Students Work Their Musical Magic

Five Auckland fourth formers have been named the overall winners of the Trustee Elections 2001 national jingle competition, Prime Minister Helen Clark has just announced.

The announcement was made in Wellington at the official launch of the election campaign, which marks a five month lead in to the election date. Their jingle will now be used as part of the nation-wide advertising campaign to help encourage people to stand and be counted at the elections next March.

The winners are Nick Afoa, Oliver Thurston, Chris Belcher, Tim Reeve, and Sehoon Choi, and they are all in the same music class at Kings College in Otahuhu. All New Zealand secondary school musicians were invited to take part in the competition.

National Election Co-ordinator Janet Kelly says it is pleasing that students got behind the campaign to encourage parents to stand.

The trustee election is held every three years, and is New Zealand’s biggest democratic event with 2,650 schools filling 14,000 parent representative positions.

“It is great that students recognise the importance of trusteeship and the valuable role boards play in a school. This recognition is particularly pleasing as the number one reason people become trustees is for their children’s education.

“There was a wide variety of entrants, with some students clearly taking the initiative to go it alone, while others produced their jingle as part of a school project. A lot of them told us they really enjoyed having a go.”

Janet Kelly says the winning jingle captured the sentiments of being a trustee.

“It’s about giving something to your school community, and having direct input into your children’s education and their future.”

The students now have the opportunity to record their jingle in a professional studio before it is used for the national advertising campaign in February They also won a $500 music voucher.

The winning jingle lyrics are as follows:

Stand, stand stand for a school
They, they, they, they need you;
Give a little help. Stand in line.
Be a trustee, give a little time.
(spoken) Come on New Zealand, become a trustee
Come and support your local school
They’re your kids and it’s their future.
Stand!

[ends]

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