Whāea Jude Howie, our community and whānau support worker, has won national recognition, winning the EducationHQ 'Unsung heroes' award for support staff.

Selected as a finalist from a wide range of nominations, Jude won the award in a poll that included over 9000 votes. Her citation reads as follows:

JUDE HOWIE - SUPPORT

HORNBY HIGH SCHOOL, CHRISTCHURCH

"Jude is our Community Support Worker. She works with students from Hornby High School, and their whānau, supporting student learning. She is often on the road by 6.30am in the morning visiting students and whānau, often bringing students to school to make sure they arrive on time. She works with parents in the home, supporting the development of parenting skills. She is proactive with regard to supporting whānau and learning, looking for opportunities to improve the lives of others. She regularly sources support from the business community with food donations in kind that she then distributes to students whose whanau may be struggling to feed their tamariki. She wins hearts and minds with her caring. It is in this tireless focus on improving the lives of whanau and students that she is perhaps most remarkable. Her honest and caring approach to whānau, her ability to never give up on students, her own 'unconditional love' for each and every one of them, marks her as someone making a profound difference to the lives of many, and to our community."

Congratulations Whāea Jude, we are very proud of you, and very grateful for the amazing work that you do.