As the girls of St Mary's Diocesan School are preparing for upcoming exams and getting the credits they need, excitement is still running high; especially in the science department.
In the final assembly for term two, 20 new science lab coats were kindly donated to the St Mary's students andstaff by local companies, Fonterra and Alsco.
Previously, the science department had only about 10 lab coats and this meant that if there were two or more senior classes on at once, not all classes could complete a practical during that period. Now there are enough coats for each student and their teachers to participate in a safely handled practical lesson whenever needed.
The arrival of the lab coats has chemistry teacher Angie Cooper over the moon. "The families of the students can now know their daughter is safe ... it also looks smart when we have visitors on school grounds."
Not only do lab coats help keep the girls and their uniforms safe, they also make the girls feel the part. "Wearing a lab coat gives you the sense of being scientific, it makes you feel as if you're doing real science," Matthew Coleman, HOD Science says.
Being a small school, St Mary's is always grateful for donations so it can then target its resources on other expenses. Now that the much-needed lab coats have been donated, the science budget can be spent on what it is meant for. "We can now spend the science department money on improving teaching and learning," Matt says.
The staff and students of St Mary's Diocesan School would like to say a massive thank-you to Fonterra and Alsco for such a generous donation. St Mary's welcomes Alsco and Fonterra into the network of companies with which it has partnerships.
