Waihola+District+School

New Zealand history || Welcome to our school project !!!
 * ~ [[image:Drama_012.jpg width="250" height="233" caption="Sir Edmund Hillary"]] ||
 * This is Hillary at the top of Mt Everest.We where looking at

Waihola District School is a little school and we are privileged to be able to have had a grant for drama with Evelyn Mann Waihola District School have a professional drama teacher in our school and are creating a drama to present to the community in 4 weeks. Over that time we will update our wiki with what we have been doing on that day. Please keep looking at our wiki as we change and develop it.The topic our acting is based on is Charlotte Evan's jouney over from England to Dunedin.

29.7.09 Yesterday Evelyn Mann our drama teacher came in again for drama. Evelyn has been coming in two days a week for the last two weeks to work with us on our drama project.Our project is about the history of Waihola. Two of our community members have collected pictures and storys of old Waihola, and our school will be making what Evelyn calls a living installment of the pictures and storys. On that day we were acting out the scenes on the Charlotte Gladstone, the ship that Charlotte and Alfred Evans(the characters we are currenly studing the life of) came on. We have now seen (through our acting) Charlotte and Alfred get married, board and sail on the Charlotte Gladstone which will take them to New Zealand, we have heard the ships doctor confirm Typhiod is on board,we have seen young Alfred die,and Charlotte give birth to their first child three days after the Charlotte Gladstone dock. Tommorow Evelyn comes to work with us again and we will find out what happens to Charlotte who is alone in a new country,with a new a baby, has no means of earning money and no one to look after her. What will She do?

30.7.09

Today Evelyn is comming to work with us on our project again. Today we're going to find out what poor Charlotte is going to do. we already know that Charlotte will be offered residance with the Gregory family who brefriended her and Alfred on board the Charlotte Gladstone.

Today our plan or ideas for today where changed a wee bit when Evelyn brought along Paul Klemeck.Paul is of Polish decent in fact his ancestors where some of the many Poles that populated Waihola. Paul from the age of about 15-16 wanted to find out about his past so he did a lot of reaserch and found out many things some of which he shared with us. We were shown items of traditional Polish clothing,toys that the children would have played with and even some of the medals that Paul was awarded for his study in Poland. Paul was given the second highest medal ever given in Poland (the highest was gifted to Sir Edumund Hilary). Paul told us about how when some of the Polish settlers, who were first living in Allenton, when they saw Lake Waihola they decided they would like to live here insted because the lake reminded them of the many lakes in their homeland.We also learnt about the school house and that 101 children used to attend used it for their learning.That number has been more than halfed now days. In the late 1800's it appears that Waihola was quite the town to live in with a thriving hotel a new police station a butcher, school and even telephone and postage to dunedin.one of our junior children was allowed to wear the Polish traditional vest that Paul had brought along.

//2.8.09 I can't wait to hear more about **Charlotte** and wonder how you will include Paul's story in your drama!! Chris Archer//

4.8.09 We made a piece of drama about the making of the waihola railroads.We had different groups that were doing different things along the railway the juniors came along as a train going CHOO CHOO!!!!

13/8/09 Today Evelyn came and we auditioned for the main parts in our Waihola History Production. Some children auditioned for the part of captain onboard the Charlotte Gladstone, some auditioned for a young couple, and many other parts.

//**15.8.09 I like the photo - what are the students doing here? I hope you put up the results of the auditions on the page! Chris Archer**// 24.8.09 Tommorows the BIG DAY, we're getting our costumes tommorow.We're doing a full run through with all the feedback we have got. "We need to do the best we can" said one of the little juniors.

26.8.09 It all paid off the performance was really good there were some bad moments like: the girls hats kept coming off, interuptions in the ball scene, babys crying and croaky voices but apart from that it was the best performance we have probably ever done.

Thank you so much Evelyn we really appreciate all your time and effort.
