Solway College
Encyclopedia
Located in Masterton
, New Zealand
, Solway College is one of New Zealand's oldest girls' boarding schools, being founded in 1916. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 (Forms 1 to 7), offering a variety of boarding options and a limited number of day girl places.
College goals are to:
Solway College has a philosophy of commitment to achievement and creating self-motivated, confident young women.
The College was established in 1916 by the Reverend Laurence Thompson and his wife Mrs Marion Thompson
who was also the first principal. The aim was, and remains, to provide an excellent, progressive education based on Christian teaching and values, an education that developed the whole person: intellectual, physical, cultural and spiritual.
, deodar, spruce
, larch
es, lime
, weeping ash, cypress lawsoniana
, photinia
, juniper
, Californian redwood and poplar. A large number of shrubs and native New Zealand bush completed the beautifully laid out grounds. The homestead was constructed entirely from heart totara
. The absentee owner at that time was Mrs J. McMaster and the property had been used as a military convalescent hospital.
business and church communities.
As pressure on accommodation and facilities grew with the school roll, a new dormitory block was constructed and completed in 1918. It included open balconies fitted with canvas blinds and some girls were accommodated on these balconies. An assembly hall and other buildings were completed in 1919.
In its early years the school was beset with a succession of illnesses amongst both students and staff. The sweeping influenza epidemic claimed the loss of one child in 1919, with mumps
and measles
spreading the following year. 1925 brought an infantile paralysis outbreak, and the rural location of the school did not protect it from scarlet fever
as it swept through New Zealand in the late 1920s. In many cases, the school was quarantined for lengthy periods, when neither staff nor students could leave.
1931 began with an increased roll, as the college took in girls from colleges which had been damaged in the Napier Earthquake
. A dozen boarding places were offered free of charge to assist families. Whilst the earthquake's impact on Hawke's Bay
schools was tragic, the resulting influx for Solway is credited as having insulated the school against the worst effects of the Great Depression
. Nonetheless, the school could not entirely escape hardship. In 1932, the board effected a 20% salary cut, with some discussion on possible closure, as the roll dropped to a mere 50. By comparison, however, the school appeared in reasonable shape: Dr Gibb, then chairman of the board of governors at Scots College
commented at the time to principal Marion Thompson: "where ever did you get 50 boarders?"
The founding of the school in an old homestead rather than a purpose-built college, and the expanse of the grounds, meant that a number of new buildings were created stand-alone rather than attached to the main house. These buildings have served various purposes over the years, such as a hospital and a library. Many are now dormitories in order to accommodate a larger school roll.
Day girls were accepted regularly at the college from 1954. Further construction in this decade was undertaken on more dormitories, a chapel, new dining facilities. Adjacent land was also purchased to expand playing fields.
defined the 'special character' elements the school wished to retain, some being:
Under the agreement, the school operates with a board of proprietors (formerly, board of governors) who own and maintain the grounds, buildings and facilities and manage the staff associated with their use by the school. A board of trustees administers the school and manages the teaching section in conjunction with the Ministry of Education.
A review by the Education Review Office (ERO) in 2005 stated:
"Strong, supportive pastoral care is a feature of the school. Relationships between teachers and students are warm and relaxed. Students value the family-orientated environment, small classes and support they receive from teachers. A well-established peer support programme, the “school sisters”, provides opportunities for older students to develop leadership and mentoring skills and for younger students to feel safe to seek advice from older students who act as positive role models. As a result, students express a strong sense of belonging."
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Solway College is one of New Zealand's oldest girls' boarding schools, being founded in 1916. It is an integrated school for girls from Year 7 to Year 13 (Forms 1 to 7), offering a variety of boarding options and a limited number of day girl places.
Teaching Philosophy
The school mission statement is "to provide holistic education for young women in a caring, Christian environment."College goals are to:
- Educate the whole person - intellectual, physical, cultural, spiritual, social and moral;
- Cater for and bring out the best in each individual student;
- Prepare girls for the modern post-school world;
- Work in partnership with parents;
Solway College has a philosophy of commitment to achievement and creating self-motivated, confident young women.
School motto
Timor dei principium sapientiae - Being in awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.History
Marion Thompson
Marion Beatrice Thompson was one of a distinguished group of University of Otago women graduates of the 1890s who put their mark on girls' education in New Zealand in the new century....
who was also the first principal. The aim was, and remains, to provide an excellent, progressive education based on Christian teaching and values, an education that developed the whole person: intellectual, physical, cultural and spiritual.
Beginnings
The Solway property was a colonial homestead sited in a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) originally owned by the Donald family who had first settled the area in 1877. The 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) adjacent to what would become Solway College were purchased by the Masterton A & P Society for a showground leaving some 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) planted in heritage trees - silver firSilver Fir
Abies alba, commonly known as the European silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, and south to southern Italy and northern Serbia.-Description:...
, deodar, spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
, larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
es, lime
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
, weeping ash, cypress lawsoniana
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is a cypress in the genus Chamaecyparis, family Cupressaceae, known by the name Lawson's Cypress in the horticultural trade, or Port Orford-cedar in its native range . C...
, photinia
Photinia
Photinia is a genus of about 40-60 species of small trees and large shrubs in the Rosaceae family. As interpreted here, they are restricted to warm temperate Asia, from the Himalaya east to Japan and south to India and Thailand, but some botanists also include the closely related North American...
, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, Californian redwood and poplar. A large number of shrubs and native New Zealand bush completed the beautifully laid out grounds. The homestead was constructed entirely from heart totara
Podocarpus totara
Podocarpus totara is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m.-Description:...
. The absentee owner at that time was Mrs J. McMaster and the property had been used as a military convalescent hospital.
Early days
The school opened in February 1916 with a roll of nineteen boarders and two day girls, followed by 61 pupils the year after, and 100 by 1918. In that year, the school was incorporated as 'Solway Girls' College, Masterton, Inc.' To this point, nervousness about financial commitment with a world at war had meant the school had opened on the basis of a lease with a five-year right of purchase. The lease had been guaranteed by prominent members of the WairarapaWairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
business and church communities.
As pressure on accommodation and facilities grew with the school roll, a new dormitory block was constructed and completed in 1918. It included open balconies fitted with canvas blinds and some girls were accommodated on these balconies. An assembly hall and other buildings were completed in 1919.
In its early years the school was beset with a succession of illnesses amongst both students and staff. The sweeping influenza epidemic claimed the loss of one child in 1919, with mumps
Mumps
Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...
and measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
spreading the following year. 1925 brought an infantile paralysis outbreak, and the rural location of the school did not protect it from scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
as it swept through New Zealand in the late 1920s. In many cases, the school was quarantined for lengthy periods, when neither staff nor students could leave.
Hard times
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on Tuesday 3 February 1931, killing 256 and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster...
. A dozen boarding places were offered free of charge to assist families. Whilst the earthquake's impact on Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
schools was tragic, the resulting influx for Solway is credited as having insulated the school against the worst effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Nonetheless, the school could not entirely escape hardship. In 1932, the board effected a 20% salary cut, with some discussion on possible closure, as the roll dropped to a mere 50. By comparison, however, the school appeared in reasonable shape: Dr Gibb, then chairman of the board of governors at Scots College
Scots College, Wellington
Scots College is a private boys' primary and secondary school located in the suburb of Strathmore Wellington, New Zealand. The College comprises both the primary and secondary institutions - the primary school section is typically referred to as the Preparatory School and has its own Head Teacher...
commented at the time to principal Marion Thompson: "where ever did you get 50 boarders?"
Recovery and progress
Towards the end of the 1930s the roll rebounded, marking the strongest period of growth in the school's history. Board commitment to expansion of facilities in line with a healthy roll was received in 1936. A period of major construction works commenced, despite a shortage of skilled tradesmen due to the Second World War.The founding of the school in an old homestead rather than a purpose-built college, and the expanse of the grounds, meant that a number of new buildings were created stand-alone rather than attached to the main house. These buildings have served various purposes over the years, such as a hospital and a library. Many are now dormitories in order to accommodate a larger school roll.
Day girls were accepted regularly at the college from 1954. Further construction in this decade was undertaken on more dormitories, a chapel, new dining facilities. Adjacent land was also purchased to expand playing fields.
Integration
In 1978, Solway College became one of the first girls' boarding colleges to become integrated under the government's Private Schools Conditional Integration Act (1975). The integration agreement with the Education Department (now Ministry of Education)Ministry of Education (New Zealand)
The Ministry of Education , is the primary state sector organisation of New Zealand responsible for New Zealand's education system...
defined the 'special character' elements the school wished to retain, some being:
- non-sectarianism but affiliation with the Presbyterian church
- importance of the Christian faith, and its moral and ethical standards, in society, cultural heritage and daily life
- a multiracial school providing education to pupils from families in all walks of life
- expectation of day girls to participate fully in all activities of the school both in and out of school hours
- creating a family atmosphere where girls can learn and attain the correct attitudes for responsible citizenship.
Under the agreement, the school operates with a board of proprietors (formerly, board of governors) who own and maintain the grounds, buildings and facilities and manage the staff associated with their use by the school. A board of trustees administers the school and manages the teaching section in conjunction with the Ministry of Education.
Challenges
The school experienced a brief low in the 1980s, when the roll dropped to 65 and rumours of closure appeared in the press. A public meeting was held, drawing people from all over New Zealand, resulting in a strong commitment from stakeholders for the school to remain open.Solway College today
The school continues to be recognised for its focus on holistic achievement that is inclusive of students' spiritual, intellectual, physical, social & cultural development.A review by the Education Review Office (ERO) in 2005 stated:
"Strong, supportive pastoral care is a feature of the school. Relationships between teachers and students are warm and relaxed. Students value the family-orientated environment, small classes and support they receive from teachers. A well-established peer support programme, the “school sisters”, provides opportunities for older students to develop leadership and mentoring skills and for younger students to feel safe to seek advice from older students who act as positive role models. As a result, students express a strong sense of belonging."
Principals
- 1999–present: Mrs E Rogerson
- 1989 - 1999: Mrs P R Y Durham
- 1989 : Miss M Amor
- 1971 - 1988: Miss M W Murray
- 1968 - 1971: Miss D L Grigg
- 1967 - 1967: Miss R Gardner
- 1965 - 1967: Miss R Roberts
- 1957 - 1965: Mis J I E Bissett
- 1956 - 1956: Miss L R Todd
- 1954 - 1956: Miss E M Boyd
- 1951 - 1951: Miss I Wilson (acting)
- 1946 - 1953: Miss L R Todd
- 1944 - 1945: Miss P Sutton
- 1942 - 1944: Miss H M M McRae
- 1916 - 1942: Mrs M B Thompson