce, Reginald Spence, Robert Knowles, Jack Spring, Brian Rush, Geoffrey Harte and John Thomson (equal). Standard 3a—Kitty Moody, Mavis Eaton, Valerie Reid, Marie King, Edna Cook, Joyce Buckley, Emily Cownden, Constance Thompson, Joyce Hatton. Standard IHb—Patrick Williams, Bruce Timlin, Avon Watson, William Waugh, George Baillie, John Knowles, Vallence Stenhouse, John Clifton, Stanley Guthrie, William Chappell. Standard 2a—Arthur Hooke, Tui Cliff, June Clifton, Joyce MqPherson, John Glover, Monica Scales, Marie Home, Marion Dawson, Azile Edwards, Royce Miller. Standard 2b—Peter Wallace, Peter Grant, Stuart Duncan, Frank Cody, Evelyn Eaton, Jean Sinclair, Derek Lamden, Moya Crossen, Norma Wood. Standard la —Marie Stewart, lan McLeod, Cecil Anderson, Donald Hulston, Glenice Cook, Dorothy Jackson, Neil Haywood, Jean Tweeddale, Isobel Condon, Jill Barnett. Standard lb—Doreen Taylor, Jean Runciman, Zona Jordan, Marie Burrell, Jim Rendall, Athol Affleck, Stanley Davie, Alan Hunter, Russell Timlin, Joyce Innes. P. IV.—Betty Hogg, Pauline Green, Evelyn Hodson, Hazel Keene, Norman Ayres, Billy Brierly, Betty McMaster, Noeline Talt, Rex Jennings. Merit— Evelyn Hodson, Norman Ayres, Betty Hogg, Pauline Green, Frank Hooke, Rex Jennings.