Her first year teaching spent with Clyde School’s Year 6 and 7 Kiwi class will be one to remember for Sydney Robertson after the class won a $10,000 prize in a film competition. 

Sydney said it was a whirlwind decision to enter the Schools for Safety competition to create a two minute long safety video, all spurred by an article her mum sent her one Thursday afternoon.

“I went to school on Friday and we got straight into it, the class wrote ideas down, watched previous safety videos to get the vibe of them and we came up with the script. There were lots of fun ideas.

“Then on Monday it was straight into filming, and we thought it would take all day. We were surprised to knock it out by lunchtime.”

Watch the Clyde School video here. VIDEO: Supplied

It ended up being a huge class project involving all 26 pupils, and they took the lead on the script, costumes, behind the scenes organisation and setting up camera angles.

The editing process was a challenge as they had three minutes to reduce to two. 

The class put it up on the big screen and debated what to keep in, an exercise in collaboration and critical thinking. 

When she told the class about the possible prize their responses varied; one student suggested the $10,000 could go towards glue sticks if they were lucky enough to win.

Sydney wrote on the entry form the money would go towards ice blocks but now they had won the options to use it for good were starting to sink in.

“[Maybe] new kapa haka uniforms, or sports gear, there are heaps of opportunities it will open up.”  

The prize winners were notified by email and Sydney said she was thrilled to be able to share the good news with her kids and celebrate their achievement.

“I’ve had a great parents response so far.”

“The kids brought great [energy] to the video and you need to watch it a few times… you can really see their creativity and humour coming through. They shine really well.” 

Speaking in front of a camera and playing a character, now in the skill set of many in Kiwi class.  Pictured from left are Daniel McDowall, Lochlan Hill, Archie McNally, Jacye Roux, Cayden Green, Amelia Haig, with teacher Sydney Robertson.

Jokes in the entry were the children’s work with minimal guidance from their teacher. Pictured are (front from left) Zara Wing, Liam Cookie, Maia Randall, Lochlan Hill, Oiva Kiuru, 

Back: Quade Kitto, Caleb Hill, Cooper Williams Emma Martin, Zoey Barro. PHOTO: Supplied 

Dame Valerie Adams sent a video message congratulating the school which Sydney showed to one pupil already, and as she watched her face light up and she said “awesome, I know what this is!”

Sydney’s class produced the ‘Kiwi News’, a broadcast of school happenings, throughout 2024 and she had seen them grow in confidence as the year progressed.

Film is a passion of hers, and she shares her journey as a teacher on social media platforms Tiktok and Instagram

With the way the world currently is, learning how to produce videos was a great skill to teach and could lead to a creative career or getting involved in theatre and the arts, Sydney said.

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