SCHOOL ELECTIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 4 May 1948, Page 4

SCHOOL ELECTIONS

- / Levin Householders' Meeting We|j Altended A representative gathering of some 50 residents attended the biennial meeting of householders at tfie Levin School last night, when the election for the Levin School Committee for . the ensuing two ypars to.ok place. It i§ tenyearg since such an eleption has been held and the interest taken in the meeting 'was greater than has been evident for some time past. ■' ; In rnoving that Mr. F. H. Hudson be appointed chairman for the. meeting, Mr. A. G. Kennerley, the chairman . of the retiring committee, spoke of the interest -taken by him in the affairs of the school and mentioned that he had serye'd on the eommittee for some years. On taking the chair, Mr. Hudson pointed out thar'among thpse present were twe pepple whp had worked hard fpr many' years in ■the interests pf the scheel, Mr. an-d Mrs. J. W- Prpctef. He paid a tribute te them fpr, their actiyfties as "Father^nd Mether" pf the: scheel. . Chairman's Report 'The increased number cn the rcll had warranted the appcintment cf anether teacher, said Mr. Kennerley in his repert, During the twc years which had elapsed since the last meeting, several changes had taken place among the staff. Attenticn had been given tc the native flQra', Plantation and further imprpvements had been undertaken. The class gardens, lawns and hedges had been kept in gcod crder. The buildings were in reaspnably good crder and repairs had been carried out regularly. Gooking classes were to be re-established af the" school and to this purpose, renovations were being carried out in the room previously used. There' was a good supply of teaching material and apparatus in' the school, Negotiations were in hand to procure a sewing machine for school use. The country library' service supplied 400 books annually, while the reference library was constantly being added to. The school retained its- reputation for a high standard of- work and good behaviour on the part of the pupils. During the past two years it has been visited by many teachers interested in the methods used. At the end of 1946 some 51, and at the end of 1947 some. 67 children, passed through Standard 6, added the report. Sports were; well catered for at the school and each week organised gamgs were i played and tuition given in football, basketball, tennis and cricket. In conclusion, the report meritioned the retiring *members of the! committee, Messrs. W. R. Jack and R. Young, adding that these two members had both taken a. keen intCrest in the affairs of the school, and had supported it in all its actiyities. The committee placed on record the valuable services rendered by these two members. Financial Statepient All told the financial statement as presented by Mr. D. P. Todd was an indication of the tremendous amount of effort put into the running of the school by him and the committ,ee duripg the past twp years. . It was indicated in the minutes of the last biennial meeting that a.t the time of that meeting the flnances of the school were not °s sound as they might be. The

. nrnt.hly grant to it from the Education Department left scarcely j £4 for expenses after paying the , Wages of a caretaker. For many j years up till 1946 the committee , had been dependent on the generiosity of the parents and the work of the staff and pupils to provide the extra money. However, it was i reported to the meeting by Mr. : Todd that representations had been rmade to the department in regard Jto this matter and a satisfactory : : arrangement had been reached.* It jhad, therefpre, been possible to ! make fewer demapds uppn the . parents, staff and children over the past two years. There was a . difference of approximately £65 in , the amount transferred to the school upkeep account during 1946 ■ and 1947. Committee Elected . j The election of the pommittee by , secret ballot was then held and i resulted as follows: — Messrs. H. i Bull (minute secretary), J. Corry, A. C. Kennerley (chairman), R. H. Long, F. O. Malcolm, A. R. Ransom, A. J. Shaw, D. P. Todd (secretary) and C. A. Wpiteman. Mr. Hudson then proposed a vote of thapks to the retiring pommititee for the services it had render- , ed over its term of office. He spoke I of the excellent work dons by the ,two members who were not seek'ing re-election, Messrs. W. R. Jack and R. Young, and paid tribute to the men who had carried the offices of secretary, treasurer and chairman on their shaulders. He commented on the good attendance at the meeting and added a wish that it should becojne a rpgular feature of the biennial elections. It was only through the interest taken that such ari election had come about. By this he jmeant that by apathy the public jeould endanger itself for it might ilose the power to vote if it 'took ;no interest in national affairs, he explajned. On Mr. Hudsop's motion, jthe meeting placed on record its appreciation pf the work of the retirjng committee. Mr. D. Chapman, acting headmaster, expressed the appreciation of the staff and school on behalf of the headmaster, Mr. H. F. McClune., Replying, Mr. Hudson paid a compliment to the work qf the staif, ^nd udde'd that he had always been impressed by the fact

that it was a happy school. Thel staff had. taken a great interest in 1 their work and he must record the appreciation of the parents in this regard. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair.