IN THE OPEN AIR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17343, 16 July 1924, Page 6

IN THE OPEN AIR.

FENDALTON SCHOOL IN USE NOW.

The children ox standards one and two are the envy of the rest of the children at the Fendalton School, for they are housed in the new open-air schoolroom. They moved in yesterday. Yesterday was a good day to test the merits of the new room. A cold easterly wind was blowing, just the type of wind that Dr R. B. Philiipps set out to defeat when he designed the room. The room came out of the test triumphant. Not only was it beautifully warm all day, but there was an entire absence of draughts. Despite the fact that the children have a full view of all that passes on the road or in the school grounds no difficulty was experienced in securing as much attention as is obtained in the ordinary schoolroom. Some kept their hats on, and others appeared to prefer to get all the sunlight they could. In the matter of overcoats, too, the children are allowed to please themselves. There were no overcoats in evidence yesterday The testimony of the children themselves was eloquent in praise of the new arrangement. They were all very pleased with their new surroundings, and their answers to questions testified to the intelligent interest they took in the reasons for their changed conditions.

At 2 p.m. the room was almost entirely flooded with sunlight. When the new tables arrive the children will sit at such angles that their books and slates will be in the shadows cost bv

their own bodies, thus doing away with . any danger of eye trouble as the result of the glare. The children will simply change their positions according to the direction of the sun. The only wind that can cause the • closing of the big doors that constitute an entire side of the buildings is a nor-’wester. It is anticipated that there will be few days in the year when it will be necessary to close the big sliding doors.

The “ Black Hole of Calcutta ” is now deserted. The room to which the children have applied that sinister soubriquet, is the one they occupied before they were able to escape into constant fresh air and sunshine. It has a southwesterly aspect and is almost invariably cold. It gets its first peep of sunlight (a very meagre measure) through one comer window about 2 pun. in the winter. The infants’ room is almost as bad. The upper standards, also, see practically nothing of the sun.