Three Kings School Rock Walls by Room 4

Room 4 have been studying the Three Kings community. We went out and about to find out information about what and who made up our community.

Then we decided to focus on Three Kings School community. We wanted to find out about our beautiful rock walls.

First we wrote down questions we wanted to find out about the rock walls.

Then we researched to find answers. We talked to the Principal, Mrs Willmoth. We visited Mt Roskill Library and researched in books, on the internet and spoke to old people who lived in the area.

We looked at pictures of the school many many years ago. There was one class and 40 people in that class! They did not have lovely rock walls then.

We found out that from 1931 skilled people as well as men who couldn't get a job spent years shaping rocks into pieces to make walls and terraces at our school. Sometimes as many as 120 people worked at the school at the same time.

We found out that the walls were made in the depression years of the 1930s. It took many people many years to complete.

The rock walls were built because the volcano rocks were lying around all over the school grounds. The children could not ever play properly because of all the large mounds of volcanic rock deposited by the eruption of Three Kings mountain.

One of our big questions was we wanted to discover what is behind the secret door on our lovely bottom courts? Some kids thought it was a dead principal, a cow poo shed, an old sports shed or a treasure box.

We researched and found out that it was a sports equipment shed. Some of us were a little disappointed that it wasn't treasure!

Everyone loves playing on the Castle. The Castle has been around since the 1930s - that's over 70 years.

The sundial had rocks around it a long time ago just to remind us that the ground was full of useful rocks. Then they built the rock walls with the rock. It took many years to build the rock walls.

This is the rock terrace where the flag pole and New Zealand flag flies.

It was fun finding out about out local community and about the history of Three Kings School. Room 4 now will be able to pass on the knowledge we have gained to other children at school, as well as our parents and even people in our special community!