History of the Marist Alternative Education Centre
The Marist Alternative Education Centre emerged out of the deepening concern felt by the Marist Brothers for students who had been suspended from schools and colleges, which placed them in an "at risk" situation as far as their educational and overall growth as persons were concerned.
The Marist Brothers, since their beginning as a brotherhood dedicated to
education in 1817, have always been keenly aware of the plight of young people
who find themselves disadvantaged in some way. This Alternative Education
initiative fits with the founding intention of the Brothers, providing as it
does, the opportunity for a fresh start for teenagers who have had difficulty
with the ordinary education system and who are in danger of being disregarded.
During 1997 - 1998, two Marist Brothers worked as volunteer helpers in the alternative education centre of the Waipareira Trust at Henderson. On the basis of this experience, these men, joined by a third Brother, set up the Marist Alternative Education Centre as part of the services offered by Hato Petera College for students in danger of being suspended. These Brothers are qualified teachers with wide experience in New Zealand schools. The Centre operated from a house on the Hato Petera campus where it received the name "Te Kai Hi" ("The Fisherman"). The programme took into account the special needs of the students and aimed at developing new behaviour patterns that would enable them to return to mainstream classes.
Then, in 2000, the Centre was relocated at Ellice Road in Glenfield. Gradually it has developed its facilities on this site, with the number of staff rising from three to five, with the presence of a Marist Sister and a woman tutor, enabling girls to be admitted to the Centre as well as boys.
Since these beginnings in Glenfield, the Centre has accommodated some seventy pupils, for varying lengths of time according to their circumstances, trying to provide for each an education that the student can accept and profit by. A major shift in our educational approach was to adopt the ASDAN programme (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) of challenges and awards, a programme especially developed for these kind of students. This runs in conjunction with normal classwork.