Seedlings for Service
Seedlings for Service
May 14, 2018 at 12:42 PM
With thanks to Year 12 student reporter, Ben Shepherd
A group of Enviro Club members, who take a keen interest in the Seedlings for Service programme, visited East Tamaki and Riverhills Primary Schools to see the impact of their weekly commitment to a programme that results in seedlings grown at College being transplanted to local primary schools. The College students were able to see first-hand how the seedlings they helped nurture from the beginning of Term 1 are used to provide organic lunches to the students from these two primary schools.
Our College students spent several hours in the East Tamaki school’s community garden, experiencing the diverse range of fruits and vegetables that were being grown as part of the ‘Garden to Table’ initiative. About 50 different crops are now grown in the school’s garden, cared for by local volunteers and the students themselves. After spending several hours working in the garden alongside the primary children, our students and teachers were treated to a karakia and lunch of kumara and pumpkin soup prepared from ingredients harvested from the garden!
College students also helped prepare beds and plant more seedlings at Riverhills School. In a growing number of Auckland schools, gardens being are used to provide healthy and organic lunches for their students.
The day was extremely rewarding for the Enviro Club students, as they were able to experience the beneficial impact that their service has on the local community. Students were informed of the benefit of these gardens to schools and enjoyed being able to contribute to such great initiatives!
SERVICE AT SAINT KENTIGERN
In keeping with our Mission Statement: ‘To provide education which inspires students to strive for excellence in all areas of life for the glory of God and the service of others,’ Saint Kentigern schools have a strong service ethic.
Service does not always have to be about big issues; it can be acts of kindness, consideration and compassion in the classroom, at home and in daily living. It is these little acts of service that build a foundation for moral reasoning later in life. Service learning allows our students to discover ‘their best selves’ and develop lifelong habits.
As our students progress through the College, service opportunities at both College and community level abound. Students are encouraged to become involved with projects such as World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine, to contribute to food, shoe, clothing and stationery ‘banks’ that provide for those in the wider community who are less fortunate, and to understand the purpose and end result of Chapel offerings.
For our oldest students, meaningful service often takes them into a world of which they have no prior experience. Their willingness to offer help in these circumstances sets them apart.
Each year, teams of College students have spent their July holidays toiling in Vanuatu to build a home for the needy, whilst another team assists at a Primary School. Further across the globe, our students have travelled to Malawi to assist in a village Saint Kentigern supports through World Vision.
Closer to home, students are involved in community projects such as helping the reforestation project on Motutapu Island, assisting at low decile schools though play support and the Garden to Table programme, assisting with breakfast clubs, spending time with the elderly and a host of other activities.
These students enter their service opportunities sometimes not knowing what to expect but leave empowered by the emotional satisfaction of ‘a job well done’ and a wonderful learning experience.
To stay faithful to our Mission Statement, we will continue to provide opportunities for pupils to put service into action; for service to become an intrinsic part of every Saint Kentigern students’ outlook on life - to live The Saint Kentigern Way.
