TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1916, Page 3

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

VISIT OF INSPECTION: On Wednesday afternoon the members of the Taranaki Education Board paid a visit of inspection to the Hawera District High School. The visitors were taken through the various classrooms by the headmaster (Mr. Strack), and were much impressed by the Montessori method of teaching adopted in the infant classes.

Subsequently the scholars were assembled in the central hall, when brief addresses were given. ■ Mr. R. S. Page, chairman of the school committee, and Mr. E. Dixon, as Mayor, briefly welcomed the members of the Board to the school. Mr. Dixon said that although tlieru were many who were opposed to the change made in the Boards, 110W that it had taken place tho members of the Taranaki Board intended to do all that was possible to make it the foremost in the Dominion. Hawera felt the parting from the Wanganui Board, 'but he hoped that before long they would be quite satisfied with the change. The one regret he now had was that the whole province was not included in the new Taranaki Board, and he hoped that in any future adjustment this would be brought about. Mr. R. Masters (chairman of the Taranaki Board), in replying, said Mr. Dixon mentioned that Hawera had certain regrets at parting from Wanganui, but he hoped that the change that bad been made would prove to be in the best interests of all the children in Taranaki. The new Board would try to justify its existence and endeavor to treat the Hawera school even better than the Wanganui Board had done. The Board was now conferring with the instructors with a view to working out schemes which would ultimately be for the benefit of the whole of Taranaki. Mr. Strack had told him that the motto of the school was, in effect: "Excelsior, or climbing after knowledge," and lie wsuld advise the scholars to acquire all the knowledge they could so as to be all the better fitted to meet the competition that would confront them when they left the school in after years to fight life's battles, and to qualify them to direct the destinies of the Dominion in the years to come. (Applause).

The school was then dismissed for the remainder of the afternoon, and the scholars were also relieved 6f home work.