Hannah Hanson has been award an award for taking a stand against bullying.

On Monday, at the whole school assembly, Hannah was awarded the Young Leader Award by the Sir Peter Blake Trust. 

Sir Peter Blake believed in the incredible potential of young kiwis to achieve great things. He knew that inspiring leaders of any age could be found in every corner of New Zealand. Sir Peter showed all of us there are leaders and there are dreamers. Leaders make things happen. Dreamers have a vision. The truly special people do both. In that spirit, and in partnership with Westpac, our Young Leader Awards celebrate young people whose outstanding leadership uplifts their school community. Each year, we offer one award to a Year 5 – 8 student in every NZ Primary and Intermediate school.

Last year Hannah undertook some research about ways to reduce bullying in schools. This is something she is very passionate about. She came up with a number of ideas that Oaklands School might take onboard. She constructed a plan and meet with the Senior Leadership team to outline her proposal.

This year, Hannah has had the added responsibility of being Head Girl. The plan she created from last year is being implemented this year. She organised (with the help of others) and ran a very successful Pink Shirt day which was a highly successful way to promote anti-bullying. Next term she the second phase of her plan is being implemented. This includes encouraging people to take a stand against bullying by wearing bands.

The is a long term project for Hannah. It is amazing to see her energy and drive around such an important issue.