Christchurch Adventist School

Story

Christchurch Adventist School is a co-educational, K-13 secondary school in Papanui suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The school is ethnically diverse, with 39% of students New Zealand European 39%, 7% Māori, 10% Samoan, 8% Other Pacific, 7% Asian, 15% European and 14% other .HistoryThe school was first established in 1925. Earlier attempts by church members to establish a Christian school in Christchurch began in 1903, which lasted only a short time before closing in 1904. Another attempt was begun in 1914, when a kindergarten building (which still stands, at 5 Grove Street, Addington) was purchased, and the school opened by Pr. A. G. Daniells, on 20 June 1914. This school closed in 1920 and the land sold, with proceeds placed in a school fund for future use. The site of the current school (in Papanui) was purchased in 1924 for £500, and the school opened on 27 April 1924, with Miss Maude Smart as the teacher, and a roll of 22. The school has been continuously operating on the site since then.A secondary curriculum was offered from around 1932, with a new block (costing £660) of 3 classrooms being built. A uniform was adopted for the 1933 year, using the former Australasian Union Conference colours of blue and green.A new woodwork room and toilet block were built in the 1950s by Mr S. Presnall and others from the Papanui Church. The secondary department building was built in 1985, and more recently (2006) the computer lab and staff room were re-developed and enlarged. New courts (2004) and a freshly laid field (2006) have given the school improved outdoor facilities.