Page 4 of 9
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY?
In 1974 it was decided to hold an Open Afternoon, to which parents were invited to view displays of work, gymnnastics, games and other activities. An innovation? Not for this school!
The idea was first introduced on April 28th & 29th 1910. During the two afternoons it was estimated that one thousand people visited the school - and it poured down on Thursday afternoon! The attendance in 1974 fell somewhat short of this figure!
Similarly, school visits and trips are commonplace today but their value was realised 70 years ago in the Municipal School. Many parties visited the Gaiety Theatre, for example in March, 1910, when performances of 'The Interlude of Youth' and 'The Second Shepherd's Play' were seen. Other parties saw 'Hamlet', 'The Merchant of Venice' and, in French, 'Le Treser'.
What visions are conjured up by a visit to Hollinwood Gasworks in June, or to the Park's Meteorological Station in November. However, they illustrate the forward-looking attitude of the school and the fact that academic work formed only a part of School life.
Physical activities were acknowledged to be a vital factor in producing a healthy child, a view no doubt held by the boys and girls of the School, then and now, however one interprets physical activities. It was the P.E. or Drill type of activities, however, which attracted a party of local doctors in May 1911, to make 'our system of gymnastics more widely known.'
The Inspectors' Reports, especially that of 1922, gave high praise to the standard of Boys' P.E. and recognised the problems which existed in the teaching of Girls' P.E., since the Staff did not include a full time teacher for girls' P.E. It was hoped to rectify this at the earliest possible moment.
In September, 1927, Miss Dorothy Percival was appointed as P.E. Mistress. She remained at the School until the opening of Counthill in 1951. She was seconded, in 1934, to a course in Denmark, with a view to furthering the standards of the subject in the school. This was only one of many visits Miss Percival made to the Scandinavian countries to study their gymnastic techniques.
Miss Percival sadly, died in May, 1978, only two weeks after paying a visit to Greenhill School for the first time since 1951 - She must have made a great contribution to the girls of the school with her skill and enthusiasm, especially for gymnastics.
In 1910, Mrs. C.E. Lees became the first Lady Mayor of Oldham and to mark the event, six mistresses from the School 'in full academic dress', took part in the Mayor's procession.
In December of that year, the Mayor announced the donation to the school, of 65 acres of playing fields at Netherhey. It was agreed to build a pavilion there and on August 3rd. 1911, the Lady Mayor officially opened the playing fields and pavilion, which are still used by the school today.
The School Orchestra was first formed in 1934 and, while it was an intermittent feature of school life for some years more recently it became an integral part of the School, achieving a high standard performance recognised throughout the town.
Such extra-curricula activities multiplied apace, including Scouts, Guides, Chess and Modelling in addition to sporting pursuits, until, in the 1960's, by then Greenhill Grammar School, the various societies were almost too numerous to mention.
How many remember the pleasurable hours provided by the 'Dramatic, Operatic and Debating Society' with productions of 'Shall we join the Ladies?', 'Cox & Box' and 'The Poltergeist'?
The well-supported Film Society programmes read like the B.B.C.'s Winter Viewing Schedule with 'Genevieve', "The Blue Lamp', "Battle of the River Plate', 'Pal Joey' (ah! Kim Novak!) and 'Doctor at Large'.
The Historical Society's holiday in Rome, Venice and Rimini, in 1960, was a far cry from the Hollinwood Gasworks in 1911, but it illustrates the greater opportunities open to the modern pupil.
The idea was first introduced on April 28th & 29th 1910. During the two afternoons it was estimated that one thousand people visited the school - and it poured down on Thursday afternoon! The attendance in 1974 fell somewhat short of this figure!
Similarly, school visits and trips are commonplace today but their value was realised 70 years ago in the Municipal School. Many parties visited the Gaiety Theatre, for example in March, 1910, when performances of 'The Interlude of Youth' and 'The Second Shepherd's Play' were seen. Other parties saw 'Hamlet', 'The Merchant of Venice' and, in French, 'Le Treser'.
What visions are conjured up by a visit to Hollinwood Gasworks in June, or to the Park's Meteorological Station in November. However, they illustrate the forward-looking attitude of the school and the fact that academic work formed only a part of School life.
Physical activities were acknowledged to be a vital factor in producing a healthy child, a view no doubt held by the boys and girls of the School, then and now, however one interprets physical activities. It was the P.E. or Drill type of activities, however, which attracted a party of local doctors in May 1911, to make 'our system of gymnastics more widely known.'
The Inspectors' Reports, especially that of 1922, gave high praise to the standard of Boys' P.E. and recognised the problems which existed in the teaching of Girls' P.E., since the Staff did not include a full time teacher for girls' P.E. It was hoped to rectify this at the earliest possible moment.
In September, 1927, Miss Dorothy Percival was appointed as P.E. Mistress. She remained at the School until the opening of Counthill in 1951. She was seconded, in 1934, to a course in Denmark, with a view to furthering the standards of the subject in the school. This was only one of many visits Miss Percival made to the Scandinavian countries to study their gymnastic techniques.
Miss Percival sadly, died in May, 1978, only two weeks after paying a visit to Greenhill School for the first time since 1951 - She must have made a great contribution to the girls of the school with her skill and enthusiasm, especially for gymnastics.
In 1910, Mrs. C.E. Lees became the first Lady Mayor of Oldham and to mark the event, six mistresses from the School 'in full academic dress', took part in the Mayor's procession.
In December of that year, the Mayor announced the donation to the school, of 65 acres of playing fields at Netherhey. It was agreed to build a pavilion there and on August 3rd. 1911, the Lady Mayor officially opened the playing fields and pavilion, which are still used by the school today.
The School Orchestra was first formed in 1934 and, while it was an intermittent feature of school life for some years more recently it became an integral part of the School, achieving a high standard performance recognised throughout the town.
Such extra-curricula activities multiplied apace, including Scouts, Guides, Chess and Modelling in addition to sporting pursuits, until, in the 1960's, by then Greenhill Grammar School, the various societies were almost too numerous to mention.
How many remember the pleasurable hours provided by the 'Dramatic, Operatic and Debating Society' with productions of 'Shall we join the Ladies?', 'Cox & Box' and 'The Poltergeist'?
The well-supported Film Society programmes read like the B.B.C.'s Winter Viewing Schedule with 'Genevieve', "The Blue Lamp', "Battle of the River Plate', 'Pal Joey' (ah! Kim Novak!) and 'Doctor at Large'.
The Historical Society's holiday in Rome, Venice and Rimini, in 1960, was a far cry from the Hollinwood Gasworks in 1911, but it illustrates the greater opportunities open to the modern pupil.