While the School was out on Workday, Shirley BHS staff entertained some 300 boys from Shirley Intermediate, Marshland, Rawhiti, Redcliffs, South New Brighton, Parkview and Chisnallwood Schools.

In the Art Department boys photo-shopped, sketched and, as a puzzle challenge, reassembled a painting of the famous ‘Mona Lisa’. The English Department introduced them to various literary genre, Social Studies asked them to create i-Motion images of Gallipoli troop movements using models and playdough.

Outside Ngatahi, guitarists Ben Brennan, Tem Bennett, Sam Allison and Te Rau Winterburn, plus singer Gideon Valavala, gave them a taste of music at Shirley BHS.  

On the hall stage,  the Haka was performed.

The Mathematics Department supervised them as they built spaghetti bridges to illustrate the principles of forces and suspension. In the Woodwork Shop, they cut out and built rubber band racers while next door in Engineering they made and assembled breath-operated marshmallow guns. Science demonstrated the effects of sugar and sulphuric acid as well as the chemical reaction of colourless liquids.

Very popular was Food Tech where two potential chefs from each school made nearly 150 pikelets for their visiting teachers. Onto the raspberry jam, thick whipped cream was delicately spooned by Keeley Legge and Glen Beardsley whose wrists by about No.130 were demonstrating a degree of Repetitive Strain Injury.

“A most successful day and the kids all enjoyed it.” Craig Croft.