School makes impact in the wet

Making an impact for the community was a wet and sodden affair for Year 11 students at Rototuna High School.

Normally a day off for the class of about 20, a wet and miserable Sunday became a day of achievement as 2000 shrubs and trees were planted on the school grounds.

Emma Bull, 15, and Cole Begbie, 15, said students led the project from start to finish.

‘‘All students have their own project and our project is to plant trees out here in the rain,’’ Cole said.

Post-hole borers and spades came out on Wednesday to prepare the holes for Sunday’s labour.

A pallet load of compost was handcarted on wheelbarrows across a sodden football field.

Throughout the year, all students in the class had a role to play in the success of the day, Cole said.

‘‘We all had separate roles. There were three groups – one was for finances and paying for everything; another was a planting group, which was finding out all the sizes for the plants; and the last was the community day site planning.’’

In total, about 50 members of the school community were there – teachers, parents, younger children. A gaggle of city politicians – Labour’s Jamie Strange and National’s Tim Macindoe and David Bennett – also got their hands dirty.

But the students, like Emma, with compost smeared across her forehead, were the stars of the show.

‘‘I like the look of it and coming together as a community is a really good idea,’’ Emma said.

The theme for the year at the school is the environment. On top of the 2000 shrubs planted on Sunday, another 2000 will be planted beyond the BMX track to edge the school closer to a tree target of 10,000.

Teacher and impact project leader Chris Langley said the year-long impact projects get students thinking beyond themselves and leave students with skills needed for the 21st century.

‘‘You can really see the result of all that planning that’s taken place,’’ Langley said. ‘‘They’re getting in there and doing the mahi and doing something good for our community.’’

‘‘All students have their own project and our project is to plant trees out here in the rain.’’

Cole Begbie, 15

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/ STUFF A Rototuna High School student-led initiative, with, from left, teacher Chris Langley, student Emma Bull, 15, teacher Dan Popping and student Cole Begbie, 15, will see thousands of trees planted.

Jazlin Gillies shows off her green thumb, above; and Caleb Richardson can’t escape the rain, below.