Te Miro Country School Radio On Air
Small country school takes big strides with its new radio station
VIV POSSELT
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Waipa District Mayor Alan Livingston, left, Olympic rower Mahe Drysdale, and Te Miro School principal Chars Bartling, with the radio station team, from left, Finn Hood, Georgia Boyd, Oliver Shergold, Siobhan Tobin, Rohan Szabo-Kiri, Archie Tonks, Lucian Head and Chris Goonan. Photo: Viv Posselt
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Te Miro School brought in the big guns last week to celebrate the formal launch of its new radio station - TMS Live 106.9FM.
The little country school with big ambition invited Cambridge-based Olympic rower Mahe Drysdale, and Waipa District Mayor Alan Livingston, to join students, family and friends in helping them mark the occasion last Wednesday.
After a cracking introduction via the mic by Oliver Shergold, the group was welcomed by Te Miro principal, Chars Bartling, who described the establishment of the station as a "celebration of learning".
She later outlined the attached commercial element, saying the school board had agreed to the children running the station like a charity, and a project idea had been channelled through to a local bank.
"In the project, we have asked them to work with the children and myself on setting this up - from legal requirements, a bank account, talking to them about sponsorship - generally setting it up so the children have an understanding of financial literacy.
"I also want them to work towards achieving their goals, badges, T-shirts, streaming over the internet - and not just getting it all through the PTA and board. They will be a voice for our community, and could do their own fundraising for themselves and others, like helping the senior children finance the William Pike Challenge in 2014.
"But at the moment, the most important thing for them is the badges and T-shirts."
The radio station has been set up by a group of six - organised in full business mode. They are: CEO Georgia Boyd; second-in-command Siobhan Tobin; treasurer Archie Tonks; executive officer Oliver Shergold, and DJs Chris Goonan, Finn Hood, Lucian Head and Rohan Szabo-Kiri.
In her address to guests, Georgia thanked the PTA and Board of Trustees for helping making the station possible, and Pub Charities for accepting the grant application.
"At the beginning of the year, we started developing the radio station," she said.
"We learned how to use easi speaks for recording, speak fluently and with expression, developed ideas to share over the air so we can share our learning with children and parents."
She said they had visited Te Awamutu Primary School and seen how they operated their radio station.
"We plan to stream the radio station on the internet, have our own shirts and badges, run our own finances and fundraising, and build on the radio station and our own skills."
Mayor Alan Livingston commended the team for helping keep Te Miro School at the forefront of developments. He said the school had already established itself as being ahead of many others by achieving its Green Gold Enviroschool status in 2009, and the radio station was another example of its innovative thinking.
Mahe Drysdale said it was "pretty awesome" that such a small school could do something like this. He told the children that "going for your dreams involves putting steps in place and working hard to do it", and that was how he had achieved the things he had.
"Anything is possible if you are prepared to set goals and work hard to achieve them."
He said he was looking forward to listening to the radio station when it was streamed on the internet.
The radio station will stream daily, covering daily notices, birthday greetings, an interview, sharing and messages.
- © Fairfax NZ News
© Cambridge Edition 13/08/2013
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