Marking 170 Years of Inner–City Education

In Brief Marking 170 Years of Inner-City Education

St Michael’s Church School has been educating and nurturing the children of Christchurch city since its foundation in June 1851.

The oldest independent preparatory school in New Zealand by some 30 years, the school originally operated from a tent set up among the busy-ness of the early settlers in Lyttelton.

It quickly moved over the hill (the Port Hills) to its present site on the banks of the Avon. This was a ‘Day’ school and lessons initially took place in the ‘church’, a small wooden A-frame cottage. By 1858, a barn-like structure had been built, and remarkably, after just 21 years of operation, the magnificent Church of St Michael and All Angels stood clear and tall in the fledgling city.

A dedicated school building, the Old Stone Building (OSB), was built in 1913. As the roll grew, various wooden buildings were added, moved or replaced, including the hall being moved to its current site in the 1990s. Six ‘new’ classrooms were built in 2002—and nearly twenty years later we still call it the New Building (NB)! St Michael’s School is resilient! It has survived… • WW1 (1914-18) • The 1918 Flu pandemic • The Depression of the 1930s • WW2 (1939-45) • 2010-11 Canterbury Earthquakes • 2020-21 COVID pandemic

The EQs damaged both the school buildings and the school viability. • Although most of the school plant survived (Hall, NB and grounds) the OSB, built of basalt, was significantly

‘disturbed’ but has since been repaired. • Many of the pupils left and numbers dropped dramatically from 168 before the EQ to 42.

Miraculously, in 2022 our starting term roll will again be over 150 students! Talk about Rising from the Rubble! What a fantastic team effort! Ka rawe!

The beautiful east window behind the altar at St Michael’s Church was one inspiration for the 170th anniversary badge. Credit: Mrs Bec Hitchcock

The Commemorative Badge

The badge was designed by our senior art teacher and school registrar, Mrs Bec Hitchcock. She was inspired by the Church’s east window and the school’s iconic blue front door. It includes the school motto— In hoc signo vinces—Latin for “In this sign you shall conquer” but in 21st–century language, “In this sign (the cross) you will achieve.”

170 years strong!

Celebration parties always include singing and cake! Sunday 13 June 2021 was Founder’s Day when the St Michael’s Family gathered to celebrate and give thanks, not only for the school’s foundation but for its resilience and new growth.

Image credit: Mrs Bec Hitchcock