23 November 2016 at 9:00 am
Asia comes to Marsden School
While senior students were on study leave, Wellington’s Samuel Marsden Collegiate School put on a special ‘Experience Asia Day’ for remaining students to learn about different cultures.
With funding from the Asia New Zealand Foundation, Marsden Head of Humanities, Fiona Crawford, organised a full day of activities for students, with the aim to increase their cultural awareness and educate them on a region with increasing ties to New Zealand.
"We want our students to thrive and contribute towards putting New Zealand on the map, so it is our responsibility to equip them for their future relationships with Asia," Crawford said.
Marsden students dressed up for Experience Asia Day.
The day included a range of activities and sessions that represented 11 Asian countries, starting off with a Tai Chi session in the gym, and ending with an inter-house KPop (Korean Pop) dance competition. In between, students broke into groups to take part in Judo, Kung Fu and Bollywood dance classes, sushi, dumpling and curry making, language learning and haiku writing, as well as origami, henna painting, sari dressing, lantern making, calligraphy, kite making – and much more.
“The students really enjoyed themselves, but also gained valuable insights into the many Asian cultures on show. Many commented on how fun it was, and hope to do it again next year,” Crawford said.
Amanda Cundy, a former Marsden student who went on the school’s first exchange to China back in 2010, stopped by Asia Day to share her experience with students. She spoke about the impact that Chinese studies had on her life, and the importance of understanding other cultures in an increasingly globalised world.
Marsden students tried their hand at sushi making, Diwali art and calligraphy.
