The school was founded in 1873, and teacher Sam Pelham said they are looking forward to the weekend of celebrations on September 15-17.
“We are really excited.
"It is really awesome to be able to connect with the community through the past, present and the future of the school, we value those connections,” she said.
The celebrations will include school tours, performances, and the tree and time capsule planting on Friday.
On Sunday, there will be a gala with food trucks and a community picnic with musical performances.
“It is a wonderful way to celebrate the community and how strong they have been,” said Pelham.
“It is also nice to be able to celebrate with so many people post Covid-19.”
In the lead-up to the official celebration, the school has been holding activities, such as a Back in Time Day where pupils and staff dressed up as it was 150 years ago.
Pelham said it was a fabulous day and the children loved the authenticity, as the teachers made an effort to act like how it was back then.
“We used chalk instead of a whiteboard, had them sitting in rows, I don’t think we have had such quiet classrooms.
"It was really cool to see them playing old games like knucklebones and marbles under the oak tree.”
She said current tamariki interviewed past students – with the eldest being 96 – and many remembered playing marbles under the same oak tree.
“About 550 items will be added to the capsule, some things include drawings, fingerprint paintings and pictures of children with their favourite toy. It allows the children to leave behind a legacy and represents them looking to the future.”
Another time capsule was buried about the time of the 125th anniversary, but Pelham said they have dug up the whole field and not managed to find it, so the latest one will be well documented.
She said the jubilee and learning about their cultural narrative is important for staff and pupils, as it ties them to the past and shows them where they have come from.
“It is a beautiful story to learn, it allows us to reflect on how things weren’t always like this and how life was back then.
“All these people have one thing that connects them and that is the school, they have all gone on to live very different lives but are connected by their time here.”
- Tickets can be purchased from events.humanitix.com/st-albans-school-christchurch-150th-jubilee-weekend and the programme can be found on the school’s website and Facebook page.
By Briar Allen
