8.—7

4

First term, 1878 ... ... 115 pupils. First term, 1888 ... ... 115 pupils. 1879 ... ... 89 „ „ 1889 ~. ... 140 „ 1880 ... ... 85 „ „ 1890 ... ... 150 „ 1881 ... ... 87 „ „ 1891 ... ... 152 „ 1882 ... ... 79 „ „ 1892 ... ... 136 „ 1883 ... ... 75 „ „ 1893 ... ... 123 ;, 1884 ... ... 97 „ „ 1894 ... ... 127 „ 1885 ... ... 119 „ „ 1895 ... ... 138 „ 1886 ... ... 132 „ „ 1896 ... ... 133 „ 1887 ... ... 129 „ „ 1897 ... ... 130 „ The following scholarships and exhibitions are awarded annually : Entrance scholarships— Four of the annual value of £15, tenable for two years; four of the annual value of £15, tenable for one year. (In both cases two of the scholarships are offered to girls under thirteen and two to girls under sixteen.) Exhibitions —Four to pupils within the school of the annual value of £15, tenable for one year. Some changes have taken place in the staff of this school. Miss M. Lorimer, one of the senior teachers, was promoted in the third term of last year to the headship of Mount Cook Girls' School, Wellington. In consequence of this the school work has been rearranged; a junior teacher, Miss Kathleen Gresson, 8.A., appointed, and also an additional mistress for drawing and subjects connected therewith. Miss Helen Gibson, the newly-appointed art mistress, will enter upon the duties at the beginning of the June term of the present year, and it is expected that great advantage will result to the school from the appointment of a specialist in art. The drawing-classes will be directed by Miss Gibson, and additional classes of other kinds will be formed to suit the pupil's requirements as far as the circumstances of the school will permit. The appointment of a janitress at the beginning of 1896 has proved most successful. The effect on the discipline of the school has been altogether a beneficial one. A new gas-stove has been obtained for the cooking-school, and the room has been fitted with new ventilators. These improvements are working very satisfactorily. The buildings and grounds of the school are well adapted to their purposes; the class-rooms are lofty, well ventilated, and thoroughly warmed by hot-air pipes in winter. The playground is pleasant, well shaded by lofty trees, and quite secluded from public view; there is also a comfortable, well-warmed luncheon-room for the girls who remain at school during the mid-day interval. All buildings and fences are in good repair. The school has been successful during the past year in winning scholarships and other honours. At the beginning of the present year Junior University Scholarships were offered to two of our pupils, Euth Gibson and Mabel Connon, but were not accepted, as the youth of the girls made it desirable that they should remain for at least another year at school before proceeding to the University. Of the six senior scholarships of North Canterbury the Girls' High School won three, taking first, third, and fourth places on the list. Ten girls passed the matriculation examination, one of them taking a good place on the junior scholarship honours list, and one passed the Junior Civil Service examination. The number of scholars in the school in the first term of 1897 was 130. In addition to the usual subjects taught in high schools, considerable attention is given to manual and technical instruction. A class for cooking is held at the school on every Saturday of term in a building belonging to the school, and situated on its grounds, fitted up as a kitchen for this purpose. The class is divided into parts, the first beginning at 8 a.m., and each division receives two hours' instruction. A class for dress-cutting is held also on Saturday at the same time as the cooking-class, in a room at the school arranged for the purpose. Ordinary needlework is taught on two afternoons of the regular school week by the permanent teachers of the school. Boys' High School. In July, 1877, the Board decided to recommend the Government to establish schools throughout the colony of such a character as to form a link between the primary schools and the University. In the following year an acre of land was purchased, and in 1879 a tender accepted for the building of the Boys' High School. In consequence of increasing numbers it was found necessary to add to the buildings both in the year 1891 and 1895. The accompanying table will show the gradual advance of the school: — The school was opened in May, 1881, with an attendance of eighty-three boys. The number of pupils attending during the first term of each successive year is as follows: — 1882 ... ... ... 114 1890 ... ... ... 135 1883 ... ... ... 139 1891 ... ... . . 149 1884 112 1892 165 1885 ... ... ... 91 1893 ... ... ... 188 1886 ... .. ... 77 1894 ... ... ... 240 1887 ... ... ... 69 1895 ... .. ... 247 1888 ... ... ... 108 1896 ... ... ... 253 1889 ... ... ... 115 1897 ... ... ... 264 The staff comprises the headmaster, ten full-time assistant masters, one part-time master, and visiting masters in drill, swimming, singing, model-drawing, and carpentry. This with 264 boys on the roll as for first term, 1897, gives a somewhat high average of pupils per master. Gymnastic apparatus has been fitted up in a. large room called the orderly-room (used also for cadets), and large voluntary classes are held in it daily under the direction of a master. New outbuildings, comprising urinals, &c, were also erected in October, 1896. At the recent December examinations M. Keane obtained, the first place among the fifteen elected to Junior University Scholarships, being 376 marks above the next on the list. E. E. Hall, H. S. Cordery, and E. H. B. Milsom obtained good places on the "credit " list of the same examination. M. Keane was also elected to