Waimairi School Dressing Up for 100th Year
Waimairi School opens its doors for the 100th time on Tuesday 4 February. Staff and students will be dressing up to
represent the decades past and one hundred years into the future.
In addition to the traditional start of year community BBQ breakfast from 8:15am onwards the children and staff have
been invited to dress up to mark the 100th first day. "The theme of 'one hundred years - looking back and thinking
forward' will be the foundation of many of the curriculum learning contexts this year" says Principal Mike Anderson. "On
Tuesday the children and staff can choose to dress from any decade of the past or their imaginative ideas for what
Waimairi pupils might be wearing in 2114" he says.
Waimairi School was established in 1914 on School Road (now Tillman Ave) having to battle stray cattle on the local
gravel roads. A stream near where Bounty Street now sits was a frequent school frog collection area. Many initial pupils
came from two local orphanages. After World War II Bryndwr and Burnside experienced massive urbanisation. In the 1990s
the school once again doubled in size to its current 500 pupils as 'townhouse' infill housing expanded.
The Canterbury earthquake impact will see a significant re-development and reconfiguration of the school in coming years
but 2014 is all about celebrating one hundred years of this community school. The formal centenary celebrations will be
held over Labour Weekend. Past pupils, staff members and friends of the school can register for the centenary
celebrations at www.waimairi.school.nz or at the school office. With several prominent former pupils, including Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, the school
expects a big turnout in October.
ENDS