Education of the Deaf: In 1970 The Nelson Education Board officially opened a classroom for the Deaf at Stoke School. Mr R Owen was appointed teacher in charge. Other teachers were Mrs R Smith, Mrs A Carnahan, Mrs C Dyer, Mrs M Harvey (teacher aide), Mr D Cook, Miss J Adam. From a small beginning the number of deaf pupils increased to the stage where a two class unit was established under the direction of a Senior Teacher (Mr D Cook) and an assistant teacher. A loop coil was built into the walls to transmit the teacher's voice to the pupils who had receivers installed in the cushions on which they sat. From this receiver tthe local radio stahe voice was transferred to their ear hearing aids. At times freak radio conditions were received and on one occasion a visitor to the classroom was amazed to see the pupils wriggling in their chairs and throwing their arms around in a strange fashion. The reason: tion was transmitting a hit of the time, "Puppet on a String" and freak conditions were relaying this to the pupils! By 1976 the number of primary school aged deaf pupils in the region had declined so the unit was moved to Waimea College where it continued to cater for these pupils with special needs.
Broadgreen Intermediate: On Oct 12 1971, the Rt Hon B Tallboys officially opened Broadgreen Intermediate although pupils had been attending the school since the beginning of that year. This was a major development in education for the Stoke region; prior to this the majority of pupils had travelled out to Richmond to attend Waimea Intermediate. The Stoke School Secretary Mrs Margaret Murphy 1956-1971 transferred to Broadgreen Intermediate at this time. One would have expected a brand new school in the local vicinity would have appealed to all parents but that was not the case. The ruling by the Nelson Education Board that all pupils departing Stoke School at the end of their S4 year must be enrolled at Broadgreen was not popular with many. This ruling did not apply to those parents who chose to send their children to private schools not under the jurisdiction of the Education Board. Perhaps it was a case of "better the Devil you know" but some parents went to extraordinary lengths to by-pass the ruling. However, the Education Board was adamant and only in rare cases was dispensation granted. Over the years it soon became apparent that Broadgreen Intermediate offered a high standard of education and the opposition diminished.
Museum Education Officer: In 1974, following representations from the Nelson Provincial Museum and Nelson Principals' Association, the Education Board appointed a teacher to the part-time position of Museum Education Officer. This was an entirely new position and enabled children to be taught at the museum with resources being made available to teachers throughout the Nelson region. Mrs Jeanette Ford was the first teacher appointed to this position and for many years provided an excellent service to the many hundreds of pupils who visited the museum with their teachers. Mr D. Longley has continued with the high standard of work but unfortunately at the end of 1995 the current contract expires and there is some doubt as to whether or not the service will be continued. Having the museum officer attached to Stoke School had its advantages as it helped boost staffing and maintained financial grants as well as Teacher Aide hours.
Assessment Class: With the transfer of the Deaf Unit to Richmond in 1976 vacant classrooms became available. The Education Board, following lengthy discussions with the Department of Education and Stoke School Committee members, decided to transfer the established Assessment Class (plus the teacher, Mrs E Thornley) from Central School to one of these rooms. Thus, Room 3 in the junior classroom block soon had a different type of clientele - children aged 5 to 7 years from various city schools requiring specialist teaching and regular assessment by Departmental Psychologists to determine their future needs and educational placement. Over the years this class has continued to function at the school as is evident by the daily taxi traffic as pupils arrive from their various homes in the city. The teachers associated with this class have all taken a full part in school activities and functions and, in general, contributed in no small way to the smooth running of the school.
Teacher In-Service Training Centre: As the school roll continued to fall further classrooms became vacant. In early 1978 Department of Education officers visited the school to examine the feasibility of converting the former Rooms 12 & 13 in the old building to a centre suitable for teacher in-service training. Education Board carpenters commenced work on the two rooms in November by removing the wall between the two rooms, thus creating a large open space. Extensive renovations were carried out over the next few months to bring the old classrooms up to a suitable standard. All expenses involved in this work were the responsibility of the Education Board but Stoke School benefited in a large way from this facility. Not only did it provide additional space for school activities but also income for the School Committee through the administration and hire of the rooms to local groups. That there was a need for rooms of this type in the Stoke area soon became apparent from the large number of bookings. Mr Larsen, the school caretaker, soon assumed the roll of custodian of this building and for many years ensured that it was opened and heated in the evenings, returning later to lock up - all for no additional remuneration.
School Caretaking / Cleaning: Could such a heading and topic be justified under a section dealing with "milestones" in the school's history? In the case of Arnold and Margaret Larsen there is little doubt as to their contribution towards the smooth running of the school during much of the last 25 years. For some years Mr Scott ("Scottie ) provided stalwart service until sudden sickness forced his resignation. For a period the School Committee, teachers and pupils undertook the cleaning until a new caretaker in Mr Nelson was found. Unfortunately history repeated itself and ill health curtailed his time at the school. Once again it was up to the School Committee and helpers to carry out the duties until a replacement caretaker could be found. After sickness forced his teachers and ----"- interviewing several applicants the decision was made to offer the position to Mr Arnold Larsen. Fortunately he decided to accept the job and commenced duties in 1974. Around that time the schoolhouse, which was available to the principal but not required, was being leased by the owners (Nelson Education Board) to whoever they felt so inclined. Following submissions by the School Committee the Board agreed to make the house available to the caretaker. In June 1976 Mrs Margaret Larsen joined her husband as cleaner with the couple occupying the schoolhouse. The Larsen's took a real interest in the school over and above their normal duties and it was in no small way due to their presence that vandal damage was practically non-existent. This couple continued in the positions until the end of 1993 living in the old schoolhouse during that time. Arnold, in his own inimitable way, became involved in many developments (tree planting, building the slides for the playground, solar heating for the pool - and many others too numerous to mention) and, generally, proving a tower of strength. He was ably backed by Margaret and it was a sad day when they were finally farewelled after a combined total of 36 years service.
School House: In 1991, following negotiations with the Ministry of Education and Landcorp, the Board of Trustees purchased the school residence at Hira. This house was moved on to the spot formerly occupied by the Head Teacher's residence on the Stoke School grounds. It is currently occupied by the school's husband and wife caretaker/cleaner who pay rental to the Board.
"Tomorrow's Schools": In 1989 the Minister of Education, the Rt Hon D Lange, introduced major reforms to educational administration which were to have far reaching affects for all schools. School Committees were to be replaced by Boards of Trustees, each school was to develop its own charter outlining its goals and objectives, bulk funding of cash for administration was passed to Boards to budget rather than the former "drip-feed' and strictly controlled system run by the Education Board, both the Education Board and The Department of Education (Inspectors) were abolished, schools were given the right to appoint staff according to their own criteria...... to name but a few. One of the results of the additional power given to School Boards was the community's decision to remove the old schoolhouse in 1993 and replace it with the former teacher's residence from Hira which was purchased from the authorities. This house now belongs to the Board and is rented to the school caretaker. The remainder of the changes are now history! Few would deny that fine tuning of the "old" system was required but perhaps it was a case of "throwing out the baby with the bath water". Time will tell.
The School Library: On 5 November 1975 work commenced on the new school library. Prior to this, books were housed in a small room outside Room 7. It is interesting to note that small room is now the "stage" area of the present library. The library was officially opened on 8 April with all due pomp and ceremony by the BIG BRASS from the Education Board. One of the disadvantages of the greatly enlarged library was the accompanying metres of shelving- what had formerly looked a well stocked learning facility suddenly looked something like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard! In the spirit so typical of the community, the Parent Teacher Association, The Projects Committee, and the School Committee combined efforts and ran many fund-raising functions to enable this new asset to become fully equipped. Staff and pupils also entered into the exercise by running, on alternate years, firstly a "Spellathon" and then a sponsored walk through the Ngawhatu farm. These ventures regularly raised around the $1400 per year mark and reflected the strong community support received. As a result the library soon became one of the best stocked in the area with additional funds available for developments such as the adventure playground, landscaping of the school frontage, solar heating for the pool, and the provision of a wide variety of teaching materials and aids not normally available from official sources. On several occasions school inspectors commented on the variety and scope of materials provided by parents. It is interesting to note in the School Log Book that a week after the official opening of the library repairs had to be carried out due to a leak in the roof. Obviously the repair work was efficiently done as no more reports of that nature have been recorded.
Parent Involvement in the School: Space does not allow for lists of names of the many parents who served on the various committees associated with the school. Suffice it to say that they were numerous, enthusiastic and hard working.
Former Head Teachers, though not within the past 25 years are recorded here for posterity:
1845 - Thomas Dyke Piper 1887? - Mr J Naylor (second time)
1855 - Mr Bennett 1905 Mr D H Wilmot
1859 - Mr E Austin, Mr J T Smith 1905?Mr R Harrison, Mr A Trevella
1874 - Mr F W Barnett ? Mr S F Morris, Mr G Thorby
1877 - Mr J Naylor ? Mr H L Ching, Mr R C Bryant
1887 - Mr F Kavanagh ? Mr C B Henderson, Mr A Berdinner.
Names of teachers who served at the school for 10 or more years:
Mr Alwyn Lyons Deputy Principal 1970-1992
Mrs Rosina Robb Senior Teacher 1971-1991
Mrs Judith O'Callaghan (nee Downie) 1971- 2005
Mrs Helen Newman 1975-1985
Principals during the Last 40 Years:
Mr Tony Berdinner 3.5 years - 1969 - 1972
Mr Jim Rapson 1 year - 1975
Mr Norm Moore 10 years - 1974 - 1983
Mr Murray Wratt 4.5 years - 1984 - 1988
Mr Adrian Mullan 18 years 1989 - 2007
Mr Peter Mitchener 2008 -
Introduction of Teacher Aides: In 1975 the then Minister of Education announced that funds were to be made available to employ teacher aides in schools. The number of hours was to be decided on the school staffing i.e. the larger the school, the more hours available. This was a big breakthrough and something which educationalists had been fighting for a number of years. The people employed were not permitted to teach, although they could supervise children at work, check reading, etc. However, the greatest thrust of their work appeared to involve working in school libraries with the remainder of the hours allocated to class teachers with large numbers or to pupils with special needs. Stoke teachers had been fortunate in having this assistance available to them for a number of years on a voluntary basis. Mrs Betty Sutton had generously given of her time to carry out the work along the lines outlined by the Minister. Perhaps she had been used as a role model! It was gratifying to be able to offer the paid position to Betty who continued in this work until taking up the position of School Secretary.
Reading Recovery: In the late 1970's the Department of Education introduced a programme aimed at providing individual assistance to selected junior school pupils having difficulty in learning to read. The programme had been running in Auckland over a number of years and had proved highly successful. Pupils participating in the programme are withdrawn daily from their regular classrooms. The teaching follows a closely structured pattern with pupil progress regularly monitored until a satisfactory attainment level is reached. At that point pupils are returned to their classrooms. An important aspect of the programme is that these pupils are regularly monitored over the years to ensure that progress is continued. The programme required that teachers had special training before commencing work with pupils. Once this was done they were released from classroom teaching duties. A tutor, specially trained over a long period of time, was responsible for instructing local teachers in the techniques required. Mrs G. Mainwaring was Nelson's inaugural tutor and was attached to Stoke School. She worked in a specially built room in the In-Service Centre. To allow trainee teachers to observe the programme in action, and without pupils being distracted, a one way mirror was installed. It was a strange feeling to stand and watch only a couple of feet from pupils without their knowledge. Perhaps it was a strain on the trainee teachers, too, because they were required as part of their preparatory work to take demonstration lessons not knowing just who was behind the mirror observing! The programme has proved so successful that is continues to operate in schools today.
Maori Language Instruction: In 1991, after consultation with representatives of the Maori parents and tandem with Victory School, a Maori Language Tutor was employed utilising Task Force Green and Maori Language funding. Since then a Maori Language Tutor has been engaged each year...1991-92 Tania Hippolite, 1994 Edna Hippolite. Currently Edna Hippolite assists in the S1 classrooms with Taha Maori and takes a language group each week. T1 juniors meet with the Kohanga Reo each week to develop their Taha Maori skills. Maori Language resources have been built up and catalogued over this period.
Kohanga Reo: In 1993, following discussions with the Ministry of Education it was decided to sublease a detached self contained area (Room 5) for the establishment of Kohanga Reo. A representative of the Kohanga Reo and founding member, Hinemoa Tamati, was seconded to the Board. The Kohanga Reo was officially opened this year with a roll of nine pupils.
Our History
The history of Stoke School since 1845 has been published by the Stoke School Committees and Board of Trustees for each Anniversary Celebration.
