In all shapes and sizes

Long-time Feilding High School teacher Philip Jeffreys has completed a book about students he has taught in his 45 years at the school.

In 45 years of teaching at Feilding High School, Philip Jeffreys has seenmore than a few special students come through his classroom.

Jeffreys has just finished a new book called All About Them, which is being released to coincide with the school’s centenary celebrations at the end of the month.

The book took Jeffreys, an English and French teacher, about three years to complete and consists of 104 profiles of students he taught from when he started in 1976 to last year.

Jeffreys selected students at random covering nearly every year group. He gave people the same questions, asking about their time at school and afterwards.

He knew he couldn’t do everyone, but was impressed with the students he’d spoken to.

‘‘A lot of them have done really well. We’ve also got some stories of kids who have worked their socks off.’’

He said every school thought they were wonderful, but Feilding was a special place.

Journalist mi hinga rang i Forbes, surgeon Guy Hingston, All Blacks Rugby player Sam Whitelock and chiropractor Greg Oke are among those in the book.

But there are others including doctors, vets, farmers and people working in local government.

Jeffreys said a lot of the stories were fantastically moving.

There’s a doctor who overcame numerous hurdles to get into medical school, and an international student who couldn’t speak English when arriving in New Zealand, but has worked and studied all over the world.

‘‘Success comes in all shapes and sizes,’’ he said.

He estimated he’d taught more than 4000 children in his 45 years at the school.

‘‘It’s probably about 10,000 [students].’’ He has also been a dean since the early 1980s, and coached hockey and athletics.

The book was meant as a thank you for his time at school and to inspire current and future students.

People can email pjeffreys@feildinghigh.school.nz to purchase a copy. The book will be launched at Paper Plus in Feilding next Friday.

Proceeds will go to the Kia Toa Kia Ngakaunui fund, which helps children who are showing potential but need a boost.

‘‘A lot of them have done really well. We’ve also got some stories of kids who have worked their socks off.’’

Philip Jeffreys Feilding High School teacher