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The history of Matamata Intermediate

Matamata Intermediate School first opened on September the 8th, 1961. On that day 400 students and 11 teachers swarmed over the college boundary fence carrying their school desks and anything else they could manage. The Ministry decided that with an explosion in population just after the conclusion of World War 2 (which they later called the “Baby Boom”), a middle ground was needed between the Primary and College sectors. They called this Intermediate. This was only meant to be a temporary set up to allow for the Baby Boom wave and yet the Intermediate remains open today.
According to Gerry O’Carroll, a long serving member of the Matamata Intermediate staff, the grounds were still a mess with no grass or trees, plus a great heap of dirt that was used as a grand stand until it was spread at a later date. Beau Miller was awarded the job as the first principal at Matamata Intermediate School.

3c’s cup
The 3C’s cup is at least 10 years old and is awarded to the student who most consistently demonstrates the 3Cs (courtesy, consideration and commonsense). The 3C cup was donated by the E Class when Mrs Clark was their teacher in 2003. They had some leftover money in their class account, which they decided they would spend on a 3C’s cup for Matamata Intermediate School. The cup is awarded every single year at a special end of year prize giving. (Stiles, 2014)

School Song

The School’s song was written not long after the school opened in 1961. The English words were written by Grace Benge, who died about two or three years ago. The Principal and senior teachers at the time used to talk a lot about courtesy, common sense and consideration at Friday assemblies and this is how they came to be included within the school song. (Stiles, 2014)

Blue shirt
The blue 3C’s shirt was actually a green shirt, when it was first invented! This shirt is given to students who are deemed to consistently demonstrate the 3Cs both inside and outside of the classroom. The first green shirt was given to Locryne Tiddy's brother at an end of year prize giving. The next year the school acquired blue shirts to be used as the 3C shirt and all of the teachers wore 3C shirts too for the first year. (Stiles, 2014)

Mrs Stiles

Mrs Stiles started at Matamata Intermediate School as a reliever in 1986. Her husband, Mr Stiles, had begun working as a teacher at the school the year before (1985). In 1987 Mrs Stiles took on a more permanent role within Matamata Intermediate, teaching in the Food Tech room, which was called Home Economics at the time. The room was old and tired looking but Mrs Stiles tells of how she filled it with lots of flowers, plants and soft toys and it soon became a room that she loved teaching in.

Mrs Stiles took on a new role within the school in 2004 when she began the job of deputy principal. She had been acting as deputy principal for two years prior to her official appointment. When Mrs Henriksen was employed as Principal of Matamata Intermediate School in 2003, Mrs Stiles was already acting DP and had also been acting as principal for a month or so because, the acting principal at the time (who was actually the real DP) was on sick leave. Now that’s multi tasking (Stiles, 2014).

School Pou
The Matamata Intermediate pou is a celebration of learning. It was created and designed by the art specialist Rebekah Thomas, in collaboration with Te Wānaga O Aotearoa, Tokoroa. The pou came to be a winner of the National Competition for "Pepsi Wearable Art" 2000. The Māori faces on the pou represent past, present, and future students, whanau (family) and staff of Matamata Intermediate. They are the ones that seek education and are a part of a forever long learning education. There are three baskets which represent the knowledge we would like to possess and demonstrate. This pou is dedicated to education and to all those who strive to achieve, their personal best.

Our Principal (2014)
Marion Henrikson first started working at Matamata Intermediate school as a Scale A teacher in 1982. She worked from 1982 - 1990 when she left to travel overseas. She returned in 2003 to take on a new role as principal. At the beginning of 2014 Ms Henriksen announced her intentions to retire in 2015. Mr Darryl Gibbs has been appointed as the new Principal for Matamata Intermediate and will begin his new role here in 2015. (Henriksen, 2003)

More about the history of our school can be found on our school website in the History of MIS section.

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