ROOM FOR LEARNING

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXV, Issue 8921, 28 May 1936, Page 2

ROOM FOR LEARNING

WAIHI HIGH SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

COMMERCE AND ART

KEENNESS OF PUPILS

Knowledge of science, commercial subjects, and arts and crafts should be more full among pupils of the Waihi Junior High School, if they make proper use of the two new

classrooms and the laboratory that have been built on the schooi grounds, and listen attentively to the instructions of those who are there to guide them. Never before has the school been so well furnished to provide so many means of study, both academic and potentially profitable.

COMMITTEE'S GOOD WORK

When the new school was built ,'xbout six years ago no provision for the study of science and commercial work in the school proper was made, and all art work had to be done either in die schoolrooms or shelter sheds. By courtesy of the director of the Waihi School of Mines, Mr A. H. V. Morgan, accommodation for ] art work was found in the School of Mines building. Even then it was still necessary for children to movs backwards and forwards in all weathers, either to the Technical School or the School of Mines. In those circumstances the High School Committee busied itself to bring about a new order of things, and after repeated requests made to the Education Department and the Auckland Board of Education, a grant was made to provide for the erection of three new rooms at the school. For this purpose two buildings were brought from the Cambridge District High School and converted into two well-appointed commercial and ar,t rooms, while the wood-work building from the Waihi Technical School was removed, re-constructed, re-furnish-ed and equipped to serve as a laboratory. These three buildings are now in use; the school is more compact; and things work more smoothly. Pupils specialising can move into the specialised rooms, or the teacher can visit them in their own. The commercial room has been so appointed with, tables and sewing machines that dressmaking by a part-time instructress is taken there.

ARTS AND CRAFTS DISPLAY

A representative of the "Telegraph" who visited the school yesterday saw the pupils busily engaged, and the first things to catch his eye were the good lighting, ventilation and appointments of the rooms. The mistress in arts and crafts showed him the inside of a cabinet in which were many articles of a useful and ornamental kind, some finished and some unfinished. They included articles with enamel facings in various colours, beaten copper and poker work. So good were some that they might easily hive been thought to be the work of a craftsman. There were more finished articles, said the instructress, but they were packed away. The arts and crafts development, said the principal, Mr F. R. Slevin, was very popular, and much appealed to the pupils doing the work. Other interesting exhibits were samples of printing and posterwork. The poster-work showed skill in lettering and the style, spacing and coloured shading showed a nice discrimination.

The new laboratory, a building 25 feet by 30 feet, which at the time of the visit was occupied by more than a score of students, had an atmosphere that was somewhat clo\ided and pungent with an odour of chemicals. It is fully equipped with modern apparatus and there are hundreds of phials containing liquids and powders. The additions were remodelled and erected under the supervision of Mr R. J. Harris, the work being carried out in a very satisfactory manner.