Mary Pottinger, Head of Student Services, TGS, and Peer Service Team students, Logan Sheehan and Sophie Wakelin.
Mary began by describing what service might look like in a school environment, citing such things at Takapuna Grammar School as the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, the Service requirements of CAS ( Creativity, Action and Service ) in the International Baccalaureate course, the “Samoan Project” assisting Alepeita School, and various charity activities organized by the prefects.
She acknowledged that although teenagers might be instinctively quite self-centred at Takapuna Grammar School the kaupapa now was to support others locally and internationally – that students have a responsibility to the community they are part of.
She introduced the various peer groups that have been created – Leadership, Peer Support, Sexuality, Alcohol and Drug Education and Service. These are all student led groups who support other students.
Sophie and Logan then spoke on behalf of the Peer Service team and described two of their projects – the Sanitarium Breakfast campaign and the Habitat for Humanity “Big Build”. They described the need to build a legacy and to sustain the team into the future. They then talked about some of the ideas they have for 2016 – a Service Day sending students out into the community, ongoing projects run by form classes and assisting other schools such as Onepoto Primary.