Paraparaumu students share road safety message

What's your superpower?

In a class project last year, students in a Year 8 class at Paraparaumu Beach School were asked to do a project called "What's your superpower", looking at what they could do to fix something in their school or community.

While many did projects that involved maintenance around the school, Jack Stephens and Boston Main decided to look at road safety.

Jack Stephens and Boston Main have made a road safety video informing the community of how to drive safely around Paraparaumu Beach School. Photo / Rosalie Willis

"Because we're road patrollers and we saw lots of people not following the rules on the road, we thought we would make a video to tell drivers in the community what to do and what not to do," Jack said.

"We put in all the things which we would see out on the roads," Boston said.

Calling them "Persistent Problems", the students said they constantly saw people parking in the drop zone, telling the road patrol team what to do, and stopping before the crossing.

Doing road patrol one day a week in the mornings and afternoons, Jack and Boston took the project further than most of their pairs, creating a video with support from the Kāpiti council road safety team.

"Most people's projects involve maintenance around the school, such as improving the drinking fountain," Boston said.

"Our road patrol co-ordinator Ms (Vicki) Wilson got us in touch with Bruce Johnson from the Kāpiti Coast District Council, who put us in touch with videographer Caleb Jack who helped us make the video," Jack said.

"Before we did the project the plan was to make a video.

"We brainstormed our ideas with Caleb and then he came out and filmed us while we were on duty."

Taking around seven weeks to complete the project, the pair showed their teacher Cath Franks, "and she showed it to some of the other teachers who thought we should share it with the wider Kāpiti community".

"We want to spread the message out further and get the whole community to see it," Boston said.

The "Persistent Problems" Jack and Boston noted at the crossing around Paraparaumu Beach School are:

• People parking in the drop zone

• Telling the road patrol team what to do

• Stopping before the crossing