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Students from Shelly Park School have had a premier opportunity to showcase their new knowledge and skills to the leader of the nation.
The east Auckland primary school is in the Botany electorate for which Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is the MP and the young pupils were keen to tell him what they were learning and performing on his visit there on June 10.
In a relaxed and well-received visit, Luxon toured different classes with Shelly Park School principal Ed Roper, stopping to talk with many groups of excited students and their teachers.
In the school hall, Luxon was also treated to a performance by the school’s talented kapa haka group, which sung waiata and the boys delivered a rousing and special version of haka, Ka Mate, in a rehearsal for Matariki celebrations.
Earlier in the visit, Luxon took time to discuss education sector issues with Roper and deputy-principal Coram Bradbury.
Painted on the wall of Roper’s office where they were talking, there’s a quote by John Wooden: ‘Success comes from knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.’
That quote and its message of intent summed up what the respective leaders are trying to do daily.
Roper and Bradbury run a friendly, high-performing school that has very committed teachers and 500 students who work very hard and have achieved “fantastic results for a long time”.
Luxon reiterated his government’s education drive across the country to get back to basics with strong emphasis on proficient English and maths learning, and strong attendance rates, for which Shelly Park School has.
And at the end of his visit, Prime Minister Luxon was genuinely touched by the specially crafted gifts and cards he was presented by a group of four girl pupils.
