Sunset closure still hurting

Rotorua's Kate McPherson is angry her son, Caleb Jolley-McPherson, and other Sunset Junior High School students face the stigma of coming from a failed school.
Education Minister Steve Maharey has announced that Sunset Junior High School will close on January 27 next year. In May, the Ministry of Education recommended that Mr Maharey consider the Rotorua school future. The school has been under the control of a ministry-appointed commissioner since December 2004.
After considering feedback from the school, its commissioner and community, the minister said the school was not viable.
"While the school roll has been high in the past, it has declined to a level that is too low to be able to affectively provide the national curriculum for students in a [year seven to 10] school," Mr Maharey said.
The school has a roll of 68 and he did not believe the situation would change.
But Mrs McPherson doubts the Minister paid any attention to the submissions asking for the school to remain open.
"I can't honestly believe that they came to this decision reading the submissions that we made," Mrs McPherson said.
Caleb, 12, was feeling "pretty down" about the decision and would have liked to continue his schooling at Sunset.
The Ministry of Education's Rotorua office manager, Joanne Allen, said the school's media spokesman was the commissioner, Richard Thompson. The Daily Post was unable to contact him for comment.
Mr Maharey acknowledged the school community would be disappointed by the closure but said students needed the best possible learning opportunities, which they would get at other schools in the district. "It is sad to see the closure of any school, but it is vital that all students maximise their education opportunities," he said.
Mrs McPherson disagrees. She believes her son and the rest of the students would be pushed into the background at other Rotorua schools. She doubted students would willingly accept them.
"The kids are going to have the stigma of coming from a failed school."
For that reason, Mrs McPherson will send Caleb to school out of Rotorua.
"He'll be accepted for who he is not where he's from. He won't have to worry about bullying or put downs."
To Mrs McPherson, Sunset Junior High School is part of her family history. Not only did five of her six children attend it as Sunset Junior High School or its predecessor Sunset Intermediate, she and five of her siblings did too.
She was angered and saddened by the closure and was concerned that some of the students would just give up.
The Ministry of Education has put a support plan in place for the students to help them with the transition of changing schools. Mrs Allen said special education staff would work with each child and their family to find out what school the students wanted to attend. About 20 pupils are headed to intermediates while the rest will move on to secondary schools. Mrs Allen said some students were eyeing boarding schools while the rest wanted to attend local schools.
"Once we know where the students want to go, then we'll start developing a plan and [approach the school]," Mrs Allen said.
Rotorua Intermediate principal Garry de Thierry said students from the school had been travelling to his school for three terms for technology classes. He welcomed them if they wanted to attend full time.
"We will accommodate them, they've been really great."