College reunion focuses on future
A reunion at Northern Southland College this weekend will be about more than just reminiscing about the past.
College principal Trevor McKinlay said the reunion would take place at the Lumsden school beginning at 2pm today.
A key focus of the reunion is to show visitors what the school is doing this year and its plans for the future.
‘‘Smaller schools need to promote ourselves,’’ he said.
‘‘We badly need our alumni to know who we are, what we’re doing, and how we’re trying to do it.’’
There are several projects the school hopes to undertake, including turning the music room into a tiered seating theatre.
There was no date for the project because the school is working with the Ministry of Education to get permission for the conversion.
Other projects include a gravel track funded by the Northern Southland College Parent Teacher Association.
The track was expected to be fully open by October, and open for partial use by Queen’s Birthday weekend, McKinlay said.
The school was also looking at installing an artificial surface on an old tennis court for hockey and other sports. Having a new artificial surface would be important both for students and wider community, he said.
‘‘Our students are many kilometres from the nearest artificial hockey surface.’’
It was important to show people where the school hoped to go in the future, McKinlay said.
‘‘We won’t be hiding any unpalatable truths,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s not just unfettered nostalgia. No school can stand still.
To keep moving forward, we need the involvement and encouragement of our local community and the community of past students, wherever they might be now. ‘‘
All current and former students, partners, teachers, community members, and anyone else -including those who attended Northern Southland College’s predecessor, Lumsden District High School – were welcome to attend, he said.
Lumsden District High School was open between 1962 and 1975, before Northern Southland College opened in 1976. the