MAC Magazine 2018

TEAM GREEN
Team Green is a group of students making Mount Aspiring College more
eco-friendly. This year Team Green is a group of Year 7 students, two Year
8 students and Luci, a very busy and efficient Year 13 student - all are to be
thanked for giving away their time and energy for a greater good.
The year started with the best ever fair trade bake sale, generating $190
towards funding the purchase of more solar panels. Students made muffins,
slices and sherbert with at least one fair trade ingredient (chocolate or cocoa,
banana or sugar). We had three more fair trade bake sales, one each term,
raising more than $500 in total - that is half a solar panel!
Students have ensured that every classroom has the recycling boxes they
need, and upgraded the broken ones. This involves checking all the classrooms,
asking all the teachers, compiling the data, ordering the corresponding amount
of crates, creating and pasting signs and delivering them.
In early April, we had the honour of spending a day with former Green Party
leader Jeanette Fitzsimons and Ralph Adler and Zella Dowling from the
Climate Coalition. We discussed and brainstormed what MAC is already
doing and what we can do better in energy, transport, food and waste. We
analysed how important each issue is, which has the biggest impact, and
what costs and feasibility addressing it entails. We decided that the biggest
difference we can achieve for our school is by implementing a food waste
collection system and making compost.
This led us to audit how much food waste is generated and to evaluate
different food waste management systems and to establish four worm farms
and educate students and staff how to use them.
In Term 3, we also organised a fun scavenger hunt which was won by Barker House.
Finally, thanks to our recycling effort from 2017, we have earned 50 trees! So Team
Green students organised a tree planting event, during a long whanau in Term 4,
so that all junior students get a chance to plant a tree on the college grounds.
Team Green students meet once a week at lunchtime and practice how to
be sustainability leaders. Our thriving group welcomes YOU next year, if you
are motivated and committed to make a positive difference for our school
environment and beyond.
Sticks ‘n' Stones is a bullying prevention charity founded originally as
a project in 2013 before growing into an independent organisation in
2016. We place young people at the heart of decision making, planning, co-design and delivery.
This partnership is student led and we are committed to creating space for every person to be accepted and respected for who they are.
We believe in a bullying-free Aotearoa and that young people are an important step in making this possible.
Our approach is effective because young people are very used to tuning out fear based, safety messages from adults as background noise,
but messages and information from our peers that engage us and empower us as leaders are more relevant, relatable and real. Sticks ’n'
Stones asks young people to put themselves forward, make an ongoing commitment, and stand up within their schools, ensuring a diverse
range of young people rather than only typical leaders maintaining ongoing activities, learning and impact.
Students have an enormous amount of experience with life online and can support younger students, their parents, families and communities
to better understand the benefits and pitfalls. Authentic leadership opportunities, decision making and spokespeople roles are at the heart of
our project to show that teenagers have the passion, commitment and knowledge to change attitudes and behaviour.
Sticks ‘n' Stones advocates are role models for all young people. The Mount Aspiring College advocates meet weekly to discuss our up and
coming projects. We work by allowing young people to be the ones to communicate with their peers to enforce the messages and morals
behind our work. The research that we have looked into has shown that we need to highlight every single person’s role in creating an accepting
and respectful environment and culture. Every step of the way we are involved in the decision making process and see it through to the end.
This August two Sticks ‘n' Stones advocates from Mount Aspiring College, Red Simpson and Meg Thomas along with Karla Sanders, CEO of
SnS, Vanessa Breen and Abby another advocate all from Alexandra, travelled up to Wellington for Involve the Youth Conference. The three
advocates presented to a group of 100 people for 15 minutes about how they tackle bullying at Sticks ‘n' Stones, and then they attended other
workshops and talks to extend their knowledge and come back into MAC and put this into practice to tackle bullying. Meg and Red gained a
lot from this experience such as leadership skills and valuable knowledge to help make bullying a thing of the past.
Three Year 13 students, Sonya Palmer, Jessica Curtis and Stirling Deaton have been working towards developing a programme called Project
Connect. Project Connect (PC) comes from the understanding that it can be scary asking for help (or even understanding what help is
available) and that it can often be easier to reach out to another young person. This is about connecting not counselling. Connectors are
trained and supported with strategies to reflect back the situation to the other person for them to consider their options and also to have the
information about where to go next. Connectors can also provide social and emotional support to younger students who are new or struggling
to feel connected at school. Combined, these contribute to a more positive school culture and environment.
PC helps senior students develop leadership skills, empathy, emotional skills, feel a responsibility for community connectedness and
caring for others more vulnerable. PC also benefits the younger or newer members of the school community by providing them support
and a chance to develop confidence and relationships in what can be a challenging, overwhelming time. It also develops, values and
encourages strong links between senior and junior students and encourages senior students to remain connected to younger students and
to maintaining a school culture that is positive and caring.
On behalf of the MAC Sticks ‘n' Stones team, thank you.
Meg Thomas and Sonya Palmer
POLAR PLUNGE 2018
The shortest day of winter 2018 saw many brave Year 13's jump into Lake Wanaka at 8am. Dressed in 80's themed attire, fluoroescent
colours and tights didn't provide much protection from the cold, but that wouldn't stop anyone from making the plunge. Luckily, there
were hot chocolates on standby to help warm up with afterwards. Thank you to the Year 12 members of the Service Committee who
organised this event and to St John's for being there - just in case.
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