COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Our connections to our community are fundamental to the success of our school, providing our students with opportunities across the full spectrum of activities both in the classroom and beyond.
Community links to the arts
We have deep community links with arts events such as the Festival of Colour, the Wānaka Musicians Society ‘Stars in your eyes’ show, Lake Wānaka Sounds, and the Autumn Arts School which provides scholarships to selected Visual Arts students. These connections give our students valuable opportunities to develop their skills and extend themselves through participating in real-world arts events.
Wānaka police
Our local police provide an invaluable service in supporting and guiding our students through practical education programmes such as the BLAST, and Loves-Me-Not programmes. The BLAST (Blue Light Adventure and Skills Training) programme is aimed at Years 9 and 10 students providing them with team-building skills, education on healthy eating choices and fitness training. The Loves-me-Not programme for our Year 12 students equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to take action (personal action, effective bystander action and community action) to prevent harm from relationship abuse. The police also help administer Project ROCK ON (Reduce Our Community Kids Offending Now). This project has been set up to combat the increasing problem of truancy at schools across New Zealand.
Scholarships and prizes
Many community organisations provide our students with financial support through scholarships and prizes, including the Rotary Club of Wānaka, Aspiring Rotary, the Masonic Lodge, Wānaka and District Lions Club, Upper Clutha Lions, Otago Polytechnic, Naylor Love, the Wānaka Musicians Society, Batchelar McDougall Consulting, Wānaka Medical Centre, Salmond Architecture, the Wānaka Arts Society, Central Lakes Trust, the Mike Sheehan Trust, Breen Construction, Pioneer Energy Limited, Cardrona Alpine Resorts x Treble Cone, Level Construction, Findex, Wilson and Dorset, Bunnings, Mt Aspiring U3A, the Fit Collective, Edgewater Wānaka, Mactodd Lawyers, the Upper Clutha Community Arts Council, Upper Clutha Historical Records, Snow Farm, Heartland Design and Print, Hullabaloo Gallery, Wastebusters, Racers Edge, Mitre10, the McDougall Family, the Simpson Family, the Walker Family, and the King Family.
Cardrona x Treble Cone Snow College
Our students are offered a snow career pathway programme in partnership with the Cardrona x Treble Cone Snow College. Students can undertake this programme as an area of interest on top of their existing subjects and can achieve credits towards NCEA Level 2 and 3. Cardona x Treble Cone also provides generous support to our school as the main sponsor of our MAC ski championships.
Partnership with Racers Edge
Mount Aspiring College’s partnership with Racers Edge reflects a shared passion for the outdoors and our commitment to giving our students the opportunity to experience the benefits of physical education and outdoor pursuits in a setting of outstanding beauty. Racers Edge provides valuable support through the provision of outdoor uniforms for our Physical Education and Health staff along with generous discounts on equipment and apparel for our school community, naming sponsorship of the MAC bike enduro competition and second-tier sponsorship of the MAC ski championships.
Students in the Community programme
Each year, our Year 13 students give thousands of hours of their time as volunteers in our community as part of our Students in the Community programme. We are grateful to the many organisations who provide opportunities for our students to undertake weekly placements and short-term projects in a variety of areas across our community including the MINT Charitable Trust, Kahu Youth Trust, Volunteer South, WAI Wānaka, Food for Love, the NZ Mountain Film Festival, Community Networks, Wānaka Library, Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust, primary and pre-schools, and various sports and cultural clubs.
Work experience and career pathways
We are grateful for the many employers and organisations that provide opportunities for our students to enhance their learning, knowledge and skills through providing them with opportunities to do work experience, visiting our school for industry events and information sessions, and offering employment opportunities.
