Logan Park High School

Logan Park High School musicians Jacobi Kohu-Morris (15, left) and Blake McAlevey-Scurr (17) provide some entertainment as international pupils at the school celebrate Race Unity Day.

Describing how poverty is New Zealand's "fastest-growing industry" has won a Logan Park High School year 10 pupil the Otago Schools Junior Speech Competition.

Watching dozens of dreadful 1950s B-grade sci-fi films, notorious for over-acting and technical shortcomings, has paid off for Logan Park High School co-dux Rhian Gaffney.

Years ago, there was a time when bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Journey were marketable, when pick-up trucks were popular, when they were still making new episodes of Dukes of Hazzard, and when Budweiser beer could be drunk openly in public.

I don't know many people who have the dedication and commitment to stick at one job for 45 years, let alone one where you spend your days surrounded by groups of, at times, "challenging" teenagers, doing too much work for not enough pay.

I sat on the hard compacted earth; roots digging up into my straightened legs, probing through my purple and black striped tights.

When you have been a teacher for 47 years, there must be a good reason.

You may remember that recently both Barack Obama and John Key came out personally in favour of gay marriage, writes Emelia Mixter of Logan Park High School.

National seems to have decided class size won't make much of a difference to our education system, writes Theresa Grigg, of Logan Park High School.

Who really knows about education?