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In the lead up to the College's 50th Anniversary, Anne Hunt, our Foundation Co-ordinator, has been writing a series of articles for the local paper. In case you haven't spotted them in The Ensign, or if you live out of town, we'll be sharing them with here on our Foundation Blog. Keep an eye out for upcoming parts in our 'Brief History of St Peter's College'. A New MillenniumAs far back as 1993, St Peter’s College was the first school in Southland to throw out all of its typewriters and move its students into the information age. When $3 million worth of rebuilding and modernisation was completed, the college entered the new millennium in good shape. New specialist facilities for computing, science, technology and music and a new library and careers room, provided excellent resources for students. Consistently high exam results in the ensuing years proved the investment worthwhile and were a tribute to motivated students and a dedicated staff. At the same time the Special Character as a Catholic school remained an important point of difference for the college.
The establishment of an international student programme brought the benefits of increased funding and cultural diversity. Students from as far afield as the USA, Hong Kong, Thailand, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, South Korea, Japan and the Pacific Islands experienced life (and weather) here in Gore. When new principal, Martin Chamberlain took up his post in 2001, he found the college in good heart. Martin had been both a pupil, living in the hostel and a teacher at the school before returning to St Peter’s for a third time to take on the Principal’s role. He was quick to acknowledge the great advantage enjoyed by the students in having the support of such a caring local community in the Gore district – parents, trustees, staff and all of those who gave up their time to volunteer in sports, trips and events. By the time he left in 2008, he was able to observe that “In a town like Gore our children have been able to flourish because there is so much available to them. The plethora of activities they have immersed themselves in has been made available by generous adults who have been keen to enrich young people with as much as they are able to offer.” Truly the village raising the children!
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