Room three responded to the challenge to "dress country".
Room three responded to the challenge to "dress country".
There was a definite feel of country when Ruahine School held its very first Pumpkin Festival on Monday April 3.
The project was a fundraiser for the Rescue Helicopter, organised by the school's Parents For Kids committee.
Riley Prenter and Maddison Mitchell strut their stuff in the parade.
The school had been busy for the previous week doing pumpkin-related activities butthe major competition had been running since Spring when students were challenged to grow the biggest pumpkin.
There were pumpkin colouring competitions, a pumpkin bake-off, poetry creation about pumpkins, a country dressing up and the pumpkin finale.
Ruahine's Monday assembly was the culmination of all these activities and children received their prizes based on class groups.
Best dressed country folk Samuel Fleming, Miss Norman and Milla Bowie.
The bake-off was judged by Liz Parkes of Iced, with the winning creation being a spiced pumpkin cheesecake, second a sweet pumpkin pie and third a savoury pumpkin muffin.
Ruahine children with their winning pumpkins, Milla and Ollie Bowie on the floor in front of their whopper 29kg champion.
The six winners read out their poems to the whole assembly, before each class paraded, some in costumes, to western-style music. Teachers won the popular vote by acclaim.
Ollie and Milla's 29kg pumpkin was a clear winner, their parents confiding that the secret ingredient was sheep manure. Second was Jack Cammock's at 9.7kg closely followed by Stella Castles at 9.1kg.
There were prizes for the ugliest, the best dressed and the smallest (too small to weigh). There might be a lot of pumpkin soup consumed this winter out Ruahine way.
Principal Lianne Angland concluded the assembly with a whip cracking display but promised to keep her whip at home.
The Rescue Helicopter benefited to the tune of $117.50 but the whole school benefited much more.
