A 20-year journey has seen Mangere’s Koru School awarded for its mahi.
The Outstanding School Award at the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s 22nd Annual Excellence Awards paid tribute to the school working alongside the Graeme Dingle Foundation to empower and educate students in values like resilience, respect, integrity, and positive relationships through the Kiwi Can programme.
Accepting the award on behalf of Koru school was principal Stan Whata, who shared the impact the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s Kiwi Can programme has had on the school community.
“The vision and values of our school are closely intertwined with Kiwi Can that for us – it is a way of being, an acceptance and recognition of who we are and how we connect with each other and society.
“The role of Kiwi Can in our school helps us to do this by empowering our students, asking them to be curious, courageous, ambitious, collaborative, critical thinkers.” Whata said:
“It’s not easy to achieve this, you need to have the right people. “The contribution that you all make, that we all make, both past present and future, is why our students are so lucky to have this opportunity. So lucky to know that people care about them, so lucky to know that there are people with heart.”
Graeme Dingle Foundation CEO Jenny Stiles says the Nat ional Student Excellence Awards is an opportunity to bring staff, inspirational mentors, sponsors and the community together in celebration of young people.
“The Foundation’s vision is that ‘Aotearoa New Zealand will be the best place in the world to be young’ and this event celebrates young people who have made great strides in paving a positive life trajectory.”
Whata gave credit to the people working on the ground with the schools’ students every week.
“The people who resonate the most with me, are our Kiwi Can Leaders in all our schools. For everything that they bring, that they give, the blood, sweat and tears. Our Kiwi Can leaders are the heartbeat of Kiwi Can, they are the life-force of Kiwi Can, the excitement, the power and the strength of Kiwi Can, they are the reason Kiwi Can is Kiwi Can.”