By REBECCA WALSH education reporter
Penrose High School students went on a peacemaking mission yesterday, delivering gifts to shopkeepers in Ellerslie after complaints of students racially abusing and stealing from them.
The gifts were the idea of the school's student council, which was also charged with deciding on a punishment for the six students involved.
Principal Richard Thornton said the students wanted to restore the school's reputation and delivered 40 gifts and cards to shopkeepers in the area.
"The school has taken it quite hard in a lot of ways. They feel they have been beat up quite a bit and wanted to do something positive for the community."
Penrose High students were banned from an Ellerslie bakery after shopkeeper Michael Kuoy complained that pupils had racially abused him. The issue prompted a visit to the school by Race Relations Conciliator Dr Rajen Prasad, who told students they were all soldiers in the fight against racism.
As a result of investigations by the school, six fourth-formers involved in three separate incidents will be stood down for two days.
Mr Thornton said that rather than "staying home and watching videos" the six students would work around the school.
They would be on a black list of students banned from using the Ellerslie bus and would have to catch an alternative bus direct from the school.
They would also have to make written and verbal apologies to the shopkeepers involved.
The school would continue to provide daily patrols of the area.
Mr Kuoy said he was happy with the punishment imposed on the students. He planned to remove the sign banning Penrose High students from the shop next week and said there had been no more problems.
"There are a lot of good kids out there. There are just some that spoil it for the rest."
Mr Thornton said he was investigating the idea of a laminated bus pass for students catching the bus from Ellerslie town centre.
Pupils' gifts charm shopkeepers
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