See Kate Mansfield, Principal of Glenavy School, talking to camera and standing in front of a swimming pool on a nice, sunny day. Upbeat music plays.
Kate Mansfield: “Glenavy School is a country school. We have 70% English second language learners that come from a variety of countries around the world. Our main culture is Sri Lankan and Filipino.”
See the bright blue gate out the front of Glenavy School with a big sign with the school’s logo on it. See kids playing in the school’s playground, they’re playing basketball, running around and laughing. See two kids playing on a rope swing.
Kate Mansfield: “A lot of the children that we get at Glenavy School have never swam before, and so when they come to New Zealand, it's a completely new concept for them.”
See a colourful, hand painted gate that showcases the diversity of Glenavy School and its student population.
Kate Mansfield: “So, the Glenavy Community Pool has been going for about 21 years and it's run by our community members.”
See a drone shot of the community pool, the cover is being rolled back. There’s a very large array of solar panels next to the pool. The pool is large, with clear blue water.
See Lynn McCulloch, Glenavy Community Pool Trust, talking to camera and standing in front of the large solar panels. See a slow close up of the solar panels, then a large heat pump attached to a shed outdoors.
Lynn McCulloch: “We applied for a grant from the Meridian Decarbonisation Fund for solar panels and a new heat pump so that it would raise the temperature of the water to something that the children wanted to get in and swim in.”
See the pool, it looks clean and very blue. Children stand on the side of the pool and then jump in together, they’re smiling and laughing.
Kate Mansfield: “One of the big factors that really made us keep the pool is that all the children that go through Glenavy actually have those lifesaving skills that they need to look after themselves in water when they leave the school.”
See children in the pool, guided by instructors. The children practice floating, kicking, and basic swimming strokes. The instructors provide hands-on support and encouragement.
Kate Mansfield: “We had an old system and our pool temperature would only be about 20 degrees. Now it's 27, 28, 29 on a great day! Kids are just loving swimming.”
See the children jumping into the pool together again, they’re smiling and laughing. You can hear a big splash as they enter the water.
Glenavy School student: “I like the pool because it gives everyone a learning chance how to swim and it's way more warmer than last year because no one wanted to go into it last year because it was freezing cold.”
The camera follows students as they swim laps. Their strokes are strong and confident. The pool area is bright and the atmosphere is lively. See three Glenavy School students talking to camera and standing in front of the pool.
Interviewer: Do you have a favourite swimming stroke?
Glenavy School students: “I like freestyle.” “Yeah, freestyle.” “Yeah, freestyle as well.”
See students practising their swimming, Lynn McCulloch is teaching them and clapping to celebrate their success.
Lynn McCulloch: “I've seen them shivering in their togs on a cold day and there's none of that. They're just so excited to get in the water and we've got so many children that couldn't swim, now happy to put their heads under and their swimming lengths of this pool. It’s incredible.”
See drone footage of Glenavy School, there’s kids playing in the playground in the distance.
Lynn McCulloch: “The feedback has been amazing. The community is excited, the children are excited, so it's incredible.”
Glenavy School students: “Thank you, Meridian (laughter).”
See the Meridian logo appear on screen and upbeat music fades out.
