Talk:Palmerston North Boys' High School

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[edit] Fake entries

Due to the number of fake entries of old boys from this school I think we need to have references for anyone listed. Right now Steven Old appears to be the only one with some documentation here . Perhaps we can mail the old boys assn for a legit list? - 10:35, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

The All Blacks from Boys High are all listed here. Don't know about the Black Caps. Ziggurat 10:39, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
A name list of only sportsmen does not reflect well on the school, if that is the objective of filling up the name list. A short list of 4-5 names should be enough, since this isn't the Old Boys' Roll or something. I say keep Hollows and a pair or so of the sportsmen. Also I'd like to support the request for references. I'd say that in this case school pages are a good source since the schools reputations are at stake for incorrectly claiming non-students as their own. Mr Bluefin 12:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
I don't see the need to arbitrarily select a certain number of entries, as that seems to require an overly subjective assessment on the part of us editors. We should be aiming to be informative, after all, and I don't see how a longer list really detracts from this (compare Hunter College High School, for example). Sourcing is, however, important. Ziggurat 12:23, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Of course being informative is a goal, but I also believe that giving the right impression is also important, in the sense that an article which goes into to much inappropriate detail might give an impression that XYZ City High School is a shining Andover or Eton, or even the opposite case, and that long lists be compiled only when the school publishes its own Old Boys Roll/Register etc (since it means that it has something to show off). I think that if Wikipedia is the first place a long list appears then it might even border on original research (even if a list of n names was compiled by n different WP editors) since its a novel expression of existing information (though it could be said that by that argument the whole of Wikipedia is in violation of that statement :D) Mr Bluefin 12:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Regarding it being a novel expression, this is really only original research if it serves to advance a position (WP:OR#Synthesis of published material serving to advance a position), which I don't see here at all. As for giving the right impression, I tend towards meta:Eventualism, that is, that eventually someone is going to add more content on the history, controversies, practices, etc. of this school, and when we get to that point a minimalised list of alumni is going to harm rather than aid the 'complete' article. I think a reasonable compromise would be to include alumni that 1. can be sourced as coming from this high school, 2. have Wikipedia articles. That'll keep the nonsense to a minimum, but will avoid making subjective judgements about who is and who isn't an alumni worthy of inclusion (that, to my mind, would be OR by implication). Ziggurat 20:54, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Roll?

Can somebody pop over and count the pupils? There sseem to be different numbers in different parts of the website. Perhaps contacting them for the actual number? - SimonLyall 11:29, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

I go to this school and currently there are 1670 students. Aarhap 19:22, 1 September 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. I guess the roll bounces up and down a bit from month to month so the "approximately 1700" which we have now seems like reasonable wording. - SimonLyall 03:09, 2 September 2007 (UTC)