4 minute read
Getting creative
A celebration of CAKES
This past term Year 11 food design technology students were again given the challenge of creating a cake to share with different departments around our School on Friday 12 June in celebration of Diocesan’s 116th birthday.
Within the cake design industry it is not uncommon to have to work with clients who have a range of diverse needs and wants. The role of the technologist is to manage these expectations with their expertise, ensuring that a product is conceptually creative and still functional. In order to stay in business, the final product must look and taste amazing, be delivered on time and come in on budget, which I am happy to say all our girls achieved beautifully.
As designers-in-training, Level 1 food design technology students had the opportunity to work with authentic stakeholders from the wider School community. The brief gave them the experiences of balancing the competing factors a designer from any discipline would experience in the industry. It was all about extending students technically and conceptually while working to a time deadline and giving them an authentic experience from which to learn and grow.
Students needed to consider both the aesthetic and functional aspects of the cake while catering to food allergies and dietary preferences. Making the cakes for authentic stakeholders made the students aware of deadlines,
gave them experience in liaising with and managing stakeholders’ needs and working with industry software (Menucoster) to ensure raw material costs were managed.
The large-scale project will be assessed in NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standards covering conceptual design, understanding of design elements, project planning and management. A total of 13 credits present a comprehensive portfolio that documents their design journey.
The assignment was a bit harder this year with Coronavirus, as it was for many practical subjects, however the girls were self-directed and managed to plan their work over lockdown as well as getting stuck in once they were back at school and able to use the facilities. Two cakes are still in the pipeline for the Old Girls’ League as they were not able to be here on the day, so we haven’t stopped baking yet! Food design technology is a popular subject at Diocesan. Students use the creative and analytical processes of design in a variety of contexts through the wider creative industries. The subject combines creative and critical thinking, giving students the opportunity to experiment, create, gather feedback, redesign and deliver their products while experimenting and exploring the world around them.
Students were delighted with their final cakes and the positive feedback and recognition they received. They all felt that this was a rewarding and fun way to complete the assessment and especially valued the opportunity to work with real stakeholders to create lovely, tasty cakes. As much work as it all was, the comments back from the students were all positive and their families absolutely loved the tests and trials over lockdown!
Celebrating School Birthday
The observance of the School Birthday is one of our oldest traditions here at Diocesan. Early Chronicles suggest that the School has always celebrated the anniversary of its opening and dedication. In the early years of the School, the birthday was often used as a suitable occasion for significant events. In 1910, the first time the School squeezed into the Chapel of Saint Barnabas was for Birthday Prayers. School Birthday 1912 was the first occasion that saw the whole School turned out in the newly introduced uniform. The Hall frieze was also completed in May and June of 1912 so it could be given as a birthday gift.
From 1906 until 1927, the School Birthday involved two principal ingredients. Firstly, instead of the regular School Prayers appointed for the day, the School would instead offer the hymns, readings and prayers used at the School’s dedication in 1904. Secondly, classes would end towards the middle of the day when the School would assemble in the Hall to be entertained by the senior girls.
In Miss Sandford’s time, School Birthday became an occasion reserved especially for the Juniors who would gather in the Hall on a Saturday afternoon for games, party treats and most importantly, birthday cake! Miss Sandford is recorded as welcoming the little ones personally and joining in the fun and games. The senior girls continued to provide entertainment for what became known as Miss Sandford’s Party, and that tradition of providing entertainment continues to this day.
Birthday cake was first provided by the School Council in 1929, and thereafter remained an important part of School Birthday celebrations, often iced in school colours and blazing with candles. In 1973 however, the 7th Form girls began making birthday cakes themselves, which were enjoyed, one cake to each class (and also provided for the staff), after the annual concert. This year the cakes were shared amongst House groups. For the past two years the Year 11 food technology students have provided cakes for all the staff.
