Taradale: Arthur Miller School celebrates 50 years

Arthur Miller School's former principal and assistant principal Bob Morrison and Chris Durham prepare for the 50th reunion.

The "special character" of Arthur Miller School will be celebrated when the school holds its 50th reunion this September.

Originally opening its doors in February 1971 as Bledisloe No 2, Taradale-based Arthur Miller School has grown from a three-room operation with 70 pupils to the modern, open hub-style school it is today with a roll of around 360. The school was named after the late Arthur Miller, the last mayor of Taradale, who was a great supporter and benefactor of the school.

Former principal, Bob Morrison and assistant principal, Chris Durham, along with past pupil and parent Raewyn Arldridge, have been trawling through the archives for the past few months to sort the history of the school and publish a book in time to be ordered at the jubilee.

The school's caring nature has been evident throughout its history. Bob says "we've always had a lot of sport, and I believe we punched above our weight in competitions. Part of the co-operative nature of our kids is that they always worked well as teams and they would cheer each other on."

Pupils of Arthur Miller School were also afforded the unique experience of attending Camp Kaitawa, and for many of them it was one of the highlights of their time at the school. They used the outdoor facility on the doorstep of Te Urewera as the school's go-to annual camp.

"I was always interested in the outdoors and we took our first camp there in 1974. It was so popular with the parents that in coming years, a ballot was needed for parent helpers. One parent went to camp 15 times. There was great co-operation from the parents who often had to take annual leave to attend the camp."

The school community has played a major role in the success of the school, the pair says, getting in behind significant events including the building of the swimming pool, the purchase and delivery of the school hall and providing other facilities for the school.

"The pool was built with a huge community effort in 1975. It was nine months of volunteering every Saturday morning. When the school was growing, it was difficult to match the facilities with the growth."

Another addition was the school hall, which was purchased from the railway yards in 1990 when Arthur Miller was a six-teacher school.

"We used to hold all assemblies, etc outside. We had no money so the hall was purchased initially by a parent and after all approvals was purchased by the school committee and transported to the school. The hall refurbishment needed a huge amount of voluntary work which the school committee took into its own hands."

As the roll increased, so did the number and nature of the classrooms.

"The growth all the way through has been a significant part of the school. There was a constant need for new buildings. The amount of fundraising for building enhancement over the years has been absolutely incredible."

Chris says any new rooms were always well-maintained and "kept up with the modern learning environments".

"We tried to keep that smaller, caring nature of the school, even though it was getting bigger."

She says a few of the teachers, Bob and her included, stayed longer than they had intended, and along with stalwarts, Robynne Gross, Kerran Williams and Glenda Stuart, who have been teaching at the school since the 1990s, have all come together to be part of the reunion committee. Many other members of staff have held their positions for an extended tenure.

Remembering the early days of Arthur Miller School will take place on Friday and Saturday, September 10 and 11 at the low-key jubilee.

The school will be open on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with a drinks and nibbles function on the Saturday evening. To register for the Arthur Miller School 50th jubilee celebrations, register online at Arthur Miller School – www.ams.school.nz or phone the school office on 844 6099.

"We would love as many past pupils, parents and friends of the school to come back and see how the school has changed and hear their stories."