Sunnyhills School’s strong family ties

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The Sunnyhills School mums and their children, with most of them been taught at the primary that is 55 years old. Times photo PJ Taylor

Family connections run deep at Sunnyhills School and it’s putting the feature spotlight on them as its 55th jubilee celebrations get closer.

The Times recently visited the east Auckland primary school and reported on the April 3-4 special anniversary activities in the edition of February 28.

This story is about long-running family ties there, such as Narelle Bovill’s.

She attended Sunnyhills School as a student and is now a Year 1 teacher there, after growing up in Farm Cove. She’s also taught at Elm Park School and Maraetai Beach School.

Her daughter Brylee is in Year 3, and she likes “having Mum as a teacher” there, while her father, Chris Williams, is the part-time caretaker.

“Sunnyhills School is such a special community and for our family it has been the start of many lifelong friendships,” says Narelle.

“I’m so thankful to be able to give back to a school that has left me with many precious memories of growing up and now my children will get to experience the same.”

Narelle says a lot of former pupils “still remember all of your teachers”, and one, Vanessa Cammell, who still teaches at Sunnyhills and is the school’s jubilee committee convenor, taught Narelle.

Stefanie Henry is a learning assistant and her children also go to Sunnyhills – Emma in Year 5, and Nick in Year 3.

Stefanie was working in Emma’s class previously, and she enjoys “the fact I went here” has also led to lifelong friendships and “being in classrooms I’d been in [as a pupil] though they’re updated now”.

“It’s great to give back to a [school] community that has given so much.”

Holly Detman, whose daughter Henny is in Year 3, didn’t attend Sunnyhills, but has had three children learn at the school and is its PTA chair.

Her connection to Sunnyhills goes back to her early life, though, as her uncle was a student there, and she enjoys getting involved in all of the school’s community activities, such as the colour run on March 14, and for Mother’s and Father’s Day respectively.

Laura Traynor has two children at Sunnyhills – Mila in Year 3, and Leo in Year 1.

Her mother, Ann-Marie Anderson – “Nana Ann” – was the school’s secretary for 30 years and enrolled her and her children as students.

“It’s so special to come back and work with teachers that I went to school with.”