Background
Tararua College is a decile 5 school in Pahiatua with a roll of 470 pupils; predominantly Pakeha with 15% Māori, 1% Pasifika and 1% Asian.
Technology is a compulsory subject at Year 9 where, for the last nine years, each of four classes has done a rotation of the technologies - ICT, Food, Materials, Electronics, Structures and Mechanisms - with four hours over six days.
In Year 10 technology is offered as an option (with three hours over six days) in Food, Materials and Information & Communication Technology plus a Textiles option.
Food and Materials Technology is offered at Year 11 with senior technology at Year 12 and 13. A Food and Nutrition course is also available at Year 11.
Diana Eagle: "There's a lack of knowledge about food - where it comes from and how one can change it. In Food Technology cooking is almost secondary - it is important for students to understand how to change products on the market to suit taste, nutritional and other consumer needs."
The Year 10 class currently starts Term 1 with a nutrition unit then moves on to a project designing a gourmet burger to be entered in the national Beef and Lamb Marketing Board competition, in which they have had considerable success at a regional level.
Diana Eagle began her teaching career in Home Economics at Tararua College and taught for three years before leaving to raise a family. When her youngest child was three Diana was approached to return to the school, where she worked part time for a while before moving back into full time teaching in Food Technology.
