"Under the Bridge"

In February of this year, thanks to a team of investigative journalists from the New Zealand Herald, Papakura High School has been thrust into the forefront of the  media because of a feature film which follows a year in the life of three of our senior students plus myself as the newly appointed Principal.
The film was also preceded by four short promo films focusing on each identity in the film, and then with a 3 day follow up in the printed New Zealand Herald (front page on day 1, highlighting my message of hope for Papakura High School.)

The film can be viewed online at  NZ Herald Under the Bridge
The background to the film and the response to it also make interesting viewing.

One of the unexpected consequences of the film has been the contact which the school has had from former students from all around the world. This has been quite exceptional. In some instances we have received generous gifts from them, with most insisting on anonymity.

We have also had a number of alumni contact the school with a view to setting up an active alumni group and also to setting up a Charitable Trust, whose object is to provide for the well being of Papakura High School students and also to provide enrichment opportunities for them, which the school could never hope to provide out of its means. We are thrilled with this outcome.

The team from the New Zealand Herald and the Papakura High team of Jayden Schell, Robert Downes and Wendy Savieti and I posing after the final shoot for "Under the Bridge"