Stan Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 School of the Week: Tauranga Adventist School Genevieve Helliwell | 21st March 2011 Share Year 7 students Ayla Wesley, 11, and David Pickering, 11, enjoy playing the ukulele at Tauranga Adventist School. Photo / John Borren. Driving along Moffat Rd, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, is a school that can be described as a diamond in the rough. From the front entrance, the cool grey brick buildings are uninviting but the moment you walk through the doors, the light shines from within. Children's artwork hangs in the foyer and music wafts through from the multipurpose room beyond the next wall. I poke my head around the door and see a group of students playing on blue ukuleles. The colour matches the students' school uniform. Eleven-year-old Ayla Wesley excitedly tells me the group had recently formed but members had already learnt several chords and tunes. Music is an integral part of Tauranga Adventist School and is celebrated by staff and students alike. BEEEEEP. The bell rings. Ayla and her classmates pack up their ukuleles and venture outside for lunch. Beyond the classroom doors students sit underneath a sunshade and eat their lunch. A group of boys and girls plays football together on the grass playing field. Others defy gravity on the school playground and swing fearlessly on the monkey bars. At Tauranga Adventist School kids can be kids. It's got that small, rural feel that principal Ross Bishop says is celebrated in the school community. "We have a very committed community group that are extremely supportive of the school's codes and values," he said. "[The school] tries to work as an extension of the home life and duplicate the Christian values taught at home ... and if what's taught in the home is supported at school, it becomes a seamless experience because everything they do is is done with a Christian theme." Christianity is at the core of everything they do at Tauranga Adventist School and the majority of students are active in the wider Christian community. It's this philosophy that sees all students celebrated for their individual achievements, whether it be academic, sporting or cultural. "One of the things we teach is that if the kids have talents, abilities or gifts, they have been given the responsibility to share that and use their gifts for the benefits of others, and if they do that, they will become blessed themselves," Mr Bishop said. Active service was also encouraged at the school and Mr Bishop said Tauranga Adventist School students were underpinned by special values where the focus was not on serving oneself but serving others and being children of God. The small school community - about 100 students and 10 staff - is ethnically diverse but because of their shared Christian values, the students celebrate their similarities rather than focus on their differences. Tauranga Adventist School is part of a group of schools operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The school officially opened on its Bethlehem site in June 2008 and replaced the former school, originally built in 1974. The new facilities won a regional building design award and consist of four classrooms, administration offices, music, learning support and staff rooms, and a central multipurpose area comprising a library, computer suite and assembly area. It is a fully integrated school and caters for children from Years 1-8, and because of its special character it draws students from all over Tauranga. There are many opportunities available at Tauranga Adventist, where children can test themselves in the sporting arena, in the classroom or in the arts. One of the much-anticipated events was the school's Big Day Out at Memorial Park, where students of all ages work in groups to achieve tasks. Mr Bishop said that day was about enhancing the concept of family within the school environment. It also allowed older students the opportunity to interact with younger students and model the message that everyone should aspire to be "the best possible person they can be". Parent Nina McNeilly has been part of the school community for the past 10 years. During that time, her three children have been students at the school. This year she further immersed herself in school life and gained the position of teacher-aide. Mrs McNeilly said it was the Christian values that attracted her to the school and the caring and friendly staff kept her committed to the school for the past decade. "The school is extremely supportive and the teachers really care for the children and care about their learning." Tauranga Adventist School Where: 19 Moffat Rd, Bethlehem. Pupils: 100. Staff: About 10. Decile: 8. Principal: Ross Bishop. School motto: Where Christian Values Count. Website: www.taurangasda.school.nz S O U R C E Quote If you receive benefit to being here please help out with expenses. https://www.paypal.me/clubadventist Administrator of a few websites like https://adventistdating.com
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