New school era on the way for Hāwera
The last weeks of term 4 mean the end of an era, along with a new beginning, for everyone involved with Hāwera High School.
Three years after celebrating its centenary, the school will close for good on December 9.
The town’s 61-year-old intermediate school closed in September, and its students and teachers moved to the high school for the last term.
The two schools are being replaced by Te Paepae o Aotea, a year 7-13 school to be built on the high school site.
A large number of buildings are being moved from the intermediate site to Bayly Park, opposite the high school, to create a temporary village until the new campus has been designed and built.
It was a busy time, as the two schools’ leaders and teachers worked alongside classes of primary school children coming in for orientation days, senior students completing their exams, prizegivings and all the packing required for the closure, principal John Rohs said.
Rohs was appointed after former principal Rachel Williams took on the job of leading the new school.
‘‘It’s been really great, I’ve had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed living in Hāwera,’’ he said.
A lot of photos and other important relics of the school’s history would be taken to Aotea Utanganui – Museum of Pātea for safekeeping.
The closure had brought sadness for teachers, some of whom had invested ‘‘half a lifetime’’ in the school, he said.
‘‘It has dawned on the staff that the new school isn’t going to be Hāwera High School with a new name, it is going to be profoundly different to this school.
‘‘Change is good, but I think there is a sense of sadness that a place that has been home, and they have loved for years, is closing.’’
The school’s prefect team would normally have been preparing to hand the mantle to their year 12 successors, but there would not be any.
‘‘The school’s history ends with us, it’s a bit of a weird thought,’’ head boy Jordan Dawson said.
‘‘This is for the benefit of education in our district, and that decision was made through lots of consultation, and it is a good opportunity for new things to come in and old things to be put to rest.’’
Head girl Tayla Steele said the new school would be a big change for everyone. ‘‘I feel that as much as it’s a decision for us, it’s a decision for the whole community, so many aunties, grandparents, and parents have all gone through this school.’’
Current board of trustees chairperson Gary Wallis said the handover had brought some unexpected challenges, including deciding what to do with dozens of sports trophies, some of which dated back to the 1920s and 40s.
A selection of memorabilia would be put on display in the new school after it was rebuilt, he said.
The school closure will be marked with a blessing ceremony starting at 5.30am, and anybody in the community with a connection to the school is welcome to attend. It will be followed with a breakfast at the Hub and a celebration for staff in the afternoon.
On December 17, the school will officially become Te Paepae o Aotea, and the new team will move in and begin getting ready to open in the new year.