By Elizabeth Broughton

Last updated at 08:44, Friday, 16 October 2009

More than a thousand pupils, governors and staff took their place in the history books this week as they were captured on film to mark 50 years of Caldew School.

• Video: Caldew celebrates its 50th birthday

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After more than an hour of preparation on the school’s playing field in Dalston, 12 rows of pupils, stretching from year seven to year 13, smiled happily alongside their teachers, governors and school staff for the first full school picture in 14 years.

The school – named after the river which flows through Dalston village – first opened on September 1, 1959, and the photograph commemorates life there 50 years on.

“The reason we’re taking this photo is for future generations,” explained Andy Abernethy, Caldew’s headteacher.

“The school opened 50 years ago and this is what it looks like 50 years on – it’s very impressive. Caldew is still going strong and it’s almost doubled in size in the last 50 years, so we thought it would be a fitting memorial.”

And at 10am on Tuesday, with everyone asked to stand with their arms beside their sides and smile for the camera, the photographers from Tempest photography snapped into action to capture the school’s ‘class of 2009’.

After all the hard work and preparation on behalf of everyone involved, Mr Abernethy was impressed with how all his pupils looked in the new Caldew uniform of blue shirts, school jumpers and ties, which was introduced as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

He said: “There’s a big difference from before because in the last picture, in 1995, everyone was wearing white.

“It’s not something we’re going to do very often so it’s a nice memento of the changes that have taken place and I’m optimistic that the picture will look really good. I was really pleased with the turn-out of all our students in their new school uniforms and the whole thing went very, very well.”

The photo was a unique event for the school’s 1,000 students, who felt privileged to be a part of the golden anniversary celebrations.

The sixth-formers were the first to be arranged in the centre of the stage – which stretched back for 12 rows to accommodate the whole school – and had to wait over an hour as the younger students filed in around them.

One of the first to take her place was year 12 pupil Jessica Carruthers, 17, who said: “I think it’s a good idea to get everyone together.

“It’s something nice to have and we’ll be able to see how everyone is different from 50 years ago. It was very weird being up there though, because we’ve never had a whole school photo before.”

Rebecca Allen, 14, added: “I was on the third row from the top so it was quite scary. But it’s good because in 50 years if I’ve got children and I want to show them where I went to school and my friends, I can.”

The school governors had presented every child with the new school tie – navy blue with two blue lines running through it – as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary at the start of the academic year. And they were also invited to join the school’s staff and pupils on the milestone photograph.

Jennie Wilkinson, chair of the governors, said: “I was so proud of the students – it will be a superb record of our 50th anniversary.”

First published at 05:20, Friday, 16 October 2009
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk