GSNZ celebrates first graduates and University Entrance accreditation
The first Year 13 learners to graduate from Green School New Zealand have been celebrated this week with a traditional graduation ceremony at the school’s Ōākura campus.
Four years after opening its nature-inspired learning spaces to local and international families, the school is relishing the opportunity to hand out its first Green School Diplomas to learners who will move onto higher education and life experience opportunities.
Head of School, Caroline Rennie, says she is incredibly proud of all graduates and the strengths they have developed and enhanced while at Green School.
“All of these learners embody Green School’s values wholeheartedly, and with a diploma in hand, I know they will continue to set their goals high, think differently, and live their passions.
“They fill me with so much hope for the future. Their belief in the environment, sustainability and regeneration, gives us refreshed optimism each and every day, knowing that we are in good hands.”
Of this year’s graduates, some will move on to tertiary education after being offered places into Bachelor of Engineering courses at both AUT and Canterbury University , Marine Studies at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Climate Change at Waikato University. Other graduates will take up GAP year opportunities, with one moving to Australia, and the other heading off on a South Pacific sailing adventure alongside a family she met through Green School.
The graduation ceremony was a double celebration for the school after this week receiving confirmation that its Green School New Zealand High School Diploma (Advanced) is officially accepted for University Entrance ad eundem statum from Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara.
Rennie said it was a major milestone for the school, as the wider community now have external validation in knowing a GSNZ education can lead to further opportunities in New Zealand and around the world, and is one that is respected and held in high regard.
“The feedback we have received from universities about our first graduates has been outstanding. It’s wonderful to hear and know that the passion-led, authentic teaching and learning within our diploma curriculum is setting these learners apart.”
Green School’s education centres on one that is not just impactful, but purpose-driven. The school believes that education should make a difference, both in the lives of students and in the world around them.
“It’s an approach that empowers students to uncover their agency and purpose. The impact of learning experiences should be immediate and also influence a student’s life well beyond their time at school, ultimately contributing to a more positive, sustainable future,” says Rennie.
“We offer a comprehensive curriculum that weaves sustainability into every subject, equipping our learners with 21st-century skills to drive positive change and sustainable solutions for our world.”
Green School New Zealand was also recently named as one of ten “Must-Watch” Schools in Australia and New Zealand, by global education magazine, K12 Digest.
