St Paul’s School celebrated its silver jubilee last week and had two new classrooms blessed for the expanding school.
Principal Maureen Phillips remembers standing in the Richmond school grounds quarter of a century ago when the school was being established.
“It’s amazing. Twenty-five years ago, I stood here as a chairperson of the establishment board and at that stage I hadn’t yet trained as a teacher,” she says.
“I have a far greater understanding now of what it is to make a commitment to our vision – capable, confident learners actively living their faith.
“Twenty-five years down the track we’ve drawn that vision towards us.”
The Archbishop of Wellington, Reverend Paul Martin, spoke at the jubilee celebration and blessed the two new classrooms which will cater for an expanding role with a cap of 370 students.
Maureen says the school has 341 students now and will be close to its maximum roll by the end of the year.
One of the new classes is designated for intermediate-age students after the school put its hand up for another intermediate class.
Eight years ago, the school had nine classrooms and three were empty.
Now, Maureen says it will have 14 classrooms, as well as a library, which has been missing for a while.
“We’ve been using a class as a library, so it will be good to get our library back.”
