GONVILLE SCHOOL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 299, 17 December 1937, Page 8

GONVILLE SCHOOL

GATHERING OF PARENTS SONGS, SPEECHES AND DRILL The assembly hall at the Gonville School was taxed to its utmost yesterday when the break-up ceremony took place, quite the largest total of parents for 10 years gathering to hear the children sing, see them drill and appropriately ring down the curtain on the old year and look forward to the long summer vacation. The ceremony was a simple one, and although the rain resulted in some of the parents leaving before the drill in the open air could be performed, went off with the enthusiasm usual at such gatherings. Mr. W. A. Brown, headmaster, welcomed the parents and paid tribute to the assistance he had had from the teacning staff during the year. Mr. N. L. Tyler, chairman of the committee, said that it was astounding to him to see such a large gathering of parents, and he and his fellow members took that for a happy augury for the future. He made an appeal for support of the school I dental clinic, pointing out the value of it and its dependence on voluntary contributions. The speaker also paid tribute to the Government for increasing the funds available to committees to improve school surroundings. Mr. Tyler extended the season’s greetings to the teachers and pupils and complimented Mr. Brown and his staff on the year’s work. Mrs. W. J. Rogers (Mayoress of Wanganui), who apologised for the unavoidable absence of the Mayor, presented the certificate to the dux of the school, Rae McMillan, who was generously applauded. Mr. Brown stated that not only was it gratifying to him that she had won the distinction from a scholastic point of view, but because she had spread her good influence among the other pupils. Gonville would watch her future scholastic career with great interest. 1 Speaking of the school itself, Mr. Brown urged parents to send their children back to Gonville next year. He had been headmaster at four schools within recent years and he had no hesitation in saying that for the standard of teaching, and generally, the Gonville School ranked as high as the best of them. (Applause.) Colin Peffers and Margaret MacLeay both gave appropriate recitations and the children, under the baton of the first assistant (Mr. G. Snadden) sang three appropriate numbers, the singing being one of the features of the afternoon. Some little time after the conclusion of the indoor ceremony the rain cleared sufficiently to permit the school to perform its drill movements, led by the school bugle band. It was evident that the staff had gone to a great deal of trouble to so organise the evolutions as to produce a noteworthy spectacle, and it really seemed as if the elements were in accord with what had been done, in that the break in the weather came most appropriately.

Mr. P. Cox, of the Wanganui Children's Gardening Circle, presented the shield won by Gonville at the circle’s annual show last September (reported in another column). This morning, at 11 o’clock, Father Christmas is to visit the school and distribute toys to all children up to Standard 1.