Inspiring young Kiwis

Schools around New Zealand commemorated the 65th anniversary of the summit of Everest – taking the opportunity to learn all about Sir Ed with the Himalayan Trust education pack and raise funds for Nepal.

At Te Mata School in Hawkes Bay, teacher Pip Wilkins told us: “The children learned about Sir Ed’s achievements and his legacy of helping others. They learned how he overcame many challenges to become the world’s greatest mountaineer and how he used his fame to help others.

“Sir Ed was a very special and humble man who did amazing work for others. The children were very interested, as were the parents.”

The Te Mata students raised over $1900 for Nepal by taking on a sponsorship challenge to read 8848 pages in teams of eight during May. As a determined group, they read 15,000 pages, just short of reaching Everest twice!

They also held a dress up day where everyone dressed as mountaineers and Sherpa.

Students at Mission Heights Junior College in Auckland also celebrated the 65th anniversary of the summit and raised $1600 through bake sales, food stalls, and a challenge to run 8848m in less than two hours.

Miriam Martin Ortega, the Global Studies Teacher at the school, said: “The students have been learning about Sir Ed’s inspirational achievements. One of the cornerstones of our school life is leadership through service, which is something Sir Ed demonstrated.

“We were very proud to commemorate the summit anniversary this way and to know we are helping to improve lives in Nepal.”