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A FLOURISHING I M l d
State ffigit School's Progress
Its Place in Community
"Out of the 480 students at present
enrolled on our books," said the principal
of the school (Mr. P. .H. Mitchell,
B.A.) yesterday, "I am certain that
very-few more than the odd SO would
have been able to follow up a secondary
education, had it not been for the
opportunities presented to them in the
State Higb School.
> History Outlined.
. "It is now.six years since we commenced
operations in the Old Trinity
Hill buildihgs; it was twelve months
last-Michaelmas -since we came -into
our present quartets in Letitia street
During that time our roll call jias increased
ficnm 155 to 480, and our staff
from fix to 18.
. Aim of the School.
"The State High School," Mr. Mitchell
vent on, "can truly say that its
education is secondary. Our aim, besides-giving
r t!ie student the training
necessary to fit him for a suitable station
in after liie, is to' develop character,
and in a multitude: of. ways to
bring out the best In the personality
of .every boy or girLT.-..."
The headmaster ' produced the
school recoril, in the course of which
appear the following words from the
lips of the Director (Mr. W. T. M'Coy)
on the occasion of one of the earlier
school funptiops:—
: "The main purpose -of the school
- .is not .to:work for the Junior or
Senior Public: Examinations. These
examinations certainly^ form - goals
of attainment, bat £he idosyncrasies
of examiners and the -habit of examinations
have played but a small
part in determintog the curriculum.
The High Schools will aim at broadening
and deepening the pupil's -educational,
oBBodk, at cultivating right
• habits of *thought and action; and at
giving them^shdh moral, physical,
and mental equipment as will fit
them for their important duties aB
citizens of this State."
Theory in Practice.
In this direction;the headmaster
went on tp e5$Iain rthe syBtem of prefects
. had- been established; the students
were relieved of much, of the
rote discipline ^ - of the - primary . - . schools;
they filed :-lnto their class rooins at the
sound of the bell; without — waiting for
the teachers; and generally -were < •^entrusted
with more responsibility and
discretion than was possible in" ifte'
atmosphere of a big primary school-
Strict Discipline.
Details are not neglected, however.
Such a. policy as thfe does not
by
any -means imply -that,there as
the
slightest neglect of
discipline.
A
torn writing" p^a lay
fluttering
m
pieces abont the floor of the
basement
as a. .jxprasantative
of
"The
Wordd" was being shown over
the
building.
It was carefully gathered
up by the headmaster.
"A little
lecture on: the
advantages of
tidiness:
would -not be : amiss with
this
young lady," be said, with a glance,
at the name on the cover, and it. is'
easy to believe that the lecture Was
not the first of its kind.
TFhe precincts
of the spacious building, the
grounds, end • even the ,
basement,
which, with its lianging rows of hats
and cloaks, .might have been excused
a slight litter of odds and ends
was a spectacle of -neatness.
Rows
of lockers here and at various'. other 1
places tJiroughout the
school
protide
receptacles for individual kn<ckknacks,
and incidentally a fine training
_ in lesions of neatness and care
tor after life.
The Playing Field.
So much for the personal: element.
-Co-operation; that vital-sense
of civilisation, is taught In the playing
- field. There • are three > group
of boys and three groups of girls,
represented by the coiots blue, green
and red (red and .green are the present
school colors, to which* it is proposed
to add blue) as' soon as practicable).
' (Between these groups - competition
' In all branches of sport
is keen. There i& a secret "b&lot
among the scholars for the leaders
veto possessed : by the .headmaster
and teachers), and the OTb-leaders or
the various graded teams perform
yeoman service in keeping the lessi
enthusiastic member of tootball and
cn^et teams up to the mark."Every]
student^' Bald tte headmaste^ -xs
fP^^i ° r ^
the sports. Thpre was a time when
there was some shirking, but the ap-1
pokitment of the sub-captains or
lieutenants has done away with prac-1
tically ail of that" In sport the]
school has had an increasingly good]
record. Both girls and boys have J
combined to keen keep uo up the orestiffip prestige bfi of j
the institution in the field, and the l\
Clarke shield (won by the four-oar-i
od rowing crew), the Bowtell shield,
for the crosscountry championship,
and the Davies shield, stand as evidence
of their prowess.
The Curriculum.
There are five branches of studi
at. tilie ffltgh School—a <£aicheis?
course, for those who intend to takei
up that profession, a secondary \
1
course, comprising
general
- .
subjects.}
"
fo v . ^ose who intend to take up a 1
University course, - industrial and
commercial branches, and a domestic
economy class'for girls. it was-a
pity; the headmaster remarked, that
this latter course was not more
availed of by the girl students, in
preference <to the Hhortfi&nd, typewriting!
and office principles of the
1
commercial dassjea "~TEere™are tiro
main examinations, junior puigUc
two years after admittanpe, and" Um^1
senior public at £he v"end H>f .the fotir
years' course. • . ,
1 . -
Brilliant "Students.
At least two 'brilliant scholastie
records stand to the credit of the
school, in spite of the short period
of its career. In one, Harold M'Coy- •
son |of the Director .of Cducationhas
just completed the second yfear
of his Uijlversity medical coarse at
the Sydney University; the other.
Osdric Duncombe, lias completed his
second year in -a similar course at
the Melbourne University. *
Helping Students.
"IS anything done "officially towards
guaranteeing a student work at the
en(j of j^g or j^.
course at the
school?" "Mr. Mitchell was asked.
"Not officially." said the headtnaster.
"but almost without exception; as £ar
as I know, every scholar who' - has
passed examinations of the school has
secured a position. I frequently receive
messages from various -business
-men in the city, often of high standing,
asking if I have any boys or
girls who have : qualified in - certain
courses."
General Activities. '
In other directions as well the High
School has taken its part worthily.
Notwithstanding the fact that very
few of those who lures studied within
its walls have* passed the agte of "21,
over 50 enlisted, ibree.baving ^inade
the : flupreme i sacrifice,-, and, -Gordon
Murchison, having . been : (decorated
with the Military MedaL ' Fpur of tta
ar-students ' have entered * Jervis= fiay
Naval Oollege. One, Cpsey has
jtfnqe joined grand ll<^t rin: jdisfcahjt
than
ttther i»atriWte ^^It^tJ^^iiive rtlfehei".
-and ^.^li'iK-ji.""^^,' fi^^sje^- v
for Sie
erect tennis "coniite,'."..' . ; - "
The Old Stodents'.^xtiM Worka,
as the Hc^artla^' Araociatio^^ \
good among the ji)Mger?|itipil6i Its
membetsTiaveTomMd^angclaiBses,
assisted ;
a mnttitadA iti WT^^lie^ s^jdlng foiSme v
camaraderie,- «'t scholars sis "a wiboUt.
due to their efforts.'
- Gymnasium' Wanted.
: "It is one of my Ambitions," said ; -
Mr; Mitchell, poihtiiig to • a^p)rfion of *
the spacious yard, "to gfkae day havs
;
a gymnaslom erectM^i
but,
of
osity of .scme ^^naiiimons -pation." .
^Commodious Bhilding: '.:! \
• a'hfe^i^q^ -
months ago fc^^rated ^lts, first hirdi- -
desjgne^'^aire sniJbai{apd-- .* ;; ;
ing the large central base ihat 'on tho '
signing <3f the
ftrmiBl|^
thtea
mliiotes from the
cbdr*
... : r
glad tidings. * .
In a separate block of buildings
tneir test tubes
and
strange
com-
SE^S^JSh
^ ef h 0 p s
WJth
^
beQChes
8113
* ' w„.
..
indl-N
catinTtwo SandsTmelvSi^io^
with modelMng complete, Wllinl tho
of the Winter" "have been made
by 6tudents. They are to coataitt
names" of head prafecte and success"
^ students. This," he said pointing
to a>ery fine honor board' in iM
main hall, "is also the work of a stu
dent, Mervyii Maddock, even to the
carving .of the."«choors crest, a ship
inVfiiii full sniii sail, nnfl and the motto, mnt+n *Prorsua»
fet SemnerUTanrato' Honeste.' " r* .
It is this latter symbol that: has
suggested the name. Of "The Log" for
the very el-editable little'school paper
Which chronicles the passing events of
the institution, both pietoriillv and
literally, with not a little -art, and in
a : sometimes - • pleasantly- • humorous
style. ^, > r ' * ,
m. . „ '. -i
^ fonowmg^fe 4-lUt ^f the pre-
Sent
ST Rrf^fl'T,
staff: — Pereivnl-H.
S^lfj^Zi,
MitehaU,
a .w'
W- Green, Cyril jS&fl^ig^n.
John
B.A,
Robert <5. .ii. ©reft, *4Bffiott Woollfe^
Elizabeth Whfltmfcy, B.A^ Efrene WIlliams,
BjL, M. Mahonev, Je^n
W. Trfbolet, BiA.', 17 Dorothy Sqnire3,
Hejeiia Ward, Joyce: jGeeves, Alice
M.' Humphries. Clawiia Underwojd,
ilyra Gleadow. £haile3 -fi. Baystk
rr
Violet Costellc.
Young as years go, bat old
in its potentialities, now, for'
life "first time
toeing
thoroughly
let
loose,
the State
High School m Hobart Is at
last t&king its place in the
life of the community, and is
filling, and is likely to fill for
many a day to come, a long
felt want In many
matters
essential to pnbiic
welfare
and progress. Boys -and girls
" who, a few years ago, would
have. Ill the ordinary course
of events
joined
the army
who pass in ceaseless
procession
into
"bliud
alley"
, employments, are now being •
eagerly sought for by
business
men 'of all
classes ~ as
promising -recruits
for ayocations
in - which prospects
are bright, and-the work infinitely
more satisfying. '
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