Lily Faulkner is a student leader at Cromwell Primary School, having been elected as one of the house leaders for Carrick. As a project for the Enviro Kahui Ako Exhibition in 2020, she put forward a proposal to establish a Junior Guardians of the Lake Group.
Principal Wendy Brooks says,
“Lily’s project certainly gained my attention at the time, as we actively promote student-directed learning. I said I would be keen to encourage the 2021 Student Council to actively support this initiative.”
Part of Lily’s project is to adopt an area of lakeside to develop and care for. She and her friend Pixie Swain created a Junior Guardians of the Lake website as a way to showcase their plan. They intend to form a group combining school council, school principal, teachers and students keen on maintaining a designated area. Their vision is to make it ’A place where pupils and families want to hang out’.
To progress this, Lily has written to Lake Dunstan Charitable Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust to ask if they would allow the Cromwell Primary School to take its part in maintaining the lake. She assured the Trustees that ‘as a school we would be fully on board to help’.
She adds
“At Cromwell Primary School we have an enviro school programme that is delivered to all pupils. We take pride in looking after our school just like we would in maintaining a section of the lake. I know we would come up with some fabulous ideas that would benefit the whole community. Please consider my proposal as we are fully on board to be part of your team.”
In response, Werner Murray, says,
‘As trustees we would welcome the chance to work with the junior guardians. After all, the lake will fall to them in future generations, so their enthusiasm should be embraced.”
Wendy says,
“I am excited that Lily has already taken further action by writing a letter to the trust which will hopefully kick start our Enviro School work in 2021.”
