Not many schools can claim an all-girl drum band, as can St Josephs'. The band, a most popular institution, provides rousing music for the girls' marching. A VISIT TO ST. JOSEPH'S MAORI GIRLS' COLLEGE like most of the famous Maori boarding schools, St Joseph's Maori Girls' College is a long-established institution with a very considerable history behind it. It is so old, in fact, that already there are at the school some great-granddaughters of early pupils, while the next reunion of past pupils, to be held in 1967, will celebrate the school's centenary. How does a school with such a long pioneering tradition behind it, cope with rapidly-changing modern conditions: with pupils who are in many ways so different from their elders, and with the modern emphasis on academic attainment? Opposite: pupils come from all over the country, including the Chatham Islands. These girls are, from left: Tanumi Ihaka, from Kaingaroa; Noeline Mariu, from Tokaanu; Cynthia Ryder, from Ranana on the Wanganui River. Well, last year 10 girls at St. Joseph's sat for School Certificate, and 10 of them passed. One girl sat for University Entrance, and she was also successful. This year there are 19 sitting School Certificate, four sitting University Entrance, and one sitting Higher School Certificate. To say the least, this is a good record for a school with a total roll of only 130 pupils. Has the Maori Education Foundation helped? Yes, we were told, very definitely: ‘Girls who need help can get it now. It has made a big difference. Partly because of this, and partly because of the way things are changing anyway, the girls are more ambitious these days.’ The school's original programme of study included the three Rs, homecraft subjects, and cultural subjects such as art, music and singing, as well as religious instruction. It proved to be so well balanced that today the curriculum is still substantially based upon it, though of course many more subjects have been added All girls take Maori throughout the school. Music is also of much importance; to the general