A Little Bit More of our History
“In 1941, roll numbers climbed suddenly to 154 and teachers were again hard pressed. Sister Mary Rose had 37 in the Primers (Years 1 & 2), Sister Mary Leonard had 66 in Standards One to Four (Years 3-6) and Sister Mary Anita had 51 in Forms One and Two (Years 7 & 8)! Ex-pupils have been heard to say that the discipline was very strict. At the beginning of 1943, there was a complete change of staff-a rather daunting prospect in any school.”
What a classroom may have looked like in an earlier time.
Imagine these days if our class numbers and combinations were as they were in 1941! There would be a few moans and groans , I think, from teachers, parents and students. Imagine if there was a complete change of staff in 2013! What challenges would the new staff face? How would parents feel? More importantly, how would the children feel?
We are very grateful to the Mercy Sisters for their dedication to Catholic education in New Zealand and in particular to St Joseph’s Catholic School Takapuna. If any of our ex pupils have photos or stories they would be willing to share or donate to our school, we would be happy to add these to our archives. If they are dated with any known names, that would be helpful. Photos can be sent through digitally or left at the office.
Thank you.
Phil