A graduate relief teacher who worked at a school for four weeks guided her class to a $4000 prize.
Andrea Harrison enrolled her year 7 and 8 Ohoka School class in the recently launched Be Healthy, Be Active programme designed to encourage children to take an interest in health and fitness.
The class kept an online food diary over one week, looking at how different foods affected energy levels.
Out of about 240 classes across the country that took part, the Ohoka pupils won the grant because of their enthusiasm.
The money will go towards funding an interactive whiteboard.
"I'm a recently graduated relief teacher," Harrison said. "I was in school for four weeks. It was a bit of a surprise to hear we had won."
She said the programme had helped pupils become more aware of nutrition.
"It's a bit more up their alley rather than teaching out of a textbook," she said. "It added another layer of interest."
The programme is a free tool developed to support teachers, who increasingly have fewer resources and support for life-skills learning.
Article from http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7162109/Fill-in-teacher-helps-class-win-big