Laptops help students chase their dreams

A group of Nelson students with big dreams are now a step closer to making them a reality.

Each student at Nelson College for Girls’ integrated learning facility, Bronte House, now has a laptop to take to classes, thanks to a donation from the Rotary Club of Whakatu.

Among the 13 students are an aspiring accountant, police officer, counsellor and judge.

Whakatu Rotary Club president Karen Stade said she first heard teacher Emma Hunter and some of the Bronte House students speak at another Rotary club. She was so impressed with the girls and their life stories that she asked them to address the Whakatu club.

It was there that Whakatu club member Trevor Marshall first heard the students’ stories and their hopes and dreams for the future.

One of the students spoke of walking away from her family home in order to make a difference in her life.

‘‘She said, ‘I want to change, but I need help’,’’ Marshall said.

‘‘What impressed me was that they made a decision to break the cycle that they were living in.’’

Marshall spent 25 years working as a policeman before his career in business.

He said the girls’ experiences ‘‘hit home’’ about just how tough it was for some kids.

Marshall and Stade met with Hunter at Bronte House to find out how they could make a difference. The decision was made to purchase Chromebook laptops for the students, along with cases and headphones.

Hunter said all of the students had something going on in their lives. Some had been homeless and had dealt with neglect, abuse and mental health issues, or had faced challenges in the youth justice system.

‘‘We started off with the basics. We started with food in their bellies and clothes on their backs, and now they are ready to learn.’’

The students had access to a few desktop computers in the classroom, but they really needed one-onone support, she said.

Some attended mainstream classes, where the policy was that students brought their own device, but many of the Bronte House girls didn’t have one.,

‘‘It’s about making it an even playing ground,’’ Hunter said.

‘‘We would get them their books and pens but they were always a step behind, they always looked different and they could never keep up.’’

‘‘Now they actually have the opportunity to not only realise their potential but achieve it.’’