Girls’ High celebrates centenary
A century of producing strong women has been celebrated at Palmerston North Girls’ High School.
Girls’ High is this week celebrating its centenary year, having a 1920s-themed day on Wednesday, then a formal event yesterday, which included speeches, music, tree planting and school tours.
Girls’ High opened on its Fitzherbert Ave site in 1920, with Claramills the first principal. It was originally part of the city’s District High School, which opened at the St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church hall on Church St in 1902 for boys and girls.
In 1903 it moved to what is now the Palmerston North Boys’ High School site on Featherston St, before the school later split into separate boys’ and girls’ schools.
Children’s author Joy Cowley, who went to Girls’ High from 1951-53, was the guest speaker yesterday. Her daughters Sharon and Judith also attended the school.
‘‘Sharon and Judith and I sharememories of different years, but always the same tradition. This school has a great record for producing strong women. This comes through careful planning, wisdom, erudite teaching, but also through personal concern for the students.’’
She said coming from a difficult childhood, the school was a refuge for her. As the eldest child in her family she left school in year 12 to help support the family.
Today was different from her era and now equality was recognised.
‘‘The future is challenging and exciting for youngwomen. Young women are coming into a new age of feminine leadership ... when we walk through these [school] gates for the last time we take the schoolwith us.’’
Tracy Walker started as the school’s 14th principal in January and she said she could not have predicted the ramifications of Covid-19, but was grateful the school could still celebrate the milestone.
‘‘We’ve had 100 years of being wahine toa on this site. I think that’s something very special.
‘‘Education is not something to be taken for granted all around the world, especially for girls. Girls have often had to fight for their right to education.’’
Walker said while the school’s curriculum might have changed since 1920, the values and ethos of respect, responsibility and resilience had not.
She read the rules for teachers from 1920, which included not marrying during the term of their contract, not riding in a carriage or car with aman who was not their father or brother, not dying their hair and not smoking.
A group of classmates from the early 1950s attended the function: Jill Wilson, Allison Christmas, Celia Geary, Pat Mohekey, Helen Parker and Coral Burgess.
Burgess’ granddaughter started at Girls’ High this year, 70 years after her grandmother.
Burgess’ daughter and two of Mohekey’s daughters taught at Girls’ High.