A journey into ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ’s past
What was ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ like in the ‘olden days’ and what will it look like 50 years from now? This week, Woodstock debated these questions and more, along with their special guests, Dr Scott, Mr Staker and Mrs Riley.
For the past few weeks, Woodstock staff and students have taken on the mantle of historians, delving into ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ’s archives to question, interpret and understand how the past 132 years of ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ have shaped its present and will inform its future.
Teaching Assistant, Mrs Bollard, with the help of Archivist, Mrs Ginswick, filled Woodstock’s piazza with lots of artefacts, including old photographs, books, magazines, uniforms, crockery, old schoolbags and badges to engage the students and prompt them to ask lots of questions. For example, where did a particular object come from? Why is it important? What does it tell us? How would it have been used in the past? What does it mean to us? How significant is it?
The old uniforms were a big hit with Mrs Smith’s Year 2 students, who were fascinated to see black and white photographs of Wenonians wearing very different uniforms to theirs. The girls were thrilled when Mrs Bollard brought over a box of uniforms for them to try on, including the white tunic that boarders wore to church in the 1920s! Theodora kindly posed alongside the other girls, so that they could think carefully about how the uniform had changed over time.
On Wednesday morning, Woodstock came together in the piazza to watch a slide show of old photographs prepared by Mrs Smith. They then welcomed Dr Scott, Mr Staker and Mrs Riley, who is a ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ Alumna and was a former classmate of Dr Scott’s!
The students separated into groups to explore the piazza, looking carefully at all the artefacts set up on different tables. Armed with their iPads, they had to answer a different question about each display, and also think about some open-ended questions to ask their special guests later.
Some of the students were baffled by the typewriter that Miss Richardson was using. They couldn’t believe that it didn’t have a ‘delete’ button like a computer, and that it was so noisy! Who would have used such a machine?
They were bemused to find Mrs Smith and Miss Christofa dressed up in old uniforms, sitting at desks, using chalk to write on blackboards. Imagine not having a SMART board in your classroom with information at your fingertips!
Mr Staker admired the table display with shiny black shoes and boot polish. Who knew how to shine their own shoes? Quite a few of the students said that particular task fell to their dads! And they were astonished to learn that in ‘the olden days’, there was no Velcro so everyone, even Kindergarten students, had to know how to tie their laces!
They were astonished to see photos from the early 20th century when there were boys at ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ. Imagine that!
They couldn’t believe the size of the old ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ bag, which was smaller than some of their lunchboxes!
And they all admired the boarding house crockery, complete with the ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ crest. They were fascinated to learn from Dr Scott, that in the past, the boarders had to sit down to a three-course meal every day with the Principal.
After exploring the display tables, the students had an opportunity to sit down and ask their panel of special guests a series of open-ended questions. Who was ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ’s first Principal? Who was the first student to attend ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ? Did the boys have to wear pink dresses? What did the classrooms look like? Why did you change the playground? What did the School feel like in the past?
They were thrilled to discover that the Wenonian in this particular photograph was none other than their current Principal, Dr Scott. She explained to them that when she was at ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ, she had to wear gloves all year round, even when it was forty degrees outside!
Dr Scott and Mrs Riley explained to the students that when they were at School, their Principal was Miss Jackson, who was always beautifully dressed with immaculately coiffured hair.
There was a lot of discussion about uniform and how it had evolved over time. Dr Scott asked the girls if given the choice, they would like to wear shorts or trousers. An overwhelming majority said no, and that they liked their current uniform
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Miss Richardson asked the girls what Wenonians in the future might think about their uniform. Imagine coming back to ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ fifty years from now. What might the School look like then? What might have changed? All interesting questions for our students to consider.
Having so many primary sources to examine and having an opportunity to pose questions to our special guests was an engaging and relevant way to bring the history of ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ alive for our students. Well done Woodstock!