Speech Day December 1909

“This annual event took place in the Town Hall Hall (sic) on December 21st, and attracted a good deal of local interest, the hall being quite filled with parents and friends of the scholars, together with many others interested in education generally and our Grammar School in particular: in additionto many of our Campden friends we noticed visitors from Moreton, Longborough, Broadway, Mickleton, Blockley, etc.

The prizes were presented by Mrs. Walsh of Campden House, and Dr. Dewhurst was chairman.

The prize list was as follows:-

The Rev. F. S, Forster’s Prize Classics – G. Davies.

The Payne-Smith Memorial Prizes – Mathematics, S. Stokes; IV. Year and General Work, M. Osborne.

The Rev. Canon Corfe’s Prize – Ada Starkiss.

III. Year and C Division Mathematics; 1. Nora Vinn; 2, H Warmington; 3, Edith Beavington.

II. Year and General Work – 1, Betty Horne; 2. C. P. Wyatt.

I. Year and General Work, D Division Mathematics – Edgar Keen

Examination Successes:-

Godfrey Davies, 1, London Matriculation; 2, Responsions (Oxford University); 3, Additional Subjects for Responsions

Stewart Stokes, Oxford Locals Senior 3rd Honours, Passed in English, Mathematics, Higher Mathematics, History, Geography, Chemistry (Theory and Practical), Electricity and Magnetics.

Mabel Osborne, Oxford Locals Senior Pass, 1st Division, Passed in Latin, French, English, History, Arithmetic, Mathematics, Literature.

Ada Starkiss, Oxford Locals, Senior Pass, 2nd Division, Passed in Latin, French, English History, Arithmetic, Mathematics, Literature.

It is interesting to us to notice that in this list of prize-winners, the names of three old pupils of the Church Elementary Schools appear.  They are three out of the five who obtained free entry when the first batch of five scholars was elected 2 1/2 years ago; their names are:- Nora Winn, Edith Beavington and H. Warmington, and we congratulate them on having appropriated so large a proportion of the prizes.

When the presentation of prizes had been most gracefully performed by Mrs. Walsh, a vote of thanks was proposed to her by the Rev. P. Lewis, and seconded by a parent of one of the pupils, Mr Stokes, of Longborough; to these Major Walsh replied on behalf of his wife in a very able speech.

A dramatised version of “Alice in Wonderland” was then given by a company selected from the pupils, who had been carefully trained, and who acquitted themselves admirably.

The following was the cast:-

To many of us this Speech Day was the more interesting inasmuch as the present month marks another stage in the history of the school, when again, for the second time in twenty years the Scheme of management has been entirely recast; and brought into line with modern feeling and requirements.  By the new Scheme the governing body has been much enlarged, and is largely representative of our County, District and Parish Councils, while the interior work of the School is now controlled by the Regulations of the Board of Education, published annually, the school being regularly inspected by H. M. Inspector of Secondary Schools.

The visitors at the Hall were invited to inspect the new Schoolrooms, which, comprising the whole of the ground floor of the Grammar School buildings, give ample accommodation for a large number of pupils, and form a very convenient and commodious school.  The school buildings now consist of:- the old Schoolroom, three large class rooms, a master’s room, Chemical laboratory, and a manual workshop, and Mr. Osborne tells us that he will be pleased for any townsman interested, to walk through and inspect the School during the holidays, without waiting for a guide or special permission.”