Piper Issue 50 October 2013

Saint Kentigern Trust Board

130 Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga, 2010

PO Box 51060, Pakuranga Auckland 2140

Phone: 09-577 0720 Fax: 09-577 0736

Email: trust@saintkentigern.com

Saint Kentigern College

Head of College: Mr Steve Cole

130 Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga 2010

PO Box 51060, Pakuranga, Auckland 2140

Phone: 09-577 0749 Fax: 09-577 0700

Email: skc_admin@saintkentigern.com

Saint Kentigern Boys’ School

Principal: Mr Peter Cassie

82 Shore Road, Remuera 1050

PO Box 28790, Remuera, Auckland 1541

Phone: 09-520 7682 Fax: 09-520 7688

Email: skb_admin@saintkentigern.com

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School

Principal: Mrs Sandra Hastie

514 Remuera Road, Remuera 1050

PO Box 28 399, Remuera, Auckland 1541

Phone: 09-520 1400 Fax: 09-524 7657

Email: skg_admin@saintkentigern.com

Saint Kentigern Preschool

Director: Sue Nash

514 Remuera Road, Remuera 1050

PO Box 28 399, Remuera, Auckland 1541

Phone: 09 520 8814 Fax: 09 524 7657

Email: skp_admissions@saintkentigern.com

Saint Kentigern OCA

PO Box 51060, Pakuranga, Auckland 2140

Email skoca@saintkentigern.com

President: Andrew Morgan

Vice President: Morgan Wardrop

Secretary: James Hackett

Treasurer: Neville Lyne

Parents & Friends (SKC)

Chairperson: Pippa Styles

Secretary: Desirée Jenkins-Allright

Treasurer: David Courtney

Parents & Friends (SKBS)

Chairperson: Jane Sheetz

Vice Chairperson: Richard Beca

Secretary: Laura Lane Treasurer: Donna Berry Parents

Contents

From the Trust Board

i

n this 60th Jubilee year of the College, it has been very satisfying to see so many old Collegians take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen and renew their association with Saint Kentigern. There has been a real buzz at the numerous events held throughout the year. For some old Collegians, who have been out of touch with the College for a few years, there has been an element of surprise as they saw first-hand the extent to which the Trust has invested in the College facilities, the number of students enrolled, and the depth of talent displayed by these young men and women in both academic and all extra-curricular areas. We encourage all old Collegians to stay in contact through the old Collegians Association, and to provide any change in contact details to our communications team. if you know of someone who has lost touch with Saint Kentigern, we would be delighted to receive their contact details. We look forward to sharing the progress of the College, the Primary Schools and the Preschool with you over the coming years.

While the Trust is in good heart, we take nothing for granted. The education of the children and young adults enrolled at each of our schools is both a huge responsibility and a source of inspiration to us as we watch the talent of our youth blossom, grow and constantly challenge us. A skilled team of staff on every campus remains committed to our vision that ‘Saint Kentigern graduates will serve and lead with distinction.’ in life, we all have a part to play. i encourage all of our students to make the most of wide range of opportunities that we offer both curricular and extra-curricular.

none of this would be possible without the support of our Saint Kentigern community – and we thank you most sincerely for that support. We have all suffered financial setbacks over the past five years as the global economy has lurched from one crisis to the next; and the stark reality is that no one truly knows when there will be a sustained recovery. Throughout that time, rolls have remained resilient – the College roll has increased every year and is now just over 1,700 students; the Boys’ School roll is steady; the girls’ School roll shows continual growth and the Preschool enjoys very strong demand. in addition, new enrolments for 2014 are very strong. notwithstanding this level of support,we are always acutely aware that families make a significant sacrifice to obtain a Saint Kentigern education. We remain committed to delivering a premium education in the most cost effective way possible.

As always, the Board welcomes feedback from our community. Please feel free to contact me at trust@saintkentigern.com.

Preschool

Te Wh riki

our teaching and learning programmes at Preschool are challenging, exciting and varied, encouraging our children to learn in an environment full of discovery and wonder under the guiding principles of Te Wh riki, the early childhood curriculum of the Ministry of education. Through a diverse range of structured and unstructured learning activities, our youngsters are encouraged to create, explore, invent, discover, question and experiment to construct their knowledge and enrich their understanding of the world around them. embedded in each day are periods of explicit learning where time is set aside to teach specific preliteracy and pre-numeracy concepts and skills.

Te Wh riki, Aotearoa is the new zealand Ministry of education’ early childhood curriculum document for a single national 'curriculum' for new zealand's diverse early childhood services. All licensed early childhood centres in new zealand use this document as the basis for their programmes.

The literal meaning of Te Wh riki is ‘the woven mat’. early childhood services, such as our own Saint Kentigern Preschool, use the curriculum’s principles and strands to weave a learning programme for the children in our care.

A child’s strengths and interests, along with everything they learn as part of their family and the learning opportunities provided at Preschool, are woven together to contribute to each child’s early learning experience.

TE WHARiKi iS BASED ON THE ASPiRATiONS THAT CHiLDREN GROW uP:

• As competent and confident learners and communicators

• healthy in mind, body and spirit

• Secure in their sense of belonging

• Secure in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society

Te Wh riki provides a foundation for children to become confident and competent lifelong learners; a sentiment that is also reflected in the ‘Learner’s Profile’ at both the Schools and the College - a list of desired attributes that encourages students to become lifelong, independent learners.

To learn more about Te Wh riki, visit the Ministry of education website.

www.minedu.govt.nz/Parents/EarlyYears

Wee Digital natives

The importance of engaging in a digital society and harnessing iCT to enhance teaching and learning is a daily experience at Saint Kentigern Preschool. We continue to integrate new technologies and knowledge into our programme to enhance our children’s learning. The children readily use the digital cameras to photograph their friends and any magic moments. Laptops are available where the children can play interactive maths and language games, while confidently manipulating the mouse and changing the programme with their friends is entered into with enthusiasm. The use of laptops to source educational resources from the internet has seen the children researching projects and ideas to support our ‘Centres of interest’ throughout the programme.

The nine iPads are a highlight with the children now able to turn them on and off, open and close the applications and competently navigate the touch screen. our interactive whiteboard screen shows the children’s confidence in being able to be creative in their own artistic abilities on the screen – choosing their own colours, shades and patterns before sending them to their printer is a delight to see. The looks on their faces when their very own picture prints out is priceless.

Socialising and being active are very important to a child's development but in today’s age it is also important that they are given time to increase their understanding and confidence with technology – it sets our children on a positive path with iT for life.

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES

Exploration - children have the opportunities to develop the ability to represent their discoveries, using creative and expressive skills and the technology associated with them. children gain experience in using communication technologies such as computers, printers, cameras and other devices.

Snowfall in Auckland

‘Look, it snowed at Preschool,’ said the children as they arrived one chilly June morning. it certainly had snowed…a four tonne dumping of thick white snow arrived in a big truck at 7.30am and filled the sandpit area creating an instant white winter wonderland. The look on the children’s faces as the snow arrived was priceless and, for some, it was the first time they had ever experienced real snow.

once morning tea was finished, the children were energised and ready for action. individual photos were taken of the children very proudly wearing their Preschool uniform in the snow before changing into ‘real’ snow clothes so they could have some true fun! Tobogganing, building and throwing snowballs, making snow angels, constructing a snowman, slipping and sliding and even tasting the snow proved to be the most talked about day at Preschool for a long time. The children’s verdict? The snow was ‘crunchy’, ‘salty’, ‘icy’ and above all, cold!

Winter snow may make life uncomfortable in other parts of the country but for the one day a year it ‘snows’ in Auckland, it’s a heap of fun!

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES

Well-Being - children have the opportunity to have experiences which are different and new in a safe environment.

Exploration - children develop the ability to enquire, research, explore and generate their own working theories about the natural world. they gain an understanding of the nature and properties of a range of substances such as water, ice and snow.

on the Job!

it was another busy morning of learning, the day that the children went to visit the Downer Construction site. once they were all kitted up in high visibility vests and hard hats, they firstly learnt all about how to stay safe around work sites. They heard about all the different jobs…but it was the next bit the children were really waiting for. The children were not shy about coming forward when it came to their turn to ride the digger and lift its scoop, beep the horns, sit on the roller and get into and onto the back of the big truck. it was a great interactive trip for the children and gave them a lot to talk about when we returned to Preschool.

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES...

Belonging - children and their families experience an environment where connecting links with the family and wider world are affirmed and extended. that children gain knowledge about the role of the wider world of work, such as police, fire service and construction workers in hands on real life experiences.

Meeting Phoenix

As part of learning about ‘People in our community,’ Policeman Steve and his police dog Phoenix arrived at Preschool – much to the excitement of our children and staff alike. The children all gathered outside as Pheonix was put through his paces, firstly using his amazing sense of smell to find a hidden wallet. They were amazed to see Phoenix respond to hand signals to lie down, stand up, sit and bark without Steve having to say a word.

greg nash, husband of Preschool Director, Sue nash bravely volunteered to be the ‘baddie’ for the morning, placing a special training sleeve on his arm. Phoenix grabbed hold of him very hard. his jaws were strong and his teeth were sharp but Phoenix is trained to restrain and not hurt criminals. For children without animals at home, the big, boisterous police dog was initially a cause of a few nerves but as each came forward to pat him, they soon learnt that Pheonix has a gentle side too.

on your Marks!

g et set, go. And they were off running, skipping, stopping, looking and then running a little bit more, up and down the field at the Boys’ School for their annual cross country. This is the third year the preschoolers have run the distance and even at this early age there was no shortness of competitive spirit! in the 3 year old girls’ race, it was first equal for the winners - both girls’ determination saw them cross the finish line at the same time!

And just like the older boys and girls, the preschool winners had their turn in the limelight on the winners’ platform sharing their achievement in front of clapping family and friends.

PreSChooL CroSS CounTry ChAMPionS 2013

3 Year Old BOYs

1st Campbell hunter

2nd Archer Porteous

3rd Ben Cleaver

3 yEAR OLD GiRLS

1st = Suri zhong

1st = Chloe ira

3rd Annelie Kovach

4 yEAR OLD BOyS

1st Angus Turnbull

2nd riley Johnson

3rd = oliver Dennis

3rd = Leon hardie

4 yEAR OLD GiRLS

1st Charlotte ray

2nd Kaya Weerasinghe

3rd Aimee horton

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES

Well-Being - children have the opportunity for a smooth transition from Preschool to school events – where consistency and continuity of experiences helps them to develop confidence in themselves. children are supported positively in challenges and new endeavours.

Let The Wild rumpus Begin!

‘And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.’

our children are very passionate about books and pre-literacy is an important and key part of our Preschool days. Books are the basis for many opportunities which has led to some amazing learning in all areas of the Preschool this term.

Maurice Sendak’s famous children’s book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ took on a new life and led the preschoolers on a great imaginary journey. The children’s use of many mediums in art is reflective in the fantastic artistic creations that are displayed at Preschool and this book lent itself brilliantly to creativity. The Wild Things in full rumpus hanging from the real branches and leaves in the Preschool enhanced Max and his ‘bedroom corner.’ This focus culminated in a ‘Pyjama Day’ at Preschool where all staff and children wore their jimjams! What a sight it was!

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES

Communication - children experience an environment where language both verbal and non - verbal is a vital part of communication. they have considerable experience with books and begin to recognise the distinctive characteristics of book language with concepts about print. the expectation is that books are a source of delight, comfort, amusement and the aspects of language can extend childrens' imagination and creativity.

Father’s Day W

e had a great turnout of fathers and grandfathers at Preschool on Friday for our annual Father’s Day morning. The mechanical surfboard was the highlight of the morning. every child had a turn on the surfboard with their Dad, as it began to move slowly and then a bit faster! With a bit of peer pressure each Dad plucked up the courage to have a surf too! Much hilarity was had at their expense – thank goodness for the inflatable soft landing for some!

Some Dads were natural surfies, some showed great style and technique, some looked very uneasy, some were genuinely petrified – but they all entered into the spirit of the morning and gave it a good go!

The children loved spending time with the special men in their lives, showing them around Preschool, sharing activities and enjoying an inviting morning tea.

A personalised handprint and poem of how special Dad is was given by each child to their father – with a mini chocolate bar treat.

Mother's Day

F our hundred and fifty cupcakes takes a lot of icing! ‘Cupcake heaven’ was theme for Mother's Day at Preschool this year and with a mountain of sugary confection on the tables, our preschoolers and their special guests enjoyed getting down to the business of decorating. The colourful creations were then eagerly devoured by the children while the adults were treated to a more ‘grown up’ morning tea!

After songs from the children, the morning concluded with each special guest being given a small brightly wrapped pink gift to take home along with a card, made by the children and inscribed with a special poem giving thanks to the women in their lives.

OuR EARLy CHiLDHOOD CuRRiCuLuM TE WHARiKi STATES

Contribution - children see parents, families and people important to them, being involved in the programme. they have a positive experience that their families are welcome and valued.

Do Our Children Suffer From Stress? Girls' School

As adults, we tend to view a child’s world as happy and carefree, however, even very young children have worries and can feel stress to some degree. All children will experience stress, sometimes significant amounts of it, in their lives. Studies have shown that parents perceive children as having lower levels of stress than children perceive themselves as having. Our complex, modern society has greatly increased the amount of stress adults and children are exposed to. Children are experiencing more stress at younger and younger ages. Even in the womb a child picks up the mother’s stress – stress chemicals such as adrenalin and cortisol cross the placenta.

The following quotes illustrate how some children view stress:

‘Stress is when you’re having a rough time’

‘Every time we have to choose up sides for a game, they never pick me, even last. They don’t want me on their team.’

‘Stress is pressure’.

Stress is a function of the demands placed on us and our ability to meet them. These demands often come from outside sources such as family, jobs, friends or school. But stress can also come from within, often related to what we think we should be doing versus what we’re actually able to do.

Finding a balance is essential for our children, who are often overcommitted. It is important for students to have ‘down time’ so they are not spending every afternoon and evening after school doing extracurricular activities, including tuition. Children need to have a balance, they need to spend time with their friends, siblings and just being a child. Unfortunately, many of our children are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Spending quality time with your children in ‘face to face’ talking without the cell-phones, televisions and computers interfering is becoming more and more of a rarity as family life becomes frantic and parents run a taxi service going from one extra-curricular activity to another.

Naturally, as a parent you want them to do well but there is that middle ground – encouraging them, supporting them but not pushing them far beyond their boundaries. It is about balance and as parents you need to define that balance for them. Making them choose the activity that they want to do rather than allowing them to continually add more and more to their already crowded lives. Girls in particular are always keen to give

everything a go and join every activity. It is important that, as parents, you define what they can do and what is realistic and achievable, not just for them but for you as a family.

When we are emotionally upset we say we ‘just can’t think straight’. This is because unmanaged stress shuts much of the thinking brain down and this creates chaos in our brain’s ability to process information. A child in a constant state of unmanaged stress is primarily focused on survival.

How You Can Help as a Parent

• Limit how many extra-curricular activities your child is involved with after school and weekends.

• Avoid overprotecting your children. It is sometimes hard for parents to watch their children deal with stressful situations since your first instinct is, naturally, to protect them from the stresses of life. However, stress is unavoidable and children will only learn to cope with stress by experiencing it. Providing reassurance and support so they know you are there for them and you care is one of the single best predictors of how well children cope with stressful situations.

• Make sure they get enough sleep and/or rest. Getting enough rest is critical to our children’s mental and physical health and will also help in giving them enough energy to combat life’s stresses.

• Teach your children how to handle criticism. All of us are criticised at one time or another and, unfortunately, children are often exposed to criticism at an early age. This criticism can take the form of peer teasing or constructive feedback. Coaching your child on how to handle criticism from an early age, that mistakes are Ok and that we can learn from them, is essential and helps to build their self-esteem.

• Provide a consistent routine or schedule. Children need predictability in their lives. A consistent schedule of meal times, bed time and other routines allow children to know what is expected in their lives. The result of this is that children feel secure and this also helps to reduce their stress.

Remember that some level of stress is normal; let your children know that it’s Ok to feel angry, scared, lonely or anxious and that other people share those feelings. Reassurance is important, so remind them that you’re confident they can handle the situation and coach them on how to get through it.

Dr Sandra Hastie, Principal and Head of Primary

First Gold Service Awards

Congratulations to Natalya Trombitas and Madalaine Freeland who are the first girls to fulfil the stringent requirements for the Gold level of the Saint kentigern Service Award after previously achieving the Bronze and Silver levels.

Modelled on the concept of the college-age Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, the Saint kentigern Service Award was first devised for the Boys’ School three years ago and was then adopted at the Girls’ School.

The achievement of Gold is exceptional. To be eligible for the Gold Award, students must complete over 35 hours of service. They need to have represented the School in 10 different sporting, cultural or service activities and have made an outstanding contribution to their School House. They must be recognised for an exceptional act of service at school and out in the community and are required to undertake a research project on a charity and spend time volunteering for that charity. They must also complete a significant outdoor adventure.

The final hurdle for the girls was to undertake an interview with the Dr Hastie and Reverend Hardie where their service portfolios were put under intense scrutiny to ensure that they had met the criteria and had developed an attitude toward service worthy of the Gold Award.

Each of the girls wrote what service meant to them:

Natalya Trombitas

‘Managing to achieve the Gold level of the Service Award was a challenge. After achieving Bronze and Silver, I set my sights on Gold. This involved completing 20 hours of service for the School, volunteering for the Save the Children shop in Saint Heliers, demonstrating House spirit throughout the year and achieving a certificate of service for undertaking a spontaneous act of service for a teacher, or a member of the public and then having an interview to explain my service.

Service is a very important value. In my point of view, all the other School values - Respect, Integrity, Exellence and Love - are woven into the value of Service. You have to love what you are doing to show service, you need to have a passion. You need to be honest and loyal. You have to put your best foot forward, and you have to show respect for the needs of others. To show service, you learn to help others and learn to put the needs of others before your own needs.’

‘Service is a very important part of my life. There are two types of service to me; there is the service in school and there is the service which helps people who are less fortunate than myself. In school, service has meant looking after the younger girls and the new Year 1 girls, encouraging them when they are lacking self-confidence, playing with them when they are lonely, and being there for them when they need some support and love. To earn Gold, I had to consistently demonstrate this as well as House spirit. It often involved taking time out of my day to help someone else.

The other type of service, for people outside of school, has been a passion for me during Year 7 and 8. I have organised bake sales for Christchurch, a toy sale for Samoa and this year I have led the School Council, where we have come up with a number of initiatives, including raising money for the Red Puppy Appeal. I have also been involved in looking after a Red Puppy. I recognise that I can never change the fact that someone is blind, but I can help the charity that trains puppies, which I believe will eventually change the life of person who is blind. I was so proud when I was awarded the Gold Service badge. This is an award that will be with me for the rest of my life.’

Please Help The Dingwall Trust

The Dingwall Trust is a charitable organisation that provides residential care for children and young people up to 17 years of age who are in need of care and protection away from home. It provides a safe, supportive family environment for younger children and provides support and advice to young people aged 15 – 19 years who are transitioning from care to independent living.

Saint kentigern supports Dingwall in a variety of ways. Students from the College provide mentoring and tutoring and the Girls’ School makes significant collections for donation. Currently the Girls’ School are collecting good quality children’s clothing, from babies to teenage in size. If you would like to donate clothes please either leave them with your daughter’s class teacher or, if not a School family, please leave at reception and we will send them on.

We have also heard that Dingwall would be appreciative to receive bicycles of any size for their children to use. A number of bicycles

that they had owned were sadly stolen and they are keen to arrange replacements for the children. If you have one that your family has grown out of and are willing to donate, they would be most appreciative.

Finally they are seeking a trampoline. Please let the School know if there is one out there in our community that is in safe working order but is no longer required. Items such as bikes and a trampoline can be picked up from your property.

Madelaine Freeland

Spend Some, Save Some and Share Some

MoNEY WEEk 2013

With thanks to Year 8 Teacher, Miss Tracey Walker

Money Week was a week of events held across New Zealand to motivate people to take stock of their personal money situation and to make changes if needed. The inspiration for our girls to become involved came from Year 8 teacher, Miss Tracey Walker who had earlier attended a Financial Literacy Conference. The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income had offered a lecture on, ‘Financial fitness for students in the 21st century.’

Miss WalkEr rEPorTs:

I have been a keen saver throughout my life and being passionate about ensuring our students understand the benefits of planning for their financial future, I thought attending this lecture would open ways in which I could integrate this important topic within a future-focused curriculum. I hoped to learn more about how to prepare our students for a cashless society and find ways to support our girls to contribute to the health of our global financial community.

I was also attracted to the Financial Literacy conference as it offered a chance to explore the curriculum document, ‘Building Conceptual Understanding in the Social Sciences – Taking part in Economic Communities.’ This document was released in November 2012 and adds to a series of other curriculum documents produced in collaboration with Learning Media and The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income. In today’s crammed curriculum, this resource offers the chance to integrate across curriculum areas such as mathematics and social sciences. The resource also uses an inquiry based approach to support students in their development of social science concepts. The conference was the first time professional development had gone into this resource.

I also recognised that this conference would be an opportunity to find ways to support our Saint kentigern Girls’ School leaders to serve their community on a local level with a view to making a real impact globally.

Therefore, I was strongly interested in finding out how I could develop a unit for the Year 8 leaders, which would incorporate the values behind our Service Award.

The conference started with an inspiring lecture from Dom Thurbon, CEO of Change Labs, who is responsible for the development of numerous financial literacy educational programmes throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He is most noted for the ASB ‘Get Wise’ programme that aimed to teach New Zealand children how to ‘get wise’ with their money. As a behaviour change specialist, he highlighted the fact that our children are facing their first financial experiences much earlier than previous generations. For example, a seven year old may now access iTunes on a smart phone, therefore, it is important that we act at a younger age to educate children about their financial fitness.

Psychologically our brains do not record credit card transactions, it is only when we hand over the physical cash that our brains register how much we are spending. This phenomenon also happens when we shop online. Our brain fails to recognise the online transaction because we cannot feel the weight of our purchases in a basket. All of this research supports the need to educate our children about the ways of the financial world, especially as we head into the uncharted world of a cashless society. And this, at a time when a global financial crisis is a not too distant spectre.

Dom Thurbon said that if we are to change financial thinking and habits, a person has to question their financial identity. Three simple questions were posed: How do I see myself? How do I think others see me? What do I aspire to be?

This is the basis of the social sciences resources that Dom Thurbon and Learning Media have created in conjunction with The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income. This document is the basis for a unit I am developing on reciprocity which focuses on ways we can all ‘plan to share’. I see this unit integrating with the Service Awards as it would involve a research project on a charity. The unit would have elements of service, mathematics and social sciences.

At the conference, another inspirational talk came from the winners of the Social Enterprise Award 2012, a group of Year 12 students from Aorere

College in South Auckland. Their winning idea shone above many of the other teams who chose to focus on international pursuits. The Aorere College business students recognised that many of the problems associated with poverty existed within their own communities, so they chose to work with the goal of ‘eradicating extreme hunger’ focusing on South Auckland. They created the business ‘Lunches for Less’ that goes into South Auckland primary schools to run workshops that educate children how to make a healthy lunch for less than $2 a day. They have secured sponsors and their budget takes into consideration seasonal variances. I invited them to present at Saint kentigern Girls’ School and was promptly offered the opportunity to have our students participate in a ‘Lunches for Less’ workshop which we will follow through.

Finally the conference finished with Young Enterprise presenting free financial literacy plans, resources and board games. This was how I began our girls’ journey into financial literacy. We had a selection of financial literacy board games available during Money Week 2013 that focused on ‘Sharing – spend some, save some and share some.’

Across the Saint kentigern schools, we have already created an awareness of the need to share our unwanted items and food with the hungry people of Auckland or fundraise to support those less fortunate than ourselves. We need to expand the way in which our students can share. Rather than simply asking for their parents for food, money or clothing to donate, we need children to see where they can be directly responsible for helping others and planning to share in the future.

Sharing can be part of our financial fitness to ensure that the children of the 21st century are part of a global financial community that is strong, prosperous and healthy for everyone.

Remember, share some, spend some and save some!

YEar 8 sTudENTs disCuss WHaT THEY THiNk FiNaNCial liTEraCY MEaNs

Victoria Caddle – I think financial literacy is learning about money and jobs. How you can apply for a job and how to set up a business in the future.

Grace Hooper – I think financial literacy is when you learn about what money does and how it helps the economy.

Trinity Zhao - I think financial literacy is about talking about money, how you can earn money and get a job.

luciana Palmer-Huitema - I think financial literacy is about money and how you have to be responsible with money.

A Lesson in Government

With thanks to Year 7 Teacher, Ms Jan davidge

As part of a social sciences unit on local government, Year 7 teacher, Ms Jan Davidge arranged a most interesting trip for the girls which included meeting Mayor, Len Brown! When Ms Davidge first tentatively enquired about the possibility of arranging for the girls to visit the Mayor’s office, she was surprised to discover that they were only too happy to oblige!

In preparation, the girls spent time in the week before finding out what the Auckland Council is responsible for and began to record their findings. They also compiled a list of questions that they hoped to be able to ask Mayor Brown if there was sufficient time.

At the Town Hall, the girls were taken to the official reception room to await the Mayor. He came and shook hands with everyone and introduced himself and his secretary. A reporter from the Eastern Bays Courier Newspaper was also in attendance to cover the girls’ visit.

Once seated, the girls each had a chance to put their question to the Mayor. He spoke enthusiastically to the group and answered all the questions about his role, his own education and how he came to be voted as the Mayor of Auckland. He then talked about how he deals with criticism, the occasions he has particularly enjoyed, what it is like to be the Mayor, challenges that face him and his vision for the future.

The Mayor was wearing the gold chain of office around his neck which records on it all the past Mayors’ names, each on a gold link, which he told the girls about. He also talked about his own family who are all girls. Our girls found him really down to earth and easy to chat to right throughout the interview.

The girls were supposed to have only 15 minutes with the Mayor but half an hour later they were still there with him! They were made to feel most welcome.

All the girls came away very impressed at how ‘approachable’ and ‘human’ he was, and since their visit have put together presentations focusing on the Mayor and the work of the Auckland Council.

Speech Competitions

A

djudicator, Mrs Jane Vogels certainly had a tough challenge selecting the winning students for the Girls’ School speech competition as the marks were so close together. Selected students from Years 3-8 took part in the annual competition and once again staff and parents were in awe of the ability of our girls to speak so confidently to a large audience.

Drama teacher, Mrs Judy Norton and the class teachers did a tremendous amount of work to prepare the girls for competition and there are clearly wonderful orators in the making.

speech Winners:

Year 8 - Madelaine Freeland ‘Why parents can get it horribly wrong’

Year 7 - Olivia Dalton ‘Whaling should not be allowed’

Year 6 - Zara Smith ‘Reducing the fishing limit’

Year 5 - Jessica Marshall ‘The Beatles’

Year 4 - Alexandra McOmish ‘How to make sushi’

Year 3 - Rebecca Webster ‘My Barbie doll dress’

Highly Commended was also awarded to Victoria Caddle (Year 8) for her speech ‘Why we shouldn’t say speeches’.

The Impromptu Speech Competition saw eleven girls from Years 6-8 speaking for a very challenging one and a half minutes on a range of topics. Judged by Mrs Dobson and Mrs Norton, it was evident that each year the students are growing in confidence in this challenging medium. Congratulations to Olivia Moorman who was the winner of the Year 8 competition who spoke about her favourite animal and went on the represent the Girls’ School at the Zone Impromptu Speech Competition.

impromptu speech Winners

Year 8 Olivia Moorman

Year 7 Emerald Bendall

Year 6 Ava Beca

All students who participated in the speeches are to be congratulated for taking on the challenge of these competitions.

auCklaNd sPEECH WiNNEr!

We are delighted to announce that Madelaine Freeland has been awarded 1st place at the Auckland APPA Champion of Champions Year 7 and 8 Speech Finals after having earlier won the Remuera Zone. Madelaine competed against zone representatives from the other Auckland regions and the level of competition was high. She presented her winning school speech ‘Why parents can get it horribly wrong’. She had the audience chuckling with her demonstration of the ‘Ugly Parent Syndrome’ and convinced us with her humorous descriptions of the ways parents give children mixed messages.

In what the adjudicators said was a unanimous decision, the judges were impressed with her wit, timing and ability to entertain. This is yet another award Madelaine has won for her speechmaking this term, also having received the Sir Dove-Myer Robinson Memorial Trophy at the Remuera Lions Annual Speechmakers Competition.

Poetry Competition

The Girls’ School Poetry Competition Finals had a change to their annual event this year with the Year 1-8 students presenting their own original poetry, which was a great achievement. Accomplished Auckland poet Paula Green was the adjudicator for the event and all the finalists were excited and proud to present their poetry to her. The standard of poetry was extremely high and Paula enthused about the wonderful descriptive language and similes the girls were able to use.

With great difficulty she chose not only the winners but also picked a few poems that she thought were written well enough to receive recognition to be published on her own poetry blog (http://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/).

This is what Paula wrote on her blog after her visit. ‘Last week I judged the poetry competition at Saint kentigern Girls’ School. It is pretty hard picking winners on the spot and all the poems were really fabulous. I liked the variety of styles and subjects. I had to judge both the poem itself and the performance which meant I was looking for a complete package. Some adult poets are really good at writing poems but not so good at delivering them in public. Other poets are great at performing poems that don’t seem so good on the page. Then there are those poets that make magic in the air and on the page.’

Congratulations to the winners:

Year 8: Olivia Moorman

Year 7: Sophia Pettigrove

Year 6: Alexandra knox

Year 5: Charlotte koerber

Year 4: Alexandra McOmish

Year 3: Zoe Nel and Ava Darbyshire

Speech Concert

With thanks to Drama teacher, Mrs Judy Norton

Earlier in the term, 35 of our girls who have Private Speech lessons at school undertook their New Zealand Speech and Drama exams. It is the first year that the examinations needed to be held over two days due to the large numbers of students sitting the grade exams from Initial to Grade Four.

As a culmination to the week, and as an opportunity for students to perform their exam pieces to a wider audience, a concert was held in the hall. This was a hugely successful evening demonstrating the depth of talent that we have in our school. Girls from Year 4 and above entertained and delighted a large audience.

The girls presented some thoughtful and some humorous poetry, passages from Roald Dahl, and Andy Griffiths to name a few, and duologues from The Secret Garden, Little Women and The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo. A highlight was Abigail Millis’s mime, titled The Costume Disaster, where she gets stuck in a queenly costume which leads to much hilarity. Darcy Woolford presented a characterisation of a very unhappy Rapunzel, sick of long hair and hair climbing princes! All she wants is a pair of scissors to cut it all off. Jessica Marshall presented a humorous passage from Andy Griffiths’, ‘The 26th Storey Treehouse’, where Terry describes (in a wonderful Scottish accent by Jessica) how the sharks got sick - caused by him washing his underpants in the shark tank! Her passage made everyone have a giggle!

The confidence and poise with which the girls presented their pieces was impressive and we were delighted with their exam results with 4 being awarded Honours Plus, 10 awarded Honours and 12 awarded Merit Plus.

Science & Technology Fair

With thanks to science teacher, Mrs Jess Francis

Our Year 8 students took on the challenge of producing their own Science Fair this year. Some impressive questioning resulted in a wide variety of projects from bubble gum blowing, fizzing metals in acid and waiting for teeth to decay in PowerAde. The students were given plenty of time to select their projects and some even changed their ideas after quite lengthy research and thinking. Finally, the projects were written, re-written, presented and judged firstly at school before ten of the projects were sent on to the NIWA Auckland City Science & Technology Fair.

Winner of the School Science Fair was Madelaine Freeland with her project entitled, ‘Do you Grow Your Own Vegetables?’ She completed a comprehensive study over a 60 day period analysing the growth of typical garden vegetables in a variety of soils and comparing the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. All this was done on a small balcony area. Her findings proving there is hope to sustaining a method of growing our own food in a more and more populated city.

Second place at school was shared by Molly Payton and Bethan Montgomery whose projects also both received awards at the NIWA Fair as did Emma Clancy’s project.

Molly Payton was excited to learn that her science project, ‘Could there be wind in a vacuum on the moon?’ was placed first in the Planet Earth and Beyond category of this year’s NIWA Auckland City Science & Technology Fair. She was also awarded a special prize –the Stardome Observatory Bronze Award. Molly came up with the idea for her project about the flag flying on the moon after she had seen a ‘Mythbusters’ clip and it inspired her to test the idea that a flag wouldn’t be able to fly in space due to the lack of atmosphere. She devised a way to create her own vacuum chamber to test her hypothesis. An ingenious design – and it worked!

ICAS Science

I CAS, commonly referred to as the University of New South Wales competitions, is conducted annually in Australia and over 20 countries globally. These are independent skills-based assessments in the key scientific areas of observing and measuring; interpreting; predicting and concluding; investigating; reasoning and problem solving.

Congratulations to the following girls who achieved distinction placing them in the top 11% of candidates.

Year 5: Charlotte koerber

Year 7: kate Pennycuick

Year 8: Molly Payton

Worm Tea Part 2!

Not to be outdone by last year’s Young Entrepreneurs of the Year, the 2013 Year 2’s have picked up the reins - recognising that there’s money to be made from the rapidly multiplying worms in the wheelie bins by the rabbit hutch!

Last year, 8000 tiger worms were delivered to the Girls’ School. These were estimated to multiply to a self-regulating colony of about 30,000 over the course of the year and last year’s girls discovered that by bottling the nutrient rich worm tea (read ‘pee’) and castings (read ‘poo!’) they could turn a tidy profit by on-selling to their parents.

This year’s young marketers vowed to do even better than the $505.40 raised in 20 minutes of hard sell last year and so got their marketing plan in place. Step one. Get over how gross the worms are!

Once the initial reticence was out of the way, the posters were designed to be bigger and better and even larger quantities of plastic milk bottles were collected for recycling and filling with ‘tea’. To ensure good returns, they have to ensure that the worms also have the correct nutrients. All girls in the School are now proficient at understanding what is and what is not suitable to place in the worm bins for composting and lunch scraps

History Comes to Life

No matter what their age, girls love an excuse to dress up and the trip to Howick Historical Village provided the perfect opportunity! Suitably attired in Victorian clothing our Year 0-2 girls boarded the bus for a trip back in time.

Run as a ‘living museum’, where visitors are encouraged to enjoy a handson experience, the Village is an authentic 19th century reconstruction of the Fencible settlements built to protect the outlying communities of Auckland. The guides, dressed in period costume, took our girls on an historical adventure to a time gone by.

For affluent children of the 21st century, where all needs and wants can be met almost instantly, where food is packaged ready to eat straight from the supermarket and clothes and toys are readily available across the counter, a trip to the Howick Historical Village provides an authentic window in to another era. Children of yesteryear were not driven to school or kept busy with ballet and swimming lessons; the children of our early pioneers had a significant part to play part in the day to day running of the household. Water had to be drawn, eggs collected, wheat ground for flour to make the bread, and the cows milked to make butter and cheese. Clothes were made by hand and then washed by hand outside in a copper.

Our girls learned, first-hand, just how laborious these chores could be as they turned their hands to making butter. Churning the cream took far longer than they expected, turning the handle over and over until their arms were tired. As the cream began to harden, they took to the chore with renewed vigour, all curious for a taste of their labours.

No visit to the Village is complete without the obligatory, rather ‘scary’ visit to the Victorian classroom of old. With hair, hands and nails inspected, it was time to sit up straight and take notice!

The girls also spent time looking at toys from the 19th century. No batteries were required and nothing was mass produced in plastic! They girls gained an understanding that items of play would have been handmade by family members and a rare privilege to own.

This trip was an important learning opportunity to give the girls a sense of their place in time. We are fortunate to have such a well preserved record of Auckland’s early history so accessible for learning.

are collected regularly. They have also learnt more about the worms themselves, such as worms have five hearts, breathe through their skin and that each egg case has about 20 worms inside. Oh, and mums and dads are easy to sell to!

Already this year 80 bottles have been sold with another batch coming close to fruition. At this rate, the aim to raise enough to build a vegetable garden can’t be far away.

Uncovering Ancient Egypt

With thanks to Mrs Hayley dennis-Wolf

Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest, most advanced and most fascinating civilizations in the history of mankind as the Year 3 and 4 girls have recently discovered. Not only were they known for their elaborate religious beliefs and practices but also incredible architecture that almost defies belief.

During Term 3, the girls’ social sciences focus has been Ancient Egypt and as part of this unit the girls travelled to the Auckland Museum to spend time in the Ancient Worlds Gallery looking at the Egyptian artefacts. Egyptology has been a constant source of wonder for children and adults alike ever since Howard Carter uncovered Tutankhamen’s burial site in 1922, excavating a wealth of objects that caught the world’s imagination.

On permanent display is the museum’s only adult mummy which is a constant draw card. Her name according to inscriptions is Ta Sedgement and her age is perceived to be around 32 years old, a relatively lengthy life in that era. Scribe’s boxes, pots and examples of the mummification of animals were also on exhibition. The girls particularly enjoyed looking at the designs and colours of Ancient Egyptian jewellery. Both classes also spent time with the museum educator where they were introduced to the concept of the Rosetta Stone (the ancient key to deciphering hieroglyphs) and examples of objects that were important to everyday life for the Ancient Egyptians such as papyrus. The girls also learnt about Egyptian Gods and the importance of the scarab beetle (a symbol of hope and the restoration of life), shabtis (funerary figurines) and other Ancient Egyptian symbols.

Excursions beyond the classroom such as this bring learning to life and allow our girls to learn first-hand from others who are specialists in their subject. This was a trip the girls really enjoyed.

To culminate their studies, the girls held an ‘Ancient Egyptian Day’ in the last week of term. The objectives for the day were to show the structure of an Ancient Egyptian society - and to celebrate the end of their study in a fun way!

Each girl was assigned a role by ballot and this was the character they had to assume for the day. Bags of anonymous basic costumes were laid out with the girls knowing that whichever they picked, that was the person they had to be. They were able to take the costumes home and embellish them in whichever way they chose – so long as it was in keeping with their role.

Just as in Egyptian times, life is not always fair, and much as each girl hoped they might be a royal rather than a slave, the roles of Nefertiti and Cleopatra were snapped up by teachers, Mrs Roband and Ms Mckenzie! The roles available matched the structure of society; a couple of royals, a few nobles, some professionals, more crafts people and lots of peasants and slaves! To illustrate this, the girls went out into the gardens and created a ‘horizontal’ pyramid to understand the makeup of this structure.

The rest of the day was a mixture of fun and learning; cooking Egyptian delicacies, crafts and mathematical games and stories. Undoubtedly, a day they will remember!

A Festival Tonight

With thanks to deputy Principal, Mrs Judith dobson

Do you remember the tedium of driving in a car on a family trip over long distances and along the way looking for excuses to relieve the boredom? At this year’s Creative Arts Night at the Girls’ School, Year 3 presented the Car Trip poem by Michael Rosen and every member of the audience, adults and children alike, could relate to this very real experience. Bridget Dennis as the exasperated mother, complete with handbag and pearls, played the part to perfection and all the supporting speakers knew full well how to act like the annoying children that we all have and love in our families. Such is the acting talent of our students that they were able to rock the audience with laughter as they saw themselves mirrored in this wonderful poem.

Acting talent was also evident in the Year 7 presentation of Little Red Rap - Little Red Riding Hood with a twist - and in the Year 4 speaking and acting scenes centred on an Antarctica theme; all of which emphasised the outstanding oral language programme taught through the Speech and Drama course.

Involving nearly fifty excited 5, 6 and7 year olds in a spoken piece with actions was a real challenge but Perky Pukeko’s Pavlova Palaver, with nodding acknowledgement to the story of the Little Red Hen, was the perfect vehicle for these young students. Xarya knox, as Perky Pukeko, confidently led the cast through the story of the pukeko trying to make a pavlova but finding no help from his friends. The mixing bowl, the sugar, the egg whites and the cream were wonderfully represented, through

movement, music and dance by the smallest girls at school culminating in a cheerleader action from the ‘dreamy, creamy’ makers.

Gasps of appreciation at the dazzling and creative talent of the Year 5 students was heard all around the audience as the Trash to Fashion designs were brought forward one by one. Explanations accompanying the making, the materials and the assembly of the garments added to the wow factor and it was noted that three of these outrageous designs were part of an Auckland wide competition final held at Corban Estate Arts Centre.

Music and dance continued the showcase of festivity with the Performance Choir presenting two songs from their repertoire, first heard at the kids Sing; the orchestra playing three very different works ranging from the ‘Barcarolle’ by Tchaikovsky to ‘Do you Hear the People Sing’ from Les Misérables and the dance groups from Year 6 and 8 moving to the music of Bruno Mars and the mystical Celtic trance ‘Oroshay.’

The whole school provided the rousing opening and closing numbers; ‘A Festival Tonight’ and ‘A Great Saint kentigern Girl. ‘

This was a fabulous evening of entertainment held over two nights and thoroughly enjoyed by our families. To the great glee of the students, the surprise act of the evening came from the staff who donned cowboy boots and hats for a line dancing number! Dr Sandra Hastie and Reverend Reuben Hardie, in particular, were most entertaining!

Trash to Fashion

I n Year 5’s first entry into one of Auckland’s most popular eco-art competitions, three out of the seven garments they entered were selected for a spot in the finals of The Schools Trash to Fashion Awards 2013 held at Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson.

Organised by Auckland Council in partnership with the keep Waitakere Beautiful Trust, the project invited participation from all school-aged students in Auckland to enter creations that celebrated ‘Individuality’. The mission of the Awards is to prove that art can be a powerful, educational tool used to raise awareness about waste and recycling while gaining an understanding of our impact on the environment.

The girls first became involved through their social sciences unit on the impact of recycling, sustainability and reusing resources. From this, their fashion garments began to take shape in readiness for the initial competition at Green Bay High School in June. After planning and designing their outfits in small groups, the girls then got construction underway, many learning new skills, especially with a needle and thread! The rules for the competition were most stringent, ensuring that the garments were made by the students themselves. Taking part in the competition and seeing the variety of outfits was hugely exciting for the girls. From over 400 entries, 129 were chosen for the finals including our three entries:

Mahy Mayhem Fantasy collection – ‘Dr Dragon’ modelled by Rachael Wintour and designed by Jessica Marshall, Rachael Wintour and Rylie Cleaver.

Mahy Mayhem Fantasy collection – ‘Tech-no-Fly’ modelled by Rachel Black and designed by Charlotte k oerber, Rachel Black and Megan White.

Out of this World Fantasy collection – ‘Biker Girl’ modelled by Trinity Burton and designed by Nieve Campbell, Frankie Reid and Trinity Burton.

Although the outfits were unplaced in the finals, the girls and their creations looked incredible on the stage at Corban’s. There was a huge amount of time and effort put into this and we acknowledge the girls and their families for commitment and Ms Dee-Anne Gonzalez who supported the girls in this experience. We have some future designers in the making!

Silver at kids Sing

With thanks to music teacher, Mrs Nicola Brown.

The Girls’ School Performers’ Choir may have been the smallest choir at this year’s kids Sing but despite being in the nerve-wracking position as the first choir to sing in the two day festival of song, they certainly made an impact coming away with a silver award.

kids Sing is an annual event organised by the NZ Choral Federation that encourages primary and intermediate school choirs from around New Zealand to take part in regional festivals designed to give children and their conductors an opportunity to perform in a supportive environment and receive constructive feedback. Many schools take part each year as primary school conductors come to realise that superior outcomes can be achieved through the teaching and nurturing of basic choral techniques.

Each choir sings four songs: a test piece, a piece by a New Zealand composer, a unison song (same melody – no harmonies) and one ‘other’ song chosen by the school. This year the sombre ‘Old Abram Brown’ by Benjamin Britten was the test piece sung in round to test the young choristers.

This was the first time that the Girls’ School had entered and many hours of practice paid off as the girls finally stepped onto the stage at the Aotea Centre to sing to an audience of other schools and the judge. Of the pieces performed, the adjudicator, Mr Rowan Johnston, noted that he was impressed with the way the girls dealt with the technical difficulties of the test piece, ‘Old Abram Brown’ and made mention of the fine tone the girls achieved for such a small group. He also said that ‘Benedictus’ by klouse,

the sacred piece the girls sang, showed a good balance between the part singing. Mr Johnston thanked the choir for their lovely recital and told the girls keep up the good work as they are making some wonderful sounds!

The highlight for the girls was being able to listen to each choir sharing their interpretation of the test piece. Our thanks to Music teacher, Mrs Nicola Brown and accompanist, Dr Jenkins for their work with the girls.

Absolutely, Positively Wellington

With thanks to director of sport, Ms kristie richards

New friendships and positive memories will be cherished for a long time by the 35 girls from Years 7-8 after their fantastic experience on a week-long trip to Wellington.

Accompanied by five staff, the girls were kindly billeted and hosted by Queen Margaret College.

The girls began their introduction to Wellington with a visit to katherine Mansfield’s homestead in Thorndon to step back in time. The girls had been learning about katherine Mansfield as part of their English studies. The Victorian toys and hobbies on display fascinated our girls and they particularly enjoyed trying on several period clothing garments.

Principal, Dr Hastie joined the girls’ mid-week for their tour of Parliament and the group were entertained by Hon. John Banks who introduced himself as Banksie. He spoke honestly about his childhood and his time at Parliament and the girls were given the opportunity to ask plenty of questions. The girls’ knowledge of politics was exceptional and the questions asked were all well thought through.

On the court, the Saint kentigern Girls’ A Netball team, captained by Evie Coman, demonstrated great determination and positive drive. This made for an exciting game and all team members were well focused to secure a win 22-14. It was an amazing game and the Saint kentigern girls demonstrated great skill. While the Saint kentigern B and C netball teams did not manage to secure wins, they worked hard on the court demonstrating positive team spirit and healthy sporting attitudes.

Our football girls also played extremely well with the score board showing 1-1 for the majority of the game. In the final three minutes, the Queen Margaret students managed to sneak the final goal in, leaving the score 1-2.

On the arts trail, the girls were lucky to discover and explore the Andy Warhol Immortal exhibition at Te Papa Museum, an artist who has been defined as changing the way we look at ourselves and each other. The Drama workshop at Saint Margaret’s was also an opportunity for the students to participate in and enjoy drama games and improvisations with their peers.

After a very eventful week, the exchange ended with quick final debate on ‘Goldilocks – Is she a good role model?’ Our Saint kentigern Girls’ team made strong points on why Goldilocks should not be considered as a role model; nevertheless it was Queen Margaret College who was able to secure the win.

During their trip the girls loved meeting and staying with their billeting families and were treated to many new experiences.

Many thanks to the attending staff: Dr Sandra Hastie, Mrs Judith Dobson, Ms kristie Richards, Mrs Nicola Brown, Mrs Jenny Reichenbach and Miss Tracey Walker who were so supportive of the first Saint kentigern Girls’ School exchange. The staff could not have been more proud of our girls in blue.

Father and Daughter Breakfast

T here was a change of venue for this year’s sell-out Father and Daughter Breakfast. To take the pressure off the Parents and Friends, so that they could fully enjoy the occasion with their daughters, the event was moved to the Novotel Hotel in Greenlane and was fully catered by the hotel. No more getting up at 4am to cook bacon and eggs!

Nevertheless, it was still an early start for those setting up the room with decorations reflecting a musical theme in readiness for 220 breakfast guests to take their seats by 7am. The parents did a fantastic job transforming the room into a Saint kentigern space with many blue touches and an emphasis on musical notes. The girls were excited to share this special time-out with their Dads.

Chairman of the Parents and Friends, Mr Paul Fletcher opened the occasion by offering his thanks to Mr Andrew Morgan, President of the Old Collegians Association for their generous donation towards the morning. Head Girl, Anna Lowther then came forward to say Grace and invite the guests to enjoy their breakfast.

In lieu of a speaker, this year the College Premier Choir, kentoris, were invited to perform. kentoris has recently returned from Dunedin after being selected from 250 choirs nationwide to take part in the Big Sing National Finale. The adjudicators chose the choir’s performance of Tippet’s ‘Steal Away’ for the Gala Concert; a piece that featured a stunning solo by Manase Latu and gained the choir a standing ovation from the packed Dunedin Town Hall crowd. The breakfast guests were equally impressed by their performance. The Girls’ School Performance Choir had also performed really well, earning a Silver Award at kids Sing. Listening to kentoris was an inspiration for the girls, giving them an understanding of where their choral work could take them.

In her closing, Principal Dr Hastie joked with a number of the kentoris students who have gone onto the College from both the Boys’ and the

Grandparents’ Day

On a drizzly spring morning, the Girls’ School welcomed the girls’ grandparents and special family members to their annual Grandparents Day; a chance to enjoy a morning of sharing and togetherness in celebration of all things ‘grand.’

Deputy Principal, Mrs Judith Dobson opened the morning assembly with tales of visits to her own grandparents’ home down in Taranaki. This included memories of very long car trips – something hilariously highlighted in an item at the recent Creative Arts Evening!

Mrs Dobson said that grandparents have a special connection in the lives of their granddaughters; they are the keepers of family history who pass on their stories to this next generation. After entertaining performances of choir, dance, play and mime, the guests were invited to visit the classrooms and take a tour with the girls.

The library book sale was popular, once again, with excited girls buzzing around to choose a book, taking a moment to read it together with their grandparents. All book purchases were for donation back to the library and were finished with a bookplate inscription of the girls’ names. There was another option to purchase – our Year 2 marketers were out in force with their worm tea for sale to fertilize spring gardens!

The morning concluded with a shared morning tea in the hall. We thank the Parents and Friends for their assistance with this and to the visiting grandparents for coming along to share a special morning at school.

Girls’ School. She remembered them well from those days, but now, the boys tower over her!

Our thanks go to the parents and staff who worked hard to make sure the morning ran smoothly, in particular Paul Fletcher, Julia Clancy, kim Gear, Nicola Shearer, Danielle Lewis and Deborah Higgins. Thank you, great work!

Girls’ School Sports Round Up

With thanks to Director of Sport, Ms kristie Richards auCklaNd ruN sEriEs

A dedicated group get up early to run two mornings a week and have become well known to local residents as they run approximately 2 km around the hilly Remuera streets. While some used this opportunity for cross country preparation, others used running squad to help support their fitness for winter sport. Girls from Years 4-8 participated in the Auckland Run Series which consists of six 4km runs held over the course of the year at different locations all over Auckland. While many of the mornings are bitter, the girls continued to get out into the cold and run with great willpower. This year we have had pleasing results from our runners, with many achieving their personal bests against 46 other competitors. We thank our parents for providing support.

results:

Laura Lightfoot 6th overall (mixed division) / 2nd U16 girl division

Elizabeth Lightfoot 8th overall (mixed division) / 3rd U16 girl division

Georgia Roberts 9th overall (mixed division) / 4th U16 girls division

Pleasing results were also achieved from the following; Harriet Lightfoot, Maddie Freeland, Alex knox, Darcy Woolford, Ethan knox (SkB), Sophie Rickman GYMNasTiCs suCCEss

Year 3 and 4

Year 3 and 4 girls finished their gymnastics unit by competing at Tri-Star Gymnastics Zones competition in August. Our girls looked smart in blue each with braided hair and ribbons. For some, the beam proved to be a huge challenge, however, every girl accomplished this apparatuses alongside vault and floor. Scores were tight, but we had some pleasing results which saw several of our girls place and qualify for Champions of Champions. A total of 65 Year 3 and 4 girls competed in this event.

Year 3: = 3rd Zoe Nel; = 8th Mary Stanfield

Year 4: = 4th kate Frazer, = 5th Eva Colyer

A Year 3 team also qualified for the team event at the Champion of Champions: Zoe Nel, Mary Stanfield, Bridget Dennis, Millie Thomas. Reserves: Ava Darbyshire and Amy Bartlet.

Year 7 and 8

Seven Year 7 and 8 girls attended the South Eastern Zone Competition held at Howick Gym Club. They each displayed wonderful form and competed at a high level. While many of the scores were close, we had some pleasing results, placing five of our girls in the Top 8. The following girls qualified to compete at the Champion of Champions.

Year 7: 2nd kate Pennycuik; 5th Sara Goldfinch; 6th Sarah Peart

Year 8: 3rd Joy kang, 7th Deborah So

On the day, kate placed 4th.

FliPPa B all aNd WaTEr Polo

Flippa ball continues to grow in popularity and the girls who represent the School every weekend demonstrate great commitment and dedication to the sport. This term, we entered two teams in the Year 3/4 league and two teams in the Year 5 /6 league. With a mixture of results, each team has experienced wins and plenty of games that have challenged their ability and made them work for their successes.

A new initiative started by water polo NZ gives Year 6 girls the opportunity to experience water polo at Epsom Girls on a Sunday afternoon. The girls start with a training session led by a referee/coach alongside their opposing team and then they play straight afterwards. Our girls are demonstrating strong skills in the pool and this is also reflected in their later flippa ball games.

CollEGE sPorT

Year 7/8 Wednesday sports afternoons have continued to run smoothly as our older girls travel to join with the College girls for team sport. All girls that represented Saint kentigern in a team sport showed great determination and results across the board were pleasing.

Netball: 7A placed second placed in their division and 8B placed first.

Football: The A girls had a successful season with two wins, a draw and two close losses. The girls also attended a Girls’ Football Tournament at Madills Farm, which resulted in them taking home the ‘Silver plate’.

Hockey: The girls experienced many wins throughout the season.

AIMS: Eight of our Year 7/8 students joined forces with College students to represent Saint kentigern at AIMS in Tauranga in September. The girls competed in swimming, netball, hockey and football. This was an event they thoroughly enjoyed.

YEar 5/6 sPorT EXCHaNGEs

With the numbers evenly spread across netball and football, we were able to field two ability teams in each sporting code. The girls trained fortnightly on a Tuesday afternoon and played exchanges every other. With a mixture of results, it was evident that the skill level of our girls progressed throughout the season. The girls ended the season with Winter Field Day and while the results were varied, the girls all arrived back that little more experienced after a day of continuous back to back games.

CoaCHEs

Thank you to Trevor McNicol, Eva McCaulay, Caitlyn Llloyd, Aiden Thornhill and Candace Cassie for supporting our girls throughout the season. The girls are privileged to have the knowledge and support from their coaches.

Girls’ School Cross Country

On a cold, windy day, the Year 4-6 girls joined with the Boys’ School to run the cross country on the College campus. The new course laid out in front of Bruce House was a great success as the runners could be seen throughout their race from a vantage point on the hill. Whilst the rain stayed away, the new course delivered a great challenge for our girls with the grass being damp enough to provide some muddy patches. With a few shoes lost in mud, students kept going in their socks! The hilly finish required one last burst of energy from the girls as they crossed the line.

Our Junior girls in Years 0-3 joined the Junior boys at the Boys’ School where they ran a circuit that included Roselle House. Many red yet relieved faces crossed the finish line in front of a stadium of paparazzi parents who cheered and clapped as their girls crossed the line!

The Year 7/8 girls ran alongside their fellow College students at the end of Term 2. The College course provided some challenges which tested the girls’ endurance. Our girls were well prepared and this was evident in their placings at the top of the field in both the Year 7 and 8 event. Our top ten girls in each year level went on to compete at the zone competition at Lloyd Elsmore. The girls placed well with an with an outstanding run from Olivia Moorman, our first Year 8 Saint kentigern student who placed 4th allowing her to go onto the Interzones. The Year 8 girls placed 3rd in the overall team placing for their event.

Girls’ sCHool Cross CouNTrY CHaMPioNs 2013

YEar 0

1st Ella Taylor Ca

2nd Grace Bluck H

3rd Aanya Abeysekera Ch

YEar 1

1st Endrica Dhani Ch

2nd Janie Colebrook Ca

3rd Sienna Haar W

YEar 2

1st Isabella Hughes Ch

2nd Hannah Piper Ch

3rd kate Green H

YEar 3

1st Mary Stanfield Ca

2nd Cassandra Wood H

3rd Charlotte Snookes Ch

YEar 4

1st Laura Lightfoot H

2nd Verity Ward Ch

3rd Harriet Lightfoot H

YEar 5

1st Olivia Connolly W

2nd India Doo W

3rd Xanfira GoulderChisholm H

YEar 6

1st Elizabeth Lightfoot H

2nd Terri-Jane Warner H

3rd Ava Beca Ca

YEar 7

1st Olivia Montgomery Ch

2nd Georgia Roberts H

3rd Sarah Peart Ch

YEar 8

1st Chelsea Simmons W

2nd Olivia Moorman W

3rd Evangeline Coman W

Boys' School embrace and understand Technology

From an early age, the olympics games and everything this event supposedly stands for has fascinated me. every four years we would crown champions deemed to be the best in the world. The olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ which translates to fastest, highest and strongest is certainly evident in this global competition.

unfortunately, with sport comes controversy and over the years the olympic games have certainly had their fair share with politics, boycotts, terrorism and drug cheats regularly playing their part. To me, however, putting politics and the scandals aside, i have always been fascinated witnessing the games’ development over the years. every four years i would note how improved technology and design played a major role in seeing records broken and new champions crowned.

Whether it is the new composition of the running track, improved shoe, swimsuit and equipment designs that were lighter, stronger and more aerodynamic, all in the pursuit of that little bit extra, it was improved technology made a difference between first and second. This coupled with the onset of professionalism will ensure that improvements in design and technology will continue to make a difference in a competitive world.

The recent America’s Cup campaign is another example of how technology plays an important role in our lives. The graphics and details provided bring the yacht race to our homes making us the experts as our team battles for supremacy. We can only marvel at the design of the boats and can’t even begin to comprehend how minor adjustments made overnight can make such a difference to performance. We don’t really appreciate the behind the scenes work undertaken by the design teams over the years to create the spectacle we have seen recently. yes the men on the boat are incredibly committed and skilful, however, the new technology and increased understanding of the science behind design takes yachting to the next level and has each and every one of us on the edge of our seats in what can only be described as a true spectacle.

education is the same! over the course of my years in schools i continue to be amazed at the rapid advancements being made in this field in order to equip our students with the necessary knowledge, skills and adaptability that will prepare them for their future.

how exciting it was for me when i was at school to replace the slide rule with a calculator. Mathematics became more accurate and calculations were completed faster. When i began teaching, how frustrating it was to use a blackboard, chalk and spirit bander to create my resources for teaching. information gathering by students using encyclopaedias was time

consuming and immediately outdated and not all students had access to the wealth of information available, therefore, everything needed to be teacher prepared.

The introduction of computers in the educational setting was exciting, albeit very limited initially. Schools didn’t appreciate how powerful they could be in the learning process and with the limited software and applications available, for the most part they were a novelty, a gimmick. Websites were blocked in order to protect our students from objectionable material. Memory and speed in the early days now seems prehistoric and questionable as to the effectiveness of this new technology in the educational setting. utilising computers in the classroom setting required a shift in teacher pedagogy which was unfortunately a long way off.

our boys have grown up in the digital age and it is an essential part of their life. They are able to use the many devices they have with ease as they are not afraid to try new applications and adapt technology to make life easier. They don’t see improved technology as a threat as the unknown is exciting for them. They don’t need to read manuals to find out how things works as everything is intuitive. They use devices to connect to everything they need: information, music, movies, communication and networking with their friends and others.

it is our role as educators to take advantage of the technology that is now available to our students. rather than fear the rapid changes occurring, staff and parents need to embrace the developments. Flipping the classroom, increased collaborative work with students and increasing the interactive component in delivering knowledge and learning to ensure connections to life and experiences will ensure a deep understanding.

Just as i was excited years ago with the calculator surpassing the slide rule, our students, your sons, will use technology to enhance their learning journey and to become a more informed global citizen.

Access to the wealth of information available is instantaneous and a given, however, we need to teach our students/children to be discerning and aware that the digital footprint they create will not be erased. Taking an interest in what our children are doing will also give us an understanding and insight into current trends, thus allowing us to be seen as supporters and available to offer advice should this be required. 'What is written or posted electronically should not be hurtful or secretive' is a good maxim to live by. The future is exciting!

Peter Cassie, Principal

year 6 Mini expo

With thanks to year 6 teacher, Mrs Mary Jones

THE BiG iDEA: HOW WE ExPRESS OuRSELVES

This year the boys in year 6 were presented with a unique opportunity –to undertake a significant and lengthy inquiry over the course of the term and then exhibit their learning journey for the wider school community in the form of an expo. not only was their finished work on display but the boys were also on hand to answer questions from visitors about the process behind their inquiry.

no matter what the year level, when visiting classrooms at the Boys’ School you are left in no doubt that the boys are actively engaged in their learning. in class there is always a purposeful hum of activity but even when the classrooms are empty, there is much to be learnt about their current inquiry programmes from reading the work proudly displayed on walls throughout the School. inquiry learning is more than just gathering information; the process is as important as the outcome.

At the heart of inquiry learning is a commitment to structured, purposeful questioning as the leading vehicle for teaching and learning. inquiry gives ownership of learning to the students themselves, developing their research and critical thinking skills. it allows them to pursue their own interests and make meaningful connections with what they are learning –discovering that all learning across all disciplines is inter-related.

Children, from birth are naturally full of curiosity and as learners they develop beliefs based on their experiences and prior learning. Those beliefs are constantly revisited in the light of new experiences and further learning. As we all strive to make meaning of our lives and the world around us, we travel on a cyclic path of constructing, testing, and confirming or revisiting our personal understanding. This is enhanced by the art of inquiry; the cycle for learning.

When presented with the idea that the expo would be exclusive to year 6, the boys were fired into action and quickly took ownership! They were inspired to take up the challenging task of going beyond their previous learning to develop new skills while keeping the end result in mind – an exhibition intended for a wide audience. The theme of the expo was ‘how we express ourselves’ with the ‘central idea’ being ‘People use different forms of expression to convey their uniqueness.’

The boys were divided into small groups of two or three and began to brainstorm which path their own inquiry would take. First they picked an overall line of inquiry and from that each planned their own personal exploration within their chosen theme – these ideas were many and varied.

For example:

how are expressions demonstrated?

Marcus: how and why do people express themselves through poetry?

Ben: how do cultures express themselves through symbols?

henry: how do people express their creativity through sculpture?

how do outside forces affect people’s expressions?

harrison: how do political systems affect people’s expressions?

Miller: how are people inspired to construct greatness?

Max: how does global technology influence a country’s expressions?

how and why are the less formal arts expressed?

William: What is the cultural significance of tattooing?

Corbet: Why has graffiti changed over the years?

The boys were required to explore multiple perspectives. in the process they further developed their collaborative skills through discussing and debating real issues with their peers; they went beyond the school gates to talk to experts in the wider community, conducting all the organisation and safety information (rAM: risk Assessment Management) for this to take place; and they conducted surveys and used a wide variety of primary sources to find out how people express themselves in our world.

As the boys worked, they kept log books that recorded all their work including regular reflections of their thinking. it soon became clear that they were beginning to really think about the issues and concepts, not just the

facts; to understand why things are, how things connect to each other and to them. in the final stages, the boys needed to bring their ideas together and work out how best to present their findings to engage an invited audience. over three sessions at the end of term, parents were invited to visit the expo to view the boys’ displays and seek a deeper understanding of the different topics from the boys themselves. They proved themselves to have a good understanding of the work they had done and were articulate in their explanations.

in a frequently changing world, understanding how to inquire, how to sift through the ideas to make informed decisions and discover their truths is a valuable and exciting journey that these boys are just beginning to discover. The expo brought all this into focus and the boys were very proud to present their first public expo.

Service

With thanks to Mr Carl Lidstone, TiC Service

‘Service is doing something out of the goodness of your own heart. It is when you volunteer for something and dedicate time and effort, even when you know that there will be little or no reward for what you have done. but service always will bring one reward – the feeling you have done something good.’

REFuGEE CENTRE

During year 7, our boys complete a unit on refugees learning about those people around the world who have been displaced. They learn that refugees are ordinary people facing extraordinary conditions. They have experienced war, persecution, discrimination, racism or oppression and been forced to flee from their homeland for nothing more than their ethnicity, religion or beliefs. Most arrive in new zealand with few to no possessions or belongings.

The year 7 boys find this a to be a fascinating topic of inquiry so it is fitting that when they reach year 8 they have an opportunity to help out at the refugee Centre in Mangere. Annually the government accepts 750 refugees to enter new zealand, where they spend six weeks at the Mangere refugee resettlement Centre before being resettled in urban centres around new zealand.

over the past few decades, over 40,000 former refugees and their families have been assisted in Auckland, Waikato, Manawatu, Porirua, hutt Valley, Wellington and nelson.

our year 8 boys first went to the Auckland headquarters of the red Cross where they packed welcome bags for new refugees to new zealand. These bags contained essentials such as deodorant, a toothbrush and shampoo. once this task was completed, it was off to the refugee Centre where they toured the facilities and glimpsed what it would be like to be a refugee in a new country. it was a very humbling experience for all as the boys came to realise how little refugees bring with them and how their lives have to start again in a foreign land with a new language. But for these people, no matter how little they have, the chance of a new life in new zealand means hope.

FOODBANK

often we take part in events like mufti day and food collections without ever really seeing the outcome of our goodwill. A group of year 8 boys got to see first-hand what their contribution achieved when they visited the Presbyterian Foodbank as part of their service class. They were able to take along what had been collected by classes and to see how it was put to use. The boys learnt about the service that the Foodbank provides and then made up food parcels for those in need. By the time the boys left, the shelves were looking much emptier as the goods had been packed in to boxes ready for distribution. This inspired them to think of ways that they could be of further service.

BOy v WiLD

The Boy v Wild Service camp is one of the most anticipated events on the Boys' School calendar for our senior students. This outdoor experience is a mixture of tramping, camping and community service. it is an integral part of the Service Award at the Boys’ School.

This year there is an added dimension for those boys who have achieved their silver service badge. eight boys from Wymondley road School will be joining our year 8 students for a shared Boys v Wild experience on Motutapu island. During Term 3, the students from both schools had a shared lunch to get to know each other - what will be the first of many such meetings before the Term 4 camp. Together with the help of reverend hardie and Mr Lidstone, they will be responsible for much of their own planning of the logistics involved and in organising the activities once on Mototapu island. The boys from both schools are eagerly anticipating the experience.

Project nepal 2014

A service trip to nepal in 2014 for old Boys, staff and parents of Saint Kentigern Boys' School.

Service to others is one of the five core values at Saint Kentigern and is an integral part of the ethos of our community. Project nepal 2014 is a new initiative organised by staff at Saint Kentigern Boys' School to take a team of 16 people to serve in a rural community in nepal for 12 days.

To be eligible for this trip, you must be either an old boy of Saint Kentigern (18 years and over), a current parent of a student attending the Boys’ School or a current staff member.

The trip is scheduled for the Term 1 holidays 2014 (20 April to 2 May). The project will involve teaching in a rural school and supporting key building projects for that school, as well as visiting orphanages in Kathmandu.

Among the aims of this trip are to build connections between old boys, parents and staff, to further capture the imaginations of our students, and to engage in service in the global community.

Places are strictly limited to 16 participants. If you would like more details or wish to express your interest, please contact either Carl Lidstone (carl.lidstone@saintkentigern.com) or Rev Reuben Hardie (reuben.hardie@saintkentigern.com).

halberg Foundation Parasport Day

The halberg Disability Sport Foundation Vision: ‘Sport and recreation for all new zealanders - no exceptions’

Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ)

on a bright and crisp spring day, our year 8 boys welcomed some special guests for the 4th annual halberg Disability Sport Foundation Parasport day; a day that gives students with physical disabilities an opportunity to enjoy and shine in a range of tailored sports events. Approximately 70 students from 35 schools congregated on the turf in front of the Jubilee Sports Centre before joining in on their first assigned sport alongside our year 8 mentors.

running races, discus and shot put were some of the games on offer during the morning’s activities. our year 8 boys diligently played their part in assisting their visitors when and where needed, alongside the families and staff from their support networks. Staff from the halberg Disability Sport Foundation, who had helped organise the event, were also on hand. our boys ran alongside their guests, helped them perfect their sports techniques, encouraged and congratulated them, and then shared in their triumphs.

Aside from enhancing the lives of physically disabled children through sport, part of the aim for the day is to include the year 8 boys in a service element. We were proud to witness the boys taking full responsibility of

Bible retells

With thanks to reverend reuben hardie

Seemingly as old as time itself, no-one can put an exact date on when Bible retells became an annual fixture for the boys in years 1- 3 but archivist and former teacher, Mr Brian Matthews confirmed that they have been undertaken each year as long as he has been associated with the School - so it must be at least 40 years!

their physically disabled peers in wheeling them around the courts from activity to activity and through their dedicated involvement, showed the meaning of inspiration, compassion and spirit.

So that our athletes and supporters were well fuelled for their big day, the Parents and Friends volunteers were on hand with a rolling morning tea for visiting staff and parents upstairs in the Sports Centre Lounge. Downstairs beside the courts, the volunteers ensured the barbequed steak and sausages were ready for sandwiches.

During the afternoon’s activities, Paralympic sports were introduced and set up inside which were more suited to individual impairments and disabilities. Adaptive tennis, blind bowls, goal ball and boccia were all played out before the much awaited prize giving commenced.

Former Boys’ School Principal and now Ceo of the halberg Disability Sport Foundation, Mr geoff Burgess spoke at the prize giving on behalf of the organisation on how much of a success the day had been and thanked the volunteers, organisers and sponsors for their contributions. Prizes and spot prizes had been given out over the day and all participants who joined in received a goody bag upon leaving. Congratulations to Fairburn School who came first overall in the competitions and was awarded the Junior Parasport Day Top School trophy from Mr Burgess.

run as part of the Christian education and oral Language programmes, the boys each choose a story from the Bible that appeals to them to retell to their classmates, delivering the story in sequence and giving a simple explanation of the message or moral. Jonah and the Whale; David and goliath; noah's Ark and Daniel and the Lion’s Den are perennial favourites but many more stories are also told in detail. The boys practise and rehearse the story at home and in Christian education classes before presenting it to their class. The fact that the presentation takes place in their home class and is assessed by the class teacher demonstrates to the boys that Christian education is not something that just happens at Chapel or in Christian education classes but permeates the character of our School.

The boys, using visual memory joggers if they choose, retell the stories from their viewpoint and consequently the audience is given insight into what aspects of the story were significant for the story teller. Max Carr told the story of The Prodigal Son with the message that god will always love you. Scott nel retold noah’s Ark which had the message to never forget god. Johnny ormond retold Adam and eve with the message to always follow good not bad.

An activity that helps boys develop confidence in expressing themselves to others, the stories are retold with the most amazing sense of wonder, drama and enthusiasm as only 5 and 6 years old can!

Boys' Speech Finals

hopeful eyes were on the coveted elsie Moore Memorial Speech Cups as this year’s finalists lined up and waited a little nervously to deliver their speeches at the finals of the prepared speech competition. having been selected from their class competition, fifteen nervous but hopeful orators awaited the announcers call to deliver their topics to a large audience comprising the entire School and their anxious parents. Meanwhile, Samuel Barry and Alexander Johnston both did sterling jobs as Masters of Ceremony.

As always, the standard of the speeches was exceptionally high and there was a wide variety of original topics. As new zealand was gripped in the middle of Marmageddon, 'the Marmite Crisis', head Boy, edward Wilkes chose this as his topic; his well prepared speech and confident delivery winning the senior section. hunter Deavoll, who entertained with his experiences of ‘Character Building holidays,’ was runner-up.

The winner for the Middle School Speech Competition was Jack Sandelin who shared his thoughts on ‘The Kiwis Love for Sport’, while runner-up was Fraser Mcomish who spoke on ‘Being a Kid Today’.

Mr Chris hodder, head of Middle School english at the College and Manager of the Premier College Debating team, was adjudicator for the morning. in his summary, he noted that although all speakers had prepared convincing arguments to support their views on a range of appealing topics, it was the quality of their delivery that made the winning speeches stand apart. our thanks to Mr hodder for making himself available for the morning.

Middle School winner, Jack Sandelin went on to represent the Boys’ School at the remuera zone competition. eleven local schools were represented and we congratulate Jack Sandelin winning third place in his competition.

Congratulations also to edward Wilkes who represented the School at the remuera Lions Speech Competition and placed 2nd in the year 7 and 8 Competition.

impromptu speeches followed later in the year. Principal, Mr Peter Cassie had the very difficult job of selecting the winner and runner-up as the competition was tight and all the boys presented very well structured and

Mathex Winners

The Jubilee Sports Centre was abuzz with a cross between mathematics and athletics as local schools competed for the title of 2013 Mathex Champions - the second time this event has been hosted at the Boys’ School. Competition amongst some determined young mathematicians was fierce and appeared to be enjoyed by both the competitors and the large number of parents and supporters in attendance. The competition requires maths questions to be answered in a set time frame. A designated runner sprints the answer to the judges and collects the next question on their return.

our year 5A team were excited to be placed first in their grade while our year 6A team found themselves in the unusual position of being one of six teams with a joint top score at the end of the 20 minute time allowance. The playoff to determine the eventual winning team saw a quick rearrangement of tables. The six teams received their question and the signal was given to start. it only took a second for Cornwall Park School to solve the problem and be declared the 2013 winning team for year 6.

This was a great night and a fantastic experience for all students involved. Congratulations to our winning team.

year 5 Team: Akash Mudaliar, nathanial Bailey, Marcus Findlow and David Allan.

delivered speeches. impromptu speaking is an exceptionally difficult skill so the boys can be very proud of their achievements. The speakers had a choice of two topics ‘Three things i would change if i ruled the world’ or ‘The most important lesson so far is …’

Jonathon Danesh-Clough was awarded first place and Lewis elliott was awarded runner-up. Both gave exceptional speeches.

Elsie Moore Memorial Cup for Senior Speech

Winner: edward Wilkes – Marmite runner-up: hunter Deavoll – Character Building holidays

Elsie Moore Memorial Cup for Junior Speech

Winner: Jack Sandelin – The Kiwis Love for Sport runner-up: Fraser Mcomish – Being a Kid Today

impromptu Speeches

Winner: Jonathon Danesh-Clough runner-up: Lewis elliott

niWA Science & Technology Fair

With thanks to science teacher, Mrs Denise Coleman in preparation for the Auckland niWA Science and Technology Fair, our boys worked for many weeks investigating and testing a science concept or developing and making a prototype to provide a solution to a technology problem. From the large number of projects judged at school, fifteen were forwarded to the regional fair for judging against the entries from other schools. We are delighted that two of our boys were recognised with three top awards apiece!

Top awards went to:

Tom Abbott - ‘Super Safety Barrier’

• 2nd Place in the Physical World

• university of Auckland Physics Department Award for excellence in Physical investigation - Scientist for a Day

• Transport Auckland Council Silver Award – Scientist for a Day

Tom has a great interest in cars. For this reason he felt that investigating a more effective motorway safety barrier would be satisfying and of interest to road Transport. his original prototype failed so it was back to the drawing board and testing range. After modifying his designs he was able to produce credible results.

Jonnie Danesh-Clough, ‘How Sweet Are you?’

• 3rd in the Living World category

• new zealand Statistical Association Bronze Award

• Auckland Dental Association Physics Department Silver Award for human Biology

Being a diabetic makes Jonnie aware of the importance of using an accurate meter. his investigation, in which he tested a range of diabetic meters, was difficult to conduct due the large number of variables he had to control. his results support his hypothesis that some meters are not as accurate as others.

Seven highly Commended Certificates were awarded to the following boys: Samuel Barry and roni Chapman; Thomas Burton and Luc Travers; nick Kirk and reuben Wickstead; Connor Lewis and Joe Morton; Dominic Powell; nicholas Scott and Lachlan Broadhurst; Daniel Whooley.

nathan Top in nz

C ongratulations to nathan Bailey who has achieved the top score in year 5 for the new zealand and Pacific international Competitions and Assessments for Schools (iCAS) Science Test.

nathan’s top score achievement qualifies him for a medal from the university of new South Wales along with a medal winner’s certificate which he will receive at a presentation ceremony later in the year.

high Distinction is awarded to students in the top 1% of the country, and Distinction is the next 11% of candidates.

TV3 Film Scooper-Tron

e verybody loves their dogs but there is one chore that no dog owner enjoys….picking up the droppings! For their Science Fair entry this year, Thomas Burton and Luc Travers designed a device that potentially will pick up poo without the owner needing to touch it! They modified their prototype several times, following the appropriate technology processes and with further programming advice from fellow-student, Tom hussona, they built their final model – a robotic ‘digger’ that picks up the poop and deposits it in a disposal bag. As they are discovering, not always with 100% accuracy, so it’s a work in progress!

There was a great deal of interest in the project at the niWA Science Fair, where they were awarded a highly Commended certificate. They also came to the attention of a TV3 film crew who were covering the show. Such was the novelty of the boys’ product, TV3 came to school to film a further segment, interviewing the boys and watching them put their latest prototype through the motions – so to speak!

The programme went to air on TV3’s First Line Show, Tech Bytes and is available for viewing on their website and on the Saint Kentigern website/news.

Science High Distinction

year 4 Asher Matheson

year 5 nathan Bailey (medal), Marcus Findlow, Leo van Druten

year 6 Xavier yin

year 7 Steven Cho, Lachlan van der Pluijm

year 8 Daniel Mar, Jun Park, Daniel Whooley

Science Distinction

year 4 hamish Ferguson, Campbell Joyce

year 5 David Allan, Thomas King, William King, Jacob Kruger, Carter Tang, Lucas van den Brink

year 6 Max Cheng, hugo du Temple, george Falconer, oliver Mitchell

year 7

Jack Dufaur, Joshua hawkesby-Lyne, Patrick hayes, Samuel Looker, gibson nevill, Jordan Warren, Thomas Woodfield

year 8 Adam Bartlett, oliver Cranshaw, Theodore gilbertson, Mark hutchinson, nicholas Kirk, Dunbar Sloane, Desmond yong

entrepreneurs to the Fore

With thanks to year 7 Teacher, Mr Joe Johansen

The playground was abuzz with excited boys keenly manning their stalls and promoting their entrepreneurial products for sale at the annual year 7 Market Day.

in preparation for the much anticipated event, the boys had been closely studying how to run a small business for a period of six weeks as part of their social sciences study. Working in small groups, which included a nominated Ceo, accountant, marketer and designer, they were responsible for the launch of their business from product conception to retail. This included market research, prototype design, a marketing plan, budget, mass production and auction of stall location.

With an added element of thrill, a few weeks earlier the aspiring entrepreneurs had featured in a classroom style 'Dragon’s Den', where they pitched their profitable business ideas to parent ‘Dragons’. only this time, rather than seeking funds for their business, the boys were looking for some sage advice from the scrutinising Dragons.

originality was at its fore with the currency of the day being ‘Kents’minted clay coins the boys had also designed and fired in the kiln. each boy was granted 25 Kents to spend on their peers’ inventions, while for the first time this year, Parents and Friends exchanged cash for Kents at the ‘Bank’. The boys set a high standard that continued through all the teams with an impressive array of original inventions and creative advertising. Their completed business plan slideshows and financial spread sheets were audited by year 7 teacher, Mr Joe Johansen across prize categories such as best stall, marketing, customer service, quality and original product, along with overall most profitable business.

Approximately $1,800.00 was raised on the day which is to be put towards the wooden booths made by the technology teachers for continuing use, and also an end of 2013 social event for the year 7 students.

Forensic Crime Solving

With thanks to year 8 Teacher, Mr James eketone

how technology impacts society, and the positive and negative effects of this, became part of a recent year 8 social science studies topic. in one of the early sessions, the students looked at how police investigators detect and collect fingerprints and were keen to discover for themselves how to take fingerprints with ink pads while identifying their different key features. They were even challenged with their own crime to solve!

Visiting School Community Constable Peter opened by asking the class to guess what animal hair is used to make fingerprinting brushes. Bear, possum, racoon, fox and rabbit were all suggested from the boys, but the answer the Constable was looking for was in fact squirrel fur!

The boys were then presented with a real crime from nz's past but with names and evidence adapted to the classroom. They were asked to collect and analyse evidence including lifting finger prints from glass beakers using standard police technologies. They then used that print along with other evidence to solve the crime.

The next stage of the inquiry process was to look at what has changed with these investigatory techniques from the past to present and explore how it may develop in the future. Part of the study included researching into DnA sampling, the development of that technology and the link between audio visual technologies and the concept of ‘Big Brother.’

After working through all the stages of the inquiry - gathering prior knowledge, questioning, planning, researching, interpreting, presenting and reflecting, the boys were then asked to research the impact technology has on a different aspect of human society.

The boys learned a lot from their hands on experiences as ‘detectives’ and were grateful to Constable Peter for his bringing his expertise to school.

Celebration of Cultures

As part of year 3’s learning inquiry into how ‘people use special events and festivals to celebrate their beliefs’ the boys enjoyed a Cultural Celebration Day to which their parents were invited.

There was much excitement early in the morning as the boys arrived at school dressed to represent their chosen country. There was all manner of dress from countries afar as well as those from closer to home with Kiwis and Australians represented. Much to the boys’ delight, the teachers also dressed for the occasion.

excitement, nerves and anticipation grew as boys paraded into JC Chalmers hall with flags flying. Peers, parents and special guests were invited to watch the boys showcase their inquiry on a chosen country. our visitors were kept well entertained as they were greeted in a multitude of languages, were entertained with musical interludes and heard many interesting facts that the boys had learned in preparing their presentations.

We acknowledge that new zealand is made up of people representing many different cultures and own school is no different. This inquiry gave our boys great insight into the day to day lives and special celebrations of the many different cultures that make up the families from our school. We felt it was important for the boys to share information about their own background, to learn about others and to celebrate the diversity of new zealand.

Trees for Survival

For the sixth year running, our year 6 boys visited Cue haven farm near helensville for Trees for Survival, a fantastic day of tree planting, Waicare (invertebrate monitoring) and nature exploration.

The aim was to help the environment by studying the ecosystem and planting new zealand native trees, which the boys had nurtured and cared for at school. The trees were transported from school to the haven a few weeks earlier to help acclimatise the saplings before being planted.

Cue haven is a 58 acre property on the Kaipara harbour with a vision to develop the farmland into a new zealand native forest creating a haven for plant and bird life, and a place for future generations to enjoy. Saint Kentigern’s involvement began in August 2008 when science teacher, Mrs Denise Coleman and her year 6 students helped launch the Cue haven restoration project by planting almost 500 trees. every year since then, Mrs Coleman has brought out a group of enthusiastic year 6 students who together have planted over 2,500 trees. The Saint Kentigern Trees for Survival day has now become a highlight of the Cue haven planting season.

With the help of Blake holyoake, Jack Beveridge, ollie Simcock Smith, harrison Coates, Ben humphries and Thomas henzell, along with Principal, Mr Peter Cassie, the group planted the sixth Pohutukawa Springfire tree in a special Saint Kentigern area by the cottage. This, along with another strip of trees, is called Saint Kentigern grove and the earlier trees, which were about 30cm when planted, are now almost 3 metres high!

Two teachers from WaiCare taught the boys how to measure the quality of the water that runs in a stream through Cue haven and they also examined and named fresh water creatures. The aim of these activities was to provide the students with a more holistic understanding of how the tree planting fits into the overall objectives of the restoration project by improving water quality and creating a habitat for increasing biodiversity in nature.

Although the boys ran out of time to plant all of their 550 plants, they did manage to plant approximately 450 and it was all agreed that the hardest parts were digging the holes and carrying three spades at once!

it was another successful, enjoyable and rewarding day with plenty of sunshine, great food and hard work for the 63 boys who visited on the day. Thank you to the parents and teachers, and Tom and Mahrukh from Cue haven for helping to organise the event.

Music extravaganza

Throughout the year, musicians at the Boys’ School are given opportunities to perform. For our learners just starting on their musical journeys, small, informal evenings are organised to allow them a taste of performing to an audience. For those who have mastered their instruments and are starting to play in ensembles, the Middle School music evening gives them the chance to be part of a full performance evening. For our most accomplished musicians, they relish the opportunity to perform at the Music extravaganza, especially to be chosen in one of the coveted solo spots.

At this year’s Music extravaganza, Director of Music, Mrs Janet grierson opened the evening with an insightful quote on how music adds colour and expression to almost every area of our lives, and that music is a gift.

The show brought enjoyable wind and string performances from our year 3-8 boys as they played a variety of items ranging from the classical music of Mozart and Pachabel, to more contemporary rock favourites by David Bowie and Mick Jagger.

highlights from the evening included the first piece by our symphonic orchestra, who played ‘See, The Conquering hero Comes’ by handel, then followed by ‘gonna Fly now’, from the movie rocky. For the David Bowie fans in the audience, a rich saxophone performance of Bowie’s upbeat ‘Dancing in the Street’ from Ben Lerner was enjoyed by old and young alike, and Celtic piece ‘ollanta’ played by our Kentigern Minstrels, was very fitting for the extension group of our top recorder players. our jazz combo group are always polished in their delivery, playing two pieces for the evening – the rock and rolling ‘rock Around the Clock’ and the jazz standard ‘i’m Beginning to See the Light’.

Baroque piece ‘Canon in D’ by Pachelbel was a very moving duet played on both the flute and clarinet by oliver and Charles Jones, and a vast tempo change to the next item from music teachers, Mr randell and Mr nicholls. They performed a Sonatina for clarinet and piano which was a piece that Mr randell wrote for his Music Degree at university when he was just 21 years old!

The MC then invited our Performers Choir to come forward to sing two of the items they were preparing for the Kids Sing Choral Competition –the ballad ‘Scarborough Fair’ and toe-tapping number ‘razzle Dazzle’.

Finally the audience heard from the Jazz Band, conducted by Mr ross hurley. The Jazz Band played three fun pieces including ‘it Don’t Mean a Thing if it Aint got That Swing’, ‘Killer Joe’ and ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’.

To conclude the evening, Principal, Mr Cassie came forward and paid tribute to the Music Department and the itinerant music teachers for their enthusiasm and skill in guiding our boys to become both passionate and skilful in their pursuit of musical excellence.

A Visit To Metlifecare

A visit to Metlifecare retirement community in remuera by the Jazz Band proved a rewarding morning for both our students and the elderly residents. The opportunity to perform for an audience plays an important part in the development of young musicians and an appreciative audience is always a bonus!

While the band set up, the residents were made comfortable in their sunny lounge and it wasn’t long before toes were tapping along with the music. The boys were amazed to learn that one of the elderly in the audience was 102 years old – around 90 years longer than they have lived!

Conductor, Mr edwin randell led the first two pieces, the well-known, big band classics ‘it Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t got That Swing’ and ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’. These were followed by a selection of individual instrumental items. highlights of the solo performances included Jesse niu’s delivery of Mozart’s ‘Sonata Facile’ on the in-house grand piano, nicolas Scott’s trombone rendition of ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing off’ and Ben Lerner’s saxophone solo of ‘Cry Me a river.’ These three are particularly accomplished performers for their age and drew very supportive comments from the audience.

groups of residents stopped by to listen and the band was rewarded with an enthusiastic applause following their final piece. The residents enjoyed a morning of entertainment and the company of youngsters while the band returned to school knowing that they had brought some joy to an audience who don’t often get the chance to hear live music.

Budding Songwriters

The Boys’ School was proud to welcome judges, Mr Mike Chun, Mr Murray Thom and Murray’s son, Sam Thom to this year’s School Song Writing competition. Mike is formerly of Split enz and is currently the Ceo of Play it Strange; an organisation which implements music programmes in nz schools. Murray was former Managing Director of CBS records and is known for producing The great new zealand Songbook with the best of nz music. Sam his son, was a former head Boy at the School.

The competition was run as an extension to the School’s classroom programme where the senior boys study composition. There were two sections to the competition; the first was to write a piece of instrumental music for their chosen instrument; the second part was for vocal compositions. An earlier competition saw eight compositions selected for this final round of competition where each piece was played in front of a large audience and the visiting judges.

At the close of the competition, Mr Thom remarked at his amazement at the quality of compositions and song writing from students of such

Kids Sing

With thanks to Choral Director, Mr edwin randall

Singing is an important part of our music programme and school life and our boys enjoy being part of the choirs. our boys have the opportunity to sing in the All Comers’ choir from years 4-5 before auditioning for the Performers’ Choir. The Performers’ Choir is an auditioned choir for boys in year 6-8 who become involved in many events during the school year such as family services, music evenings, school assemblies, the Arts Festival, the Carol Service and events outside of school. in 2012, the choir recorded three songs for ‘Praise Be’ and also toured to Brisbane and the gold Coast together with the school’s Jazz Band. Correct vocal technique and team work is encouraged and boys get to sing serious music as well as fun songs. Being in the choir has prestige and also forms part of a service award that boys in years 7-8 can aspire to.

For the first time this year, the choir entered the nz Choral Federation’s Kids Sing festival that was held in the Aotea Centre followed by a gala Concert in the Town hall on the final night. This was an opportunity for the choir to perform to a large audience and a judge who provided helpful and encouraging feedback. The choir sang David hamilton’s A Blessing for Saint Kentigern, Scarborough Fair, old Abram Brown and razzle Dazzle. For this they received a bronze award. Following their assessed performance, the judge selected razzle Dazzle as the piece the choir should sing at the gala Concert. This proved to be an audience favourite and received amazing applause as the boys gave the performance their all including making choreographed use of white top hats, fans and gloves!

a young age. All finalists received a copy of The great new zealand Songbook with trophies awarded to the winners: Ben Lerner won the instrumental section on the saxophone for his piece entitled ‘Whale’ while James Fisher won the song writing with ‘Keeps Me Sane.’ The judges commented that James had written very insightful lyrics and likened his ballad to a Bob Dylan number – a little later the boys could be heard discussing just who Bob Dylan might be!

The judges also awarded a highly Commended Award, after a split vote in the instrumental section, for the clarinet duet by Sam Looker and Leo Smith. Mr Chun argued that it was twice as hard to write a piece for two instruments! Well done to all the boys including the other finalists: Caleb Pese, nicholas Scott, Thomas Woodfield and Marlon Cronin.

We also congratulate Ben Lerner for the amazing opportunity he was given to be the featured soloist at this year's new zealand Pops spring concert. held at the Auckland Town hall, it was a big gig for a 12 year old!

grandparents’ Day

‘If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first.’

- Lois Wyse

The Boys’ School were delighted at the amazing turnout at this year’s grandparents’ Day. in a bold move it was decided to hold a full-school event rather than smaller syndicate gatherings and so we welcomed well in excess of 500 grandparents to the Jubilee Sports Centre. in anticipation of the large numbers, extra parking was secured at Bloodworth Park and the sports staff ran a shuttle bus service up and down the road!

As the grannies, grandmas and nanas entered, to their surprise and delight they were presented with a colourful gerbera from the Junior School boys before taking their seat to listen to the Jazz Band play followed by a rousing haka.

in his address, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie said it was an honour to welcome so many special guests to the School and acknowledged the vital role that grandparents play with some tongue-in-cheek anecdotes. ‘the simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.’

‘When a child is born, so are grandmothers.’

‘Do you know why grandchildren are always so full of energy? they suck it out of their grandparents!’

‘On the seventh day God rested. His grandchildren must have been out of town.’

our guests were then escorted by the year 8 boys to visit their grandsons’ classrooms, amid much excitement, and tour the School before taking time out for morning tea. The Parents and Friends are to be applauded for the incredible spread laid out in both JC Chalmers hall and the Function Centre, fully catered by the parents themselves. We give our thanks to them; we know our guests certainly enjoyed it!

Boys’ School new Parents’ Dinner

earlier last term, JC Chalmers hall was transformed to a dinner venue to welcome 103 guests for this year’s roselle Foundation new Parents’ Dinner hosted by Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and the Boys’ School Development Committee. Families whose boys have started at Saint Kentigern during the course of this year were invited to join together with staff and other parents for an evening of socialising and fine dining.

While pre-dinner drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served, the Jazz Band played before Mr Cassie invited guests to take their seats. in his opening address he told the parents that, ‘Saint Kentigern is much more than just a school. Families are welcomed and encouraged to be involved - it’s a way of life based on a combination of values, tradition and excellence combined with innovative thinking and approaches that the future will demand. We want our boys, your sons, to be proud of themselves, their families and their school. by the time they leave us they will be prepared to take on board all challenges that life offers, with knowledge and confidence.’

Dinner was served at the table and all concurred that this was an excellent meal. Following the main course, this year’s head Boy, the ever-cheerful edward Wilkes, came to the stage to speak to the parents about the eight special years he has spent at Saint Kentigern. it would be hard to find a more passionate advocate for the School than this young man who has loved being a son of Kentigern and who will be proud to continue to wear the blue blazer when he moves on to the College next year.

Chairman of the roselle Foundation, Michael Falconer was invited to speak. Michael has had two sons attend the school and is passionately committed to his sons’ place of learning. he told his fellow parents that he became involved with the Development Committee and the roselle Foundation because he wanted to make a contribution back to the school that had provided such a positive foundation of care for his own boys. he said that fees were not

enough to cover the major development projects and that the committee wished to establish a structure though the roselle Foundation to create an on-going culture of giving; not one based on coercion but through a desire to help the School and its future generations. Foundation giving is an opportunity to support the School and to give our boys the best possible outcomes for learning.

in closing, Mr Cassie thanked the principal sponsor, Anz and the assistance received from Villa Maria, Palmers and ecoya Candles. he also thanked Mrs Sue Bowskill and Mrs Karyl Kidd from the roselle Foundation Development office for all their work to bring the evening together.

Ski Team Win gold

it was a close race for the gold medal at this year’s north island Primary School Ski and Snowboard competition at Whakapapa ski field. over 650 students in 130 teams from around the north island gathered in what proved to be less than satisfactory conditions. our two ski teams competed in the giant Slalom competition on the first day of racing but the second day was cancelled due to bad weather. Consequently the overall results were drawn from the first day with the Boys’ Senior team beating King’s by a very narrow margin to win gold! Congratulations to Theo gilbertson who placed 3rd individually.

The 2nd team also had a good day’s skiing placing third overall with Ben McCutcheon as their highest individual in 5th place.

Tour To Christchurch

With thanks to Director of Sport, Mr Duncan grant

When the Boys’ School 1st XV rugby, 1st Xi Football and 1st Xi hockey teams travelled to Christchurch, they soon discovered that playing conditions were somewhat different to Auckland…

After a delay to the flight due to fog, they headed to Waihi School near geraldine where the boys met their billets for the evening - many of them staying with the rural community on farms. on that first evening, the hockey boys had their opening game at 7.30pm in Timaru against Waihi School. The boys played under lights, with misty conditions and the temperature took them a little by surprise…. a somewhat chilly 5 degrees! All credit must be given to Waihi School on this occasion; they out-skilled our boys and were too strong by far, winning 0 -13.

The following morning the boys reconvened after their night away with the Waihi familes with some great stories to tell about their new-found friends. however, it was time to get focused for rugby and football. Both these games kicked off at 10am and despite being the first game of the season, both teams played superbly. our rugby team won a resounding 67-7 and our football team also won 9-1. After the games it was showers, lunch and on the bus for the trip back to Christchurch.

our next stop was Medbury School where the boys were once again billeted for the evening. The games the following day were in Medbury’s favour with two wins for them in the rugby, 10-49, and the hockey, 0-6 with a football win for our boys, 5-2.

our last stop was St Andrew’s College where the rugby, 35-7, and football, 14-0, were back in our favour with a loss for the hockey boys, 0-6.

We would like to offer our thanks to the staff, boys and families of Waihi, Medbury and St Andrew’s for welcoming us to the their schools and being such fantastic hosts. The boys really appreciated the opportunity…and now know that winter sport in the South island is a much chillier proposition than in Auckland!

SENiOR PRiMARy: gold (1st team overall)

iNDiViDuAL RESuLTS

Theo gilbertson 3/65

gibson neville 7/65

William Cashmore 8/65

nicholas Sheetz 11/65

Sebastian Stephan 12/65

george Beggs 29/65

FuLL PRiMARy: Bronze (3rd team overall)

iNDiViDuAL RESuLTS

Ben McCutcheon 5/136

Millar Stewart 13/136

Jack Beveridge 14/136

Sam Cox 24/136

Winter Sports round up 2013

With thanks to Director of Sport, Mr Duncan grant

BASKETBALL

Auckland Basketball brought the league back to our Jubilee Sports Centre for all age groups at the start of Term 2. We also moved basketball practices to straight after school before the games. This created continuity for the boys, therefore, the numbers have grown. At present we have approximately 95 boys playing basketball from year 1 to 8. our top teams in each league have dominated and won consistently throughout the year. our top year 7 and 8 team represented the school at eastern zones. They went through the pool stage unbeaten and played Sacred heart in the semifinals. Sacred heart was too strong, beating our boys who went on to play King's for 3rd and 4th. They tied with King's and ended up 3rd equal.

FLiPPA BALL AND WATERPOLO

This year, six teams were entered into the Sacred heart flippa ball league under the guidance of emma Lane. Three teams have been representing the School in the year 3/ 4 league and three teams in the year 5/6 league. All teams had a very successful Term 2 competition at Sacred heart Pool. uSA team won the year 5/6 A grade, and all other teams came 2nd in their respective grades. our flippa ball programme has been very successful and is feeding nicely into our water polo programme. A special thank you must go to the dedicated team of parents who help us organise, coach and run flippa ball.

Water polo training began in Term 2. This year we have three teams entered in the Sacred heart league. The competition began in Term 3 and the boys have performed admirably. Two teams were entered into the Winterfest Water Polo Tournament. The A team had some strong opposition but they fought hard and finished third overall. The B team played well within their pool. our thanks go to Miss emma Lane and her coaches.

FOOTBALL

What a season for the 1st Xi! First up they reclaimed the Academy Shield from King’s with a convincing win. They then went on as separate year 7

Saint Kentigern

and 8 teams into the eastern zone Tournament. here both teams made the finals and both teams were extremely unlucky to lose to Sacred heart College by one goal each! The rest of the season was outstanding for the 1st Xi. They scored some quality goals by some extremely talented footballers. The joint team has many year 7 players so the future looks bright for 2014.

The 2nd Xi had a great season and many of their players played for the 1st Xi. The yellow, red and blue teams played in the Challenge Cup. All were very successful with most reaching the semi-finals.

HOCKEy

The 1st Xi hockey boys have had a tough season but never gave up. The highlight of their season was the winter sports tour to the South island and the eastern zone hockey Competition. here they made it through to the finals and only narrowly lost to King’s.

The Middle School teams played in the local competition and continue to develop as hockey players.

Congratulations to David Bates who has been selected for the Auckland hatch Cup team. Thomas Vaughn and Sam Fletcher have been selected in the development squad.

RuGBy

The 1st XV started the winter season with a tour to the South island which proved invaluable. upon returning they played Dilworth first. A tough game, Dilworth came out on top and reclaimed the Tudor Shield. The rest of the season was a tough one for the boys. They lost a number of their games by narrow margins however they finished off on a high playing Scots College from Wellington and winning convincingly.

The 2nd and 3rd XV played in the local schools' competition where they performed admirably.The Middle School fielded three rugby teams this year. The A team had some great victories. Their performances bode well for future years as they head through to Senior School.

BOyS’ SCHOOL CROSS COuNTRy CHAMPiONS 2013

yEAR 0

1st Max Trankels h

2nd Scott nel W

3rd Jacob hageman Ca

yEAR 1

1st James hiddleston h

2nd Spencer Leighton Ch

3rd Pierce gault Ca

yEAR 2

1st ethan Knox Ca

2nd zach Freeland Ca

3rd Ashan Weerasinghe h

yEAR 3

1st Brendan Meyer h

2nd Austin McKegg Ch

3rd Antony gault Ca

yEAR 4

1st edward Chaytor Ch

2nd george Beca Ch

3rd Sebastian hardie W

yEAR 5

1st Charles Wilkes W

2nd george Barker h

3rd robert Jones Ca

yEAR 6

1st Tom Lorimer h

2nd Michael hiddleston h

3rd William gardiner Ch

yEAR 7

1st Liam Batts Ch

2nd William o’rourke h

3rd Chris zhang W

yEAR 8

1st Charlie Knox h

2nd Dylan Bartholomew W

3rd Max Shorter W

Boys’ School Cross Country

once again, the year 4 to 8 boys went out to the College to run the annual school cross country. Auckland turned on another very cold day with the weather a good incentive for the boys to run fast! This year the course was moved to the field in front of Bruce house which proved fantastic as the boys watching from the bank and could see the entire race. The finish line had a final small hill to finish which really made the legs burn! All boys put in a great effort. The year 4 to 6 boys ran two laps of the course equalling 2km and the year 7 and 8 boys ran 3 laps equalling 3km. Thank you to the College for the use of their grounds.

it was a beautiful day for the year 0 - 3 cross country held on the Boys' School grounds. This year the year 0 and 1 boys ran a shorter distance around roselle house and the year 2 and 3 boys ran the normal course. Competition was intense with some close finishes over the distance.

The top runners from years 5, 6, 7 and 8 went through to their respective zone races with some amazing team results! Well done boys!

yEAR 5 - REMuERA ZONE: 1ST TEAM

Vinay Chichester 2nd, Charles Wilkes 5th, george Barker 16th, robbie Jones 17th, Charles Swain 19th, William King 20th, David Allan 26th

yEAR 6 - REMuERA ZONE: 1ST TEAM

isaac Chaytor 5th, Michael hiddleston 10th, Will gardiner 15th, Tom Lorimer 18th, Ben Tomlinson 22nd, george Falconer 28th, Will Bason 34th

yEAR 8 TEAM - EASTERN ZONE AND iNTERZONE: 1ST TEAM

Charlie Knox (3rd ez), Dylan Bartholomew; Max Shorter; roni Chapman; Connor Lewis; grayson gaze; george Beggs, Joe Morton (ez only)

yEAR 7 TEAM - EASTERN ZONE 1ST TEAM AND iNTERZONE: 2ND TEAM

Liam Batts (2nd ez);Chris zhang; Tom Moloney; Lucas osborneh; Josh hawkesby-Lyne; Jack Dufaur; Max Tierney; William o’rourke (ez only)

'A Champion Mindset'

This term was first coined in 1998 by Dr Allan Snyder, Director of Centre for the Mind at The University of Sydney.

'Great achievers have a vision that they will succeed and sometimes even see the steps leading to their success. So, in my opinion, what makes a champion, and I mean a champion in the broadest sense, is a champion mindset. And, if you have done something great in one field, you are more able to do it in another. Your champion mindset is the transferable commodity and not the skill itself. It is our mindsets which ultimately limit our expectations of ourselves and which circumscribe our boundaries. It is our mindsets which determine whether or not we have the courage to challenge others and to expand our horizons.'

At Saint Kentigern we celebrate each student’s uniqueness and recognise that each has something new and different to offer. We encourage them to have the courage to confront and challenge conventional wisdom and urge them to constantly seek to expand their horizons. We encourage resilience – the ability to bounce back from disappointment, to learn from their mistakes and come back the stronger for it.

A challenge will look and feel different to each of us, especially to our young people who face greater challenges in 2013 that we all did in the past. Today’s students have a wealth of opportunities to choose from, both at school and in their local community, and sometimes put themselves under pressure by taking on too wide a range of activities. Some are content to give things a go and enjoy the experience for its worth, but others have an innate drive to take it to a different level; the desire not just to do their best but to be the best ahead of all others. Natural talent plays a part in ‘being the best’ but hard work and a real desire to achieve is the most telling factor by far. This is the Champion Mindset.

Whether the drive to succeed is in their academic studies or the cocurricular activity of their choice, what is incredibly important to me is that each student is encouraged by all around them to be the very best that they can be, to set their sights high and have a personal goal that provides a personal challenge – one they need to strive to achieve.

Great achievements are measured in so many ways and for some this may be the trophies they have won – a tangible reminder of their efforts. For all, though, it is that sense of personal achievement, of striving to improve, to reach that goal and to feel a sense of fulfillment through hard work and focus that should be their driver – this is something that can be shared by everyone.

At this ‘business’ end of the year, our focus is on academic goals and our staff will continue to guide, encourage and support each student from Year 7 to 13 to reach and exceed their individual goals.

Our students’ talents are many and varied. The opportunities we offer them are equally many and varied. Many do well in their field but in any endeavour there are always those who rise to the top – our champions.

Fides Servanda Est

Steve Cole Head of College

95 Years of Service

Today the College recognised four members of staff who between them have given 95 years of service to Saint Kentigern: English and Horticulture teacher, Mr Richard Fullerton was acknowledged for 20 years, whilst Head of Year 7, Mr Kevin Taylor; Director of IT, Mr Walter Chieng; and PE Teacher, Mr Malcolm Cowie have each given 25 years.

Twenty five years ago in 1988, the College had 48 staff, the administration team comprised three secretaries and the roll was just over 900 students. Jump forward to 2013 and the combined College staff has grown in excess of 200 and the number of students has doubled.

Kevin Taylor said he was asked, ‘How can you do the same job every day for 25 years?’ His response mirrored that of the other three, ‘It has not been the same job.’ Change has been a constant throughout their time; each has worked for three different Headmasters, they have seen as huge growth in the roll, in staffing and in developments on campus. They have seen girls arrive and settle to find their place in a former all boys’ college and been a part of the huge change that ever-evolving IT systems have brought to teaching, learning and administration. It is the ever-changing work environment that has inspired them over the years, along with the remarkable camaraderie and support amongst the staff and their daily dealings with courteous, highly motivated students.

Chairman of the Trust Board, Dr Bruce Goodfellow closed by saying that there is a growing number of long-serving staff and it is staff such as these who are the backbone of Saint Kentigern; committed, passionate people who are driven to do the best job possible for our students.

Excellence Award for The MacFarlan Centre

I t is with great excitement that we learnt that our newest College building, the MacFarlan Centre, was awarded Excellence at the Property Council New Zealand, Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards 2013, held in June.

The Property Industry Awards are New Zealand’s most prestigious property industry awards and have been running for more than 15 years. The Awards celebrate excellence in commercial property development and attract submissions from the country's top commercial property developments with entries going through a rigorous three month judging process that include detailed reviews of the developments and site visits by the judging panel.

The MacFarlan Centre houses management, administration and student services at the entrance to the College campus and includes the new senior student café, a Year 13 common room, and an indoor seated area for Year 12 students, in addition to space intended to accommodate any future expansion.

Dedicated to the Reverend Dr Adam MacFarlan, the first Headmaster of Saint Kentigern, the building was officially opened by the Governor General Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae in March 2013 at the 60th Anniversary Jubilee celebrations, after an 18 month construction period. Elizabeth MacFarlan, the late Reverend’s wife, was also present to cut the ribbon.

The nomination for the award was put forward by RTA Studio, the architects who designed the MacFarlan Centre. The Coffey Education and Arts Property Award was proudly received by Mr Eric Shiels, Trust Board General Manager, and Mr Greg Noble, Property Manager, at a black tie gala award ceremony attended by over 1,000 at the Viaduct Events Centre.

Mr Shiels said that the award was a great honour for the College and the Trust Board staff were just buzzing at the news. He said it was a wonderful surprise as there were a high number of quality submissions.

‘We’ve known that it’s a fantastic building of quality and substance and it works very well. It’s a real sense of achievement that this is now industry recognised,’ said Mr Shiels.

Mr Shiels commented, ‘Prior to the opening of the MacFarlan Centre, our previous administration building had been remodelled nine times in eleven years to accommodate growth. The opening of the Centre has now upgraded our amenities and also allows us to grow further as an organisation in the future. ‘

Much attention was paid in the design phase to ensure that connecting walkways and access routes to the building were well located and of an appropriate scale. In addition, numerous planters have been created around the building to complement the hard materials of the structure.

Essential qualities sought by the judging panel included economic and financial factors, project vision and innovation, design and construction, owner and user satisfaction, and sustainability and efficiency of operation.

The judging panel consisted of eight leading industry figures. Five other winners received an Excellence award in the category.

New Learning Commons

A visionary concept in academic learning spaces opened in June this year, breathing new life into the former administration block at the College. The new Learning Commons, adjacent to the library, is a technology-rich environment with a variety of study spaces that can be adapted to suit teaching and learning across all subjects and year levels.

‘The key driver was to make it innovative, accessible, flexible and multipurpose which is perfect for differentiated work groups, collaboration and team teaching,’ says Head of Library and e-Learning, Alison Derbyshire.

The original concept of the Learning Commons was to develop fresh thinking to promote best teaching and learning practice. Year 7-13 teachers can book the flexible use facility and use it as a classroom, collaborative space, performance space or for self-directed learning. The large open space with customised furniture means that teachers have the option of moving the furniture around to suit their teaching needs and tailor to their class requirements. Other bookable rooms in the space include two seminar rooms for student use such as project work, practice presentations, council and student meetings.

The development reflects Saint Kentigern’s commitment to engaging in the digital society and providing the best and most relevant teaching and learning practice to prepare students for life in the 21st century.

The latest technology specifically features Toshiba and Apple Mac touch screen desktops, Microsoft Windows 8 operating systems, an interactive projector and wireless headsets and display screens for audio recordings and movie viewings.

The open plan learning environment also enables the teaching staff to learn from each other as well. ‘Whenever a teacher comes in with their class I always learn something new,’ Ms Derbyshire adds, ‘their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the venture has been such a success.’

The building is open from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, when students can use the space to study before and after school and at lunch break, which has been full since its opening. Year 13 students are able to utilise the space during study periods and always have somewhere to study, as there is a designated area just for senior students.

The finishing touches will be added to the building in December when the outside garden area will be decked to maximise all the space available.

Service Initiatives

Opportunities abound at the College for our students to be of service to others and, pleasingly, many have taken the initiative to be substantially involved helping in the community. Our aim is to foster a sense of responsibility and compassion in our students, opening the way for them to continue to be of service long after leaving the College gates. Service helps build a sense of community and is pivotal to building good character. Most importantly, it opens their eyes to the needs of others whose fortunes may not be as great as their own.

DukE Of EDINbuRgh's hILLaRy’s awaRD

For our older students who have joined the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award scheme or who have elected to study the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme in their final two years, there is a compulsory element of service required to complete their programme, but there are also many other students across the age ranges who are willingly involved.

During the course of the year there are a number of opportunities to donate – Food Bank, Shoe Bank, Blood Bank, Stationery Bank and Chapel giving. For many years, Saint Kentigern has also been involved with World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine – indeed we have constantly been one of New Zealand’s top fundraising schools. These donations play a significant part to ease the lives of others but mostly only require a moment in time or a financial commitment on our part.

Time is often one of the most significant gifts you can make. Taking the time, not just to give material goods, but to give of yourself to be a support to others. This too is played out through our Service programme with a number of on-going initiatives to give support through time spent with others. Notably this involves a number of our senior students mentoring and tutoring foster children ranging from pre-school to Year 13 living at Dingwall Trust in Papatoetoe. Other groups assist at Community Dinners preparing up to a 100 meals a night at the Papatoetoe or Glen Innes facility. Recently, our students have also become involved assisting with a Breakfast Club in Glen Innes to ensure youngsters have a nutritional start to the day. Other students visit and spend time with the elderly through the Presbyterian Support Inter-generational Project ‘Enliven.’ Student groups also travel to Fiji and Vanuatu to give significant support to these overseas communities. More can be read about this on the following pages.

Leadership mentoring is another large part of our College Service calendar with groups of Year 10 students visiting Riverina Primary, East Tamaki Primary, and Ruapotoka Schools on a rotating basis each week to interact with the children during their lunchtime activities. Our students have also become involved coaching Randwick School’s sports teams. Likewise, our Year 12 tutor groups make weekly visits to Sommerville Special School to spend interactive time with their students under staff supervision.

These many and varied opportunities give our students cause for reflection and give them a greater sense of their place within the community and how their input can make a difference.

PROJECT ENLIVEN

Under the auspices of the Intergenerational Project Enliven run by Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), which links students from Presbyterian Schools with elderly ‘clients’, a number of our seniors spend time each week with an elderly client to give support and encouragement. The following is an extract from the PSN newsletter:

Mabel Ye has been visiting 94 year old John Turich for the last three years. Her friend, Casey Seto joined her two years ago. The girls visit John for about an hour every week. Mostly, they just sit and talk about their interests, the ‘old days’ or current events. Mabel says she finds it ‘relaxing and kind of therapeutic’ to be able to take this break in her busy schedule to talk to John. Casey agrees and says, ‘He genuinely enjoys our company and it’s rewarding to know we’re making a difference to his life.’ John says they are ‘a breath of fresh air’ and appreciates their lively conversation.

As an enliven client whose wife died 20 years ago, John has a supportive team of helpers who enable him to stay in his own home but he misses the company of close neighbours. He says ‘Mabel and Casey keep me in touch with the younger generation. They’re a good tonic!’

Health Bank

Health Bank is a new initiative that is currently being set up by some of the girls on our Service Council. When exploring different ideas as to how they could be of service to others, the needs of some new mothers at Middlemore Hospital came to light; of note, the girls learnt that many of these young women leave hospital unable to afford personal hygiene items. For those on a tight budget, these necessary sanitary items become a ‘luxury’ purchase. Working with Middlemore, a plan has been set in place to provide these women with washable sanitary towels as a more affordable long-term option.

Along with non-perishable items of food, this term’s College Foodbank also had a request for specific toiletry items to be donated so that the girls, in conjunction with the staff at Middlemore, can prepare packs of personal hygiene basics to be distributed to women who require the extra assistance on their return home after giving birth.

World Vision Youth Representatives

Congratulations to two of our girls who have been chosen to represent New Zealand at two global World Vision events later in the year. Year 9 student, Isabella Denholm will be travelling to Tanzania whilst Year 13 student, Letitia Puni, will be travelling to Bangladesh. Both girls have a long history of giving service and being involved with the World Vision 40 Hour Famine fundraising appeals.

Saint Kentigern has a longstanding relationship with World Vision and for a number of years has been the highest fundraising school in the country. We are delighted that Isabella and Letitia have been given this amazing opportunity to represent New Zealand and see the work that World Vision undertakes in developing countries. We look forward to bringing you their feedback in the next issue of Piper.

Isabella to Tanzania

Isabella has been selected to be the New Zealand youth representative at the World Vision International Triennial Council in Arusha, Tanzania in November. The theme this year is ‘Youth Engagement’ and Isabella will be joining 35 other youth representatives from all around the world to contribute at the

Council. The youth will develop presentations on how to improve youth wellbeing in the community, learn to be a council youth journalist and provide recommendations for World Vision’s child wellbeing work to 300 international board members and leaders. Alongside this, Isabella will be visiting local rural development projects and see the work of World Vision in the field first hand.

Isabella has been fundraising for World Vision since she was eight years old and since then has personally raised over $14,200 through the 40 Hour Famine events. This year she raised the highest amount in New Zealand through sheer hard work to gain as many pledges as possible.

Letitia to bangladesh

Letitia was put through a particularly gruelling selection process beginning at the Global Leadership Conference earlier in the year when she was encouraged to write a paragraph explaining why she would like to be considered as a World Vision Youth Ambassador. Later she received an email to say that out of hundreds of applications, she was one of 260 who had made it to the next stage. This required her to submit a creative piece and a reference and she chose to write about her personal reasons for wanting to eradicate global poverty. Again, she was one of 35 applicants chosen to continue on to stage three of the selection process, a one-on-one Skype interview with a panel of judges. The next cut was down to the top 20 applicants, a mix of secondary school and university students who attended an ‘X Factor’ type camp! They were assessed as they participated in numerous activities from team building to physical activities, facilitated discussions and personality profiling. From this a top 10 were announced! This time Letitia was required to make an inter-active 40 Hour Famine presentation, then have another one on one interview and participate in team work exercises, all of which were done in front of a panel of judges. After a nervous wait she was delighted to be offered a Youth Ambassador role that will take her to Bangladesh this December and then involve her sharing her experience at schools, youth groups, churches, camps, community settings and many other arenas throughout New Zealand next year.

Thai Experience for Hannah

Year 10 student, Hannah Sly, returned from a three week life-changing trip to Thailand in June with amazing stories to tell. Hannah had been encouraged to submit an application earlier in the year to the Royal Thai Embassy for the chance to be selected for the three week study programme in Thailand as part of the Thai/NZ Language and Cultural Student Exchange Programme.

From 130 applications across New Zealand, Hannah was shortlisted to one of 20 students to be interviewed at the Embassy in Wellington. The interview panel was very impressed with Hannah’s maturity, and her academic and sporting activities at Saint Kentigern. To their surprise, Hannah’s parents were also interviewed so they too had a sense of relief when Hannah was selected as one of the ten students to travel to Thailand in early June!

Hannah attended Yothinburana School in Bangkok and participated in a programme of visits and sight-seeing trips. The intention behind the

exchange was to provide the Thai students with an opportunity to learn and improve their English conversational skills through direct interaction with English speaking students. Hannah found the schooling to be very different in a seven storey high city campus with little outdoor space. The classrooms were so noisy, the teachers used microphones! But she found the students and staff to be welcoming and she gave assistance with English at every opportunity.

One of the biggest highlights of the trip was meeting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in person who presented her with a gift, and visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with the Thai Ambassador for New Zealand, Noppadon Theppitak.

On her return, Hannah was required to write a 3000 word essay about her experiences for the Thai Embassy and to stay in contact with her host family.

The Other Side of Fiji

With thanks to Reverend David Smith and student reporters Jarred Durling and Nick Williams

For a number of years, a team of College students have spent their July holidays toiling on a building site in Fiji with Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a Fijian family in need. The Habitat experience is a humbling experience for our students; one that gives them cause to reflect and put their own lives into perspective. At first they are shocked by the basic living conditions so different from their own but when the work is over and their time is up, they come to learn that while the Fijian families may have few possessions, their sense of what is most important – their families and enjoyment of life itself – far outweighs the shortcomings. The students achieve a great deal for others during their short stay but also leave with a new sense of what is important in their own lives.

At the start of the holidays, a team of fourteen Year 13 students, under the guidance of the ‘Rev’, Mr Martin Piaggi and Mrs Tabitha Leonard, travelled to Fiji to the village of Koroipita, just outside of Lautoka. This was the eighth year that a team from the College had taken on the task of building a house.

A ‘Habitat’ trip to Fiji is like no other. There are none of the trappings we associate with tropical Fiji – no pool, no white sand beaches, snorkelling trips and cocktails. The students were there to work hard for 8 to 9 hours for six long days in the hot Fijian sun. There was little respite other than the satisfaction of a job well done.

Up at 6am, the Saint Kentigern team assisted local builders and soon learnt many new skills including hammering a nail in straight, painting and

the art of strapping. Hurricane safety is an issue in Fiji and for a house to be hurricane-proof, every joint had to be strapped with metal bracings for stability in a storm. The village contained over 250 new hurricane-proof houses consisting of a single room with a raised floor as the main living and sleeping area. There was also had a small separate toilet, shower and kitchen block. The Koropita living conditions are a luxury compared to other villages in Fiji as they have running water, rubbish drop off areas and toilets connected to the house. The Fijian builders that the students worked alongside were only paid $3.00 per hour but they loved their work and were always smiling.

By the end of five days, and one day ahead of schedule, a combination of determination, resilience and excellent team-work meant that the team had successfully completed the living quarters of not one but two houses for less-fortunate Fijian families. This was an incredible feat for seventeen people and extremely satisfying. The new residents will pay $7 per week for the privilege of living in the houses, and although they are not much bigger than some of our own bedrooms, there will be dozens of applicants for them.

While in Fiji the team were able to participate in Fijian life well away from the tourist resorts, and the group came away with a real appreciation for all that we take for granted here in New Zealand, and a newfound gratitude of our Saint Kentigern community. The week was physically tough but also an incredible life changing and eye-opening experience that will not be forgotten by fourteen students who were brave enough to step outside of their comfort zone to help others.

Vinaka vaka levu

Assisting in Vanuatu

With thanks to Year 8 Teacher, Mr Tony Arrol and student reporters, Sophie Dodd and Liam Stewart

In recent years, a group of Year 12 students have travelled to Vanuatu during the July holidays to give assistance at a local school. This year, 14 students made the trip under the guidance of Mr Tony Arrol, to spend time at Berg’s School and Day Care in Port Vila as part of a week-long service initiative. The school caters for 60 students from preschool to age nine and as it is not funded, it has to rely on the minimal donations made by the students’ parents to operate.

The pattern is similar each year. Our students arrive wide eyed and initially struggle with adjusting to their primitive living conditions. This year they shared four rooms, sleeping on concrete floors with one toilet, a single hosepipe and a fair few creepy crawlies between them. By the end of the week, they had formed strong bonds with their hosts and adapted to the simple lifestyle - leaving was a tearful affair.

exterior walls with a different mural - an underwater and community theme and a hand print wall. Most of us surprised both ourselves and others with our new found artistic abilities, however, a select few- myself unfortunately includedwere relegated to painting bubbles in the underwater scene!’

Over the course of the week, the aim for our students was to build relationships with the children of the school and to provide assistance in improving the school’s environment, all the while engaging in their own character building values such as being caring, generous and humble, and creating a sense of unity.

Their days started at 5.30am and were spent teaching the children in grades 1-4 at the school. Liam Stewart said ‘I can honestly say that teaching was by no means an ‘easy task’. With three different classes in the same room and having been given full teaching responsibility, a large degree of improvisation was required! Although the teaching days were long and often quite tiring, this was totally outweighed by the satisfaction of teaching children with such a passion to learn. Truthfully, they were some of the most well behaved, lovely and ‘energetic’ bunch of kids I have ever met and being in their presence constantly reminded us of why we were there.’

Part of their mission was to make physical improvements to the grounds to ‘make the school look like a school.’ Three main projects were identified: to remove the barbed wire and replace with safe wire fencing material; to cover the mud in the outdoor play area with coral sand; and to bring some colour to the school with murals. Sophie Dodds reported, ‘We painted each of the

Coating the ground in coral sand involved many hours of physical work for the students as they redistributed four truckloads of sand. The chore, however, was made much easier by all the willing children that stayed behind after school to assist!

The last day proved to be very emotional with sadness on both sides. As others who had travelled to Vanuatu before them, this team of students left with heavy hearts and a greater appreciation of what life in New Zealand means. Sophie said, ‘As we looked back on the week, it was astonishing to see how the things we had done had really impacted on these children and their teachers. For me it really hit home then that this was life for these people. They wouldn’t be returning home to comfortable beds or houses or clothes like we were. They had never even experienced this. They got by with the bare minimum and yet they were still so uncomplicatedly happy. These children had given us so much and the community had given us a whole new outlook on life. What I had originally thought to be a worn, lonely building turned out to be the complete opposite. It was full of life and energy and vitality - something hard to come across in the big city of Auckland. What I wouldn’t give to spend even one more day with these wonderful people.

ICAS Science Whizz!

W

e congratulate Cameron Low who achieved the top score in New Zealand and the Pacific for a Year 10 student in the ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) Science Test.

ICAS, commonly referred to as the University of New South Wales competitions, is conducted annually in Australia and over 20 countries globally. These are independent skills-based assessments and school tests for primary and secondary school students in Computer Skills, English, Maths, Science, Spelling and Writing.

In the competition, Cameron’s science skills were assessed in key scientific areas of measuring and observing, interpreting data, predicting/concluding from data, investigating and reasoning/problem solving over knowledge areas Earth and Beyond, Energy and Change, Life and Living and Natural and Processed Materials.

Cameron’s top score of 45/45 qualifies him for a medal from the University of New South Wales along with a medal winner’s certificate which he will receive at a presentation ceremony later in the year.

IC as sCIENCE awaRDs

year 7

high Distinction

Karl Jorgensen

Distinction

William Feng

Alice Smith

Johannes Kruiswijk

Richard Lu

Year 7 Success at Science Fair

Jeremy Stubbins, the winner of this year’s College Year 7 Science Fair is not afraid of needles! Although this was not the direct focus of his project, it took Jeremy 54 finger pricks to test the effect of different food groups on his blood glucose levels to prove his hypothesis was correct – that the sugar-laden dinosaur lollies would cause the biggest spike, followed by carbohydrates (potatoes) and protein (beef).

As always there was a diverse range of imaginative projects displayed for the judges to ponder but the winning projects were selected on the basis of their rigour to carry out repeated scientific measurements; fair testing; analysis of the results and returning to reflect on the hypothesis and any experimental error.

Using light sensitive paper, second place getter, Zac Attwood, rigorously tested the UV protection provided by different levels of SPF sunscreen and thicknesses of clothing. One surprising result was that the higher level SPF 30 sunscreen provided the lowest level of protection of the samples. Thickness and frequency of application was most important.

In third place, Paige Badish tested the holding power of different dam designs, proving that the buttress design was the strongest. Ben Franich tested three local swimming pools to see the effect that the levels of chlorine had on his asthma and Amelia Blockley tested the energy efficiency of eco and standard light bulbs.

1st Jeremy stubbins sugar Rush

2nd Zac attwood uV Protection

3rd Paige badish how Much Pressure Can I hold?

4th ben franich Explorine Chlorine

5th amelia blockley Is it hot or watt!

These five projects were then submitted to the NIWA Manukau Region Science and Technology Fair and in a field of 156 entries, all five projects received awards!

We are delighted that Paige placed 1st in the Years 7 & 8 Physical and Material World category with her project ‘How Much Pressure Can I Hold?’ and in the consumer category, Amelia placed 2nd with ‘Is it Hot or Watt!’ In addition Jeremy, Zac and Ben were all Highly Commended. We congratulate these students for their efforts!

year 8

high Distinction

Ben Creemers

Michael Duncan

Distinction

Yu Chen Dong

Joshua Ng

Sam Scott

Hannah Williams

year 9

high Distinction

Joshua Looker

Timothy So

year 10

high Distinction

Has Brooke

Kevin Shen

Cameron Low (top in NZ 45/45)

Debaters Talk Up a Storm

With thanks to Mr Chris Hodder, TIC Debating C ongratulations to our debating teams who have been talking up a storm in recent weeks.

After a ‘season’ of debating that included 130 schools from around Auckland, the Junior Debating contestants were whittled down to two schools for the Auckland School’s Debating Final held on ‘home turf’ in the College library. With so many schools involved in the earlier rounds, to make it to the finals was a significant achievement. The two schools vying for the championship title were Mission Heights Junior College and Saint Kentigern College.

The moot, given to teams an hour before the debate, was ‘This house believes that the world should go vegetarian.’ Taking the affirmative was Mission Heights, with the Saint Kentigern team on the negative.

The young speakers from both sides were confident in their presentations and discussed a range of issues including animal welfare, sustainability, human rights and ethical farming practices. In a close but clear debate, Saint Kentigern College was deemed the stronger team, taking the cup, and the title of Junior Open Champions for 2013!

Congratulations to the team comprising Nicholas Allen, Alexander McDonald and Joshua Looker for representing the College so well. Joshua

Mathex Success

Congratulations to two of our Middle School Mathex teams who placed 1st and 3rd at the recent annual Casio Auckland Mathematical Association Mathex competition held at ASB stadium.

This is always an exciting night of mathematical challenge. Teams of four talented maths students were posed 20 challenging mathematical problem solving questions in an attempt to gain a maximum of 100 points. There is a twist. To receive each question, a runner from the team must complete a loop around the stadium to the marker and back to their table. Once answered, they run back to the marker. If their answer is correct, they receive the next question…and if it’s wrong, they start all over again!

Saint Kentigern College sent eight teams; two at each year level from Years 7 to 10. All of the teams came in the top half of their competition against over 100 teams from schools across Auckland but it was the Year 9 and 10 teams who finished strongly.

The Year 10 team comprising Haswell Brooke, Jonathan Lee, Cameron Low and Kevin Shen (coached by James Yang,Year 12) won the cup for Year 10 students. This is the fourth time in the past ten years that Saint Kentigern College has won this cup.

also won the title of best speaker in the debate and other team members, Patrick Ye and Kurt Hawkins also received highly commended certificates for their contribution to the team in earlier rounds.

Our Senior debaters have also been busy. Darryn Ooi, Sarah Bradley and Kandarp Dalai represented the College at the 30th anniversary of the Holyoake Debate hosted by the Pakuranga Rotary Club. Up against Edgewater College, our team successfully negated the moot that ‘This house believes New Zealand should become a republic.’ Such was the standard of the presentation, argument, rebuttal and content that the judges had a difficult time selecting a winner but the split decision was in favour of Saint Kentigern.

The Advanced Premier team of Darryn Ooi, Arun Prakash, Sarah Bradley and Mabel Ye beat Kristin School in the quarter-final of the Senior Auckland competition but in the semi-final round, Orewa College got the better of them with the moot, ‘This house would allow indigenous people to administer a separate parallel justice system.’

In the Premier Junior competition, two SKC speakers ranked among the best in Auckland this year. Keshini Ketheeswaran ranked 10th and Becky Lane ranked 8th among a field of more than 120 speakers. Similarly, Nicholas Allen was ranked among the top three speakers in the Junior Championship tournament, and was named in the ‘tournament team’ in recognition of his outstanding performance.

The Year 9 team of Kane Cocker, Connor Hackney i Smith, Joshua Looker, and Bill Yang (coached by Shuo Yang, Year 12) also competed strongly and finished tied for second place - but after a tie breaker were placed third.

The coaches of the Mathex teams deserve a special mention. They bring their knowledge of prior competition to their coaching sessions and help the teams enormously in their preparation. Congratulations to all these students!

AVisit to the Liggins Institute

With thanks to Mr Simon Walker, Head of Biology

As part of the Year 13 NCEA/IB Biology course, all Biology students visited the Liggins Institute* at the Medical School for a day to understand the role of biomedical research in New Zealand society and to explore the direct links between concepts used in research and the concepts the students are learning within the Biology programme.

Specifically, the programme for the day focused on the role of Biotechnology in Biomedical research in relation to Gene Expression, Techniques and Contemporary Biological Issues.

This involved:

• Practical work (Polymerase Chain Reaction and Gel Electrophoresis).

• Small group interaction with Scientists to discuss research, ethical issues and career pathways.

• Computer based analysis of Gel Electrophoresis results.

• Ethical dilemmas.

The research context for the day was ‘A Healthy Start to Life’ (Foetal Environment and Adult Disease) as an examination of the epigenetic effects which can have long lasting effects on the health of the individual.

EOTC (Education OutsideThe Classroom) visits such as these are invaluable to our students for putting their learning into context.

*The Liggins Institute is a Large Scale Research Institute at the University of Auckland. It is a world leading centre for translational research on foetal and child health; the impact of nutrition on health throughout life; epigenetic regulation of growth and development; breast cancer; and evolutionary medicine. Their aim is to rapidly translate discoveries in basic science into therapies and strategies that will prevent or help people manage major health problems of the 21st century. They are committed to promoting awareness and understanding of science and provide wide-ranging opportunities for school students and teachers to learn about the latest advances in the life sciences within the context of current, applied biomedical research and links directly to the secondary science curriculum.

TEDx Inspires Students

With thanks to Mrs Catherine Watts, Enhanced Learning

A group of Year 12 and 13 students were fortunate to attend the TEDx conference at the Aotea Centre earlier this term. TEDx is all about ‘ideas worth spreading’ and brings together a range of inspiring and innovative speakers to share ideas. This year’s topics ranged from neuroscience to the world’s longest hydro slide. This is the second year that Saint Kentigern students have attended as part of the Enhanced Learning programme here at the College.

Year 13 student, Darryn Ooi commented that TEDx ‘challenges people to look at the world through different lenses. This was most prevalent when Mr Dale Williams, Mayor of Otorohonga explained the true problem he faced in his town concerning the causal link between youth unemployment and youth crime.’

Year 12 student, Eden Hawkins had the opportunity to interact with ‘Baby X’. ‘This marvel of technology, created by Mark Sagar was a literal digital map of the entire central nervous system, resulting in a realistic avatar Baby on a computer screen that could respond to your every move, emotion and action. Upon entering the pod, we made ‘Baby X’ laugh, cry, and play 'peek a boo' - it was easy to forget that we were coaxing a computer to giggle!’

Other notable speakers included Professor Richard Faull, professor and director of the Centre of Brain Research talking about his breakthrough research in stem cells, Welby Ings, Professor of Art & Design at AUT enthusing about creative thinking, ex-Prime-Minister Helen Clark speaking about women and leadership and Mr Jimi Hunt on his quest to build the longest hydro slide in the world by just ‘asking for help’.

Year 12 student, Sian Seeley commented that ‘theTEDx conference was definitely a worthwhile experience that will have me thinking differently for a very long time.’

C.E.T.A. Team Auckland Champions

At the annual C.E.T.A. (Commerce and Economics Teachers Association) Pursuits Competition for schools in the greater Auckland region, our Accounting Team won for the third consecutive year to become the Auckland Regional Accounting Champions. A fabulous achievement!

The students took part in a series of seven rounds of competition with seven questions per round to judge the best school in each of the Commerce disciplines for this region. Our team led in each of the seven rounds and were 13 points above the second placed team. Our team won with 63 points ahead of our nearest challenger, Westlake boys who were placed second with 51 points. The students found it an excellent way to prepare for upcoming examinations and thoroughly enjoyed this testing yet entertaining evening.

Accounting Team: Andrew Mac, Tyler Hendricksen, Laura Myers, Shonit Raniga, Carolyn Ding

SCHOgM

Thirty seven student delegates from Auckland to Timaru travelled to New Zealand’s political hub, Wellington, on the 5th and 6th of August to participate in the annual Student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (SCHOGM) hosted by the Honorable Peter Dunne. Accompanied by Mrs Anitelea, the College sent two teams to the Conference comprising Sarah Bradley and Darryn Ooi representing Australia, and Mabel Ye and Alexi Carlier representing the small Caribbean country of Belize. With ‘consultation as its life blood’, the students took on the roles of Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of their respective nations.

The two day event at the Beehive, which acted as a simulation of the real SCHOGM gave students great insight into how this conference works in reality. Both teams successfully debated and passed resolutions. Eloquent diplomacy, compromise and lobbying were vital in order to pass

MpC National Runners Up

Despite being the ‘wild card’ entry for Auckland, the College MPC (Monetary Policy Challenge) team comprising Kandarp Dalal, Louis Christie, Djon Pye, Alexis Carlier and Aditya Arolkar talked their way into second place at the national competition held in Wellington. From a field of 70 schools nationally, six were invited to compete in Wellington. The team had placed second in the Auckland competition but were pleased to be offered the chance to compete at national level. The competition is designed to expand secondary school economics students' understanding of monetary policy and its links to NCEA achievement standards. Just like economists working in the Reserve Bank, each team analyses the economic conditions facing New Zealand and the outlook for inflation. On the basis of that analysis, they decide on an appropriate setting for the Official Cash Rate (the Reserve Bank’s interest rate). Each team provides the reasons for their decision in a written submission and, if selected as a regional or national finalist, an oral presentation.

The national final took place at the Reserve Bank in Wellington and was strongly contested. The judges were Assistant Governor John McDermott and two Bank economists, Mr Geordie Reid and Mr Nick Sander. Westlake Boys High School, the Auckland winners, retained their lead in Wellington with Saint Kentigern in second place and Christchurch Girls’

resolutions successfully. Resolutions discussed included the legalisation of a regulated prostitution union in the Commonwealth, global warming, as well as an attempt to expel Australia from the Commonwealth due to its poor human rights record, ironically proposed by the African Union.

The first day was particularly challenging for Australia who were under great scrutiny for their dealing with illegal immigrants. The proposed solution by Australia was to build a charter city in Papua New Guinea for these immigrants. With the theme of the Conference being ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’, delegates debated issues pertaining to the Commonwealth’s role in aid and health, and sport and youth empowerment. Later delegates were addressed by members of the New Zealand Commonwealth, followed by a state dinner in the Banquet Hall of the Beehive.

Day Two saw intense lobbying and a stressful crisis session on the issue of drug trafficking. Combating youth unemployment, HIV/AIDS and education were also on the agenda. Later that day, delegates moved to the House of Representatives public gallery to watch New Zealand’s politicians discuss topical issues regarding Fonterra and the infant formula contamination scare and the GCSB security issue.

Students attending SCHOGM got out as much as they put in. For those who are politically inclined or have an interest in global issues, this is a brilliant experience in international diplomacy. At SCHOGM you are very likely to meet like-minded people who want to change the world and as this conference demonstrated, as the youth of today, we indeed have the power to do so.

High School in third. The other competitors in the national final were Hutt Valley High (Wellington), Waitaki Girls’ High (Oamaru) and Tauranga Boys’ College.

The judges said that all the presentations were excellent, using appropriate frameworks to provide sound justifications for each team’s individual decision.

‘All the schools coped extremely well with some very challenging questions and their teamwork was first rate. It was really great to see how much effort teams had put into the competition, and their breadth of knowledge about economic principles and the role of the Reserve Bank,’ Dr McDermott said.

MUNA

With thanks to student reporter, Alexi Carlier

Fifteen Saint Kentigern College students attended the Model United Nations Assembly conference (MUNA), during June. The MUNA conference replicates the actual United Nations Assembly where delegates from 192 countries come together to discuss, and potentially take action, on international issues.

MUNA is an event for students interested in global issues and provides an opportunity to meet and network with students from across the country. Student delegations address a plethora of topics which this year ranged from the role of the United Nations in dealing with child soldiers and biodiversity, to the conflict in Libya.

This year the College was assigned five countries; Oman (Hamish Clark, Bryden Lloyd and Liam Stewart); Switzerland (Susan Ji, Patrick Gu and Anna Piaggi); United States (Sarah Bradley, Darryn Ooi and Mabel Ye); Somalia (Cordelia Oh, Nacoya Anderson, and Casey Seto) and New Zealand (Alexi Carlier, Djon Pye and Arunabh Prakash). Each team at MUNA is expected to design a ‘national’ costume. Here, New Zealand was represented by Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo; team USA comprised Wonder Woman, Captain America, and the Statue of Liberty, while Switzerland’s ensemble included a very impressive block of Swiss cheese. Humour was an integral part of the MUNA experience - essentially this helped alleviate much of the mundane aspects associated with international diplomacy.

The focus of MUNA was the debate surrounding the six remits or topics which had been announced prior to the event. While delegates listened to remit speeches, a note passing system was in place allowing nations to negotiate and form alliances. These alliances were tested on the first day as delegates headed off to ‘Block Meetings’ to elect leaders to represent each of the world’s major regions. From Saint Kentigern College, Oman was elected leader of the Middle East and New Zealand leader of Asia/Oceania. An emergency Security Council meeting was also called to debate how the UN was going to respond to the firing of North Korean missiles over Japan and South Korea. By the end of the first day, many amendments and remits had been passed by the assembly, there had been a mass walk out on the United States, and New Zealand had been officially renamed ‘Middle Earth’.

Day Two saw an impromptu debate on the role that the UN should play in the Syrian conflict - quite timely as President Obama had announced that morning that the USA would be supplying Syrian rebels with weapons. At the conclusion of the conference, Labour Party leader Mr David Shearer addressed MUNA delegates about his experiences working in the UN. This provided valuable insight into how the organisation students were emulating, functions in reality. Prizes were then awarded with Darryn Ooi of the USA receiving ‘delegate that stood up to the most pressure’ and New Zealand/ Middle Earth being named ‘most entertaining team’.

Special thanks to Mrs Anitelea for her on-going support of this event. Her role in organising the Saint Kentigern delegations and coming to support us over the weekend was much appreciated.

Snails Anyone?

There were giggles all round on the final day of Language Week as students egged each other on to try a snail at a $1 apeice! With a choice between hot Nutella crepes or a snail, there is little surprise which of the culinary delights was the outright winner!

Greetings in foreign languages flew thick and fast during the week with a new set of greetings posted each day for students to practise, while lunchtimes were given over to culinary exploration.

The Japanese staff hosted a sushi making session early in the week which drew a large group of students ready to roll up their sleeves and prepare their lunch from scratch. It didn’t take long to discover that those neat sushi rolls delivered up in food courts are not actually that easy to achieve! But there was still a great sense of pride when the finished article was packaged up to take away. We offer our thanks to Tokyo Food for their support with this.

Empanadas were on offer the following day from the Spanish team with steady sales but it was definitely the French offering that drew the biggest crowd! Students in Year 10 were the first to sample the fare but not until they had completed some tasks! Before they could eat a crepe, they had to first learn to flip one and then complete an obstacle course as a French waiter, making sure their glasses stayed on the tray. Yes, a few of those crepes hit the floor!

At lunchtime, the line-up for crepes snaked around Elliot Quad but it was only the giggling brave who attempted the snails. Purchase was easy but it took some steeling of the nerves to actually eat it!

And the verdict? Slimy, chewy, salty, garlicky and um, snail like!

National Category Win for Robotics

The Old Collegians Sports Centre proved to be the perfect venue for the 87 teams (55 from Auckland and 32 from around the country) that competed in the regional and national titles of this year’s Robocup. The competition involved quickly programming robots to navigate different challenges with marked paths and a variety of tasks to perform, or in the case of the soccer section, to play against an opposing team to kick an infrared transmitting ball into a designated goal!

Students participating are challenged to be creative in their design of programs and to develop excellent problem solving skills. The competition encompasses not only engineering and IT skills but also encourages sportsmanship, the sharing of ideas and teamwork. We were delighted that our College teams claimed a number of awards on the day including a clean sweep in the Senior Regional Rescue competition and first and third place in the National Senior Rescue category.

$8000 Fashion Scholarship

The Robotics Club at the College has flourished this year, engaging participants from Years 7 to 13. This is largely due to the efforts of staff, Mr Richard Hart and Ms Cristina Triantafilo. Saint Kentigern continues to be pleased to work closely with education partner, Toshiba who supports this unique event that excites and motivates students.

Premier Rescue Category - Auckland Region:

2nd Place: Norman Dines, Tom Pennycuick, William Nathan, Brendan Yam

3rd Place: Hamish Glover

Senior Rescue Category - Auckland Region:

1st Place: Max Balard, Jacob Shubert and Connor Matson

2nd Place: David Morris and Nathan Smith

3rd Place: Matthew Wong-Kam and William Li

Senior Soccer Category - Auckland Region:

2rd Place: Byron Lam, Alex Smith and William Ning

3rd Place: Cameron Tanner and David Thibaud

Senior Rescue Category – NATIONAL COMPETITION:

1st Place: Max Balard, Jacob Shubert and Connor Matson

3rd Place: David Morris and Nathan Smith

Speech Winners

We are delighted once again with the results for our students who entered Sylvia Park’s Off the Rack fashion design competition. A number of our girls and boys in Years 10-13 entered their clothing designs in this annual competition giving them a chance to exhibit their work in public. Both creative design and technical excellence were up for scrutiny. There were over 100 entries in total and our girls were extremely successful, winning five of the eight categories!

For the second year in a row, the Senior Design Judge's Choice was won by a Saint Kentigern girl – Year 13 student, Ashleigh Millington won an $8000 scholarship towards her first year of tertiary study in a design course of her choosing! She also won the Senior Facebook voting competition. The other three awards went to Alice Boyles, Anjuli Selvadurai and Charlotte Walkley.

We are so thrilled with the success of the girls and also the high standard of our College’s entries in general. They really stood out from the crowd!

Off ThE RaCk awaRDs

ashleigh Millington won an $8000 scholarship

senior facebook voting: Ashleigh Millington

year 10 People's Choice: Alice Boyles

year 11 People's Choice: Anjuli Selvadurai

year 11 Judge's Choice: Charlotte Walkley

MIDDLE sChOOL

year 7

1st: Samuel Waldin - Every family at Saint Kentigern College should sponsor a child

highly Commended Jann Kruiswijk, Sam Watson, Charlie Edmunds

year 8

1st: Harry Salvesen - AntiDiscrimination

2nd: Joe Elliott - Why commercial fishing should be banned

3rd: Natasha LeishmanWhen do we become adults?

year 9

1st: Isabella Denholm –The death penalty

year 10

1st: Liam Braithwaite –Misconceptions

A t this year’s speech competitions, the students at all year levels drew on an amazing range of subjects to deliver their well written speeches. At senior level in particular, it was a difficult task to select a winner.

sENIOR sChOOL

year 11

1st: Lili Taylor – What is crazy?

2nd: Keshini Keetheswaren

3rd: Sarah Courtney

year 12-13

1st: Sarah Bradley, Year 13 – ‘How women are vastly underrepresented in democratic legislatures across the world’

2nd: Mabel Ye, Year 13 –‘Pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human right’

3rd: Ishara Dhambagolla, Year 12 – ‘In life a little inaccuracy saves a world of explanation’

Theatresports

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013 has been another hugely successful year for Theatresports at the College with 200 students having played under the guidance of Mr David Sheehan, Mrs Katrina Farquaharson and 30 Senior School coaches. After a season of entertaining competition, our unbeaten Premier Theatresports team won a place in the Auckland Theatresports Grand Final competing against Dilworth, Epsom Girls and Kelston Boys for the Auckland title. This is the sixth year in a row that the Saint Kentigern team has made the final, a great achievement considering that 21 schools compete for the four final places. However, the win is always just out of reach as this is the third time that the team has been runners up in the last four years! Kelston Boys played some very good Theatresports to end up three points ahead of our boys.

Book Spine poetry

In a new twist on ‘writing’ poetry, the library ran a Book Spine Poetry Competition early in September. Hundreds of book spines with interesting titles had been copied, laminated and cut to size then spread out across a big table in the middle of the library. The students were encouraged to select titles and use them to create a poem – then leaving the poem on a white board with their names written underneath.

‘Team Squid’ comprised of Tate Steele as a demure Little Red Riding Hood, Mitchell Fissenden as ‘Ice Man’ saving the world from evil, Cameron Teare as a mum and dad multiple personality parent and Carlos Webster as a Western style lumber jack who blew the wolf away in a quick draw shoot out, have enjoyed a great season. They defeated arch rivals Kelston Boys High School twice during the year and also won the first of two annual ‘Battle Of The Saints’ competition nights against St Cuthbert’s College and Dilworth School. In Term 3, they convincingly defeated Edgewater and King’s Colleges to progress to the Auckland Theatresports Grand Final. The judges commended the players on their skill, story-telling abilities and hilarious sense of fun. During the awards on the night, our Drama Teacher, Mr David Sheehan, was also named as one of two TYP teachers of the year.

Earlier, Ms Anita Vandenberghe, the College librarian, had invited Amanda Eason, an Auckland based poet to give workshops to classes in the library. It was a day full of surprises for teachers and students as Amanda had the skill to get the students writing the most amazing poetry. The poem ‘If I had Wings…’ by Pie Corbett gave the students an opening line for their own imaginations to come to life and had some fantastic results. Amanda’s mantra is that you need to hear the voice in your head and write it as you would say it.

The students who participated in the Book Spine Poetry competition showed the power of storytelling. It was curious to see how the combination of book titles could create fantastic stories of adventure, love, loss or longing. The boys, especially, seemed to enjoy the process of collecting, combining and organising the titles; as if they suddenly dared to do what usually is

too daunting to consider - making poetry. They liked the fact that there was no rhyme involved and no grammar or spelling but just picking up appealing titles and ‘painting a picture’.

The librarians photographed the poems with the names of the student and printed them for judging by Amanda with a joint poem by Year 7 students Emma King and Taylor Hill, the winner. The 10 best poets have been invited to the library for a special Creative Writing Poetry workshop with Amanda. We thank Amanda for the time she has taken to work with our students.

Other winners who are invited for the Creative writing Poetry workshop are:

Timothy So, Joanna Tao, Hannah Coates, Josh Looker, Matthew Clow, Victoria Zhu, Norman Dines, Flynn Robson, Max Denby, William Zhang, Patrick Ye, Jordana Grant, Jessica Arden, Zoe French.

Drama in the Nz Curriculum

with thanks to head of Drama, Mrs Emma bishop head of Drama, Emma bishop has recently returned from a sabbatical break during which she travelled to China, London and Paris to explore areas of Drama in Education from an international perspective.

Emma is recognised nationally as a leading arts Educator; not only is she on the Executive Committee of the national subject association ‘Drama New Zealand’ but she also holds a number of contracts with NZQa she is often seen mentoring and assisting drama teachers around New Zealand by running professional development, workshops and one on one in-school guidance and advice sessions.

Emma’s time away began with four days in beijing where she was a ‘guest Director’ at yew Chung International school of beijing. During her time there she worked with the Middle school students who had opted to take Performing arts for their elective programme. The project entitled ‘wicked’ saw 60 students producing a 45 minute mini production with students involved onstage performing and singing, as well as musicians, technology students and staff making the set and doing lighting and sound.

Emma’s next stop was London where she explored shakespeare’s globe Theatre, The National Theatre and saw four west End shows. she also visited st bede’s, Mr Cole’s former school, where she was warmly welcomed. During her time there she was encouraged and motivated by the large number of performance opportunities for students as well as the superior facilities for the Performing arts.

Emma’s last week in London was spent at the uk Drama Educators Conference which focused on the work of Drama Educator, Dorothy heathcote. she then went onto Paris where she attended the International Drama in Education association (IDEa) Conference. Emma had been asked to be a presenter at this Conference, presenting a paper entitled ‘The senior years: It’s a Juggling act’, which looked at learning versus assessment in an assessment-heavy NCEa Programme. her paper was well received, especially by the australians who were keen to see what was happening in a neighbouring country.

During her time away Emma made many new connections and hopes to implement some collaborative work with her international links within the drama programme in the future.

so what did she learn and bring back from this trip?

Emma and her drama colleagues around the country often find themselves trying to justify the existence of Drama as a subject within an already overcrowded curriculum, and even more so as an academic subject within the qualification framework. The work seen at both conferences reinforced her understanding of its importance within the curriculum. International practitioners such as Dorothy heathcote, gavin bolton and John O’Toole have a long history in the arena of ‘Drama in Education’ as opposed to ‘Drama Education’ and there was much to learn from them.

Drama has been used as a teaching tool for many years, often without teachers even realising this is what they are doing. students in all sectors, at all levels are often asked to do role plays, or act out scenarios or to ‘put themselves in someone else’s shoes’ to look at multiple perspectives.

Prior to 1993, drama was not a recognised stand-alone subject, therefore, teachers did not even have a curricula to teach as such. In the absence of national guidelines, teachers simply devised schemes and programmes of their own, based on the individual needs of the student and the

knowledge of the teacher. This was done to suit the individual school and the teaching programme within which Drama sat such as the former 6th form Certificate – Theatre studies.

In 1993 the Ministry of Education launched ‘arts in the NZ Curriculum’ – the curriculum document was finally published in 2000. Through this, teachers were presented with national guidelines and expectations including the requirement that students in years 1 – 10 be given the opportunity to experience all four arts disciplines - Dance, Drama, Music and Visual arts. Each of the disciplines is structured around four interrelated strands: understanding the arts in Context, Developing Practical knowledge in the arts, Developing Ideas in the arts, and Communicating and Interpreting in the arts.

Drama in Education is an important means of stimulating creativity in problem solving. It can challenge students' perceptions about their world and about themselves. Dramatic exploration can provide students with an outlet for emotions, thoughts, and dreams that they might not otherwise have means to express. The drama classroom can be a safe environment for this exploration and expression to occur. People’s actions and consequences can be examined, discussed and experienced without the dangers and pitfalls that such experimentation could lead to in the ‘real’ world.

In addition, the drama student and their learning in the drama classroom can be transferred into the rest of the school curriculum. since communication and empathy are central to drama, a student who has explored and learnt to see the world from multiple perspectives will be better able to understand concepts and ideas in other subjects. There are strong links between drama and subjects such as English, history and social studies.

at course selection evenings, many parents ask where Drama leads? There is a belief for many that drama is only about the College productions and performing on stage. These areas are an important part of learning and are only one outcome or strand that is studied. for many students it is seen as the most important strand, as it is the opportunity to showcase their talents publicly. It is also one of the most competitive strands, as in New Zealand, there is limited work available for performing, whether on stage or screen.

however, drama in Education is not just about acting on stage; drama helps people in all areas of life. at the centre is communication. Like all the arts, drama allows students to communicate with and understand others in new ways. as students work with drama techniques, they learn to use spoken and written language with increasing control and confidence and to communicate effectively using body language, movement, and space. as they perform, analyse and respond to different forms of drama and theatre, they gain a deeper appreciation of their language and gain new power to examine attitudes, behaviours, and values.

Perhaps more than any other art form, Drama provides training in many aspects of communication necessary in today's increasingly informationcentred world. students who have participated in dramatic activities are often less likely to have difficulty speaking in public, will be more persuasive in all forms of communication, written and verbal and are able to debate topics from multiple perspectives.

The self-control and discipline required in drama will serve the student well in all aspects of life. Likewise students in drama will learn to work collaboratively, to cooperate, to construct meanings, produce works, and respond to and value others’ contributions. Drama, therefore, is an important tool for preparing students to live and work in the real world.

Dance Showcase

Human trafficking, death, geeks and nerds, bullying, social status and drunk driving were amongst the controversial issues interwoven into the dance performances at the College Dance Showcase. The result was a very moving, thought-provoking evening of dance in Elliot Hall, staged over two nights by our Year 12 and 13 students. This is the second year that our dancers have taken to the stage to showcase their talent in both choreography and performance in one dedicated show.

Each of the presentations included several dance styles from hip hop to ballet and the exploration of these difficult and emotional issues was communicated so skillfully through the performers that the audience was fully drawn in.

Opening the Showcase, the first dance performance ‘Quake’ was based on one of the largest earthquakes New Zealand’s Canterbury region has ever experienced. It followed the story of a mother and daughter, who get caught in the quake and, as a result, the mother is tragically killed. The moral of this story was that you don’t realise how much you love someone until they are gone.

‘Take a Stand’ took us through bullying, which is sadly a common occurrence in many young peoples’ lives today. The performance highlighted that about one in every ten children has been bullied and unfortunately, bystanders so often see it happen but do not do anything about it. ‘Take a Stand’ told the stories of three typical school children, each affected by the torment of being bullied but in different forms -physical, verbal and cyber bullying.

Based on Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Dollhouse’, this story was an exploration of social status, discrimination and the portrayal of how people are judged by their wealth and their ‘social class.’ This was portrayed with girls from opposite ends of the social spectrum vying to see inside a doll’s house that had been gifted to two wealthy girls. Social dominance ensues but in the end, the two different classes join as one.

‘If Only’ told the story of Jasmine and her boyfriend, Zak who attend a friend’s 18th party one Saturday night. Both of them decide to drink before thinking about how they were going to get home. After a short discussion later in the night, Zak makes the fateful decision to drive them

home and is killed. The consequences of the choices the couple made that night then follows the life of Jasmine as she deals with the grief, anger, and guilt of losing Zak after allowing him to drive home drunk.

The final presentation of the evening, ‘Taken’ was one of the most hardhitting performances of the Showcase. It portrayed the idea of kidnapping and the human trafficking of young girls around the world and what they are forced to endure. This dance skillfully relayed to the audience the harsh reality of the trade and the traumatic ordeal its victims go through.

Since the dance curriculum was introduced to the College in 2003, the year the girls first joined the College, interest in the dance programme has continued to grow for both girls and boys; an interest that is reflected in the large number of students who select to study Dance at NCEA examination level and audition for the Showcase and our musical productions.

In the past, the College has entered Stage Challenge and JRock. The success of last year’s Showcase was cause for reflection and it was determined that the Showcase gave our dancers a superior opportunity to showcase their talent and our parents and more authentic view of our students’ work.

For those undertaking Dance as an examinable course of study, there are a number of objectives to be achieved. Achievement objectives at NCEA Level 2 (Year 12) and NCEA Level 3 (Year 13) each have a choreographic element. At Year 12, there is a requirement to ‘choreograph a group Dance to communicate an intention.’ At Year 13, the requirement is to ‘produce a Dance for a performance.’ There is also a requirement to ‘perform a significant role in a group Dance to an audience.’ These are all made possible preparing for the Showcase. In addition, some of our drama (NCEA) and theatre arts (IB Diploma) students were involved with the technical and production aspects of the show to fulfil their assessment requirements.

The choreographers, performers and back stage crew from Years 12 and 13 are to be congratulated for their dedication to bring a show of this quality to the stage. Their themes explored difficult, emotional issues that had a real impact on the audience. Well done to all involved.

The students are thankful to the following staff members for their help: Head of Dance, Rochelle Craig, Clare Jennings, Suzie Tornquist, Rebecca O'Neil, Andrea Leleni and Glen Mortensen.

‘Maria….and suddenly I found, how wonderful a sound can be!’

These are the lines sung by Tony to declare his new-found love for Maria; a song that immortalises Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story as one of the most successful musicals of all time.

Based loosely on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story takes to the tenements of New York during the 1950’s; a time when a daring new youth culture, largely independent of adult influence, was starting to take root. The storyline stays true to the tragedy of innocent love caught in a complex social web that will determine its eventual demise.

night, Maria, like Tony, imagines new beginnings but her brother, Bernardo has already chosen Chino as a future husband for her.

The tension between the gangs at the dance that night is brooding and menacing, delivered through some brilliant, fast-paced, aggressive Latino choreography as the students ignore the ineffectual organisation by the teacher, Gladhand, one of only four adult roles in the show. Tony and Maria meet for the first time and the chemistry is instant but Bernardo angrily tears them apart and sends Maria home with Chino. Alex Lee, with both good voice and dancing skills, masterfully plays the role of the aggressive Bernardo throughout the show.

In a scene that plays homage to Shakespeare’s famous ‘balcony scene’ Tony finds where Maria lives and climbs the fire escape to vow his love. ‘Tonight’ is sung beautifully as a well-matched duet by Manase and Grace, bringing the promise of more from two lead characters with exceptional voices.

The next scene introduces two more dynamic voices as Sharnika Leleni as Anita, and Caitlyn Houghton as Rosalia compare life in America and their home island of Puerto Rico. Maria, sings the praises of America, while fellow Puerto Rican immigrant, Rosalia, sings in favor of home. The underlying irony to this supposedly pro-American song is in the vibrant Hispanic musical style, matched by superb Latino dancing from the girls.

At this point in history, the impoverished second generation, white immigrants from Europe felt their culture was threatened by the influx of new immigrant populations, especially the Puerto Ricans, who were beginning new lives in America. The young street gangs that arose from those ghettos demonstrated their frustration and tensions through turf wars and street fights. Love at first sight between Tony and Maria, from opposing gangs, sets off a tragic train of events that brings the story to its heart-breaking conclusion.

This year’s Senior School Musical was noted for its incredibly strong vocal delivery from all the lead characters, notably Manase Latu as Tony and Grace Sturgess as Maria. This strength in song, along with high adrenaline, energetic dance scenes, set the tone, rhythm and amazing youth vitality of the show.

In the opening scene, the tension begins to simmer between two rival gangs in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The Polish Jets replace Shakespeare’s Montagues as second generation American teens while the Puerto Rican Sharks take on the role of Shakespeare’s Capulets. Tony is a member of the Jets, the American gang while Maria has both a brother, Bernardo (Alex Lee) and suitor, Chino (Joseph Bradshaw) who belong to the Puerto Rican Sharks.

Riff (Jamie Hoffer) as leader of the Jets tells his gang that he will challenge Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, to a fight for dominance at dance taking place that evening. This simmering sense of ‘juvenile delinquent’ need-for-violence runs as an undercurrent throughout the show. Riff seeks Tony’s help but Tony is caught. As co-founder of the Jets, he has a sense of obligation to his gang but he has recently found work at Doc’s drugstore and is turning his life around. It is at this point that the audience is introduced to the rich strength of Manase’s tenor voice as he sings the upbeat ‘Something’s Coming,’ imagining a better life on the horizon.

Maria is a recent immigrant who has found work with her friend Anita (Sharnika Leleni) in a bridal shop. As the girls prepare for the dance that

Word is out that a rumble has been planned. Tony visits Maria above the bridal shop and the following scene plays out a quiet interlude as amongst the bridal finery, to an emotional rendition of ‘One Hand, One Heart,’ the star-crossed lovers enact their imaginary wedding; a wedding that is never to be as the violence continues to escalate. As the Jets meet the Sharks, a fist fight fast descends into greater violence and as knives are pulled, Bernardo kills Riff. In retribution, Tony, enraged over the death of his friend, in turn, kills Bernardo.

The second act opens with the girls unaware of what has unfolded, singing the joyous ‘I Feel Pretty’ as Maria gets ready for a date. When news is out, Maria is at first angry with Tony for the death of her brother, but forgives him. They sing of their desire to live somewhere without prejudice, ‘Somewhere. There’s a place for us.’

The writing is on the cards. As in Romeo and Juliet, a double cross leads Tony to believe that the spurned Chino has killed Maria. At the very moment the lie is laid bare and Tony rushes to Maria’s arms, Chino steps out and shoots Tony in the back.

Despair, grief and rage fill the final scene as Maria, takes Chino’s weapon but stops short of taking her own life. Instead she makes an impassioned appeal to both gangs against the senselessness of fighting and murder. She lays bare the tough sociological questions that continue to plague society fifty years later. As a final gesture of hope for reconciliation, both gangs carry Tony’s body away.

From the stark, set of scaffolding, to the performance of the orchestra from the behind the stage, the dynamic choreography and the technical demands of lighting and sound, every facet of this show had been well planned. However, its major strength lay with the ability of the lead roles to deliver powerful, impassioned performances. Manase and Grace, in particular, are to be applauded.

Our thanks to Producer and Musical Director, Mr Ross Gerritsen; Director, Ms Emma Bishop and Choreographers, Ms Rochelle Craig along with their team of staff and students who manage behind the scenes. This was a fantastic show from a talented group of students and staff.

Beach Blanket Tempest

Imagine if you will a 1960’s beach movie. Now take a sideways leap to Shakespeare’s classic play, The Tempest. Take catchy, all singing, all dancing 60’s style pop songs and combine with rhyming couplet dialogue in homage to the Bard and the result is this year’s Middle School production, Beach Blanket Tempest!

In the original Tempest, Shakespeare examined the relationship between a Duke called Prospero and his evil, jealous brother. The brother steals Prospero’s fortune then abandons him on an island with his daughter. Whilst marooned there, Prospero practises magic, raises his daughter and releases a spirit from a tree. He also meets another ‘island resident’, the son of a witch. So, take this as the premise but jump forward 400 years!

Now we meet the central character of this year’s show, ageing Duke of Rock n’ Roll, Vince Prospero (Isaac Samuels) who is also stranded on an island by his evil brother, Tony (Liam Braithwaite), with only his sweet, bubbly daughter, Annette (Ashley Potter) for company. Vowing to seek revenge for the wrong doing and put life back in order for Annette, Vince summons up Gidgit (Isabella Denholm), a bright and quirky, freewheeling, genie who longs to be set free to surf the world. The only other resident is an ingratiating, delinquent punk bikie, Moondoggie (Sam Elliot) who was stranded on the island when his mother ‘stood on a stonefish and died.’ Moondoggie is full of attitude and would like to woo the lovely Annette but Vince will have nothing of it. Sam gives a superb performance in this role, especially when he delivers up an aggressive rendition of ‘The Rebel in Us All’ with mindless acts of vandalism.

The island is also filled with ethereal beings including wind, sea and tree sprites who link the scenes bringing the stage to life with movement and colour. The leads in the chorus line up are the six main dance roles (Rachael Lewis, Emily Peart, Sheridan Bennett, Emma Porter, Greer Ritchie and Erin Meek) who are to be applauded for their skilled dancing and the many costume changes required to take on each new characterisation.

With a promise to eventually be set free by Vince, the endearing Gidgit willingly whips up a tempest to bring Tony and his cohorts to the island for

Vince to exact his revenge. Tony arrives with Regine (Emily Young), queen of the fashion world who believes she lost her only son in the storm and her ‘daggy’ sister, Sebastiane (Georgia McLeish) who is just a little vacuous and resigned to living in her sister’s shadow.

Regine’s son, Frankie (Kurt Hawkins) has not drowned. Vince has other ideas for this handsome, soft-hearted individual and so he and Gidget engineer a meeting between Frankie and Vince’s daughter, Annette - with instant ‘starcrossed lover’ results. A symbolic wedding, 60’s style, takes place as the lovers are serenaded by all-girl band ‘The Supremes’, clad in startling pink satin!

And so to revenge. Vince sets up the ultimate test, in the form of a game show to reveal his brother’s true evil character. This is where the show steps up a notch! The larger than life Reverend Ian Harpy, an over-thetop evangelist game show host sweeps through the audience to whip up game show fever. ‘Tony Prospero, come on down, will you take the great temptation?’ Hannah Lamberton is larger than life in this role which she clearly relished playing. Tony, Regine, Sebastiane and Moondoggie face off in front of the heckling ‘studio audience’ as they are initially offered their greatest desires and then learn they will only win if they kill the other three. As Tony draws his gun exposing his true, evil nature, he declares ‘I’m not going to let any of you come between me and my destiny!’ At that precise point, Elvis look-a-like, the Duke of Rock n’ Roll, Vince Prospero himself shimmies on in and takes the floor in a rousing scene that sets the audience toe-tapping - and Gidgit the fun-loving spirit is finally set free.

This year’s production brought a cast of almost 50, a 14 piece orchestra and a 50 strong technical crew together under the guidance of Director, Mr Dave Sheehan; Producer, Mrs Katrina Farquaharson; Singing Director, Mr Oliver Gilmour; Dance Director, Miss Clare Jennings; Orchestra Director, Mr Kristian Holmes; Production Technician, Mr Glen Mortensen and Costumer, Ms Sarah Whinham. We thank the staff for their huge commitment in time to work with our Middle School students to bring such a great show to the stage.

The Year 7 & 8 Wearable Arts Show

‘Walk to the beat of the music with your head held high, eyes to the front, heel then toe!’

These were the instructions to our Year 7 and 8 boys and girls from professional ‘people mover’ Kiri Whitford-Joynt from ‘ID with Style.’ Kiri generously gave of her time to prepare our students for this year’s Wearable Arts Show. Under her guidance, art stepped out on the catwalk during a spectacular show as Years 7 and 8 confidently ‘strutted their stuff’ in a range of garments they had designed and constructed themselves. With 67 costumes on show, 180 students taking part and 14 prizes up for grabs across 8 sections, the excitement was high in the weeks leading up to the show and ticket sales were brisk!

Now in its second year, the girls were as enthusiastic as ever in their sea of glue and things that glittered. Last year, the boys were a little reticent but this time round it is clear that gender is no barrier to fashion design and there were some equally superb designs and great, cheeky stage presence from the boys!

Work towards this unit had been integrated across the curriculum emanating from a unit on recycling - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Over many weeks, the students had been gathering all manner of ‘useful bits’ that could be given a second life and incorporated in their creations. Judging by some of the creations, there were a great deal of lollies and soda pop consumed in the name of art! The ever useful plastic milk bottle top was used in abundance as resourceful students learned to approach cafes for their recyclables.

The catwalk items were interspersed with colourful dance displays choreographed for Year 7 & 8 by our Year 11 dance students. The combination of the two made this a fantastic show case of student inspired creativity.

One special section this year asked the students to help design a wedding dress for popular Year 7 teacher, Miss Nicole Daniels for her forthcoming wedding. Miss Daniels is outgoing and adventurous but we suspect that she was rather pleased the winning design didn’t include too many plastic milk bottle tops or lolly wrappers! But we do wonder how she’ll feel walking down the aisle as a wedding cake!

The students welcomed five special guests for the evening. Media personality, Wendy Meyer was the continuity announcer setting a relaxed yet professional tone for the performers. The three judges were Ros Craw, Head of Visual Arts at Somerville Intermediate; Ann Skelly from Waiheke Island, a full time artist who has entered eleven of her own garments into the World of Wearable Arts (WOW) show and has been successful with nine of them; Melody Brook, a local artist who has also been a finalist at

WOW; and Anne Lohrentz who is a Design and Innovative Pattern Cutting lecturer at AUT whose tertiary students have achieved several accolades in design competitions.

Judging firstly took place at the dress rehearsal where each garment was inspected and each student interviewed but the final judging was done on the night. The judges said they found judging particularly difficult and were pleased to be able to refer to the judging criteria:

• Creativity, zest and innovation

• How well the garment represents the category

• Overall originality

• Presentation and construction of the design.

In their concluding comments the judges said they were blown away by the depth of creativity, innovation and talent. Whilst selecting the winners in each category was difficult, they were unanimous in their choice of ‘The Queen of Milk’ by Amy Savoury and Bianca Connell as the Supreme Winner. This stunning outfit incorporated 2000 milk bottle tops. The girls began collecting the tops from cafes in January and started the outfit in April in anticipation of the August show.

This was a superb evening greatly enjoyed by a huge audience. In the words of Head of Middle School, Mr Duncan McQueen, as he summed up the evening, ‘WOW!’

A thank you to:

Katherine Chang from Year 10 for the logo design and Rebecca Funnel Year 9 for the ticket design and PowerPoint for the evening. Our thanks go to organiser, Mrs Leisha Slade along with the Year 7 and 8 staff; dance costume designers, Mrs Rebecca O’Neil and Mrs Julie Pearson; dance teacher, Miss Clare Jennings along with the Year 11 choreographers; and Technician, Mr Glen Mortensen and his team for sound and lighting. We also thank photographer, Cate Rainbow for her services.

Our thanks to the following for donating to the event:

• Ann Skelly for her offering a day on Waiheke at her workshop for the supreme winner

• Wendy and Daniel Coleman (an Old Collegian) whose company, White Villa donated the prize for the most promising design and providing discount vouchers for each ticket purchase

• The College Parents and Friends Association

Overall Winner Supreme Award: Queen of Milk (Amy Savoury, Bianca Connell)

WINNERS

Overall Winner Supreme Award: Queen of Milk (Amy Savoury, Bianca Connell)

White Villa Most Promising Design: Queen of Paradise (Ada Chan)

A Man’s World: Mr Roboto (Dylan Wong, James Little, Mitchell Clothier)

Kiwiana and Pasifika: The Native Tui (Jessica Collinson)

Mary Poppins: Candy Cat (Hannah Storer, Jessica Bird)

Illumination and Illusion: Flower Power (Kate Armstrong)

Get into Pink: Fusilli Vogue (Milly Heimsath)

Miss Daniel's Wedding Dress: Slice of Heaven (Alex Hynds, Alice Donald, Felicity Williams)

Pre-loved Avant Garde: Queen of Milk (Amy Savoury, Bianca Connell)

Magic and Love of Books: Rise of the Phoenix (Holly Dashford)

Highly Commended: Simply Chess (Kate Armstrong)

Sugar Rush (Emma King, Sarah Cappel, Gemma Moore)

Recyclable Yeti (Hugo Dorresteyn, Peter Yang)

Armageddon (Hollie Riddell)

Pilgrimage to Scotland

As the British Isles basked in an unusual summer heat wave, The Pipes and Drums, along with support staff and parents, set out on their much anticipated and highly symbolic journey to Scotland, seeking to connect with our ancestral roots and discover the relationship that links us to Saint Kentigern.

The Band’s first visit to Scotland was in 1997 and since then, successive trips by the Band have provided each new generation of students with a fresh focus for their dedication to these time-honoured Highland instruments. Now conducting the Band’s fifth tour, the 2013 tourists were privileged to perform on a number of memorable occasions; a Sunday service at Glasgow Cathedral; in Oban's Station Square in a combined performance with the Oban High School Pipe Band; at Stirling Castle, and at a formal dinner In London for our Old Collegians living in the United Kingdom. One of the main highlights agreed by all was the Band's outdoor concert at the William Wallace Monument in Stirling.

The Monument is a reminder of when England and Scotland faced each other at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, when Scotland was led to victory by a figure destined to become a national hero - Sir William Wallace. All the drama of Wallace’s campaign for freedom is captured at the world-famous National Wallace Monument - proudly standing on the Abbey Craig, overlooking the city of Stirling. To record the occasion and acknowledge the Band's performance at the national monument, they were presented with a certificate which was received on behalf of the band by the Band’s Drum Major, Andrew Lindsay.

During the sermon in Glasgow Cathedral, Assistant Minister Reverend Ada Macleod made special reference to their attendance and to Saint Kentigern, the Patron Saint of Glasgow. The Minister also read out a letter from Dr Bruce Goodfellow, Chairman of Saint Kentigern Trust Board, which thanked the Cathedral staff for their invitation and hospitality towards our students. At the conclusion of the service, the Pipe Band played in the Cathedral Precinct and their performance was warmly

received by the onlookers. Following this, they were treated to a special lunch and had the chance to tour the Cathedral, including the final resting place of Saint Kentigern in the lower church.

With the unusually balmy weather continuing well into the evenings, the open air recital with the Oban High School Band in the Station Square drew large crowds of locals and tourists. At the end of their two hour performance, the combined 30 pipers and 31 drummers were rewarded with a warm and justified applause.

For the first time the Band’s performance at Stirling Castle was held inside the confines of the Castle walls in the Queen Anne Garden. This is one of the finest castles in Scotland and was the stage for some of the country’s great battles for independence against the English. The current building dates from the 14th to 16th century and once again the Band’s recital was carried out with distinction, entertaining the crowds of visitors to the castle that day.

At the Loch Lomond Highland Games held in the town of Balloch, the Band acquitted itself well with impressive results in the pipe band competition. As the day progressed the players’ confidence had grown with the experience, and in the final event, the street march, the judges committee awarded the Pipes and Drums best overall in the whole competition for their music, marching and presentation combined. As special recognition, our Drum Major led the massed bands into the main arena for the march past and the salute to the Chieftain, to the tune “Highland Laddie”.

As well as each member of the Band being presented with games medals, the Band was recognised for 2nd place in the Juvenile Grade and 5th place in Grade 3, Best Drum Corps - Juvenile Grade, Best Bass Drum Overall, and 1st - Street March Overall. The Games are a community festival where everyone comes together for a day, either to watch or to participate in local athletics, dancing and piping competitions and it was an opportunity to compete against Scottish bands in their own territory and to soak up a bit of the culture.

With thanks to Music Teacher, Mr Oliver Gilmour

An important pilgrimage on the trip was to Culross, a picturesque historic village and the birthplace of Kentigern in the 6th century. Feeling like they had stepped back in time three hundred years, the students marvelled at the cobbled streets, narrow alleyways, beautiful cottages and hilltop views from Culross Abbey.

Equally significant for the group was visiting Iona Abbey on the Isle of Iona. St Columba famously sailed from Ireland and landed on this tiny island in 563 before setting out to spread Christianity throughout Scotland. The students learned how the 9th century St Martin’s Cross originated from here and has stood at the Abbey for well over 1,000 years. This is the emblem the College uses in its crest, so visiting the ancient site was very symbolic to all those who visited.

On the last leg of their journey, the Band were invited to play at the London Old Collegians Reunion where they gave an outstanding performance outside the St James’s Royal Over-seas League venue. The guests were then treated to an entertaining version of the piping of the haggis by the students who then all enjoyed a sumptuous meal.

In between their official engagements, the group were able to put on their tourist hats for some top sightseeing attractions and saw the castle ruins of St Andrew’s, Dunstaffnage and Edinburgh Castles, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Natural History Museum and the unforgettable city vista from the London Eye. On their last night of the tour the students celebrated at dinner and went to the West End show ‘We Will Rock You’. Now seasoned travellers, the students will always be able to look back on their memorable journeys together - boating across Loch Leven, the sea ferry to the Isles of Mull and Iona, the famous steam train ride on the old Lochaber line up the west coast and the drive through the wilderness of Glencoe.

Congratulations to all of the students of The Pipes and Drums and a special thanks to Mr Lightfoot, Mrs Baird, Mr Gilmour and Mrs Winthrop for an amazing tour of Scotland.

THE GLASGOW BADGE

At the beginning of this 60th Jubilee year for the College, all the students were presented with a Glasgow badge to wear on their blazer. The badge depicts Glasgow’s Coat of Arms which embodies the story of Saint Kentigern and the symbols of the bird, the tree, the bell and fish that we recognise so well from the house pennants in the chapel.

From the time of his death, Saint Kentigern was venerated as Glasgow’s patron saint and the cathedral of Glasgow was built in his honour. Each time the Pipes and Drums visit Scotland, they are welcomed at the cathedral and the students become acutely aware of the special connection between our Saint Kentigern Schools and the resting place of their namesake.

To this day his figure and the symbols associated with Saint Kentigern’s legend make up the crest of the City of Glasgow. Known most often by his pet name, Mungo, his story is remembered in a nonsense rhyme taught to Glasgow school children about the city’s Coat of Arms:

This is the bird that never flew

This is the tree that never grew

This is the bell that never rang

This is the fish that never swam

The bird commemorates the pet robin owned by St Serf, which was accidentally killed by monks but who blamed it on Kentigern. Kentigern took the bird in his hands and prayed over it, restoring it to life again.

The tree is the symbol of another incident in Kentigern’s childhood. Left in charge of the holy fire in St Serf’s monastery, he fell asleep and the fire went out. However, he broke off some frozen branches from a hazel tree and miraculously rekindled the fire.

The bell may have been given to Kentigern by the Pope. The original bell, which was tolled at funerals, no longer exists and was replaced by the magistrates of Glasgow in 1641. The bell of 1641 is preserved in the People’s Palace.

The fish was one caught by Kentigern in the Clyde. When it was slit open, a ring belonging to the Queen of Cadzow was miraculously found inside it. The Queen was suspected of intrigue by her husband, as she had parted with his ring. She implored Kentigern for help, and he found and restored the ring to her in this way.

The Ceilidh

There’s one night a year when the clans unite and tartans of dubious origin are dusted off as the ‘Saint Kentigern Clan’ gather for their annual Ceilidh. Fashion sense is put aside for the night while those who have kilts look superb, and those who have tea towels that pass muster, simply have great fun! Fashion sense aside, it is a night when we recognise our heritage and links to Scotland.

Originally conceived as a fundraiser for the Pipes and Drums tour to Scotland, the Saint Kentigern Ceilidh is now in its 18th consecutive year and continues to be an event that members of our community, from all walks of life, support and enjoy. Reminiscent of scenes from a medieval banquet, young and old come together in an evening that brings tradition, pageantry and hilarity to the fore.

On an evening that brought torrential rain, guests were initially entertained indoors by our Middle School Pipe Band and the Pipes and Drums before MC for the evening, Mr Duncan McQueen organised the chaos of the Grand March that that brought couples into fours, then eights and finally into lines of sixteen across Elliot Hall – in an amazingly smooth manoeuvre this year! We concluded that we have many guests who are willing to return and now know the routine!

When Wee Jock’s Ceilidh Band struck up, few could resist the urge to take to the floor for the dancing. Guests quickly learnt that to prevent spending the evening tripping over their own feet, not to mention their partner’s, they needed to listen out for instructions!

Our drummers stepped to the front to give an amazing display of precision drumming with just a couple of lost, flying sticks, before the haggis was paraded in. Year 13 student, Jack Gudgeon gave a superb, emotional rendition of Robbie Burns ‘Ode to the Haggis’ that greatly impressed all assembled.

General Manager of the Trust Board, and true Scot, Mr Eric Shiels offered thanksgiving for the meal with the Selkirk Grace. Dinner was a fine spread but as always the item on the menu that caused the most discussion was the Haggis. Whether an aficionado or a first timer, every one’s got something to say!

The evening continued with Highland Dancing from our regular performer, Year 12 student, Sarah McQueen and singing from ‘the Bard’, Darryn Oui before Mr McQueen urged the gentlemen to practice opening their sporrans and pulling out their credit cards ready for the live auctions. Spirited bidding for jewellery donated by Herb Merkle, and a weekend bach retreat donated by the Schubert family were added to the silent auctions to raise $4820.

After much fun and laughter, the evening concluded with a spirited Auld Lang Syne. If laughter is a good measure of success, then the Ceilidh surely succeeded in providing an evening of fun-filled entertainment, mixed with a fine meal and a surprising amount of exercise!

We give our grateful thanks to those who donated and bid for the items offered in both the live and silent auctions. The generosity of our community is greatly appreciated by the Pipes and Drums in their efforts to raise funds for their trip in July this year.

THE SELKIRK GRACE

‘Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, And sae let the Lord be thankit.’

Although attributed to Burns, the Selkirk Grace was already known in the 17th century, as the ‘Galloway Grace’ or the ‘Covenanters' Grace’. It came to be called the Selkirk Grace as Burns was said to have delivered it at a dinner given by the Earl of Selkirk.

Special thanks to the committee who have made this evening such a success:

Kim Walker, Lorraine Stanfield, Jean McQueen, Linda Boyd, Meghann Stewart, Lee-Anne Lindsay, Jocelyn Eaddy, Georgina Sawyer, Andrew Lightfoot, Anne Clifford , the Maintenance Staff, the Lighting and Sound Team and our Old Collegians behind the bar.

For their generous support and provision of the Silent Auction items our thanks to:

Parents and Friends of the Pipes & Drums; Herb Merkle Jewellery & Advanced Gem Lab; Arcadia Books, Newmarket; The Journey, Newmarket; The Print Shop, Remuera; Blue Illusion, Remuera; Hedgerow, Remuera; Mungos – Saint Kentigern College Shop; Saint Kentigern College Parents and Friends.

A Ball at the Cloud

Year after year, our College Ball is a well organised event where our students rise to the occasion and enjoy one of the best night’s of the year. For the Student Council whose task it is to bring the evening together, it’s an exciting time as they work as a team to ensure that their ball is, by some small detail, better than the year before. It’s a quite a challenge and yet every year the bar is raised another notch as the students check their task lists and issue the tickets knowing they have done all they can to make sure it’s an evening all can enjoy.

The venue sets the scene and this year’s choice was the latest Queen’s Wharf hotspot, The Cloud; the structure with the undulating wave-like roof that dominates the Auckland waterfront. The theme for the evening was Elysium - an ancient Greek concept of heaven, happiness and bounty, and with paradise as the backdrop, the 2013 College Ball committee welcomed their fellow students for a fabulous evening of glamour and glitz for Years 12 and 13 along with their guests.

Inside, the classical Greek themed architecture, complete with decorative gold pillars, vases wrapped with green ivy and thousands of fairy lights, transformed the night into one to remember. Cameras clicked as friendship groups formed, admiring each other’s outfits for the evening. Our girls were stunning with the attention to detail in their hair, beautiful flowing gowns, both long and short and gorgeous makeup; they were a picture of elegance. Our boys were groomed to perfection, smart in their suits, ties and polished shoes! A far cry from the same students who arrive at College by bus each day!

It was evident our emerging young adults were positively proud to be attending their own College Ball, their manners and behaviour a

fitting tribute to the occasion. This is also a night where many of our staff, especially those with tutor groups in this age group, also put on their finery and enjoy the interaction with their tutees away from the classroom. The night unfolded seamlessly and our students’ individual responsibility for taking care of themselves and others was pleasing to see. Following a sumptuous buffet dinner, sashes were awarded with much delight to the following for the evening:

Couple of the Ball – Shinga McLeod and Nick Williams

Best Dressed Girl – Samantha Bogun

Most Outrageous Suit – Blue Hamel

Prince and Princess –Ben Riedstra and Tessa Hunt

King and Queen – Maxim Ching and Letitia Puni

Best Dressed Teacher – Mr Bill Tutty

We thank the Student Council for the work they undertook, along with Mrs Natalie Burridge and chairperson of the Council, Lucy Broadhead, in planning the Ball. They were responsible for making decisions on the theme, the venue, catering, the DJ, decorations, photographer, designing the tickets, collecting forms, distributing tickets, speaking at assemblies and the very challenging job of placing people at tables. And finally, they organised the buses home

Student Council: Olivia Boersma, Lucy Broadhead, Daniel Chambers, Philip Dunlop, Ben Elias, Jessica Hill, Anneliese Longstaff, Sean Mackey, Claire Skelton

SKC’s Got Talent 2013

Light the lights and come on down! This was SKC’s turn to uncover hidden talent!

The College’s third annual talent showcase was undoubtedly the highlight of this year’s Arts Week, when over 200 students, parents and teachers flocked to the Music Centre on the final Friday night to watch ten talented student acts compete for the coveted titles. The finalists were selected by the students themselves after a number of auditions leading up to the night.

Arts Council members, Matt Ellwood and Rosie Longstaff did a superb job as continuity presenters introducing each finalist and keeping the evening; flowing. In a new development this year, the Council did some fantastic work preparing an ‘intro’ video clip of each performer from the audition phase – in much the same way as the popular TV counterpart.

A panel of Performing Arts teachers were called on as judges for the evening: Mr Kristian Holmes, representing music, Ms Emma Bishop for drama and Miss Claire Jennings for dance. It didn’t take the performers long to discover that Mr Holmes had been set up in the ‘Simon Cowell’ role – drawing boos from the student audience when they felt he’d overstepped the mark! The audience was wowed with talents ranging from singing to instrumental solo, drama and dance with some surprises along the way. Most of the students were from the Senior School but one surprise performance came from Sam Waldin, a confident Year 7 who gave a hilarious performance of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Pig.’ This is a young man we’re sure to see a lot more of!

Whilst not a winner, another highlight was Lili Taylor’s superb performance of her own original song. Ms Bishop remarked that with a full backing band, her performance would have been even more amazing.

Whilst the judges deliberated, the Boys’ Barbershop Quartet (Manase Latu, Jamie Hofer, Sam Downes and Jack Muirhead) entertained followed by a powerful soliloquy from talented actor, Lloyd David. Winner for the evening was one of the two dance performers. Jasmine Mexted was declared highlight of the night by two of the judges for a strong, beautifully executed jazz routine. Songstress, Brodie MacDonald won second place, with the cheeky performance from young Sam Waldin in third. People’s Choice winner was another surprise act. Amorangi Malesala proved she had a powerful, soulful blues voice that brought thunderous applause from the student audience. The judge’s final, most important comment was, ‘Let the audience be part of your performance.’

Jazz Cafe

The night was a huge success and was enjoyed by all involved. The finalists were a strong cross section of the range of talent amongst our College students and deserve to be proud of their fantastic performances. Our thanks to the Arts Council for all their work to make this happen.

FINALISTS

1st Jasmine Mexted

2nd Brodie MacDonald

3rd Sam Waldin

People’s Choice Amorangi Malesala

Other finalists: Fraser Hamilton, Michelle Zhou, Lili Taylor, The 3 D’s (Alex Waimora, Wesley Tameifuna, Jerry Samania) Elise Hinemoto and Kellie Crighton.

House Music

A favoured event on the College calendar, this year’s House Music was declared a resounding success! Having outgrown Elliot Hall and the Town Hall, the event was moved to the 3000 capacity Vodafone Pacific Events Centre in Manukau. There was scarcely a spare seat in the arena as the College community came together to hear and cheer the House Choirs and Ensembles as they vied for the coveted House Music Cup.

The move to the larger venue also meant that the Houses could put forward bigger choirs of up to 200 apiece allowing for even greater student involvement.

MC for the evening, Head of Music, Mr Ross Gerritsen welcomed the judges, Mr Tim Beveridge and Don McGlashen. Tim Beveridge, a regular at Saint Kentigern music events, is best known for playing the title role in the Phantom of the Opera and is an ‘authority’ on stage presentation and singing. Don McGlashen is quite simply a legend in New Zealand music and we’re grateful for his support once again at House Music, having previously been a judge in 2007.

As May was NZ Music Month, all the choirs were required to select a song from a prescribed list of NZ songs as supplied by the Head of Music. Bruce House sang, ‘Don’t dream it’s over;’ Hamilton sang, ‘Why does love do this to me;’ ‘Weather with you’ was Wishart’s selection, ‘Say Goodbye’ was Chalmers’ and Cargill chose ‘A Slice of Heaven.’

With such large choirs, musicality and tonality can be a wee bit of an issue! Mr Gerritsen reminded the choirs that they were being judged by set criteria and it was Hamilton House that ticked all the right boxes to place 1st.

Following the choirs, the House Ensembles stepped up to the stage, once again proving the enormous depth of musical talent and stage confidence amongst our students. Cargill were the winners on the night with an amazing lead performance from Saint Kentigern’s ‘big voice,’ Manase Latu. We usually hear Manase’s rich tenor sing operatic numbers but he proved that he is just as adept with rock and Latino!

The final act for the evening came from our guest judge, Don McGlashen, who was joined by a 17 piece Saint Kentigern backing band of instrumentalists and vocalists for his iconic pieces, ‘Bathe in the River’ and ‘Anchor Me.’ We are grateful to Don for affording our students this opportunity to play with a professional as well as attending rehearsal time with them.

And so it was left to the judges to announce the overall House Cup. With a second in the Choir and a first in the House Band, Cargill were declared the overall winners. Don concluded by saying that it was heartening to see so much support for music in a school and that if this was the future of New Zealand music, then New Zealand music is definitely in good hands!

HOUSE CHOIR

1st Hamilton

2nd Cargill

3rd Wishart

HOUSE ENSEMBLES

1st Cargill

2nd Wishart

3rd Bruce House

1st Cargill

2nd Wishart

3rd Hamilton

Gold Award for College Concert Band

With thanks to Head of Music, Mr Ross Gerritsen

A fantastic performance by the Concert Band during the KBB Music Festival secured a place in the coveted Gala Concert Finale at the Auckland Town Hall and another Gold Award to add to the Music Department’s trophy cabinet.

There were 39 bands from the wider Auckland region contesting the Concert Band Category and for the third time in seven years the band was chosen as one of the top four groups.

During the competitive performance held in the splendour of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the band opened with 'Critical Mass', a piece which musically illustrates the process of nuclear fission and the creation of an atomic explosion.  The trombone section, undoubtedly the most improved section in 2013, made a significant contribution to the power needed to carry the piece; this was a strong opening for the programme. 'Critical Mass' was juxtaposed by Frank Ticheli’s ‘Earth Song’ which highlighted the band’s lyrical control and warm sound.  The Cathedral was a perfect venue for this slow, reflective item.

The band’s trumpet section comprising Jack Stewart, Georgia Clapp, Thomas Scott, Luke De Freyne, Declan Fisher and Claire Hofman gave a fantastic rendition of Leroy Anderson’s ‘Bugler’s Holiday’, which was delivered with conviction in front of the band and was, impressively, memorised for extra musical and presentation effect.

The band’s kit player, Jesse Merkle, featured for the fourth item, a fantastic Neal Hefti piece called ‘Cute’, where improvised Jazz drum fills were punctuated in a very musically tight band.  The final piece, March of the Trolls capped of the band’s performance by demonstrating a high degree of dynamic contrast and musicality with outstanding solo features by Carolyn Ding, Ethan Blight, Chris Farnell and Marieke Kruiswijk.

At the Town Hall Gala Concert, the band performed 'Critical Mass' and 'March of the Trolls' and were delighted to receive a Gold Award, announced at the end of the concert.

The other College Ensembles to gain awards were the Stage Band and Symphony Orchestra who both received bronze; and the Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia who both received Commended Awards.

Small EnSEmblE ShowcaSE

If the Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band are the showpieces of the College instrumental programme then the Chamber Ensembles are the engine room. Relying on a high level of musical communication and intense preparation, there is nowhere for the chamber musician to hide.

Chamber ensembles comprise between 3 and 8 musicians, usually with only one person on each musical part and they are not conducted. Subsequently the onus is on the students to not only play their part but to integrate seamlessly with others.

The College has a strong chamber music programme and their repertoire and instrumentation are diverse. From Dizzy Gillespie to Sibelius, Handel, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, our finest jazz and classical musicians came together to showcase their ensemble work at this year’s Small Ensemble Showcase which gave the groups the opportunity to perform before the NZCT Chamber Music Competition held at Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in June.

Choirs in Fine Voice

Our College choirs have had a busy few months with a full rehearsal schedule, performance opportunities and competition at regional and national level. An earlier Choral Showcase gave all four choirs - A Minor, Musettes, Menasing and Kentoris, under choral direction of Mr Lachlan Craig, the opportunity to showcase their work to a packed chapel audience.

THE BIG SING

With over 100 students performing, Kentoris, the Musettes and Menasing created a strong Saint Kentigern presence at the Auckland regional Big Sing Choral Festival along with 70 other choirs competing over three days. At the end of the three days of performance, Kentoris was selected into the top five Mixed Voice Choirs in Auckland and were invited to perform to a full Town Hall at the Gala Concert. Menasing was also recognised with a Commended award.

This recognition at regional level gave Kentoris the opportunity to travel to Dunedin to sing at the National Big Sing Finale for the first time in the College’s history. Held over three days at the Dunedin Town Hall, all performances were streamed live on the Choral Federation web page enabling parents who were unable to travel, the opportunity to watch their children sing. Eighteen choirs, selected from 250 nationwide each sang six songs over the three days, culminating in a Gala Concert and the presentation of awards within the Finale group. The choir received a Bronze award and the adjudicators chose the choir’s performance of Tippet’s ‘Steal Away’ for the Gala Concert featuring a solo by Manase Latu. This gained the choir a deserving standing ovation from the packed Dunedin Town Hall crowd.

KIDS SING

The College Year 7 & 8 choir, A Minor, entered the Auckland Choral Kids Sing Festival later in the term at the Aotea Centre, returning in the evening to sing at the Gala Concert in the Town Hall. The Kids Sing Festival gives younger choristers the chance to perform publicly in a supportive setting and for the children and their conductors to receive feedback on their performance. Teaching and nurturing basic choral techniques in this way allows for reflection on a choir’s performance ultimately leading to superior outcomes. Each choir sang four songs: a test piece (Old Abram Brown’ by Benjamin Britten), a piece by a New Zealand composer, a unison song (same melody – no harmonies) and one ‘other’ song chosen by the school. A Minor received a Bronze Award for their performance.

REQUIEM

In Memoriam of Old Collegian

Wayne Robinson

The final choral showcase of the term was dedicated to Old Collegian, Wayne Robinson who passed away recently at age 27 after a long illness that began at College.  During his College years he contributed a great deal to the music department and is fondly remembered by staff and former students alike as a talented saxophonist and composer, who took major roles in leading the choir, barbershop, stage band, concert band, orchestra and musical productions.

In remembrance of his passion for music, the four choirs Kentoris, A Minor, Musettes and Menasing came together for a performance in Elliot Hall to a packed audience. Entry was by donation with all proceeds going towards CanTeen, the charity that supports young people with cancer.

The first half of the evening saw Kentoris and A Minor sing their competition pieces before Kentoris, Musettes and Menasing formed a massed choir of over 100 to perform Faure’s Requiem in honour of Wayne. In introducing the work, Head of Music, Mr Ross Gerritsen explained that a Requiem is dedicated to celebrate, remember, grieve, commend, and reflect on loved ones that we have lost and who are still very much in our thoughts.  Separated into six parts, the audience were invited after the Sanctus to come up and join the students in lighting a candle as a gesture in keeping memories of loved ones alive.

The evening was resounding success and we thank Head of Music, Mr Ross Gerritsen; Mr Lachlan Craig Choral Director; Gracie Francis, Accompanist; and Timothy Carpenter, Organist for making this event possible.

1st XV Rugby – So Close!

With thanks to Head of Sport, Mr Martin Piaggi

The Saint Kentigern College 1st XV navigated their way through a torrid season unbeaten in preseason, unbeaten in the World Youth tournament in Japan and unbeaten in the Auckland 1A competition, including a pulsating final match in front of 10,000 spectators at Eden Park. In a nail biting 1A final, Saint Kentigern achieved the ‘threepeat’ defeating Auckland Grammar 13-11 and securing the 1A championship for the 3rd consecutive year.

The nature of the win will undoubtedly go down in the history of 1st XV rugby at the College. In the very last minutes of the game, just as it looked as if Auckland Grammar had clinched the title, a penalty was awarded to Saint Kentigern. What unfolded almost defied belief as first-five, William Rea, positioned the ball forty metres out and ten metres in from touch. As there was a collective intake of breath from 10,000 spectators, William’s kick was true. Just scraping over the bar to collect the points needed to secure the championship win.

As always with finals, one team is enormously gratified and one team is exhausted and left disappointed. Unfortunately, after defeating Westlake 62-10 and Otago Boys 27-7, the tables were turned in the final of the National Top 4 and the 1st XV were defeated 12-10 by Hamilton Boys' High School. This ended the team’s run of 52 games without defeat. The Saint Kentigern College 1st XV of 2013 isn’t just the team that hasn’t lost in 52 games though. This team isn’t just the team that has won three Auckland 1A titles in a row. This year’s team is the team that has gone through the season undefeated in 24 games including winning the World Youth Tournament in Japan. This year’s team is the team that has dealt with injuries and the pressure of following on from an undefeated 2012 team who were the National champions. This year’s team is very special and there are some very special young men in it. The 2013 Saint Kentigern 1st XV is a very special team.

We should also acknowledge the coaching and management team that supported the 1st XV. Tai Lavea as Head Coach, assisted by Josh Syms, have over the last four years taken the team from 10th place in the Auckland 1A to 5th in their first year and then number 1 for the next three years. They also won the National co-ed championship in 2010 and 2011 before winning the National Top 4 competition in 2012. They won the World Youth Championship in 2013 as well as again making the final of the National Top 4. Mr Syms has now moved onto take up a position at Southland Boys' High School and with Southland Rugby. Thank you for your passion, dedication and expertise. Also thanks to manager, Jerry Leaupepe; strength and conditioning coach, Scott MacLaren; and physiotherapist, Josh Rodgers. Your collective expertise has helped prepare these boys and they are grateful for your input.

FOUR BOYS NAMED IN NZSS RUGBY TEAM

Congratulations to Jonathan Faauli, T J Faiane, Dillon Wihongi and Blake Gibson who were all named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby team to play test matches in Australia during the holidays. This is a fitting reward for these Year 13 students who have been stalwarts of the College 1st XV.

The boys were excited by this opportunity to play alongside outstanding schoolboy players from around the country. The New Zealand team met for a camp in Christchurch to get to know one another and establish team play before travelling to Sydney, Australia to play a series of test matches against Fiji, Australia A and the Australian National team.

Well done boys! We look forward to hearing the results.

New Zealand Football Champions

Congratulations to the Boys 1st XI Football team who have won the New Zealand Secondary Schools national title for the first time in the history of the College. Parent, Mr Mike Ridenton has coached the team for the five years and this title is the result of much planning and scheming over that time.

The tournament was held in Taupo this year and consisted of the top 32 teams in the country with Saint Kentigern College as the top seeds. In pool play we had good victories over Nayland College 3-0, Napier Boys 5-1 and a shock defeat to Christchurch Boys High 0-1. This loss spurred on the team in the quarter final where they beat Tauranga Boys 2-0 and in the semi-final, the boys were unstoppable, winning 5-1 over Saint Peter’s of Cambridge.

The final was played in perfect conditions against our old foes, Auckland Grammar School. It was a close affair but we always looked more likely to score. With 20 minutes to play, Alex Waimora scored a superb goal that brought the large crowd to their feet. The rest of the match was

tense with Grammar pressing forward hoping to equalise but deep in injury time, Alex once again found space only to pass the ball to a rather surprised Thomas Konusi who smashed the ball into the back of the net. It was heartbreak for Grammar and ecstasy for the team and the travelling supporters.

This was a well-deserved result from a team that played wonderful football throughout the tournament. Five players were named in the tournament team: Alex Waimora, Matthew Lieshout, Michael Den Heijer, Nick Forrester and Thomas Konusi.

The team also retained the Alex Harvey Trophy (the ‘Ranfurly Shield’ of schoolboy football).

We offer our many thanks to Mr and Mrs Ridenton for all their hard work and support of the team over the years. Our thanks also to Mr Jon Dale in his coaching role and Mr Tom Gordon as team manager.

Both Tennis Teams Are Auckland Champions!

Congratulations to the Premier Boys and Premier Girls Tennis teams who have both won their 2013 Auckland Secondary Schools Teams Championship at Merton Road over the weekend. Both teams are current New Zealand champions but were chasing these titles to complete their outstanding season of competitive play.

For the girls, this continues with their dominance of girls’ tennis at secondary school level; they are now Auckland and New Zealand champions for the fourth year in a row!

Both teams were up against the same opposition from the New Zealand finals in March: Westlake Girls and Auckland Grammar. Matches were played indoors because of the inclement weather. The girls’ team beat Westlake Girls only dropping a handful of games in a 9-0 win. The boys had to fight a little harder but were too strong for Auckland Grammar winning 7-2.

To confirm the strength of girls’ tennis at the College, the 2nd Girls Senior A team beat St Cuthbert’s in the ¾ playoff. The Intermediate boys and girls teams were also in finals but unfortunately the boys lost to Auckland Grammar and girls lost to St Cuthbert’s. The Junior Boys place 3rd overall and the Junior Girls placed 2nd.

Premier Girls Tennis team: Paige Hourigan, Lucy Macdonald, Rachel Swindell, Kelly Drew, Lucia Young, CT Ampornachariya

Premier Boys Tennis team: Tama Payne, Connor Williamson, Trent Smith, Edi Stoica, William Matheson, Andrew Qi

Winter Tournament Week

With thanks to Head of Sport, Mr Martin Piaggi and Sports Manager, Miss Lynne Scutt

Pulling on a Blue and White sports uniform to represent the College is an important part of being a Saint Kentigern student for a huge number of young sports people. During this past winter,1156 students did just that for 138 teams in 14 different sports. There are 67 College staff involved in looking after these teams and for the nine weeks of Term 2 and five weeks of Term 3, the sporting competitions are both exciting and stressful as we strive towards being the best coeducational sporting school in the country.

During Winter Tournament week, our Premier teams travelled to Taupo, Wellington and Nelson as well as competing in Auckland. All teams were in Premier competitions and all teams acquitted themselves well. Most teams finished higher than their rankings and most teams managed to beat higher ranked teams during the tournament.

BASKETBALL

The Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball teams both competed in the Zone Tournament in Taupo. The top four sides from this tournament qualify to attend the National tournament in Palmerston North during the September school holidays.

The Girls' team played some wonderful team basketball and managed a very creditable 3rd place.

The Boys' team played solid basketball to reach 4th place. Both teams have qualified for the Nationals and are now working on making significant improvements to ensure that they play to their full potential in the National competition.

FOOTBALL BOYS - See previous page

FOOTBALL GIRLS

The Premier Girls Football team travelled to Nelson to compete in the Lotto National Tournament where 32 teams competed from across the country. As part of Pool D, the team’s first game was against Epsom Girls which was a big challenge. The team played two further games against Cashmere High School and Wellington East Girls' College. The team was placed second in their pool which was their initial goal, to reach the Top 16 in the competition.

They then went on to play Westlake Girls, winning 2-1 in what was an exciting match. Unfortunately the girls couldn’t secure any more wins and placed 12th. This was a pleasing result; the best the Premier Girls' Football team has ever achieved. Captain, Nikita Lieshout was an exceptional leader and was selected by the other tournament teams as the Saint Kentigern team’s MVP.

Nicole Trass was a stand out player throughout the tournament and was duly selected by the coaches as their Player of the Tournament. Each of the 16 squad members played exceptionally well and gave their all in each game as representatives of their College.

Our thanks to coaches Mr Alan Hindson and Mr Andrew Bramston and to Team Manager, Mrs Noreen Parker.

HOCKEY 1ST XI BOYS

The team travelled to Wellington to compete in the top level Rankin Cup competition, having ended the regular season placed 2nd in Auckland, and 3rd in the ‘Supercity’ competition. It turned out over the course of the week, that Saint Kentigern had drawn probably the toughest pool, with both the eventual Rankin Cup winners (Hamilton Boys High School) and third placed team (St Andrew’s College - STAC) in our pool. Unfortunately a narrow 1-2 loss to STAC on Day 2, meant Saint Kentigern did not qualify for the higher level of the competition. The team finished equal 11th which was enough to secure a place in Rankin Cup for 2014.

The MVP for Saint Kentigern at the tournament was our goalie, Bryan Schofield, who was solid in defence and whose fast reactions resulted in a number of vital ‘saves’ against some tough opposition. The team was well coached by Mr Chris Dowdle, supported by the manager Mr Duncan McQueen and our thanks to Mr Ben Dowdle who joined the squad in Wellington as a tournament match referee.

HOCKEY 1ST XI GIRLS

In 2012, the Girls’ Hockey 1st XI won the Audrey Timlin trophy tournament and, as a result, were promoted to the Marie Fry tournament which was held in Nelson. We were ranked 14th in the tournament out of 16 teams and had a difficult pool draw.

Our first match was a successful 2-1 win over Kristin but this was followed by a disappointing 0-4 loss to Tauranga Girls’ College. This meant we had to win our last pool game against Nelson College for Girls in order to qualify for the Top 8 pay offs. We were down 0-1 early on but fought back to win the match 2-1.

This meant we were second in our pool and had a very tough quarter final against Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Unfortunately, in a very even match, we did not take our chances and we went down 0-1.

We were now playing off for 5th to 8th and our next match was against Rangitoto College who we defeated 1-0. This left our final fixture, a return

match against Tauranga Girls, and we were able to exact our revenge, winning 3-1 to take 5th place in our first time at this tournament level.

Overall a very successful tournament in beautiful weather and a determination formed to return next year and improve even further. Lulu Tuilotolava was named our MVP.

Our thanks to Coach, Ramesh Patel and Team Manager, Lynda Syms.

NETBALL

The Premier Netball team completed at the Upper North Island tournament at Lloyd Elsmore courts. On Day 1 the team had an emphatic win against Bethlehem College in the morning 52-10 and a repeated this good performance with another strong win against Tauranga College in the afternoon 40-30. On Day 2 the team started with a hard fought win against Waikato Diocesan 27-25. This secured their place within the top 16. This was a great start to the week which moved the team into the top half of 32 strong college teams. As the rain continued into the afternoon the team went on to beat Rangitoto College 32-20. Day 3 started well with a solid win against Cambridge High School 28-20. As the rain poured down, the team united to beat the favourites John Paul College by a narrow two goals 27-25, thus securing a Top 8 position. With a new found confidence on Day 4, the team had a dominant performance against Westlake Girls High School 29-18. In the afternoon they played Pukekohe High School and had their first loss of the week.

Friday, Day 5 saw the team met a very talented Auckland Girls Grammar to play off for top 6 and a Nationals spot. The game was an intense fight until the final whistle which saw the teams in a tight draw. An extra 10 minutes of overtime was played and the team was unlucky with a narrow loss 32-30. Positive captaincy and leadership from Stephanie Campbell and Sarah Inkster saw the team bounce back to beat the highly rated Avondale team

AIMS Games

With thanks to Mr Andrew Mailei, TIC.

This year’s annual NZCT AIMS Games held in Tauranga hosted over 5,000 Year 7 & 8 competitors across 16 different sporting codes. Saint Kentigern has participated in this competition for the last three years and has now grown to become a favourite for aspiring sports students to attend. This year we had the opportunity to take 81 students across six different codes from the College, Girls’ and Boys’ Schools. This included Netball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Swimming and Golf. Many of the codes were up against tough competition but like our Premier Teams, the idea of ‘giving it everything’ regardless of the outcome spread right through the camp.

We obtained our first Gold medal by Year 8 golfer Tommy Liu, who was 31 shots ahead of his closest rival, and was a fantastic achievement. Further to this success, our Year 7 swimmers, Olivia Overfield (200m Backstroke) and Josh Harford (100m Breaststroke) each picked up a Bronze medal. Our Boys Football team also attained a first for the College making the semi-finals and finishing 4th in the whole country, an achievement of which we are proud! Well done to everyone.

24-21. All though the team was disappointed not to make Nationals they have made strong links which will ensure an exciting 2014 season. Strong performances throughout the week were topped off with the selection of Christina Oscar (Year 11) in the 2013 UNISS Tournament team. With thanks to Coach, Miss Debbie White and Team Manager, Miss Caroline Sawyer.

SWIMMING

In the NZ Secondary School Swimming Championships held in Hamilton, four of our swimmers brought home a haul of medals including a Gold medal in the 4 x 50 m Freestyle Mixed Relay 16+ age group; a race which set a new National record. Well done!

Medallists:

Hayden Church Boys in the 15 years age group

1st 200m Freestyle, 1st 50m Freestyle, 1st 100m Freestyle, 2nd 100m Backstroke

1st 4 x 50 m Free Mixed Relay 16 and over

1st 4 x 50m Medley Mixed Relay 16 and over

Emma Hanley Girls in the 15 years age group

1st 200m Breaststroke, 1st 100m Breaststroke, 3rd 50m Breaststroke

1st 4 x 50 m Free Mixed Relay 16 and over 1st 4 x 50m Medley Mixed Relay 16 and over

Philip Tong

1st 4 x 50 m Free Mixed Relay 16 and over 1st 4 x 50m Medley Mixed Relay 16 and over

Samantha Brown

1st 4 x 50 m Free Mixed Relay 16 and over 1st 4 x 50m Medley Mixed Relay 16 and over

Sporting events such as these are lifetime experiences and we are pleased to be able to offer this competitive opportunity at a national level to our students. We know they have gained great memories as well as invaluable life lessons.

We would like to thank our staff who provided sound advice and motivation for their teams and a massive thank you to the parents who gave up their time to assist with the organisation of our students. Many thanks also go to our chef Rachel who catered the whole event. Thank you for the wonderful meals! Without these people we are unable to run a successful tournament away.

Senior Girls Win Nationals Again!

The cycling season concluded with some great results for our College cyclists at the National Secondary Schools Cycling Championships with the biggest highlight being the Senior A girls winning the national title for the second year in a row!

Defending their National Title from last year, the team of Madeline Evans, Josie Clow, Cassandra and Mikayla Harvey and Elizabeth Mudford showed solid team dynamics in strong winds to claim their back-to-back titles. The girls said it was a really tough race. Well done girls!

In the Year 7&8 Boys event, the A Team (Callum Walsh, Ryan Church and Dylan McCullough) also produced an impressive win to complete a clean sweep of their titles for the year.

Highlights of National Secondary Schools Cycling

Day 1 - Team Results:

1st: Senior Girls A (Madeline Evans, Josie Clow, Cassandra and Mikayla Harvey and Elizabeth Mudford)

1st: Year 7&8 Boys A (Callum Walsh, Ryan Church and Dylan McCullough)

Day 2 - Individual Medallists Road Race:

U17 Boys: Ayden Lamont, 1st U13 Boys: Dylan McCullough, 2nd U13 Boys: Callum Walsh, 3rd

U16 Girls: Mikayla Harvey, 3rd U20 Girls: Josie Clow, 2nd

Day 3 - Individual Points Race

U13 Boys: Dylan McCullough, 1st U16 Girls: Mikayla Harvey, 3rd

New Zealand Individual Cycling Championships

Competing in three different events over two days, our cyclists recorded their best ever results at this event that comprised an Individual Time Trial, a Hill Climb up Mt Wellington and a Criterium.

Connor Brown: Gold In the U16 Time Trial, (broke U16 Boys national record) & 2nd overall

James Fouche 3rd in the U16

Time Trial and Gold in the U16 Criterium.

Callum Walsh: 3rd in the U14

Time Trial, 2nd in the U14 Hill Climb& 2nd overall.

Ayden Lamont: 2nd in the U17

Time Trial, 3rd in the U16 Hill Climb, Gold in the Criterium & 2nd overall.

George Ellett: 3rd in the U14

Hill Climb.

Jamie Lindsay: 2nd in the U15 Criterium & 3rd overall.

Elizabeth Mudford: 3rd in the U16 Criterium

Aleisha Lamont: 3rd in the U15 Criterium

Dylan McCullough: 3rd in the U14 Criterium & 3rd overall.

Mikayla Harvey: Gold in the U16 Hill Climb, 2nd in the U16 Criterium & 1st overall.

Sam Dakin: 2nd in the U20 Criterium

Maddie Evans: 3rd in the U20

Hill Climb

Josie Clow: 2nd in the U20

Individual Time Trial & 3rd Overall

Auckland Team Trial Series

Once again, the Saint Kentigern College Cycling Teams won many titles at the Auckland Cycling Team Time Trial Series held on the roads near Auckland Airport. The final day of the series also included racing for the Auckland titles.

HIGHLIGHTS

Senior Girls: 1st in the Series, 1st in Auckland Championships The girls’ team also won the Betty Partridge Cup which is for the fastest girls’ team time for the series. The girls set a new course record to win this cup.

Senior Boys: 1st in the Series, 2nd in Auckland Championships

Junior Boys: 1st in the Series, 1st in Auckland Championships

Junior Girls: 2nd in the Series, 3rd in Auckland Championships

Under 14 Boys: 1st in Auckland Championships

North Island

Year 7 & 8 Championships

S aint Kentigern College had 19 students competing at this event. These younger cyclists were well-drilled, holding good pace lines throughout the 13km and 16km time trials.

The Year 7 Girls, placed 2nd

Team: Sarah Cappel (also 3rd in the individual road race), Amelia Blockley, Annabelle Waterworth

The Year 7 Boys team placed 2nd Team: Caleb Atkinson, Jacob Hannan, Will Ellett, Connor McKenzie

The Year 8 Boys team won GOLD

Team: Callum Walsh (also won Gold in the boys road race), Dylan McCullough, Ryan Church, Ben Manning

College Cross Country

Whenever we mark out the cross country course here at the College, it seems that the inevitable rains arrive. 2013 was no exception and although on the day the weather was kind, the ground was water logged and there was plenty of Pakuranga mud to contend with in very soft conditions. The Year 7 and 8 students ran the course in the morning and by the time the College students ran in the afternoon, the course was clear to see as the mud left a dark brown silhouette! 887 students competed across all the age groups to find the College Champions. With valuable House points up for grabs in every race, it was Wishart House that was a clear winner on the day with Cargill 2nd, Hamilton 3rd and Chalmers 4th.

1ST

2ND 3RD

YEAR 7 BOYS Daniel Thibaud Charles Edmonds Benjamin Lowe

YEAR 7 GIRLS Charlotte Stevenson Annabelle Waterworth Tess Elliott

YEAR 8 BOYS Callum Walsh Dylan McCullough Darcy Maddren

YEAR 8 GIRLS Natasha Leishman Mikayla Mackie Grace Jordan

JUNIOR BOYS Fraser Hamilton Michael Wood George Ellett

JUNIOR GIRLS Charlotte Rowden Greer Hunter Tessa Hill

INTERMEDIATE BOYS Matthew Manning Liam Ward Harrison Fleming

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS Grace Wood Aimee Hollis Katherine Chang

SENIOR BOYS Matthew Lieshout Jonty Thompson Sam Fleming

SENIOR GIRLS Madeline Evans Grace Findlay Kirsty Whyte

Auckland Cross Country

As for the last 30 years, the Auckland Cross Country was held on the College grounds. Unlike the past 30 years though, the course was mostly flat and fast with minimal hills and only a fraction of the normal mud. Matthew Manning ran a wonderful race in the Intermediate age group to place 2nd. Maddie Evans also ran well for 2nd in the Senior girls.

Individual Results

Intermediate Boys Matthew Manning, 2nd Senior Girls Maddie Evans, 2nd

Intermediate Boys 3 person team: 3rd

Matthew Manning, Liam Ward, Harrison Fleming.

Intermediate Girls 6 person team: 3rd

Grace Wood, Aimee Hollis, Katherine Chang, Jacqueline Chang, Charlotte Brown, Lauren Hendricksen.

Intermediate Boys 6 person team: 3rd

Matthew Manning, Liam Ward, Harrison Fleming, Cameron Low, Matthew Mccullough, Caleb Aoake.

NEW ZEALAND CROSS COUNTRY

Four students participated in the NZSS championships: Liam Ward, Fraser Hamilton, Matthew Manning and Maddie Evans.

Congratulations to Matthew Manning who placed 1st out of 144 boys in the Junior Boys race over 4 km to win a National title. Well done to Madeline Evans who placed 9th out of 142 girls in the Senior Girls race.

AUCKLAND COMBINED SCHOOLS TEAM

Congratulations to Grace Wood who was selected to be part of the Auckland Schools cross country relay team. Her Intermediate Girls team won a silver medal at the North Island Championships.

From The President o f The o ld c ollegians

The year has certainly been a fast moving year for Saint Kentigern with the 60th College Reunion, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie now well settled at the Boys’ School, and the success and growing roll at the Girls’ School under Dr Sandra Hastie’s leadership. The Old Collegians have been busy with fellowship events around the globe celebrating life as a member of the Saint Kentigern family and encouraging and advancing career networks for members and their families.

On Friday 19 July we held the SKOCA London Reunion Dinner at Royal Over-Seas League in St James, London for over 50 attendees. Long serving London SKOCA Chairman, Danny Gowan spoke of his time at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School as a foundation pupil and then of his time at the College. Also attending were Glenn Duncan, John Gilbert, Nigel Catlin, John Shuker, Derek Munro and a great spread of ages from 20 –70 years. Sam Winstone and Jason Kururangi were also representing the 1989-90 Boys’ School decade and Dan Quigley attended with a group of recent graduates now based in London. Special guests included Mr Rod Biel and Mrs Suzanne Winthrop and the College Pipe Band led by Mr Andrew Lightfoot. The Band, on a return trip from a successful Pipes & Drums competition in Edinburgh, paraded up Regent Street to the venue, to the delight of pedestrians and office workers. Mrs Winthrop gave an informative update on life at the three Saint Kentigern campuses and I also updated members on the recent activities of SKOCA. The evening continued on later in nearby Piccadilly and beyond.

The Wellington ROC’s function was held on Saturday 27 July at El Horno Restaurant in Wellington at which 30+ Recent Old Collegians (ROC’s) enjoyed fellowship amongst the group which largely comprised Victoria University students. Our thanks to committee members James Hackett and James Bennett, and also to Wellington based Jesse Tuke for hosting a successful function for ROC members.

Skoca 2014 calendar:

17 OCTOBER - THURSDAY

SKOCA - Netball

Premier and Senior A Netball versus Old Collegians Girls

Time: Games start at 6.00pm

Venue: Gym1 and Gym 2, College

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; malcolm.cowie@saintkentigern.com

27 OCTOBER - FRIDAY

OTAGO UNI - ROC’S (RECENT OLD COLLEGIANS) COCKTAILS

Time: 6.00pm

Venue: Starters Bar, Dunedin\

Contact: James Hackett

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; hacjames@gmail.com

15 NOVEMBER - FRIDAY

AUCKLAND - ROC’S (RECENT OLD COLLEGIANS) COCKTAILS

Time: 6.15pm

Venue: Parnell Bar & Grill (Ex The Bog), 196 Parnell Rd.

Contacts: James Hackett/James Bennett

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; jsbennett@mediaworks.co.nz

A strong contingent led by committee members Andrew Muller, James Hackett and James Bennett of the NZ based OC’s travelled to Sydney on 16 August for the Australian SKOCA Reunion at which over 60 attendees enjoyed dinner and fellowship at the Spinnaker Restaurant on Circular Quay. Special Guests, Mr Ron Stone and Rev David Williams spoke of their time at Saint Kentigern. Foundation Boys School pupils, Paul Doole and Stephen Cassrels created some mischief and College 1950-60 years attendees, Michael Braham, Kelvin Boyd, Richard Thomas and Bryce Thomson reminisced about the early years. Rodney Steel, Dan Quigley and Anthony Pollen rallied a good turnout from Sydney based ROC’s, also led by aging ROC member, Regan van Berlo. Scott Beach (College Head Boy, 1977) attended with Tom Rutherford and Brett Jenkins and was the successful bidder for the 1st XV signed rugby jersey at $A600 which, given the 52 unbeaten games and both World Youth and Auckland Secondary School Rugby 2013 titles, made this a real trophy item. On Saturday 17th a group of 40 or so of the dinner attendees met for a late lunch and then journeyed to Homebush for the Bledisloe Rugby match to see the All Blacks win the test with a strong second half.

We congratulate the 1st XV on another excellent year and the amazing win against Auckland Grammar at Eden Park to again win the Auckland 1A Rugby Trophy whilst already holding the World Youth title in 2013. It was a proud moment to see the tremendous supporter turnout from Saint Kentigern and we acknowledge the leadership by Mr Steve Cole. The National Trophy win by the 1st XI Soccer is another great achievement as are the on-going successes in Tennis and Cycling and many other sports.

This along with the many achievements in the classroom make Piper magazine a favourite with all Old Collegians, reading and acknowledging the many successes being regularly achieved at the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, the College and, of course, not forgetting the Preschool!

The committee welcomes feedback from members so please keep in touch via the website: skoca@saintkentigern.com

Fides Servanda Est

Andrew Morgan, President

17 NOVEMBER - SUNDAY

SKOCA - TOUCH RUGBY AFTERNOON

ROUND ROBIN EVENT

Time: Assemble at the Old Collegians Sports Centre @ 12.30pm

Venue: College Sports Fields opposite Old Collegians Sports Centre.

Teams to include: mixed teams from Old Collegians, The College and a team from the Staff

Contacts: Andrew Muller, James Bennett, James Hackett.

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; Andrew.Muller@cbre.co.nz

12 DECEMBER - THIURSDAY

SKOCA – COLLEGE GOLF DAY

Time: Assemble at 11.00am

Venue: Titirangi Golf Club

Ticket: $100 per head – ROC’s $50 per head

Contacts: John Howard/Sandy Campbell

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; john.howard@raywhite.com

8 DECEMBER - SUNDAY

SKBS - TOUCH RUGBY & BBQ FOR 2008

LEAVERS

Time: 3.30pm

Venue: Boys’ School Jubilee Sports Centre & No 1 Field

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com; sue.bowskill@saintkentigern.com

14 FEBRUARY - FRIDAY

SKBS – BOYS SCHOOL GOLF DAY

Time: 12.00 for 1pm Tee-off

Venue: Auckland Golf Club

Tickets: $125 per head. Refreshments provided. (ROCS’s $60)

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com sue.bowskill@saintkentigern.com

16 FEBRUARY - SUNDAY

SKOCA – CRICKET DAY & BBQ.

Time: 12pm

Venue: College Upper Sports Field –Refreshments Provided.

Contact: James Hackett

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com. hacjames@gmail.com

obituary

WAYNE ROBINSON

Wayne Michael Robinson passed away peacefully on 27 July, three days after his 27th birthday following a long illness that began during his time at College. He is fondly remembered by staff and former students alike for his positive nature and sense of humour in the face of huge adversity during his long illness. He was a remarkable young man; a unique individual who had achieved more in his short time than many would accomplish in a lifetime.

Wayne started at Saint Kentigern College as a Year 7 student at the beginning of 1998. Throughout his College years he proved to be a diligent student who set high standards for himself, often showing maturity beyond his years.

He had a particular passion for music proving to be a talented saxophonist and composer, who took major roles in leading the choir, barbershop, stage band, concert band, orchestra and musical productions. He was regularly on the Dean’s Honours List and also achieved in sports - hockey and cricket in particular.

Through sheer determination, Wayne graduated from the College with flying colours; a remarkable achievement considering some significant absences from class during his final years at school. When he was appointed as a Prefect he was entrusted with the responsibility to build on the atmosphere of care, community and excellence - values he lived by while carrying out his duties as Chapel Prefect, a role that he performed admirably and always with humility.

Wayne was a great ambassador for the College. He also won the Lions International Young Ambassadors award for being a model to fellow students and members of the Lions Club community.

He forged some strong friendships at College which endured as he moved on to pursue his tertiary studies. With a passion for Marine Biology, he soon realised that it was a hazardous occupation with limited sight and so switched and completed a Music Degree, also finding the time and energy to tutor music students.

Wayne returned to the College on numerous occasions over the past eight years to share his story with the students at Chapel services. He had an affinity with students, was engaging and captivating, cared deeply for people and had a great sense of humour.

‘Inspiration to us all’ are the words echoed amongst his peers. He will be long remembered as a fine young man with a determined spirit. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

WELCOME B ABY GEORGE!

George

William Herd Jarvie was welcomed to the world at 8.38pm on Monday 17th June – a healthy 8lb 4oz baby boy for Old Collegians, Jessie (nee Emerson) and Paul Jarvie.

The wee man was not only greatly anticipated by his parents but also by a large section of the College community who remember Jessie and Paul fondly from their student days. Jessie was among the first small intake of girls, the brave few that ran the gauntlet of the boys in those early days, and went on to become the first Head Girl of Saint Kentigern in 2005. Paul was a year older, graduating in 2004 as the last year of students who were all boys.

Baby George holds the distinction of being our first ‘Saint Kentigern Baby!’ Jessie and Paul report that the new addition to the family gives them no reason to complain – a model baby! Jessie loves being a mum and reckons that she has learnt more in the last few weeks than she has in her previous 25 years! We wish the Jarvie family well.

NIKI DOW

It is with sadness that we mark the passing of Niki Dow, age 23, who died early September in a car accident in Portugal where he was living and working.

Niki graduated from the College in 2008 and is well remembered as a bright academic student who excelled on the rugby field. He received academic honours, played for the 1st XV and was made Chapel Prefect in his final year, attending to the role dutifully. He was always grateful to Saint Kentigern for the opportunities he was given and was humble in his thanks to Mr Peat and Mr Piaggi in particular.

At College, Niki developed two passions: rugby and horticulture. These were both to play a part in the years following College. Horticulture took him to Lincoln University in Christchurch to study viticulture and oenology before heading overseas to gain experience as a wine-maker. He had been in Portugal, his mother, Maria’s home country, for four weeks to gain further experience as a wine maker, having already worked in Australia, South Africa and California, when the tragic accident took place. Niki was a talented sportsman that showed through his passion for rugby. He played for the 1st XV at College as well as club AFL. In Year 11 Niki slotted straight into the University of Auckland Club AFL Senior Side and enjoyed four successful seasons with the club before playing in the Canterbury AFL while he was a student at Lincoln University. His stint with the Christchurch Bulldogs also included a Premiership win. In 2007 and 2009 Niki was a part of two University squads to win Premierships and he represented New Zealand in 2009 when he played for the U20 New Zealand Hawks. Such was his passion for AFL and the contribution he made, that an AFL match featuring two University of Auckland teams was dedicated in his honour. The ‘Niki Dow Memorial Match’ was played out in Round 2 of the Auckland AFL Competition as a tribute to his life.

He is remembered by his friends by the nickname, War Donkey because of his strong work ethic and boundless energy. Many heartfelt tributes were left on a Facebook memorial page entitled, ‘Legacy of the War Donkey.’ He clearly lived life to the fullest and used every opportunity offered to him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.

ENGAGEMENT OF TWO OLD COLLEGIANS

Erin Helliwell and Stephan van Gruting are pleased to announce their engagement. The two former College students both graduated in 2008 and went on to the University of Canterbury. Erin graduated in December from Canterbury has just spent 2 months travelling around the USA with fellow Old Collegian, Stacey Vergis. Stephan then met Erin in Hawaii, where he proposed to her.

Erin will be back studying next year doing post-graduate Clinical Psychology. Stephan, who also graduated from Canterbury University, has recently spent 8 months playing rugby in Ireland and is now working as a personal trainer. We wish them both well in their future together.

Thursday 12 December

(Note: This is a change of date from previously advertised.)

11.00am: Meet at the Titirangi Golf club for Drinks and a Sausage Sizzle

Before the start at 12.00 - 12.30pm

Refreshments will be available throughout the day

5.30pm: Prizegiving, Drinks and a Barbeque

Cost: $100 Per Person (30 Years and older)

$50 Per Person (Under 30 years)

Includes green fees, refreshments, food and prizes

Sponsorship Packages Available.

Please Contact Sandy Campbell: 021 049 8463

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

old collegians Sydney Reunion

With thanks to Old Collegians President, Mr Andrew Morgan

Sixty Old Collegians attended the annual Australian SKOCA Reunion held in Sydney at the Spinnaker Restaurant in Circular Quay.

Past Headmaster, Reverend David Williams said grace and after pre-dinner drinks and dinner, the formal part of the evening began. The President provided the welcome and an update on the London Reunion and undertook the traditional ‘Roll Call.’

Guest Speaker, Mr Ron Stone spoke about his time at Saint Kentigern as a teacher and Bruce House Master and shared various stories of tricks and mischief which had involved a number of lads from the early years who were present at the reunion. Rev David Williams then relayed some stories from his time to the laughter of all, especially the younger attendees who had been at the College during his time as Headmaster.

Kelvin Boyd, a foundation boarder, spoke of his special time at the College; this event being his first since leaving the College in 1965. Richard Thomas also spoke briefly on the likely result of the next day’s rugby and his reasoning before an auction of a signed but unframed 1st XV jersey was held and purchased by Scott Beach – Head Boy in 1977 for A$600.

On Saturday, 40 attendees met up at midday to prepare and then attend the Bledisloe Rugby Match with 70,000 others, with the All Blacks winning 47-29 over the Wallabies.

SKOCA@SAINTKENTIGERN COM

Next year the Australian Reunion will be held in Melbourne to again coincide with the Bledisloe Rugby in mid-August coordinated by Matthew Stone and Ted Howard so block your diary now!

1963 1st XV 50 Years on

Prior to the 1st XV 1A semi-final against King’s College, the College welcomed back some very special guests - members of the 1963 1st XV and their wives - for a luncheon held in the Jack Paine Centre. Guest of honour was the first Deputy Head and Coach of the 1963 team, Jack Paine along with his wife, Beverly.

The venue proved to be a superb choice with winter sun streaming in to warm the atrium. The group marvelled at the new art facilities developed since their era before sitting down for a convivial lunch, the first time back at College for some.

Organiser, Graham Mathieson was pleased to bring the group together. Of the original team, three had no contact details and Michael Stevens and Grant Rope have sadly passed away but eleven former players who lived outside Auckland or overseas responded to send their good wishes. Ray Barker, father of Dean Barker, was unable to attend as he was supporting his son and Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup in San Francisco!

As the Old Collegians executive members were attending the Sydney Reunion, John Gilbert joined the lunch to report on the success of this year’s London Reunion, commenting in particular on the positive impact that the College Pipes and Drums made on the night of the dinner.

old collegians Reunite in London

It was fantastic to see such a great turnout of our Old Collegians across the decades at our much anticipated July London reunion held at the St James’s Royal Over-Seas League.

The Boys’ School decade in focus was 1989-1999 along with the celebration of our 60th Jubilee, and it was superb that several of the younger attendees had the opportunity to make contact and network with other Old Collegians as they had only been living in London for a very short time.

Along with a sumptuous meal and an entertaining piping of the haggis, the guests were treated to an outstanding performance of the College Pipes and Drums who were on the last leg of their recent tour of Scotland. The Band played outside at the venue at the end of the cul de sac so quite a crowd ended up gathering around to listen and watch them.

During the evening quite unexpectedly, one of the female members of the Club clinked her glass to hush the room and proceeded to congratulate our students and say what a treat it was to hear such wonderful music.

The Chairman of our United Kingdom Old Collegians, Danny Gowan was one of our guest speakers and we had the privilege of hearing him speak on the importance of the foundations of his Saint Kentigern education and how that has made him who he is today.

Danny was a foundation student at our Boys’ School and also went to the College where he played in both the 1st XI Cricket and 1st XV Rugby

Jack Paine was called on to speak and despite his advancing years, his wit proved to be as razor sharp as ever! He told the ‘boys’ that he hoped they had wiped their feet before they came in and to meet him out on the paddock after lunch for a team practice! Much discussion ensued about the current form of the game compared to 50 years ago – they were the first to admit that with 5 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses, they certainly were no match for the 2013 1st XV! Graham Mathieson said that his only personal claim to fame was reputedly being the first Saint Kentigern player to score a try against Auckland Grammar.

As the lunch wrapped up and the group prepared to go and watch the game, both Ken Graham and Jock Anderson said they had not returned to the College in the last 50 years and they acknowledged that it was their loss. They were amazed by what they now see and it has spurred them to maintain their contact. We now look forward to seeing them at future events!

The Old Collegians Association would like to thank Mrs Glennis Pearson for her work preparing the venue.

In attendance: Ian (Jock) Anderson, Ken Graham, Greg Jackson, Mike Lack (Captain), Graham Mathieson, Craig Pollock, John Sherlock, John (Sam) Andrews and Jack Paine (Coach)

teams. He has worked in London for over 30 years in the legal industry and has only just recently retired as a Senior Partner of his firm where he will now consult part-time.

Other special guest speakers at the event were College Deputy Head and Head of Senior School, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop and the Old Collegians President, Mr Andrew Morgan, along with special guest, Mr Rod Biel.

our america’s cup Sailors

In the lounge of the Old Collegians Sports Centre, there is a gallery of photos representing a large number of Old Collegians who have gone on to sporting greatness across a range of sporting codes. Amongst them is Grant Dalton who has long since made his mark in the world of competitive adventure sailing. In recent months he became a house hold name in New Zealand for his role as the Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand, carrying the pressure of the nation to bring the America’s Cup home. While the result wasn’t the one we were hoping for, the team embodied the spirit of our country through their dignity and professionalism, leaving us with a huge sense of pride for all they had done.

GRANT DALTON

Emirates Team New Zealand

Managing Director

‘One race at a time and never take anything for granted.’

When Old Collegian, Grant Dalton attended a Boys’ School Leavers’ Dinner a few years back, he told the graduating Year 8 boys that ‘there isn’t a lot of difference between dreaming and goal setting; be resilient when you dream, set a goal that is believable and if you earnestly work towards it, your dream will eventually be achievable; it may just take a while to get there….’

We sincerely hope that despite the recent disappointment, that Grant has one more America’s Cup in him - we’re willing him to ‘get there!’

Grant, along with his brother Graham, is a former student of both the Boys’ School and the College, graduating in 1974. His children have also attended Saint Kentigern with Ellie graduating from the College, Mack currently in Year 13 and Olivia having been at the Girls’ School.

In that earlier speech to the Year 8 boys, he readily admitted that he wasn’t that ‘academic’ during his time at school but sitting in class looking out across the Waitemata Harbour helped define his goals for a future on the water. He told the boys to learn to visualise what they wanted to achieve, write those goals down and put them somewhere where they could be seen every day. This is how he came to a life sailing down the mighty waves of the Southern Ocean and more recently racing in the waters of San Francisco Bay in his role as Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand.

Well known throughout the sailing world for his successes as a professional sailor, he began his competitive career at age eight, sailing P Class as a member of Maraetai Beach Boating Club. Over the years since then, Grant has sailed competitively on the world’s oceans, racing around the world seven times, the first five as part of the Whitbread Round the World Races, later to be called the Volvo Ocean Race. In 1995, he was awarded an OBE for services to yachting.

In 2003, Dalton was called in to restructure Team New Zealand after its loss of the America’s Cup to the Swiss team, Alinghi. His mission: to rebuild and revitalise the team and mount a credible challenge for the 2007 America’s Cup. The team came close to victory in Valencia in 2007, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup but it was Oracle that took away the America’s Cup that year.

Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) has remained one of the fiercest contenders on the international yachting circuit and at 56, Grant was the most senior member of the 2013 ETNZ crew. His position as Managing Director saw him in a dual role both on land and as part of the crew on the water. Sir Michael Fay, who challenged three times for the America’s Cup in the late 80s and early 90s, said Dalton possessed the unique mix of sailing nous, business acumen and hard-nosed competitor. Grant combined his boardroom work with hard physical grinding at the ‘coalface’. He said he could not successfully run the team without spending time on the water with the team; it was just not an option.

As Grant, along with Skipper, Dean Barker and the rest of the ETNZ crew, headed out to their AC72 catamaran to race against Larry Ellison’s Oracle in San Francisco Bay each day, his relaxed, engaging manner amongst the New Zealand fans hid a steely determination. The nation watched as ETNZ raced ahead on the scoreboard in the early days until Oracle changed tack. In the final days of racing as the gap between the teams closed, our nation was on edge willing the team to win. Despite the loss of the final race, the surge of support from throughout the world for Grant and his crew of great sailors has been immense.

The final word goes to Oracle’s billionaire backer, Larry Ellison, ‘ America’s Cup without New Zealand – it’s just impossible to conceive of that. What a great team, what a great sailing nation.’ Grant was the driver behind this team. We’re proud of you!

NICK HOLROYD

Emirates Team New Zealand

Technical Director

One of the most illustrious posts in New Zealand yachting was running the design team for Emirates Team New Zealand, a role previously filled by revered figures such as Tom Schnackenberg and Andy Claughton.

Technical Director for the Kiwi team has been Old Collegian, Nick Holroyd who was responsible for managing the in-house design team. He originally joined the team in 1997 in the build-up to Team New Zealand’s successful 2000 defence, continuing with the team in their 2003 and 2007 America’s Cup campaigns before working on the all-conquering Emirates Team New Zealand TP52 and their less successful Camper VO70.

The 34th America’s Cup in 2013 entered a new realm with the introduction of wingsail catamarans. The new AC72 brought a totally new dimension to competitive sailing, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle on the waters of San Francisco Bay. Nick said that it has been one of the most challenging design projects he has been involved in, ‘Essentially we’ve gone from 2D yachting, where you could assume the boat was on the surface, to three-dimensional yachting, lifting the boat out of the water, so it’s a huge level of complexity.’ He said he was pretty nervous the first time the boat lifted up on it foils above the water as he watched all the strain data coming in off the daggerboards.

With each successive America’s Cup campaign in the last two decades, the emphasis has shifted from the focus on sailing talent, to the edge that radical design changes can bring. This was particularly seen in the final outcome of the 2013 campaign with Oracle’s alleged late introduction of the Stability Augmentation System (SAS) to provide computerised aid to trim the foils.

At the time of writing, the popular feeling across the country is that we are right behind Team New Zealand to mount another challenge if conceivable. The eyes of the sailing world will be on the design team that determines what racing in the next America’s Cup will entail.

HAMISH HOOPER

Emirates Team New Zealand Videographer

Hamish graduated from the Boys’ School in 1991 and his father, John, was a foundation pupil at the School. Hamish came to notice in recent years for his role as videographer on Camper’s tough Volvo Ocean Race.

With a background in TV commercials and advertising, it was a bold move to join the crew for his first ocean race –especially one as physically and emotionally demanding as the Volvo Ocean Race that includes sailing the Southern Ocean. As the boat’s on board journalist, he was not allowed to help sail the boat but could help cook and clean for the crew. His main role was to cover the race on a daily basis

through photos, video reports, blogs and audio clips. Despite his lack of offshore experience and episodes of severe seasickness, Hamish made it round the world with the team. It was proof that he more than coped with these challenges when he was presented with the Inmarsat Media Crew Member Award for his skill and flair life as he documented life on board.

Two weeks after returning, he started his next job with Emirates Team New Zealand in the media department. There was no cameraman on board the AC72 winged catamaran during racing so his footage was filmed from another boat, although prior to racing he did take footage on board and said the experience, and especially the speed was incredible. He said there was a huge amount of stress in this role, not so much the stress of the shooting, editing, and distributing content but in helping to manage the throngs of media ‘all wanting a slice of the Emirates Team New Zealand story.’ It was also stressful to be involved with a project to which he had such an emotional attachment and he, like the rest of the crew, felt the weight of disappointment on the final day of racing.

JOE SPOONER ORACLE Team USA Grinder

Former student of both the Boys’ School and the College, Joe has been involved in sailing since a young age. One of his earliest memories is sailing Optimist dinghies off Kohimarama Beach and by the age of nine or ten he was racing competitively and has not stopped since. His mother, Robyn Spooner, was Head of Art at the Boys’ School for many years and always took an active interest in the School sailing teams.

Since 2001, Joe has often raced with the Alfa Romeo maxi program, winning the Fastnet Race three times and the Rolex Maxi Worlds in 2006. He was also with Alfa Romeo for victories in the Middle Sea Race in 2003 and 2004, and he was a reserve for New Zealand in the Finn class for the 1996 Olympic Games.

It was on his third try that Joe was part of a winning America’s Cup team, racing with BMW Oracle Racing in 2010. Previously, he had sailed with Team New Zealand in 2003 and BMW Oracle Racing in 2007.

The introduction of the wingsail, double hulled catamarans for the 2013 America’s Cup changed the role of the grinders; a role Joe mastered in a foiling AC72 gybe for Oracle Team USA. Joe trained in the gym every day which included a lot of cross fit type activities that made it similar to being on the boat. His job as grinder, some days saw him burning a total of 4,000 calories and getting his heart rate up to a maximum of 95%. He said, ‘We’re not really used to running. Sailors aren’t generally runners! In the old boats, the grinders would have their feet planted in one place. You might change from one side of the mono-hull to the other but it’s not like you’re not running around, holding on for dear life in the middle of a maneuver. It’s good fun. During the gybes, I cross the boat forward of the wingsail. It’s kind of like preparing for a turn, while standing on a flatbed truck that’s going at 50 mph on a gravel road. You know there’s going to be a corner somewhere, but you’ve got your head down and you honestly have no idea where that turn is going to be!’

GRAHAM MCKENZIE

America’s Cup Jury Member

Whilst not an Old Collegian, Graham is a former Trust Board member who retired last year after 12 loyal years of service to Saint Kentigern. He brought a wealth of business acumen to the Trust Board acquired over 30 years as barrister and solicitor. He is also a former parent whose sons attended Saint Kentigern.

Graham has long had a keen interest in sailing having sailed competitively and for leisure in New Zealand on a wide range of yachts. He has been a member of the America’s Cup arbitration panel for the 32nd, 33rd and 34th America’s Cups. The America’s Cup Jury comprises five international members with a range of experience and expertise. The Jury’s role is to resolve disputes other than those that are resolved by the Umpires on the race course. The main documents the Jury is called upon to interpret and apply are the Deed of Gift, the Protocol and the Racing Rules of Sailing – America’s Cup edition.

Following the tragic capsize of Artemis Racing and loss of life early on in this America’ Cup, Graham’s skills were called upon as part of the international jury to find common ground in the war of words that erupted over the amendments to the regatta’s rules in the interests of safety.

Youth america’s cup

BLAIR TUKE, WILL TILLER AND STEWART DODSON

As the world watched the world’s best sailors on the water in San Francisco, three of our Old Collegians were part of sailing syndicates that won first and second victories in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup regatta on the waters of San Francisco Bay.

Open to national teams of six sailors, aged 19 to 24, for the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, young, talented sailors were given a clear pathway towards competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in sport. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup opened the door for young sailors to gain the experience they need to contribute to a Cup team. Top young sailors from around the world represented 10 teams across eight nations, racing in the same high performance, wing-sailed AC45 catamarans that are used in the America’s Cup World Series.

Blair Tuke was part of Peter Burling’s NZL sailing team that took out the youth title with a 57 point total. Blair and Peter were a silver medal winning pair in the 49er class at the London Olympics.

Meanwhile, in second place and only 12 points behind after four days of competitive sailing, Will Tiller helmed Full Metal Jacket with a third Old Collegian, Stewart Dodson, as part of his crew.

Blair and Peter went on to compete and win the gold medal at the 49er FX World Championship in Marseille, France.

Dr kevin Morris

Old Collegian, Dr Kevin Morris, the Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Auckland, attended the College from 1981 to 1985. It was a time of change, he says, including the transition of Headmasters from Dr Adam MacFarlan to Mr Nigel Toy during his Year 11. In his final year as a Bruce House boarder, Kevin was appointed Head Boy. He says being around Mr Toy and other teachers in that era proved to have an enormous influence on his career—and is probably the reason he works in education today.

After graduating from Otago University, Kevin went back to the College for two years to establish himself as a teacher before travelling to work at Caterham School in Surrey, England. Then, it was his US citizenship which pulled him to another corner of the globe: a move to Boston University in 1993 to pursue a Doctorate in Education. He says being in a historical university city like Boston was just what he needed at the time. While studying, he also worked in various media corporations including five years at what became AOL Time Warner in New York. It was the mid-1990s during the internet boom; a time, he says, when nobody really knew the potential of the internet or understood what it was about. It proved to be an incredible and somewhat terrifying time to be a part of such a changing industry.

In 2001, Kevin returned to Boston and took on a role at Harvard Business School, which he describes as a steep learning curve but one which transformed his educational beliefs and expectations. He became proficient in the school’s renowned ‘case method’ teaching approach, which recounts real life business or management situations and places students in the role of decision maker, and ultimately prepares them for workplace leadership. In 2003, the University of Auckland Business School expressed an interest in developing this learning technique and he returned to his homeland with his American wife, Cynthia. He says they will always love New England and the Northeast of the U.S., but have now enjoyed a decade living in Auckland’s moderate climate with their two children, Charlotte and Matthew.

This year, Kevin left the Business School to take on his current role, which he says is a great honour and a fantastic challenge. The changes in educational technology, he says, are providing opportunities to enhance the quality of learning and the way we think about school experiences. He takes a great

Project Nepal 2014

Aservice trip to Nepal in 2014 for Old Boys, staff and parents of Saint Kentigern Boys’ School.

Service to others is one of the five core values at Saint Kentigern and is an integral part of the ethos of our community. Project Nepal 2014 is a new initiative organised by staff at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School to take a team of 16 people to serve in a rural community in Nepal for 12 days.

To be eligible for this trip, you must be either an old boy of Saint Kentigern (18 years and over), a current parent of a student attending the Boys’ School or a current staff member.

Danny Gowan

At our London reunion in July, Danny Gowan, Chairman of our Old Collegians United Kingdom branch, spoke of the importance of the foundations that his Saint Kentigern education gave him and how this made him who he is today.

Danny was a foundation student at the Boys’ School and also went to the College from 1965-1969 where he played in both the 1st XI Cricket and 1st XV Rugby teams.

For the past 30 years he has been working in London in the legal industry specialising in advising on legal disputes in the construction, civil and mechanical engineering sectors, only recently retiring in April from his position as International Senior Partner at DAC Beachcroft LLP, where he will now consult part-time.

After College life at Saint Kentigern, Danny graduated from the University of Otago with a law degree and went on to secure a position working for the Crown Solicitor in Auckland where he represented Government departments and state-owned organisations in a variety of courts and tribunals.

Following his passion for travel and his love for skiing, he spent the next three years travelling extensively in South America, the United States and in Europe and spent two winters skiing in Chamonix in the French Alps and then in Klosters in Switzerland.

Before joining DAC Beachcroft LLP (previously Davies Arnold Cooper), where he gave 30 years of service to the firm, Danny worked for Freedman & Co until 1983.

He has been included in The Lawyers ‘Hot 100’ list of the United Kingdom Legal Profession’s High Achievers and is also listed in the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession for Construction as, ‘particularly skilled in this area and possesses ‘an impressive knowledge of the field’.’ (Chambers 2008).

Danny is also a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court in New Zealand, a Solicitor of England and Wales and a Fellow of the

The trip is scheduled for the Term 1 holidays 2014 (20 April to 2 May). The project will involve teaching in a rural school and supporting key building projects for that school, as well as visiting orphanages in Kathmandu.

Among the aims of this trip are to build connections between old boys, parents and staff, to further capture the imaginations of our students, and to engage in service in the global community.

Places are strictly limited to 16 participants. If you would like more details or wish to express your interest, please contact either: Carl Lidstone (carl.lidstone@saintkentigern.com) or Rev Reuben Hardie (reuben.hardie@saintkentigern.com).

Stacey kenny

Hensthat have spent their lives in ‘battery-style’ farms look set to get a new lease of life with a design that could allow them to recover and lay eggs for many years after being retired from commercial farms.

Former student, Stacey Kenny, who has just graduated with 1st Class Honours from her industrial design course at Massey University, has come to the attention of the design world resulting in a nomination for a prestigious international award.

Stacey designed an urban sanctuary for hens called the Nest Urban Hen House during her final year of university study. Stacey’s hope is that hens earmarked for destruction after a lifetime of laying eggs on battery farms will get a good quality of life in their ‘retirement’ years rather than be destroyed. Stacey designed a rotating cage that gives the hens access to fresh grass while the light in the roosting perch can be adjusted to help the birds, which are typically light-sensitive when they are first released from commercial farms. Stacey said she was inspired to come up with this design after sharing a flat during her university years with two vegetarians and a vegan who opened her eyes to the plight of animals in our food chain. This set her on a year-long research path to design a hen coop that has the ethical treatment of the hens uppermost in the design.

Stacey’s kitset design aims to encourage first-time hen keeping and provides support to ensure keepers understand everything they need to know about the hobby and how to get the best out of it for themselves and the poultry. She identified damage to property as a key deterrent from keeping hens so designed the hen house to rotate 360 degrees. To achieve this, the house is mounted on top of a ground spike. A bearing shaft protruding from the bottom of the hen house then slides into the ground spike and rotates on a system of bearings.

Ideally, she would like to work with a hen rescue agency to relocate commercially farmed hens and then be able to provide everything from feed to vaccination supplies with a ‘one-stop’ hen house that should appeal to city dwellers. She would like to get more people interested in the plight of battery hens while encouraging families and future generations to learn about food traceability and where food comes from.

Stacey’s design has been recognised by the design world. The kitset hen house first featured at Exposure, the annual end-of year-design and art exhibition held as part of the BLOW creative arts festival at Massey University. Her design went on to be entered in the internationally recognised Red Dot Awards for Product Design which receives entries from over 50 countries. Stacey received one of the top prizes, ‘Best of the Best Award,’ a prize reserved for the best products in a category; in this instance awarded for groundbreaking design. The Red Dot competition for Design Concepts and Prototypes is held annually in Singapore. The highest award for the best of all concepts is the Red Dot Luminary which includes prize money of $5,000. Stacey is one of three in the world who has been nominated for a Luminary out of over 5000 entries. The final judging will take place at the Red Dot Museum in Singapore in late October.

The design was also featured on TVNZ’s early morning breakfast television. We look forward to hearing news from the October Award Ceremony in Singapore and wish her well.

Daniel Silvester

Ijoined the army straight after finishing 7th form and spent the first three years studying a full time Bachelor of Sport and Exercise at Massey University in Palmerston North through the Kippenberger scheme. We lived at Linton Military Camp but went to university full time and did military training in the holidays.

After those three years I did my New Zealand Army Commissioning Course in Waiouru for the entire year and then I graduated into the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers. To do my specific military officer’s training, I went to Sydney for six months to complete the Australian Army engineering course which was a massive opportunity.

On return I was posted to the Engineer Support Squadron as the Construction Troop Commander. I am in charge of about 50 people who are a mixture of military tradesmen (carpenters, plumbers, electricians). My troop focuses on military construction and construction in a combat zone but also completes civilian construction tasks to maintain their trade qualifications. Being the Troop Commander, I have the overall responsibility for the guys in my troop, and plan and manage all their construction tasks, also maintaining their core military skills and looking out for their welfare.

My career has given me amazing opportunities to travel. Earlier I was deployed to Antarctica as the construction troop commander in charge of a light engineering team of 17 personnel, who performed a range of facilities maintenance tasks at McMurdo Station over a two-month period. Jobs performed by the team included building a Bailey bridge, preparing and painting the chapel, welding work on a fuel pipeline and demolition work to allow the refurbishment of one of the dormitory blocks. It was a great opportunity for everyone in the team to work in a unique environment. McMurdo Station is huge and has around 900 personnel. It’s like working in a big mining town. The Americans were really helpful setting up the projects and gave us some good support and direction. One task, the 100-foot Bailey bridge took three days to construct and was eased out over the sea ice to a specially built ice pier. The pier was used to offload supplies for the next year from an icebreaker.

The annual supply ship offload involves Defence Force personnel working around the clock in 24-hour daylight and freezing temperatures to unload shipping containers and move cargo to McMurdo Station and Scott Base. New Zealand provides Defence Force personnel to perform these types of tasks as part of the working relationship between the Government and the United States Antarctic programme.

Other career highlights include three weeks jungle training in Brunei and I have recently returned from a month-long mission to Kiribati and the Solomon Islands to provide humanitarian aid to isolated areas by way of construction tasks to upgrade and repair schools and hospitals.

The army has provided me with a lot of skills, not just military, but also life skills. In my role as an army officer, I’ve learnt a lot about critical thought and planning processes, as well as leadership and personnel management. The job has a lot of variety and you get the opportunity to travel and make some great mates. It’s an awesome career path to take!

Steve Warren-Smith

Ileft Saint Kentigern in August 1978, just before ‘School Cert’ as my family emigrated to England. I started my 5th form again at The King’s School, Canterbury in Kent and continued with my music studies and sport as well. All these pursuits went well and I was lucky enough to gain a scholarship to Oxford University (Worcester College), studying Geography, from 1982-85. Again I kept up with sport and music as well as the academic side of things, and also joined the University Air Squadron and learnt to fly with the Royal Air Force, which opened up a new set of opportunities. Having watched aircraft from Ardmore doing aerobatics over my house in Cockle Bay, I was always fascinated by aviation, but never thought I could do it myself. Wrong!

I joined the RAF as an officer in September 1985 and went through flying training eventually qualifying as a Tornado GR1 pilot and was posted to RAF Bruggen in (West) Germany, as it was then, at the front line of the Cold War. But the world shifted and we ended up flying from Bahrain during the first Gulf War as part of Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1991.

On my return I was posted to fly the Hawk, teaching Forward Air Control to all NATO forces and left the RAF in 1994, although I stayed on in the Territorial Army (the reserves), doing the same job for another five years as part of 5 Airborne Brigade. However, my full time job was still flying as I trained as a commercial pilot and now fly 747s for British Airways, getting as far as Sydney but sadly not New Zealand. In my spare time I have become heavily involved in sailing, being Commodore of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight, now my home, the National Chairman of my class and competing in National and European events.

If I have any advice for current students it is to get involved in anything and everything that interests you. As a 15 year old, you can do and be anything, but as you get older, doors close. Keep as many of them open, do as much as you can, volunteer, get stuck in. Reading Piper shows me that Saint Kentigern offers so much to its pupils. Seize as many opportunities as possible.

Speaking of pipers, I still have my old chanter and one day may buy the whole animal when I have mastered it! I accord my thanks to John Bayfield who inspired my love of music that opened so many doors for me in my life.

cameron McMurray

The year after leaving the College in 2007, Cameron started his aviation adventure on the ground course at Ardmore Flying School, a leading training organisation recommended by a family friend to start his flying career.

The first two weeks of intense study saw Cameron pass his first set of theory exams for his Private Pilot’s Licence. Over the next 16 weeks, this intensity continued as he prepared for his commercial theory exams and his instrument rating exams. These exams allowed him to fly in a cloud using GPS and other navigation methods. Once these exams had finished, Cameron was able to take his much anticipated first flight in a Cessna 172, which he describes as an exhilarating experience. Here he was introduced to the climbing, descending, turning, speed control and the thing he says he found hardest to grasp – coordination.

After a few short months and a rigorous syllabus of learning to recover from stalling, engine failures after take-off, low flying and other lifesaving exercises, Cameron had his flight test with his chief instructor. After what he defines as the shortest hour and a half of his life, along with a total flying experience of 75 hours in the small aircraft, Cameron qualified for his Private Pilot’s Licence.

In October 2009, Cameron obtained his Commercial Licence which was a very demanding programme used to refine his flying skills up to a standard where he could be paid to fly. He also learnt additional handling exercises and was expected to know a lot more law and the essentials when it comes to planning a flight. After this he learnt to fly a twinengine aircraft and to fly solely by instruments to achieve his Multi Engine Instrument Rating in March 2010.

From there he moved on to study to be an Instructor, which involved a sound knowledge of the theory of flight and also a high standard of handling skills, attaining his CCat Instructors rating in September 2010. A week later and four days before his 20th birthday he was employed by Ardmore Flying School to teach new students to fly. Cameron’s whole journey from his first day in class until his new flight instructors role was just over two and half years.

For the next year and half, Cameron built up his flying hours in his instructing career and he also finished a series of Air Transport Pilot’s Licence Exams, which are required when becoming a Captain in an airline environment. After building just over 1,000 hours flying and 100 hours of twin-engine flying, he was accepted into Eagle which is one of three subsidiary companies of Air New Zealand that fly the Link Turboprop aircrafts Beechcraft 19000. These are the smallest link aircraft with just 19 seats.

Over the last nine months since starting with Eagle, Cameron has been sent to Canada for training and has been based in both Gisborne and Kerikeri. He is due to shortly complete his minimum hours for a command and become eligible to become a Captain, where he aims to fly the new Boeing 787 aircrafts.

kirsten Hurley

C

ongratulations to Old Collegian, Kirsten Hurley who had a last minute call up to join the New Zealand U21 Netball squad in Glasgow for the World Netball Championships.

Kirsten was called in to replace Kayla Cullen, a Silver Fern and the most experienced player in the 12-strong age-group squad. A knee injury forced Kayla out of the tournament creating an opening at short notice for Kirsten to fly out and join the eventual Gold Medal winning team whose pool play included Bermuda, Malta, Northern Ireland, and Trinidad and Tobago. The team were ecstatic to beat Australia in the final.

Kirsten was Dux Ludorum of the College in 2010 and is remembered as a highly talented, all-round sportswoman who enjoyed considerable sporting success as a student. She has continued with her passion for netball and has recently been recognised as one of the top rookies in the ANZ Netball Championship in a tough debut season with EasiYo Canterbury Tactix, marking the start of her professional career.

Edward cran

Ifinished Saint Kentigern College in 2010 and began my tertiary studies the next year at the University of Auckland. While Auckland is a great place to live, I really wanted to travel overseas and considered taking some time out of my degree to pursue this, until I learnt of the ‘Auckland Abroad’ exchange programme the University offers.

Following the selection process, I was selected for my first choice of placement, the University of Edinburgh. Having packed as many warm clothing items as physically possible into my suitcase, I set off for Europe. Edinburgh has been an awesome city to live, study and play in. I have enjoyed ceilidhs, haggis, seeing the All Blacks win at Murrayfield and even the odd whisky or two.

The opportunity to travel, intertwined with studying at one of Europe’s top universities, has been a privilege and one which I have savoured. It is an experience I whole heartedly recommend to anyone considering it and has been one of the best years of my life.

saint Kentigern College would like to thank T HE C HOCOLATE C AKE C OMPANY for their continued support of Cupcake Day for the SPCA! This year we raised $1037