Kristin Kaleidoscope Issue 70

Kaleidoscope I S S U E 70 • J U LY 2021

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 1

8/06/21 11:07 AM

IN THIS ISSUE...

01

From the Executive Principal

02

From the Board

03

Project Lightbox

04

Fundraising Campaigns

05

An update from KFF

06

Education Beyond the Classroom

09

Kristin Camps - Junior School

10

New Parents Dinner / Foundation Day 2021

11

Summer Carnival

12

Parent Seminar / Wellbeing at Kristin

14

Junior School Update

15

Middle School Update

16

Senior School Update

17

New Mural Promotes Positive Change

18

Staff Updates

21

Shakespearean Success Continueth in 2021

22

Blood Brothers

24

Euphony and Boystrous Camps

25

K-Pop

26

CAS at Kristin

27

Coming up at Kristin

28

Enviroschools Update

29

JS Poetry Competition / Never too Young to Learn

30

International Services

32

Sports Update

33

House Sports Day

34

Swimming Sports

34

Swimming Sports

36

Cross Country

37

Athletics

38

Water Polo

39

Cricket / Tennis

40

Junior School Sport Update

41

Focus on our Kristin Coaches

42

Alumni – Elise Beavis

44

Alumni – Laura Segedin

45

Alumni – Dr Matthew Pine

46

50 Years of Progress with Vision, Integrity and Love

47

From the Archives

48

Alumni – Auckland Reunion

03 Project Lightbox

06

Education beyond the classroom

12 Wellbeing at Kristin

25 K-Pop

33 House Sports Day

42 Elise Beavis

Cover Photo: Nicole Pabriaga and Katarina Mueller representing Apollo House at the 2021 Senior School House Sports Day.

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 2

8/06/21 11:07 AM

A M E S S AG E F RO M T H E

Executive Principal In real estate the mantra is “location, location, location”; education is about “relationships, relationships, relationships”. While our beautiful grounds, facilities and infrastructure are all critical for the safe and inspiring delivery of teaching and learning, the heart of great schools is always the quality of the people and the relationships they form.

The fundamental purpose of education is to help students learn and achieve. Recent advances in neuroscience confirm people need to feel safe and supported for them to successfully learn.

The heart of education is therefore the relationships between the student and teacher. Everything depends on how productive and successful that relationship is.

Reassuringly, the Education Review Office (ERO) conducted their regular independent school review of Kristin in March of this year. We have just received their final written report, which has confirmed our exceptionally high-quality standards of tuition, as well as endorsing our strong policies and procedures around ensuring our physical and social environment is safe and supportive.

Schools also need to be aspirational places for their students, where they can safely discover their passions and develop their strengths and abilities. Here at Kristin this is clearly evident in our outstanding Performing Arts programmes, such as this year’s superb Senior School production of Blood Brothers. In addition, our school camps provide safe yet challenging environments for our young people to extend themselves.

Within the classroom these strong relationships and aspirational places are dependent on quality teaching. Research (e.g. Hattie, 2009) confirms what parents and students always knew, that quality teachers make the greatest impact on the outcomes of student learning within schools. Therefore, fostering great staff must be an ongoing commitment, which we are focused on here at Kristin. This means a commitment to supporting and nurturing all our staff, as they are the people who have the direct impact on the learning and growth of our young people.

This year we started with a full-day conference for all our staff on the theme: “better conversations”. Better conversations can dramatically improve teacher and student learning, through asking better questions, fostering dialogue, nurturing trust,

making connections and listening to understand better. Better conversations also improve workplace environments, as everyone’s wellbeing improves when we are heard, respected and engaged.

The success of a child’s education cannot be left to chance but must be deliberate and intentional. Our teachers and staff are not infallible superheroes, but they are wonderful professionals with great passion, commitment and dedication to help bring out the very best in our students. The time and focus with regular staff professional development is part of what we are looking to set into our school structure.

We recognise that the success of our students here at Kristin is shared, just as the old adage goes: “It takes a village to raise a child”. This deliberate and collective effort was obvious in the magnificent efforts of our staff to ensure our Camp Week was able to proceed between the two Auckland Alert Level 3 lockdowns.

Having such a unified staff was a key reason for our success in delivering our remote learning programmes and transitioning smoothly back onto our campus.

Our relationships, aspiration, growth and collective support are our strengths as a community. Moving forward, enhancing these will remain our commitment: a focus on our people and their ongoing development, with the intention of making a real and positive difference for our students and their learning and achievement.

H E A H A T E M E A N U I O T E AO W H AT I S T H E M O S T I M P O RTA N T T H I N G I N T H E W O R L D ?

H E TA N GATA , H E TA N G ATA , H E TA N GATA IT IS THE PEOPLE; IT IS THE PEOPLE; IT IS THE PEOPLE MĀORI PROVERB

Mark Wilson E X E C U T I V E P R I N C I PA L

Caption: Far left, Year 9 Tongariro Camp, Left, Cream-pie throwing at the Summer Carnival.

1 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 1

8/06/21 11:07 AM

From the Board Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, ēngari he toa takatini. Our strength does not come from ourselves alone: our strength derives from the many. This whakataukī (proverb) is attributed to Paterangi of Ngāti Kahungunu. It also reminds me of the parable or fable (frequently repeated among many nations and civilisations) that “one arrow is easily broken but a bundle of arrows is not”. This sentiment is a good reflection of how the Kristin community has come together to respond to the challenges of the past 18 months.

Our thanks go to our amazing staff for their magnificent responses to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 situation; for example, the successful transition to remote learning and back on site, and the rescheduling of events.

We also thank our families for their part in managing through the lockdowns, particularly those parents who were juggling working at home and supporting their children’s remote learning. Finally, we acknowledge our students for their resilience and strength of character; this is evident in some of our best-ever NCEA and IB Diploma achievements in 2020.

The school is in a positive financial position, with student enrolments peaking at 1,777 as at 1 March 2021 and strong application demand. Given the potential for economic impact across Aotearoa and in our community, the retention of families at Kristin was better than anticipated. We thank all our families for their continued support.

as well to the board, whose members value having diverse life experiences and skill sets represented to give strength to our collective impact.

The board has recently approved a new Strategic Plan for 20212025, which is built on by our commitment for the school, as well as its students, to be ‘future ready’. This includes developing the new “Korowai Ako” framework to provide wrap-around support for students, and high-quality professional learning and development for staff. Given the school’s strong financial position, the board has also committed to many new capital developments to support this intention. Alongside the “Lightbox” covered multisports centre, the board has also approved the new Junior School welcome/administration centre, and a range of improvements regarding traffic management.

"The school is in a positive financial position, with student enrolments peaking at 1,777 as at 1 March 2021, and strong application demand."

What underpinned our successful navigation of the changing public health situation was the quality of the relationships in our community; the trust and goodwill that was already present before the crisis situation occurred. We shouldn’t take this for granted. Forming positive relationships requires an intent to do so, investment of time and energy, and generosity of spirit. As a school, it is important that we all continue to work to develop a positive sense of belonging and healthy wellbeing for all our community.

Progress with Vision, Integrity and Love – these are the values of Kristin that strongly guide the board, as the board looks to the future in leading the development of the school’s purpose and strategy. It is with these values that we serve our community.

It is my pleasure and honour to be writing as the Interim Chair for the Board of Trustees. Gus Gilmore has temporarily stepped aside as Chair due to current demands in his role as CEO of the merged MIT and Unitec, although he remains as a Trustee. Managing board succession over the next 12 to 18 months is a focus for the board, as we will have some board members stepping down at the end of their terms.

During 2021 the board looks to make new appointments, and we have been humbled by the quality and quantity of the response from our community, with over 40 outstanding candidates putting themselves forward. The whakataukī quoted above applies just

Wendy Chen INTERIM BOARD CHAIR

2 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 2

8/06/21 11:07 AM

Project Lightbox This project began life as a request for a cover for our Senior School Netball Courts. Sports and PE teams had also been asking for more gym space because our existing two gyms were often fully booked.

The focus is on making the space available for Physical Education (PE) during school and sports after school. We have other groups keen to test it out for assemblies and community events, so it is becoming multi-purpose. There will be basic acoustic panelling and lighting for night-time activities.

Initially we explored purchasing a canopy with lighting for the Netball Courts. The cost estimates for a canopy were significant, so we asked an architect whether it would be possible to design a weather-proof building that would be a lower expense than a new gym and not cost significantly more than a canopy.

Thanks to the generosity of the school community raising $140,000, we will be able to install solar power panels on the roof and water tanks to capture the water from the roof.

In the architect’s own words, what they designed was a very large shed – an attractive shed. It was designed to provide the height required to meet international netball standards, and with that height came the need for strength and a steel-framed structure.

The result is a steel structure with fibreglass cladding and a steel roof.

The fibreglass cladding, internal lighting and straight-forward design led us to give it the project name, Project Lightbox. It will receive an official name when it is opened.

The building is described as weather-proof without being watertight. This meant wooden floors were out and instead we are using a rubber surface common in outdoor netball courts. There is no air conditioning, so on hot summer days the temperature will not be any lower than outside, although there are fixed louvres and six large door openings in place to generate airflow. In winter, the students can exercise to keep warm!

We will set up the building with equipment for Netball, Basketball and Tennis. We have already received significant interest from local sports associations interested in hiring the facility.

The building is due for completion in June. Another benefit of this design was a construction period of six months, including the Christmas break. There is an element of innovation in the design and we will have to wait and see exactly how well it fits different groups’ needs.

What we do know is that our Sports Department and PE Faculty staff are looking forward to having a new space protected from the weather on those unusual Auckland days when the weather is raining, windy and miserable.

Nigel Wilkinson and Mark Wilson D I R E CTO R O F B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S A N D E X E C U T I V E P R I N C I PA L

3 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 3

8/06/21 11:07 AM

‘Tread Lightly’: collectively making a real and positive difference Our younger generation are the most aware and passionate regarding the need for urgent action in addressing the environmental challenges our planet faces. Therefore, at Kristin we place major importance on ensuring our students are future ready and embrace our climate crisis in both belief and action.

In mid-March we put this belief into action with the launch of our 'Tread Lightly' campaign. The objective of the campaign was to raise $140,000 to ensure our beautiful campus reflects Kristin School’s environmental and sustainability vision, through the installation of the following on our new covered multisport centre, nicknamed the “Lightbox”:

of this fundraiser resonated with many of you. This sustainability project will make a real and positive difference to the school by reducing Kristin’s use of Auckland’s precious resources and ensuring our beautiful campus reflects Kristin School’s environmental and sustainability vision. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this real and positive difference.

1. Rainwater tanks to collect the water from the Lightbox, and an irrigation and pumping system to ensure our park-like grounds can be maintained sustainably even through dry seasons, to significantly reduce our use of mains water.

What’s next?

2. A considerable amount of new solar panels, to add to our first solar panels installed last year on the Auditorium and Wellness Centre; these further panels will double our capacity.

The wonderful and generous response was fantastic – with the funds donated and received after just three weeks. This demonstrated to our students that as a Kristin Community we really do care in delivering real progress and solutions for the environment.

We are extremely grateful for all the generous support from so many members of our Kristin Community. Clearly the purpose

The next community fundraising campaign will be to support the replacement of our original Main Auditorium seats. In so many ways these seats are no longer fit for purpose. Their replacement will be part of a refurbishment that will also include improvements to the acoustics and installation of air conditioning.

We will be asking our community to 'Take Your Seat' through the purchase of ‘naming rights’ of our seats to enable the upgrade of our Performing Arts Centre. Please look out for more information in the coming weeks about how you can contribute and support this integral area of our school.

Mark Wilson E X E C U T I V E P R I N C I PA L

Concept drawing of the solar panels on The Lightbox Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 4

8/06/21 11:07 AM

l

Parents' social at Fernielea Café

Kristin Family and Friends (KFF) Update Connecting with people is the foundation of the KFF team. The wider Kristin ‘family’ is truly a unique one and the KFF aims to grow and support these ties.

We would like to welcome and acknowledge our new and existing committee members of the KFF community: Rachel Aitken, Dee Bailey, Cindy Beaudin, Carol Boustead, Antonia Chen, Tim Cutress, Anna Hales, Patricia Holden, Peta Leary, Priscilla Ma, Shelley McHugh, Dave McLaren, Mary Pugh, Megan Richardson, Justine Rowe, Herbert Sima, Arron Song, Iva Stulich, Julia Wei, Helen Whittle and Ann Williams.

The primary goal of the KFF is to foster and grow a positive and resilient community across the whole Kristin network, from Little Doves to Alumni.

In addition, the KFF committee endeavours to: – Encourage friendships among the parental community and wider school network by providing a variety of social and networking events – Provide a welcoming environment for parents new to the school and a parental contact point for any questions, big or small – Offer parental support with any school-related activities at Kristin – Assist Kristin School with any support they may need from our Kristin parents – Focus on growing the engagement involving the parent community through our KFF team by providing a wide range of events.

W E LC O M E BAC K C O F F E E This year we have seen how the pandemic has reshaped Kristin, by bringing forward families’ plans to return to New Zealand. Part of the Kristin ethos is a sense of community from parents wanting to help, and understanding what it is like to be coming into a new school/country.

This was demonstrated by the KFF team, along with help from our current parents, by placing over 200 phone calls before the school term had even started! Our well-attended coffee morning was the first chance the new parents were able to connect with the nowfamiliar voices over the phone. The guidance was appreciated leading up to the first day of school especially coming from countries still in lockdown.

PARENTS' SOCIAL – FERNIELEA CAFÉ We had wonderful attendance at our parents’ KFF social event at Fernielea Café in Coatesville in April. Over 70 people attended this event, one of our best turnouts yet! It provided another platform for parents who are unable to attend some of our daytime events to meet each other. Thank you to all attendees for making this such a memorable night.

Getting involved with the school community is a great way to connect with daily life at Kristin. On behalf of the KFF committee, we thank you all for your ongoing support. We will continue to offer a variety of events and activities to help encourage engagement within our Kristin Community.

Please contact one of our KFF representatives if you have any enquiries and we look forward to seeing you at one of our events soon.

Sarah Amos and Christina Hoseason KFF CO-CHAIRS

5 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 5

8/06/21 11:07 AM

THE KRISTIN EXPERIENCE

Education Beyond the Classroom At Kristin, Outdoor Education is pivotal to our holistic educational offering. By providing a range of challenging outdoor experiences, we aim to promote communication, problem-solving and decisionmaking skills, which have currency across various areas. These experiences encourage a positive ‘opting in’ and ‘can do’ attitude.

Our annual Camp Week is an incredible logistical feat, moving more than 1,200 students to destinations across the North Island from Kai Iwi Lakes to Great Barrier Island and from Raglan to Tongariro National Park. This week also promotes active learning through direct personal experience and offers excitement, fun and adventure, all within a safety and challenge framework.

We know through our programmes that challenging outdoor experiences impact powerfully upon a young person’s intellectual, physical, spiritual, social and moral development.

This is perhaps best encapsulated in our three-week journey experiences, Odyssey 21 and Pasifika. The Odyssey 21 is a three-week canoe journey down the Whanganui River from the source to the sea. This journey, designed specifically for our At a time when many schools are eschewing Outdoor Education Year 9 students, is about active learning and adventure, building opportunities because of risk and compliance issues, Kristin self-confidence and self-esteem. Odyssey 21 introduces our continues to offer this cornerstone opportunity. For many students to the environment to develop understanding, years now, Kristin has partnered with Bigfoot appreciation, awe, wonder and respect. It fosters Adventures, a local North Shore company that sensitivity for the environment and increases specialises in leading outdoor experiences “These their awareness of the need for sustainable and have accredited AdventureMark status. use of the world’s natural resources. experiences AdventureMark is the industry gold

standard for outdoor providers. Kristin lead to profound Exceptional accomplishments in is Bigfoot’s largest customer, and exploration and adventure, on the sea, moments when students because of our special relationship, in the mountains and in the world of we are able to work alongside them to are teaching their teachers. nature, feature strongly in our country’s design the best outdoor experiences for history. Reflecting on this heritage, This shared adventure builds our students. An example of this is our Kristin has led the way in the use of reimagined Year 10 Camp programme. relationships that turbooutdoor learning and adventure for our Working with Bigfoot, we created a students’ development - through the charges the classroom challenging tramping/camping week, camp programme, journey experiences, experience.” where students are introduced to camp Outdoor Education in the curriculum, skills such as route planning and navigation, the William Pike Challenge and the Duke of tent pitching and outdoor cooking. This experience Edinburgh Awards. forms the practice requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and now many of our Year 10 students go on At Kristin, we know that tomorrow’s successful citizens will to complete the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. possess the adaptability to cope with a rapidly changing world One of the keys to Kristin’s success in our adventurous outdoor programmes is that students get to spend time with their teachers outside of the classroom context. It’s one thing for a student to learn rock climbing from a hired professional instructor, but quite another to go tramping in the northern Kaimai Ranges with their French teacher.

These experiences lead to profound moments when students are teaching their teachers. This shared adventure builds relationships that turbocharges the classroom experience. In this way, Outdoor Education is woven into the fabric of a Kristin education.

of work and the responsibility to be an influential member of a community. Our Outdoor Education programmes are a part of our holistic educational offering and, we believe, will help them to become future ready.

Dave Scott M I D D L E S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

6 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 6

8/06/21 11:07 AM

Caption: Our students enjoyed some incredible scenery and adventures during Camp Week 2021.

7 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 7

8/06/21 11:08 AM

8 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 8

Caption: Our students enjoyed some incredible scenery and adventures during Camp Week 2021.

8/06/21 11:08 AM

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Camp Week We had three camps planned for Term 1, giving the classes the perfect opportunity to not only bond with their teacher but also with each other as a group, building on the collaboration, co-operation and leadership they have developed in the previous years.

Unfortunately two separate lockdowns put paid to the Year 6 and Year 3 camps respectively. Somehow, by careful planning and good luck, the Year 4 Camp did go ahead at Huia.

Naturally however, such mere issues as being stuck at home did not disrupt the determination of the Year 3 teachers to give an experience their students would not forget. The children were armed with bags of flour and sugar (for making pikelets), sleeping bags (to sleep overnight in the tent made in their bedroom) and toothbrushes as they watched Mrs Powell give a great demonstration on the correct way to brush your teeth before you go to bed. Year 3 were able to enjoy the highlights of an EOTC adventure in their very own home.

Year 6 thought outside the box too and developed a programme of activities that replicated what they would have experienced at camp. They enjoyed a raft of outdoor experiences in the bush at the back of the school, culminating in a hāngi for dinner. Tree Adventures at Woodhill gave them the high ropes challenge, while time at Parakai and the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) provided the bonding experience that camps naturally bring.

The Year 4 classes enjoyed a wonderful experience at Huia.

For some it was their first nights away from home; others, the first time sleeping in a tent, catching (and releasing) an eel, working collaboratively to solve an outdoor challenge, or crossing a river by jumping from rock to rock. There is nothing like feeding the locals’ pigs to make you appreciate the finer things in life, like a well-cooked meal.

No matter what form they took this year, the experiences we were able to offer our students once again took them out of their comfort zones, taught them some new skills, showed them something about themselves they didn’t know before and, best of all, were fun.

Rob Hutton J U N I O R S C H O O L A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L

9 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 9

8/06/21 11:08 AM

New Parents’ Dinner We were delighted to welcome our newest parents into the Kristin Community at the New Parents’ Dinner in early April.

This is a memorable evening which enables new parents to mix and mingle with other parents who have students in the same year level, and to also meet a number of staff, Kristin Family and Friends representatives and members of the Board who attend.

Hosted by Executive Principal Mark Wilson, our guests were treated to a stunning singing performance by Head Prefect Evy Hwangbo, accompanied by Mr Nick Duirs, Head of Faculty Visual and Performing Arts, on the guitar, James Whineray-Kelly (Year 11) on percussion and Will Parton (Year 13) on the guitar, as well as hear from our Head Prefects about their experiences of Kristin. Our Board Chair, Mr Gus Gilmore, closed the evening.

New friends were made over great food. Thank you to all those who attended, and welcome to the Kristin Community.

Tash Bartlett E V E N T S M A N AG E R

Foundation Day 2021 On Friday 19 March, Kristin celebrated our Foundation Day, honouring the stories of our beginnings; recognising the vision, leadership and commitment of Kristin’s founders to create and build the school we love and appreciate today.

Kristin’s founding story is unique – a school created by families, for families, in 1973 by a group of pioneering North Shore parents, guided by the Christian values that are still at the heart of our school today: progress, vision, integrity and love.

At the Foundation Day assembly, two of our youngest Kindergarten students, Savannah Teitge and Sutton Pollard, together with Head Prefects Evy Hwangbo and Tim Gunn, lit a candle symbolising the light of those values, with us from the very beginning.

As a relatively young school (48 years old), Kristin’s founders and key historical figures are still very much a part of our present-day community and many attended our Foundation Day assembly as special guests.

10

Evy Hwangbo, Savannah Teitge, Sutton Pollard and Tim Gunn, lighting the Foundation Day candle

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 10

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Summer Carnival With the sounds of the Music and Senior School Cultural Committee floating across the Auditorium Field, mixed in with the squeals of delight from children enjoying the amusement rides, the 2021 Summer Carnival offered a wonderful atmosphere for the Kristin Community.

Students enjoyed time with their friends, while parents and grandparents were able to mix and mingle and taste the array of different cuisines on offer. It was lovely to see families of those from Little Doves through to Senior School enjoying the Carnival.

We had a record-breaking 35+ stalls this year, offering a huge variety of food, drinks, games, treats and fun for young and old. Collectively the stalls raised over $18,000 for a number of different causes within the school. This is the only event during the year when students can fundraise for their own trip, team or group on campus; and all those who participated were well rewarded for their efforts.

We had some fabulous new features including Selfie Central, Hunger Ball and Laser Tag, as well as our old favourites such as bouncy castles, mini jeeps and a vertical bungy. The Little Doves and Kindergarten area was a huge hit with those families, and the volunteers on the candy floss machine have to be congratulated for their effort in keeping up with demand!

The popular Middle School Spooky House and Junior Cake Stall once again proved very popular.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to a very successful event, from those who ran the stalls, to those who came and supported them. Thank you to the amazing students who showcased their musical talents keeping us entertained, and to everyone behind the scenes who helped put this event together. There is little doubt that the Summer Carnival is one of the highlights of our school year.

Tash Bartlett EVENTS MANAGER

11 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 11

8/06/21 11:08 AM

E A R LY L E A R N I N G U P D AT E

Parent seminar We were privileged to host a Parent Seminar, presented by John Cowan. This entertaining evening of wit, wisdom and practical strategies provided our families with skills to keep their head, health and relationships flourishing, while still being a great parent.

On Thursday 25 March we were privileged to hear John Cowan speak about the importance of healthy relationships within our households amidst ever-changing complex family dynamics.

John was Creative Producer at The Parenting Place for more than twenty years, presenting seminars authoring most of their courses, manuals and material. For fifteen years he has hosted a top-rating interview show, Real Life with John Cowan on NewstalkZB. He has weekly slots on a range of radio stations and is frequently on television.

He emphasised the importance of being kind to the people in your immediate family and to be a strong role model for your children through this kindness . For it is in these close relationships that we are “truly vulnerable, yet safe; exposed, yet trusting”. John stated, “Invest in your relationship to be a good parent.”

It was refreshing to be reminded that as parents we are all experiencing similar challenges, that it is OK to reach out for help and that we should not be disheartened when our lives are not Pinterest perfect. “Settle for less and settle for mess,” he

Wellbeing at Kristin

Kristin prides itself on preparing its students to be Future Ready. The appointment of a Director of Wellbeing signals the importance placed on wellbeing for students, staff and our wider community.

While wellbeing has become a catch phrase in the modern world, when we look at the science behind enabling communities to thrive and meet their full potential, we start to see a strong evidence-based practice where we can ensure effective change.

Kristin already has many strengths in place to support student wellbeing; from support structures within each school, the Wellness Team, and a number of curriculum-based education initiatives, we have a strong base to begin this journey from.

The shift over the coming year will be moving to a whole-school approach to wellbeing. This involves analysing and evaluating every level of the school’s operations for both staff and students.

To make change in any area of health, we need to understand both change dynamics, and public health concepts that involve building ownership of the project by the whole community. Wellbeing also means different things in different cultures, religions and other

12 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 12

8/06/21 11:08 AM

quoted, as he reminded us that we do not have to keep up with the external pressures and standards of perfection. Life will change when you have children and it is OK to have some mess in the house as it is one hundred times more beneficial to spend quality time with our children than to be polishing the house.

learning how to use these languages to communicate your love to your children and close family members is life changing. I can think of my own children whose love languages are different from each other, and when taking the time to invest in their love language I can see the happiness flowing from them.

A huge takeaway for me was to make sure to take care of ourselves – to fill our ‘I’ bucket – as this will directly affect the positive overflow into our children's lives. John encouraged us, and I now encourage you, to take a moment to think about what will fill your ‘I’ bucket. This might be joining a tennis club, going fishing, painting, or starting back at the gym. I challenge you to set aside a little time over the next week to fill your bucket and experience the positive effects on your family life.

When thinking about the messages I took away from this night, it was to be kind, take time to understand each other’s love languages and to always make time for yourself, for these are the things that will emotionally support our children and ourselves as we continue to grow as parents with our children in this everchanging world.

John also talked about understanding our children and loved ones’ ‘love language’. There were five languages that he spoke of: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Taking the step to understand not only your love language but also the love language of your loved ones, then

Leila Guillard K R I S T I N K I N D E R GA RT E N M A N A G E R

“Care for your child's biggest asset. That's you.”

JOHN COWAN

minority groups in our school. If we just focus on one component, we will never build a framework that we can own as a whole school. That is why it is so important that we take our time to do this properly. To make sure that everyone has a chance to have their voice heard in the process.

This year we will be embarking on the first steps towards a continuous improvement journey. We will go through a number of steps in the coming months: – Ensuring that our systems and Wellness Centre function in a way that allows for growth to meet the changing needs of our community – Moving from a reactive to a proactive model of care, no longer waiting for students and staff to reach crisis point before seeking support

As we move through each stage, the most important part is having everyone’s voice and knowledge throughout the entire process.

This will be done in a variety of ways to capture the voice of our whole community, and I look forward to working with you all and sharing the information and knowledge that we gain as we move forward on our whole-school wellbeing journey.

While all of this is happening, our wonderful wellness team will continue to look after the day-to-day needs of our students and staff. Our community all have access to our three Guidance Counsellors, our two specialist youth and adolescent nurses, a physiotherapist on-site twice a week, our Chaplaincy service, and of course contribute to the wellbeing of others through our service projects.

– Measuring wellbeing for both students, staff and our wider community. This will provide a baseline for us to measure our progress against as we move forward – A full needs analysis across all areas of the school - staff, students and whanau to get a full picture of any inequities that exist, where we are excelling, and what our challenges will be going forward – Deciding on a wellbeing framework that fits with Kristin’s values and culture, so that we can all begin to build ownership of this and work towards the same goals

Kylie Ryan D I R E CTO R O F W E L L B E I N G

13 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 13

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Junior School Update A U C K L A N D W R I T E R S F E S T I VA L 2021

C R E AT I V E H A N D S - O N F U N

One of the fundamental goals in the Junior School at Kristin is fostering a love of writing in all our children. At Kristin, we have focused on best practice when teaching writing, ensuring writing is learnt, improved and embraced, through motivation, positive reinforcement and regular practice.

The Junior School has been alive with the sound of hammers, sawing and calls of “measure twice, cut once” since we made the move to include construction stations in a variety of different areas around the school. These stations provide our students with the opportunity to get outside and explore their ability to hit a nail with a hammer accurately; for some, this is still a work in progress.

It was wonderful to take a group of enthusiastic literacy students, as part of our Gifted and Talented Programme, to the Auckland Writers Festival in May. There we saw the very best local and international writers of contemporary fiction and nonfiction, to explore ideas, share stories and experience brilliant conversations.

We were captivated in our four writing workshops, which included an enthralling first session with Selina Marsh, hearing about the steps it took to produce her award-winning graphic memoir Mophead.

We then Zoomed into much-acclaimed Australian author Jessica Townsend, whom the children adored as much as her incredible books Nevermoor, Wundersmith and Hollowpox.

The last workshop was with Weng Wai Chan, who discussed the process of getting a book published and talked about her first book Lizard’s Tale.

Later in the year, the Junior School will hold workshops for both reluctant writers as well as advanced/extension writers so that every child will be able to: – Establish a positive attitude to writing – Find their passion in writing - inspire them to pick up a pen or an iPad and want to write – Use the art of storytelling to help prompt their writing – Be exposed to a variety of writing genres, so they can refine their palates and feel comfortable experimenting with writing.

The advantages for the students go further than being able to help at home the next time a fence is being built, or a new deck constructed. There is a strong emphasis on using collaborative skills to work with others in the construction and distribution of tools and other pieces of hardware to get the job done - from the planning stage right through to the actual construction and then sharing afterwards the value of working with and for other people.

We are also making use of one of our key resources, people, to ensure these stations work efficiently and safely. Our Year 6 students are acting as mentors in the more junior classes, there to not only offer guidance and keep the construction tasks on track but to also offer advice on building skills and techniques. We are thrilled to have been able to recruit students from the Senior School as well, to help our older students in the same regard.

As adults, when we hand over sharp or potentially dangerous tools to children we automatically think the worst, health and safety, danger, and who will get hurt or cut first – not what wonderful things our children might make. Our basic expectation is that bad things will happen. While we have planned for and managed the risk carefully using our older assistants and specific teacher guidance, we also need to think about what it is they might do, and give them a chance to show us what they can do. Often when this occurs the results can be spectacular. Covering the safety bases as well as providing for creativity, persistence and focus will allow our students to show us what they can do.

It is our intention that by being able to provide a variety of different lunchtime activities to our students, we ensure we will tap into the passions of all. Judging by the heavy demand we have experienced so far, the New Zealand construction industry is in great hands for many years to come.

Chantel Ashley

Robert Hutton

J U N I O R S C H O O L A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L

J U N I O R S C H O O L A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L

14 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 14

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Middle School Update It’s well known that Kristin School offers not just a world-class academic programme but also a myriad of cultural, sporting, service and leadership activities to round out a spectacular educational offering.

In the Middle School, we wanted to encourage students to get involved in the opportunities on offer and to work towards being recognised for their contribution. The Middle School Kristin Dove Award has therefore been devised to ensure that all students gain the benefits of a holistic education and are enabled to grow into people of character.

With Sport, Music, Art, Dance, Drama and Outdoor Education as well as the many clubs, activities, events and societies integrated into and beyond the school day, there is always a myriad of activities happening in Kristin Middle School. This new award takes into account all the great things that are already happening and rewards students who are making the most of their schooling experience. The aim of the Kristin Dove Award is to equip all our students with the resilience and confidence they need to stride out into the next stage of their lives in order to become active, compassionate lifelong learners.

We are aware that some students are passionate about sport, while others prefer reading a book; some thrive in being the centre of attention on the stage, while others prefer lighting and sound crew positions out of the public eye. Some are very aware of the issues in the wider world, while others prefer to look at how they can help out in and around our beautiful campus.

With the core strands of ‘Progress with Vision, Integrity, and Love’, we make sure that all our students are exposed to new opportunities and experiences. Through the Kristin Dove Award, we want our students to look at the broad range of opportunities on offer and select those that not only interest them but also those that stretch them out of their comfort zones.

Students might have convinced themselves that they are a football-playing pianist who struggles with Spanish. Although we

will fully support their passions, we also want to encourage them to try new things. Each year in the Middle School, students will start a new and slightly different leg of their journey, and we want them to try a variety of activities from each area on offer. Their decisions might change frequently and that’s fine. Finding out that something really isn’t ‘you’ is just as important as finding a new passion.

The Kristin Dove Award aligns and supports the importance and attributes of the IB learner profile that we encourage in our students. Using this learner profile as a foundation, we teach our students to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

The Kristin Dove Award works on a points system. With the guidance of their tutor teachers and coaches, students accumulate points that earn them a Bronze then Silver and eventually the prized Gold award badge.

The Kristin Dove Award is something for our students to aspire to, but it is not the most valued prize; what is of greatest worth is the young people the Award produces by the time they graduate from the Middle School. Educating the whole child is not just a line on our website: it shapes everything we do.

Joshua Taylor K R I S T I N D O V E AWA R D C O O R D I N ATO R & YEAR 7 HOMEROOM TEACHER

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 15

15 8/06/21 11:08 AM

Senior School Update Following the disruption of 2020 with a few longer COVID-19 lockdowns, we had all hoped for a smooth and ‘normal’ start to 2021. This lasted until Week 3 of the term, when we were suddenly confronted by a mercifully short three-day lockdown. Thankfully, due to the adaptability of our teachers and students the impact of this was minimised. However, having this the week before camp, considering the amount of planning that goes into the week, is never ideal.

Nevertheless, Camp Week went ahead, and what a week it is. Every year, our students have the opportunity to challenge themselves in a variety of environments at venues as far apart as Taupo Bay in Northland, down to Dunedin in Otago.

Each year level tries to offer a different focus for the camps and as students move through the school, they can experience some of the amazing activities and challenges that Aotearoa New Zealand has on offer while forming new friendships and seeing each other and staff in a different light.

Kristin is one of a reducing number of schools that offer camps across nearly all year levels and is an integral part of the Kristin experience. A second lockdown ‘bookending’ Camp Week highlighted this and the importance of the relationships and interactions between students and staff, as many students found this three-day lockdown harder than the previous one.

determination to succeed and the value of a Kristin education.

This is, in turn, reflected in a strong student roll with both the Senior School and the whole school being at the highest, I believe, it has ever been.

In Term 2 we enjoyed the Senior School Production of Blood Brothers, an incredible extravaganza allowing students to demonstrate their passion and aptitude for performing as actors, singers, dancers and musicians. Kristin’s Performing Arts productions are well known for their professionalism and Blood Brothers only reinforced this.

“Despite the disruptions, 2020 was the most successful at Kristin in terms of academic results since 2016.”

The first few weeks of the year are also a time when we recognise and celebrate the achievements of students from the end of the previous year, both academically and in other fields.

Despite the disruptions and time away from school, 2020 was the most successful at Kristin, in terms of academic results, since 2016.

Gazing forward, we all hope for a continued smooth year where our students can continue to participate in winter sports and all the other opportunities that make the Kristin experience special.

If challenges do await us, we also know that we are in a position to deal with these and continue to offer an outstanding education that prepares our students for the future.

A total of 98% of our students left Kristin last year with Level 2 or equivalent as their highest qualification and this includes IB students, as they are not considered to have achieved Level 2 or 3 equivalence without the diploma. On top of this, 90.8% achieved Level 3 or equivalent and 90.2% achieved UE, only 0.3% behind 2016, which is our best year so far.

These results reflect the hard work and adaptability of students and teachers in an uncertain time - highlighting the value of the relationships between students and teachers, each group’s

David Boardman S E N I O R S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

16 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 16

8/06/21 11:08 AM

New mural promotes positive change...

Last year, students of the Amnesty Youth Group at Kristin explored the political and social movement Black Lives Matter (BLM).

This movement has a long history but the term BLM was coined in 2013. It reached a worldwide audience in 2020 with the unjustifiable death of US citizen George Floyd while being taken into custody by police.

Students wanted to raise awareness of racism within society, and the fact that it impacts not only black people but any ethic or minority group who can become the target of prejudice and discrimination. It was decided to create a large mural of a woman and her child, holding a banner, inspired by a photo seen in the news. The final design adopted is not just related to BLM but it is also a statement that every person’s life matters, their rights are protected and, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age or sexual orientation, we should aim to treat every person with equality and respect.

A big thanks to Stella Mackenzie and Sherise Naidoo, who created this stunning mural, which is now displayed in the Humanities and Commerce block. Stella and Sherise are part of our highly dedicated and active Amnesty International Club.

Stella writes about the project: “We wanted to pay tribute to movements working to fight racism and discrimination such as Black Lives Matter. Having chosen to focus on the concept of social movements in the protection of human rights, our designs developed in an attempt to capture the essence of protest for change. The image of the mother and child was chosen to represent a generational effort to defend the rights of loved ones as well as those yet to be born.

In terms of design, I wanted to use a bold, unapologetic colour scheme to reflect the nature of the BLM movement. The backing circle is intended to be reminiscent of a rising sun, as well as an encompassing feature to unify the figures of the protest. Everyone but the mother and child are lacking in features or distinction, as we wanted the power of the movement itself to shine, rather than a sea of faces that can become lost among one another. We believed it would be reductive to paint individual people within the group, as the movement is greater than its constituent parts.”

We look forward to Amnesty International continuing to share their message of human rights and protecting those most vulnerable.

Monika Schnibbe-Bhargav

Stella Mackenzie and Sherise Naidoo.

A M N E S T Y YO U T H G RO U P S U P E R V I S O R

17 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 17

8/06/21 11:08 AM

STAFF UPDATES

Introducing ...

M A RT I N B A I L E Y P SY C H O LO GY T E AC H E R MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Martin joined Kristin from an IB school in Shanghai, where he taught IB Psychology, Economics and Theory of Knowledge.

Originating from the UK, Martin holds two BA degrees and a Master’s in Psychology from the University of Liverpool. He has a wealth of work experience, including working for Sport of England and Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Scotland.

HELEN BERGHUIS BUSINESS STUDIES AND ECONOMICS TEACHER MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

We are delighted to welcome Helen back to New Zealand after teaching overseas for over 15 years. Recently working at the Bangkok Patana School, Helen was the Head of Faculty for Humanities and a teacher of IB Business Studies and Economics.

Originally qualifying with a BCom from the University of Auckland, she also holds a National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership from the University College of London.

Kristin was delighted to welcome the following new staff to the family this year.

TO N Y C H U R C H – O U T D O O R ED AND PE TEACHER MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

It is extremely important to find an Outdoor Education teacher who is passionate and knowledgeable about the outdoors, and has the relevant experience to keep our students safe. Tony has a wealth of experience from working at Bigfoot Adventures, Sports & Education Development (Australia), Travancore School (Australia) and running his own business in overseas school expeditions. Tony joins us from First Training as a Certified Workplace First Aid Trainer, as well as holding a Bachelor of Sport & Recreation in Outdoor Education.

R AC H E L B E L L – A RC H I V I S T

Rachel is in the newly created role of Archivist to help prepare for Kristin’s 50th celebrations in 2023. She has just completed her Master of Information Studies from Victoria University of Wellington, and undertook work placements at the NZ Maritime Museum, ANZ Bank archives and Blind Low Vision New Zealand.

She is a qualified jeweller, so brings a wealth of creativity to this role.

TO N Y B E RG H U I S I N C LU S I V E E D U C AT I O N TEACHER MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Married to Helen, Tony joins us from overseas also, where he was working at the Patana School in Thailand for more than 15 years.

Tony has held many roles: Leader of Primary Literacy, Year 6 Leader of Learning, Head of Year 7 and a Senior Teacher for Key Stage 3 Curriculum and assessment.

Before leaving to go overseas he was the Head of Intermediate at Parnell District School. Tony’s passion for student performance has seen him join our newly combined team of Inclusive Education.

M A RY D AV E Y – L E A R N I N G A S S I S TA N T J U N I O R S C H O O L

Originally from the UK, Mary relocated to New Zealand in 2012.

She has a wealth of corporate experience, and more recently has been the ESOL Learning Support Assistant with Sunnynook Primary School for the last two years. Mary joins us to work alongside our Year 0 classes in the Junior School.

18 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 18

8/06/21 11:08 AM

F E R N A N D O D E CA R VA L H O AC C O U N T S A D M I N I S T R ATO R

Working as part of the Finance team, Fernando is responsible for supporting accounts payable, staff reimbursements and reconciliations. Originally from Brazil, Fernando established his home here in New Zealand over nine years ago, where he gained his Bachelor of Business Administration.

K A E L A J E R KO V I C H TEACHER LITTLE DOVES

R OX A N N E M O R R I S O N J U N I O R S C H O O L T E AC H E R

Kaela joins us in the Nikau Room and brings a wealth of experience from Bear Park Early Childhood Centres in Kohimarama and Remuera. She gained a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education from NZ Tertiary College.

Another Kiwi to return to New Zealand is Roxy. She is a Year 3 teacher in the Junior School.

Roxy was a Year 3 teacher at Mellons Bay Primary before heading to Australia and teaching Year 4 at Claremont College in Sydney. Her strengths are in digital technologies, literacy and differentiation.

V I R G I N I A L AW S O N – T E C H N O LO GY T E A C H E R MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

R E B E C C A E LC O M B E – P H Y S I C S & S C I E N C E T E AC H E R MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Rebecca completed her Graduate Diploma in Teaching last year after completing her BSc in Chemistry and Physics at the University of Auckland. She has a passion for sharing her scientific knowledge with students, and an ability to explain complicated concepts in simple terms.

Ginny has a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Otago Polytechnic and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary teaching from Massey University. She taught at Bayfield High School in Dunedin before relocating to Auckland. Last year Ginny was at Takapuna Grammar and this year is teaching a range of technology subjects in our Middle School.

K AT E O L S E N – T E AC H I N G A S S I S TA N T L I T T L E D OV E S

Kate supports the teachers in the Nikau Room as she is passionate about working with children, and will be looking to study to become an Early Childhood teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture and previously worked at The Warehouse.

NAOMI RANGI – P E A N D H E A LT H T E AC H E R

N E I L G R A H A M – A S S I S TA N T P RO P E RT Y M A N AG E R

Neil joins us for a change of career after 20 years with St John as a Paramedic. Neil was also responsible for the operations of two station houses, so brings skills and knowledge of building maintenance, working with contractors, and health and safety.

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 19

ANA MENDONCA SCIENCE TECHNICIAN

As an integral part of the Science Faculty, Ana is responsible for supporting Science teachers with the practical elements of science experiments, lessons and assessments, as part of the curriculum. Ana has previously worked as a Science Technician and also worked in scientific laboratories.

Naomi is another Kiwi who has recently returned from overseas. She worked at the British International School in Saudi Arabia for over eight years, holding the roles of Assistant IB Coordinator and Head of Year. She taught Physical Education, Sports Exercise and Health Science, and Theory of Knowledge. Her Bachelor of Physical Education degree was from University of Otago and she holds a Master of Administration Education from the University of England in Australia.

8/06/21 11:08 AM

SOPHIE READ-ELLIS DA N C E & D R A M A T E A C H E R MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Some of our students remember Sophie, who completed her practicums here at Kristin last year. She holds a Bachelor of Dance Studies and a Graduate Diploma in teaching from the University of Auckland. She has been a private dance instructor with Bays School of Dance for over seven years, teaching tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, lyrical, acrobatics and ballet.

D R C H A N T E L L E S AV I L L E ENGLISH TEACHER MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Having completed two years as a Senior Tutor at the University of Auckland in Critical Thinking, Chantelle has a BA Hons, Doctor of Philosophy and Master’s in Literature. She completed her Postgraduate Diploma in teaching last year and joins us in the English Faculty with a wealth of experience and knowledge.

A M A N DA S T U A RT S P O RT S M A N A G E R – T E N N I S & B A D M I N TO N

Amanda has joined our Sports Department part-time to coordinate Tennis and Badminton, two of our growing sport areas.

As part of the Sports Department, she also supports whole-school activities such as Swimming Sports, Cross-Country and Athletics Days. Amanda has numerous years of experience as an Executive Assistant as well as a former Programme Coordinator for Victoria Women’s High Performance Centre for Gymnastics in Melbourne.

GEORGINA SILK G U I D A N C E C O U N S E L LO R

K Y L I E RYA N D I R E CTO R O F W E L L B E I N G

Kylie is based in our Wellness Centre and prior to joining Kristin was running her own business consulting on wellbeing, mental health and sexual health. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Public Health from Massey University. Kylie started her career as a Training Manager for Rape Prevention Education, and then expanded to various other roles such as Health Promoting Schools Advisor for the DHB, National Manager for DARE Foundation, Wellbeing Lead for the University of Auckland and the Wellbeing and Injury Advisor at the Bank of NZ.

Georgina joins the Wellness Centre to job-share with Elaine Driver as a Guidance Counsellor.

She is completing her Master’s of Counselling this year, and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Theory with Distinction from the University of Auckland. Georgina is also a qualified Dance and Drama teacher and an experienced counsellor from Saint Kentigern College and Rainbow Youth.

B R E N DA T H O R R I N GTO N I N C LU S I V E E D U C AT I O N TEACHER MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Brenda started her career as the Head of Department for Music at Mangere College and progressed her career to be the GATE Teacher at Browns Bay Primary School.

Her most recent position was as the Auckland Lead Teacher with New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education. She is now part of our Inclusive Education team.

Kristin is alway keen to hire exceptional talent ....

Know of someone who would love to join the Kristin team?

Tell them to check out our careers site for potential teaching and support role vacancies: www.kristincareers.nz

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 20

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Tobey Martin (as Richard) and Isla Sangl.

Rebecca Weatherly (as Duchess of York) and Isla Sangl (as Queen Elizabeth) in Richard III.

Isla Sangl, Tobey Martin and Rebecca Weatherly.

P E R FO R M I N G A RT S

Shakespearean success continueth in 2021 Over the last few years, Kristin students have enjoyed great success at the Regional and National SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festivals, and this year’s participants plan to continue that growing tradition.

Almost 40 students from the Middle and Senior schools chose to take part in the Regional Festival, hoping to impress their audience with their innovative and creative versions of scenes from a range of Shakespeare’s plays.

Led by Mrs Sykes, Mrs Pitout and Miss Johnston, nine groups of students spent Term 1 embracing all things Shakespearean as they created and crafted their scenes. Then, on 11 April, those students and many others from a number of schools around Auckland performed 5- and 15-minute scenes from a wide variety of Shakespeare’s plays in Kristin’s Dove Theatre. A total of 22 scenes were presented during the Festival, and audiences were treated to a wide range of comedic, tragic and powerful performances.

“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings...”

RICHARD III

At the awards ceremony after the final performance, assessors Ravi Gurunathan and Mustaq Missouri commented on the quality of all the performances and performers they had seen, before announcing awards that recognised achievement in a number of creative and performance areas.

It was thrilling to find that one of our Kristin groups had been chosen as the Best 5-Minute Scene at the Festival for their scene from Richard III. This meant that Year 12 students Tobey Martin, Isla Sangl (who also directed the scene) and Rebecca Weatherly would perform their scene again at the National Shakespeare Festival held in Wellington over Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

This award is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our students, the support and encouragement of our parents and the dedication of our Drama teachers. The students who travel to Wellington for the National Shakespeare Festival will take part in a wide variety of workshops, enjoy a huge range of performances and make connections that will last a long time.

Participation in the Regional Festival has given so many of our students an opportunity to create and perform based on their own ideas and interests, and their successes are a reflection of their resilience and commitment over a term that has been challenging and yet, ultimately, extremely rewarding.

Leigh Sykes YEAR 11 HOUSE DEAN – JUPITER C U R R I C U LU M L E A D E R D R A M A

21 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 21

8/06/21 11:08 AM

P E R FO R M I N G A RT S

Blood Brothers After the splendour of musical comedies and classics enjoyed at Kristin over the past few years, our senior students were hungry for the chance to produce a piece of raw, emotional musical theatre. Blood Brothers offered our students the opportunity to extend themselves through a theatrical challenge beyond anything they had ever experienced at Kristin.

band had the highest ratio of student to adult musicians of any production at Kristin. Each student, on and off stage, contributed greatly to the delivery of a very slick and gripping piece of theatre, supported by a sensational production team.

Auditions took place in December last year to assemble an incredibly strong cast of 25, who began preparations immediately to convincingly convey Liverpudlian characters between the 1960s and 1980s. Music was learnt, dialogue was studied and intensive training in the ‘Scouse’ accent commenced. A total of 47 students made up the crew, working with staff members in various backstage and technical departments, and the Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers, I know, will live in the hearts of all involved, and all who were privileged enough to witness it, for a very long time.

With a season of just four performances, over 1,000 audience members attended this moving show, and each performance concluded with a rousing standing ovation. The incredibly positive feedback praised the students for being able to deliver an emotional performance of this magnitude with such authenticity.

One community member wrote of the show: “There are many adult performances that never achieve what this amazing production has managed.”

Hamish Mouat A RT I S T I C D I R E CTO R O F M A J O R P R O D U CT I O N S

22 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 22

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Caption:

A selection of images from various scenes in Blood Brothers.

23 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 23

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Euphony Camp

Boystrous Camp

Music Camps for Euphony and Boystrous In March our two senior premier choirs were able to spend a weekend at Peter Snell Youth Village for choir camps. This beautiful setting at the end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, overlooking the sea, is the perfect place to sing, get to know each other and work on building a choir. Euphony and Boystrous are choirs made up of Middle and Senior School students who have started their 2021 season with weekly rehearsals and weekend workshops to rehearse and get their recital pieces ready for the year ahead.

Euphony is led by Choir Director David Squire and the accompanist is Juan Kim. David has led this choir for 10 years and under his leadership and direction Euphony has been an awardwinning source of pride for our school.

This longest-running cultural group has been on several overseas and national trips through competitions and opportunities to perform, a recent highlight being the 2019 European Tour to Hungary, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Euphony is looking forward to their choral season, which officially begins with the regional competitions later next month.

Pene Pati, who worked with the choir to workshop and build choral techniques.

“To me, camp was an incredibly great opportunity for our whole choir to really bond and get to know each other better. I made some amazing friends and felt like it was a really efficient way for us to improve our singing, both individually and as a choir.” – Jayden Wang, Year 9 The camps offer time to develop choral technique, bringing students together for the 2021 season and preparation for the NZ Choral Federation’s Big Sing festivals.

This year’s Euphony camp had some special guests too. Head Girl for 2020, Christina Yang, was a long-time Euphony member, who is working with the choir on a piece written for her to play the Chinese guzheng (a Chinese zither). This piece, written especially for Euphony by New Zealand composer David Hamilton, is called Looking at the Moon. At camp we also had the expertise of internationally recognised singer and vocal pedagogue Catrin Johnsson, who helped refine the sound and gave the singers useful tips to improve their vocal technique.

The Auckland regionals will be held at the Auckland Town Hall where both Euphony and Boystrous will be competing on Thursday 24 June. Each choir sings three pieces for their regional recital and one piece at the evening Gala Concert. During the regional competitions that take place throughout the country, 24 choirs are invited to the national finale, which this year will return to Christchurch for the first time since 2007.

Boystrous was able to go to Peter Snell Village and have a camp this year as well. This choir is relatively new, and was created out of a need for lower voices to come together and work on a range of repertoire. Their conductor, Giancarlo Lisi, was joined by

Megan Bennett EUPHONY MANAGER AND YEAR 8 DEAN

24 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 24

8/06/21 11:08 AM

P E R FO R M I N G A RT S

K-Pop Culture Thriving at Kristin The introduction of K-Pop dance classes to its co-curricular offering has been an unparalleled success for the Kristin Dance Department this year. Influencing the popularity of this unique style of dance was welcoming global K-Pop superstar and Kristin Alumni from the class of 2001 Rina Chae to the teaching programme.

Rina is an internationally-renowned dancer and choreographer and the New Zealand queen of K-Pop. She has worked and danced all over the globe with some of the world’s hottest music artists including Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, and choreographed for K-Pop greats BoA, Stephanie Kim, SF9 and Monsta X. She runs En Beat Dance Academy on the North Shore, stars in TVNZ’s K-Pop Academy, and leads key nationwide events and festivals for K-Pop. The phenomenal demand for K-Pop dance lessons at Kristin meant that three separate classes were established. With over 50 students from Years 9 to 13 vying for a place, the auditions were intense and Rina had her work cut out to define just two performance crews.

The purpose of these crews is to train up for performances and competitions throughout the year – Kristin’s celebrated International Peace Night (IPN) and the whole-school dance showcase Dance in the Dove being two key events to prepare for. The third class is open level, focused on developing the fundamentals of K-Pop, and growing confidence in performance and expression.

Students meet in the Dance Studio for a group warm-up before dispersing into their separate training areas for drills in choreography, technique, styling and performance. In what is fast becoming a highlight of the week, the classes regroup for a showing of each other’s work. The enormous support and encouragement students display towards their peers during this showing is quite special, with the Dance Studio filled with cheers and calls of genuine awe and appreciation.

“The K-Pop culture at Kristin has developed in such a short time and is truly incredible to witness. The students cheer each other on, and wholeheartedly support each and every performer, regardless of year level, dance experience or degree of confidence. I’m so proud of what we’re creating here and can’t wait to see these amazing young people light up the stage later this term.”

Teresa Lauago C U R R I C U LU M L E A D E R DA N C E

Kristin Alumni and K-Pop superstar, Rina Chae Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 25

8/06/21 11:08 AM

CAS at Kristin Creativity, activity, service (CAS) commitments enrich the Kristin experience for our IB Diploma students, and provide opportunities to unwind from academic endeavours and focus on mental and physical wellbeing.

I am a firm believer in the importance of the diverse learning opportunities CAS commitments provide. Whether it be explorations into creativity through visual or performing arts or physical exertions that push their limits, these activities play a vital role in a student’s learning journey. In this regard, Kristin is a wonderful place to be in, with a wealth of physical and creative opportunities available for students, in which they are strongly encouraged to participate.

These not only include obvious examples of sports teams or performing arts but also lots of outdoor activities such as tramping, and various different club activities which provide students with outlets to share their creative passion.

Kristin School is a strong advocate for service learning: students utilising their talents and what they have learnt in classrooms to offer a helping hand in and around the school, and to go out to the community to serve those who need help. This provides a very unique reciprocal learning experience for the students and fantastic opportunities to see their learning in action, which can create a reflective positive feedback loop between motivation to learn and motivation to share, serve and help. As usual, there have been so many wonderful service commitments both in the school and out in the community that we cannot possibly cover in this limited space.

Recent trends in CAS have also indicated that students will pursue these commitments in a wide variety of ways, which has become particularly more important as the world adapts to the new landscape the ongoing pandemic is imposing. Ironically, the pandemic led students to look to tools such as the internet to expand their scope of learning and sharing. There are many interesting podcasts, YouTube channels and Instagram pages that students run to raise awareness of social issues and share their interest with people from all around the world, most of which are fascinatingly insightful and reflective.

These commitments are just a tip of what these students will achieve for the rest of the year in CAS. In this time of great uncertainty, one thing is for certain: we will marvel with open mouths at their achievements.

Caption: Top: Upcyclers Club working on a piece of recycled fabric. Middle: Sachet stitching from Stitch by Stitch Club. Bottom: Participants of Run Your Future summer run.

John Cho 26 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 26

C A S C O O R D I N ATO R

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Coming up at Kristin

Academic Pathways & Tertiary Futures Evening T H U R S DAY 5 A U G U S T

Kristin Junior School’s production of F RO M 5.30 P M

EVENING AGENDA:

Current Year 8-9 students and parents F RO M 6.00 P M

Current Year 10–13 students and parents

Information on International Baccalaureate, NCEA, course selection, subject pathways and tertiary futures.

19 NOVEMBER 2021 Broadway Junior Collection® A MUSICAL COMEDY MUSIC BY

George Stiles

BOOK AND LYRICS BY

Anthony Drewe

LICENSED EXCLUSIVELY BY MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALASIA) ALL PERFORMANCE MATERIALS SUPPLIED BY HAL LEONARD AUSTRALIA

Dance

Kristin Middle School’s production of

17-18 SEPTEMBER 2021

IN THE DOVE 2021

19-21 AUGUST 2021

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 27

BOOK, MUSIC AND LYRICS BY

LIONEL BART Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia).

All performance materials supplied by Hall Leonard Australia.

27

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Enviroschools update The start of 2021 has been very exciting for Kristin, with a wave of support for the Tread Lightly campaign.

The Lightbox multisport centre has generated the perfect opportunity to collect excess rainfall and also tap into the sun’s energy. Students were really excited and inspired by the community support and the panels will ensure we generate our own renewable energy, reducing our carbon footprint.

In March, members of Roots & Shoots and the Waste Team sorted through over 100 kilograms of rubbish as part of our annual waste audit. It was quite an eye-opening experience for many, with over 60% of our waste being compostable! Recently our Food Technology Department funded a “We Compost” bin, to reduce their impact on the environment. It’s a start and we hope to increase the number of compost bins in the school later this year.

Our 2021 audit showed, over time, students are getting better at recycling correctly, which is great to see.

Curriculum developments are happening as well, with the Science Department introducing an NCEA Environmental Sustainability course. This inspired a new tool shed, automatic watering system and more regular gardening sessions has meant bumper crops.

Year 9 students have been learning about plants and in May they ‘released’ over 1,000 trees in our local Rosedale Reserve with the Trees for Survival programme. Some students had never planted a tree before!

Overall, we are continuing to make Kristin a more sustainable place for our community. We are constantly finding ways to improve our use of resources and promote and celebrate kaitiakitanga (guardianship). New projects help ensure that we are on track for our Green-Gold reflection in early 2022!

C O U N C I L O F S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y U P DAT E Sustainability has always been a crucial part of our values and actions here at Kristin. To help inform, share and support sustainability in our community, the Council of Sustainability (CoS) has launched its KristinSustainability website on the Kristin Portal.

This is a place where every student and teacher has easy access to resources and it features a Kristin Sustainability Get Started Guide. If you are new to Kristin, or just want to get involved with sustainable initiatives at school, this ultimate guide provides overviews of many exciting opportunities!

Jump on www.kristinsustainability.school.nz to explore student blog articles, events and yearly sustainability reports. Kristin is on a journey of becoming a Green-Gold Enviroschool, and the CoS is planning for a reflection session early next year.

Captions: Top left, The Council of Sustainability at the Summer Carnival, Bottom left, www.kristinsustainability.school.nz, Right: Waste Audit

Sarah Wakeford

Amy Chen

S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G C O O R D I N ATO R

C O U N C I L O F S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 28

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Never too JS Poetry competition young to learn Junior School students in Year 4 to 6 participated in the annual Junior School Poetry Competition.

The adage “you are never too young to learn something new” was never more appropriate than during the April holiday break when the Junior School staff spent two days on an IB PYP workshop delving into what it looks like to be a local and global inquirer.

Junior School Principal Jayne de la Haye with Overall Poetry Cup Winner Akaal Singh and guest judge Stephanie Caisley.

On 25 March the Junior School once again held their annual poetry competition, hosted by Suhjung Kim and Gus Forsyth (Year 6). Classes in Years 4 to 6 all took part, with the top two students from each class progressing to the finals in the Auditorium.

The competition was fierce throughout the afternoon, and this year the judging was carried out by Stephanie Caisley, who has been involved in the North Shore and National Speech and Drama community for many years, and Jayne de la Haye. The judges were looking for a poem that included descriptive and figurative language and to see that the meaning of the poem was interpreted and clearly conveyed. The judges were also looking for specific presentation skills including use of body language, eye contact, use of voice and the ability to show an awareness of and engagement with the audience.

Each year level also had the opportunity to perform a choral poem (a type of lyric poetry that was created by the ancient Greeks and performed by choruses) and it was very clear to see the work that had gone into preparing for this.

Both the winner as well as the runner up for each year level were presented with an award and this year the Overall Poetry Cup was won by Akaal Singh (Year 6) for his recital of The Cow by Roald Dahl. As in previous years, the standard was exceptional and we’re already looking forward to the 2022 competition!

The purpose of the workshop was to investigate what it means to be an inquirer and design learning experiences that our teachers use to draw on local and global settings to challenge their students’ thinking and encourage them to reflect and to act on their learning.

It was the perfect opportunity for us to spend a concentrated period of time immersed in professional learning that stretched and challenged us as adults. It enabled us to think more deeply about our pedagogy and use the time to refine and tweak our existing unit of inquiry plans to enhance what our students are doing.

Teachers had the opportunity to come to grips with the big inquiry picture and to be responsible for their own learning (just as we like our students to do). A focus on being an agentic learner (one who has voice, choice and ownership over their own learning) and planning to take action with what they are learning were two key foci of the workshop experience for the teachers. Delving deep into the value of language learning and internationalmindedness ensured that the Junior School staff have a common understanding of these valuable areas. The chance to sum up and create a personal action plan meant that the value of this workshop will continue long after the ‘what stuck with you?’ culmination activity was completed.

Everyone walked out of the building having learnt something new and was future focused to put a myriad of new learning into practice.

Dale Connell

Rob Hutton

J U N I O R S C H O O L H O U S E C O - O R D I N ATO R

J U N I O R S C H O O L A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L

A N D E N R I C H M E N T T E AC H E R

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 29

29 8/06/21 11:08 AM

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S E R V I C E S

International Peace Night After global events last year interrupted a 15-year run, we rejoice in the return of the International Peace Night (IPN) concerts. Since 2005, when the UNESCO Club and a group of early International students joined forces to put on an evening of cultural entertainment, the IPN concerts have become a much-loved annual fixture on the Kristin calendar. There is perhaps no better time than this year in which to come together and celebrate peace, harmony, and cultural diversity.

While some cultural reviews may rely on cookie-cutter stereotypes or caricatures, IPN has delighted audiences with unique and authentic performances. A steady crowd favourite since the beginning, Buchaechum (Korean Fan Dance) represented Kristin’s first International student cohort. Samulnori drumming has been another resounding success for Korean students. Soran Bushi, a traditional Japanese folk dance first performed by students from Kunei GHS, Osaka, unveiled a unique aspect of Japanese culture, while the highspirited Taiko drumming performance has more recently become synonymous with our Japanese cohort. As our Chinese student numbers grew, exquisite items such as umbrella dances and a special performance of the Lion Dance have continually delighted. Pasifika drumming, Indian classical dance, Russian singing and Spanish guitar are among the many other memorable performances that come to mind.

commitment in terms of planning and implementation, from the Year 13 International Committees and UNESCO Clubs across the years, deserve special recognition. The countless hours of independent practice by the performers, and their evident energy and enjoyment, have always guaranteed impressive nights of entertainment.

Furthermore, the students’ commitment to social responsibility and engagement as global citizens has also been profiled. Each year the students have contributed the bulk of ticket sales to a chosen charity, with past examples including the Japan Tsunami Relief Fund, Médecins san Frontiers, and Children of Malawi Fund. Contributions to the construction of a school in Nepal, a project specific to Kristin, and in 2019 to the Christchurch Mosque Relief Fund, which supported values of peace and inclusivity within our national setting, have been especially significant.

“International Peace Night gives students a space to share their pride and reconnect with their cultural origins.”

Not only has IPN brought together students from many different cultures and entertained audiences, it has also given students a space to share their pride and reconnect with their cultural origins. Jessica Kim, a 2012 student participant, recalls her involvement as one of the most valuable privileges of her high-school life. “I had never felt so connected and proud of my own culture. Yet, it was not just about learning more about your own culture but also about bringing all cultures together in harmony. As a secondary-school teacher, my experience as both a performer and an instructor has impacted heavily on my teaching pedagogy; understanding and embracing the different cultures of my students, to promote multiculturalism in Aotearoa. IPN will always be the most memorable highlight above all of my Kristin School experiences.”

IPN has also been an outstanding example of a student-led production. Notwithstanding the predictably wonderful reserves of support drawn from the wider school community of parents and staff, the IPN concerts have harnessed a myriad of talents on and off stage, involving over 100 students each year. The

“IPN is one of the highlights of the Senior School year, both for me personally and for the wider student and Kristin community. It is an opportunity for our students to celebrate their culture and heritage, in what is always an extravaganza of colour, sound and passion,” recounts Senior School Principal, David Boardman.

“As an opportunity for students to share with others some of what it is that makes them who they are, it is second to none and as a learning opportunity, it is priceless. I would strongly recommend that everyone makes this one of their ‘go to’ activities for the year.”

This year the event will cap off a week of celebrations fostered by the Language Faculty. This exciting and positive initiative will extend a long-held vision, but within a broader, more impactful context. Please join us on either Wednesday or Thursday night of the last week of this term (7 and 8 July) to support our Kristin international community.

Jenny Taylor D I R E CTO R I N T E R N AT I O N A L S E R V I C E S

30 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 30

8/06/21 11:08 AM

Caption: Top left: Korean Buchaechum Dance, Top right: Japanese Taiko Drum, Middle left, Chinese Dance Troupe, Middle right, Indian Dance, Left, Tahatian Dance, Above, Korean Samulnori.

31 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 31

8/06/21 11:08 AM

FAC U LT Y O F S P O RT

Sports Update Term 1 has flown by again and with some outstanding results for our Kristin sports programme.

Leading the way was our Premier Mixed Tennis team, who defeated Saint Kentigern College to win the Bronze medal at the NZ Secondary Schools finals. Some quality Tennis was played by our team and they were a whisker away from the Silver medal having lost on countback to Macleans College earlier in the tournament.

AUT UNIVERSITY AND KRISTIN

This past year Kristin has benefited from the work of Alex Wansink, a third-year AUT University Sport and Recreation student. As part of their study, students are required to do a ‘placement’ at an organisation linked to sport. Alex has worked alongside Kate Denman, our Head of Netball. Together they have designed and implemented coaching programmes and skill This summer term the largest involvement has sessions at local primary schools. Alex also been in Water Polo. We have 164 students coaches Netball and this year is the coach registered in Years 7 to 13 across 12 teams.

“Playing of the Senior 3 team. In the summer term, Sherren Findley, the head of Water Polo, sport and keeping he worked with our young athletes as a has done a sterling job getting these throwing coach as well. Kristin sport has active helps you to teams together and entered into the actively recruited third-year students overcome challenges... school’s competitions. It was pleasing from AUT. This year Alex has been joined to see our Premier boys’ team place 3rd always give 100% no matter

by Ryan Macmillan, who is working in the A2 senior Auckland Secondary the situation or how you feel... alongside Andreas Fossum in the Schools league and both the boys strength and conditioning programme. if you can only give 50% and girls’ teams have qualified for Ryan will also be involved in coaching and then give it all that 50!” the tier one NZ Secondary Schools managing Basketball and supporting the Championships.

Sports Department at school-wide sports E L I Z A M C C A RT N E Y events. The link with AUT University and SPORTS FACILITIES Kristin is a strong one and we look forward to The summer term also saw construction begin further developing this relationship. on the “Lightbox” covered multisport centre. This is truly an exciting concept across the sports programme here at WINTER SPORT Kristin. A new indoor facility like this will add to the delivery and All the winter sports have used the last part of Term 1 to complete operation of both sport and PE and allow for more students to trials, team registrations, and pre-season. Our Football and Hockey become engaged in the programme. Greater access to training teams have hosted pre-season fixtures here at the school while times at a more convenient hour and increased availability of the Rugby team played Takapuna Grammar School. Both our 1st court space will help to further enhance the delivery of our sports XI Girls and 1st XI Boys’ Hockey teams will again play in the top programme.

Harbour League, and will be pushing hard to qualify for the Super City Auckland-wide competition later in the year. Two Basketball In addition, the Hockey turf has been replaced and two Cricket teams headed to Rotorua in the second week of the holidays for nets have been upgraded. These facilities are widely used by our their pre-season tournaments. The Year 10 team made the final, teams and local clubs who hire them out after school hours – and the Premier Boys placed 3rd. These were the best results another example of the commitment the school has to provide achieved in the 10 years we have attended the tournament. The positive sporting experiences for all. All reports from the preNetball season started on Monday 3 May, with our Year 4 and Year 9 season Hockey programme indicate that the new turf is a quality teams in action. We were delighted to see our Premier Girls’ team surface to play on. again qualify for the top Harbour League. In their first match, they The winter sports programme will start up during the third week defeated Takapuna Grammar. In 2021 we have 26 Netball teams of our school holidays. Competitions in all winter codes are across Kristin competing in school competitions and 24 Basketball scheduled to start during that week. teams. These are our two largest sports by numbers. We wish all our teams the very best of luck for the winter season.

We’re delighted to again report that we have over 100 teams putting on the Kristin colours to represent the school in team sport from the Junior through to the Senior School. The two Rob Taylor largest sports in terms of team numbers are Basketball with 24 D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT teams and Netball with 26 teams.

32 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 32

8/06/21 11:08 AM

SENIOR SCHOOL

House Sports Day The day dawned fine and House spirit shone brightly throughout the day as our Senior School students competed across 12 events during the day. The Senior School Sports Committee and Sports Office team put together a fun-filled, action-packed set of events.

The groups rotated around the different activities, ranging from touch rugby and 100m sprints, to sack racing and tic-tac-toe. The aim was for each House to have as many participants as possible, all engaging and having a great day out, and, of course, to earn House points! There was some exciting competition at all events with every House fully represented.

The day concluded with the year-level House relays. Each event was very closely contested with everyone doing their House proud.

Some very close finishes provided much excitement.

Congratulations to everyone who came along and took part. Every participant and spectator contributed to a truly outstanding day and thoroughly deserve a great pat on the back. Congratulations to Apollo House for taking the overall points and to the rest for a tightly fought battle.

Finally, a massive thank you goes to the staff who ensured it was such a successful day. Without you, we would not have been able to enjoy this spectacular event.

Rob Taylor D I R E CTO R O F S P O RT

33 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 33

8/06/21 11:09 AM

JUNIOR/MIDDLE/SENIOR SCHOOL

Swimming Sports We held our Swimming Sports events in February, at the impressive National Aquatic Centre.

Y E A R 1- 6

YEAR 7 & 8

The Junior School Swimming Sports Day this year meant ‘get behind your House’ and swim as much as you can. Apollo again topped other Houses with 524 points, Jupiter came a close 2nd 499, Mariner 487 and Saturn 457. Great job all swimmers! Terrific relay swimming meant that Apollo also made a clean sweep with winning both the girls and the boys’ relays.

There were events for the competitive and not so competitive, the always popular house and class relays and in the ‘fun’ pool behind the main pool, an ongoing series of different events that kept the students active and entertained.

Congratulations go to our 2021 age-group swimming champions too, as listed below: 8 Years and Under Claire Bao:1st 25m Freestyle, 1st 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m breaststroke, 2nd 25m Butterfly, 2nd 50m Open Freestyle Mario Yu: 1st 25m Freestyle, 1st 25m Backstroke, 2nd 25m Breaststroke, 1st 25m Butterfly, 9 Years Teja Van Der Westhuizen: 1st 25m Freestyle, 2nd 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Breaststroke, 1st 25m Butterfly, 1st 50m Open Freestyle Aaron Zhang: 1st 25m Freestyle, 1st 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Breaststroke, 1st 25m Butterfly, 1st 50m Open Freestyle 10 Years and over Chloe Wu: 2nd 25m Freestyle, 1st= 25m Backstroke, 2nd 25m Breaststroke, 1st 25m Butterfly Sebastian Leigh: 1st 25m Freestyle, 1st 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Breaststroke, 2nd 25m Butterfly, 2nd 50m Open Freestyle Thank you once again to the terrific group of patient and hardworking parent timekeepers, Year 10 House Captains, sports staff and teachers, all helping to make the day run so smoothly.

Congratulations to the following year-level Overall Swimming Champions for 2021. The four swimmers who won their respective age groups also won every race within their age group - a great effort. It’s pleasing to note we had a total of 11 swimmers attend the North Harbour Zone Day as well.

Year 7 Girls 1st – Grace Van Der Eijk, 2nd – Hannah Chang, 3rd – Ulayna Ruzich Year 7 Boys 1st – Alec Guan, 2nd – Josh Li, 3rd – Caelan Wang Year 8 Girls 1st – Jenny Zhang, 2nd – Ada Zhang, 3rd – Gemma O’Brien Year 8 Boys 1st – Matthew Lee, 2nd – Harry Shine, 3rd – Paul Skoe

Y E A R 9-13 Special mention must go to James Zhang, who broke two records – swimming 35.15 in the Intermediate Boys’ 50m Breaststroke and then 31.40 in the Intermediate Boys’ 50m Backstroke - and Rebecca Wilkins, who continued on with her form from a stellar 2020, and Year 13 student Cole Tetro, who has competed at the swimming championships throughout his time at Kristin and ended by winning all the Senior Boys’ events in his final year.

Junior Girls 1st – Katie Black, 2nd – Helena Thompson, 3rd – Grace Shen Junior Boys 1st – Jason Hua, 2nd – Shane Huang, 3rd – Bobby Zhang

Fiona Ackroyd JUNIOR SCHOOL PE SPECIALIST/ S P O RT S C O O R D I N ATO R

Intermediate Girls 1st – Eloise Raper, 2nd – Una Dennehy, 3rd – Keira Spilling Intermediate Boys 1st – Jason Zhang, 2nd – Sam Hewlett, 3rd – Randal Li Senior Girls 1st – Rebecca Wilkins, 2nd – Mizuha Hirano, 3rd – Kate Hardy Senior Boys 1st – Cole Tetro, 2nd – Larry Lambourne, 3rd – Liam Black

Sherren Findley S P O RT S M A N A G E R – S W I M M I N G

34 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 34

8/06/21 11:09 AM

Caption: Our Junior, Middle and Senior School competitors at the National Aquatic Centre.

35 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 35

8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S

CrossCountry Around 800 students across the Middle and Senior schools braved the threatening and then eventually inclement weather, to participate in the annual Kristin CrossCountry.

In short, the Middle School students stayed dry, the Senior School did not, but that didn’t deter over 230 Years 11 to 13 students taking part in what was the biggest turnout of Senior School students in recent memory for this event. Well played, Senior School.

The Middle School races, held before the heavens opened, had a carnival-type atmosphere, with staff doing a muchappreciated job marshalling the runners at the start/finish and around the course to make sure everyone knew where to be and where to go.

Across both schools, there was the usual mix of runners looking to take out their particular race, while others finding success in simply getting around the 2.6-kilometre undulating course.

And let’s not forget the staff members who entered the spirit of the occasion by running the course themselves, with Mr Darrow taking out the Men’s 45-55 section, subject to appeal, and Mr Burge, as is custom, challenging Year 13 students to ‘surge past the Burge’ to score a point for their House. Joining them in completing the course were year-level Deans Mrs Neelam Davies, Ms Jess Moses and Mr Buckley.

From these races, teams will be picked to represent Kristin at the Intermediate Schools and College Sports Zone Days.

Caption: Evy Hwangbo (Year 13) and Finn Burridge (Year 12) representing Mariner and Apollo in the Senior School cross-country

Andy Clay S P O RT S M A N A G E R – C R O S S C O U N T RY

36 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 36

8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S

Athletics Athletics for our Years 9 to 13 students at Kristin School has been in full swing since February. Our inclusion of a competitive evening for these students was unfortunately halted due to an Auckland COVID-19 lockdown, but it certainly didn’t stop us from sending 42 students to represent us at the North Harbour Championships held at AUT Millennium on 16 March. From this event we had 66 top-10 finishes, and of those 16 were podium finishes.

Turner. A special congratulations to all these athletes, who broke many personal bests, and to Maya for placing 2nd in the Pole Vault.

Term 4 will see our Year 7 and 8 students in full swing, and it will see our best Years 9 to 13 students represent Kristin at the National Secondary Schools Athletics Championships on 3-5 December at TET Stadium in Inglewood, Taranaki.

Watch this space!

Also from this event 16 individual students and two relay teams qualified to represent our school at the Auckland Championships.

On what was a particularly ‘ugly weather’ day for Athletics we headed along to Auckland Championships on 30 March. From this event we had 18 top-10 finishes, with 5 podium finishes.

To round out the summer months, Kristin was fortunate enough to have eight athletes represent North Harbour at the Secondary School North Island Athletics Championships hosted in Hamilton on 10 and 11 April. They were: Bree Ackland, Finn Burridge, Maya Grundy, Pippa Plummer, Lily Rushworth, Josh Schmidt and Jack

Simone Small T E A C H E R I N C H A R G E – AT H L E T I C S

Maya Grundy

Pippa Plummer

Daichi Iizuka

Max Hickman

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 37

37 8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S

Water Polo Kristin Premier Boys' and Girls' teams both had hectic and exciting starts to the season.

The early bird catches the worm they say, and our Water Polo programme duly obliged with pre-season training and teambuilding sessions at Mt Maunganui prior to the start of the season.

The Premier Boys’ team competed in the Challenge Cup tournament in Hamilton as well as the Super Six. This was indeed a thorough build-up for the main competitions. The boys won the Bronze medal in the Senior A2 Auckland Secondary Schools League Championship. Both our girls and boys’ Premier teams qualified for the tier one National Championships following the North Island Championships in Wellington.

A special mention and thank you to the following Year 13 students who have been a huge part of our Water Polo programme over the last five years. It was fitting that both the girls and boys’ teams won their last game for Kristin. The boys had an exciting win over Saint Kentigern and the girls defeated Carmel College.

Kristin Girls' Premier Team

– Jules Aitken – Liam Black – Ewan Gibbs – Kate Hardy – Ned Iversen

– Charlie Jenkins – Lennie Kim – Larry Lambourne – Clare Lu

During the term, we also had four Year 9 and 10 teams play in the Junior one-day tournaments organised by College Sport and our Premier teams were joined by two other Senior School teams.

Thank you to all the parents for their ongoing support of our Water polo programme and we look forward to further success for the rest of the year.

Sherren Findley H E A D O F WAT E R P O LO

Ewan Gibbs

Ned Iversen

38 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 38

8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S

Cricket

This summer sport season Kristin fielded three teams from Years 7 to 13. All three teams finished the season in fine style, building on some hard work at training and improved skill development and execution.

The Year 7 & 8 team, having had Mr Haslam coach them throughout the term, defeated both Murrays Bay Intermediate and Northcross Intermediate sides in their Zone Day tournament.

Both wins were the result of some excellent bowling and fielding. In the run chase, the boys showed no end of skill and determination to chase down the scores posted. This augurs well for the future of Kristin Cricket.

The Colts Cricket team defeated Auckland Grammar School in their last match, the highlight being an unbeaten 86 by Year 9 student Kyle Windust. This side has worked hard as well and improved considerably through the season. Their fielding and game sense improved markedly under the expert guidance of coaches Juan and Simon . Congratulations to the following players for the best individual performances:

Top run-scorers: Kyle Windust 151 and Krrish Hira Patel 140 Top wicket-taker: Aaron Miles 15 Best bowling: 5/17 The 1st XI defeated Avondale College in their final match of the season to place 5th in the Auckland Secondary Schools 1B competition. This was a significant result given the Kristin team had lost to Avondale earlier in the season. Ollie Birch top-scored with the bat making 61 not out his highest score of the season.

The batting highlights were owned by Luke Watson, who scored two centuries and averaged 59 with the bat. His top score was 118 not out. Alex Godward totalled 334 runs across 12 matches with a batting average of 37; he top-scored with 82 not out. Bowling, Alex took 14 wickets with his right arm spin bowling. Christian Roadley and Lachlan Wallace each claimed 13 wickets with their right-arm medium-pace bowling. They were a constant threat with the ball all season and along with Ollie Birch, a left-arm medium-pace bowler, the bowling stocks are in good shape looking to the future.

Simon Mesritz S P O RT S M A N A G E R – C R I C K E T

Tennis The 2021 Tennis season was another successful one culminating in a 3rd-place at the NZ Secondary Schools Championship finals.

The Kristin mixed team of Finn Burridge, Jamie King, Ella O’Malley and Lucy Xu played their hearts out to defeat Saint Kentigern for the Bronze medal. They were a whisker away from the Silver medal having tied their match with Macleans College 3 games apiece.

They lost by the narrowest margins on countback.

In the Auckland Secondary Schools Champion of Champions tournament, Finn Burridge lost a cliffhanger in the Intermediate boys singles semi-final, going down 9-11. He combined with Jamie King to win the Intermediate boys doubles final over the King’s College pairing. This was a fitting way for the boys to end their Tennis season for the school.

Kristin had eight teams competing this past summer term in both Auckland and Harbour schools’ competitions. Each team had a parent manager who looked after the team on match days and ensured all results were submitted. We are of course truly grateful for all our Tennis managers and their support for the Tennis programme here at Kristin.

The Premier boys team playing in the Auckland Schools A2 league had an unbeaten season and took out the title defeating King’s College in their final match. Our Premier girls team qualified for the tier one competition. In a tough grade, our girls finished the season on a winning note defeating Epsom Girls Grammar School 7–2. We say goodbye to our Year 13 players this year. Lucy, Ella and Claire have been committed tennis players in their time here and we wish them well as they finish at Kristin later this year.

In the Senior boys’ B grade, our team were placed 2nd in the Auckland Schools league and our Junior girls team won their grade, having had an unbeaten season. The Tennis programme also ran an introductory course for beginners. This was well attended by students from both the Middle and Senior schools.

Amanda Stuart S P O RT S M A N A G E R – T E N N I S

39 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 39

8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S

Junior School Sport The Junior School Cricket programme conducted Monday lunchtime training sessions as they prepared to host Sherwood Primary on Monday 29 March.

The threat of rain held off as the match began, with Sherwood batting first. Both teams played the match in good spirits and with real effort. All students took their opportunity to bat, bowl and field, and after the dust settled… Cricket was the winner! Freddie Knights topscored with the bat scoring 17 runs and everybody bowled well. Special thanks to Mr Hutton and Mr Caithness for umpiring the match.

An interrupted Touch season allowed for a one-off mini tournament to be held on the Kristin Auditorium fields late in Term 1, organised by Mr Calvert. This provided the opportunity for our developing, enthusiastic players and teams to gain some match experience against our neighbouring school Albany Primary.

While Albany was the much more experienced school across all year levels, Kristin’s teams were up for the challenge and grew in their game understanding and ball control as the matches progressed. This action has provided these players with a great start to the formal season, which is held traditionally for our Junior School in Term 4. The Touch tournament was well supported by family supporters, with dedicated input from our dads who coach and umpire.

Thank you!

In other areas, a new athletics club on Wednesday lunchtimes provided students with an opportunity to experience the basics of athletics movements in a fun environment.

Our Gymnastic Club on Fridays after school, is now able to offer an extension session for our more experienced gymnasts.

Mini ball and Flippa Ball got off to a strong start with many students opting to try out these fun sports. New playground turn bars are popular every playtime and lunchtime!

Our Swimming team had a fantastic result in the recent North Shore Primary Swimming Competition, coming 3rd place over all with 25 schools attending... congratulations!

Fiona Ackroyd JUNIOR SCHOOL PE SPECIALIST

40 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 40

8/06/21 11:09 AM

S P O RT S – FO C U S O N O U R

Kristin coaches The sports programme at Kristin promotes a quality experience for all abilities. This spotlight on the coaches highlights some of the coaching staff here at Kristin. We are indeed very lucky to have the experience and quality that these coaches bring. We want our students no matter which team they play for, to want to continue playing the game, and of course staying physically active.

JA M E S C O U G H L A N A N D K I R S T E N P E A RC E James has been the head coach of our Kristin 1st XI Girls’ team for the past six years. A former Black Stick, having played 76 test matches including the 2016 Olympics, James is a special coach, who loves coaching at Kristin, where his skill, passion and energy have seen our girls continue to perform at the highest level.

James has been joined in the coaching by Kirsten Pearce, herself a Black Stick who competed at the 2016 Olympics. This ‘dynamic duo’ continues to inspire our Kristin hockey players. We are all delighted to have such a quality coaching team involved with our Girls’ 1st XI.

A N DY C L AY – H E A D O F FO OT B A L L Andy leads our Football programme and coaches the 1st XI Boys’ team, and is the assistant coach for the NZ Secondary Schools team. He has also coached the top women’s team for the Northern Football Federation. Andy is a qualified FIFA-level coach and has completed his “A Licence”; this is the highest coaching qualification available. In 2021 he will not only coach the 1st XI Boys’ team but also the Girls’ 1st XI. In addition, Andy is involved across the Junior School and coaches our Year 7 and 8 teams in the Harbour Zone Days. His skills and experience, along with his qualifications and passion for Football, benefits all our teams.

J U L I E K E L M A N P OT U ( J K )

J U A N L E M AT I R E – C R I C K E T C OAC H This season, Juan took over as head coach of the Kristin 1st XI and immediately instilled a passion and desire to work hard in all areas of the game. Juan has played and coached at an international level, leading the Tanzanian National team in 2017.

He has coached in South Africa at various academies, clubs and high schools.

K, as she is affectionately known, has been coaching our Premier Netball team for the past three seasons.

She has played top-level Netball with the Northern Force Auckland Diamonds and Waikato teams. JK has previously coached and led sport at Mount Albert Grammar School. She has brought some steel to our Netball programme, which has seen our Premier Girls’ team qualify for the top North Harbour League for the last three seasons. She has ensured skills and drills have been adopted throughout the Netball programme at Kristin to improve performance across the school.

41 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 41

8/06/21 11:09 AM

Elise Beavis holding the America's Cup

K R I S T I N A LU M N I – E M I R AT E S T E A M N E W Z E A L A N D C H A M P I O N

Elise Beavis If you watched Emirates Team New Zealand’s Te Rehutai literally fly around the Hauraki Gulf earlier this year, you’ll appreciate the breathtaking pace and engineering mastery that saw them take out the 36th America’s Cup. Someone who knows more than most about making the boat go faster is Elise Beavis (Class of 2012), who is the Performance Engineer for Emirates Team NZ (ETNA). After graduating from Kristin, Elise completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from the University of Auckland, specialising in Engineering Science.

Elise has worked with ETNZ since 2016 – and 2021 was her second successful America’s Cup campaign!

During her time at Kristin, Elise identified maths and science, specifically physics, as her strengths. However, it wasn’t until Year 12, when she attended a University of Auckland Engineering Science information evening, that she began to see how her strengths could be focused into a qualification that combined her academic strength with her sporting passion – sailing. “After the information evening I researched engineering degrees. On the Engineering Science page were some examples of problems that an engineering scientist may work to model and solve, one of which was around how to optimise a sail for light wind conditions.

I was a passionate sailor but not athletically driven or competitive enough to be successful in pursuing the Olympic route. That suggestion of combining my sporting passion and academic strengths really made me commit to doing an Engineering Science degree,” says Elise.

Elise honed her ambitions further – deciding that her goal was to one day work for ETNZ. “At some stage I told my parents, who are neither engineers nor sailors but have some connections to the America’s Cup world through friends. Only recently I’ve learnt that

after telling them my goal they discussed it, and both thought that I didn’t really have a chance of getting employed there. What they knew of the team was male dominated and much older and more experienced employees. Between them they decided not to say this to me and to let me have my goal.”

Following some University summer holiday work experience in the yachting industry, during the final year of her degree Elise contacted the head of the ETNZ design team. Thanks to her trademark drive and perseverance, at just 21 years old, Elise landed a role as an intern with ETNZ. “It was a bit intimidating on my first day. I only knew the names of two people and everyone was in team uniform and obviously knew each other and what they were working on. I was given a pretty cool desk which had a window in front of it looking down from the design office to the boat shed so I could see what was going on, which was pretty inspiring,” she says.

Elise quickly proved herself as a valuable member of Team NZ, transitioning into a role focusing on crew and yacht aerodynamics working with 3D CAD as well as 3D printing, ultimately seeing her travel with the team to Bermuda for the successful 35th America’s Cup campaign.

Fast-forward to a few months ago and the 36th America’s Cup; Elise’s role has evolved to a position in the centre of the action, onboard ETNZ’s Chase Boat 1 during racing. “Being on Chase 1 we get all of the comms from on the yacht as well as the TV

42 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 42

8/06/21 11:09 AM

during the racing. This makes it pretty nerve-racking as you can’t do anything to help the yacht, but you hear (and possibly misinterpret!) comms from on the yacht which may be suggesting an issue.”

and then a whole lot more spectators waiting to greet us along the wharves was really very special,” she says.

Reflecting on her time at Kristin and her pathway to ETNZ and ultimately America’s Cup success, Elise credits the IB programme for developing her critical thinking skills: “The IB programme (including right back to PYP in Junior School) taught us how to research both online and in books. Knowing how to question critically whether a source is reliable is very important in academia, work and day-to-day life.”

Once again Elise powered up her academic strengths and her sporting passion to help ETNZ bring home the cup: “Towards the end of the campaign I was looking at the performance of the yacht (statistics) and watching the wind triangle (trigonometry and vectors). Earlier in the campaign I looked at wind probability distributions, used calculus for all sorts of things and fitted 2D curves or higher-order surfaces to data.”

Elise has some sage advice for students: “Challenge yourself at school because the further ahead you can be, the easier it is later and there will be more opportunities available to you. Encourage friends and family to pursue their goals and try to come up with goals which combine your strengths and passions. If you have lofty goals, go for it! And, more importantly, don’t talk down anyone else’s goals.”

Elise was right on hand to join her fellow team-mates at the iconic moment when the America’s Cup was once again New Zealand’s Cup: “Being on Chase 1 put me as close to the action as possible, which meant I was quickly pushed up onto the yacht when the America’s Cup winning champagne began being sprayed. Winning at home with what seemed like half of Auckland out on the water

Upcoming Reunions 2021 We’re looking forward to bringing our Kristin Alumni community together at these upcoming reunion events.

DUNEDIN REUNION T U E S DAY 10 A U G U S T

You can register your attendance via the reunion event links on kristinconnect.nz.

C H R I S TC H U RC H R E U N I O N T H U R S DAY 12 A U G U S T

W E L L I N GTO N R E U N I O N W E D N E S DAY 11 A U G U S T

AUCKLAND REUNION F R I DAY 5 N OV E M B E R

If you would like to receive invitations to Alumni events and reunions,simply pop over to our ‘keep in touch’ form at www.kristin.school.nz/ keepintouch

KristinConnect T H E O N L I N E N E T W O R K FO R T H E K R I S T I N A LU M N I C O M M U N I T Y

This Auckland Reunion is for the classes of 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016. Past staff from these years are also welcome to register their interest.

RECONNECT

GIVE BACK

EXPAND

ADVANCE

Reconnect and stay in touch with fellow Kristin Alumni

Find a mentor or offer to mentor other Kristin Alumni

Expand your professional network

Advance your career through Kristin Alumni connections

www.kristinconnect.nz T H E O N L I N E N E T W O R K FO R T H E K R I S T I N A LU M N I C O M M U N I T Y

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 43

8/06/21 11:09 AM

K R I S T I N A LU M N I – W E L L B E I N G I N N OVATO R

Laura Segedin Laura Segedin (Class of 2010) is a wellbeing innovator who has created a dynamic platform for people to share their stories and support one another. Needsandco was born from adversity and provides a valuable supportive space to share lived experiences.

After Kristin, Laura focused on her passion of photography, embarking on study at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.

Following her studies, Laura immersed herself in the photography industry, spending three years as Fashion Editor for Remix Magazine and then pursuing a freelance career in fashion styling and photography.

Fast-forward to 2019: Laura had a son, Myler, and ventured into motherhood wholeheartedly. In her 28 years Laura has suffered many traumatic experiences, outside of her control – from losing a close friend to suicide at 16, to losing a child at seven months pregnant and having suffered a blood disease that almost took her life. Out of that trauma, Needsandco was born.

We caught up with Laura recently to find out more about how Needsandco came about and learn more about the wellbeing benefits of ‘open journaling’.

Tell us a little about Needsandco? needsandco.net is an online public storytelling platform. It’s a place to give a voice to those of us who have lived experience and want to speak out about it. It’s also a place for people to come together to support others and provides valuable links to support mental wellbeing.

Tell us more about 'open journaling' – what is it and how does it help people?

Creating a platform for people to have a voice and submit stories to share with our community allows individuals to feel they are valued. So when we say ‘open journaling’ I guess that’s what I have tried to create here: a place for others to speak up about topics that make us human in a non-judgmental way.

How do you think your traumatic experiences contributed to your drive to create Needsandco? Why do you think it’s important for people to share their stories?

I think my traumatic experiences showed me personally that you don’t have to go through it all alone. There is help out there – whether it’s opening up to friends, a professional or journaling – to allow others to know how you are feeling. I always thought it would be powerful to have a platform where we can share stories wholeheartedly and openly, in the hope that others could relate and know they are not alone in their struggles.

How do you see Needsandco developing in the future? What are your aspirations for the platform?

I have so many plans for needsandco.net but my one goal will always be consistent: to help others – to let others know they are not alone in their struggles and to grow together as a community, and learn the tools that we need when we may be facing uncomfortable turbulences in life. You can follow the journey with us on Instagram at @needsandco and join our online community at www.needsandco.net. We would love for you to come along for the ride with us. Let’s talk. Your story matters. Your life matters.

If this article has raised any issues for you and you would like to speak to someone further, you can free text/call 1737 to talk with a trained counsellor (24/7).

44 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 44

8/06/21 11:09 AM

Dr Matthew Pine

K R I S T I N A LU M N I – U N D E R WAT E R N O I S E S P E C I A L I S T

Matthew Pine Dr Matthew (Matt) Pine (Class of 2006) has always loved the ocean, with aspirations of becoming a marine scientist from the early age of six. Matt works in the unique field of marine acoustics science – he’s a specialist in underwater noise.

After graduating from the University of Auckland with a PhD in Marine Bioacoustics, Matt completed two postdoctoral research fellowships in China and Canada. He credits Kristin with fostering his thirst for new knowledge and finding answers through his own research, completing a total of 13 years of study since graduating from school in 2006!

Tell us about what you’re currently doing.

I’m Principal Consultant for an Auckland-based environmental consultancy, Director of my own ocean acoustics company and affiliate researcher at the Department of Biology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Simply put, I’m a marine scientist who specialises in the way marine animals communicate using sound, how animals detect sound and how the noise we make in our oceans impacts marine life.

Is there such a thing as a typical workday for you? What does a day ‘in the office’ look like?

I don’t really have a typical workday as it is so varied! I could be on a boat and diving to service my acoustic loggers on the seafloor around the Hauraki Gulf, designing experiments or marine mammal monitoring programs, analysing or coding data, writing scientific papers, or presenting evidence in resource consent hearings.

How has the landscape for your work changed in the last 12 months? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the way you live and work?

The landscape of my work has changed significantly in the past year. Before the pandemic I was travelling a lot between the UK, Canadian High Arctic and British Columbia, Australia, Hong Kong and around New Zealand to research marine mammals and fish.

I’ve become far more focused on my own backyard with the opportunity to study New Zealand’s coastlines and what makes our oceans unique. The last 12 months has revealed extraordinary things about how our oceans responded in the absence of vessels running around the Hauraki Gulf during our lockdowns.

For seven weeks during our Alert Level 4 lockdown, the life under the Hauraki Gulf celebrated the cessation of the constant vessel noise. Playing back the recordings made 35 metres deep off the Noises Island, the sound of fur seals calling, bottlenose dolphins whistling, Bryde’s whales moaning, fishes grunting and snapping shrimp crackling in between rolling waves on the distant shoreline at once was incredible! It demonstrated how well the ocean responds to any positive change and that we can turn around the dire state of our Gulf.

Are there any life lessons you’d like to share?

Don’t be afraid to blindly follow what you’re passionate about.

Everyone has that one thing that they really love doing when they are young but as you get older and start thinking about careers, the more ‘mature’ jobs tend to win and the things we loved doing become hobbies. I knew I wanted to be a marine scientist and knew a PhD was required to unlock the opportunities so blindly went for it and never had (or even contemplated) a plan B. How do you feel your time at Kristin has shaped your path beyond school?

Incredibly so! Kristin taught me so many things that I still take with me every day. The way Kristin celebrates learning and guides you to learn new things on your own was key for me, as it made me fall in love with learning. My teachers went above and beyond in conveying concepts in the classroom and their passion for it was infectious.

If you could give a message to students looking to pursue a similar path, what would it be?

It’s a bit cheesy, but just follow your passion because, for me, my obsession now pays the bills! Getting paid every day to do what I love is a privilege and Kristin contributed hugely to that. My passion for ocean research has become an obsession that has taken me around the world, and it can for you too.

45 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 45

8/06/21 11:09 AM

50 Years of Progress, with Vision, Integrity and Love In March 2023 Kristin will celebrate 50 years since the founding of our school in 1973. This will be a significant milestone, and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the people and experiences that have shaped our school over its inspiring 50-year history.

Preparations for Kristin’s 50th celebrations are already underway – in March 2023 our 50th anniversary will be marked by a programme of celebratory events that will blend the past with the present, offering something for everyone.

Kristin’s story is unique. To mark our 50-year milestone, a commemorative book is being written and published by one of New Zealand’s most experienced publishers, Debra Millar, who began researching the book in 2020.

to welcome archivist Rachel Bell. Rachel is enjoying learning about Kristin’s unique heritage and has enthusiastically embraced managing our established archival collection. We’re looking forward to bringing Kristin’s archives to life for our community, particularly in the build-up to and during our 50th celebrations.

“The founding of Kristin School is a unique story filled with pioneering spirit, courage and determination.”

“We’re very fortunate to have a superb archival collection at Kristin, and the early efforts of staff like Evelyn Ross and John Winn have resulted in rich archival material that documents the founding, growth, culture and people associated with our school,” says Rachel. “It is a pleasure and an honour to be part of the Kristin Archives project, and I’m really excited to learn more about this special place; to continue maintaining a record of Kristin’s unique culture and heritage; and especially to share our wonderful archives with the wider Kristin community as we head towards this significant milestone.”

“I grew up on the North Shore in the 1970s and 1980s, so Kristin has always been in my peripheral vision,” says Debra. “But I must admit that I knew very little of the school’s history, so I have been completely captivated learning about Kristin’s remarkable progression from a tiny parent-founded school into one of the country’s leading DEBRA MILLAR independent schools. It’s a unique story filled with pioneering spirit, courage and determination – all the ingredients for a really great read. I believe it’s a story that will enthrall people of all Kristin is much more than a place. It’s a thriving, ages, and the book will also serve as a great record of a really vibrant, supportive community. Our school is shaped by the interesting time in New Zealand’s history.” people who have been a part of this place, and we’re looking forward to bringing everyone together to celebrate our 50th Jubilee in Available early 2023, this premium hard-cover coffee-table book March 2023. will be a Kristin keepsake to cherish.

A key focus for our Alumni Department is honouring and preserving Kristin’s heritage and to support this, we are thrilled

Victoria Morris A LU M N I M A N A G E R

46 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 46

8/06/21 11:09 AM

K R I S T I N A RC H I V E S – H E R I TAG E

From the Archives The Kristin School Archives are a wonderful collection of documents and objects that, with great foresight, have been maintained since the formation of the school until the present day. The Archives include items such as founding documents, school publications, official and candid photographs, building plans, trophies, and examples of our uniform over the years.

As the new Archivist at Kristin, I’m honoured to be working with such a rich collection. Leading up to our 50th celebrations I will be working to ensure the Archives Department is running smoothly, helping to incorporate archival material into special events, and ultimately working towards a digital platform where selected archival material can be accessed online by the wider Kristin community.

The Archives are a veritable treasure trove, and each day I come across something new. In the process, I’m enjoying learning about Kristin’s culture, history and community.

You truly do have a special place here, and a strong archival collection will enable this unique story to be told over time.

As well as acquiring archives from within the school, we enthusiastically accept donations of suitable material, and over time may also put calls out to the community for specific items. At the moment we’re very keen to collect candid images from Kristin’s early years, particularly 1973 to 1983.

We’re also on the lookout for copies of the 1985 Yearbook, and the Junior School girls’ summer dress worn until 2014, which was a teal check with pale stripes on the collar and sleeves.

If you have any of these items tucked away and are willing to part with them, we would hugely appreciate the opportunity to add them to the collection.

If you have any questions about making a donation, or how to access items in the Archives, please feel free to get in touch at rbell@kristin.school.nz or +64 9 415 9566 extn 2452. We would love to hear from you!

Rachel Bell A RC H I V I S T

Caption: Top to Bottom, 1987 Rugby game, 1973 assembly, 1976 recorder class, 1984 school fair.

47 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 47

8/06/21 11:09 AM

K R I S T I N A LU M N I

Auckland Reunion Our Auckland Alumni Reunion is the highlight of our reunion calendar, and after a year where events had been few and far between, it was our pleasure to welcome a special group of Kristin Alumni ‘home’ for an evening of reconnection and fun.

Our 2020 reunion celebrated the anniversaries of the classes of 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, and included the full spectrum of Kristin Alumni, from foundation students who attended Kristin in its earliest days at Campbells Bay, through to more recent graduates, many returning to school for the first time since graduating.

Our guests enjoyed student-guided tours of the Kristin campus, enabling them to reminisce and see what has changed since they were at school. There was also the opportunity to ponder old class photos and recreate those photos with their alumni peers, through an older (and wiser!) lens.

It was a delightful evening and a wonderful way to celebrate the connections and strong Kristin Alumni support network that extends well beyond school days, in what has been a challenging year for many. Thanks for a fantastic evening everyone!

For more photos from the evening, visit www.kristinconnect.nz

2 2

M 2

48 Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 48

8/06/21 11:09 AM

50th - De

50 PR

O

GR E

SS WI TH V IS IO N

1973 2023 TO

, INTEGR

ITY

AN

D

LO

VE

.

CELEBRATE

our achievements

23 26 TO

MAR 2023

CONNECT

with old friends

REFLECT

on our journey

In 2023 Kristin will celebrate 50 years since the founding of our school in 1973. It’s our opportunity to acknowledge the people and experiences that have shaped our school over its inspiring 50-year history.

Our school was founded by families, for families and we place huge value on the spirit, integrity, passion and diversity of our community - from our visionary founding families to our resilient, proud yet humble present-day students.

Together, we are Kristin.

50 YEARS OF PROGRESS, WITH VISION, INTEGRITY AND LOVE

FO R M O R E I N FO R M AT I O N , E M A I L : A LU M N I @ K R I S T I N . S C H O O L . N Z 50th - Design Development - Yearbook Insert.indd Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 1 49

22/12/20 8/06/21 10:44 11:09AM AM

PO Box 300 087, Albany 0752, Auckland, New Zealand 360 Albany Highway, Albany 0632, Auckland, New Zealand Ph 09 415 9566

W W W. K R I S T I N . S C H O O L . N Z

Kristin Kaleidoscope Magazine Issue 70 2021.indd 50

8/06/21 11:09 AM