Masterton School turns kids into Good Sorts graduates

December 10, 2023

Douglas Park School watches Good Sorts every Friday, then heads out and makes a difference in the community. (Source: 1News)

This week's Good Sorts are a fabulous batch of Masterton tamariki paying it forward through simple acts of kindness and good citizenship.

But there's a twist: they're literally inspired by Good Sorts itself.

It all started three years ago when Douglas Park School deputy principal Shaun Harkness showed an episode to his class, then posed a big question: what are the things that make a good citizen?

"Showing kindness", "showing initiative" and "doing it without being asked" are just some of the answers students came up with.

From there, everything began to snowball.

Another class started watching Good Sorts, then after a while the school had an epiphany - why watch when you can do?

That's when students started looking for people to help. It started with picking up rubbish from the creek behind the school, then expanded into setting up a pataka kai, building a kid's community library, writing thank-you notes to neighbours and

They even spruced up the marae across the road, a feat that surprised the kids' deputy principal, Mr Harkness himself.

"I thought 'this is going to be a flop, kids cleaning, I can’t see it lasting'," he says, "[but] they refused to come back to school."

For three years now, every Friday, Douglas Park School watches Good Sorts then goes out into the community and makes a difference.

Whether it's making food for builders or bringing friends of the school over for afternoon tea, Harkness knows the school's cooked up something that works.

"School can’t be bound within the walls of our classrooms," he says.

"We fail our kids if we think it only happens there ... reading, writing and maths are extremely important, but they are not the be-all and end-all."

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