NEW PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 140, 16 December 1911, Page 8

NEW PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

PRESENTATION OF PRIZES. A departure was made this year in the breaking-up ceremony of the New Plymouth High School, inasmuch as it was held in the Good Templar Hall last evening, instead of, as usual, in the afternoon I at the school. The principal reason for' this innovation was to enable the old pupils and present pupils to do honor i to and 1 bid farewell to Mi'. E. Pridham, M.A., Principal of the school, who is retiring after having occupied the posi-1 tion of principal isiuce the inception of j the school thirty years ago, and who is shortly leaving New Plymouth. The i hall was very tastefully decorated, this' having been looked upon as a labor of > love by the pupils. The seating accom- ] mediation of the hail was 'taxed l to its utmost capacity. The centre was occupied by present day pupils, whilst the old boys and girls were ranged on either side. It was a notable gathering, I comprising some who had been pupils right from the inception. Mr. N. K. MacDiarmid, chairman of the High School Board of Governors, presided, and there were also on the platform Mr. H. Okey, M.P., Mr. T. Kelly, M.L.C., and Mrs. Kelly, Messrs. E. DockrMl, M. 'Fraser and Dr. Fookes, members of the Board of Governors, Mr. J. B. | Roy, solicitor to the Board, and Mr. E. I Pridham, Principal, accompanied by Mrs. ■ and Miss Pridham. I The proceedings were opened by the | pupils and old pupils singing the school song "Gaudeajnus." I PRINCIPAL'S REPORT. The Principal then read the annual report as follows: i The year opened with a roll of 130, of which number 58 were new entrants and 72 remained over from 1910; 55.4 per cent, of this number being boys and 44.6 per cent girls. The general tone of the school has been very good, and the conduct of the pupils excellent. The prefects have exercised a more active influence for good than during any previous year. The percentage of attendance was, boys 05.6, girls '92; whole school 94. In last year's examinations the following results were obtained:— Taranaki scholarship, 1; matriculation passes, 7, including solicitors' general, medical preliminary, and engineering preliminary; civil service passes, 8; qualified for senior Education Board scholarship, 9, of whom scholarships were allotted bo 5, and free places to the other 4; senior; free places, 25; junior free places, 4, '' gained on the junior scholarship examination. The junior Education Board scholarship is not open to us. Bayly Memorial scholarship, 1. This year the following have entered for the various examinations, the results of which will not be known till about the end of January:—Junior university and Taramakd scholarship, 3; matriculation, 10; senior civil service, 1; junior civil service, 9; senior Education Board scholarship, 13; junior Education Board scholarship, 0 (for junior free place); junior National scholarship, 1; senior free place examination 0. In addition to .the nine who have entered for the examination, 20 have received free places without examination on my recommendation, backed up by the knowledge of the pupils gained by the Department's inspectors on their last visit to the school. The standard of the matriculation examination has now been raised, and if pupils are to look forward to passing this examination and the university junior scholarship examination parents will have to make up their minds to leave their children longer at a secondary school. The physical culture of the pupils and the school games have not been neglected. Mr. Lints has done veTy good work in connection with the drill and gymnastics of both sides of the school. Cricket is gradually attracting more attention, and will in time be as enthusiastically cultivated as football is now. All the masters have taken a keen interest ia the boys' progress by joining in their games. This year our junior team won the junior challenge shield. Mr. Ward and Mr. Ryder have devoted a great-deal of time to the football games and practices, Mr. Ward acting as referee and Mr. Ryder as an active player. In this game our hoys more than held their own, and the challenge shield annually competed for by the Napier, Palmerston North and New Plymouth high schools came to us. The Rugby Union has, I think, very wisely so framed the regula- '• tions for the Bayly Memorial scholarship that the scholarship cannot be taken by any boy who falls 'below a certain standard of athletic excellence. Mr. Ryder has 'taken charge of the senior cadet corpq, and under him and the otricers appointed! by him from amongst the boys, I good' work has been done. Nearly all the 'boys have regular instruction inj woodwork and nearly all the girls in! cookery throughout the year, and they] haw dome good work under Mr. Sandford! and Miss Macdonald respectively. The members of the agricultural course under Mr. Ryder have made satisfactory progress for their first year. For some time during the winter months a school dcbat9 was held, at first weekly, and afterwards every fortnight in the school, in the evenings, This was the beginning of what I hope may go on and develop more in the future, for it must prove useful in giving the speakers more confidence in themselves.

It only remains for me' to thank the Board of Governors for the generous way in which they have always supported me as far as they could in everything which was for the good of the school, and my fellow teachers their faithful cooperation and zealous endeavor to promote its welfare; and- to express the earnest hope that having weathered some storms and entered compa.rativ.ely smooth waters, the New Plymouth H>h School will go on and prosper, and, with, the loyal support of the people of Tara-. naki, be as important an institution as the size of the place warrants one to expect. The chairman said that the report was pa rticularly satisfactory. Two little tots, Vivien Webster, .laughter of two old pupils, Mr. Leslie Wefeter_«nd Mrs. Webster (nee Miss J.ertlia Thomson), and Pauline Bennett daughter of Mrs. Bennett, of Blenheim (nee Muss Grace Paul), then ascended the .stage and presented Mrs. and Miss I 1 ridham with a magnificent floral offering.

Ihe chaarman then announced that Miss Elsie B. Greatbafeh had annexed the gold medal for dux for the school for the year, and he called on Mrs. Pridliam to present it, which she did-, to the accompaniment of spontaneous applause. PRESENTATION- OF PRIZES. The cliairman called on Mr. Okey M P to present the prizes, at the same time | congratulating him 0 u his re-election as a monitor of Parliament. Mr. K j Okey, M.P., said that this meeting indicated tho close of another school year, and the near approach of Xmas, which most of them had -been too busy lately to be aware of. He congratulated the boys a .nd girls who had worked hard and Onus won prizes, which at school he had never been able to do. He .then presented the prizes as follows I each recipient being greeted with a salvo' of applause:— I Dux.—Elsie Greatbatch. General Excellence— Form VI- R Ad ' lam X. Little, c. Day, A. liari,/J. | MeMnhon Box. - Arithmetic—Form VI. (b): J Grev Form V: C Old. Form IV.: M. Mackik' , l'orm III.: G. Beck.

Algebra.—Form VI. (b): E. Colson. Form V.: I. Weston. Form IV.: E. Cook. Form III.: L. Day. Geometry .—'Form VI. (b.): iL. Mills. Form V.: 0. Ambury. Form IV.: A. Mace. Form III.: R. - Monteath. Latin.-nForm VI. (B): W. Spcnce. Form V.: C. Old. Form IV.: E. Cook. Form III.: J. Wilson. French.—Form VI. (b): L. Milk. Form V.: O. Ambury 1, M. Lennon 2. Form IV.: A. Mace. Form III.: J. Wilson. Literature.—Form VI. (b): J. Grey. Form V.: M. Bollinger. Form IV.: M. Mackie. Form III.: I. Mills. Grammar.—Form VI. (b): W. Spence. Form V.: A. Cocker. Form IV.: A. Mace. Composition.—Form VT. (b): J. Grey. Form V.: M. Bollinger. Form IV: H. Mander. Form III.: J. Wilson. Science (Botany).—.Form VI. (b): L. Mills. Form V.: O. Ambury. 'Form IV.: M. Mackie. Form III.: I. Mills. Chemistry.—Form IV.: G. Chong. I Form III.: L. Arann. 1 Drawing.-'Form V.: I. Howell. Form IV.: G. Newell. Form III.: R. Matthews. Book-keeping: A. Marfell. Agriculture: L. Avann. Physical measurements: L. Avann. Dr. Fookes' challenge cup for general excellence: N. Little, who also won it , bust year. Cup for relay race: R. Adlam's team. | Gymnastics—Form V. (girls): 0. Old. i Form IV. (girls): H. Rollo. Form 111. (girls): M. Okey, I. Thompson. Senior > boys: N Little, E. Grant. Junior boys: C. Cronie. J Mr. McDiarmid handed to Mr. Ryder a I challenge belt which he had presented I to the school to be won on the aggregate , shoot throughout the year from scratch, with a view to encouraging shooting among the cadets. Owing to want of ammunition, it was unable to be pre- ■ sented that year, but he hoped it would ibe when the sports' prizes were presented.