ROTORUA HIGH SCHOOL PRIZE-GIVING

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5278, 13 December 1946, Page 6

ROTORUA HIGH SCHOOL PRIZE-GIVING

Address By Dr. Bertram And Mr. W. Sullivan, M.P. | The. Municipal Theatre was well | filled last night when the annual j prize-giving ceremony of the Roto- j rua High School was held. The actual presentations, which took little short of an hour and a-half, were' followed byi a short 'programme, including a one-act play, a j dancing display by the. senior girls, and singing by the senior choir. "Some of you leave your schooldays behind you far too so'on," said Dr. , Bertram, chairman of the Board of Governors, in his opening remarks. He continued: "I think that it' is generally accepted that the more you learn at school, the better you are equipped for after-life. There has been a very mistaken idea during the past few years that the school child of today should approach that later life as soon as possible. That is wrong. The main thing is to be able to face life prepared to tackle its problems. "The essential of education is work. Laterly, we have been taught how fine it will be when there is little or no work to do. That I fear is very wronjg. It is or.ly b'y working diligently that we are going to get anywhere at all." Dr. Bertram paid tribute to the memory of ex-pupils of the school who. died on service. The school and audience stood in silence as a token of respect. The headmaster's report, which with the prize-list, appears elsewhere in this issue, was followed by the presentation of scholastie awards by Mr. W. Sullivan, M.P. The Evans Memorial Prize for general excellence was presented by Mr. P. Allen, on behalf of the exnuDils.

• In a brief address prior to the presentation of the sports trophies, Mr. Sullivan said that that aftemoon he had had the opportunity of inspecting the school, when the shortage of accommodation had been impressed upon him by the headmasteiv "I arn fully aware," he continued, "of the call for extra accommodation wbicb will be made upon the powers that be." . Mr. Sullivan said' that he knew of very few districts with the potentialities of Rotorua, and few open to such possible advancement. He stressed the large areas of farming lands in the surrounding districts which would some day be brought into production, and considered that the forestry industry was another great boon to the district. At the conclusion of the presentation of sports trophies, a vote of thanks to Mr. 'Sullivan, proposed by Mr. O. H. Coleman, was carried by acclamation.