Helensvale State High School to build Flat Pack School on Samoa

Mark Blackshaw is the Principal of Helensvale State High School. With some 2100 students and 170 teachers it is the second largest High School after Brisbane High. Originally from Gippsland, Victoria, Mark’s pedagogic career goes back to the early 1990’s.

 

Mark’s enthusiasm and strong belief in “our kids” is infectious. “We want to show our kids how lucky we are” he exclaimed. Getting them involved in an international project such as building a school in a developing nation is one of the ways.  Mark has his 40 Prefects already lined up. He assesses that “10 of them are fanatical about it”.  And what about the target to raise some $40,000 to cover costs? Raising that sort of money should be achievable over about 4 months. The kids will promote it via Social Media: Sell a brick.  Build a Virtual Wall.

 

Mark’s plan is to take about 20 students over to Samoa to help building it.  This will sow the seeds to a continued relationship - eventually some Samoan children would come over here to study.

 

This will be the beginning of a relationship which will extend way beyond the building of a Flat Pack School, but it will provide our club with a source of well selected candidates for the various Rotary Youth programs:  RYTS, RYPEN, Interact, National Youth Science Forum, Science Experience, Model United Nations Assembly, Honeywell Engineering…