Wonder Wheels: Year 6 students organise pop-up roller skating event in the city tomorrow.
Year 6 students from Selwyn House School are organising a pop-up roller skating event at Spark Park on Hereford Street
this Thursday, 14 September. Wonder Wheels is a school project that has been supported by urban regeneration initiative, Gap Filler.
The students will come into the city in the morning to set up and then host Selwyn House students at the site in the
afternoon. The main event starts at 4pm with families and business mentors invited to attend the event. You can expect
to see around 30 – 40 kinds decked out in capes and masks having a blast on rollers skates! Members of the public are
also welcome to stop by and try roller skating in Spark Park from 4 - 6pm. A limited number of skates are available.
The event is part of the Selwyn House students’ studies as an Exhibition project; a Year 6 inquiry celebration of the
journey towards developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are active, compassionate lifelong
learners. Working with Gap Filler as part of their education programme this year, the students identified the need to
create a fun family/kid friendly activity in the centre of the city and wanted to bring “some colour” back to the
central city of Christchurch. The Year 6 classes from Selwyn House have worked together with Gap Filler, Life in Vacant
Spaces and additional professionals, mentors and more to create, design and install a Gap Filler-inspired project in the
central city.
“The girls in Year 6 are 10 and 11 years old. It is amazing to see a group of young girls take an interest in adding
“life” back into a city which was badly damaged when they were only 2 and 3 years of age” says Jennifer Shepherd of
Selwyn House School.
“The students, responding to a lack of fun free family events in the central city, came up with the idea of holding a
skating event called 'Wonder Wheels' to activate a central city vacant site. Authentic learning experiences like this
provide students with an opportunity to take collective action and create and contribute in a real way to the civic life
of our city. We believe that providing practical and creative opportunities for students to contribute to our city will
support the next generation of engaged and active citizens and at the same time make a city that is vibrant and fun to
live in. We hope that this event encourages others to use this and other vacant sites in creative and fun ways" says
Sally Airey, Gap Filler’s Learning Facilitator.
Spark Park functions as a public space that the owners have made available for temporary public uses through engaging
Life in Vacant Spaces. LIVS have brokered access for food trucks, gardens, a small studio/shop and markets in the past.
ENDS