For Falealili with love

A very special group of New Zealand youth have ensured Poutasi students get the best education possible through their generosity and sharing of knowledge.

For three weeks 19 students from Auckland’s Kirstin School have spent time in in the southern Upolu village, experiencing all that Poutasi has to offer.

Falealili College Principal Ula Meleisea said the friendship between the schools began when Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale informed them that there was an institution from New Zealand who wanted to help in the time following the 2009 tsunami.

“Tuatagaloa, mentioned that there was a school that wanted to give us support and contributions,” she said.

“Because our school was one of the colleges that was badly damaged and destroyed by the tsunami 2009.”

“We didn’t even have a school building then. So I said okay welcome them, I want to meet them.”

And so she did, with the staff from Kirstin School making the journey to Poutasi.

“We had a talk and we looked around for something that they could contribute to and support our situation at the time,” said Mrs Meleisea.

“And then they went away for three months and returned with lots of resources for us.”

“The ovens and stoves, the sewing machines and fridges for the Food and Textiles Technology class.”

“The P.A. system, computers and laptops – that was all two years ago.”

This year is the second time a group of Kirstin School students have visited Poutasi with their teacher Carl Murray saying they were already planning their 2016 trip.

“We have done the three different schools this trip,” he said referring to the time his students spent at Poutasi Saleilua Primary School, Falealili College and the Poutasi Preschool.

“And had lots of fun in the secondary and primary schools and then when you go down to the little anklebiters in the preschool and it was just great.”

He said this particular trip was focussed on how they could help the Falealili students access the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture’s (M.E.S.C.) SchoolNet system.

SchoolNet is a virtual library with the server being the shelves that holds all the books and electronic resources and the computer, is the main tool for accessing and using these resources.

It allows a teacher to use audio, images or other visualisations to create an interesting impact in his or her lesson and allows students to access electronic books or references for specific topics, or use simulations for scientific experiments without actually working in a lab with real chemicals, beakers, tubes if you can imagine what are used in science labs.

In a bid to help the Falealili students access this resource, Kirstin School provided HP 7 Plus tablets.

“So we provided 100 wireless tablets that can link in and get their textbooks and jump onto the Ministry’s SchoolNet system, and that is really good,” Mr Murray said.

“The year 12 and 13s, is where a lot of it will be heading but it will filter down throughout the school.”

“We have run a couple of presentations here to tech the kids how to use them and the teachers all had a presentation a professional learning session as well on how to use them.”

Mrs. Meleisea said the tablets Kirsten school donated this year would be the most help for her school.

“We are using them since we don’t have all the schemes available,” she said.

“Because some schemes from the curriculum some books are missing so therefore they have downloaded and programmed the SchoolNet program into the tablets so we can use them.”

“It is very handy and convenient.”

Mrs. Meleisea said what was most special about this trip was the local students were able to share the Samoan culture with the New Zealand Students.

Twice, through a buddy system, Kirstin students returned home with a Falealili student for a few hours to experience first hand village life.

“The first group did not have any time to go out in the field and visit some Samoan families,” she said.

“But this group has gone to the Samoan families twice so that is the most important thing.”

“The other thing is that they were able to meet my students and participate in the classes.”

Mr Murray said that this was one of the best parts of the trip for his students.

“It really exposes these guys to the extended family,” he said.

“We get way more out of the partnership than they do just in terms of the culture and the caring nature of them they are just such fun people.”

For Kirstin School student Daniel Clark, there were challenges to the visit – challenges he was happy to overcome.

It was his second visit to Samoa – in 2012 he holidayed here with his family.

“It was a challenge just to try and fit in with the culture and the surroundings and the people who we lived with,” he said.

“Even people who we came on the trip with we didn’t know them that well.”

“And it has just been hard to adapt to things like the climate and the food and the traditions and the customs involved with the culture.”

So how did he rise up and meet these challenges.

“Just by trying to get in amongst it and getting used to it,” he said.

“And now it has become the norm we have done it so many times now after three weeks.”

He said the highlight of the trip for him was just being in Samoa.

“And definitely just visiting the preschool and the primary school and obviously the college have been the highlights.”

“As well as seeing Samoa again.”

Mr. Murray said next year two Falealili College students and a teacher would visit the Kirstin School for about a month.

“It is kind of professional learning for the teacher and just allowing the student to be exposed to a different culture,” he said.

“Which is what it is for us when we come here to Samoa.”

“And then we have just established a full two year scholarship for a year 12 student to come to New Zealand to do their year 12 and 13 schooling.”

“A boy is coming who is currently in year 11 here. so he will do year 12 and year 13 at Kirstin School so that is really exciting.”

Mrs. Meleisea concluded simply saying:

“We are just so very grateful to this school.

They have done a lot for us.”