Students get creative

Three New Zealand school students have created winning designs for exercise books that will be donated to students at low decile schools.

The national Art for Books competition, run by Warehouse Stationery, invited school students to design a new cover for Impact 1B5 books with iconic New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell judging the 500-plus entries.

Thousands of limited edition books bearing the three winning designs will be printed by Warehouse Stationery, and a total of 120,000 books will be distributed to low decile schools.

Phil Toomer, principal of Glenavon School in Blockhouse Bay, says the donated books will be greatly appreciated by staff and students at his decile one school.

‘‘We struggle to get well over half of our students set up with stationery at the start of the year,’’ he explains. ‘‘At a cost of $30 to $40 per child, and with some families having four or five children, the bills can really add up.

‘‘Added to that, many families struggle to afford to replace items quickly if they get lost or damaged,’’ Toomer adds. ‘‘Donated resources like these books mean the students have what they need logistics-wise, so we as staff can focus on the important job of teaching.’’

The winning cover designs were decided by Frizzell, who found plenty to praise.