Tuesday was a special day at Otago Girls' High School with the unveiling of our 150th Jubilee sculpture "The Chambered Nautilus" which was designed by renowned New Zealand sculptor Helen Pollock (nee Young) ONZM, a pupil of the school from 1959 to 1962.

The Chambered Nautilus is the name of our school song which has been sung since 1936, and the shell has developed into our school symbol. The song is based on a poem of the same name by Oliver Wendall Holmes and was put to music by Roy Spackman, our school music teacher in 1935. The song is about growth, expansion and renewal. The sculpture "The Chambered Nautilus" is also about aspiration - the upward reach of the arms and the hands cradling the precious nautilus shell, with its symbolism of our potential . It offers the reassurance that we too are designed to grow precisely in our own time and in our own way, towards our own interior beauty.

The sculpture was unveiled by Jane Smallfield, the Convenor of the 150th Jubilee Committee. The sculpture was funded in part by donations from ex-students along with other significant contributions from the OGHS Alumni Association, the OGHS PTSA, the Dunedin Branch of OGHS Ex-Girls, the Central Otago Branch of OGHS Ex-Girls and the Ministry of Education.

A pictorial history of the school "As the Swift Seasons Roll" was also launched at the unveiling.

Another part of the event was the presentation of a time capsule reflecting what is happening at Otago Girls’ and our community in 2021. It has been buried deep in a secret location in the school in the hope that it will be unexpectedly discovered some time in the future.

Thanks to everyone who made this event so enjoyable and moving