Students help schools in need - April 2015

COMMUNITY MINDED: Wanganui High School Gateway students Tanginoa Mathews, James Van Elswyck, Sean Farrington, Chris Breuer, Tayla Mischefski, Wipaki Pakai, Matthew McKenzie and Nikita Atkinson-Edwards volunteered to help Aramoho School after a spate of vandalism.

Thirteen Wanganui High School students have lent a hand to Aramoho School.

The primary school have had to deal with four break-ins and vandalism over recent weeks and yesterday the high school's Gateway students helped with repair work.

The Year 12 and 13 students on the Gateway programme spend three days of the school week in class and two days on work experience. In between jobs they help out with Volunteer Whanganui. Manager Sandra Rickey organises a community programme for the Gateway students every few months.

"I think it's really good for these students to go out and see what it's all about. It's teaching them about community spirit," she said.

WHS Gateway administrator Peter Reid said the students spent yesterday morning water blasting, painting and removing graffiti. He also said it was great for students' development and provided them with skills to take into the workforce when they had finished their schooling.

"It's good stuff and just working together as a team is good for them. They learn useful skills. We've done quite a bit of manual work," he said. "They see that schools don't have unlimited money."

The latest break-in at Aramoho School happened on April 19.

"It is heartbreaking when people do not respect a school and show intent on destroying the learning opportunities of others," Commissioner Dallas Murdoch said at the time.

The school is working with the Whanganui Police and Neighbourhood Support to find the culprits and reduce the risk of being hit again.

The alarm at the school now goes directly to 111, and CCTV has been discussed.

Wanganui Chronicle article on 29/4/15.