Rural school snares big award

WINNERS (from left): Stacey McKenzie (teacher), Hunter Browning, Jaydn Sorensen, Josie O'Hagan, Indica Brown and senior constable Rob Conder. Photo by Stuart Munro.

Eight-year-old Indica Brown didn't know what it was like to be picked on ... until she starred in an anti-bullying video,

For the video, her Aberfeldy schoolmates had to give her a hard time - snapping pencils, pushing her books onto the floor, being mean.

"It was horrible," Indica said.

Luckily that's not how it is everyday at the small Parapara highway school which won a national award for it svideo spreading the anti-bullying message.

Indica starred in the 40-second collection of skits during which classmates acted out several ways to illustrate bullying at school.

Teacher Stacey McKenzie entered the video into the contest run by Blue Light, a police youth programme, and won first prize in the primary school section.

"I was completely surprised when I got the call," Mrs McKenzie said. "The children brainstormed the ideas for the video and did the acting. I helped a little with the filming."

Police school community officer Rob Conder said it was the first time he was aware of that a Whanganui school had won the annual contest.

"They did a mighty job and the video will be useful for when I visit schools in the district and talk about bullying," senior constable Conder said.

Aberfeldy School was handed a $1000 cheque and after much discussion and ideas were put forward on how to spend it, the class decided the money should go towards school camp, "and chocolate."

The children involved in the video project were: Indica Brown, Jaydn Sorensen, Jerell Filo, Sheldon O'Hagan, Charlie O'Hagan, Josie O'Hagan, Dylan Browning, Hunter Browning and Taonga Hoeta.

The video can viewed on the Aberfeldy School Facebook page.