Grace Snell

Ko Parihaka te maunga e rū rei taku ngākau
Ko Hātea te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara
Nō Whangarei ahau
Ko Tāmaki Makarau tōku kāinga
Ki te taha o tōku papa ko Ngāi Tahu tōku iwi
Ki te taha o tōku mama ko Ngāpuhi tōku iwi
Ko Kaiako ahau
Ko Grace ahau

I was born in Whangarei but have lived most of my life in Auckland, with a few years based in Melbourne. I have experience teaching children of all ages, and each year level is my favourite for different reasons!

It is an honour to work alongside fellow educators, Mat and Harold, in the Auckland West Life Education Trust. I love teaching in the mobile classroom as it is such an engaging environment and it’s a joy to see students’ eyes light up in wonder as they discover new things about the brain and body.

Harold and the mobile classroom are great teaching tools we use to support classroom teachers in empowering their students to make the best choices and be the healthiest they can be. He waka eke noa - we are all in this together, and together we can make a difference! 

Vicky McDowall

I grew up on the North Shore and moved out west in 2006. I began my career as a secondary teacher, teaching English and Media Studies for five years. I made the transition to primary teaching in 2015. I have two teenagers and two cats. I enjoy reading, photography, and going for walks at the beach or in the ngāhere. I volunteer at my local library, delivering books to those who are unable to visit.

I have fond memories of Harold visiting my primary school when I was a child. In more recent years I have been able to experience the joy and wonder of Life Education visits through my students’ eyes. I feel very grateful to be working alongside the rest of the Auckland West team, and our local schools to make sure the Healthy Harold programme reaches as many tamariki and rangatahi as possible.