Collingwood School exchanges
Trans-Tasman rotary exchange students, from left, Amy Robinson (CAS), Rebecca Picton (Maitland, NSW), Jess Storer (CAS), Anna Kogge (Mildura, Victoria). Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
After four years of participating in the Enviroschools programme, Collingwood Area School (CAS) has now earned itself “silver status”.
This year, co-ordinator and teacher Wendy Drummond has been taking about a dozen years 3 to 6 students to plant out native trees in the well-tracked forest that has been created behind the school. They have also been planting vegetables in the school’s adjoining garden plot and preparing to build a new potting shed. They have written to parent organisation CASST (Collingwood Area School Support Team) for help with the building, while local house designer Dave Slater will be giving his design expertise.
The students, who include Jordon Muru, Stephen McLellan and Tipene Gunn-Bolt. have also been canvassing their parents for other needs. Devon Morris-Brown gets vegetable seeds from her mother Nicky, who works at the garden shop in Takaka.
“It’s been so much fun,” said Devon. ”So far we have planted peas, silverbeet and broccoli.”
More than 783 schools around New Zealand are involved in the Enviroschools network, which is made up of hundreds of people dedicated to working together to regenerate our communities, cities and ecosystems. Contributing schools include primary and secondary, both mainstream and kura Maori, along with education institutions across all deciles. A growing network of early childhood centres is also signing up. A national network of over 60 facilitators works alongside students, teachers, whanau and community to establish and support schools in their “action-learning journey”.
Wendy Drummond says her students at CAS have benefited enormously from the programme.
“They get involved in all the planning and planting, then watch it all grow to make a difference. They’re really proud of their work.”
Two new seniors at CAS for three months are Rotary International exchange students Rebecca Picton (Y12), from Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, and Anna Kogge (Y10) from Mildura in NSW. Their CAS counterparts, Amy Robinson and Jess Storer respectively, spent three months staying and schooling with them in their home towns in Australia before reciprocating the hospitality as part of the exchange scholarship.
“I really love it here, all the lush scenery and mountains, and the farm life,” said Rebecca. “Feeding out to the cows has been really fun.”
Gerard Hindmarsh
