Sam Ward is Whanganui born and bred. He left Whanganui City College in 2010 with little idea of what he wanted to do.
He enjoyed sports so he did a Bachelor Degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Massey University followed by a Teaching diploma which included a section at his old school in 2014. Upon completion he was awarded a position at Ōtaki College.
At Ōtaki Sam saw a high dropout rate and it was not seen to be cool to do well. Sam saw a lot of unrealised potential.
In 2018 Sam felt he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. A year eleven boy from a supportive family who had numerous friends took his own life. Sam was visibly moved when he related this part of his story to the Whanganui Rotary Club.
He looked at different approaches. Successful approaches were built upon and unsuccessful ones were ditched. In effect Sam was developing a new way of building a learning environment. Sam formed his group around a nucleus of senior boys who had shown good leadership.
The group needed a name. The boys voted on the name. Manukura GPS translates into English as "To lead". GPS emphasises the importance of knowing where you are and where you want to go. The group is voluntary and includes all ages. Older boys provide example and guidance to younger members while younger boys also advise the older boys. Sam's work is doing came to the notice of Inspiring Stories as a result of which he won an "Extraordinary Young New Zealanders Impact Award". Two of Sam's students accompanied him to Whanganui and they described how the project runs.
Caleb Smith described the weekly schedule.
Every day starts at 7:30 am. Punctuality is expected. A few seconds lateness earns the group a set of press-ups.
Monday has the group in a circle discussing the weekend or holidays.
Tuesday is Haka practice.
Wednesday is devoted to fitness and strength. Upon completion the boys clean themselves for the day showing respect for themselves and others.
Thursday is devoted to games and team building.
Friday the boys do community service and fund raising activities for various local causes.
Whitiana Cameron spoke about their mantra - PALM
P = Participation, be on time, be the best you can be
A = Attendance
L = Language, 10 press-ups for every swear word.
M = Mana - how you dress, how you smell, how you conduct yourself.
The effect on the school was dramatic but Sam wanted more than just feelings. He wanted numbers and the numbers tell a powerful tale.
Achievement in NCEA has improved by 10 %
Attendance has improved by around 15%
Pastoral incidents have dropped by 50%
Most importantly the students want to be at school.