Mathematics & Statistics BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION With just twenty skewers, 1.2m of string, five ice block sticks, some glue and a whole lot of ingenuity, Year 9 and 10 students rose superbly to the challenge of constructing the strongest weight-bearing bridge as part of the lead up to the national Aurecon Bridge Building Competition. Testing was a fairly destructive affair, with ten bridges being tested until breaking point, in a clear demonstration that our junior mathematicians were adept at incorporating some great geometric engineering into their designs. The bridge to hold the third heaviest load was designed by the all-girl team of JCS with
their well-constructed bridge holding 10.5kg (that’s a sack of potatoes)! ‘Artistic Rat’ took second place with a bridge that held 11kg. However, the bridge that took first place this year did so by a landslide victory of 17kg (the equivalent of almost two sacks of potatoes)! This team is no stranger to victory as they also took out first place last year as Year 9’s. GBJ had fantastic design and ingenuity, bringing their A-game (as well as a few fans for drying). First Place: GBJ - Gavin Ninnes, Bradley Nauck, and James Campbell (10CRE) Second Place: Artistic Rat - Arc Avan Porcioncula, Tommy Ong, and Rohan Sharma (9SPH)
Third Place: JCS - Jessica Chen, Christine Yu, Shirley Chen (10GDR) These three teams then went through to the national Aurecon Bridge Building competition in August, where they had their bridges photographed, weighed, and then tested to destruction! Team JCS set a new school record of 76.9kg and Team GBJ also broke the previous school record with a weight of 59.3kg. This is a superb result which is a direct result of the hours of work that were put into the design and construction of the bridges.
JAZZ & SOUL CONCERT It has been a massive second half of the year for the Music Department, with the annual Jazz & Soul Concert, the Auckland-wide KBB Music Festival, the Auckland Schools Jazz Band Competition, and the Stand Up Stand Out competition.
KBB MUSIC FESTIVAL
Years of hard work is leading to the sweet sound of success for Avondale College musicians, whose String Ensemble and Big Band both won Gold awards at the prestigious Auckland-wide KBB Music festival. Avondale’s String Ensemble (tutored by David Snelling and led by Genevieve Tang) not only won a Gold award, but were one of only four chamber orchestras invited to play at the exclusive Gala Concert at the conclusion of the KBB festival. “It’s the culmination of years of work,” says Director of Music Mr Mathew Stenbo. He notes the combination of students coming through the College’s Performing Arts Academy, the dedication of the tutors and the hard work of the students as key factors in their success. “To be standing alongside the best chamber orchestras from all the schools is wonderful recognition,” he says.
Science
The Jazz & Soul Concert held on Wednesday 10 August was an outstanding event, featuring a plethora of Avondale talent including our award-winning Jazz Combos, Big Band, Soul Band and acapella groups and special guests, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra. More great jazz was heard from our Dale JC combo who won a Gold award at the Auckland Schools Jazz Band Competition on Saturday 13 August.
BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD Avondale College students make bid for Biology Olympiad team Ten Avondale College students have qualified for the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad (IBO) tutorial programme, earning a Bronze Award. This is the largest group ever to qualify from Avondale College.
12OED spent five chilly nights walking around lake Waikaremoana near Napier in August. They encountered rain and snow and had an amazing wilderness experience. Students were tested on their tenacity and ability to stay positive in challenging conditions. The students thrived on the experience, building shelters, fire lighting, playing games and having a mid winter dip in the lake.
The students will now be working hard all summer in preparation for the National Selection and Training Camp qualifying examination at the start of 2017. Avondale College has a solid competitive history in the IBO, with two students (Ethan Sorrell and Ery Zhu) both gaining medals at the international event in previous years. The 2017 competition is to be held at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom next July. Four students from New Zealand will be selected to compete. Congratulations (and best wishes) to our Avondale biologists: Anastasia Ivashkova, Dell Matravers Rock, Shereen Lee, Tye O’Sullivan, Zill Darji, Victoria Ivashkova, Jesslyn Chen, Leo Cekus, Bianca Craill and Jasica Chiu.
SCIENCE TRIP
Avondale College’s Head of Jazz, Michael Robinson, also attributes his students’ success to their passion for music combined with hard work and commitment over many years. “The majority of our senior Big Band students have come through the College’s jazz programme or Performing Arts Academy and have taken part in numerous co-curricular opportunities,” he says.
Avondale College’s combos Poss and the Possibilities and Dale JC both came away with Excellence Awards for their performances at the New Zealand School of Music’s Jazz Project competition in Wellington from 8th-11th June. As part of the project, the students also attended workshops with world renowned jazz educators Karrin Allyson, Tom Warrington, Larry Koonse and Joe La Barbera. Over the four days the students attended two to three concerts every day, including international artists Wayne Shorter and Snarky Puppy.
L’Oreal and The Science Department of Auckland University hosted a Girls in Science event on 9 September. Nine Year 11 and 12 female students had the privilege of listening to accomplished scientists in Chemistry, marine science and geoscience. This was followed by a guided tour around the chemistry and maths departments, the photon factory and the environmental labs. To cap it all a delicious lunch was provided along with a cherished goodie bag from L’Oreal! The girls gained so much from the experience and returned to school eager to pursue science as an option in the future.
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JAZZ PROJECT