Paul Western (left) and Steve Burt outside Kāpiti College's new wellness centre, which is under construction. Photo / Grace Odlum
Paul Western (left) and Steve Burt outside Kāpiti College's new wellness centre, which is under construction. Photo / Grace Odlum
The upcoming school year will bring exciting opportunities to Kāpiti College’s international students with the addition of a new wellness centre.
The wellness centre will be split into two sections, with about 60 per cent of it being used for international students and their learning, and the other 40 per cent being used for counselling.
Construction of the wellness centre started in July last year, and is expected to be completed at the end of the first school term, in March or April.
The wellness centre will cost $1.3 million to build, and is being paid for via Government funds and school board funds.
A key feature of the wellness centre is its focus on privacy.
Students can enter through the main entrance, or if they want more privacy, they can enter through a side door which is accessible from another building.
“When kids go to see a counsellor, they don’t want people to know what they’re doing,” Kāpiti College’s director of international education Steve Burt said.
Burt has worked both as a guidance counsellor and in his current role in international studies, so the wellness centre is especially important to him.
He said because of Covid-19, Kāpiti College only had six international students last year, and that number is rising to 48 in Term One, with more expected to join in Term Two.
Currently, counselling is being run from an old school house, with three bedrooms and a lounge, and originally, Esol (English for speakers of other languages) classes were being held in one of these bedrooms too.
International students pay a weekly sum for homestays and come from all over the world.
Steve Burt (left) and Paul Western at Kāpiti College. Photo / Grace Odlum
While a lot of them come from Asian countries like Japan, Korea and China, Kāpiti College’s international marketing director Paul Western said the school gets a lot of students from European countries, too.
“Students come for all sorts of reasons.”
He said while a lot of the Japanese students come for educational reasons, such as gaining university entry, a lot of the European students come for tourism purposes.
Burt recalls attending the wedding of one of his Japanese international students with a Waikato farmer, and said it was nice to see them sharing her Japanese culture and his Kiwi farming culture.
Principal Tony Kane said the international students are important as they make the school more multicultural.
The college’s home-stay co-ordinator is Coco Lu, and you can contact her via coco.lu@kc.school.nz if you are keen to host an international student.
