Dannevirke: Sevens take digital award

Huia Range Year 2 teacher Clayton Evans with the seven boys who won a Digi award in Palmerston North this week in a competition entered by 700 pupils from 34 schools. Photo / Christine McKay

A sevens team from Dannevirke's Huia Range School are winners, not in rugby, but the digital world, beating others to win the animated category in the third Inspire Net Manawatu Digi awards.

The seven Year 2 boys, Jai Collins, Jake McCabe, Ben Marsh, Jahdae Martin, Santana Howell, Robert Jensen-Hodgetts and Rico Walker, had really impressed, principal Robyn Forsyth said.

"They did so well, working on their own and our school is extremely proud of them all," she said.

The digi award competition allows primary-aged school children to show off their technology talents, with categories including photography, film-making, book trailer, short movie, music video and animation.

The Huia Range pupils, aged 7 and 6, produced a film, the Hare and the Tortoise, taking out the Year 1 to 3 animation category.

"We used transformers," the boys chorused. "And we're proud. Now we want to do another one."

Teacher Clayton Evans said the project took the boys three days.

"First they had to read the story of the Hare and the Tortoise, understand what it was about and then made their animated film, complete with sets, using their transformers," he said. "On day three, they edited their production. It all happened very fast."

The children were taken by surprise when their names were called out as winners in the Regent Theatre on Broadway in Palmerston North as category winners as the competition had attracted 700 pupils from 34 schools.

The supreme winner of the competition, Year 2 pupils from Opiki School, were also from the Year 1 to 3 section. They won with their mini documentary, Where does milk come from?

There were other categories for Year 7-8 and Year 4-6.

-You can view Huia Range's winning entry by going to https://thedigiawards.wikispaces.com/