School celebrating centenary
St John’s Girls’ School will celebrate its centenary in next month, and students and staff are hard at work preparing for the milestone event.
Deputy principal Nathan Hughes said people will be travelling from near and far to attend the event, with local former students having been hard at work getting the word out to their former classmates.
In fact, their success has been such that about 200 attendees have already been confirmed for the celebrations.
Along with the current principal, two former principals will be attending, along with many former members of staff, three of whom were with the school for 30 years or more.
The festivities will kick off on Friday, October 27, with a lineup of all the old girls and current students, before an assembly and welcome, followed by a tour of the school conducted by current students.
The following day, the school will host a school fair, with the official centenary photos and games taking place, before a dinner at Ascot Park Hotel, in Invercargill,.
The celebrations will conclude with a church service at St John’s Church on the Sunday morning.
When asked to pick out a highlight, Hughes identified the opportunity for former and current students to discover the values that they share.
‘‘The real highlight is bringing our current students and our former students and staff together, and showing that what we stood for 100 years ago is still what we stand for today, which is to promote excellence among the girls and to promote Christian values.’’