Marian College was overflowing with Samoan culture on Thursday as the school came together for their Project Sam Fundraiser.
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The day raises money for the sister-schools in Samoa by selling gifts given to Marian College students on a recent alternative schoolies trip.
Students recently returned from the week-long trip where they worked across two of Marian’s sister schools.
The day also played host to a range of traditional dances and performances.
School Principal Alan Le Brocque said the day was a celebration of culture and Samoan tradition.
“We’ve got a large Samoan and Pacific Islander community at our schools. For us to connect with Samoan schools helps us learn about our own community here,” he said.
“It’s lifting their pride and who they’re becoming. We think it’s only natural that we embrace all cultures and inspire students to be more.”
Veniana Caqusau recently returned from the trip to Samoa and helped organise the fundraiser.
She described it as “the trip of a lifetime”.
“It was very eye-opening. It’s definitely something everyone should get involved with. It’s an unforgettable experience,” she said.
“You’re immersed in another culture and it also ends up teaching you a lot about yourself.”
Marian College has two sister-schools in Samoa.
“We’re connected with two regional Samoan Catholic schools. There both in villages equidistant from their capital city,” Mr Le Brocque said.
“About six years ago, we started connecting with the schools and we’ve continued supporting them. The students returned from their latest visit last week.”
The school has made three trips to Samoa in recent years.
“We want to raise funds and send them back to our sister schools. They presented us with gifts to sell and today we’re doing just that,” Ms Caqusau.
The event was a real community affair.
“We organised the day ourselves as a South Pacific Islander community within the school we orgnaised everything and put all of the decorations up organised food and gifts,” she said.