Nixon Performing Arts Suite bright, inspiring

Suzanne Purdy

The Nixon Performing Arts Suite at Napier Girls' High School has been officially opened.

The school's HOD music, Suzanne Purdy, had already been conducting classes in the new building but it wasn't until the ribbon was cut this month that it felt official, she said.

Wielding the scissors was June Clifford, who has played a large role in the school's music programme, accompanied by the building's namesake, former Napier Girls' High principal Mary Nixon.

The former music block was closed at Easter in 2016 before being torn down.

"It needed a lot of maintenance," Ms Purdy said.

"There was a lot of wasted space. It needed to be redesigned."

It now has a dance floor, five practice rooms, a keyboard/computer room and a classroom, all soundproof, while double-glazed windows offer views to Cape Kidnappers.

There is purpose-built storage for instruments, music and resources.

"I gave the architect a list of what I wanted, and I got just about everything on the list, which is amazing," Ms Purdy said.

"I'm really lucky, as head of department, to have designed my own place and to be able to work in it. That's a bit of a dream, really.

"The students come in and their faces light up. The whole feel is light, bright and inspiring."