School to celebrate 150 years

Preparations are in full swing ahead of Admore School’s 150th jubilee this March.

Jubilee committee chair Ruth Dangen said organisers were hard at work putting the final touches on the two-day event.

Celebrations include a powhiri and welcome ceremony, followed by a meet and greet evening on March 6. The bulk of festivities will be held on March 7 and include cake cutting, tree planting, a time capsule display, and decade photographs. The event will wrap up with a dinner in Takanini, she said.

“We’ve got some great resources that people have preserved and kept safe here for a very long time. We’ve actually got some really very cool old movies we’ve discovered in our archives, so we’re just having those all digitised at the moment. It’s a big job.”

Ardmore School is a full primary school near Papakura. It opened with a roll of 21 students and one teacher in 1876. Building extensions in the 1920s allowed the school to hire a second teacher, and by the 1930s and 1940s, folk dancing, sewing, and sports enhanced the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

During wartime, American soldiers were billeted around Ardmore and trenches were dug at the school. Air raid drills were conducted at regular intervals, and children were required to wear identity bracelets.

Dangen said the biggest change has come from the Ardmore community as farms were sold and lifestyle blocks became more popular.

Many other changes have come through over the years, and we’ll dive a little deeper into Ardmore School’s history when the Franklin Times covers the jubilee celebrations.

In the meantime, Dangen says to keep sending photos and other memories from you or your family’s time at the school. Jubilee updates will be shared on the Ardmore School 150th Jubilee Celebrations Facebook page.