Moree Public School to celebrate sesquicentenary

To celebrate the school's 150th birthday an event will be held next Saturday, September 17.

An open day will be held between 10am and 2pm with an official ceremony which will include past principals and other significant people including P&C life members. A song written by a past teacher will be featured and a past student will unveil the original school bell which has been refurbished.

There will be some activities, open classrooms, merchandise and a barbecue.

"It's just amazing to think of how important schools are in bringing a whole community together," principal Sharyn Cox said. "When you think of all the people who have passed through. It's hard to fathom how many people have contributed to the school in so many different ways," she said.

"When you think of that real big picture, how many thousands of people this school is important to, you see it really is special to be part of a celebration like this."

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Ms Cox said the dedication of staff at MPS was something she had not found elsewhere.

"It's huge." she said. "It's probably because this is home to a lot of people and they are invested in what came before. The history is respected and honoured, and they know they want to build on that for the future. The love of the school is really obvious."

On Friday 16 there will also be whole school assembly so all the children can help celebrate. Every grade will feature with a small item, and at the end there will be a cake cutting.

"Our motto is, 'Knowledge light the way', and as we blaze a path through our second century, our future is looking bright," Ms Cox said.

Moree Public School enjoys a long and distinguished history.

The story begins at a provisional school housed at the Methodist Church (now the Uniting Church) on Frome Street in 1872.

By 1877, the average daily attendance at this school was a crowded 25 and a public meeting was held which supported the application to build a public school.

This facility would include a schoolroom suitable for 40 students and a teacher's residence.

The total cost was not to be more than $1200!

Despite early optimism about the project, 10 years passed and no school building appeared.

Fortunately, in 1878, efforts were redoubled and work on the new school was completed in 1880.

By 1884 a second classroom was added and in 1888 construction was completed of the wooden buildings that can still be seen today on the Albert Street campus of Moree Secondary College.

As time moved on, these facilities also became overcrowded with some classes even being conducted in corridors.

In 1949, the land was appropriated on the corner of Albert and Edward Streets for the purpose of building a new infants school.

The school was completed in 1957 along Endeavour Lane next to Taylor Oval and the new infants' school was occupied.

There were five classrooms and a hall with a further class being conducted in the Church of England hall across the street.

By 1965, a proper primary facility was built on the same site, closer to Edward Street.

The Infants and Primary schools were combined into Moree Public School in the early 1980s.

Today, the staff and students of Moree Public School enjoy beautiful grounds, modern facilities, and contemporary technology.

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