Ivan Davis is the Principal of Western Springs College/Ng-a Puna O Waiorea. I hear that the Prime Minister is visiting your school on 21 February. Why is she visiting?
Actually, she is quite a frequent visitor to our school because we are in her electorate, but this upcoming visit is pretty special – it is the official opening of our extraordinary ‘new’ school. This $80 million project has been the biggest school build ever in New Zealand and we are delighted about Jacinda Ardern’s wish to officially open it.
You said that the new school is extraordinary. In what ways?
The scale, the height (three storeys), the university feel to the campus, the beauty of the Jasmax design, the innovative and flexible spaces, the superb quality of the learning spaces, the interior and exterior environment, the specialist spaces, Ng-a Puna O Waiorea and its whare tapere (performance space), the comfort – and the real pleasure students get out of coming to school. With a school like this, who wouldn’t?
We heard about a no-shoes policy for the new school. Where did that idea come from?
Haha. That is one of those great ideas that soon faded into oblivion. Introducing our students into this wonderful new environment, it seemed appropriate for everyone to take their shoes off... and they did for a while, but they soon got sick of it, petitioned me to reconsider – and I did!
The funny thing was, about a week after I canned the initiative, somebody provided me with a piece of research out of the UK and Scandinavia that said academic achievement improves when students remove their shoes before entering the classroom! Our M-aori-medium school still has a ‘shoes outside’ kaupapa.
How did the students and teachers cope with all the construction activity?
Students and teachers have shown amazing resilience, with a clear focus on maintaining teaching and learning despite the rebuild going on around them.
Students will fondly remember the ‘container bridge’ that enabled them access to the gymnasium, turf and sports fields across the construction road without hindrance or danger as just one of the many innovations that were put in place to keep us operational. Many readers will have attended events on the ‘village green’ (the space we created in the centre of the temporary school of prefabs), and will remember it with affection.
Was there any time for teaching?
Of course – this is the purpose of all schools! And I take my hat off to the ministry and its rebuild team for the way in which this development has been carried out with little or no disruption to the teaching programme. Springs has an excellent academic record and we have been able to maintain this even though we have been surrounded by construction work since December 2016, when the first of the demolition began.
How did you cope as Principal with all the extra work of this development?
Actually, I’ve really enjoyed it! And I’m very proud to see what we have created. Working with architects, designers, engineers and contractors has been a new and very rewarding experience for me. We are looking forward to making the most of all the opportunities our new spaces offer.
WESTERN SPRINGS COLLEGE, 100 Motions Road, T: 09 815 6730, www.westernsprings.school.nz
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