It was like it was 1958 again at Stella Maris Catholic Primary School, on Monday.
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Not only did students and staff alike dress in outfits from that era, they played old fashioned games such as marbles, jacks, elastics and hopscotch.
They did so in the name of celebrating the Shellharbour school’s 60th anniversary.
The birthday celebrations actually kicked off on Sunday when more than 200 visitors dropped by the school grounds for a special lunch.
Stella Maris Catholic Primary School principal Danny Sykes said the day’s highlights included school tours, a dance performance of songs from the fifties by students and the burial of a time capsule, which will be opened on the 100th anniversary in 2058.
“I was particularly pleased that 14 of the original 46 students were able to attend and it was a chance for people to renew old friendships and to share stories from their time here at Stella Maris,” he said.
Mr Sykes said celebrations wrap up on Tuesday with a special Foundation Day Service, where Year 2 students will re-enact the story of the Sisters of Charity in establishing the school.
Mary Aikenhead Awards (the founder of the Sisters of Charity) will also be awarded to students who regularly display acts of charity and kindness towards others.
I believe it is important to celebrate our 60th anniversary to not only acknowledge the wonderful work of the Sisters of Charity in establishing the school....
- Danny Sykes
Father Ekerick, who was appointed as Parish Priest on the death of Father Smyth, opened Stella Maris Catholic Primary School on May 20, 1958.
The Sisters of Charity were given the responsibility of establishing the school, which had only 46 students enrolled between the grades of kindergarten and year 4 when it first opened.
By 1961 school enrolments grew to 200 following the introduction of a bus that brought children from the Warilla area.
That same year the Mother's Club was formed and their main work was fund raising for the development of the school playground and to maintain the upkeep of the school and its facilities.
Seven Sisters of Charity have guided Stella Maris in faith, hope and love as educational leaders since the school’s foundation.
The last Sister of Charity principal, Sister Colleen Mills, retired in 2009.
Today Stella Maris School has an enrolment of 375 students and 33 staff members.
“I believe it is important to celebrate our 60th anniversary to not only acknowledge the wonderful work of the Sisters of Charity in establishing the school but to also provide our current school community with an understanding of the history of Stella Maris and an appreciation of the tireless efforts of staff and parents in working together to make the school, what it is today, a faith-filled, vibrant community of learners,” Mr Sykes said.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
