By Derek Schlennstedt
OCTOBER the 14th marked the 140th birthday for Silvan Primary School.
On that significant date in 1876, Silvan Primary School was registered as a state school and only a week later on the 24th of October 1876 a portable schoolroom and a teachers’ area was built for the 22 children who began their schooling year.
To celebrate this historic local milestone, Silvan Primary school will be holding a celebration and open day on Friday 18 November.
The school will be going back to its roots to celebrate the 140 years and is inviting past and present students and people within the community to dress up in traditional 1870s garments.
There will be a variety of entertaining displays and demonstrations including arts and craft stalls, a sausage sizzle and even Devonshire Tea.
Current principal Damien Tirchett says that the celebration is about revisiting the school’s history and says there will be plenty of exciting activities on the day to accompany the 1870s setting.
“It’s going to be a great day with a carnival atmosphere, we’re going to go back 140 years – there’ll be draught horses, archery, blacksmithing, and various old-fashioned games to celebrate the years of our existence,” Damien said.
Among the activities, past students are being invited to be immortalised in Silvan Primary School’s history by creating a handprint in clay tiles which Damien says will be made into a mural.
“We’re going to celebrate our community and the past alumni by inviting them back to do some art, they can place their hands in clay tiles so we can immortalise those people who have attended the school,” he said.
Since its inception local families have benefitted from the services that the school and its staff have provided and Silvan primary has helped to foster mature and community-minded young people.
In its 140 years of existence Silvan school has continued to demonstrate a strong tradition in providing tailored education for its students, with a focus on sustainability, the environment and inclusive learning.
The celebration day invites all past students and local community members to come and enjoy a fantastic fun-filled day. As Damien says, it’s all about the local community.
“We’re going to celebrate our community, we really want to promote that sense of connectedness within the community,” he said.
The celebration will be held at Silvan Primary School, 269 Monbulk Road, Silvan.
