GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 December 1917, Page 6

GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL.

ANNUAL BREAK-UP CONCERT. PRESENTATION OF PRIZES. The break-up ceremony last night in the Good Templar Hall drew a, large audience. The proceedings were marked by enthusiasm throughout, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening resulted. The stage'was tastefully decorated, and the appearance of the chairman and the lady principal was the signal for an outburst of applause. Mr. D. Hutchen, chairman of the Board of Governors, presided, and there were present on the platform with him: Mrs. Hutchen, Mr. H. Okey, M.l*., Miss Barr (lady principal), the members of the Board of Governors, and the members of the school staff. The proceedings opened with the singing of the school song "Uaudeamus," after which the chairman, in a short speech, welcomed those present, and expressed the thanks of the school staff and the Board of Governors for the support accorded the school. He expressed rjgrcl that the function could not be held at the school. Experience, however, had shown that there was no adequate provision in the school premises wherein the supporters of the school could be entertained. The chairman apologised for the absence of the Hons. 0. Samuel and T. Kelly, and Mr. C. H. Burgess. LADY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT The Lady Principal's report was read as follows: ROLL. The work of the school has proceeded r.atisfaetorily throughout the year. The numbers at the end of the three terms have been 12.">, 124 and "121, aa compared with 98, % and 01 last year. STAFF. At the beginning of the year, the increased numbers necessitated the appointment of an additional mistress, and some difficulty wa.3 experienced in obtaining a suitable one. During the first term we were most ior',uAate in securing the services of Miss Baker as relieving mistress, but owing to ill-health she was unable to continue her work, and the position was taken temporarily by Miss Menzies until the arrival of Miss Smith, who was permanently appointed to the position and whose work lias since justified her appointment. Miss Aitken left to take up a position in the Timaru Girls' High School and jicr place has been very successfully filled by Miss Burrow. PASSES. " ■ Last year the number of passes at the various examinations was satisfactory. Joan Cooke, Eileen Campbell, Marjory Morton, Mary Fox and Edna White passed the matriculation examination and in addition three of these passed the solicitor', general knowledgo-. two the medical prliminary, and one the engineering preliminary examinations. Leila Hurle secured a Seni;:' National Scholarship, while five others passed tH examination. Three candidates passed Civil Service Entrance and two obtained partial passes in tho Civil Service senior examination. Fifteen girLs secured senior free p/aoes, and two junior free places. No candidates were entered for (lie Junior University 3c!iolarship examination. This year three first-year students are attempting the examination. The experience gained by sitting for- the examination, and by preparing for it is valuable, and certainly lays a good foundation for solid work next year, vlien they will be expected to acquit themselves very creditably. At the examination held by tho secondary schools inspectors during their

:?cont visit to the school, twenty-four girls were granted senior free places without further examination, This is a very satisfactory result. This year eight girls out of eleven presented have passed the Sixth Standard examination, seven obtaining proficiency certificates and one a competency certificate. THE CURRICULUM. Owing to the action of the Department ,in making home .science compulsory for girls I have found it necessary to re-or-ganise our science programme. Next year botany, which up to the present has been one of our staple examination subjects, will have to be abandoned in the lower classes. A somewhat extensive programme in home science has to be covered, and to do this efficiently a rather large proportion of time will have to be devoted to the subject. Considerable controvrsy i 9 taking place among the teachers as to the desirability of making the subject compulsory. Few, however, will fail to recognise the value of home ■cience, and the excellent training afforded by a course in it. In tho meantime difficulties are presenting themselves, mainly as to ways, and means of securing a sufficient amount of time for tho practical work such as cookery, sewing and laundry work. The amount of time given to practical work in the school is, of course, only sufficient to show how i tilings should be done —the real and efficient practice should take place in the home. THE HOUSE. ■ Sffandon House has proved itself an excellent school residence. Few schools can boast such an admirable situation on the sea front. Sea bathing is indulged in every morning, and I am sure it would be impossible to find a healthier 1 lot of girls than the present boarders. I In my experience I have not had a year I bo free from illness among the girls. Indeed; we have had no sickness in the house at all, and colds have been almost unknown. This speaks volumes for the open air life the boarders are encouraged to lead. The number in residence for the three terms has been 28, 29 and 30, so that the house has been taxed tq its utmost, thus justifying the action! of the. Board of Governors in spending the money necessary to make Strandon House a suitable school residence. PREPARATORY SCHOOL. The Preparatory Department is continuing to prove itself a useful adjunct to the school, the pupils from Standard VI. almost without exception, coming on to the Secondary Department. ATTENDANCE. . 'The attendance with few exceptions has been satisfactory, but there are still girls whose ■parents do not insist on regular and punctual attendance. Unless a girl is interested in her work and is encouraged to do faer best, it is a great waste of her own, and her teacher's time to send her to a secondary school. SPORTS. Throughout the year pur school sports have boea carried on successfully, and I am sure that they have had a most beneficial eqffeet on the girls, and have helped to strengthen the school spirit, which is so necessary to the success and well- •■••'■•». joOwKjMhooL .We l»v« felt t»a

benefit of having playing grounds of our own, and the game 3 generally have improved greatly with tiie reuglar practice it is possible to have. Besides the usual games—tennis, croquet, hockey and cricket, the girls have 'had a great deal of surf-bathing and we are greatly indebted to Messrs Christiansen and Walker for teaching them life-saving 'hy means of the reel. Some of the girls have shown such proficiency that I have divided to enter a team for the Tabor Shield Competition which takes place in ' February next. PATRIOTIC WORK. Notwithstanding a somewhat strenuous year botli teachers and girls have responded willingly to the calls made upon their time in connection with patriotic work. 'On different occasions we, have helped by making garments, dressing dolls and giving contributions of money, but our cn> " ; effort was made; in conjunction v.'.. . ictwode House, when we had charge of the Mart, andwere successful in adding £20.8 to the patriotic funds. CONCLUSION. , Again I would urge upon parents the desirability of allowing and encouraging their girls to stay at school as long as possible. Excellent opportunities arc presenting themselves for girls, and competition for good posts will be very keen. So many are now availing themselves of the opportunities afforded them, that those who do not will find themselves very much in the rear. The old idea that higher education is injurious to girls lias been exploded. No harm can result to a girl from study if suitable supervision is exercised at home and care is taken that the girl does not try to combine with a somewhat exacting course of study, an exclusive course of pleasure .and excitement. There should be the closest co-operation between the school and the home—not only in work, but in training. The modern tendency to throw the onus Of all training mental, moral and physical on the schools is wrong, and cannot produce the best results. Together we should try to make our girls self-reliant and resourceful, aitd it should be our joint endeavor to help them to decide upon careers, and to 'Shape their school course with that aim in view. At 10, or soon after, a girl should have a definite jdea of what she intends to do, and to be, and the indecision on this point so often met with in girls from 15 to 17 hinders a sufficiently early beginning being made of the work necessary. These arc tho girls who so frequently drift into 'blind alleys, and find they have allowed the time to pas- when they might have decided upon a useful and interesting career. Of the girls who are leaving school this year, th? majority are taking up useful work, and have proved themselves industrious, cheerful students. M.any are becoming teachers, and should prove good ones. I wish them every success, and trust that next year we shall have as good reason to be proud of those who leave. I wish to thank those who have so kindly made gifts and -..airra to the library. Among these I would especially thank Mr. Fa veil and Colonel Ellis for'their very generous gift:.' I would also thank those wlfo subscribed so generously to our sports prize fund, and Mr. Hutchen for the prize ho has given for the best essay in the upper school. I wish to express my gratitude to the Board cf Governors for the uniform kindness and consideration I have received at their hands, and also the members of my staff both at school and at the house for their assistance and operation.

Mr. H. Okey, M.P., congratulated the principal, staff and pupils on the progress made, as evidenced by the report. He then proceeded to refer to what Bishop Averill had said on the occasion of the break-up of the Boys' High School, that the educational facilities of a district had a great deal to do with its development and progress. Men usually sought out places to live where there were good schools available for their children. He complimented the Board of Governors on their progressive spirit, but sympathised with them in. their difficulties in not being able to 1 get from the Education Department all that was required in the best interests of the school. He eoneluded by wishing the staff and pupils an enjoyable holiday, and urging them to come back to their work next year 1 with increased zeal.

The prizes were then presented by Mrs. Hutchen, each of the recipients being loudly acclaimed. The'announcement of Miss L. Hurle as "dux" of the school provoked prolonged applause. In addition to the school and sports prizes, the following championship awards were presented,: Swimming cup (donated by Mr. G. H. Browne), Florence Evans; tennis challenge cup, Phyllis Heal; junior tennis trophy (donated by Mr. Greiner), Dinah Brown; trophy presented by Mr. ■W. H. Moyes, M. Mills.

During the evening Sir. T. Hirst also presented prizes to the winners of the Band of Mercy essay competition. Mr. Hirst said that the Bands qjf Mercy were formed amongst school children to foster amongst them a spirit of kindness and consideration for dumb animals. There were six such bands in Taranaki, and one of them was at the Girls' High School The bands were affiliated with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which had offered 12 prices for essays, and 2 prizes had also been given by the Von. Arclideacon Evans. In the competition 118 essays had been received, and these had been judged by Messrs S, Perey-Smit'u and G. S. Robinson. Three of the prices had come to the New Plymouth Girls' High School, the winners being: Preparatory division, Jean Ramson (Ist in 4th Standards from all schools) j upper school, Flora Cameron Ist and Nellie Lukachefski second. The prizes were then presented to the successful competitors. Mr. D. Robertson then gave 11 short but somewhat humorous address, in which he likened the progress of the school to the voyage of a ship. He said they had met with adverse conditions, but now that .they had a thoroughly reliable commander on the bridge, and a good sjiip's company, he though the navigation of the vessel could be left to them and the Board of Governors could "go below." He paid a tribute to the great part the women are playing in the world's affairs to-day, and siiid that work justly entitled them to equal educational and other facilities with those provided for the men. Throughout the evening a very well selected programme was contributed by the girls as follows: Pianoforte duet, Misses Trudio Burwell and Jessie Cassie; songs, Miss Minnie. Johnstone; recitation, Miss Gwen Godfrey; song, Miss Queenie Gibson; pianoforte solo, Miss Constance Cuff; recitation, Miss Helen Thomson; dialogue, "Sarah Gamp and Betsy Prig," Misses Peggy Brown and Trndie Burwell. The proceedings terminated with the singing by thirls of "The Marseillaise" in French, and the National Anthem. Cheers were given, at the chairman's call, for the lady principal. The piano for the occasion was lent by Messrs Collier,

PRIZE LIST. Following is the prize list: — Preparatory. Standard L. Mina Xolafi. Standard 11., Cicely Greatbatch, class prize; Ida Lysons. general progress. Standard 111., Nora Palmer, class prize. Standard IV., Barbara Sumner, class prize; Jean Ramson, nature study. Standard VI., Eleanor Campbell, class prize, Peggy Griffiths, progress and diligence. Form 111. B. M. K.ivell: First mathematics, first drawing. M. Walker: Second mathematics, second botany. ■ A. Fookes: First English and second history. H. Limlop: First history, first geography, first botany, second English. Form 111. A. N. Wilson: First Latin, first French, .first English, first mathematics, first science, first drawing, first history, first geography. .1. Leech: First hygiene. D. Rrpwn: 'Second history, second Latin, second mathematics. A. Wilson: Second French, second Latin. I?. Million: Second English. P. Mason and R. Bell, general .progress. Form IV. W. Downes: First English, first Latin, first French, first mathematics, first geography, first drawing.' 0. Ducker: First science, second mathematics, second geography, second English, second French. M. Barnes: First hygiene, first history. E. Ballantyne: General proficiency. Form V. B. P. Brown: First geography, first hygiene. M.Coleman: First English, first mathematics. A. Rawlinson: First mathematics, second botany, J. Cassic: First English. D. Watkins: First hygiene, first French, first home science, first botany. C. Muskcr: Genera! proficiency Form V. A. T. Montejiith: First English, second history. A. Ewing: First History, second drawing, second mathematics. E. Bullard: First mathematics. K. Monteath: First drawing, first science. F. Evans: First Latin, first French. Form VI. ! Joan Cooke: First Latin, First French. M. Johnstone: First Geography, 2nd French. Reading Prizes.—Form V. A., Q. Gibson; Form IV., M. Brunette; Form 111., G. Goufrey. Dressmaking.—P. Poletti. Edna Mouat. Cookery.—P. Poletti, R. Bell. Prefects' Prizes.—Head prefect., Leila Hurle; house prefect, Margaret Brown; special prefects' prize, Irene Paulger. Prize Competition Essay" (Mr. Hutehen's pr".-.;) Leila Hurle. / Dr. Fookes' Cup (for profieieney in class work and in sports and games).— Florence Evans. The prizes won at the recent sports were also presented.