On Monday 8 November, the school gathered at assembly to acknowledge and celebrate the mission, outreach and service portfolio of St Paul’s Collegiate School. As we thank all those involved with community service programs today, we also acknowledge individual student leaders for their significant and exemplary leadership and commitment to the service programs.
Year 9 Service Awards
- Fletcher Sefton: Service awards are usually given to senior students of the school and as it is exceptionally rare to find one of our juniors as active or as committed to service right from the moment he arrived at school. Fletcher has made a significant commitment to the Serve, Hospital Chaplaincy and to the St Joan’s Ukulele Club. Fletcher Sefton as a year 9 student is awarded a service badge. This is the first occasion in the history of the school that this has happened.
Year 11 Service Awards
Year 11 Refugee Orientation Centre Programme: Genevieve Churton, Ryan Higgins, Frankie Muir
and Neel Lad
Throughout 2021 a number of students from the Year 11 group have made a regular and impressive commitment to assisting young refugees from the Refugee Orientation Centre with a range of activities including their academic studies. From their ranks, a number of students have made a significant commitment beyond what was expected. These students have assisted on a regular weekly basis and in some cases two or three times a week, giving a huge amount of personal time to the service programme at the Refugee Centres.
Year 11 Chapel IT team: Arjan Kang, Malachi Flintoff and Jackson Dwyer
At the end of 2020, the chapel IT team farewelled a number of very significant contributors to that particular and unique service programme. With limited year 12 involvement, it fell to year 11 students to rise to the challenge to manage the IT systems in a very complex year with live streaming now the norm. The following students have excelled in this area and have personally contributed many hours to the chapel program. In recognition of their service in this area the following year 11 students are awarded service badges for 2021:
Year 11 Awards: The Serve, Hospital Chaplaincy and St Joan’s Ukelele Club:
- Matthew Chanwai: Whilst most year 11 students are encouraged to support the work of the Refugee Orientation Centre, Matthew has also made a huge personal commitment to the feeding programmes of the Serve, Sunday morning service at Waikato Hospital assisting with patient transfer in the Chaplaincy department and also had made a regular commitment to the Tuesday ukulele lunchtime group at St Joan’s Hospital. In recognition of this, Matthew is awarded the 2021 service badge.
Year 12 Service Awards
Year 11 Awards: The Serve, Hospital Chaplaincy and St Joan’s Ukelele Club: Daniel Williams, Zoe Chapman, Sam White, Sam Peoples, Emily Jin, Stella Hamilton, Joanna Li, Jade Luxton, Nicole Chen, Fiona Su and Lucy Kavanagh.
These students have each made a huge commitment to at least three of the following four areas of service. They have each committed regularly to the serving of food at the Serve feeding programme, Sunday morning service at Waikato Hospital assisting with patient transfer in the Chaplaincy department, the Tuesday ukulele lunchtime group at St Joan’s Hospital and Over The Fence ministry at Bankwood and Fairfield Primary Schools.
Year 12 and 13 World Vision 40 Hour Famine Support: Christian Fladgate, Caitlin Fladgate and Harry Derry.
This year St Paul’s set itself the ambitious target to raise $15,000 for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine, following last years success. A number of students worked incredibly hard to raise funds to support those suffering from food shortages and climate change in Malawi Africa and, as a result, we smashed the target by over $5000 with just over $20,000 being raised for World Vision. These students each raised $1000 or over and we acknowledge their remarkable contributions with the awarding of service badges and ties for 2021 and for the year 13 students service colours in addition.
Year 13 Leaders
The Community Fridge:
- Ben Back: During the course of the year, student leaders from the International Department have made a significant contribution to the Hamilton Combined Christian Foodbank. Despite the challenges of lockdown, the International Department staff and students have raised over $1000 and provided dozens of boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to those struggling with food insecurity in our city. For their leadership and exemplary commitment to the St Paul’s Community Fridge Ben Back is awarded a service tie, badge and colours.
Flame Boarders Charity Relay
- Katie Brown and Jae Broomfield: The Flame Boarders Charity Relay in May this year was a huge success with participation from all students in the boarding community. As a result, over $16,000 was raised through sponsorship to support the work of the Flame charity in Cambodia. This incredible fundraising ensured the vital work of Flame’s mobile classroom could continue its work in the slums of Phnom Penh in Cambodia for another year. The success of the event itself and the fundraising initiative was only made possible through the incredible commitment of two students. For their organisation of the 2021 Charity Relay, service ties, badges and service colours are awarded to Katie and Jae.
St Joan’s, The Serve, Hospital and Over the Fence Ministry
- Tyler Mulgrew and Tanika Naidoo: These students have each made a huge commitment to many areas of service. They have each committed regularly to a variety of the following programmes:
the serving of food at the Serve feeding programme, Sunday morning service at Waikato Hospital assisting with patient transfer in the Chaplaincy department, the Tuesday ukulele lunchtime group at St Joan’s Hospital, Wednesday St Joan’s art Club and Over The Fence ministry at Banklwood and Fairfield Primary Schools. They have both been awarded school service colours, ties and service badges.
Mission Outreach Service Co-Leaders
Frazer Tam: Frazer has been active in the service programmes of the school for over three years. A service leader in year 11 and this year co-leader of the service portfolio. He has consistently displayed the qualities of a St Paul’s servant leader and has been an inspiring role model in this area. His successful leadership in the organisation of the 40 hour Famine saw over $20,000 being raised. For his contribution to service during 2021 Service Colours are awarded to Frazer.
Marcia Graafhuis: Marcia had an awesome year as co-leader of the service programmes. She has worked with Mr Neethling to coordinate the Over The Fence ministry during this challenging year. Dedicated, organised and highly motivated, she has led the portfolio with distinction. She has managed The Serve and Hospital Chaplaincy programmes, as well as the St Joan’s Hospital Ukulele and Art programmes. She was co-leader of the World Vision 40hour famine initiative that saw all previous records being broken with over $20,000 being raised by students in 2021. For her remarkable servant leadership, enthusiasm and extraordinary commitment to service in a challenging year, she has been awarded Service Colours for 2021.
Staff
The following members of staff have made a very significant personal commitment to the service programs of the school during 2021:
Chris Foot: Mr Foot has led the programme for the Refugee Orientation Centre Trust now for over 5 years. He has been an incredible support to our students and also to the staff of the Refugee Centre trust itself. He can be regularly seen transporting students during his own time and has been an inspirational leader.
Caroline Collie, Mel Simmons and Nicole Schollum: Mrs Collie, Ms Simmons and Miss Schollum have all made significant personal commitments to the Refugee Centre Trust programme and we thank them for their provision of regular transport to and from Frankton twice a week.
Kelvin Hogg: Mr Hogg in 2021 ran for Africa in 2021, completing 40km in a weekend and at the same time raising many dollars for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine – thank you, Mr Hogg.
Carl Neethling: Mr Neethling has been an exemplary leader of the Over the Fence ministry programme, inspiring students and staff alike. He has been an excellent communicator and liaison person with our partnered primary schools.
Chris Warner: Chef Warner prepares 60 two-course dinners for The Serve every month in his own time and provides food for so many of our other service programmes, not least a feast of halal food for the kids of the Refugee Orientation Programme.
Helen Richardson: Mrs Helen Richardson has been the coordinator of the Community Fridge Project and has motivated the international students to fundraise for and subsequently supply the Hamilton Christian Foodbank with a regular weekly supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Mrs Richardson personal commitment to this project has provided for many hundreds of families in need over the year.
Angela Bromwich, Matt Hewett and Helen Bradford: Mrs Bromwich, Mr Hewett, Mrs Bradford all assist with The Serve project. Transporting and supervising students, delivering and serving meals, these staff members, like so many others, give of their own time to ensure the success of our involvement with this project.
Josh Howard: Mr Howard has spent many hours supervising, training and assisting the Chapel IT team members. In addition Mr Howard has overseen many aspects of the chapel programme and created/amended many of our powerpoints, often at the last minute and at very stressful times, ie 2 minutes before the start of a service. Thank you Mr Howard for your exemplary contribution to the Chapel and Assembly programme.
