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The 2005/06 KANZ Scholarship for Brockwood Park
School
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In Issue 40 of the KANZ Newsletter, an appeal was
launched for funds to create a scholarship; one that would help send a young New
Zealand person to study at Brockwood Park School. This has had a most
satisfactory outcome. With the aid of the
AG Trust, a scholarship of NZ$23000
was created.
Bill Taylor,
the administrative Director of the school, was in New Zealand at Christmas
and with his assistance the decision was taken to award the scholarship to
Saoirse Chapman, aged 14, of Hamilton. |
Saoirse
will start at Brockwood in September of this year 06 (subject to the usual
prospective week). We hope to hear her describing her life at Brockwood in
future issues of this Newsletter. The amount raised by donation was enhanced by an
unexpected bequest. So much so, in fact, that KANZ is hoping to make the
scholarship an on-going affair. In any case it is definitely offering a similar
scholarship for 2007. Applications are being accepted now. |
This is a magnificent outcome, especially for such
a small country as New Zealand. It is a very significant boost for Brockwood
Park, and it is hoped it will set a precedent in other countries. So the
Trustees offer their most sincere thanks to all of you who made a donation. And
also to the AG Trust for their generous 50:50 matching of donations. Further
appeals for funds will be made soon. |
About Saoirse
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Saoirse has never experienced conventional school.
She has been home educated by her parents (as was her brother), except for
spending one term at the Centre for Learning, near Bangalore in India. She also
has had some association with the Rudolf Steiner School in Hamilton for a couple
of years – just a couple of activities a week, and participating i n
some excursions. She made some good friends there. The local home-educating
network provided other friends and communal activities.
Some three years ago she visited Brockwood Park School with her father. In fact
she attended “Inwoods”, the small primary school associated with Brockwood, for
a week. She was able to observe a little of everyday life at Brockwood in the
dinning room, common room and corridors. She says of this experience:
“I came away from Brockwood with what would
have to be called a certain 'feeling'. It was well-cared for, the atmosphere was
calm and the students seemed happy and kind (not to mention a bit big and
scary!). I don’t think I ever thought about 'going'there at that time; if I had
I would have been excited already."
Saoirse writes about herself
and her impressions of her new school. (Dec 2006)
I've been at Brockwood for 2 months, it was a big change for me coming
here. My whole life I have been home educated, although when I was nine my
family travelled to India and I spent one term at centre for learning,
near Bangalore. This was my first taste of school, and I really enjoyed
it. I wanted to come to
Brockwood because I felt ready for something new and Brockwood offers a
different education, free from many restrictions. Living so close to
people there are always problems arising, but I feel that you can learn
from this. I like the structure of the classes here, but sometimes it gets
quite busy. This is probably because there are so many interesting
subjects to take which you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to
study. I'm particularly enjoying pottery, art, yoga, human development,
and guitar.
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What do her parents wish from her time at
Brockwood? That as well as having fun, as well as making lots of friends from
all over the world, she experiences a certain seriousness. That she is helped to
see the world as it actually is And that the process of understanding herself,
of seeing her relationship to the world, is nurtured. Academic studies have
never been seen as being of prime importance in the course of her home
educating. Not that she is in any way deficient in this area, and she will find
that Brockwood does give due regard to academic excellence. It is sincerely
hoped she will discover at Brockwood what she really loves to do in this world.
Back to the present and Saoirse. One of her greatest passions in recent years
has been gymnastics. This has given her fitness, strength, agility and grace.
You should see her “round-off flic-flack back-tuck”J.
She also has been attending drama classes, and participated in a performance of
“Wonder in Alice land” with the Riverlea theatre, Hamilton, while putting on a
great performance in “Androcles and the Lion” at the Steiner school. Her mother
has ensured that her artistic development has not been neglected, and at times
she has studied the recorder, the violin, and the Guitar.
The next year of Saoirse’s life, at Brockwood promises to be the most exciting
journey of her life, and I can assure you she is looking forward to it
tremendously.
Clive Elwell, Saoirse’s father
Brockwood is different in so many ways. I think that you are given a lot
of freedom here; It is easy to abuse this freedom but just as easy to
respect it, and in doing so you get a lot more out of everything. I find
that if you are self motivated and willing to take responsibility for your
own life you don't need parents or teachers constantly nagging you to get
things done, it happens naturally. Over all I'm really enjoying being at
Brockwood and I feel I have learnt so much already.
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