EDUCATION PROGRESS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1920, Page 5

EDUCATION PROGRESS.

I 'OPUNAKE'S NEW SCHOOL. '* ) i The official opening of the new school i' at Opunake took place on Wednesday last in the presence of a large number of peoplq. The chairman (Mr. P. J» H. White), and Messrs. Hi Tirmble arid A. •' Lees, represented the Edncation BdanL ' ! The school, which is a three-roomed ' one, replaces the building itefctroyed bjr fire in 1919. It is erected; in concrete, \ the exterior beinfc finished in rough east, • and the interior walls in plaster. It has a beautifuljy sunny aspect, and ample provision has been made for light and ventilation on the most approved lines. Accommodation it provided for -■ from 140 to 150 children. The infaiifc room is of the semi-open air type, hav* I ing large sliding doors on 'the sonny; end, which can be thrown right back to C ; admit the fullest amount ol nuMhiie ; and fresh air. It iq hoped In a shorl' time to equip the school with entirely •} new furniture. An adeqnat* water supply has been assured by the erection cf a windmill pump, and the sanitary. ,< conveniences are of the most modtum ,-j design of flushing systems. The - \ ing has cost about £2600 to construct, ' and has been done by the board's stair. 4 At the opening ceremony, the chair* .' man of the School Committee (Rev. C. R .i Strand) presided'. Apologies .were sent -■, by Messrs. R. Masters and fi. J. Bavet , 'j (members of the Board), J. A. Vallntin* '! (on behalf of the inspectors), Mum. i Strack (Hawera), and Mason (Plhama), 1 J. A. Wright (chairman of Kgmont County Council), C. A. Wilkinson, Cham<t i hers, 0. J. Howarth (organising teacher), | the Rev- Father Doolaghty, and other*. In remarking that the new school was now an accomplished fact, Rev Strand said the committee had a comprehend sive scheme for th.i beautifying of the grounds surrounding it, which they deaired to make as Might and attract!ye as possible. In planning the building the health of the children had fceW taken- into consideration, and the OMB«i mittee were resolved that none Of the, inconveniences and insanitary coedltioaa cf olden days should he present in eon-*; j eetion with any of the appointment*, about the premises. The committee were greatly indebted to the ladiap Of the district for the work they had dona, by means of which a considerable sum of money had been raised for spendinf on the improvement of the grounds. ( ; Mr. Strand also touched upon the need for the establishment of a district high school at Opunake, and urged the people to give this their unanimous support, a»- , . suring them of the sympathy of the. board with any movement in that direction. ' ! Mr. White, who was nailed oh to declare the school open, expressed pleasure at assisting in such a function* and congratulated the district on the attain*' ; ment of their object. To the childrwk, he said he hoped school life for them would open the way to all the beantlw of life, and assured them that th* t authorities were trying to give them tha.i, • best education possible in the most, interesting fashion. In this connection, • s he eulogised the work of the board's architect (Mr. C. H. Moore), and the .• skill with which he designed the build- 71 , ings and carried out their construction, y Remarking on the educational requirements of the district, he said the area under the jurisdiction of the Taranaki Board extended from Opunake in the west to Ongarue in the cast, and from ' 100 miles north of New Plymouth to„. 00 miles south. l ' 1 In conclusion, Mr. White appealed to the parents to support the teachers in.. their work, and hoped thai day would ' be the forerunner of many other such, ' days in the interests of the Opunake t school. . ~ ; » The visitors were later the guests of * j the committee at a luncheon at which ', I 1 the following toasts were included: "The Education Board" (Mr. Jas. Yonnpr, '' responded to by Mr. White); "The ' J Architect" (Rev C. Strand—Mr. C. H. ; J Moore); "The Teachers" (Mr. H. J. New-4 man—Mr. H. Trimble); "The School Committee" (Mr. G. Looney—Mr- Mil- "4 denhall). During the luncheon, a beautiful boo- {-a quet presented to Miss S. K. Hidcey,' the head mistress. 'fg ■ ■ > liiH