OUR SCHOOL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 90, 15 April 1912, Page 5

OUR SCHOOL.

HISTORY *OF THE STRATFORD DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL.

UNINTERRUPTED PROGRESS,

In attempting to give a short h;s- ---• tory of the Stratford District High Scnool—past and present—no apologies need be made, save, perhaps, for xiijfc Incompleteness of tins short re.WfCtl of tno astonisning progress it • Ims made during the tmrty-four years ilwhas been in existence. It is fitting that there should be some recognition of this forward movement, since in a few clays’ time another definite stage will be marked in the school’s uninterruped career of progress, by the opening of the new and handsome schood° buildings—the first primary ■school in Taranaki to be built in brick. In tho Beginning. It is difficult to ascertain the exact date of the laying of the foundation stone of the first school in Stratford. Somewhere it is recorded that MidJiirst boasted of a school committee, be : fore Stratford had availed herself ot th'.s indispensable adjunct to the suecessful pursuit of affairs educational. But the first school, which existed in the year 1878, was not a daily one. Doubtless it would have suited admirably the younger generation of Stratford. to-day, for it gathered an us flock but tnroe days per week. Mr. Wm. Johnson was the worthy pedagogue Unfortunately,however,_Stratford did not accbrd that institution the necessary support to warrant its .doors being kept open longer, and V"somewhere in Hie year 1879 the school was closed. For eighteen months the Stratford youngsters had a holiday, till, in 1881, the Stratford Scnool District was formed and the school erected at a cost of £265. to accommodate seventy or eighty pupils. In 1890 the population of the district had somewhat increased and an additional room Was the outward and Visible sign ot this progress, so far as the school was concerned. Tho Present Headmaster. One year later tho present headmaster, Mr. F. A. Tyrer, took over the control of tho institution,” superseding Mr. Ed. Evans. The present infant, mistress, Miss Hogg, joined the school also later in this year, and has ever since been associated with the headmaster in building up the school s reputation. i Ever* since that lime history has .been one of progress, and to-day the school stands as one of the best known in the whole Dominion. An Enviabio Imputation. i. Indeed, twelve years ago it.had already gamed an enviable reputation—for wo find in a speech delivered by Mr. E. G. Alls worth, Chairman of the Taranaki Education Board, at the opening ceremony of the Technical on July. 31st,, 1903, that ho 1 'said, amidst applause; “I feci that there is no one present who can look back wdth. more satisfaction on the past fifteen years ot his life than Mr. Tyr’er. ’ Fifteen years of usefulness, and training lives to be useful, are the record, ana I feel sure that Mr. rlyrer has still in-front of him a long and useful career. 1 take th.s opportunity of publicly thanking him for his efforts.” What this speaker said, of our present headmaster iu 1903, can bo said with greater emphasis in 1912. Sir Joseph Ward said ft on November 27th, I*9ll,'it the lay--1 mg of the foundation stone of the new bu.lding: ‘ ‘My ' late .• 'colleague Mr. Fbwlds told, me that-the Stratford School is doing,sojne of The best work in the Dominion,” (Applause.), Letting the Minister of Education speak for .himself: “From the 'Officers of tho Department I learn ;that the /Stratford School is tho best of its kind in tho Dominion of New Zealand.” These last words were' spoken at Stratford from tho stage''of the "Town Hall. No wonder the pimple of Stratford artproud of their school ahd of its teachers, who are able to gain such complimentary referehces from .two pf New Zealand’s molt prominent men.

’ ; ; Tha qirf BiiSiding. To return to the : ,olci school build™iag, as it was in 1891. The school had been built to / accommodate seventy odd pupils, add as the population increased. so new rooms were added to the building. .Roughly, every four years saw an addition to the edilice. In 1910. however,, a few rooms were taken off—by fife.' In the light of subsequent events it seems a great pity that one more room could not have perished in the conflagration. The Mayor put the position somewhat forcibly when ho said, at the time the, foundation stone of the brick build- ‘ ihg was being laid, that every time Sir, Joseph came to Stratford afler the building was completed the old wooden portion would be an eyesore to him. However, Stratford must, as Mr. Masters said, “be thankful for 'small hiercies.”, A Big Step Forward.

In 1897 one of the greatest steps in tiio history of the scuool was made, when it became, instead of the Stratford Public School, the Stratford District High School. The teaching of secondary and primary subjects , side by side was an experiment then, but Stratford has proved that it was worth the trying, for the scheme has been an undoubted success ever since its inception. The scope of the school was abain extended ,in 1909, when the present headmaster established successfully a dud! course of work in the secondary department, so that children might specialise in the work which they intended, to undertake in after years. This really is , the rural scheme of work which is now adopted and working in the majority of our High Schools., Here, again, Sir Joseph Ward may be quoted with' advantage: “Stratford was the first school to take up rural education, and this is a particularly pleasing feature in view of the fact that this branch of education has now been so . widely taken up throughout the Dominion.’’ Not only, therefore, has Stratford profited by Mr, Tyrer’s intelligent work, but the whole of New Zealand has reaped, and is reaping, of the fruits of his experiments. So gratifying have been the results of those experiments ■’ that educationalists from Australia and various parts of New Zealand have paid visits to the schopl to observe the methods on which it is conducted. The Technical School. On the 30th of July, 1903, was laid tTTo foundation stone of flic Stratford Technical School, built to Work in connection with the secondary department of the High School. It bar rooms fitted up for chemistry, dairy science, art, cookery, and wood Work. In 1910 it was decided to include the teaching of iron work in the carricuhim, and a room fully equipped for ► That purpose was built by the boys and tneir instructor in that year. This is an important branch of the school, and has always justified its existence by the splendid results it has achieved. Scholarship Work. Scholarship has ever been the strong point of the Stratford School, and for this it has a solid reputation .throughout the Dominion. A glance at the

results obtained in the years of 190 S and 1910 will show how that reputation has been attained. In 1908 the University College at Wellington established the Queen’s Scholarships for primary schools, open for competition througnout New Zealand, six scholarships to be awarded. Clara Taylor, of the Stratford District High Scnool, secured one of these, taking second place in the credit list for the whole of the Dominion. In that same year seven out of the eight scholarships given by tho Taranaki Education Board,, wore carried off” by pupils attending our local school. In 1910 no. less than fourteen srnolars obtained ssholarships, taking first, second, and fourth place among tiie pupils of Taranaki schools. In this year, also. Master Melvyn WylHe won a University Scholarship and is now a promising medical student at the Otago University. Some Brilliant Scholars. Among the scholars that have passed through the school doors out into the world are many doctors, lawyers, engineers, and schoolmasters. The names might be specially mentioned of Miss Clara Taylor, now bolding a research scholarship at Cambridge University; Mr. Bert Hudson who at Edinburgh has just added F.R.C.S. to the M.D. lie already possessed, and Mr. Harry Clhnie, Bachelor of Science in Engineering of Glasgow, who is at present making a reputation for himself in Hawera as a brilliant practical engineer. Tho Committee. A sketch of the history of the school would not be properly complete without giving a short account of the School’, Commit tees. Unfortunately the early records have been destroyed by fire, and the earliest minute book is dated as late as 1897. Some three or four years previous to this Mr. T. H. Penn was appointed secretary, a position which he lias filled ever since with credit both to himself and the committee. In 1897 Mr J. S. Greig was chairman, and among the committee were Messrs. R. H. Novell, Fhitman, Kennedy. N. J. King, J. Mackay, Reid, H. W. Ohmic, and L. Larsen. It was a highly respectable body, and well conducted. If anybody doubts, he has but to refer to a certain incident recorded in the minutes. A member used the term “pettifogging •government,” and after, a division, was forced to withdraw his remarks. Teinpora mutantur. About 1897, Mr. C. D. Sole’s name appears as a member of the committee. Then in 1901, at the meeting held after that of the householders, he was elected chairman, a position which he has admirably filled ever since. As to who were the pioneers in the cause of education in Stratford, the names of John Irvine, and Thomas Meredith Smith are deserving of remembrance. Both did yeoman service.