No action on widely sprayed bank

The Marlborough District Council is not taking any action against an overzealous landowner who sprayed more grass on a stopbank than agreed.

District council rivers and drainage engineer Brin Williman said the landowner had resource consent to spray as part of a larger plan to move the stopbank near the O'Dwyer's and Thompson's Ford Road Bridge slightly.

The council and the landowner agreed on what could be planted in the area, including flax, which Mr Williman said would be just as good, or better, in the long term than grass.

"The manner in which he [the landowner] has prepared the ground by spraying a large section to kill all the grass, we're not happy with and are disappointed," he said. It is understood the work was done several weeks ago to plant shrubs.

The council will ask the landowner to resow grass where other plants have not been planted, he said.

The Marlborough Express received a letter from Blenheim man Keith Adams, who lives close to the stopbank and said he was "astonished" after seeing the bare bank and questioning why the spraying had been done in the first place.

Mr Williman said rock under some of the ground would limit any erosion, but understood Mr Adams' concerns.

SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 17/11/2010

Term based funding a problem for principals

A change in Ministry of Education funding for secondary schools next year will make budgeting and planning difficult, according to Marlborough's principals.

Marlborough Boys' principal Wayne Hegarty said the change from annual funding to term-by-term based on roll numbers meant there was no certainty about what the total budget would be for the year.

In his speech at the Boys' College prizegiving on Wednesday, Mr Hegarty said the school's roll at March 1 this year was 976 – 24 less than the school budgeted for and 49 less than the ministry projected.

The school was also expecting a smaller roll of 938 students for Term 1 next year, which meant less funding, he said.

According to the ministry website, the change will affect all state and state integrated schools with students in years 9 to 13, but will not affect how school staffing entitlements are calculated.

Each student was funded for about $1000 from the ministry for the year, but varied depending on whether they were senior or junior students.

The retention rate for students at Boys' College was quite high (93 per cent in Year 13 between March 1 and September 10 this year) and students left the college for various reasons, including families moving or students going into employment. The college was preparing its 2011 budget and some cuts would be made, but Mr Hegarty did not want to pre-empt what those would be.

Marlborough Girls' College principal Karen Stewart said the change in funding would be difficult because the school still had fixed costs such as power, rates and paying for support staff.

"It makes it difficult for text books and big ticket items – you can't order 29 books and expect them to be there tomorrow," she said.

Finding employment or apprenticeships for students was part of the school's effort to provide ongoing education, but now the ministry wanted to keep students in school until the end of the year, she said.

"If they [the students] get NCEA Level 3 and that's what they need to get into a course and that's their goal, they'll leave if the right job comes up."

Queen Charlotte College principal Tom Parsons said a funding cut did "seem like a punishment" for schools working hard to get students into good employment. However, he also acknowledged the viewpoint of the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley.

"I can understand the minister when she says `I'm not going to pay for students you don't have' – that does make sense," he said.

Mr Parsons used an example of a school which had an influx of students throughout the year and would get no funding for them, but would on a term-by-term basis.

SIMON WONG AND FAIRFAX - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:39 12/11/2010

Improved pass rates forecast

More Marlborough Boys' College students should get improved pass rates in exams this year, principal Wayne Hegarty said at the college prize-giving ceremony yesterday.

Mr Hegarty said he expected more students to achieve merit or excellence in NCEA exams this year compared with 2009.

In his year at the college, Mr Hegarty said he had been developing the values of pride and respect and on raising expectations and academic achievement.

One per cent of students in level 2 achieved excellence in 50 or more of their credits last year and 3 per cent in level 3, he said.

Eleven per cent achieved merit in year 11, and 12 per cent in year 13.

The college loan repayment to the Government was frustrating and was compounded by reduced roll numbers, which meant less funding, he said.

However, he acknowledged the support the school had received from the Ministry of Education.

"While our loan to them is a millstone, they have and will continue to support us to act on the Education Review Office recommendations designed to increase student academic achievement."

College board chairman Phil Robinson said a separate charitable organisation had been set up to raise funds for the school and will be launched early next year.

The organisation would focus on raising money, which left more time for the board and staff to focus on academic achievement.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:51 11/11/2010

Dux has eye on studying in US

Marlborough Boys' College financial problems were unsettling but did not stop students achieving academically, the 2010 dux says.

Byron Marvin, 18, was named dux of the school for 2010 at the school prizegiving yesterday afternoon, with Thomas Flaherty, 17, awarded proxime accesit to the dux, or runner-up.

Byron was also first in year 13 chemistry and won the Daniel Cup for senior mathematics and the George Spence Prize for overall excellence in year 13 biology. He plans to study mathematics at Auckland University next year.

Byron said he had enjoyed his five years at the college, but it had "been a bit rough at times", referring to the school's financial troubles.

The college had to take a loan from the Ministry of Education in 2008 to cover its failing finances, and is still paying it back.

"We lost a lot of teachers but it's just one of those things you have to struggle through," he said.

Students just had to put their heads down and get through that period, he said.

After completing his degree, he would like to do post-graduate work in the United States.

Year 13 is a stepping stone to university because students learn how to study for themselves and there are a lot of distractions, he said.

"When you've got study periods, not everyone wants to study."

Thomas, who came first in year 13 design and photography and second in painting and graphics, planned to put his skills towards a Bachelor of Design at Massey University in Wellington next year.

He was not yet sure where his four-year degree would take him, but in the meantime was planning to spend his summer working fulltime at Mitre 10 Mega to raise money for student life.

"I'll miss Blenheim but I'm quite keen to go somewhere new and a change of direction."

Thomas said his time at the college had been great, especially under new principal Wayne Hegarty.

"The school's changed a lot. The new principal has made it a lot better."

He would most miss the people, he said.

"You really make some good friends and the ones you stick with through (year 13) are your true friends because you sort of go through a few."

Thomas' favourite subject this year was photography, which included the challenge of preparing a portfolio that not only told a story but showed a range of photographic skills.

"People think it's pretty easy but it's a lot of work, it's really hard to get a good mark. I think I might just have got there."

The prizegiving was punctuated with performances by the college jazz band and haka.

Year 12 student Luka Velebit was appointed head boy for 2011.

Luka said the prospect of being head boy would not distract him from exams beginning next week and he would use the appointment as motivation to do well.

Prize list – page 9

SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:26 11/11/2010

DEREK FLYNN

Top honours: Marlborough Boys' College Dux 2010 Byron Marvin, right, with proxime accesit Thomas Flaherty.

Teenager in court after long car chase

A Blenheim teenager admitted multiple charges relating to a 200-kilometre police chase when he appeared in the Blenheim Youth Court on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, admitted stealing petrol, burglary, unlawfully getting into a car, resisting police and taking a car, but denied another charge of taking a car.

He was remanded on bail to reappear on November 30 for a social worker's report.

Two other Blenheim teenagers, aged 15 and 16, had charges of unlawfully entering a motor vehicle withdrawn and no longer face court action.

It is understood that the charges relate to a police chase from Blenheim south along State Highway 1 on September 21.

Police used road spikes to stop the car near the Hurunui Bridge in Canterbury.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 05/11/2010

New classrooms open doors

Riverlands School has opened the doors to three new classrooms.

The school is holding an open afternoon for family and neighbours on Wednesday from 12.30pm to 4pm to show off the new resources.

The school's development process, which began in 2007, involved building three new classrooms and moving four existing classrooms. While that was happening some classes were held in the library and the school hall, but those classes were able to move into their new classrooms at the start of term four.

Former principal David Petrie sold his neighbouring property to the Ministry of Education to be used to increase the school's size after the ministry deemed it to be smaller than required under its guidelines when its roll, classroom space, land and other factors were considered.

Riverlands has a roll of 220 children.

Principal David Parsons said despite the ongoing disruption throughout the school, the children coped well with the changes and enjoyed watching the builders and heavy machinery at work.

The relocation of the four classrooms gave students extra space to play and a community trust grant also allowed the school to install an all-weather court, he said.

The school was given about $500,000 by the ministry to fund new buildings as part of the School Property Guide Deficiencies Programme in 2007.

Mr Parsons said shortly after the grant was announced, Mr Petrie and his wife offered to sell their adjacent home to the school to increase the school's size.

The school was already planning new classrooms, but plans were put on hold until the property was sold, he said. Although the major work had been completed at the school, there was still minor work which needed to be completed such as laying the new court surface, he said.

The next major project was to turn the orchard on Mr Petrie's old property into an edible garden.

SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 04/11/2010

BEN CURRAN

New digs: Riverlands School is celebrating the opening of three new classrooms. Principal Dave Parsons with Room 6, front row from left, Alicia James, 8, Kaito Berry, 9, Henry Aitken, 9, Henry Cosgrove, 8, Emma van Helewijn, 8, and back row from left, Adam McKenzie, 9, Andre Heebard, 8, Bayley O'Hagan, 9, Ethan Delamare, 8, and Ryan Palmer, 8, outside the new classroom

Slick flick in top 20

A five-minute movie inspired by Disney's Alice in Wonderland about a polluted Renwick in 2210 has landed Renwick school in the top-20 entries in a national sustainability film competition.

The film, Malice in Wonderland, was written, shot and directed by Room 5. The movie was filmed on a small digital camera and was entered into the TVNZ 6 The Outlook for Someday film challenge.

Room 5 teacher Michelle Moran, students George Murray, 8, William Hammond, 8, and William's mum, Vanessa, will fly to Auckland next Thursday to collect their prize, which includes subscriptions to magazines and items from EcoStore and Trade Aid.

Public voting for the audience favourite award is still open until next week, with the winning team receiving a new laptop computer.

Miss Moran said the film was originally 22 minutes long and was made as a classroom exercise to show the rest of the school, but she found out about the competition online and decided to enter.

The film had to be cut to five minutes and reshot by pupils, because teacher involvement was restricted.

Cutting the original film was a difficult decision for the class, because many of the characters had to be left out, she said.

"It's hard when you've got 27 different opinions," she said.

The story revolves around Wallis, played by George Murray, who falls down a rabbit hole and finds himself in a very polluted Renwick in the year 2210.

The judges commented on the well-constructed story, good humour and the local, down-to-earth perspective of the film.

Miss Moran said neither she nor any of her pupils had experience in movie-making or editing, but film-making was a way for the children to learn.

Pupil Jackson Wilson, 7, said the experience allowed the children to learn about the film-making process, including acting and voice-overs.

To see or vote for Malice in Wonderland, see theoutlookforsomeday.net

SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 04/11/2010

BEN CURRAN

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Room 5 at Renwick School are celebrating their top-20 placement in a national sustainability film competition. Student George Murray, 8, holds the camera his class used to film their movie, Malice in Wonderland.