The Chambered Nautilus, by former pupil Helen Pollock (nee Young), was unveiled at a small ceremony at Otago Girls’ High School yesterday.
The 1.7m-high bronze sculpture features two arms holding up a nautilus shell.
Otago Girls’ High School archivist Jane Smallfield said the sculpture was commissioned by the school’s 150th jubilee committee to be ‘‘an inspiration to all the future pupils that come here’’.
‘‘The unveiling is a key way we celebrated the event. It brought everyone together because we all related to the meaning of the chambered nautilus,’’ Mrs Smallfield said.
Otago Girls’ High School principal Linda Miller said the nautilus shell was a metaphor for growth and development through life, with the arms representing aspiration.
The unveiling was an opportunity to celebrate the sculpture, which was to be a central part of the school’s 150th jubilee celebrations at Labour Weekend, but these were cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The shell is the school’s symbol and The Chambered Nautilus is the name of the school’s song, composed in 1936, about growth, expansion and renewal.
Head prefect Jemma Wilson (17) said the nautilus symbol was a big part of school’s identity and it was special to have something on the grounds that showed that.
