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At one school's prize giving, a dog headed the prize list. Guide dog Winsome has been an integral part of The Manurewa High School community for the past 18 months, as the subject of a Year 9-10 science and technology project, incorporating the website Winsome's Web World. Now 18 months old, Winsome is an exceptionally talented guide dog whose progress through guide dog training has been followed closely by a global audience of youngsters via the Internet since she was a seven week old puppy. Winsome received her award at the school's prize giving for graduating top of the class from guide dog training 'school'. She has just completed the final part of her guide dog training and was the perfect student, taking on every new challenge with confidence and enthusiasm and always eager to please. She passed all the training exercises and assessments with flying colours. In view of the high standards that Winsome achieved throughout her training and the fact that she is in peak physical condition, she has been given the ultimate guide dog accolade. She has been selected to enter the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind Guide Dog Breeding Programme to become a mother to new generations of guide dog puppies. In the guide dog world this is an extremely prestigious role. Only the top three percent of dogs who complete the training programme are selected. Winsome's website was created by Year nine and 10 students from The Manurewa High School, in a partnership with the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind and supporters Kleenex Cottonelle. This is the fifth year that the bathroom tissue brand has been involved with supporting the RNZFB guide dog puppy nursery. It is fitting that the students from The Manurewa High School who were Winsome's web designers share their big day with the dog they have grown so fond of. Winsome's parents, guide dogs Fonz and Whim, won't be there, but her Mount Eden-based guardian Gerry Wright will. The project involved tracking the progress of Winsome through the various stages of her training to become a fully-fledged guide dog. Winsome's Web World provided month by month updates of Winsome's progress and allowed students all over New Zealand and the world to share her experiences and gain an insight into the life of a New Zealand guide dog puppy. RNZFB's Jeanette Manson says: "This is a fantastic achievement for Winsome. When she was chosen from a litter of five to be the subject of The Manurewa High School project we didn't know how she would get on. The course is very demanding and some dogs just don't make the grade. Winsome has exceeded our expectations throughout the programme and been a real star. This is great news for the Foundation and for Kleenex Cottonelle, who support our puppy nursery, as we watch Winsome take on her new role." Check out the latest Winsome news at www.manurewa.school.nz by following the link to Winsome's Web World. |
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