AGGS Girls “Sustaining Our Future”

AGGS Girls “Sustaining Our Future”

Over the last two weeks, Year 9 students of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School have been involved with a Rich Task focusing on how AGGS can become more sustainable. Having opened its present site in 1909, it has become a large urban secondary school catering to students from year 9-13. Throughout the two-week project students have participated in activities that range from spending a day at Unitec as part of the Science day to travelling to the past and experiencing an “old-girl” assembly in 1909 for the Social Science Day. Most days proved to be more than what the girls had bargained for.

The two-week long project began with a trip to Unitec, looking at the different plants and what they could do to improve the preservation of cultural plantations. On day two, students focused on the Maori and Japanese culture as part of the Language day, sustaining cultural values and traditions such as the origami paper crane to help them gain a better understanding of how cultural sustainability can affect society. Stefan Sagmeister-known for his album covers and posters- became the focus on the Rich Task Arts Day. Adopting his idea of using natural objects to form words, the girls set out to create the sentence “Bad artist imitate, great artist steal” first said by Pablo Picasso then by Blansky. Some students also got to experience the thrill of Isralian, Irish, Indian and Salsa dancing as part of the day.

With the Social Science faculty, girls travelled back in time then travelled back into the future. Throughout the morning half, girls explored how life was back in the olden days. The Cocoa house located near the Upper Gym was used in 1909 as a cafeteria where Hot Cocoa was served to the girls for a penny but now serves as a PE location. Girls zoomed a hundred years into the future to look if many AGGS traditions have still continued till this day. Focusing on environment, culture, economic and social sustainability, many ideas were discussed that could possibly help make the school and the planet more sustainable.

The purpose of this Rich Task Project was to conduct an inquiry using the i-lit model to examine the concepts of sustainability. It also aimed to bring forward possible solutions, actions or proposals that can make this planet become more sustainable. “The Rich Task was better than lessons and I really learnt a lot” a participant was quoted saying.

By Toka Utanga, Year 9

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