Students at Arrowtown School got a taste of what class was like 150 years ago when they dressed up in old-style clothing and left their laptops at home for a day.
The school also brought back the lessons of yesteryear, including the cane for those who were naughty.
As they recreated the look of the 1860s, the boys walked a little taller in their caps and waistcoats and the girls struggled with the frilly, long dresses.
The school opened in the booming gold rush town in 1863. It was considered so important it even went up before the first church in the town.
Three different sites and four buildings later, it now has a roll of around 500.
"[There are] no lights on today," says teacher Nadia Caldwell. "There's absolutely no technology, no computers, no laptops, no iPads. It's going to be very different for these guys."
At assembly there was a Bible reading and a song not heard so much these days in school – 'God Save the Queen' – then a pretend caning that was almost too realistic.
That was followed by the quietest assembly anyone could remember in years.
3 News
source: newshub archive
