| "It
may look a bit of a dump from the
outside, but this school has a
good atmosphere ."So
observed one of the new masters
to join the staff last year. Made
quite sincerely, this remark
seems to express perfectly the
nature of P.G.S. We all know well
the dismal, ark-like profile the
school presents to the outside
world, and it is a traditional
Prescotian pastime to pass cruel
comments on our "educational
shanty-town". The fact
remains however that generations
of Prescotians have come to terms
with their surroundings. They
seem to have realised that it is
not so much buildings that
matter, but rather the people in
them. A "good
atmosphere" has been
established as a tradition in
P.G.S. and it has produced
success for the school,when
failure would appear likely :
success in examinations at all
levels ; success in football,
cricket, hockey and athletics ;
success in dramatic and musical
activities ; success in school
societies j success, above all,
however, in establishing the
reputation of P.G.S. as an
educational establishment to be
admired. It is
hoped that this
"atmosphere" can be
conveyed in this very
magazine-Certainly, the
improvements in the magazine's
form over the past few years have
attracted praise. The signs are,
too, that technical improvements
are being matched by literary
ones. What encourages most is the
variety of material offered from
the whole range of the school. No
longer is it necessary to
"press-gang"
first-years, or sixth-formers for
that matter, into offering
articles. There seems to be a
general awareness throughout the
school that the magazine offers a
valuable opportunity for personal
literary expression - a privilege
that may be effectively denied
later in life. There remains only
the barrier of self-consciousness
to be overcome before a majority
of boys will be offering articles
for the magazine. That time, we
are sure, is not too distant.
That
it is 1970 and thus the start of
a new decade has not gone
unnoticed, but the editors will
resist the temptation to offer
predictions for the next ten
years. Let it suffice to say that
there will be changes, losses,
setbacks and disappointments
experienced in the school. But
these will, of course, be
outweighed by successes and
gains, and we feel sure that
throughout the decade to come the
character of Prescot Grammar
School will remain strong and
exciting.
Our
thanks and appreciation must go
to all those who have helped in
any way, to produce this magazine
; particularly to our Business
Editors, the Art Department who
provided the i1lustrations for
the magazine and last, but not
least, all those who offered
articles for publication. We hope
that they will
feel their efforts to be
well-rewarded.
Finally
we must mention the retirement of
Mr. Heywood. It is a great loss
not only to the English
Department but also to the School
Community as a whole. For
"Spud" always managed
to put as much energy into
various school activities as into
his own teaching. We wish him a
long and happy retirement, and
hope to see him back at the
school on as many occasions as
possible.
S.B.H.
& I.RW
|
