What did you do at school today?

Head Girl - Connie Davidson“What did you do at school today?”

“Oh yeah, nothing much.”

“What did you learn?”

“Not a lot.”

That sums up 99 per cent of the conversations parents have with their teenagers when they come from school.

Maybe their child did “nothing much” at school, but we are willing to bet that’s not the case.

A quick visit to Ashburton College proves this, because the truth is, apart from all the fantastic learning that goes on every single day, Ashburton College is festooned with ongoing activities.

Perhaps putting it into numbers will give you another perspective. This year alone,  485 students participated in cultural performance activities, 340 students filled leadership responsibilities, more than 40 students took part in academic competitions and more than 50 senior students were part of either a house executive or the student executive.

The inter-house competition is an integral part of Ashcoll life where every student is welcome to join in.

Students can earn points for their house by participating in the year-round lunchtime sport, in the athletic prelims and finals days and in events such as music evening and lipsync.

Aside from house related events, the sporting culture at Ashburton College is outstanding with so many of our students participating in a range of more than 30 sports from athletics to E-sports and everything in between.

College has an amazing track record of students performing to an extremely high level in sports they are passionate about. With teams all over the South Island during the previous tournament week, there is certainly no shortage of talent.

Our sports teams and individuals never fail to impress us as they are excellent ambassadors of our college.

Head Boy - Caleb LivingstoneThe cultural diversity of our College is also something which makes Ashburton College life always exciting.

Our Polyfest group of 59 students are phenomenal performers who represent the pasifika culture aspect of our school community. In addition, our 47 student strong kapa haka group are also outstanding pupils who represent their culture and our schools Maori population with pride.

But there’s one thing that makes Ashburton College life truly enjoyable. It’s not an activity, its not an event or even an initiative, but it makes every day different.

It’s the community feel. It’s Mr Preece standing at the gate every day saying hello to all the students as they walk into school no matter rain or shine.

It’s the tremendous applause that every student receives when they perform a piece at lip sync or Festival of the Spoken Word. It’s the laughter and enjoyment you hear from the lunchtime game of volleyball on the chessboard and it’s the support every student receives during their time at Ashcoll.

Every student is set up to succeed and flourish at Ashburton College; all it requires is for the student to take the opportunities given to them.

So, when students picture themselves 10 years down the track, they probably won’t remember what they learnt in Year 11 English or Year 9 social studies, but the life out of the classroom will be what remains in their memory.

Ask anyone … your high school years really are the best years of your life. So when you ask your teenager what they did at school and they answer “Not a lot” you know that there is ‘more than a lot’ behind those three words.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 10 September 2018