Wyndham District High School
Record Group
Identifier: A0457
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1924 - 1954
Biographical / Historical
Wyndham District High School was established when the Secondary Department of Wyndham School was opened on 26th May 1924. It opened with a roll of 26 students.
An application for a district high school in Wyndham had been previously made in 1907, (with probable contributing primary schools being Glenham, Seaward Downs, Mokoreta, Mimihau, Tuturau, Menzies Ferry, Wyndham South, Mataura Island and Wyndham), but was declined on the grounds that students could attend the soon to be established high school in Gore.
Fire destroyed Wyndham School in the early hours of 1st July 1951. Classes were relocated elsewhere around the township until the new school could be opened in March 1953. It opened with four primary school classrooms, three secondary school classrooms and a Manual Training Centre.
In 1962 the feasibility of a full High School was being explored. By 1969, with the establishment of new primary school buildings to the West of the old school buildings, and a record high roll of 218 secondary students, efforts to have the Secondary Department recognised as a Form 1 to 7 High School intensified. In 1970 Mr. J.C. Whitworth was appointed Principal of the first Form 1 to 7 school in Southland. A committee was formed and voted in their inaugural meeting in September 1970 to name the new school Menzies College.
Menzies College's opening school roll in 1971 of 400 pupils resulted from nine surrounding primary schools consolidating their Form 1 and 2 pupils on the college.
- Notes by E. Easton -
See Bibliography for References
An application for a district high school in Wyndham had been previously made in 1907, (with probable contributing primary schools being Glenham, Seaward Downs, Mokoreta, Mimihau, Tuturau, Menzies Ferry, Wyndham South, Mataura Island and Wyndham), but was declined on the grounds that students could attend the soon to be established high school in Gore.
Fire destroyed Wyndham School in the early hours of 1st July 1951. Classes were relocated elsewhere around the township until the new school could be opened in March 1953. It opened with four primary school classrooms, three secondary school classrooms and a Manual Training Centre.
In 1962 the feasibility of a full High School was being explored. By 1969, with the establishment of new primary school buildings to the West of the old school buildings, and a record high roll of 218 secondary students, efforts to have the Secondary Department recognised as a Form 1 to 7 High School intensified. In 1970 Mr. J.C. Whitworth was appointed Principal of the first Form 1 to 7 school in Southland. A committee was formed and voted in their inaugural meeting in September 1970 to name the new school Menzies College.
Menzies College's opening school roll in 1971 of 400 pupils resulted from nine surrounding primary schools consolidating their Form 1 and 2 pupils on the college.
- Notes by E. Easton -
See Bibliography for References
Extent
1 box(es) (Box 1)
Language of Materials
English
Bibliography
'The Wyndham Story 1854 - 2000: life between the three rivers' by Agnes Thwaites (published 2003)
Reference: LC 993.96 THW
Reference: LC 993.96 THW
Bibliography
'The Making of a School, Wyndham District High School 1875 - 1975' compiled by Mrs Margaret McEwan, assisted by Mrs Agnes Thwaites
Reference: LC 372 MCE
Reference: LC 372 MCE
Bibliography
'Menzies' milestones' edited by D.C.W. Muir
Reference: LC 373 MEN
Reference: LC 373 MEN
- Title
- Wyndham District High School
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Invercargill City Libraries and Archives Repository
