It was so neat to be a part of this as each class was asked to display on parade, for parents and guest, a book of their choice where they could dress up as the characters of the book. Some of the teachers went all out in their costumes as there was: the Hulk, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Witches, Heroes etc.
I went dressed up in my Samoan puletasi (patterned top and a skirt) and told the crowd that I was Sina in 'Sina and the Tuna' which is one of the stories that I'd retold and which many other authors have written about. The school had also bought a few of my books for the library which was a real bonus too.
With the two other authors, we said a few words and then the kaumatua (Maori elder) blessed the 'Wonder Hub' in a traditional Maori ceremony and then a ribbon was cut declaring that it was open and followed by a tour through the building which ended with a cup of tea.
What was so neat about the time was meeting two church friends who both worked at the school of whom I had grown up with at church. At the time, I was the first teacher to begin in the teaching force and then many have since become teachers as well. It also reminded me of how much I enjoyed visiting the school library and reading from a very young age.
I also got to meet a past student who had a child at the school and whom had been an actor in one of my past high school plays. I also gifted a Pasifika play book 'Su'e the lost son' for his family and he expressed later in a message that he had read the whole the play in one sitting in remembering some of the memories that he'd had in the production.
All in all, an amazing day with such a neat resource for the school community...
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