Catholic Education Office Dunedin diocese director Tony Hanning said nearly 5000 pupils in Catholic schools in Otago celebrated the day by doing activities which showed leadership in their communities.
This included holding Masses, creating colourful kites to raise awareness of Catholic education and visiting early learning centres to read to preschoolers and tell them about life in Catholic schools, he said.
New Zealand Catholic Education Office chief executive officer Patrick Lynch said the need for local leadership to successfully manage the social, environmental and economic issues of our time, was part of moving Catholic schools from good to great.
"Catholic Schools' Day 2010 gives us the opportunity to showcase who we are to our communities and to the nation.
"This theme [Be the Change] is a rallying call which focuses the attention of our school communities at a time in world history when positively managing change is a significant challenge," he said.
Mr Lynch said this required planning and strategising, while providing inspiration for young people so they came to believe it was possible to change the course of history.
