Background
Wellington High School is an inner-city decile 9 school with a 2008 roll of 998 students. All Year 9 students take a term of Fashion Technology, which is offered as an option at Year 10, and in Years 11-13 can continue in the Fashion Textile Design Technology course.
A number of students transfer to Wellington High at senior level, as it is the only city secondary school that is co-educational and does not have a school uniform. This often means senior classes are of mixed skill levels and experience. Teacher Kylie Merrick's Year 13 class, for example, included students who had mastered Fashion and Textiles knowledge and skills at an exceptionally high level and those who hadn't taken the subject before, as well as international students working on a non-exam course.
Having enjoyed the Clothing option at secondary school, Kylie applied to do either Fashion Design or Industrial Design at Wellington Polytechnic (now Massey University School of Design) where she was encouraged to take Fashion, because the Industrial course was then considered a "boys" area. After completing her diploma Kylie did freelance work in Wellington, doing shop window displays, graphic design and helping with exhibition installations, amongst other things.
During this period Kylie also returned to Polytech as a part-time lecturer in Fashion Design. She enjoyed this work and eventually decided to train as a Technology teacher at Wellington Teachers' College (now part of Victoria University). While teaching, Kylie was asked to lecture part-time in the Fashion school at Massey and she has also worked for NZQA in facilitating, moderating and examining roles. Since beginning teaching she has completed a Master of Design degree in order to upgrade her original qualification for teaching purposes. Kylie has also continued doing a wide range of freelance design work.
