Cambridge High hails return of library

Cambridge High commissioner Dennis Finn (front) and teacher-librarian Lyn Tairi outside the library. Picture / Amos Chapple

The last remnants of former Cambridge High School principal Alison Annan have been removed with the reopening of the library she planned to scrap in favour of a cyber-cafe.

The library will be officially re-opened by Education Minister Trevor Mallard tomorrow after being fully refurbished and re-stocked with new books.

Mrs Annan resigned last August amid allegations of staff bullying and manipulation of exam results.

Under her reign the school's library was dismantled in favour of a planned cyber-cafe after she said students were not using the building and did most of their research online.

She planned to fund the cyber-cafe out of a $1.5 million capital building grant that schools are given every five years by the Ministry of Education.

Books were pulled from the shelves and distributed among classrooms. Some were thrown out altogether.

Commissioner Dennis Finn, who was appointed to turn the school around after Mrs Annan resigned and the school board was disbanded, said the reopening of the library was the first tangible sign that Cambridge High was back on track.

The library's refurbishment has cost $400,000, and a further $85,000 has been spent on new books.

Mr Finn said he did not know where many of the former library's books had gone.

"There were a lot of books that were disposed of."

He said he had found no evidence of Mrs Annan's planning for the cyber-cafe.

"They said a cyber-cafe, whatever you interpret that to be."

The new library has 18 computers and two mezzanine floors, one for teaching and the other for recreational reading.

Teacher-librarian Lyn Tairi said students were excited about the opening of the building.

"They come in and go, 'Computers, cool, flat screens' but it's the books they eventually go to," she said.

Wairarapa principal Phil McCreery has been appointed to take over the school. He has spent the past eight years at Tararua College.

Mr Finn said his involvement would continue until a further Education Review Office report came out in the fourth term reporting on the school's progress.

"The outcome of that review will probably determine at what point a new board will be elected and I as commissioner will move on."

He expected that to be early next year.