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Growing Young Minds
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GROWING
YOUNG MINDS
WORDS VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN
When I was at school there was a lot of pressure to decide what you wanted to do when you grew up, yet very little to help you decide. The closest we got to real life lessons where theory in class could be put into practice was with the Young Enterprise programme. I think suggesting we make wine would have been a tough one to swallow for my economics teacher!
This though is exactly what students at St Peter’s Cambridge have done, releasing their first vintages, 2020 Blue Ruru Pinot Gris and Rosé earlier this year.
Work on the wine began over five years ago with a student keen to learn more about viticulture. The question was asked, why on the schools 113 hectare working farm was there no grapes? It has cows, bees, lavender, corn …
Why indeed was the response. One-hundred and sixty vines were kindly donated from the Thorp Family of Sunrise Nurseries in Gisborne and planted over .1 of a hectare, making up the school’s
very first vineyard. Teacher Mike Kilgour says the vineyard “gives students authentic learning experiences ... The wine is a bonus and is made off-site to be used in promotions and thank yous as the principal sees fit.”
Students from across curriculums and years had a hand in the creation of the first vintage from Year 9 and 10 Ag/Hort Science students pruning vines to science classes measuring the brix (sugar) content of the grapes. Talented design students developed the name and labels—Ruru being a nod to the St Peter’s Owl which represents higher wisdom, learning and inner knowledge.
Excitingly 1.4 tonnes of grapes were hand picked by staff and students early in March before being delivered to Volcanic Hills Winery in Rotorua. Here, winemaker Brent Park turned the students’ work into the school’s first vintage. Brent says, “The project was interesting for us as no other schools in the region (that we are aware of) have a viticultural angle.”
Brent goes on to say “Cambridge is not known for grape growing due to its weather patterns and as such, whilst Mike (and the students) have done a great job with the vines, some of the varietals struggled to ripen, making the winemaking somewhat more challenging.”
Brent says he is “looking forward to working with St Peter’s again next year with a vision of receiving a larger harvest in 2021 and being able to return more finished wine to the school”.
St Peter’s Executive Principal Dale Burden says, “Being able to deliver an authentic learning experience for our students, from planting of the vines through to harvest and producing, is an opportunity we are excited to offer our students.”
While this Christmas Dale and a select few will be toasting the year with a glass of Blue Ruru, in 2022 they will be able to do the same under a St Peter’s Christmas Tree as another student-led initiative comes to fruition.
Like the creation of the school’s vineyard, Owl Trees was the brainchild of a student who, along with fellow Agribusiness students and teacher Rebecca McGuire, presented the concept to the management of St Peter’s and Owl Farm. Subsequently, .4 ha of sloping land vacant to Owl Farm has been planted with radiata pines that will eventually be sold as Christmas trees.
Owl Trees is an example of how St Peter’s Agribusiness students are encouraged to investigate environmentally sustainable concepts, something that is at the forefront of any primary industry business. Old carpets from the school were innovatively used as weed control, while old milk containers protected the young seedlings from rabbits. Year 9 to 13 students used the venture to gain marketing and accounting skills. They need to ensure the businesses make a profit, which are then ploughed back into the Agricultural department.
But it’s not just wine and pines, the school has a lavender patch with 80 lavender plants from which their essential oil is extracted. Most recently they planted 10,000 sweet corn seeds and expect to pick approx. 15,000 cobs to sell to students, parents and staff in early February next year.
