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2001 Conference - Rotorua
Mount Aspiring College
Maurie Jackways
Principal
Contents
Reversing the Trend
How a small rural school utilised its own
strengths and resources to become an educational leader in its
field.
Mount Aspiring College was founded in 1986 after the disbanding
of Wanaka Area School into separate primary and secondary schools
due to overcrowding on the original site.
The college was sited on large grounds and refurbished classrooms
were provided from the Twizel Power Project.
Population growth within the area remained relatively static over
the next few years and when the Government of the day decided to
look at all marginally sized schools with a view to either closing
them or amalgamating with other schools the college had to act to
survive.
The college had been hovering around the 200 mark and was in
danger of being identified as a target school. It consistently had a
Form 7 (Year 13) class of approximately 9 - 10 and was unable to
offer a sufficiently wide range of senior subjects to have any
certainty of holding these students.
The domino effect meant that as one student left due to
inadequate subject choice then another subject would become
unsustainable and the effect flowed on. Students often had no choice
but to leave in order to protect their own futures. The community's
view of the college and its own self-image were low.
Faced with possible closure, management at the college decided
that they needed to act to try and protect the future of the school
and by involving all staff in a series of informal meeting and
discussions a blueprint was formed.
The informal meetings were based around the "Nike
Model" which promoted the concept that there's no such thing as
a bad idea. The involvement of staff in all aspects of the
brainstorming was particularly important and gave them a real sense
of ownership.
Strategic planning including a SWOT analysis, brainstorming and
open discussion at the time identified the particular strengths of
the college as being both the personnel and the natural environment.
As a consequence the college decided to pursue a policy of
attracting students from outside the area to attend the college and
take Outdoor Education as a subject. The Board of Trustees agreed to
underwrite the scheme in its first year.
Some creative solutions were needed for both accommodating and
feeding the potential students which subsequently lead to the
formation of a Life Skills programme using the Adventure Based
Learning model and effectively saw the students flatting under
supervision by using a local motel during term time which was then
made available for the public during the holidays. An on-site
married couple supervised the cooking.
Some excellent results and publicity soon gave the college a well
regarded reputation and demand for places in the hostel exceeded
available places. Many other students also moved to Wanaka and
private boarded. The trend of homestays had begun.
The college was now achieving on an academic, sporting and
cultural front. It had realised its first goal of survival and now
needed to plan for continued growth.
The need for financial security and independence saw the college
negotiate with the Queenstown Lakes District Council to purchase
some rezoned reserve land adjacent to the college for a minimal fee
and after taking out a $1,000,000 loan the college's own purpose-
built hostel was constructed to cater for thirty Year 12 and 13
students and two married couples.
The Council had been made aware of the college's value to the
community and also the potential that existed for the mutual benefit
to the town. Encouragement for the local builders to join together
had seen a consortium successfully tender for the construction of
the buildings.
Demand from overseas had also created a market for integrating
foreign students into the school programmes. This potential for
growth was recognised and the college built its own International
Language Centre on the same land purchased for the hostel.
The plan was that the overseas students would effectively service
the mortgage for both the hostel and the centre and still return a
profit to the college.
The original goal for the college had been to survive but now it
found itself in the enviable position of being not only one of the
country's leading schools in the area of Outdoor Education but also
in terms of its innovative approach to education generally.
The size of the senior school college had increased several
hundred percent after the construction of the purpose-built hostel
and for every student entering the hostel another would private
board in the local community.
In order to protect the financial interests of the college The
Mount Aspiring College Foundation had been formed in 1988.
The Foundation was an independent body with the responsibility
for the entrepreneurial aspects of the college. This group not only
protected the college from litigation or bankruptcy but it was also
responsible for creating an education industry with the underlying
philosophy that it was to benefit the students within the framework
at Mount Aspiring College.
Demand for additional Outdoor Education had seen a relationship
develop with Otago Polytechnic to run two tertiary courses at the
college. The demand was coming both from the students leaving the
college and also external demand to work in the outdoor education
industry. Mount Aspiring College enjoyed a high profile and high
reputation. The college and Polytechnic were able to share resources
and the tertiary students were also able to assist in the college's
own programmes as trainees who also helped enormously with safe
staffing ratios.
The college had progressed from a depressed rural school with a
declining roll to leader in education with expansion rather than
depression problems.
The financial return to the community was significant. Not only
was the college providing more staff and students who in turn were
purchasing in the community but the visitor numbers were also much
greater due to families investigating the school, attending open
days, or delivering or collecting their sons and daughters.
Additionally the parents of many of the new students were now
travelling to Wanaka for their holidays.
The college had become the largest permanent employer in the
community and education within the township was now seen nationally
as an additional advantage in choosing to live or invest in the
area.
The college now faces some of the problems of a rapidly
burgeoning role but has stuck to its philosophy of self
responsibility and attempting to create a seamless education
structure and if forced to got through the whole exercise again
would do the following;
- ensure that all stakeholders are involved from the beginning
- stick to your philosophy/vision
- ensure that creativity is encouraged and conservatism
discouraged with all initial planning and discussion
The Mount Aspiring College Foundation
In order to protect the financial interests of the college The
Mount Aspiring College Foundation was formed in 1988.
The Foundation is an independent body who has responsibility for
the entrepreneurial aspects of the college. This group not only
protects the college from litigation or bankruptcy but is also
responsible for creating an education industry with the underlying
philosophy that it is to benefit the students within the framework
at Mount Aspiring College.
The Foundation is appointed by the college's Board of Trustees
and comprises a mixture of both Board Members and members of the
community who have expertise and/or a willingness to get involved in
the non curricula aspects of the college.
The college now has two structures;
- A Board of Trustees with responsibility for the traditional
school matters and a Foundation with responsibility for debt
repayment of the mortgage and for generating an Education
Industry.
- The Board of Trustees retains total control and accepts
responsibility for all staffing matters under both structures.
The Principal links to both and is effectively the CEO of the
Foundation.
In recent times the Foundation has been involved in the
following;
- renegotiation of the mortgage to a sustainable level over 15
years
- feasibility study of a major fund raiser for further
development
- developing drawings for a proposed Outdoor Education Centre
- financial negotiations with Otago Polytechnic
- future developments Otago Polytechnic
- evening computer courses
- establishment of a flying school
- marketing and promotion of the ILC
- supporting two marketing trips to China
- development of the PTE (Private Training Establishment) status
- developing a case for the establishment of a future school
site adjacent to the college
- creating a planning structure for all Foundation Members
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