Like many schools, Morningside School has had a busy term planned with school trips and events. The whole school is heading off for a trip to Auckland Zoo and each collaborative teaching team was required to raise as much money as possible to contribute towards the costs of this trip.

As part of their learning and discovery in previous terms, Team Pukeko looked at how the New Zealand Olympians got money to compete at the Olympics and discussed sponsorship.

Susan Fraser, teacher of Team Pukeko said that “as a class and in conjunction with other teachers Anna Keogh and Sharyn Smith, they brainstormed different ideas about what they could do and looked at a list of criteria, to choose their best option.”

Criteria included;

• Something our parents would actually want us to do
• Something we can all do together
• Something that will be fun
• Something good for us

A walk-athon around the Hatea Loop was decided upon which fitted all the criteria.

Each child made a sponsorship booklet and the aim was to raise $10 each however many

made much more. The students used great initiative and had chosen to add an extra incentive for their sponsors. The students decided to bring in one item each to donate to make a class raffle. For each $2 that they were sponsored, the person sponsoring got an entry into the draw for the raffle.

The children, in small mixed groups had painted flags made up with their team names and proceeded to walk to the base of the Te Matau a Pohe bridge where the walk-a-thon officially started.

A number of challenges were planned that teams had to complete along the way such as lunges across the big bridge, running a lap of the BMX track, balancing along the balance beam and having a photo with the whole team on the spider web at the town basin playground.

“What a fantastic and healthy way to fundraise for a trip, incorporating teamwork,

decision making and the final outcome and achievement of their goal being reached, raising over $3000” says Energizer Clark Lewis.

Sport Northland through its Energize programme is supporting kura throughout Northland with the overall aim to meet the school needs to help them to improve their children’s physical activity and nutrition, and ultimately to improve overall health - therefore the programme is different as its tailored to each individual kura.