School gets new home, new name

An old South Taranaki school is to get a new name. Belmont Christian Academy has chosen a new name for the old school buildings they will be moving into by the end of the year. The name will be Hawera Christian School. In April the new leadership of the Highway Church had asked the 36-student school to leave their old South Rd homestead so the building could be made a full church. After a search of premises around Hawera the trust representing Belmont has chosen the old three-classroom Tokaora School property, three kilometres out of town. Belmont principal Clare Rowan said the New Zealand Christian Proprietors Trust has signed their approval for the new venture and they are just waiting on the go-ahead from the Education Ministry. Mrs Rowan said trustees welcomed all name ideas for consideration, including those from the school children, which led to some quirky options. "We did have ‘Spiderman Christian Academy' as a suggestion, which we didn't go with," said Mrs Rowan. Another was "Kids For Christ" - aka KFC - but this was also turned down. The Hawera Christian Education Trust wants to start refurbishments at Tokaora in October, with the main project being fixing the school's toilet block, which has suffered from vandalism. Things should be ready by December for the start of the 2013 school year in January, Mrs Rowan said. The school has also received a donation of art supplies and tables from the now-closed Ngahuru Home, as a parent of one of the students was a former staff member there. - © Fairfax NZ News ARED SMITH Last updated 05:00 24/08/2012