Piper Issue 58 May 2016

Our Preschool turns 5 years old!

May 2016

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

Acting Principal: Mrs Judith Dobson

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: Mrs 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: Tom Meek

Secretary: James Bennett

Treasurer: Neville Lyne

Parents & Friends (SKC)

Chairperson: David Courtney

Secretary: Desirée Jenkins-Allright

Treasurer: Sandra Oliver

Parents & Friends (SKBS)

Chairperson: Simon Ward

Secretary: Amanda Wilkinson

Treasurer: Leanne Mitchell

Parents & Friends (SKGS)

Chairperson: Rebecca Gadsdon-Green

Vice Chairperson: Kim McGregor

Secretary: Stacey Colyer

Treasurer: Henry Ray Published

Contents

Trust Board

From the Chairman of the Trust Board ..5

Head of College to Retire Next Year........5

Preschool

Our Preschool Turns 5 Years Old! .............6

Sunflowers .........................................................7

From Garden to Table ...................................7

Preschool and the Beanstalk ......................7

We Want to Move It, Move It! .....................8

Peace and Calm ..............................................8

Celtic Day ..........................................................8

We Will Remember Them ............................9

Deconstruction Engineers ...........................9

Fire Fire! ..............................................................9

Girls’ School

A Very Special Place ....................................10

New Principal Commissioned .................. 11

Girls’ School Leadership Team .................12

Students on Shakespeare’s Stage! .........13

Developing a Research Process ..............14

Girls On Camp! ...............................................16

Clean Sweep at Soapbox Derby ............17

Swimming Championships ........................18

Zone Swimming Championships ...........18

House Swimming Relays ............................19

‘I See Fire!’ ......................................................19

Wriggling, Jumping Visitors! ...................20

Digging for Dinosaurs! ...............................20

Year 7 & 8 Athletics ......................................21

Zone Tennis .....................................................21

Girls’ School Parents and Friends ..........21

Boys’ School

Good to Great... Better to Best! .............22

Boys’ School Prefect Team .......................23

Celtic Day - let the games begin! ..........24

World Book Day ..........................................26

What the Pohutukawa saw........................27

Leading the Parade ......................................27

How Much Waste do You Create? .........28

Year 1 Explore Botanic Gardens .............28

Jane Kneale,

Palaeontologists in the Making ...............29

Caring for our Ocean ..................................29

Camp is Awesome! ......................................30

Cargill Wins Swimming .............................32

Zone Swimming ............................................33

House Swimming Relays ..........................33

Term 1 Sport ...................................................34

A Win for Charity .........................................34

Mothers’ Morning Tea .................................35

Boys’ School Parents and Friends .........35

Celtic Day at Boys' School 24

Preschool Potato Plot 9 New

College

Exciting Upgrades on Campus ...............36

College Student Leaders 2016 .................37

2015 External Examination Results .......38

Very Pleasing NZQA Scholarship Results! .............................................................39

Academic Colours and Honours ............39

Being a Boarder ............................................40

Bruce House Leaders..................................40

Bruce House Stayback Weekend ............41

More Mathematics Success for College Students! ..................................42

Food Truck Serves Valuable Lessons ...42

Gallery Visit inspires students .................42

A Passport to the World............................43

Where Art meets Science ........................44

The Changing Classroom ..........................46

English Door Competition ........................47

All the World’s a Stage ..............................48

‘Pop-Up’ Shakespeare ................................48

Shake the Quad ............................................49

Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival .......49

Saint Kentigern Sings as One ..................50

A Chance to Sing in New York! ...............50

Chance of a Lifetime for Pipes & Drums! ...............................................51

Challenge in the outdoors ........................52

Year 7 Students Connect at Camp ........54

Year 9 Camp...................................................55

Chalmers Win College Athletics! ..........56

Hamilton Defends Swimming Title! ........57

Tennis Boys are Auckland and National Champions!...................................58

Multisport and Open Water

Swim Champions..........................................59

Medals at Maadi! ...........................................60

Touch Girls Defend Auckland Title ........60

Auckland One Day Champions! ...............61

Greater Auckland Athletics Championships .............................................62

Back-to-back Golf Titles ............................62

Historic results for Water Polo ................63

Success for College Swimmers ...............63

College Parents and Friends ....................65

Annual Giving 2015 – Our Thanks ..........65 Look for this symbol

Old Collegians

President’s Report .......................................66

Air Vice Marshal Peter Stockwell ...........67

SKOCA Boys’ School Golf Day ................68

SKOCA 2016 Calendar................................68

Mana Vautier ..................................................69

John Beckett ..................................................70

Kirstyn Goodger ...........................................70

Duncan Wilsher .............................................70

Dr Michael Kraakman ...................................71

Tessa Meyer .....................................................71

Simon Morrow ................................................72

Iain Nealie.........................................................72

Lloyd David......................................................73

Grace Bradshaw.............................................73

Blue and Whites in the Blues!...................74

Old Collegians take on 1st XI Cricket .....74

Scholarship for Braydon Ennor................74

Old Collegians v 1st XI Hockey ..............75

Old Collegians Marry ...................................75

In Memoriam ...................................................75

College student paints mural 43

Chance of a lifetime 51

The Changing Classroom 46

Where Art meets Science 44

From the Chairman of the Trust Board

I am pleased to report that 2016 has started well. All four schools are in good heart. Both the College and the Boys’ School have their highest ever starting roll; the Girls’ School roll has remained steady during a period of transition to Ms Juliet Small as the new Principal; and the Preschool remains at capacity.

We had an exceptional ‘Open Day’ season with record numbers of families at all campuses taking the opportunity to have a look at what a Saint Kentigern education has to offer their children. The campus tours that have followed on from the Open Days have also been well attended by record numbers. We are indeed grateful to our existing community for their support of Saint Kentigern, and to prospective families for their interest in joining our community.

Early in Term 1, the hall at the Girls’ School was damaged by a fire which started as a result of an electrical fault. Saint Kentigern has comprehensive insurance cover over all of its properties and our insurers have accepted responsibility for the cost of reinstatement. The scope of work has been agreed, contractors have been appointed, and Trust Board staff are actively monitoring progress. Having said that, the hall will be out of commission for a period of time causing some disruption to the Girls’ School. While we will do everything in our power to minimise the disruption, we are grateful to the Girls’ School community for your understanding and support.

The Preschool turned five at the start of this year! For much of that time the roll has been full and the Preschool has operated at full capacity of 50 youngsters with a number of families on the waiting list. We are thankful to Mrs Sue Nash and all her staff for the high quality service that they provide. Given the high interest in places, the Board is currently investigating the possibility of establishing a new larger Preschool facility on its Shore Road site to meet the demand.

At the College, the earthworks contract to prepare the building site for the extension to the Sports Centre has now been completed. We expect that construction of these much needed additional facilities will start in the second half of this year, and be fully available for use at the start of the 2018 College year. As I write, we are looking forward to the opening of the renovated Library/Learning Commons facility to be known as The Goodfellow Centre.

Head of College to retire next year

In recent weeks, Head of College, Mr Steve Cole has indicated his intention to retire from the teaching profession at the end of the second term next year, after leading the College through significant growth and change during his tenure. Mr Cole has had a long and rewarding career in teaching, with the last 26 years as a Head at schools in both New Zealand and the UK. The Trust Board is looking forward to appropriately recognising Mr Cole’s contribution in due course but at this time, we sincerely thank him for the leadership, commitment and dedicated service he has given to Saint Kentigern over the past seven years.

Given Mr Cole’s planned retirement and the announcement late last year of the pending retirement of Mr Eric Shiels, General Manager of the Trust Board, a move to a new organisational structure has been under rigorous review by the Trust Board over the course of the last six months.

In the past decade, we have seen significant expansion at Saint Kentigern with the steady growth of student numbers at the College and Boys’ School, along with the introduction of a Girls’ School and Preschool five years ago. The Trust is currently the largest Independent Schools’ group in New Zealand and one of the largest in Australasia. Across three campuses, we now provide for 2740 students supported by more than 400 academic and administration staff, making this a significant and most successful educational enterprise.

Introducing a new organisational structure

In order to meet the needs of this continued growth, the Trust Board has concluded that this is the right time to restructure. Discussion is currently underway to create a new role, the Head of Saint Kentigern; a position responsible for providing oversight for the whole organisation and implementation of the Board’s vision for all four Saint Kentigern schools across all three campuses. This appointment will be supported by another new role, that of Chief Operating Officer.

The current positions of Head of College and General Manager of the Trust Board will be disestablished in favour of these new roles that better reflect our future needs.

Under the new structure, the current Heads of Senior and Middle Schools at the College will be renamed, Principal Middle College and Principal Senior College with their roles moving towards a full responsibility Head position. They, along with the Principals of the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, will report to the new Head of Saint Kentigern. The Trust Board recognises the need to keep close to all of its schools and, therefore, the new Head of Saint Kentigern, along with the four Principals, will all attend Trust Board meetings where they will provide their reports and plans for discussion. In restructuring at the College, the House system is also under review with the intention to increase the current four Houses to six, adding another two Heads of House at both Middle and Senior College level, therefore, greatly reducing the ratio of students to each Head of House to further strengthen our pastoral care. More information about this will follow in the next issue of Piper.

The Trust Board and Senior Leadership Team are enthusiastic about the new structure in meeting the needs of all our schools and supporting continued excellence in education at Saint Kentigern. We will continue to keep you informed of our progress as the move towards this new structure gets underway.

Fides Servanda Est

Dr Bruce Goodfellow

Chairman of Saint Kentigern Trust Board

Our Preschool Turns 5 Years Old!

Cake, sausage sizzle, ice cream, candy floss, bouncy castle – all the ingredients were there for a perfect 5 year old party out on the lawn; the one ingredient we could have done without was the rain but even that didn’t really put a damper on this special occasion!

It’s hard to believe that five years have passed since the Preschool first opened its doors for business in February 2011, extending the Saint Kentigern journey from age 3 to 18. It was a proud moment for all concerned when our foundation preschoolers donned their Saint Kentigern uniform for the first time and stepped over the threshold of the new purpose-built facility on the Girls’ School campus.

Time spent in quality preschool education is important to a child’s learning and is well evidenced when a child transitions to school; it was a natural progression for Saint Kentigern to offer families the opportunity for an early childhood education.

Now five years on, the Preschool is thriving. Registered for a daily maximum of 50 children, the roll

is full with many families keen to secure a place for their three and four year olds.

When planning a celebration, like a special party for a 5 year old, every last detail can be accounted for – except the weather! A beautiful cake was baked and decorated by parent, Mrs Anna Perry and just to be sure, a trial blow out of the candles took place inside with preschoolers and foundation pupils, Chloe McGregor and Matthew Phipps, who are now in Year 5 at the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools. That was the one and only time the candles were blown out as a steady drizzle dampened any later attempts!

Rain notwithstanding, the sausage sizzle got underway, the candy floss machine was put into action, ice creams were served, the face paint went on and parents set up their picnic blankets – all under umbrellas!

Mrs Nash gathered the preschoolers to sing Happy Birthday and then the cake was cut. Not only did it look good but it tasted great too! Our sincere thanks to Mrs Perry for preparing this special treat!

Sue Nash, Preschool Director

Preschool and the Beanstalk

The Preschool had their own version of Jack’s well-known tale when they planted bean seeds. It was wonderful to see the joy on the children’s faces when they started to sprout. Transplanted outside to the newly constructed bean teepee and totem pole, we soon witnessed how quickly beans can grow - no wonder Jack could climb up his beanstalk so quickly! The teepee was soon covered and became a great place to sit inside, read books and enjoy a quiet time during the day!

One morning some of the children noticed there were real beans on their beanstalk and the excitement was too much to contain. Picking them off and eating them became the order of the day – some children munched them –other faces told a different story! What a great garden to table experience for our youngsters – who also enjoyed them in their chicken chow mein for lunch!

From Garden to Table

Our children planted some seeded potatoes at the end of last year and have been waiting for them to grow – and yippee – they did! After the tops died away, the children set to work digging and were so excited when they could feel the potatoes in the dirt. Once washed, they cut them into pieces ready to put into a pot for cooking. Mashed with milk and butter, the true test was in the tasting and it was delicious according to the children!

Sunflowers

One of our 4-year-olds had grown a monstrous sunflower in his garden at home especially for Preschool. He brought it along to show at mat time and the children were so excited they asked to draw pictures of it at extension time. Sketching in pencil first before adding water colours made for some stunning art creations. What an awesome learning experience!

We Want to Move It, Move It!

The importance of children viewing sport and fitness as a natural part of their life starts young – and their enthusiasm can prove to be amazing!

With the sports programme renamed, ‘Little Champs,’ the children spend time each week with Harrison learning new skills - football, hockey, tennis, ball skills, team work, perseverance and lots of fun!

Our fitness programme continues each day with the children thoroughly enjoying our Jump Jam sessions with new songs and moves … the favourite is ‘We want to move it, move it’ and, wow, do the children get into the groove!

Peace and Calm

Over the past three years we have incorporated opportunities for ‘peaceful moments’ into our programme and have introduced yoga as a weekly activity. With the purchase of individual yoga mats for every child, the enthusiasm for this has been phenomenal! After learning new moves each week from the A-Z of poses from A aeroplane, B butterfly, C cobra to their favourites, Tree poses and Happy baby, the children even started taking their own impromptu yoga classes!

Mindfulness with the children is about taking time to slow down, breathe and listen to calming CDs together as a group. This is of great benefit to all the children in their busy lives.

Celtic Day

The morning of Celtic Day started bright and early, with all the boys arriving at Preschool just before 8am to catch the bus down to the Boys’ School. Dressed in tartan sashes, they marched behind the pipe band waving at everyone as they walked around the school field. The walk takes a long time, when you have little legs!

Being piped into the Sports Centre was a new experience; the drums and bagpipes are loud when you have to walk right by them! We joined in the ceremony and then had a chance to try the haggis. Some of the preschoolers loved it - others not so much!

We Will Remember Them

Our preschoolers showed a real interest in the build up to ANZAC Day, reading background stories, researching on the internet, making their own crosses and poppies as well as icing poppy biscuits that included a touching poem:

‘I have a little poppy, as red as red can be, to show that I remember those, who fought to make me free.’

Deconstruction Engineers

What better recycling than using old or broken appliances as a learning opportunity. Computer hard drives, printers, fans, iron, VCR player, stereo and a dryer were delivered to Preschool by our families. A special ‘Deconstruction Workshop’ was set up which saw the children with real screwdrivers of all sizes, pliers, hammers, spanners and scissors – all ready for action! The concentration and focus was priceless as they dismantled the electrical equipment; there was much excitement when the screws came out to reveal the mechanics inside each machine.

Fire Fire!

The 4-year-olds paid a visit to the Auckland War Memorial Museum to see the crosses in the Field of Remembrance; the children were overwhelmed by the number of crosses in the field - 1867 all adorned with a poppy and the name of a New Zealander who died during WW1. Inside the museum, they visited the ANZAC displays and discovered what the soldiers had to endure.

On return to Preschool, the children lay three crosses in our own ‘Garden of Remembrance’ and stood respectfully listening to the ‘Last Post’ before laying their own poppy on the fence around the story about the lives of the three soldiers.

All schools regularly practise fire drills so our preschoolers were ready when we had to evacuate for a REAL fire in the Girls’ School hall! A roll call was taken out in the car park to make sure everyone was safe before heading out the gate to Ranui Road – to wait with the Junior School girls.

Fire engines, ambulances and police cars were soon there to make sure everyone was safe - and the television cameras arrived too! The

police stopped the traffic on Remuera Road as we all walked across to wait at the park. When all was safe we headed back to Preschool to watch the firemen finish rolling up their hoses and cleaning up.

Amazing art work, dramatic play and mat time stories over the following weeks saw some fantastic learning about a real life experience.

A Very Special Place

Having completed my first term, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the many members of the Girls’ School and wider Saint Kentigern community. You have been generous in your welcome, unfailingly friendly and willing to help as I settle into my new role.

These first few weeks have been incredibly stimulating, busy and fulfilling as I have come to know new students, parents and colleagues, while also embracing the culture and values of Saint Kentigern. My over-riding impression has been that of a strong sense of community, both within and across the campuses, combined with a clear passion and pride in all that we do. From the girls and their parents, to the collegiality of staff, and the support from fellow principals and the Trust Board, I am encouraged by all I have seen and the many opportunities that lie ahead.

Saint Kentigern’s roots lie deep and from that first moment when I was piped into Chapel for my commissioning, I knew I had become part of a very special place.

Since my own passion for teaching was first ignited all those years ago, I have witnessed many changes and new expectations in the education sector, but there are some things that remain unchanged. Parents will always want assurance that the values which guide their efforts at home are also to be found in the school of their choice, and in choosing an independent education for their daughter, our parents have made a clear choice. I recognise that it is vitally important for our teachers and parents to work as a team to nurture the spirit, intellect and energy of our girls as we raise them to become strong, brave, resilient young women ready to take on life’s opportunities and challenges. Well-aligned, the partnership of parent and teacher has profound possibilities for a student’s well-being, selfconfidence and their ability to achieve at their highest possible level.

I value the feedback that parents bring and my door is always open for discussion.

The role of a teacher may have changed over the years but the essence of a good teacher will always remain the same.

No matter what the era or current pedagogy, it is not

so much the knowledge that a teacher brings to the classroom that is important but the ability to connect with the students and light the fire of learning that will make the difference. The key theme that has emerged from my dialogues with parents over the last term is that ‘it’s about the learning’ – the importance of engaging our girls in the learning process.

I have been particularly impressed with our girls who are articulate and clearly interested in the world around them. Currently, across all year levels and subjects, we are concentrating on ‘The Research Process’ which reflects an inquiry-based approach to create meaningful learning. We have recently created a visual to support the girls with this process in order to develop their higher-order thinking skills and already we are seeing dividends. (More information about our ‘Research Process’ can be read on page 14 of this issue of Piper.)

Along with classroom teaching and learning, a new school year brings with it a flurry of activities that encourages our girls to participate. From music groups, to sports teams, camps and House events, the opportunities to join in and support one another abounds. This year’s swimming sports will not be quickly forgotten! The logistics of organising a whole school swimming event takes careful planning – the one thing we hadn’t envisaged was a fire taking hold in the roof of the school hall at the same time! With the girls and staff moved quickly to safety, I again became aware of the very strong sense of community as parents and the Trust Board rallied to help and I thank them for their quick assistance. We look forward to the refurbished hall opening again during Term 2.

I have enjoyed and been hugely heartened by the uplifting Chapel services for the girls, led by Reverend Reuben Hardie each week. They provide a valuable spiritual dimension to the lives of our young people and serve to embody the special values that are so evident here at Saint Kentigern. Those values are clearly at the very heart of our community and the commitment we bring to each child entrusted to us.

Finally, it has been humbling to work alongside staff and Trust Board members whose dedication and commitment to our students, and whose knowledge of and feeling for Saint Kentigern, is so immense. I feel privileged to be given this opportunity to build on the Saint Kentigern legacy as we continue to develop a first-class, independent education for girls.

As I familiarise myself with the immediate Girls’ School family, I acknowledge that there is a much wider Saint Kentigern community and I look forward to the many shared activities during the year. Please do take the opportunity to introduce yourselves.

Ms Juliet Small, Principal

New Principal Commissioned

The commissioning of Principal, Ms Juliet Small, was a special event in the history of the Girls’ School.

The commissioning of a new school leader is a formal tradition at Saint Kentigern, and the process that was followed during the founding of the College remains to this day. The official party was piped into the chapel by former Girls’ School student, Faith Doherty. In making the commission, Chairman of the Trust Board, Dr Bruce Goodfellow read the same words that were used when Reverend Adam MacFarlan, the first Head of Saint Kentigern College was commissioned in 1953.

‘Ms Small, on behalf of the Saint Kentigern Trust Board, I now commit to your charge and care this School, the scholars who may from time to time be enrolled and all the staff who serve here, assuring you of the Board’s confidence in you, and support of you, to implement the objects of the Trust. May God richly bless you in this task.’

In response, Ms Small said, ‘I am delighted to take up the role of Principal of the Girls’ School and in this role it is my intention to develop programmes of learning and opportunities that will ensure that our girls are prepared for life. I am looking forward to working with Mr Peter Cassie, Principal of the Boys’ School, Mr Steve Cole, Head of Saint Kentigern College and Mrs Sue Nash, Director of the Preschool. I thank Saint Kentigern Trust Board for the faith they have put in me to lead the school and I would like to extend to staff my thanks for the warm welcome they have extended to me. You are a wonderful team of talented teachers who work so hard to provide the best learning opportunities for our students. To the students of Saint Kentigern Girls’ School, I am proud to be your Principal. I am here to support you in all you do; be it in the classroom, on the sporting field or in artistic endeavours. Take the opportunities that you are offered in our school and beyond, treat others as you would wish to be treated to be the very best that you can be.’

Head Girl, J’adore Harris-Tavita began her speech with a quote from Martin Luther King Jnr, ‘Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase. Today’s commissioning is Ms Small’s first step as our Principal – a step which symbolizes her faith in our school, students, staff members and herself. Ms Small, we warmly welcome you to our School. We are all excited by the journey we are on together and look forward to getting to know you. We have faith in you.’

In the appointment of Ms Small, the Trust Board is confident she will continue to further strengthen and grow the culture and status of the Girls’ School as an Independent, Presbyterian primary school offering a premium education for girls in Years 1-8.

Ms Small brings with her a wealth of teaching and school leadership experience. She has taught at across all age groups from new entrants to intermediate level at schools in London, Hamilton, Invercargill and Auckland. She has been a Principal for 13 years, starting at Oranga School before leading Sunnyhills School for the last nine years. In these roles, she has demonstrated her ability to articulate her vision, be a collaborative leader and resourcing strategically to ensure quality teaching and learning. She has a track record of strong student achievement results and recruiting and retaining confident, capable staff.

Girls’ School Leadership Team

One of the first chapel services of the year had a special significance with the commissioning of the student leadership team for 2016. For these Year 8 girls, and in particular Head Girl, J’adore Harris-Tavita and Deputy Head Girl, Nieve Campbell, the occasion marked the start of their time as mentors to their fellow students and ambassadors of the School.

Somervell Church was full of proud parents for the occasion as the students were commissioned into their roles. The School also welcomed the Deputy Head of College, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop, newly elected Head Girl of the College, Sydney Fraser, and Director of the Preschool, Mrs Sue Nash. Addressing the girls, Sydney said, ‘No matter how big or small your leadership role may be, grab it with both hands and put 100 per cent effort into it,’ she said. ‘A good leader is someone who people trust and tries her best in everything she does. She is someone who does things not for the badge, but for the pleasure of helping others. She is loyal, trustworthy and honest.’

HEAD GIRL - J’adore Harris-Tavita

J’adore joined Saint Kentigern Girls’ School at the beginning of 2015 and quickly became part of the school community through her involvement in a wide range of activities. She has made the most of the opportunities that have been offered to her and she has achieved at the highest level in both academics and sports. At the 2015 prizegiving, she received the First in Year 7 academic prize and was first in English, mathematics and Christian education. She was also the most promising voice student for music. J’adore is well respected by the whole school community and understands the values of Saint Kentigern and is excited about this important role she is undertaking.

Leadership Team 2016

Head Girl J’adore Harris-Tavita

Deputy Head Girl Nieve Campbell

Head of Cargill Charlotte Tse

Head of Chalmers Anastasia Mulcahy

Head of Hamilton Lisa Sandbrook

Head of Wishart Lily-Belle Sawyer

Deputy Head of Cargill Sophie Rickman

Deputy Head of Chalmers Tiffany Rodrigo

Deputy Head of Hamilton Anna McKenzie

Deputy Head of Wishart Florence Dallow

Head of Student Council Charlotte Koerber

Deputy Head of Student Council Tiffany Rodrigo

Chapel Leader Rachel Black

Deputy Chapel Leader Anna McKenzie

Sports Leader Kaya Blackler

Deputy Sports Leader Elyse Tse

Arts Leader – Music Jorja Hendricks

Arts Leader – Performance Addison Peebles

Head Librarian Karen Liao

Deputy Head Librarian Taylor Maxwell

ICT Leaders Ruby Akolo, Chelsea Baxter

Junior School Leader Anna Carr

Preschool Leaders Madison Hickin, Frankie Reid

DEPUTY HEAD GIRL - Nieve Campbell

Nieve became a Saint Kentigern girl as a Year 4 student and thoroughly demonstrated her understanding of the Saint Kentigern Way, having a brother at the Boys’ School and an older brother who attended the College. Nieve is always ready to share ideas and opinions and has a real understanding of what it means to be a good citizen and give service to others. In 2015 Nieve was awarded the Old Collegians Scholarship, having impressed the panel with her warm and confident manner. Nieve has also been the recipient of the Remuera Lions’ Citizenship Award and was acknowledged for her service to the Junior School in 2015.

Head of Cargill: Charlotte Tse

Deputy Head of Cargill: Sophie Rickman

Head of Hamilton: Lisa Sandbrook

Deputy Head of Hamilton: Anna McKenzie

Head of Chalmers: Anastasia Mulcahy

Deputy Head of Chalmers: Tiffany Rodrigo

Head of Wishart: Lily-Belle Sawyer

Deputy Head of Wishart: Florence Dallow

Students on Shakespeare’s Stage!

When studying Shakespearean drama, the historical context is almost as important as the words on the page. What was it like to go to the theatre in the 1600s?

How were the plays presented on stage?

What was the makeup of the audience? What interaction was there between the crowd and actors? For the Year 7 and 8 students from the Girls’ School, their knowledge of the setting of a Shakespeare play now comes from more than research and imagination. These students were given a first-hand taste of how Elizabethan theatre was performed on the South Bank in London in the 17th century with an acting workshop at the Pop-Up Globe!

Constructed on Greys Ave in the central city, the Pop-Up Globe is the first fullscale working replica of the second Globe Theatre that was built in 1614 and closed in 1642. Shakespeare’s Globe, which opened in London in 1997 is a replica of the original Globe Theatre, built in 1599 and destroyed by fire in 1613. Made from scaffolding and plywood, the Pop-Up Globe is a three-storey, 16-sided polygon with a double gable roof. There is capacity for 900 people, 300 of which are ‘groundlings’ who stand in the ‘yard’ in front of the stage. The rest of the audience are seated 360 degrees around the action. The seating plan gave the students an appreciation of the class hierarchy of theatre-goers from Shakespeare’s era. The best seats in the house, exclusively for the nobility, are called the Lords’ Rooms and situated directly behind the stage, while the Gentlemen’s Rooms were to the side.

The stage and seats are covered overhead while half of the pit is open to the elements, meaning the groundlings and those in the front rows of seats, as well as the actors on stage, are susceptible to the weather, as the girls discovered during their workshop!

The girls had been studying Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in their English and drama classes. The English lessons focussed on the play’s theme of disguise and how this can have comedic and tragic consequences! In drama, the girls were learning about characterisation and how this is conveyed through action, movement and delivery on stage. The workshop started with the tutors giving a detailed explanation of the Globe’s layout, and how this would have impacted on the performances. The girls then got to put this knowledge into action as they took to the stage! Because the audience is watching from every direction, and from above and below the actors, the girls learnt how the performers have to balance the stage so that they mirror each other’s movements to help convey the words they are saying. When the protagonist moves in one direction, the players have to move accordingly to spread the action and ensure it is seen and interpreted by as much of the crowd as possible.

Similarly, Shakespeare’s plays were heavily based upon the Chain of Being, starting at the top with God and finishing with the peasants and serfs. Actors expressed where characters sat in this hierarchy by their interaction with each other. To understand this, the girls were given a playing card which they held on their forehead without looking at it. The value

of the card related to their standing in the Chain of Being and they had to guess their place by the greetings and reactions of their classmates.

To underpin what they had learnt and relate it to the text they have been studying, the girls got into pairs to act scenes from ‘Twelfth Night’ using the blocking and character connection techniques they had been taught. From this world-first experience the girls came away with a greater understanding of the characters and plot of ‘Twelfth Night’ and a huge amount of confidence to put into their drama performances!

‘Performing on the stage gave me a huge thrill and made me feel like a real actor getting ready to perform. This experience was extremely memorable and I’m very thankful for the opportunity.’ – Charlotte Koerber

‘I learnt so much about what life was like back then and how the actors move on stage given they have a full circle to act for.’ – Addie Peebles

‘Mindblowing, magical and unique were some of the thoughts running through our heads as entered the Pop-up Globe. It definitely felt nerve-wracking when we took the stage but then a rush of adrenalin flows through you! It was very educational to learn about Shakespeare’s time and the structure and history of the Globe.’ - Kaya Blackler and Tiffany Rodrigo

Developing a Research Process

With the rapid increase of knowledge in the ‘information age,’ education has shifted from learning facts to knowing how to find facts. With the overwhelming amount of information now available on a subject, in particular from digital sources, the Girls’ School set about looking at ways that the girls could refine their research skills. This, along with a desire to see our students develop learning skills that set them up for success, led to the exploration of a ‘Research Process.’

After reviewing several models, our own version was drafted and trialled by our girls with feedback sought. This was subsequently developed into a visual aid which will be of great benefit as a ‘prompt’ as our students hone their research skills. The girls are certainly enthusiastic thus far!

The research process is not a linear one; the graphic has been designed in such a way as to show that each phase is connected. In the same way the phases interconnect through the learner in the graphic, a student may switch to another phase to increase their understanding.

The value in this research process is the shared language used across the school. Teachers carefully guide students through the process, with increasing responsibility being handed back to students as they progress through the year levels. Its application goes across a variety of subjects, differing in scope and duration. For example, the research process can be used in Food Technology as a mini inquiry to investigate the nutritional value of blueberries. It could also support a longer term study in Social Science about the cultural diversity of New Zealand society. The process even has relevance to everyday life, such as choosing a new car to purchase. As a staff, we feel that the culmination of the skills taught and developed through this model will be applicable in our students’ lives now and in the future, setting our students up to be successful learners.

Evaluate

Whilst evaluation happens throughout a unit, it is important to evaluate the finished product and the learning process. This is when students reflect on their learning to determine if they adequately answered the question. The product of their learning may also be evaluated. During the reflection process, additional questions may arise, resulting in further research.

Create

Create involves demonstrating understanding of and applying learning from a topic of study. It may involve producing a printed form of information such as a poster or information report. Students may also create a digital presentation, for example an iMovie, to share their understanding with others. Sometimes, a unit of inquiry may even result in social action. The create phase is also an opportunity to be creative!

Organise

Organising research notes to summarise the key ideas occurs at this phase in the research process. A range of graphic organisers are provided to support this. When note taking, students may utilise key words, direct quotes, diagrams and pictures to represent their understanding of the topic. If they do not have enough information to adequately answer the research question, the girls are prompted to return to an earlier phase.

With thanks to Year 5 teacher, Miss Rachel McClue

Define

Define is about understanding the topic, and establishing questions and key words to support the inquiry. After a guiding or overarching question has been shared as a class, girls highlight key words and develop further questions. Students may also use dictionaries and thesauruses to ensure comprehension of key vocabulary, particularly new terms. It is a bit like planning out the route on a road map before commencing a journey.

Select

Locate

At this stage in the process, students are locating sources of information to answer their questions. Information sources range from books, posters and other printed materials, to carefully selected electronic sources such as Youtube videos and websites. Sometimes humans are our best resource, and an expert is contacted!

Referring back to the questions and key words, students ‘skim and scan’ the information sources to select relevant information. This is where comprehension and critical thinking skills are vital. Students may use highlighting, either on paper or electronically, to identify the key points.

Girls On Camp!

What better way to get acquainted with your schoolmates and teachers than spending time away camping and taking part in fun and challenging activities! To start the year in the spirit of teamwork, camaraderie, confidence and determination, the Year 6 to 8 girls headed out of town and out of their comfort zone. The Year 6 classes camped at Shakespear Reserve in Whangaparaoa, while the Year 7 and 8 girls combined for a week at McLaren Falls in Tauranga. Water sports featured heavily on the programmes, with the girls getting to try their hand at surfing, paddleboarding, sailing and rafting. Combined with the daily responsibilities of looking after their campsite and helping to prepare and cook the meals, the girls developed their responsibility, initiative, motivation and cooperation.

Camp was challenging because it pushed us to think outside the box. – Anna Carr and Anna McKenzie, Year 8

Camp was unique, challenging and full of excitement! Surfing was our favourite experience because we had never tried it before and we succeeded in standing up. We made many friendships with everyone at camp. – Kaya Blackler and Taylor Maxwell, Year 8

I enjoyed rock climbing as we learnt how to belay each other and you had to have trust in your friends. – Zoe Wong, Year 6

I think camp was really great because there were lots of enjoyable activities that we really wanted to do. It taught us how to work in a team. We learnt lots of different skills such as rope tying, map reading and belaying. – Cassie Wood, Year 6

Camp was amazing! People conquered their fears and had fun. We learnt more about our friends and classmates. – Nieve Campbell and Jorja Hendricks, Year 8

Camp gave me an opportunity to get to know the Year 7 and 8 students as well as the teachers and parents. – Lisa Sandbrook, Year 8

I enjoyed camp because we got to mix with each other more and discovered things we didn’t know we could do. – Maddie Carpenter, Year 6

Clean Sweep at Soapbox Derby

The Girls’ School completely dominated the national finals of the Rotary Soapbox Derby! Soapbox racing pits young drivers against one another on a downhill track in cars powered solely by gravity. This means the pit crew, which is responsible for setting up the car and fine-tuning its performance, has just as much impact on the result as the driver, making it a true team competition!

Our racers took out all of the podium places at the nationals, with Year 7 student, Ocean Scott crowned the New Zealand champion! Madison Hickin, who is in Year 8, and Kaythi Finn (Year 7), finished in second and third respectively. A clean sweep of first, second and third has never before been achieved by the same school in the event’s 14 years. Ocean will now travel to Ohio in the United States to compete in the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships in July!

In the East Auckland regional event the week before, the Girls’ School was just as successful, with Ocean, Bridget Dennis, Kaythi and Madison in first to fourth, ahead of Boys’ School racers in fifth

and sixth. With the top six place-getters qualifying for the national final, all of the East Auckland representatives were from Saint Kentigern. The Girls’ School also won trophies for best cheer squad and most organised team.

Principal, Ms Juliet Small is justifiably proud of the girls’ achievements. ‘This is an amazing result! The students put so much time and effort into preparing the machines, practising their driving and supporting each other. To have Saint Kentigern appear alongside the best in the world in the United States will be fantastic! The hard work has definitely paid off.’

The Girls’ School is extremely grateful to the following sponsors for their support: GreensceneNZ Ltd; Bellevue Hotel, Lower Hutt; Stevenson Engineering; Isignit; and Sulco Ltd. A big thank you also to parents and staff who helped out on both days, especially chief engineer, Warren Frazer, Paul Scott for taking care of the transportation and set-up and Mike Thorpe for his invaluable input.

Soapbox Nationals Racing Team

Drivers

Ocean Scott Bridget Dennis Kaythi Finn Madison Hickin

Pit Crew

Eva Colyer

Kate Frazer

Kate Dryden

Rachel Black

Zoe White

Lily-Belle Sawyer

Anna McKenzie

Anna Carr

Sophia Hay

Cameron Paje

Victoria Tiong

Meletaufa Lolo

Chelsea Baxter

Taylor Maxwell

Swimming Championships

The 2016 Girls’ School Swimming Sports will be remembered for a long time, and not just for the exceptional swimming and sportsmanship the girls displayed. The event was scheduled to take place over two days, but the timetable had to be revised after a fire started in the school hall on the first morning. The races were postponed for a day and the girls revived the House rivalry and battle for individual titles unfazed in front of a large crowd of parents and supporters.

The Year 4-8 girls competed in a range of 100, 50 and 25m lengths and pushed each other right to the final stroke. The Junior School competitors raced up to 25m in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke and gained House points in the seahorse fun race which capped off the second day. Senior students joined them in the pool to cheer them on and help them finish.

When all of the points were tallied, Wishart House was declared overall Swimming Sports champions for the third year in a row.

Congratulations to Wishart and all of the individual Year group winners!

1st 2nd 3rd

Year 8 Florence Dallow (W) Addison Peebles (CA) Elyse Tse (CA)

Year 7 Eva Colyer (CA) Isobel Li (W)

Year 6

Bridget Dennis (W) Billie Frecker Netten (W)

Year 5 Frances Revell-Devlin (W) Hannah Piper (CH)

Kate Frazer (CA)

Grace Gilbert (W)

Darcy McDonald (CA)

Year 4 Sienna Hirst (CH) Sienna Haar (W) = Olive Rose Gofton (H) = Sahara Knottenbelt (W) = Caroline Healy (W) = Priscilla Zhong (CH)

Year 3 Ashley Cheeseman (H) Natasha Appleton-Dyer (H) = Sophie Grant (CH) = Charlotte Ray (H)

Year 2 = Chloe Chester (W) = Charlotte Albrecht (H) = Alexi Bower (W) = Brooke Rowntree (CA)

Year 1 Violet Lindsay-Smail (CH) Daniella Gillard (CA) = Olivia Lidstone (CA) = Molly Griffiths (CH)

Overall Champions

Senior Champion Florence Dallow

Junior Champion Bridget Dennis

Zone Swimming Championships

Our swimmers had a breakout year representing Saint Kentigern in zone swimming competitions. First up was the Year 5 and 6 team competing in the Remuera Zone competition at the Boys’ School.

Hannah Piper won gold in the Year 5 25m backstroke and Frances Revell-Devlin took home two medals – silver in the Year 5 25m freestyle and bronze in the Year 5 25m breaststroke. The Year 5 4x25m freestyle relay team also placed third.

These results saw the team place third overall amongst the girl competitors, the first time the Girls’ School has stood on the podium. Awesome result girls!

There were more great performances at the Year 7 and 8 South Eastern Zone finals. The Year 7 relay team, featuring Girls’ School students Eva Colyer and Kate Frazer, won gold! This qualified the team to represent the South Eastern Zone at the Inter-Zone finals, where they won bronze! Congratulations to all the swimmers for their superb efforts at the representative events!

HOUSE SWIMMING

1ST WISHART

2ND CARGILL

3RD CHALMERS

4TH HAMILTON

House Swimming Relays

Hot on the heels of the Swimming Finals each year are the House Swimming Relays. Students from Girls’ and Boys’ Schools combine for the much anticipated, fun afternoon of racing. This event has a definite party atmosphere, with supporters lining the bank of the Boys’ School pool and House chants echoing around the amphitheatre. Not even the morning’s drizzle could dampen the festivities! Almost as important as the action in the water was the dance competition, featuring students, teachers and parents!

When the points were added up, Cargill were on top of the leaderboard. Congratulations to all the swimmers, dancers and supporters!

‘I See Fire!’

HOUSE RELAYS

1ST CARGILL

2ND CHALMERS

3RD WISHART

4TH HAMILTON

Amidst all of the smoking hot action in the pool during Swimming Sports, another fiery incident was taking place! A few races into the programme, a fire broke out in the roof of the school hall! Flames and smoke could be seen on top of the building, unfortunately bringing an end to the competition. Our emergency procedures were swiftly implemented, with the girls at the pool evacuated to the tennis courts and the Junior School students and Preschoolers moved to Wairua Reserve across Remuera Rd. A number of fire trucks were quickly on the scene and brought the blaze under control. The firefighters reassured us that our emergency measures, which are practised regularly throughout the year, worked effectively. The cause of the fire is thought to be an electrical fault, with the hall out of action until Term 2. We would like to thank the many parents on site at the time who helped out in many ways, and the students for their exemplary behaviour throughout.

Wriggling, Jumping Visitors!

The Junior School was a hive of activity during a visit from some ‘creepy-crawly’ creatures that brought the girls’ learning to life! As part of their study of insects and life cycles, regular guest and parent, Ms Rachel Heeney imparted her expertise in all things living to the Year 0-3 students. Ms Heeney is a secondary school biology teacher who loves to share her passion for science. In class, the girls had been looking into all the different living things that make up the natural world and the ways in which they are grouped. Insects had been researched to learn about the life cycle and how the appearance of some species change over the different phases of its life. The girls had also learned that insects are able to be identified and categorised by their anatomy – three body parts and six legs. During Ms Heeney’s visit, she showed the girls pictures of some weird insects with even weirder names!

Then came the fun part, if you can bear strange bugs! Accompanying Ms Heeney were some live specimens, including meal worms, maggots and locusts which the girls took turns to hold and observe under the microscope! There was a lot of excitement and courage as the creatures wriggled and hopped around the classrooms. The girls had also learnt that a habitat is where a creature lives and gets all the things it needs to survive. After having worms crawling in their palms and locusts jumping on their desks, the students were

ready to return them to their natural environment!

The insect experience extended the girls’ knowledge of the nature of science and the living world. They learnt that scientists ask questions about the world around us, such as how to group the creatures that coexist the planet. Through exploration and play, their personal explanations of the things they saw were developed and refined. They built upon their grasp of the language and processes of science, such as observation, identification and habitat. In studying life cycles, the students are now able to recognise that all living things have certain requirements so that they can stay alive, that living things are suited to their particular environment, and appreciate that there are lots of different living things in the world and that they can be grouped in various ways.

During their time in the Junior School, the girls will also increase their scientific comprehension through units that look at planet Earth and beyond, the physical world and phenomena such as movement, heat, electricity, light and sound, and the material world and the chemical changes that occur when materials are mixed, heated and cooled. Exposing our youngest students to the hands-on work and basic processes involved in science ensures they are ready and keen to tackle the more complex topics and experiments they will encounter later in their education.

Digging for Dinosaurs!

Discovery is the ultimate goal and at the heart of every scientific undertaking. Can an atom be split? What causes gravity? How did life on Earth develop? What is the relationship between speed, time and distance? One of the most innate, historic and accessible processes of discovery is palaeontology – the search for and study of fossils of creatures that roamed the Earth thousands of years ago. The Year 5 and 6 classes discovered for themselves what palaeontologists do and what palaeontology has uncovered to reveal the Earth’s history. A ‘site of scientific interest’ was located in the school sandpit and the students charged with taking part in the ‘dinosaur dig’ to look for evidence. The girls familiarised themselves with the tools required to extract fossils, the methodical process of digging for and cleaning samples, then grouped and fitted them together.

Back in the classroom, the junior palaeontologists discovered the other side of the discipline – applying what they have found to know more about the Earth’s past. They investigated one species of dinosaur, the era it lived in, and its features, habitat, behaviour and food. The combination of field work and research definitely piqued the girls’ desire to make more discoveries in the future!

girls' school

Year 7 & 8 Athletics

The Year 7 & 8 girls ran, threw and jumped alongside the students from the College to decide the athletics champions for 2016. The two days of competition saw the girls contesting all but the sprint events, before returning for the 100m and relay races. While the number of competitors was increased as they lined up against their College counterparts, so was the level of support they received from the House members and fellow students. The conditions were ideal on both days, ensuring dry running tracks and firm jumping platforms. Congratulations to all the girls for their efforts representing the Girls’ School and to our Year level podium winners!

Athletics Champions 2016

Year 8

1st Florence Dallow WI

2nd = Kaya Blackler HA

2nd = Elyse Tse CA

Year 7

1st Khayne’-Lii Munro-Nonoa CH

2nd Ocean Scott HA

3rd Grace Paul CA

Zone Tennis

Congratulations to twin sisters, Elyse and Charlotte Tse who finished first and third respectively in the Year 8 South Eastern Zone tennis championships! Well done, girls!

Girls’ School Parents and Friends

The 2016 school year has seen the Girls’ School officially welcome our new Principal, Ms Juliet Small. The Parents and Friends were delighted to host a special Meet the Principal function in February which saw a large turnout of parents, caregivers, teachers and Saint Kentigern Board Members in attendance. Everyone present at this event, and those who have meet Ms Small since, will no doubt have been very impressed with how well Juliet has settled into the Saint Kentigern environment in such a very short time.

Our 2016 Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Parents and Friends Committee has now

been finalised following the Annual General Meeting and we once again have a mix of new and returning members. Stacy Colyer (Secretary) is being joined on the committee by Henry Ray who assumes the Treasurer role from William Black who has provided us with six fantastic years of service. We are also delighted to have Kim McGregor as our new Deputy Chairperson along with our Parent Liaison, Michele Parent. Fellow committee members now include Allyson Gofton, Dee Wakelin, Gretchen Weightman, Kaila Pettigrove, Matthew Gillard, Melanie Lamb, Melissa Burnett, Rebecca Scoones and Vicki Williams.

It has been wonderful to see all the returning families to school along with the many new families who have also joined us. In particular it has been so very special to see our junior girls enjoying their new playground which is looking magnificent. This new addition to our school is such a wonderful asset and was the result of some fantastic fundraising efforts in 2015.

Term 1 has seen some glorious weather but unfortunately one of the worst days fell on the morning of our Annual School Picnic. The torrential rain that fell on this day meant that we had to cancel the event to everyone’s disappointment. As we approach Term 2, we have a number of fabulous events to look forward to which includes a ‘Hall Restoration’ celebration, the Mother Daughter High Tea and School Disco which are all highly anticipated events.

On behalf of the Parents and Friends Committee we would like to thank all the volunteers who have already helped out during Term 1 and we look forward to working with many of you over the coming year.

Rebecca Gadsdon-Green, Chairperson

Good to Great... Better to Best!

It continues to amaze me how quickly the school terms seem to fly by, however, when you see what gets packed into each week, you can begin to appreciate just how busy the school environment can be. We go from one activity or event to the next, all of which are important in the development and opportunities provided for our boys.

Term 1 quickly sees routines established for 23% of the population new to the school while the other 77% sees boys adjusting to their new year levels, and in some cases, changes to their Syndicate where expectations are firmly established right from the outset.

EOTC experiences for all boys from Year 4 – 8 are enjoyed by all, as are the inter-school fixtures, school swimming sports, class trips, and of course Celtic Day, while not forgetting the inspirational maths, English, science or social science lessons occurring on a daily basis.

The key message we provide our boys at the start of the year is to keep focusing on going from good to great and better to best. In everything we ask of the boys, quality is the key driver. ‘Quality’ in all their work by eliminating mediocrity, ‘Quality’ in their efforts ensuring they give of their best and ‘Quality’ in their relationships, as this is what makes the difference in how they are perceived by their peers.

With two classes at each level from Years 1 – 5, three classes at Year 6, and five classes at Years 7 and 8, teaching and learning space is at a premium. Our plans for the Learning Commons to be developed in Roselle House is adding much anticipated excitement as it will provide a collaborative learning space that will be enjoyed by all boys. We have reached the half-way stage of our fundraising target of 2 million dollars and will be working hard during Term 2 to turn the dream into a reality.

While we are focused on the new school year and the exciting plans that lie ahead, we have also seen an unprecedented stream of interest and applications for 2017 enrolments. As we stand at the moment, there are limited places available in certain year levels with waiting lists established in the remainder.

During the interview process it is of interest to me to find out why families are applying to enrol their sons at Saint Kentigern. What follows are the top 5 responses…

1. Friends already have their sons here and they see the difference.

2. After attending the Open Day and experiencing the culture evident, seeing the boys in action and speaking with teachers, they want to be a part of a great community.

3. Tours undertaken by our senior students leave them amazed at the genuine pride and confidence displayed by the boys.

4. They want a school that

a. Lives the values they talk about

b. Understands boys

c. Isn’t ‘PC’

d. Has high expectations

e. Offers a holistic education – academic, cultural, sport, service and leadership

f. Understands that mistakes are an important part of the learning process…and that we all make them

5. They want their son to be….

a. Challenged

b. Confident

c. Articulate

d. Not arrogant

e. Prepared for Secondary School

As I head into my fourth year as Principal at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School, I am delighted with where we are at and excited about where we are going. I believe our boys are responding to an environment that has them at the heart of any decisions or changes we have made, or will make, to their programmes and opportunities provided.

We must continue to challenge their thinking, encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and develop a resilience that will enable them to find solutions rather than see problems.

Mr Peter Cassie, Principal

Boys’ School Prefect Team

On the first day of the new school year, the 2016 Boys’ School prefects were commissioned at a special service attended by their parents and invited guests. For the parents of the newly elected Head Boy, Issac Mellis-Glynn and Deputy Head Boy, Jack Sandelin, this was a particularly proud day. These fine, young men are both well known for their outstanding public speaking skills and have the capability to lead the School with distinction.

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie welcomed former Boy’s School Senior Dean and current Head of IT at the College, Mr Carl Lidstone, who introduced this year’s College Head Boy, Edward Barry. Edward is a former Boys’ School student who has gone on to prove his leadership skills. Edward spoke to the boys with great confidence telling them that leadership at

HEAD BOY - Isaac Mellis Glynn

Isaac is in his eighth year at the Boys’ School and is a reliable, thoughtful and well-rounded student who has excelled in all areas of school life. His academic results show a young man who is selfmotivated to learn and willing to put in the extra effort required to gain the best results. At the end of Year 7, he received an Academic Excellence Award, the Christian Education Award and was first in Social Science. During the course of last year, he gained Distinction in ICAS English, Mathematics and Digital Technologies and a High Distinction in ALC French. He is a member of the Kapa Haka group and represents the School in both rugby and tennis. He excels at public speaking and was called on to deliver an impassioned speech at last year’s dawn ANZAC Service. Issac’s positive mind set and selfless attitude make him an idea role model for our students and well-deserving of this important leadership role.

Saint Kentigern has service at its heart. ‘The best leaders do not give orders but advice, they do not declare opinions but ask others theirs, they would ask anyone to do something they would not do themselves and, above all, they set an example for how others should behave.’

Mr Cassie came forward to challenge both Isaac and Jack with the Prefect Pledge: ‘Gentlemen, do you promise to uphold the values and standards of Saint Kentigern School and to serve its students, teachers and parents to the best of your ability and for the glory of God?’ The boys signed the Prefect Ledger, first started in 1995, then introduced the rest of their prefect team to the School, as they in turn accepted the duties of leadership.

DEPUTY HEAD BOY - Jack Sandelin

Jack is also in his eighth year at the Boys’ School and demonstrates many positive qualities, including a drive to succeed. Throughout his time at the School, he has maintained a balance between academic, sporting and cultural activities, and has represented the School in many events. At the end of Year 7, he was awarded the Year 7 French Language prize and during the year gained a High Distinction in ICAS English and won first place in the Auckland Region Junior French Speech competition. He is a member of the Kapa Haka group and Performers’ Choir and plays both cricket and rugby. Jack is a natural leader who will enjoy the responsibilities on offer in 2016.

Head of Cargill: Joe Duncan

Deputy Head of Cargill: William McLachlan

Head of Hamilton: Jude Beullens

Deputy Head of Hamilton: Vinay Chichester

Prefect Team

Head of Chalmers: Thomas King

Deputy Head of Chalmers: Jordan Leighton

Head of Wishart: Kaea Rangihaeta

Deputy Head of Wishart: Charles Wilkes

Head Boy: Isaac Mellis-Glynn

Deputy Head Boy: Jack Sandelin

Chapel: James Christie

Academic: Akash Mudaliar

Cultural: Benjamin Ross Sport: Bradley McCarthy Cargill: Joe Duncan

William McLachlan

Chalmers: Thomas King

Jordan Leighton

Hamilton: Jude Beullens

Vinay Chichester

Wishart: Kaea Rangihaeta

Charles Wilkes

Celtic Day Let the games begin!

The most anticipated date on the Boys’ School calendar each year is, without doubt, Celtic Day; a day to put school work aside and celebrate our Scottish heritage, the Saint Kentigern way! Expectations were definitely high as the clans gathered on the field, the older boys taking their younger buddies securely under their wings ready for a day that mixes tradition with fun and games!

There is an old Scottish saying, ‘There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!’- so it was apt that the morning dawned with weather fit for the Highlands – cloudy and grey with rain on the horizon. The boys, however, were dressed appropriately, clad in tartan and sporting face paint that William Wallace would have been proud of!

The day opened with the Kapa Haka group laying down the challenge on the top field, a slight deviation from the Scottish theme but one that ‘Brave Heart’ would definitely have given his approval to!

No Saint Kentigern event would be complete without the sounds of the Pipes and Drums! The Boys’ School Band has made great strides in the last year and were proud to join with the College Band to lead the procession of clans around the field and into the Sports Centre.

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie addressed the school, parents and invited guests saying that he approaches Celtic Day with both excitement and trepidation, knowing he will be taking part in the Battle of Roselle – and that the boys will show no mercy with their wet sponges!

For 10 years, parent and expatriate Scot, Mr Euan Allan has graced us with his knowledge of all things Scottish – giving the boys a taste of an authentic Scottish accent. Mr Allan is also responsible for coaching the Head Boy to recite Robbie Burns’ ‘Address to the Haggis’ in Gaelic no less! This year, it was Issac Mellis-Glynn’s turn to get his tongue around the fiendishly difficult language and he did a superb job with loud applause from his peers!

In support of Isaac’s efforts, Mr Allan paid further tribute to Robbie Burns by reciting another of his poems, ‘A man’s a man for awe that.’ In it, Burns expresses his belief that all men are equal and that it is not wealth, privilege or possessions that matter but how we actually live our lives that is important.

For his 10 years of service to Celtic Day and superb tutelage of the Head Boys, Mr Cassie presented Mr Allan with the Gold, Silver and Bronze Service Award, the first parent to receive this recognition. We thank Euan immensely for the hard work, wisdom and authenticity he has provided to a decade of Celtic Days!

While the official ceremony is the most traditional part of Celtic Day, the anticipation on the boys’ faces suggested the real fun was about to start. But first, a taste of haggis! This was well received by some, others were definitely not so keen on the warm sheep’s entrails! Then, ‘Let the games begin!’ Fun was to be had from cooking porridge to Highland dancing, arts and crafts, and learning about pulleys and the forces in weaponry. Without doubt though, the highlight was the Castle Siege on Roselle Lawn. In scenes reminiscent of ‘Brave Heart’ with wet sponges and buckets in place of arrows and quivers, the boys and a few game parents summoned their inner Celtic warrior in attempting to capture the other team’s cardboard castle!

Such a fantastic day would not be possible without the awesome help of the Parents and Friends Association. Thank you to all of those who mucked in with the many tasks required, from cooking and serving the haggis to leading the charge in the war games!

World Book Day

Harry Potter sat alongside the Three Musketeers and Tintin teamed up with a storm trooper out of Star Wars! Each of the boys came dressed as their favourite book character, using items of clothing from home. There was plenty of creativity on display, with props, face paint, hair colour and other accessories used to fully bring the books to life. While last year’s character of choice was Captain Underpants, this year’s stormy weather meant a warmer costume was definitely necessary!

World Book Day is held annually in March to celebrate and promote authors, illustrators and the pleasure of reading. Encouraging children to develop the habit of reading is vitally important, and the visceral memory of the stories they read when they are young will stay with them forever. Who hasn’t gone to re-read Roald Dahl, Dr Seuss or Hairy Maclary when they are older and been transported back to their childhood? We are fortunate in New Zealand to have easy access to reading material, and especially at the Saint Kentigern campuses with libraries full to the gunwales of the latest young adult fiction and non-fiction titles. World Book Day helps to remind us of that privilege and make the most of it.

The staff had also dressed up as their favourite book character. Principal, Mr Peter Cassie did a very impressive impersonation of Willy Wonka, complete with a couple of ‘oompa loompas’ in tow, as he read

from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Head Boy, Isaac Mellis-Glynn and student librarian, Kevin He also performed readings before academic prefect, Akash Mudaliar spoke about how reading enhances imagination.

‘When we enter the world of books, we become lost in the journey of the characters, and emerge at the end, changed in some way. A book transports us into a magical world, which does not require a magic wand or spell.’

The day’s classwork was also dedicated to books and reading. The boys took part in workshops such as character profiling, book reviews and story planning. We were pleased to once again welcome regular Saint Kentigern guest, Stu Duval, who is a prolific author and illustrator of children’s books. Mr Duval visited the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools to give a demonstration of his talents with a story and drawing tailored to the boys’ learning levels.

The day’s theme was continued in the afternoon when, in the same game style as Mathex, the Year 7 and 8 boys took part in the inaugural inter-house literature quiz, also known as the Battle of the Books! There was a nervous tension in the Sports Centre as the boys racked their brains and trawled their memories to find the answers. Cargill proved to have the greatest knowledge – and speediest feet - to become the first literature quiz champions!

What the Pohutukawa saw

For the last three years, the boys in Year 5 have made their way to the little-known Karaka Bay on Glendowie’s waterfront; a quiet stretch of beach that marks the spot where the Ngati Paoa tribe signed the Treaty in the months following the Waitangi signing. Leading up to the trip, the boys had write and prepare a short play to perform on the beach to stage a re-enact the Treaty signing. The signing takes place under an enormous pohutukawa tree. This year, the boys were asked the question, ‘What did the Pohutukawa see?’

Here is Year 5 student, Bob Foy’s interpretation:

What the Pohutukawa saw

Bob Foy, Year 5

In complete silence, the British sailing ships arrived and the crew set up a big green canvas tent on the beach. I had no idea what was in the tent. Later I heard a familiar chant, seventeen wakas appeared from around the cliff that ends the small bay. The Maori landed their crafts and heaved them up onto the beach. One of the British men who looked very important greeted two of the chiefs. ‘Hello, I am Captain Hobson.’

One of the chiefs replied, ‘I am Tamati Waka Nene and this is Hone Heke.’ Tamati Waka Nene pointed to Hone Heke. ‘This is good’, he said. ‘Greetings Hobson, we are with you.’

When all seventeen chiefs arrived a massive debate about signing the Treaty started.

‘The Maori people don’t want a governor’ one chief said. ‘All land will be returned,’ Hobson said. One chief said ‘You won’t return the land, you’re a liar!’ Hone Heke said ‘Governor, stay, be our father, protect us.’

All the chiefs finally made a decision. One by one each chief signed and then Hobson shook hands with the chiefs and said ‘He iwi tahi tatou’ (we are now one people). Then the Maori left the small bay but the British stayed to take down the canvas tent and later sailed away.

Leading the Parade

On a day when thousands of Kiwis paid their respects at remembrance services across the country, it was a very proud moment for Boys’ School student, David Allan and his family when David led the St Heliers Anzac Day parade on the bagpipes.

David has been learning the bagpipes for a number of years and was one of the earliest members when the Boys’ School Pipes and

ten years.

Drums were first formed. David’s father, Euan has been the guest speaker at our Celtic Day for the last

David Allan played the lament during the wreath laying and led the recession of the colour. Well done David!

How Much Waste do You Create?

If, like the boys in Year 4, we were took the opportunity to visit ‘the dump,’ more correctly termed a ‘transfer station,’ we would probably be appalled at just how much waste we generate and the efforts required to keep the mountains of garbage under control.

The Waitakere Transfer Station is an annual trip for boys in Year 4. With hard hats on, there is definitely plenty of ‘boy appeal’ as they tour the station keeping an eye out for all the heavy duty vehicles used to move the waste. Inquiring into ‘Where our rubbish ends up and what happens to our waste products,’

the boys were shown the process behind recycling and rubbish disposal, and what we can do to decrease our carbon footprint.

The boys learnt that about half of the rubbish we throw away is food scraps that, with a little effort, could be turned into reusable compost, which not only plays its part in a sustainable process but also serves to reduce the amount of methane gas created at landfills and, therefore, help to counter climate change. The boys enjoyed picking up magnifying glasses and turning detective, looking through compost from a worm farm to see what they could spot.

Seeing first hand just how much Aucklanders dispose of, and the hard work and infrastructure needed to keep the city clean, gave the boys a true understanding of the scale of the issue, not just here at home but worldwide. They have become more aware of the world’s pollution caused by methane and carbon dioxide and went home with the mission to convince others to think about how much waste they generate and what they can do to reduce their own footprint. What will you do?

Year 1 Explore Botanic Gardens

In a world full of rush surrounded by things ‘technological,’ there is a danger in our young, forgetting, or in some cases, never having known, the source of traditional food crops and the part that nature plays in ensuring we can eat! As understanding grows about the impact that the human race is having on the world, there is a need for our youth to gain awareness about the part they play in caring for the environment to ensure a sustainable food source for the future.

Our Year 1 boys were ‘inquiring’ into ‘Sharing the Planet’ with the central idea that ‘plants are a life sustaining force for us and other living things.’ Their lines of inquiry were based around what plants provide, the structure of a plant and caring for plant life.

To help seek answers to their many questions, they enjoyed a visit to the classroom at the Botanic Gardens in Manurewa. The boys took part in a programme called 'Flower Power’ which was based on the life cycle of plants and pollination. To help their understanding, they dressed up as pollen laden flowers to illustrate the role that bees play in fertilising plants. They also helped to plant some seeds, understanding that they were playing a role in sustaining the future of healthy plants for the Gardens.

Following their lunch, the boys enjoyed time to explore the many paths. The Auckland Botanic Gardens are home to over 10,000 plants from around the world so there is always something in bloom.

Palaeontologists in the Making

Dinosaurs hold an abiding interest for young boys. Whether it’s their sheer size, their perceived ferociousness, their tongue-twisting names or their place in history, mention dinosaurs and boys will often deliver a string of facts in return!

Ever since the first dinosaur fossil was identified almost 200 years ago, people have wondered how these fascinating animals lived, moved and behaved. In those early days, dinosaur hunters only had a keen eye and shovels to work with; all that was known of the great dinosaurs was the shape of their bones and the names assigned to them, the rest was largely guesswork. Today, scientists rely on everything from satellite technology to scanning electron microscopes; they have the means to probe the way these creatures moved and ate, lived and died. There is much to be learned from fossils!

The Year 3 boys set off to Auckland War Memorial Museum with a keen interest to expand their current knowledge of dinosaurs and fossils, and to learn about the role of a palaeontologist. The Weird & Wonderful Discovery Centre is a fantastic place to ignite and satisfy curiosity, encouraging young visitors to handle the collection and interactive devices. The Museum Educators guided the boys to take on the role of a palaeontologist to discover and learn about the various dinosaurs and their identifying characteristics, uncovering the differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

The boys also learned about Joan Wiffen, the amateur palaeontologist who helped to discover that, contrary to belief at the time, dinosaurs once lived in New Zealand. A remarkable woman known for her tenacity, she found her first dinosaur fossil at Mangahouanga, Hawkes Bay in 1975. She knew the bone was unusual and of a land-dwelling creature, but it was several years before it was identified as belonging to a theropod dinosaur. Today, the former presence of dinosaurs on New Zealand’s landmass is unarguable because of Joan’s work. She and her colleagues have found fossil bones of at least three kinds of carnivorous dinosaur, three kinds of herbivorous dinosaur and one kind of flying reptile. That is quite apart from some fine examples of marine reptile fossils and some rare and unique examples of other marine species.

At the conclusion of the morning, the Museum Educators told the boys that part of the role of a palaeontologist is to share their findings. The boys returned to school brimming with newfound knowledge about the process of fossilisation, particularly in the way it relates to dinosaurs. And yes, the handling of dinosaur ‘droppings’ was high on the list of facts to share!

Caring for our Ocean

Each year our Year 2 boys pay a visit to Long Bay Beach for a hands-on experience of ocean habitats, the creatures in them and our responsibility to care for these environments. Each year a new group of boys return to school with a greater understanding of how vital the oceans are to the world’s ecosystems.

The visits begin with a classroom session where the boys learn about how precarious life can be if you are a small creature who lives in a rock pool! Down in the tidal zone, they searched carefully to find evidence of living creatures, checking their classification. To their delight, evidence was abundant and the boys became deeply absorbed in identifying and examining the creatures. In accordance with their inquiry procedures, the creatures were returned to their habitat to continue to grow.

Camp is Awesome!

Ask any one of our boys from Year 4 to Year 8 what he thought of camp this year and his response is almost guaranteed to be effusive – an awesome experience! And this is despite the very mixed bag of weather each of the year groups experienced from blazing sunshine to a visit from Cyclone Winston, bringing an early end to the Year 7 camp!

This year, the boys in Year 4 headed to Peter Snell Youth Village in Whangaparaoa; Year 5 enjoyed camp at MERC (Marine Education and Recreation Centre) situated at Long Bay; Year 6 camped at Kaueranga Valley; and both Year 7 and Year 8 made the most of McLaren Falls Park outside Tauranga.

During their time away, the boys enjoyed an assortment of activities designed to challenge and create a sense of achievement. Each has a water component teaching new skills but whether sailing, kayaking, surfing or sailboarding, the emphasis is on understanding safety

around water and the need to be prepared. On dry land, there was a multitude of challenges to conquer from the fear of heights to the ‘challenge’ of keeping their bunkrooms tidy and giving a hand around meal times!

A highlight of the Year 8 camp was their service component, offering assistance at Cedar Manor Rest Home. The boys helped out by setting up for and serving meals, delivering cups of tea and biscuits, entertaining with singing or musical interludes, and sitting to read or talk to the residents.

No matter what the age group or the location of the camp, all Boys’ School camps aim to offer new experiences, develop independence, discover self-confidence and help the boys find success in the face of new challenge. The boys returned to school at the end of the week brimming with excitement and totally exhausted!

Peter Snell Youth Village, Whangaparaoa

Year 4:

MERC (Marine Education and Recreation Centre), Long Bay Year 5: boys'

Year

Year

Year

Kaueranga Valley

McLaren Falls Park, Tauranga

6:

7:

McLaren Falls Park, Tauranga

8: boys'

Cargill Wins Swimming

‘Would the Year 2 noodle boys please line up!’

Anyone passing the School gates, who heard this call over the loud speaker earlier in the year may have wondered at the source of such a request! Those in the know understand that it must be Swimming Sports for our youngest competitors!

The Senior, Middle and Junior School swimming events were a superb culmination to a summer of swimming. Held on separate days, each was testament to the terrific job undertaken by our PE staff in developing our boys’ swimming skills. For Years 4 to 8, there is a familiarity about the event. Whilst it is no less nerve wracking for our older boys to line up on the starting blocks, they can take comfort in the knowledge that when they dive in, they know what is expected of them and they have honed the skill to finish the race.

Our Junior School swimmers have very well developed water competency as swimming lessons and water safety are a regular feature of their weekly timetable, allowing even the least sure to develop self-confidence in the pool. By the time the Junior Swimming event takes place, all our Junior boys have the ability to undertake a length of the pool, albeit, for some of them, with the aid of a flotation

SWIMMING CHAMPIONS 2016

Year 2 Champions

1st Toby McFarlane CA

2nd = Spencer Wharfe CH

2nd = William McLeod CA

2nd = Toby Wigglesworth CA

Year 3 Champions

1st Max Trankels HA

2nd Edward MacCulloch CH

3rd Archer Kersey CH

Year 4 Champions

1st James Hiddleston HA

2nd James Knottenbelt WI

3rd = Jaden Renault Pollard CA

3rd = Lachlan Hay CA

Year 5 Champions

1st = Sam McLeod CA

1st = Ethan Knox CA

3rd Dominic Holmes WI

Year 6 Champions

1st Marco Lazzaro HA

2nd Patrick Healy WI

3rd Austin McKegg CH

Year 7 Champions

1st Oliver Avis WI

2nd Alexander Dennis WI

3rd Jack Mitchell WI

Year 8 Champions

1st Jourdan Klink CA

2nd Jack George CA

3rd Samuel Don CH

device such as a flutter board or noodle. But on the day, nerves sometimes take the upper hand and that’s where our Senior School boys are ready to step in – well jump in actually! It’s heartening to see the Year 8 students giving one-on-one support to the juniors in the water, offering words of encouragement and a little physical support if required. Nerves are soon set aside and the junior legs kick even harder! Special mention must be made of this year’s record breakers:

Jourdan Klink had an unprecedented day in the pool, breaking five Year 8 records! He set new times in the 25m freestyle, 25m backstroke, 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle.

Jack Mitchell broke the Year 7 25m breaststroke mark. Well done boys!

Jourdan Klink

Zone Swimming

House Swimming Relays

To complete the week of swimming events each year is the highly anticipated House relays, when the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools come together for an afternoon of relay racing and friendly House rivalry. After rain threatened in the morning, the weather eventually played its part and by the end of racing, the sun had popped through the clouds.

This event always draws a fantastic crowd of supporters along to the Boys’ School. Families gathered on the banks along with the students to cheer on the teams

As the races got underway, cheers and House chants rang out clear across Auckland. Interspersed with the races were House points to be won for the best dance moves - and the parents weren’t shy about joining in!

Once the combined points were tallied, Cargill came in first. Well done to all participants who put in their best effort on the day!

Following on from our own events, the top swimmers went on to represent Saint Kentigern at Zone Championships with great results!

The Year 5 and 6 boys competed in the Remuera Zone event hosted at the Boys’ School and came away with eight medals, including six gold. The team was first in the boys’ competition and second overall. The Year 7 and 8 representatives took part in the Eastern Zone competition and won an amazing haul of 14 medals. From those results, four boys

REMUERA ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year 5 Boys 25m Freestyle 1st: Sam McLeod

Year 5 Boys 25m Backstroke 3rd: Sam McLeod

Year 5 Boys 25m Breaststroke 1st: Charles Adams

Year 6 Boys 25m Breaststroke 3rd: Ashe Renault Pollard

Year 5 Boys 50m Freestyle 1st: Sam McLeod

EASTERN ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year 8 4x50m Freestyle Relay 1st: SKBS

Year 7 4x50m Freestyle Relay 2nd: SKBS

Open 4x50m Medley Relay 2nd: SKBS

Open 100m Freestyle 1st: Jourdan Klink

Senior Boys 50m Butterfly 3rd: Sam Don

INTER-ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS

100m Freestyle 1st: Jourdan Klink

50m Freestyle 2nd: Jourdan Klink

50m Backstroke 3rd: Jourdan Klink

qualified to go to the Interzone Championships to take on the other zone champions from across Auckland.

Everyone who represented Saint Kentigern won a medal, with Jourdan Klink and Jack Mitchell both claiming gold and the Year 8 50m freestyle relay team placing second. Well done to all the students who competed and congratulations to our medal winners!

Year 5 Boys 4x25m Freestyle Relay 1st: SKBS

Open Boys 4x25m Medley Relay 1st: SKBS

Field Championship Open Relay 1st: SKBS

Boys Champions 1st: SKBS

Overall Champions 2nd: SKBS

Year 8 Boys 50m Breaststroke 2nd: Jack George, 3rd: Adam Tamati

Year 7 Boys 50m Breaststroke 1st: Jack Mitchell

Year 7 Boys 50m Backstroke 2nd: Alexander Dennis, 3rd: Oliver Avis

Year 8 Boys 50m Backstroke 1st: Jourdan Klink, 2nd: Sam Don

Year 8 Boys 50m Freestyle 1st: Jourdan Klink

Year 7 Boys 50m Freestyle 3rd: Oliver Avis

50m Breaststroke 1st: Jack Mitchell

Year 8 50m Freestyle Relay 2nd: SKBS

Term 1 Sport

With thanks to Director of Sport, Mr Duncan Grant

2016 has been a great summer for sport. Hot and humid conditions led to little weather interruptions and lots of sport, with some outstanding results in all codes!

Softball

What a season for the A Softball team! They had a very successful summer with the highlight being winning the softball trophy twice in one year. This is the first time the School has held the trophy for many years. The boys pitched, batted and fielded admirably and showed amazing teamwork. On the two occasions that they lost, they only lost by one run. The two other senior softball teams also had great seasons.

Cricket

The Middle and Senior Schools produced another excellent summer season of cricket. The 1st XI played three matches in the NZ Active Cup, winning them all convincingly. They now move through to the next round in Term 4. The rest of the senior teams played the other local schools throughout the first term with fantastic results achieved by all.

Tennis

Tennis was once again very strong in the Senior School. The A team had depth in ability from the number one to number eight player. The A team did not lose any of its fixtures in Term 1 and in fact hardly lost a match. The Middle School squad played some great inter-school fixtures against the other local schools.

Southwell Exchange

The 1st and 2nd XI Cricket teams had emphatic wins over their Southwell counterparts from Hamilton. Both our tennis teams won comfortably and did not drop a match. The A Softball team had a great win with the B Softball team coming up short in the last innings and just losing. Both the A and B touch teams won easily.

Open Water Swimming

Congratulations to Luke Hair who competed in the U12 NZSS Triathlon, Aquathon and Open Water Swim in Queenstown. His results were impressive, especially the third place in the Open Water Swim. Just getting into that cold water deserves a medal!

A

Win for Charity

An early morning start did not deter 40 determined boys from Years 3-8 who set out to achieve their personal best at the St Helier’s Weetbix Tryathlon last term.The weather was stunning, providing the boys with perfect conditions to put their training to the test as they swam, cycled and ran the course. The popular waterfront event attracts hundreds of competitors but with some amazing logistics and help from parents, the students had their bikes and clothing set up in the transition areas ready for a quick change as they exited the water – and all managed to locate their bikes amongst the mele when the time came!

It was evident that the boys were well prepared both mentally and physically, as they calmly waited their turn to cross the start line for the first leg of the race. On completion, all entrants received a medal for participating and were clearly proud of their efforts!

With almost unbelievable luck, our boys won three spot prizes resulting in three new bikes! Recognising that others’ needs are greater than their own, the bikes have since been donated to Bikes for Refugees.

Well done boys on a great morning of sportsmanship!

Distances for each age group:

Age 7: Swim 50m, Cycle 4km, Run 1.5km

Age 8-10: Swim 100m, Cycle 4km, Run 1.5km

Age 11-15: Swim 200m, Cycle 8km, Run 1.5km

Mothers’ Morning Tea

After the success of last year’s inaugural event, Principal Mr Peter Cassie and his team of Year 8 helpers, once again donned aprons to wait on some very important members of the Boys’ School community – the mothers of our boys.

Whenever the Boys’ School needs assistance to put on an event, take a trip or simply needs an extra pair of hands to lighten the load, it is inevitable that our mothers are the first port of call with a request for help. The morning tea has become the one occasion where they can step back and let others do the work. So many times we ask for their assistance but this particular gathering was for the simple pleasure of enjoying being a mother.

The hall with transformed with crisp table linen and fine china with the boys lending a hand to do some of the ‘hard yards’ – organising food and beverages, unpacking china, helping set the tables, waiting on our guests and helping to clean up afterwards.

Classroom doors were opened wide early on for mothers to see their boys’ classes in action before the Pipes and Drums galvanised and solo piper, David Allan led the large group of mothers to the hall. Mr Cassie was soon out and about with the teapot ensuring the teacups around the room were kept topped up!

Our guest speaker this year was journalist, news reader and now author, Niva Retimanu. Well recognised for her distinctive voice, Niva has been on the New Zealand airwaves for more than 20 years as a newsreader for Newstalk ZB. In 2006, after years of poor lifestyle choices she recognised that she needed to ‘get her life in order’ and, amongst other changes, took up running to lose weight. She knows what it means to finish last and doesn’t let that hold her back. Now 31 kilograms lighter, her epic journey is chronicled in her book, ‘Leading From Behind’ - a call to people of all ages, shapes and sizes to get out and do something active!

Mr Cassie closed the morning acknowledging that there has been a change in family dynamics since he was a boy – today’s mothers are more likely to juggle careers with parenthood, and fathers are now taking a greater role. Parenting lasts a lifetime, he left our mothers with one simple message, ‘Enjoy your sons!’

Whilst the morning was not intended as a fundraiser, the surplus raised was donated in memory of a special member of the Saint Kentigern community, parent, Mrs Kirsten Falconer, who lost her battle with cancer. Proceeds will be donated to the KE Falconer Sports Fund set up to continue her great work supporting promising young sportswomen.

Boys’ School Parents and Friends

The Saint Kentigern Boys' School Parents & Friends have settled into 2016 with many events already well into the planning stages .

Celtic Day was held on 1 April and Parents and Friends were again delighted to be able to host and sponsor the field activities. Although the weather threatened, any major

downpour managed to hold off until almost the end of the day. With exceedingly tight time frames of ten minutes per group of boys on each one of the field activities, the event planning, led by Vanessa Playle and assisted on the day by Hilary Chaytor as well as a group of team leaders responsible for each activity, resulted in yet another successful and efficiently run Celtic Day.

On the 10 May we are looking forward to hosting a Mothers’ Morning Tea to celebrate and honour the mothers in our community. We feel very lucky to have secured the speaking talents of Niva Retimanu and are looking forward to the opportunity to give our guests a small respite from their busy lives as Niva entertains us with anecdotes from her new book. The success of our inaugural event last year has secured this as a permanent fixture in our P&F calendar.

The AGM saw a complete change of guard as the Chair: Laura Lane, Secretary: Helen Van Schaardenburg and Treasurer: Donna Berry all stepped down from their respective roles. We thank them for all the involvement, patience and time they have given to our association and to Laura and Helen who move on from the Boys' School, we send our very best wishes.

The new team, led by Simon Ward, is looking forward to involving themselves more in the various ‘friendraising’ activities already wellestablished within our calendar.

As always, we welcome all the new families whi have joined us, this year, and look forward to enjoying their company either at one of our meetings or one of the many events over the year.

Exciting Upgrades on Campus

The outstanding setting and grounds of the College are daily reminders of how blessed we are that our founders, a determined and visionary group of Presbyterian businessmen, had the tremendous foresight to secure the land. In the 64 years since the College was established, it has grown steadily from an initial roll of 92 boys, taught in three modest classrooms set among muddy farmland, to a roll of almost 2000 boys and girls who have access to first class educational facilities on what must be one of the best school sites in the world!

This positive growth is the result of continuous campus development to ensure our students are exposed to a purposeful learning environment, and to match our capacity with the constant demand for places at the College.

Over the summer and through Term 1, work was commenced, and in some cases completed, on a number of new campus developments to further enhance the opportunities we can offer our students. An expansive indoor cricket and sports training facility is now in use, meaning teams can train in optimum conditions regardless of the weather. Construction has started on a substantial expansion to the Sports Centre, and an exciting redevelopment to the Library and Learning Commons is close to completion. In addition, a reconfiguration of existing buildings has created five new classrooms.

The Goodfellow Centre

As I write, work is near completion on the fantastic redevelopment of the existing Library and Learning Commons to bring them under one roof, to create an expanded teaching and learning space. The open air walkway that separated the buildings now links the two to make a seamless indoor flow, increasing the number of flexible spaces available for individual reading, reflection, collaborative working and group presentations. The new Library Learning Commons, to be known as The Goodfellow Centre, features both indoor and shaded outdoor areas for independent and small group study across all year levels. During the holidays, student librarians joined the Library staff in starting to restock the shelves after the refit.

We are looking forward to officially opening this space early in Term 2 and undoubtedly in the next issue of Piper we will bring you more insight as it gets put into action.

Sports Centre

Construction is progressing on the expansion to the Sports Centre that will double the size of the number two gymnasium and allow it to be configured into two separate spaces for physical education classes, sports training and matches. Two purpose-

built dance studios will be housed on a mezzanine level with cushioned floors to reduce the impact on students’ bodies. This will also be used as an alternate performance space for smaller dance presentations. The strength and conditioning programme will be relocated to a larger studio to allow access for a greater number of students at one time.

The 4800 cubic metres of soil being moved to make space for these projects is being relocated to the sports grounds, where it will be added to extend a training pitch into a full-sized playing field. It is expected the extension will be completed in the second half of 2017.

Indoor Cricket Facility

The College cricket players have been enjoying the benefits of the indoor training facility erected next to the rowing sheds towards the end of last year. The 50m x 20m building has four full-length pitches, three of which have approaches for pace bowlers and one for spinners. As well as skylights, the facility can also be fully lit so players can train before sunrise and late into the day. Roller doors at each end provide airflow and the astro-turf floor is cushioned to protect bowlers’ ankles and knees. The nets separating each of the lanes can be retracted to allow the entire space to be used for other sports such as football or as a general training area. It has access to wifi so players can access training apps and watch instructional videos, and it is equipped with two bowling machines.

As well as the enhanced physical infrastructure of the College, our staff are at the forefront of innovations in teaching and learning. Whether it is in the classroom, performing arts, or on the sports field, teachers and coaches are constantly reviewing their own practice to challenge our students to maximise their individual potential. The drive to provide an unparalleled, truly rounded education embodies the vision of our founders, to whom we owe so much.

Fides Servanda Est

Steve Cole, Principal

College Student Leaders 2016

Early in Term 1, our student leaders for 2016 were commissioned at a formal assembly. This year we congratulate Edward Barry and Sydney Fraser whose hard work and selfless attitude have seen them appointed as our Head Prefects. They will be supported by Aimee Blake and Thomas Morton in their role as Deputy Head Prefects, along with a team that includes our House Leaders, Service, Arts and Sports prefects.

HEAD BOY - Edward Barry

Edward has been greatly involved in all aspects of College life after joining as a Year 9 from the Boys’ School. He is a dedicated rower and cyclist, and has achieved the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. He has lent his sporting prowess to service endeavours, completing cycling challenges to raise funds for Malawi through the 40 Hour Famine as well as other initiatives. His social conscience also extends to being an active member of the environmental group. A proud son of Kentigern, Edward is looking forward to encouraging others to make the most of the ‘World of Opportunity’ that the College has to offer.

DEPUTY HEAD PREFECTS

Aimee Blake and Thomas Morton

CARGILL PREFECTS

Sophie Clarkson House Leader

James Hansen House Leader

Francesca Armstrong

Douglas Gibson

Aimee Hollis

Tanielu Tele’a

Selection for these roles is vigorous and each of the students selected has the right mix of confidence, service, pride in the College, exemplary behaviour, leadership skills and commitment to duty. Our congratulations to the appointed students and we wish them well in their leadership roles this year.

HEAD GIRL - Sydney Fraser

Sydney already has well-developed leadership experience through her senior positions in the Premier Netball and Premier Girls’ Touch teams. She has also represented the College with pride in athletics at a regional level, and was selected for the NZ Secondary Schools Netball team. Sydney is a well-rounded student who contributes confidently in class, and has given her time generously to food bank and shoe bank drives. She is passionate about achieving excellence and will undoubtedly uphold the values of Saint Kentigern as Head Girl of the College.

Leadership Team 2016

Edward Barry Head Boy

Sydney Fraser Head Girl

Thomas Morton Deputy Head Boy &

Chapel Prefect

Aimee Blake Deputy Head Girl

CHALMERS PREFECTS

Annabel Saker House Leader

Spencer Johnstone House Leader

Has Brooke

Iris Lee

Samantha Louie

Emily Peart

Matthew Wong-Kam

Samuel Elliott Arts Prefect

Sophie Clarkson Service Prefect

Cameron Low Sports Prefect

Jessica Speight Sports Prefect

HAMILTON PREFECTS

Emily Braid House Leader

Jacob Wright House Leader

Reuben Clark

Ashleigh Cooke

Henry Mellsop

Claudia Stewart

WISHART PREFECTS

Nicola Williams House Leader

Alfie Robertson House Leader

Ella Mayhew

Ryan McEwen

Sandeep Patel

Olivia Sullivan

2015 External Examination Results

NCEA and International Baccalaureate Diploma

With thanks to Mr Richard Stead

The 2015 results in both NCEA and the International Baccalaureate Diploma qualifications were extremely good with a pleasing increase in the number of NCEA students gaining Excellence Endorsements across all three levels of this qualification. Overall, the majority of our students can be proud of their achievements with the vast majority gaining their respective NCEA Level Certificate and IB Diploma. The full details are below.

90.03%. of our students overall gained University Entrance.

Of further note, we have an increasingly large number of students who have gained high enough results to be awarded Saint Kentigern Academic Colours and Honours, testament to student effort to achieve at the highest level.

National Certification of Educational Achievement (NCEA)

The majority of students at Saint Kentigern College sit the NCEA and we are extremely proud that the measurable indicators at all three levels of the qualification have shown improvement on the previous year. Of greatest note is the continued rise in the number of students who have strived for and attained either a Merit or Excellence Endorsement.

NCEA LEVEL 1

At Level 1 (Year 11) 97.4% of all the students gained their NCEA Level 1 certificates with 36.2% attaining their certificates with an Excellence Endorsement and a further 47.8% gaining a Merit Endorsement.

We are pleased for the 56 students who have met the criteria for gaining Saint Kentigern Academic Colours or Honours.

NCEA LEVEL 2

Congratulations to our top five NCEA Level 1 students:

Elise Hinomoto

David Thibaud

Josh Looker

Crystal Sun

Brendan Waters

Average GPA – 98.8

Average GPA – 97.0

Average GPA – 96.8

Average GPA – 96.5

Average GPA – 96.2

The % of students gaining NCEA Certificates and Endorsements

Our Level 2 results continue to remain strong with 100% of students gaining their NCEA Level 2 certificates. 26.9% gained their certificates with an Excellence Endorsement and a further 45.5% gaining a Merit Endorsement.

We are proud to acknowledge the 52 students who have met the criteria for gaining Saint Kentigern Academic Colours or Honours.

Congratulations to our top five NCEA Level 2 students:

Samantha Louie

Katherine Chang

Greer Hunter

Alex Gordon

Oliver O’Rourke

Average GPA – 97.2

Average GPA – 96.0

Average GPA – 95.0

Average GPA – 93.3

Average GPA – 93.3

NCEA LEVEL 3

Our 2015 leavers also produced a very good set of results. 97.8% gained a NCEA Level 3 Certificate while our University Entrance success rate for NCEA was 89%. Excellence Endorsement was achieved by 17.2% of these students with a further 41.4% gaining a Merit Endorsement.

Congratulations to our top 5 NCEA Level 3 students:

Marieke Kruiswijk Average GPA – 98.8

Daniel Clark Average GPA – 96.6

Byron Lam Average GPA – 96.6

Tiana Tuialii Average GPA – 96.6

Devika Dhir Average GPA – 95.0

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA

At the end of 2015, our sixth cohort of 33 Year 13 International Baccalaureate Diploma students completed their two year course of study, culminating in their final external examinations. 100% of those sitting the examinations gained 26 points or more with 94% being awarded a Diploma. The average for Saint Kentigern College was 34 points which compared very favourably against the world average of 30.98 points and 34.15 points for the rest of New Zealand.

We are particularly proud of five students, William Xu (43 points), Daniel Ng (42 points), Kevin Yi (41 points), Grace Wood (40 points), and Minghong Huang (40 points) who gained ‘40 points and over’ from a maximum of 45. They join the elite few that gain more than 40 points in the Diploma Programme worldwide; their results are outstanding.

Top Performing IB Diploma Students

Samantha Louie

Marieke Kruiswijk

William Xu

Elise Hinomoto

Very Pleasing NZQA Scholarship Results!

In the end of year NZQA Scholarship examinations, 31 of our students gained a total of 47 Scholarships, with 9 classed as Outstanding, across a broad range of 23 subjects.

Outstanding Scholars Awards

In particular, we offer congratulations to our highest performing students, Kevin Shen, Tiana Tuialii and William Xu , all of whom gained overall Outstanding Scholars Awards. Of note, Kevin is a Year 12 student who gained Outstanding Scholarships in Chemistry, Statistics and Calculus, exams usually undertaken at Year 13. Tiana gained Outstanding Scholarships in English and Classical Studies, and a Scholarship in History. William gained Outstanding Scholarships in History of Art and Geography, and a Scholarship in Calculus.

Scholarship Awards

In addition, Brandon Hoon (3 subject Scholarships), Byron Lam (5 subject Scholarships) and Harry Rillstone (1 subject Outstanding Scholarship and 2 subject Scholarships) are awarded overall Scholarship Awards.

Subject Awards

Other noteworthy performances were from Bentley Atkinson and Daniel Clark , each gaining two Subject Awards.

Scholarship exams are rigorous, requiring high level abstract thinking and the application of knowledge and ideas to complex situations. NZQA’s intention is that 3% of the total number of Year 13 students in the country sitting Level 3 in each of the 27 available subjects will be awarded a Scholarship, provided Scholarship standards are met. Of this top 3% nationwide who gain a Scholarship pass, a small number, equating to approximately 0.5% nationwide will be accorded an Outstanding Scholarship.

At Saint Kentigern, our brightest NCEA students can elect to study towards Scholarship exams. Scholarship exams are offered by NZQA and are, therefore, aligned to NCEA. Where course content is similar, our IB Diploma students can also elect to sit Scholarship exams. However, in many cases this is not possible for some of our brightest IB Diploma students as each year there are examination clashes.

There is great monetary incentive for students to aim to achieve in these exams. New Zealand students who do well in Scholarship gain substantial monetary awards. A Scholarship in just one subject receives $500, as a single payment. An overall Outstanding Scholarship Award is worth $5,000 each year for up to three years for as long as the recipient maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average each year of their tertiary study. An overall Scholarship Award is worth $2,000 each year for up to three years for as long as the recipient maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average each year of their tertiary study.

NZQA SCHOLARSHIP 2015 RESULTS

Academic Colours and Honours

At special assemblies early in Term 1, Academic Colours and Honours were awarded to our highest achieving Senior School students for their achievement in the end of year external examinations. Our top Middle School students were also awarded Academic Endeavour Awards.

The standard set to gain Academic Awards is high and intended to motivate our top academic students to achieve at the highest levels of excellence. We are extremely pleased that the number of students attaining Colours and Honours is growing each year, showing our students’ commitment to achieving at their personal best; a philosophy we promote to our students. The students who are awarded Colours receive a special breast pocket to wear with pride on their blazer.

Kevin

Being a Boarder

For the boarders at Bruce House, Saint Kentigern is so much more than an 8.30am to 3.30pm experience – it is a 24/7 immersion! With the College on their doorstep, they reap the benefits of our ‘World of Opportunity.’

Bruce House will be home to 117 boarders this year, including 86 boys and 31 girls from Year 7 to Year 13. This includes 26 international students from eight different countries - Fiji, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Canada, France, Malaysia and Korea - bringing a vast diversity of cultures. The Kiwi boarders come from all around New Zealand, many from rural homes but there is also a large contingent from Greater Auckland. These ‘local’ students live a little

Bruce House Leaders

In such a tight knit community, the student leaders of Bruce House have the responsibility and privilege of having a huge impact on their fellow boarders’ lives. This year, Alfie Robertson and Iris Lee have been appointed as Bruce House Head Boy and Head Girl, having demonstrated leadership, self-discipline and empathy in their time as boarders. They will be supported by their Deputies, Joe Haddleton, William Langley, Tayla Farmer and Ainslie Paxton. All six received their Bruce House prefect badges at the first formal dinner early in Term 1.

BRUCE HOUSE HEAD BOY

Alfie Robertson

too far away for an easy daily commute by bus or car, and so often in their senior years choose to board to take full advantage of cocurricular activities that take place before and after school, as well as the assistance of tutors during Prep time. A 7am music rehearsal or a sports training that finishes at 5pm are much easier to manage when they take place only a few minutes’ walk away!

BRUCE HOUSE HEAD GIRL

Iris Lee

Alfie Robertson is in his seventh year at the College and his second year of boarding. He hails from Waiheke Island and in his senior years at the College, he found commuting across the Hauraki Gulf was impacting on his study and co-curricular activities, so he opted to join Bruce House. A keen rugby and touch player, Alfie is now able to dedicate as much time as necessary to his sporting endeavours without it affecting his school work. He says Bruce House is a second home and the duty masters, gap tutors and fellow students are like a second family.

As well as her Bruce House role, Iris is also a prefect of Chalmers House. Although born in New Zealand, she spent most of her life in Taiwan until 2010. Iris came to the College in Year 9 and joined the boarding house last year. She is heavily involved in music, including productions, premier choirs (Kentoris, Mussettes), chamber groups and multiple large ensembles. She had also been involved in tennis and the Premier Girls Basketball team. Iris gained academic colours and honours for her NCEA exams as well as an ATCL diploma for her piano recital. As a boarder, Iris thoroughly enjoys the unique life at Bruce House where she has the opportunity to meet new people while learning about different cultures. She believes that it is a place that joins numerous diversities and talents together into a big family.

Bruce House Stayback Weekend

For students new to boarding, those first few nights away from home can be a bit of a scary prospect as they settle in to a new, more independent living environment. A good many of our boarders stay at Bruce House during the week but head home on Friday to enjoy the weekend with their families. For others, the distance they travel to school necessitates full term boarding and Bruce House becomes their home seven days a week.

In a bid to integrate new boarders and help them build support networks early on, the first weekend back to school each year has become known as ‘Stay Back Weekend.’ All the boarders, even those who would generally go home for the weekend, ‘stay back’ for a weekend of fun activities to make new friendships and form new bonds between the age groups.

With much of the activity organised by the prefects, the weekend proved to be non-stop action from Friday night through to bedtime on Monday, with each activity designed to bring the students together either to work as a team or in support of one another.

Head Girl, Iris Lee said, ‘Not only does this weekend help the new students to settle in, it also created a chance for the prefects to work together as a team for the first time. As I joined Bruce House last year, I understand the unease the new boarders would have felt when they first arrived but the stay-back weekend has resulted in a comfortable environment for everyone. It really is one of the best traditions of Bruce House!’

Stayback weekend was fun and original. All the activity helped us become a big family.

Alfie added, ‘The stay back weekend really helps new boarders and especially new students to the school to help bond with one another. We focused our time on team building activities with the teams mixed across age and gender. This allowed everyone to mingle and for new boarders to get to know the rest of the Bruce House Community. I found a lot of the younger boarders really enjoyed the games and loved being a part of the more senior boarders’ teams. The weekend was action packed and tiring; consequently the new boarders didn’t have time to start thinking of the distance between themselves and home. As many boarders live overseas, I personally really enjoy coming back each year to see old friends and people who, if it wasn’t for school or in particular boarding, I would never have even met. The weekend allows old friends to reconnect while allowing new relations and friendships to form.’

Testimonials from past boarders never fail to mention the sense of belonging that living at Bruce House engenders, with many referring to fellow boarders as an extension of their families. As well as the student leaders, the Bruce House staff play a vital role in creating and maintaining the feeling of community. House Master, Reverend David Smith and his wife, Karen, live onsite, as does Mrs Juliet Dale who has responsibility for the girls. Along with the duty staff, matrons, gap tutors and kitchen personnel, there is a caring team making sure the boarders have a true home base at College when they are away from their own families.

- Lyla Tapusoa

Bruce House has made me more independent and responsible. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime.

- Ainslie Paxton

At the end it doesn’t feel like a compulsory weekend, because of all the fun we had.

- Sigrid Marin

The friends that I have made, I know I will now know for life. - Will Langley

More Mathematics Success for College Students!

The College is home to the top two secondary school mathematicians in Auckland! At the Auckland Mathematics Olympiad, staged at Auckland University, students from the College won both the senior and junior divisions. Kevin Shen took out the senior (Year 12 & 13) category while Andrew Chen won the junior (Year 9-11) prize. This is the second year that Andrew has claimed the junior title! The Olympiad attracts the best mathematics students in Auckland representing schools from Albany to Karaka. The entrants had two hours to solve eight problems of increasing difficulty. The questions were written and marked by lecturers from the university’s Department of Mathematics and were designed to both intrigue and challenge the students.

Kevin and Andrew had already been selected to represent New Zealand at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong in July. The Olympiad, to be held in Hong Kong, pits the best secondary school mathematics students from all around the world against each

other in a series of incredibly challenging mathematics problems from almost any field of mathematics.

Kevin will make his third visit to the Olympiad, having already represented New Zealand in Thailand (2015) and South Africa (2014). It is a truly remarkable feat to have made the team for three consecutive years. Andrew will make his first appearance at an Olympiad this year. Andrew is likely to be the youngest member of the New Zealand team and one of the youngest competitors at this year’s Olympiad.

Congratulations boys and good luck!

Food Truck Serves Valuable Lessons

Preparing students to excel in the highly competitive culinary industry goes far beyond teaching how to create the final product that appears on a plate. Many consumers now have an intense interest in the origin of the ingredients they are eating, how they are produced, the nutritional and health value as well as the practices that are used in kitchens, especially around sustainability. All of these factors and many more have to be considered with an eye on the bottom line, so the economics of the hospitality industry is a vital component of the students’ learning. A hospitality professional who has to encapsulate every one of these aspects is the owner and operator of a food truck, now part of a rapidly growing market in Auckland. To inform how to combine entrepreneurship, food philosophy and catering, the owner of The Little Yellow Food Truck, Trevor Hubbard, was invited to present to food technology students.

Mr Hubbard has worked as a chef in Michelin star restaurants and also taught young chefs in the tertiary sector, so was an ideal guest speaker to convey to our students what is required to make it in the industry. The visit started with a session with the Snapper Club, which combines cooking and photography. On this occasion, the students photographed one of Mr Hubbard’s creations, oatmeal pancakes with persimmon compote,

mascarpone and vanilla syrup, which they all agreed was delicious.

In his talks to the food technology classes, Mr Hubbard explained all of the elements he has to bear in mind in the running of his business, from marketing and legal compliance, to menu design and ingredient sourcing, as well as the preparation and cooking. The food truck visit and Mr Hubbard’s focus on sustainability are directly aligned with the NCEA Level 2 students’ work. Students prepare, plant and care for a vegetable garden and are then assigned one vegetable that they will develop as the star component of a menu item suitable for sale through a food truck. Using this garden-to-table method of supply as a model, students evaluate current practice at the College and consider ways that they can be more sustainable.

Gallery Visit inspires students

Our senior NCEA history of art and IB Diploma visual art students were full of creative inspiration following a visit to the galleries at Pah Homestead and Rannoch House. The trip was part of the students’ participation in the Perch Project, a new initiative by the Wallace Arts Trust. The competition asks students to submit a proposal for the curation of an exhibition comprised of works from the Trust’s collection, which will open in the Little Gallery or Boardroom at Pah Homestead in September.

The students were given a guided tour of both of the venues by Zoe Hoeberigs, who runs the Trust’s education programme. The opportunity to interact with the artworks and experience the exhibition spaces gave the students plenty of ideas and energy for the proposals. The entries will have to consider every aspect of curating an art show, such as target audience, theme, medium, past exhibitions, lighting, signage and hanging design.

The Perch Project corresponds with the students’ assessments, including the relationship between art and context, the impact of processes such as curation and exhibition on art works, and the different values placed on art.

A Passport to the World

With thanks to Head of Languages, Mrs Christine Leishman

Over the last term, students and staff have watched in awe as a stunning mural has taken shape along the side of the College Language department. Headed by the words, ‘A second language is a passport to the world,’ the large scale artwork of iconic international monuments, temples and buildings has been single-handedly undertaken by very talented Year 12 student, Elise Hinomoto. After school, at weekends and through the holidays, Elise has quietly worked away so that each passing week has brought something new to the wall.

Collating each of the elements, Elise transferred the outlines of the monuments onto the wall with the use of a projector to maintain the correct scale of her original plan. From the Eiffel Tower in France, to the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China and many places in between, Elise has carefully applied layer upon layer of paint to create a fabulous addition to the College campus that draws attention to the learning of languages.

There are over 7,000 known languages alive in the world today. Twenty-three of these make up the native tongue of 4.1 billion people. New Zealand is becoming an increasingly multicultural society and the College alone has students representing 33 different nationalities with many of these students already able to speak two languages and maybe learning a third or fourth.

The benefits of learning a new language are multi-faceted and go well beyond the ability to

communicate in another tongue. Head of Languages, Mrs Christine Leishman said, ‘To risk a cliché, ‘the world is a village’, more so now than ever before, and that reality is becoming sharper. Naturally there is the attraction and benefit of being able to communicate with a whole nation of people, and the social and potential economic benefits that go with that. But more than ever before, we are travelling for personal pleasure, for business, for the exchange of information and services, and simply to widen our human experience.’

Elise has a vested interest in the Language department. She is bi-lingual, speaking both English and Japanese but is also learning Spanish. She has it in mind to pursue architecture when she leaves College but admits that she would like to become an architect who looks at things a little differently, from a more artistic angle.

Elise’s commitment to this project has been unstinting, building up to a total of 138 hours of painting between January and April! The artwork is quite breath-taking in its detail and has proved a draw card as staff and students stop to admire the mural that has helped to identify the Languages area within campus. The College is very grateful to Elise for her enormous contribution. Well done, it’s awe-inspiring!

‘The most important quality of science or art is curiosity.’

Fabian Oefner

Where Art meets Science

When the College opened in 1953, on an undeveloped rural site far from the centre of Auckland, it was the realisation of a dream for a group of far-thinking Presbyterians who had the vision of developing a great school. Ankle-deep in mud, the new school comprised a solitary pre-fabricated building containing three classrooms and the Reverend Adam MacFarlan’s study.

Since those early days, the work has never ceased to ensure that vision continues. Education, like the campus, is constantly evolving and one wonders what the 92 foundation pupils and four original staff would make of the College today?

With the proliferation of new buildings came new ideas and as fast as the look of the campus is changing from the outside, we’re seeing equally profound changes on the inside, as former utilitarian classrooms take on new life and teaching methodology moves with the times.

One of the showpieces on campus is the Science Centre that has been completely transformed in recent years to a space that invites you to linger and learn. Much of the vision has stemmed from Head of Science, Mr Simon Walker who believes that for young minds to flourish, they must be exposed to a nourishing cultural milieu. The science corridors are now

filled with a wealth of colourful display material that is part gallery, part museum, part scientific inquiry.

Recently, there has been fantastic collaboration between the Science and Visual Arts Departments – a natural synergy as both scientists and artists are dedicated to asking life’s big questions, with the science laboratory and the art studio both serving to provide for open-ended inquiry. Many eminent scientists through history have had to adopt a contrary position to the establishment; which is how science proceeds, with the abandonment of old ideas for the new. This is not unlike the artist who is compelled to question accepted convention through provocative and engaging art-making, that can stimulate new perspectives of seeing and thinking. There is great satisfaction that comes from creating or discovering something not previously seen or understood.

Artists can serve as great partners in the communication of scientific ideas and an inter-disciplinary approach exposes our own students to the complimentary balance of both disciplines. Delve back in time to DaVinci, when art and science melded as one. As he engaged in early scientific exploration, he used his creative skills to create enduring images. One of the biology classrooms illustrates this beautifully with a wall covered in DaVinci’s drawings.

With thanks to Head of Science, Mr Simon Walker and Art teacher, Mr Christopher Ashforth

Over the course of the last year, the Science Centre has created art displays from notable practitioners such as graffiti artist, Banksy, with the chosen works reflecting the incongruent relationship between modern man and his evolutionary instincts, to the work of photographer, Fabian Oefner, who captures unique, extraordinary moments of physical and chemical drama.

Alongside these displays is a growing body of work from our own visual arts students, using themes from the College Science programme as the creative source. With a title sure to appeal to the Year 9 artists who undertook the work, ‘Sick Science’ is a series of abstract wood block prints inspired by the work of artist, Terry Winters who draws inspiration from a mix of botanical elements and scientific/mathematical processes. In a collaboration between Mr Walker and art teachers, Ms Vic Sword and Mr Christopher Ashforth, the students grew bacteria from objects in the classroom, prompting their own visual discussion between the scientific subject matter and the formal properties of art and design, such as colour, line, shape and scale.

Year 12 sculpture students, under the tutelage of Ms Demelza Round, observed human control over space and nature. Students were challenged to develop their own concept of order and chaos in an environmental context and apply these to a site specific work.

Photographs of their projects are also on display in the Science Centre.

The work is continuing between departments this year as the current Year 9’s take up the challenge and our Food Technology students seek creative inspiration from botany for cakes to be decorated for auction in Term 2.

Both departments are justifiably proud of the work taking place. Saint Kentigern students are themselves becoming the architects of their environment, taking pride in contributing to their own intellectual, scientific and artistic endeavours.

The Changing Classroom

With thanks to Head of English, Ms JoAnn Wordsworth

As new students flow into our classrooms, they carry with them a thirst for learning, reflection and regeneration. Education, like all aspects of life is constantly evolving and, as we are reminded by Greek philosopher Heraclitus, ‘The only thing that is constant is change’.

The last twenty years, in particular, have seen waves of change shape the face and practice of education. The College adapted to the transition from School Certificate to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, the journey from one curriculum pathway to two as we implemented the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme, and the change in practice from one mode of assessment – typically a written report, to a range that offers choices to ‘best fit’ our learners’ styles – be it visual, auditory, kinaesthetic or tactile.

As both students and teachers have become more self-aware and reflective of the learning process, the physical learning spaces have also come under scrutiny. We asked questions of ourselves and researched how different learning environments can impact on pedagogical success. The results of this inquiry saw the English Department taking steps to create a learning environment that capitalises on both teaching strategies of the past and the needs of the future.

Over the past two years, the English Department has worked to change student perception of our learning environment by literally creating connections between historical events and literature on a 22 metre timeline along the department corridor. The new space begins at one end with a challenge from Virginia Woolf, ‘Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.’

Students are choosing to step through our doorways to continue their learning journey with English. In 2015, we introduced a Level 3 English Alternate course, with a strong visual learner focus led by Miss Alice Hamilton that encouraged our Level 3 English cohort to almost double in number.

This year, three English classrooms are trialling further design changes to explore ‘Next Generation Learning Spaces.’ Students who have had a term of learning in the spaces with new design and furniture suggest that the space ‘encourages them to be creative’ and ‘makes it easier to share ideas’. Staff teaching in the space have noted that ‘the environment inspires you to be more innovative in your delivery.’

Classroom changes include write-on tables and large ‘ideating’ spaces (places for sharing ideas) with flexible layout and furniture, such as bean bags, high benches and arc tables, which can be reconfigured to create collaborative or conferencing spaces. Building on the pedagogical highlights of 1970s education with breakout reading rooms and no teacher desks as barriers to conversation, the new spaces offer room to reach beyond utilitarian seating arrangements.

Innovative learning space designs, along with effective teacher use of the space, inspires student success. Flexible learning spaces, previously called ‘open classrooms’, emerged in the 1960s and 70s as a reaction against the enclosed and authoritarian classrooms. By complementing aspects of these flexible spaces with 21st century digital technologies and student-centred learning experiences, it is possible to significantly improve academic aspirations in our students.

Yet, without pedagogical change, the new classroom design’s impact would be diluted. The spaces are exciting to work in as the flexibility of the space has led to tasks that are ‘purposeful play’. Creativity is recognised as a higher order skill that can be embedded in our teaching of divergent thinking, interpersonal skills and team work – competencies required by our 21st century students.

In the Middle School English programme, Level Head, Mrs Chay Carter has devised tasks that enable collaborative skill development in the Year 9 Decorate a Door competition, and a History – English cross-curricular project in Year 10 will see students explore systems of government and power. Writing challenges include a Year 8 extension class who, with Mr Chris Hodder, have crafted children’s books to share, while another task led by Ms Victoria Sword asked students to consider what Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky looks like and then craft it from modelling clay.

In the Senior School programmes, students are being offered greater variety of texts and more engaging tasks that include both informal and formal learning approaches. The resilience and risk-taking encouraged by ‘design-thinking’ approaches to projects, influenced by Ms Demelza Round and her Design team, offers English exciting ways to explore concepts that literature describes, such as Modernism, Dystopian worlds and transformative texts.

As teachers we know that our students have information at their fingertips, an expectation of multiple stimuli in the classroom and much shorter attention spans. Research from John Hattie revealed that aspects of creativity, engagement and motivation, as well as the student teacher relationship, have significant positive impacts on student learning in schools. We have seen this in action as students feel empowered by choices in texts, assessment modes and innovative learning tasks that are embedded in our re-imaged English classrooms.

As we look ahead in education, a thought from Franklin D Roosevelt resonates- ‘The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.’ We will continue to innovate, inquire and ideate – it’s what life-long learners do.

English Door Competition

Creative illustration came to the fore when our Year 9 students were set the task of designing Static Images to decorate the doors in the English department, using teenage fiction for inspiration.

A key part of studying English is understanding the themes and ideas within set texts, and being able to communicate these ideas to others. This communication can take many forms from oral and written to the use static imagery.

Using a text they had been studying in class, the students worked in groups to identify key elements for their visual composition. The designs were assessed based on the level of creativity, the visual impact of their work and how effectively the message was conveyed.

The images on every door along the corridor were a cause for much discussion and comparison as the classes waited for the judging.

Boys’ class, 9KS were deemed to be the winners. Having studied ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, they designed and produced an image for their door that conveyed the corruption and abuse of power both in the novel and the wider world. The symbolism in their work was a powerful statement that caught the eye of judge, Head of Middle School, Mr Duncan McQueen.

Girls’ class, 9KN came second for their depiction of’ i-Phenomenal Women’ and boys’ class, 9SG’s ‘Defence Against Tyranny’ display was third. 9KA and 9SA both received highly commended awards.

Tips from a visiting Author

As part of the Year 8 English extension programme, our students welcomed New Zealand author and illustrator, Zee Southcombe to their class to learn a little more about the best practice for creating a successful children’s picture book. The students were also able to seek her help on specific areas they were struggling with, especially regarding the technical aspects of illustration.

All the World’s a Stage

‘Pop-Up’ Shakespeare

Far from the banks of the River Thames on a busy corner in downtown Auckland, what would the Bard have made of the latest version of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre? Surrounded by ‘pay and display’ signs and with cranes for a back drop, the Pop-up Globe could not be further removed from Elizabethan England, yet to step inside, is to step back in time.

The first Globe Theatre was completed on the south bank of the Thames in 1599 but came to an untimely end 14 years later when canon fire set the thatch roof alight, burning the theatre to the ground. Construction started on a second Globe the following year, and operated for almost 30 years before the English parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, issued an ordinance banning all stage plays in theatres, and the Globe was demolished in 1644 during the Civil War.

Fast forward to 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and the world’s first temporary, full-scale, working replica of the second Globe Theatre ‘popped up’ in a car park behind the Town Hall. The structure contained more than 100,000 individual components, including – in a nod to the project’s Kiwi origins – a corrugated iron exterior cladding! The aim was to recreate, as faithfully as possible, the original performance space, with a large stage that juts out into a courtyard open to the elements, surrounded by three storeys of covered galleries for a seated audience. The overall sense was one of intimacy, the actors drawing the audience into the action. To add to

the authenticity, the actors did not use microphones, just pure voice projection and, as we learned, the acoustics were spot-on.

The Pop-up Globe was a fantastic opportunity for Saint Kentigern students who study Shakespeare to witness a production in a theatre space unlike any other in New Zealand.

The College originally planned to take 750 Middle and Senior School students to see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ but, sadly, a late programme change to the violent ‘Titus Andronicus,’made the material unsuitable for our younger students. Based on the return of a Roman General from war, ‘Titus’ was a tale of bloody revenge played as a contemporary piece, by the seven lead males.

Four hundred years on, Shakespeare remains the most celebrated author in history whose prolific, creative output included 198 pieces, 38 of them plays. Written at a time when schooling was at a minimum, he was a self-made writer who enriched the English language in ways so profound it’s almost impossible to fully gauge his impact. He gave us uniquely vivid ways in which to express hope, despair, sorrow, rage and love.

Following the performance, the students took part in a question and answer session with the cast and the director which enhanced the experience even further. On the return journey to College, the students were abuzz, the play had made an impact and brought their studies into sharp focus.

Shake the Quad

For fans of The Bard, the ‘Shake the Quad’ event was the ideal way to spend a summer evening. Under a perfect twilight sky, the crowd lounged on pillows and ate picnic dinners in Saints Café Quad as they watched scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. The Year 9-13 students had been rehearsing since the start of term at lunchtimes, after school and on weekends in preparation to perform on the unique stage. A total of 46 drama students were involved in roles as cast members and directors, as well as prop, costume and set making. The event was part of the build up to competing in the SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.

The scenes were either 5 or 15 minutes long and were drawn from Shakespeare’s popular and lesser known works. There were traditional

performances mixed with novel interpretations, including Capulets and Montagues fighting with ‘Star Wars’ light sabres and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ set in the 1950s style of ‘Grease’ and ‘Footloose.’ Sam Elliot was brilliant as Julius Caesar, supported by great performances by Braydon Robinson and Matis Ellehuus as Brutus and Mark Anthony.

The audience particularly enjoyed the Frenchman and parlour ladies in ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ and Kiana Rokuroda’s monologue from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was very moving. In between, MCs Sam Ashton and Jack Horsnell kept the audience entertained with their witty banter. The combination of drama, humour, stirring performances and magnificent late summer weather meant an enjoyable night had by all!

Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival

The SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, held at Auckland Grammar’s Centennial Theatre, was a great experience for the students involved. The College entered six pieces, with all of the cast members stepping up their performances with the benefit of the Shake the Quad event under their belt. The students also represented Saint Kentigern admirably, supporting each other and the other schools competing and offering to help move set items on and off stage with genuine thoughtfulness.

Our acts were rewarded with two awards – Best Stage Design for the 15 minute scene from ‘Julius Caesar’ and Runner Up for Best Actor went to Braydon Robinson for his portrayal of Brutus. The judges also made a special mention to one particular group after all the awards were presented, and it was our Year 10 boys for their Star Warsinspired ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which the audience loved! Everyone was in hysterics, especially during Sam Ashton’s ‘a plague on both your houses’ speech, which was an inelegant but highly dramatic death scene!

Congratulations to all of the students who took part, especially to the award winners and those who received particular praise!

Saint Kentigern Sings as One

In an historic first, choristers from each of our schools came together for a combined concert early in Term 2. The College Premier Choir, Kentoris and the Performers’ Choirs from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools sang as one for the first time ever to raise funds for the Saint Luke’s Presbyterian Church organ restoration.

Each choir presented their own pieces but the highlight of the afternoon concert was undoubtedly when all three choirs came together for the finale to perform ‘Wairua Tapu’ of the Wehi Whanau and James Whitbourn’s prolific anthem ‘All Shall Be Amen and Alleluia.’ While preparing for the concert, the Girls’ School singers were really surprised how their voices sounded with senior male counterparts. This was taken to another level in the superb acoustics of St Luke’s Church and the joy on the youngsters’ faces was evident. The audience sensed the significant occasion of seeing the combined Saint Kentigern choir and responded with loud applause! We look forward to seeing the choirs perform again throughout the year and especially the next occasion when they join as one.

A Chance to Sing in New York!

Early in Term 1, 12 students from the College Premier Choir, Kentoris travelled with their musical directors, Lachlan Craig and Gracie Francis to New York City. As members of the Auckland Youth Choir, directed by Mr Craig, which also includes a number of Old Collegians, they had been invited to perform at the world famous Carnegie Hall. Isabella Denholm of Year 12 reflects on her time in New York.

‘Megan Hilty was certainly right in saying that it’s ‘Every singer’s dream to get to Carnegie Hall.’ For 12 of us lucky students and staff, this dream became a reality. We joined with singers from Florida, Scotland, Ireland, Austria and the UK to sing two prestigious pieces composed by well-known composer, Paul Mealor. Mealor attended the rehearsals and we were lucky enough to hear all about the pieces we were singing and the true meanings and stories behind each one. It was

an incredible experience to hear Mealor’s personal story and it made the songs a lot more meaningful.

Everything about the hall was exquisite. From the intricate gold detailing to the insane acoustics, it all seemed like a dream. We sang music that couldn’t help but give us huge smiles, the joy each one of us felt was phenomenal; only to then watch as 3,500 people gave us a standing ovation.

The trip will always be an amazing once-in-a-lifetime memory. I felt privileged to be able to join with the other choirs and I know I have made life-long friends. The experience singing in Carnegie Hall was truly mind-blowing. I, along with the other Saint Kentigern students on this trip, am very grateful to all who made it possible.’

Chance of a Lifetime for Pipes & Drums!

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the greatest exhibition of Scottish culture in the world and a group of our students had the amazing opportunity to be right amongst it! The Pipes and Drums of Saint Kentigern were offered the rare opportunity to perform with the massed bands when the Tattoo was held in Wellington as part of its Down Under tour in February. Our students were the only school band among the 1,200 military and civilian performers, chosen from the best troupes in the world from the pipes and drums, marching and Highland dancing genres.

Held annually in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle, the event is a sell-out every year, with 220,000 people flocking to its pomp and ceremony, and another 100 million people in 40 countries watching on television. This was just the fourth time in 65 years that the Tattoo has left Scotland to tour overseas. Staged at Westpac Stadium over four nights, the event attracted more than 80,000 people, including sell-out crowds.

The Pipes and Drums put in months of hard work in preparation to be ready for the show, which is renowned for its pageantry and precision. The music was challenging and ranged from traditional songs and military marches through to modern dance music. There was also the challenge of reconfiguring

the band instruments from their traditional natural scale down to concert pitch in order to integrate with singers, the brass and woodwind of the military bands and the sound and texture of the Shetland fiddlers. All of the players had to be kitted out with new doublets and plaids to meet the stringent requirements of full Highland dress, achieved thanks to a kind donation by the College Parents and Friends.

Upon arrival in the capital, the cast was put through three days and nights of rehearsal under the close supervision of the Tattoo’s Senior Pipe Major and Drum Major. Our contingent received high praise from the Director of Army Bagpipe Music for the level of our preparation and command of the musical scores. As well as the other New Zealand bands in the massed pipes and drums, the students were playing alongside The Royal Scots Boarderes, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Highlanders and The Royal Air Force. It was especially poignant to join with The Royal Highland Fusiliers, which was founding Principal of the College, Dr Adam MacFarlan’s regiment.

Nerves, excitement and pride were on full alert when our boys and girls finally marched out in front of a life-size replica of Edinburgh Castle for the opening medley

of the show! Later in the programme, the pipers reappeared to join with a solo singer and Ceilidh Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland for the famous and deeply moving, ‘Hector the Hero.’ Our Drum Corps were tasked to provide rhythmic textures to a modern piece called ‘Tarakihi.’

In the final segment, the massed pipes and drums returned to the arena with the military bands of HM Royal Marines, The Welsh Guard, and New Zealand’s Army, Navy and Airforce – over 700 musicians in all – for a cleanly executed troop across the field to ‘The 79th Farewell to Gibraltar.’ This was a magnificent build-up to the sights and sounds of the finale, featuring the full international cast.

The audiences at the Tattoo broke the record for the most popular show to be staged in Wellington. The Pipes and Drums felt immensely privileged and proud to represent Saint Kentigern at this landmark event, which has provided memories that will last them forever. We congratulate them on the diligent way they approached their preparation over the summer holidays and for being excellent ambassadors during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, while also having a great deal of fun in the process!

Challenge in the outdoors

As part of the commitment to provide engaging, contextual learning experiences, students undertaking NCEA physical education and outdoor education are offered a number of experiences during the course of the year designed to ‘challenge’ them in the outdoors.

Both courses are examinable subjects in NCEA up to Level 3 with a 50/50 split between theory and practical application. The Physical Education course is an in-depth study of sport science, sport and physical education within a contextually rich syllabus. Outdoor Education was first offered at the College in 2012. Not for the ‘faint-hearted,’ the course is aimed at students who have a genuine love for the outdoors and are prepared to meet the many personal and physical challenges in diverse settings. Students become actively knowledgeable, skilled and safe in selected activities, with care for the environment a paramount focus. Over two years, modules provide a range of outdoor challenges as diverse as sea and white water kayaking, bush-craft, mountaineering skills, mountain biking and SCUBA diving, along with the added challenge of a solo overnight experience.

Both courses examine the concept of physical education and outdoor education as a worthwhile, life-long interest as well as its potential for future employment. So far this year, the students have been actively engaged on land, and in and under the water!

Diving in Rarotonga

During the recent school holidays, sixteen Year 12 and 13 students headed to Rarotonga for a 10-day tropical Island dive adventure. Until this trip, the students’ experience of diving had taken place in the autumnal chill of the College pool and the equally bracing Poor Knights Islands! It was welcome change to don wet suits and enter balmy, tropical waters! The aim was for each student to complete four dives from a boat and one night dive with six of the students signed up to complete their advanced diving course.

With water temperatures of 24 degrees each day and visibility ranging from 15m to 40m over the time, students were able to experience the joys of diving in the tropics. The varied dives allowed the students to encounter a wide range of tropical fish with highlights being a turtle and white tip sharks!

As always, the one thing that could not be planned for was the weather and unfortunately strong winds whipped up the sea and stayed for a whole week requiring the group to review their plans. Sadly, the night dives were cancelled and safer night snorkelling was substituted but the students geared up on three nights with dive torch in hand to explore a local lagoon. The half-metre puffer fish was the highlight as students raced around fish-spotting.

As a service element, beach clean ups were also completed with large amounts of rubbish taken off the beach. Students also travelled with a great quantity of books and sports gear which were dropped off to one of the local primary schools and were very gratefully received.

Rafting the Wairoa!

Adrenalin was pumping when our Year 13 Outdoor Education students took on the challenge of ‘Grade 5’ white water rafting on the Wairoa River between Matamata and Tauranga. The river is hydro-controlled and on every second Sunday during the year, the water is released causing a white water frenzy down river. This fantastic rafting adventure offers a stunning rock and tree lined gorge that combines turbulent rapids with stomachclenching drops to gain its Grade 5 rating.

The first one metre drop the students encountered is called ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and is used as the ‘warm-up’ to give a taste to first time rafters of what is to come. No sooner had they caught their breath than they entered the first major rapid –‘Mother’s Nightmare’a long Grade 4 rapid finishing with a two metre drop. A few Grade 3 rapids followed in quick succession with names such as ‘Double Trouble’ and ‘Washing Machine’ – the names leaving little to the imagination! The action picked up with two Grade 4 sections which included a three metre drop! The final bursts of Grade 3 rapids to finish felt quite tame to the now seasoned rafters!

The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and left the river with a huge sense of accomplishment!

Canyoning in the Waitakere Ranges

Earlier in the year, a group of Year 13 students undertook the exhilarating thrill of canyoning. Such an authentic experience related directly to their risk management Achievement Standard through which students critically analysed the ill-fated canyoning trip completed by Elim Christian College students in 2008.

In completing the case study of a previous trip, and then undertaking one of their own, our Year 13 students were able to experience first-hand the skills of abseiling, controlled jumps, scrambling and sliding down rock faces into deep pools while considering the aspects of safety and risk management. The students received comprehensive safety briefings related to abseiling technique, different types of ledge jumps and safe belaying technique while being treated to beautiful scenery, ‘refreshing’ water temperatures and a unique opportunity to try something completely new to them all. Such contextually-rich learning experiences allowed our students to safely relive the same activity that so sadly took the lives of 6 students and a staff member from Elim Christian College.

‘Teamwork skills, getting to know more Year 7s and building friendships completely define our camp.’ – Katherine Cao

‘The activities put a smile on my face, even though they were tough.’

– Rory Merrie

‘Camp was an adventure I needed.’

– William Brebner

Year 7 Students Connect at Camp

The

Year 7 students spent a week ‘getting away from it all’ while camping at Chosen Valley in the Bombay Hills. The camp provided an opportunity for the new College students who have come from various primary schools to get to know each other, develop friendships and be introduced to the Saint Kentigern values and expectations. The week featured an action-packed programme of activities, including bush walking, archery, flying fox, rope maze and orienteering. Cooperation and responsibility were developed as the students worked together on duties such as table preparation and clean up before and after each meal and keeping their living quarters tidy. The camp has set the students up well for their first year at the College and brought them together as a cohort as they embark on their Saint Kentigern journey.

‘Year 7 camp was the best! I loved how we had a technology-free week.’ –

‘For me camp was an awesome way to make new friends.’ –

‘I found camp was amazing as I realised I was more confident at things that I thought.’

Jaimie West

Jonty Williams

‘The food was really nice and it was so much fun getting a chance to help with serving.’ – Abby Mills

‘Mozzie bites, cold mornings, damp tents, but cool activities and lots of laughter.’ – Isabella Duncan ‘Camp was amazing with so many fun things to do. The grounds were awesome. I wish our stay was longer!’ – Meadow Kearns

Year 9 Camp

The three-day orientation camp for our Year 9 students at Totara Springs near Matamata provided the perfect forum for our new intake of Year 9 students to join with those who have already spent their two ‘intermediate’ years at the College. New friendships were made, respect was earned and confidence developed as the students enjoyed a great few days away, with plenty of opportunity to take on new challenges. The support and encouragement students offered each other as they set about their daily challenges were a pleasure to observe and the students returned to College having had a huge amount of fun, while learning a little more about themselves and others.

‘Camp was an enjoyable experience that I learnt a lot from, tried new things, and got to know everyone better.’ – Harry Cornaga

‘The peer support at camp was incredible. They made sure we were supported, challenged and happy.’ – Catherine Chang

Chalmers Win College Athletics!

Chalmers victory in the College Athletics Championships last term ends a lean spell for the House, whose last inter-House sports title was the Cross Country in 2012! With the exception of one very brief but heavy shower, the weather was perfect for both days allowing the athletes to perform at their peak. On the first day, the winners of all but the 100m and relay disciplines were decided and on the second, the semi-finalists of the 100m returned to the track for additional races to determine the 100m and House relay champions.

Wishart were declared the championship points winners, with 6 of the 10 individual champions coming from their House. Chalmers were named the participation champions, for having the most athletes compete across the 12 events. With their championship and participation points combined, Chalmers claimed overall success. The future looks bright for the boys and girls in blue, with their two champions and six of their seven podium places coming from the Junior and Year 7 and 8 divisions!

Congratulations to all the individual champions!

COLLEGE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONS 2016

1st 2nd 3rd

SENIOR GIRLS Sydney Fraser (H)

Hannah Ward (W)

Mererangi Paul (Ch)

SENIOR BOYS Dominic Devlin (W) Cameron Low (W) Matt Manning (W)

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS Mayah Coleman (W) Lisa Putt (Ca)

INTERMEDIATE BOYS Luke Paanaker (W) Michael Wood (Ca)

JUNIOR GIRLS Cecile Velghe (W) Zara Smith (W)

JUNIOR BOYS PJ Veilofia (Ch) Jordan Warren (H)

YEAR 8 GIRLS SKC Mia Harries (W) Ava Wearne (Ch)

YEAR 8 GIRLS SKC&SKGS Mia Harries (W) Ava Wearne (Ch)

YEAR 8 BOYS Harry Lowe (H) Jacob Spring (Ch)

YEAR 7 GIRLS Charlotte Manley (W) Nakoia Ashford (Ch)

HOUSE ATHLETICS

1ST CHALMERS

2ND WISHART

3RD HAMILTON

4TH CARGILL

Jaymie Kolose (W)

Dylan McCullough (H)

Caitlyn McKenzie (H)

Logan Cowie (Ca)

Andie Clothier (Ca)

Florence Dallow (W)

Ajay Smith (Ch)

Isabella Campion (Ch)

Year 7 BOYS Bailey Liu (Ch) Daniel Pirret-Buik (H) Harrison Boersen (H)

Hamilton Defends Swimming Title!

After success in four of the five major House events last year, Hamilton continued their winning streak, by holding on to the College Swimming title for 2016!

Preliminary heats had been raced since the start of Term 1, to determine who would compete in the final races. The students gathered in their Houses before parading into the pool area from all corners chanting their rallying songs with parents and supporters looking on from the Elliot Hall balcony.

When the MC for the event, Head of Middle School, Mr Duncan McQueen gave a points update midway through the event, Chalmers was in front on the back of strong individual performances by their swimmers. With double points up for grabs in the relay races, Wishart then came from behind to be crowned finals day winners!

HOUSE SWIMMING

1ST HAMILTON

2ND CHALMERS

3RD WISHART

4TH CARGILL

However, when the finals day points were combined with the preliminary results, it was Hamilton which claimed the outright honours, for the third year in a row! Congratulations to all the race winners and the age-group champions – and, of course, to Hamilton for taking out the first House event of the year!

COLLEGE SWIMMING SPORTS 2016

1st 2nd 3rd

SENIOR GIRLS Lisa Miyaura (H) Anna Wilkinson (Ch) Gabby MacDonald (W)

SENIOR BOYS Tom Moulder (H) James Hansen (Ca) Ben Fleming (H)

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS Olivia Overfield (Ch)

Chelsea Simmons (W) Mayah Coleman (W)

INTERMEDIATE BOYS Jonte Wright (H) Ben Morrison (W) Cameron Church (Ch)

JUNIOR GIRLS Beth Harford (Ca)

Grace Chang (Ca) Abbey Keyte (H)

JUNIOR BOYS Will Bason (Ch) Eamon Foley (W) Cameron Li (W)

YEAR 8 GIRLS Brooke Hill (Ch) Sophie Spencer (Ch) India Doo (W)

YEAR 8 BOYS Harry Lowe (H) Sam Everitt (W) Nicholas Morton (W)

YEAR 7 GIRLS SKC Isabella Campion (Ch) Nakoia Ashford (Ch) Jess Keyte (H)

YEAR 7 GIRLS SKC&SKGS Isabella Campion (Ch) Nakoia Ashford (Ch) Eva Colyer (Ca)

Year 7 BOYS Alex Perry (W) Jack Arbuckle (Ch) Bailey Lin (Ch)

Tennis Boys are Auckland and National Champions!

The College was the only school in the country to have teams vying for the boys’, girls’ and mixed national titles at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships. After a week of hard work and challenging play at the Auckland Tennis Centre, all three teams made their respective finals – the first time Saint Kentigern has been in the top two of all of the categories in the same year.

The boys’ team got through to the decider without losing a single match, beating Palmerston North Boys’ High, St Peter’s Cambridge, Whakatipu College and Auckland Grammar all by 6-0. However, the final was a completely different story. They were up against defending champions Scots College, which had ended Saint Kentigern’s three-year championship reign last year. With the matches drawn at 3-3, there was a countback of sets. These were also tied up at 6-6 so the result was decided on a countback of matches, which the College team won by the narrowest of margins, 52-51!

The girls’ team were also eager to wrest back the title they had held five straight times before relinquishing it last year by placing third. They reached the final comfortably with victories over Waikato Diocesan 6-0, Nelson College for Girls 6-0, St Peter’s Cambridge 4-2, and Kapiti 4-2. In the final they went down to a strong Westlake Girls’ team 1-5. The mixed team also placed second, beating Wanganui and Hutt Valley to reach the final, which they lost to St Andrew’s.

Well done to all the students but, in particular, our New Zealand champions, the Premier Boys!

Premier Boys

Heve Kelley

Connor Williamson

Liam Stoica

Freddie Cashmore-

Chatwin

Sean Kelly

Premier Girls

Shaylee Syme

Lana Popovich

Victoria Hockley

Ema Miyuara

Ana Tamanika

Auckland Champion Of Champions

Mixed Team

Alysha Nowacki

Amy Shew

Ela Vakaukamea

Sam Bird

Tate Fullerton

Sam Hodges

Fourteen students represented the College in the Auckland Secondary Schools Tennis Championships. The players were competing in singles and doubles while also vying for overall best school points. After three days of competition, 10 students made it through to the finals at the Auckland Tennis Centre. The College was represented in nine finals with our students winning seven titles as well as two runners up. When all of the points were combined, we were named top overall in the boys’ competition and second in the girls.

Medals

Heve Kelley: Senior Boys’ Singles Champion, Senior Boys’ Doubles Champion

Connor Williamson: Senior Boys’ Doubles Champion

Lana Popovich: Senior Girls’ Doubles Champion

Shaylee Syme: Senior Girls’ Doubles Champion

Liam Stoica: Intermediate Boys’ Singles Champion, Boys’ Doubles Runner Up

Tate Fullerton: Intermediate Boys’ Doubles Runner Up

Sam Hodges: Junior Boys’ Singles Runner Up, Junior Boys’ Doubles Champion

Daniel Persson: Junior Boys’ Doubles Champion

Ana Tamanika: Junior Girls’ Singles Champion and Girls’ Doubles Champion

Ela Vakaukamea: Junior Girls’ Double Champion

Auckland Teams Competition

Premier Boys: Champions

Premier Girls: Runners up

Intermediate Boys A1: Champions

Junior Boys: Champions

Junior Girls: Champions

Multisport and Open Water Swim Champions

Varying conditions greeted the 20 Saint Kentigern triathletes who competed at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships in Queenstown. Day 1 featured cold race conditions, between -1 and 12 degrees at Jack’s Point, for the athletes competing in the individual triathlon and team triathlon championships – chilly!

The competition started well for Saint Kentigern with Sophie Spencer dominating the U12 Girls field from start to finish to record her first win of the championship. Jacob Spring, Emma Hannan and Jack Melhuish also recorded top 20 placings in the U13 and U14 categories. The U16 Boys race started impressively for the College, with Dylan McCullough surfacing from the freezing lake in first place followed by Ryan Church. Dylan continued a comprehensive display of all the disciplines (swim, bike, run and transitions) to record first place in an age group that Dylan has another year in which to compete. In a large U16 Girls field, Maddy Clarke and Annabelle Waterworth recorded pleasing results with a 7th and 10th placing respectively. The U19 Boys and Girls competitions were highly competitive with Daniel Whitburn and Anna Wilkinson recording top 20 places.

In the Teams event, Saint Kentigern produced pleasing results with podium finishes for both the U16 Girls (2nd) and U16 Boys (3rd). The

Top Three Placings

Individual Triathlon

U12 Girls: Sophie Spencer 1st

U16 Boys: Dylan McCullough 1st

Team Triathlon

U16 Girls: 2nd

Olivia Overfield

Annabelle Waterworth

Maddy Clarke

U16 Boys 3rd

Ryan Church

Dylan McCullough

Open Water Championships

U12 Girls: Sophie Spencer 1st

U13 Boys: Will Bason 1st

U16 Boys: Ryan Church 3rd

Aquathon

U12 Girls: Sophie Spencer 1st

U16 Boys: Dylan McCullough 1st

U14 Girls and U14 Boys produced impressive results given that most of the team have another year in this category.

Day two started chilly again with snow on the surrounding mountains, however, this quickly changed to comfortable conditions at the swimming venue of Lake Hayes. Results in the Open Water Championships were outstanding with Will Bason and Sophie Spencer both recording comprehensive wins in their respective age groups. In an exciting and tense race, Ryan Church medalled in the U16 race, where the difference between first and fourth was four seconds.

The second event of the day was the aquathon, where yet again Saint Kentigern was represented well. Gold medals were achieved in style with both Sophie and Dylan dominating their respective fields. Overall, this season has been highly impressive for these two students with wins in both the Auckland and New Zealand Championships for triathlon and aquathon.

Medals at Maadi!

Students from the College Rowing Club continued their season of improvement and success with three medals at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships. Known as the Maadi Regatta, this year’s championships were held at Lake Ruataniwha on the outskirts of Twizel. Selection criteria for these championships are tough, given the extremely high level of competition, with over 2,110 students from 125 schools competing in over 600 races over six days. Pleasingly, we had over 46 rowers and coxswains selected to travel to Twizel based on their recent successes at regional and North Island championship events.

The club made nine A finals and eight B finals; an impressive feat in what is arguably one of the most competitive events in secondary school sports. The U17 Boys followed on from their North Island Championship success winning a gold medal in the U17 Eight, and this was backed up with a silver medal in the U17 Four. The U18 Lightweight Girls also continued on from their gold medal performance at NISS with a hard fought silver medal. As a result of the success at these championships, the College had representatives at both the NZ Junior trials and North Island trials.

NZ Junior Trial Ethan Blight

North Island Trial Sam Ingleton, Joshua Grant, Matthew Kelly, Harry Ramakers, Angus Wilson, Rhiannon Koni-Webb Medal Winners

Gold: U17 8+ Matthew Kelly, Ollie Strang, Joshua Grant, Ethan Blight, Harry Ramakers, Angus Wilson, Nicholas Lyons-Ramsdale, Sam Morrow, Samuel Ingleton (Cox)

Silver: U17 4+ Matthew Kelly, Ethan Blight, Harry Ramakers, Angus Wilson, Samuel Ingleton (Cox)

Silver: U18 LWT 4+ Olivia Hofer, Katherine Chang, Alesha Lamont, Georgia Pettengell, Georgia Evans (Cox)

North Island Championships

Gold

Girls’ U18 lightweight coxed four

Boys’ U17 coxed eight

Boys’ U17 coxed four

Bronze

Boys’ U18 coxed eight

Boys’ U18 lightweight coxed four

Girls’ U17 coxed four

Boys’ U17 coxed four

Touch Girls Defend Auckland Title

The Premier Girls’ Touch team has followed on from last year’s national championship winning run with a terrific start to this season. With the College claiming the New Zealand title for the first time last year, this year’s squad, with a number of new players, has taken up the mantle in fine style. The girls played superbly to go through the Eastern Zone competition unbeaten, finishing with a 4-2 defeat of Howick in the final. This qualified the team for the Auckland

Championships, which they also won without dropping a match. In the final they were up against regular foe Mt Albert Grammar. At fulltime the score was even at 4-4 but in the first stage of the drop off, the girls scored to win the title. This is the second consecutive year Saint Kentigern has won the Auckland championship! The result gives the team an opportunity to go back-to-back at the national championships in December. Congratulations!

Auckland One Day Champions!

The Boys’ 1st XI Cricket team regained the RH Marryatt Cup as the champions of the Auckland One Day Competition. The College finished top of its group with wins over St Peter’s, Takapuna Grammar, Westlake Boys’ and King’s and a solitary loss to Sacred Heart. The near-perfect record qualified them to face Auckland Grammar in the final at Melville Park.

Auckland Grammar batted first and was quickly in trouble, with Simon Keene removing their openers in the first few overs. Three quick wickets to Daman Bhatti had Auckland Grammar further under the pump at 34/5 in the 10th over. Auckland Grammar’s tail wagged to help them reach 141 all out in the 48th over. In reply, Sandeep Patel and Conor Ansell got off to a solid start with an opening partnership of 76. Finn Allen romped to 47 from 40 balls including four fours and two sixes. Simon Keene hit the winning runs with a boundary as his first scoring shot in Saint Kentigern’s total of 143/4 in the 34th over.

The team then went on to qualify for the prestigious Gillette Cup following a tense victory over Mt Albert Grammar School (MAGS) in the Auckland Districts final. The Gillette Cup is the national tournament for secondary school one-day cricket, with the six district champions progressing to the national finals.

MAGS batted first and reached 199-8 from its 50 overs. Sandeep Patel finished with figures of 10 overs, 4 maidens, 4 wickets for 21 runs. In reply, Saint Kentigern was in difficulty early before Conor Ansell and Fergus Ellis steadied the ship. Having opened the batting, Conor played an anchoring role, scoring 46 from 106 balls to help his team to 149-4 from 34 overs. Fergus bludgeoned his way to 76 not out from 66 balls including six fours and three sixes to reach the 200 runs needed with seven overs to spare.

New Cricket and Indoor Sport Facility

The fantastic cricket results follow two major investments into the sport at the College. Late last year, professional coach Ben Williams was appointed as Cricket Development Officer. Mr Williams started a leading academy in the Bay of Plenty, where he was mentor for Black Caps Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. He also runs mycricketcoach.com, a coaching website and app with more than 700 instructional videos. Shortly after, the indoor training facility was opened for use by cricket and other sports. The facility features four full-length pitches, allowing teams to train in optimal conditions regardless of the time of day and weather. The College cricketers are reaping the benefits with improved individual performances and team success.

Greater Auckland Athletics Championships

Twenty-six medals, including nine gold, and breaking a record that had stood for 26 years! That was the haul achieved by College competitors at the Greater Auckland Athletics Championships. Our top runners, jumpers, and throwers took part in the event at Mt Smart Stadium, which was held in trying wet and windy conditions. Year 9 student,

Cecile Sililoto led the way with three gold medals in the Junior Girls’ long jump, 200m and 300m. Lisa Putt won gold in the Intermediate Girls’ long jump, triple jump and as part of the 4x100m relay team. Luke Johnson was 0.01 of a second away from winning gold in the Senior Boys’ 200m. One of the best performances of the entire meet was by the Open Boys’ 4x400m relay team of Matthew Manning, Dominic Devlin, Mitchell Gibson and Ben Paanakker. The boys won by seven seconds in a time 3m 28.75s which beat the record that had stood since 1993 by 0.12 seconds!

Congratulations to everyone who competed and especially to our medal winners!

Gold

Cecile Sililoto Junior Girls’ long jump, Junior Girls’ 200m, Junior Girls’ 300m

Lisa Putt Intermediate Girls’ long jump, Intermediate Girls’ triple jump

Open Boys’ 4x400m relay team

Dominic Devlin, Ben Paanakker, Mitchell Gibson, Matthew Manning

Matthew Manning Senior Boys’ 1500m

Intermediate Girls’ 4x100m relay team

Elise Conway, Mahina Paul, Jaymie Kolose, Lisa Putt

Luke Paanakker Intermediate Boys’ high jump

Silver

Luke Johnson Senior Boys’ 200m

Dominic Devlin Senior Boys’ 400m

Victoria Kolose Senior Girls’ 200m

Mayah Coleman Intermediate Girls’ javelin

Dylan McCullough Intermediate Boys’ 1500m

Bronze

Senior Boys’ 4x100m relay team

Etene Nanai, Nathaniel Weaver, Isaac Greville, Luke Johnson)

Ryan Barrett Senior Boys’ high jump

Viona Silao Senior Girls’ discus

Victoria Kolose Senior Girls’ 100m

Cameron Low Senior Boys’ 3000m

Michael Wood Open Boys’ 2000m steeplechase

Luke Paanakker Intermediate Boys’ long jump

Silafono Solo Titiuti Intermediate Boys’ shot put

Mayah Coleman Intermediate Girls’ discus

Jaymie Kolose Intermediate Girls’ 200m

Ryan Church Intermediate Boys’ 1500m

Junior Girls’ 4x100m relay team

Caitlyn McKenzie, Dawn Boxer, Zara Smith, Cecile Sililoto

Back-to-back Golf Titles

For the second consecutive year, the College Premier Golf team has won the Auckland Secondary School Championship for the 9/18 hole gross competition. After going unbeaten against all challengers this side of the bridge, Saint Kentigern met Massey College in the finals of the Battle of the Bridge at the Grange Golf Club.

In breezy conditions, the team recorded a total of 3 over par for the 3 counting rounds to win by 9 shots! The scores posted by the College players on the par 70 course were: Karl Jorgensen, 67; Kanarn Nalam, 70; Erik Jorgensen, 75; and Andrew Meng, 76.

Congratulations boys!

North Island Secondary School Athletics Championships

Gold Lisa Putt

Intermediate Girls’ long jump, Intermediate Girls’ triple jump

Silver Mayah Coleman

Intermediate Girls’ javelin

Bronze Cameron Low

Senior Boys 3000m

Mayah Coleman

Intermediate Girls’ discus

Dominic Devlin

Senior Boys’ 400m

Historic results for Water Polo

Summer tournament week was extremely successful for the College water polo programme! Both of the Premier teams finished in the top two of their respective national tournaments, with the boys’ team securing the best result in the history of the College. Having already placed fourth in the Auckland competition and third in the North Island Championships, the Premier Boys travelled to Wellington to take on the 15 other top teams in New Zealand. The boys progressed to the semi-final with four wins from five games. In the semi-final, they won 6-5 over Sacred Heart, putting the College into its first ever final, an all-Auckland encounter against Rangitoto.

The final remained close throughout with a 6-4 scoreline at the end of the third quarter in favour of Saint Kentigern. Rangitoto equalised

with a minute left on the clock and went on to win 7-6. The boys were extremely tired after their intensive efforts, but proud to come away with second place. To top it off, Dominic Rankin-Chitar was named in the all-tournament team and awarded Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

In the girls’ Division 2 competition, Saint Kentigern lost its opening match 4-10 to Hamilton Girls’ High, before going through the rest of the tournament unbeaten. In the final, they reversed the earlier result with Hamilton Girls’ High, winning 7-6 to lift the title. Abbey Keyte and Christina Middlebeek-Harrison were named among the five most outstanding players of the tournament!

Success for College Swimmers

The top swimmers at the College represented Saint Kentigern at the South Eastern and Counties Manukau Zones, Auckland Inter-Zone and Auckland Champion of Champions events. Congratulations to the following students for their podium results!

Auckland Champion of Champions

Tom Moulder Boys 16-18 50m butterfly 2nd=

Grace Chang Girls 13 and under 50m 2nd

Boys 14-15 4x50m medley relay - 3rd

Counties Manukau Zone

Tom Moulder Boys 16-18 50m butterfly 1st; 50m backstroke 1st; 50m freestyle 2nd

Will Bason Boys 13 and under 50m butterfly 1st; 50m backstroke 1st; 50m freestyle 1st=

Grace Chang Girls 13 and under 50m freestyle 1st; 50m butterfly 2nd; 50m backstroke 3rd; 50 breaststroke 2nd

Eamon Foley Boys 13 and under, 50m freestyle 1st=; 50m backstroke 3rd

Alex Gordon Girls 16-18, 50m breaststroke 2nd

Jonte Wright Boys 14-15, 50m freestyle 2nd

Cameron Li Boys 13 and under, 50m freestyle 3rd

Boys Open 4x50m butterfly relay - 1st

Girls 16-18 4x50m backstroke relay - 1st

Girls 14-15 4x50m breaststroke relay - 1st

Girls 14-15 4x50m freestyle relay - 2nd

Boys 14-15 4x50m freestyle relay - 2nd

Girls 14-15 4x50 medley relay - 2nd

Boys 14-15 4x50m medley relay - 2nd

Girls 16-18 4x50m medley relay - 2nd

Auckland Intermediate Inter-Zones

Isabella Campion

Sophie Spencer

Brooke Hill

Year 7 Girls 50m backstroke 1st; 50m freestyle 1st

Year 8 Girls 50m breaststroke 2nd

Year 8 Girls 50m freestyle 2nd

Year 7 Girls freestyle relay - 3rd

Year 8 Girls freestyle relay - 2nd

South-Eastern Zone

Brooke Hill Open Girls 50m butterfly 1st; Year 8 Girls 100m freestyle 1st; Year 8 Girls 50m freestyle 1st

Sophie Spencer Year 8 Girls 50m breaststroke 3rd

Alex Perry

Year 7 Boys 100m freestyle 3rd

Nakoia Ashford Year 7 Girls 100m freestyle 2nd

Isabella Campion Year 7 Girls 100m freestyle 3rd; 50m backstroke 3rd; 50m breaststroke 3rd

Year 7 Girls 4x50m freestyle relay - 1st

Year 8 Girls 4x50m freestyle relay - 1st

Year 8 Boys 4x50m freestyle relay - 3rd Open Girls medley relay - 1st

Resounding Victory in Presbyterian Quadrangular Tournament

The First XV Rugby team has reclaimed the Presbyterian Quadrangular Tournament title with two polished performances! Now held as a pre-season tournament, the muchanticipated competition brings together Saint Kentigern, Wellington’s Scots College, St Andrew’s from Christchurch and Lindisfarne from Hastings to challenge for the coveted title. The four schools have a long history of friendship and rivalry, with the tournament now in its 28th year.

Saint Kentigern opened its campaign with a commanding 65-12 victory over St Andrew’s, scoring five tries in the first 20 minutes. Etene Nanai (3), Carlos Price (2), Tanielu Tele’a (2), Peni Lasaqa, Rivez Reihana, Ryan Jones and

Sam Toloke all scored tries with Carlos and Rivez sharing the goalkicking.

The result secured a spot in the final against national runners-up, Scots College, who had defeated defending Quad champions, Lindisfarne 31-3. Tanielu scored the first of nine tries and would go on to bag a double, with seven other players – Kayleb Milne, Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, Ryan Jones, Keb Melrose-Waihi, Tevita Mafileo, Etonia Waqa and Peni Lasaqa – crossing the line.

The final score was 57-3, one of the biggest margins in a Quad final. In the playoff for third and fourth,

Geography Students in the Field

The first month of the school year was a busy one for senior geography students, with field trips to the Waitakere Ranges, a Karaka dairy farm and Muriwai Beach.

Biology Classes Study Rocky Shore

Biology students travelled to North Head to observe animals and plants in their natural environment to better understand the relationships of inter-tidal organisms and the adaptations they possess to survive in a challenging habitat.

Hockey Tour to Melbourne

Lindisfarne beat St Andrew’s College 27-14. Saint Kentigern has now won the tournament 15 times, followed by St Andrew’s with eight titles.

Art Deco Dinner and Dance

Lepidoptera Club Volunteer at Museum

Staff and students from the Lepidoptera Club at the College volunteered to run the Moths and Butterflies stand at the Explorama exhibition at Auckland War Memorial Museum, educating the public about the plight of these insects in New Zealand and outlining how we can all help.

The College Jazz programme played alongside the Christchurch Boys’ High School Big Band, Dixie Band and Funk Band in an art deco themed music extravaganza. Drawing inspiration from the giants of jazz and the popular dance bands of the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, the vintage sounds of a bygone era were well received by an appreciative audience in Elliot Hall.

The Hockey Girls’ 1st XI toured to Australia during the term break to prepare themselves for the competitive Auckland league. The team drew the Auckland final 1-1 with Diocesan last year, the first time the College has finished first in the top division. To try and go one better this year and win the title outright, the girls spent 12 days in Victoria playing against leading school and club sides. The trip started with training sessions at Maribyrnong College in Footscray over the first weekend. The following four days saw matches against Geelong Grammar, Caulfield Grammar, Wesley College and Haileybury. The girls went through these games unbeaten and gained experience playing on different surfaces against different styles of play and in all types of weather. The team then travelled up to Ballarat for two games against mixed club teams. In amongst the on-turf action, the players also got to take in the height of Australian sport at an AFL match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and also attended a dawn service on Anzac Day. The successful tour bonded the team ahead of an important season and elevated their playing skills, communication and teamwork.

Testing the Waters

The Year 8 students from the College have been learning about and researching water quality with the help of Watercare education co-ordinator, Sally Smith. This has included field work at Tamaki Estuary where the students conducted testing into water turbidity, pH level, nitrate content and identified organisms present in their samples.

College Parents and Friends

Avery warm welcome to our new students and their families, and also to those returning to the College.

The Parents and Friends (P&F) supports the College in various ways throughout the year, notably raising funds through our café, thanks to our wonderful group of parents. We are very grateful for their on-going help.

Early in the term, the P&F hosted the Year 7 Parents Social Evening and the Year 9 Meet the Tutor evening, with both having excellent turnouts. We provided refreshments at the Parent Teacher Interviews, and assisted at the College Open Day. Our Asian Parents Social Group meet regularly and its attendance continues to grow.

Running the lunch bar and the Saints Café is the P&F’s main fundraising activity and last year we assisted with nearly $60,000 towards school equipment, sports teams, cultural groups, travelling groups, WOW prizes, AIMS, the Pipes and Drums and the Robotics championship, as well as the annual Year 13 Leavers’ Bibles.

The P&F Executive Committee is a special group of College parents who enjoy making what is an important contribution to our school. Confirmed at our recent AGM, the committee for 2016 is: David Courtney, Chairman; Sandra Oliver, Treasurer; Desirée Jenkins-Allright, Secretary; Margaret Wind, Saints Café & Lunch Bar Convenor; Sarah Storer, Functions Convenor; Julia Clancy, Social Convenor; Jessie Liu, Asian Parents Social Group Convenor; Trish Heikoop, P&F Admin/Co-Ordinator (newly appointed); and Mary Eyre, Public Relations Convenor (newly appointed).

Annual Giving 2015 – Our Thanks

The Saint Kentigern Annual Giving appeal assists the College to fund extra equipment and provide assistance in areas nominated for support.

In 2015, three areas were identified to put the additional funds to use:

• Our Learning Commons, which is currently being extensively reconfigured

• Performing Arts

• Family Hardship

Thanks to the generous support of our Saint Kentigern community, Annual Giving has assisted us in all these areas.

Contributions towards the Learning Commons has been utilised for the fit out of the new, enlarged area due to open early in Term 2.

Parents and Friends Information & Social Evenings

This expanded space will provide students with a vibrant, interactive area to bring together traditional library space and a modern digital learning environment.

In the Performing Arts, your contributions have helped to purchase new elements of staging for Elliot Hall. that will be utilised for productions across all levels of the College, and will last us for a number of years.

We recognise that occasionally Saint Kentigern families experience financial difficulties through no fault of their own. Our College Hardship fund enables us to provide assistance where appropriate to minimise the impact on student learning within the family.

On behalf of the College, we would like to thank all those who so generously contributed. We truly appreciate your on-going support.

Our guest speakers cover topics important to parents such as dealing with bullying, how to read your child’s report, what learning assistance the College offers, developments around the school, P&F updates, as well as a visit to Bruce House boarding house. A senior staff member - Mr Cole, Mrs Winthrop or Mr McQueen - and a board member also attend. Comments and questions are welcome.

We’d love you to come along, join us for refreshments, mingle with other parents and learn about our College.

Held on a Monday evening in the Sports Centre Lounge, a reminder notice is sent out a week prior. Dates this year are in OLE – go to Home > Parents & Friends > College Parents & Friends for file ‘P&F Community Evenings 2016.’

Join our College community

Come and be part of the College. By joining our friendly group of helpers, you’ll meet new people, make lasting friendships, and also contribute to our school. Helping out is generally described as ‘fun and easy, be it in the lunch bar or café, at Open Days, parent/teacher interviews/musical productions or any of the events the P&F supports.

We encourage you to get involved in any way that works for you, by emailing your interest to Trish at skc_pfadmin@saintkentigern.com

To join the Asian Parents Group contact Jessie Liu at skc_asiangroup@saintkentigern.com

President’s Report

This year started with the sad passing of the great ‘Mr Ron Stone’ who had inspired so many at the College during his 26 years teaching PE, 1963-1978. Ron was teacher, coach, mentor and friend to thousands of boys who attended the College over the years, as was evident at the packed Chapel service to farewell an inspirational individual who had such a positive influence on so many lives and who will not be forgotten. Our support was extended to Judy, Matt, Natalee, Rachel and their families, and many shared fond memories with them in Elliot Hall after the service. The family will also be supporting a ‘Ron Stone Memorial Shout’ after the 2016 SKC vs AGS game, at SKC on Saturday 25 June this year, all welcome.

The Boys’ School Golf Day was again held on a brilliant summer’s day in February, and drew a strong crowd of able golfers keen to be rewarded from the handsome prize pool. A new ‘Ron Stone Award’ was created this year to be presented annually to an Old Collegian who represents the many inspiring attributes held by Ron, this year it was awarded to Tim Burcher, a worthy recipient indeed.

The SKOCA vs College Cricket XI ‘12 Overs’ match was held in February again in perfect weather, and the College side managed to win the day with all-round style. A BBQ was held after the game and the SKOCA side certainly had some notable cricket talent from prior College years in its ranks, but not sufficient to win the cup in 2016.

The AGM and Annual Dinner were held in Elliot Hall in late March with a ‘1960’s Decade’ group focus. The Dinner was a great success, largely due to the impressive OC speaker line-up with guest speaker, Air Vice Marshall Peter Stockwell (SKC1803); introducing speaker Mr Graeme Little (SKC74), a Sydney/Silk barrister recently return to NZ; and the ‘Thanks’ offered by Willie Akel (SKC1101), an acclaimed Auckland barrister.

Kindred schools were well represented and teachers from the 1960’s decade also in attendance included Ken Bray, Donald Jeffcoat, Murray Spencer, John Irwin, Frank Bull and OC’s David Thompson and Warwick Bell.

Graeme Little provided an insight into what he believed the foundation Headmaster, Dr AML MacFarlan had achieved and how he had done so much for the College. We reflected on his esteemed military career for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery, his strong Christian beliefs and, foremost, the consideration of others before yourself - a ‘must’ always to be followed by ‘his boys.’ Graeme had sourced and recited

items of historical significance about Dr MacFarlan playing rugby for Scotland, military dispatch notes referring to his bravery amongst his men in battle and the respect the NZ education hierachy held for the scholar he was, his leadership abilities and his love of Latin. It was pleasing to have Old Collegian, Maitland MacFarlan in attendance to hear these fine words about his great father.

Guest Speaker, Old Collegian Peter Stockwell, retired head of the Royal NZ Air Force after a 41 year career, spoke of his admiration of Dr MacFarlan and his leadership, military history and style at the College being inspirational to Peter actually following a career in the Air Force. Peter recalled some ‘close calls’ in his time in the Air Force flying the B170 Bristol Freighter and also during his time flying in the 40th & 41st Squadron in Arab territories during times of conflict. He recalled his time in the UK and his close working relationship and now friendship, with Prince Charles and the Royal Family, and the many friends around the world he has worked with during his Air Force career. The address was most enlightening to all on what was an impressive and adventurous Air Force career, yet inspired on Saint Kentigern College campus.

The ‘Thanks’ by Willie Akel was also enlightening, despite the hour, and portrayed his own admiration of Dr MacFarlan and the teachers of the 1950’s and 1960’s and how it had helped shape and direct his own life. He recalled hymns which Dr MacFarlan would insist be sung every week to provide a historical teaching basis for the boys for future recognition such as ‘Jerusalem’ by William Blake, and that many years after College these learnings appear ever more relevant today and show the inspirational abilities of great teachers.

Next year, the decade focus will be on the 1970’s so we encourage those of that and my era to watch for the date, to which all are always welcome.

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

Fides Servanda Est

Andrew Morgan, President of the Old Collegians Association

Air Vice Marshal Peter Stockwell

Old Collegian, Air Vice Marshal Peter Stockwell gave 41 years of service to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, starting as a navigator in 1973 and reaching the organisation’s highest rank, Chief of Air Force, in 2011. He represented New Zealand in military roles around the world, including Defence Cache to Canada as part of the NZ High Commission and was the Senior National Officer for the Central Command in the United States during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1995, he was awarded the Air Force Cross for his outstanding leadership as commanding officer of 40 Squadron. He later oversaw all of New Zealand’s military services – Army, Navy and Air Force – as the Commander of Joint Forces. In 2014, he was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for his consistently demonstrated and exceptional qualities of leadership, initiative, dedication, managerial skill and outstanding devotion to duty. We were privileged to welcome Peter back to the College as guest speaker at the Old Collegians’ Annual Dinner.

‘I started at this wonderful institution in Form 1 (Year 7) in 1966. They were great days. My abiding memories of the College are of opportunity, values, culture and fun. The Reverend Dr Adam MacFarlan, Jack Paine and Ron Stone are three characters that stood out. We all know the incredible legacy that ‘Dougs’ had at the College and the incredible impression that he left on us. Looking back I recognise now that he was a major influence not only on my personal values but also my choice of career in the military. He was a tower of a man who through his strength of character, amazing personality and leadership had such a huge impact on New Zealand through his development of thousands of young men who went through this College and went on to wonderful careers and lives. He was ably backed up by his right-hand man, Jack Paine, a fierce character but a true gent.

For me the College provided the foundation to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that life throws at you, through application of the College’s values. Under Dr MacFarlan’s leadership, a culture was created that fostered the values that set the College, and us as individuals, on the right course.

Leaving school, I had a passion for aviation and decided to follow that pathway. I joined the RNZAF in 1973 and in 41 years I managed to have about six different careers inside the one organisation. The New Zealand Defence Force is really good at providing wonderful education and training to its people across all three services, not only in the technical parts of their jobs but also leadership and management skills. The NZDF does have a very good reputation internationally. Even though we are small, we are recognised, certainly by the militaries, we rate as being very professional and capable. An important dimension is the power of having a gender and ethnic mix. In East Timor for example, having women in the infantry combat units was very powerful for engaging with the local population. When you have young, capable, articulate women who are able to engage with the local women, it makes a huge difference to the impact we have.

My time at Saint Kentigern had a huge impact on my values, my behaviours, my work ethic and my approach to life. Saint Kentigern continues to demonstrate for me the value of high quality education based on a solid foundation of values and a strong culture. I applaud the College and the broader campuses as well, and all it stands for. It does a wonderful job. Fides Servanda Est, the faith must be kept, is a great doctrine, and I’m sure Saint Kentigern will continue to produce outstanding citizens for New Zealand.’

SKOCA Boys’ School Golf Day

Under a blazing, summer sun, maybe a little hotter than some would have liked, a full field of 84 players convened at the Royal Auckland Golf Club for the annual SKOCA Boys’ School Golf Day.

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie outlined the high stakes for the afternoon, notably ‘The Mungo Cap’ - a replica of the original grey school cap worn in earlier times – to be awarded to the top team at the end of play. At the other end of the scale was the gaudy, multi-coloured blazer, not exactly a prize to be coveted; one that would be awarded for ‘blooper of the day.’ The fact that Mr Cassie was sporting the jacket at the start of play was a reflection of his efforts last year! He was keen to see the jacket pass to a new home!

As the fours headed out to their starting tee under a cloudless, summer sky, carts loaded with provisions did the rounds to keep the players fed and hydrated. On a particularly hot course, the frozen ice-blocks were very well-received!

Following play, the teams retired to the club house for refreshments and the prize giving. The School is grateful to the many generous sponsors who provided some fabulous prizes for those whose score cards were favourable; we thank them for their generosity.

The winning four and recipients of the Mungo Cap were a team of parents comprising Chris Faulkner, Mike Riley, Nathan Cheeseman and Adam Bicknell. The ‘Longest Drive on the 18th’ was won by Victoria Wilkes for the ladies, with Paul Carson picking up the award for the men. Matt Hoare, from Ricoh, scored a chest freezer for ‘Nearest the Pin.’

A new trophy, the Ron Stone Memorial Trophy for an Old Collegian displaying ‘the true spirit of sportsmanship’ was awarded to Tim Burcher. This will continue to be presented annually.

And the Jacket? It didn’t travel far, swapping from Principal to Deputy Principal, Mr Grayson Aspinall for breaking course rules and talking on his cell phone!

SKOCA 2016 Calendar

24 JUNE - FRIDAY

London Reunion

Time: 6.45pm

Price: £35

Venue: London CBD, TBC

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

12 AUGUST - FRIDAY

Canterbury/Lincoln Uni ROCs Cocktails (Recent Old Collegians)

Time: 6pm

Venue: Volstead Trading Co. Riccarton, Christchurch

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

12 AUGUST – FRIDAY

Boys’ School Dinner

‘Foundation Decade Focus, 1959-69’

Venue: JC Chalmers Hall, Boys School

Pre Dinner Drinks: 6.30pm - Dinner @ 7.15pm

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

13 AUGUST – SATURDAY

Otago Uni - ROCs Cocktails (Recent Old Collegians)

Time: 6.00pm

Venue: Starters Bar, Frederick Street, Dunedin

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

19-20 AUGUST – FRI/SAT

Australian Reunion - Sydney

Friday 19 August

Time: 6.30pm (Friday)

Venue: Sydney CBD, TBC

Ticket: A$65 (ROC’s A$40)

Saturday 20th – 2nd Bledisloe Cup Rugby Test

ANZ Stadium (tickets available)

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

2 SEPTEMBER - FRIDAY

Bruce House Boarders Reunion Dinner, 2000-2015 Leavers

Time: 6.30pm

Price: $65 (ROC’s $45)

Venue: Bruce House, College

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

20 OCTOBER – THURSDAY

SKOCA - Netball

Premier and Senior A Netball versus Old Collegians Girls

Start: Games start at 7.00pm (contact: Kelly

Alexander)

Venue: Old Collegians Sports Centre

Followed by refreshments in the Sports Centre

Lounge

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

Mana Vautier

The final words of Mana Vautier’s leaver’s profile in the 1997 Yearbook read, ‘Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.’ Well, dreams don’t come much loftier than becoming a NASA astronaut! Mana is an aerospace engineer with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, and is also a lead engineer for strategy and technology consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton. ‘My role is the integration of the many subsystems (guidance, navigation, life sustainability, thermal protection, power) on board the International Space Station,’ he says. He has applied for the latest intake of NASA astronauts to achieve his long-held dream of travelling into space.

Mana spent five years at the College, all as a boarder at Bruce House. In his final year, he was appointed as Chapel Prefect, and awarded the Pollock Shield for School Music for his contributions on the trumpet in the orchestra, concert band and stage band, as drum major for the Pipes and Drums of Saint Kentigern, and he was also part of the kapa haka group. In the sporting arena, Mana competed in athletics, cross country, rugby (2nd XV), cricket and dragon boating. His extensive and diverse involvement in the life of the College was rewarded with the Richard Osborn Memorial Award which goes to the student who has shown high personal standards and exhibited the qualities inherent in the foundation of the College. Following his graduation, Mana attended the University of Auckland before moving to the United States to

John Beckett

At this year’s Old Collegians annual dinner, we were pleased to catch up with former student, John Beckett (#644) who holds the distinction of becoming a Rhodes Scholar in 1967. To date, he is the only Old Collegian to receive this award to attend Oxford University in England.

John Beckett’s career is an interesting one to follow: Leaving Saint Kentigern in 1962, he completed a degree in engineering with first class honours at Auckland University and, continuing the running interest he began at school, became the national junior mile champion and set a NZ Universities mile record.

At Oxford University, under his Rhodes Scholarship, John completed his M Phil in Management Studies in 1970, specialising in the economics of industry, which complemented his engineering degree. At Oxford, he also won Blues for the mile and cross-country.

Working in London as a consultant for Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co, John had a number of assignments which took him to the Falkland Islands, West Indies and Belgium. During this time, he married Ann, a Wellingtonian, and in 1974 returned to New Zealand to work in Wellington.

In the first ten years, he worked for the Government mainly in transport and energy with periods in the Railways, in the Prime Minister’s Advisory Group and in the Ministry of Transport where he was responsible for policy across land, sea and air. During this period his children Peter, Michael and Georgina were born.

continue his studies at Brigham Young and Auburn Universities, where he gained a Bachelor of Science (Physics - Astronomy) and Master of Science (Aerospace Engineering). In 2011, he was awarded a NASA Software Award for his work at Odyssey Space Research and in 2012 he won the Science, Technology and Innovation category in TVNZ’s ‘Marae Investigates’ Maori of the Year awards.

Alongside the heavy workloads his study and career has demanded, Mana has still managed to give time as a volunteer to a variety of causes. He is race director for a charity fun run, a firefighter and vice president of the Nassau Bay Volunteer Fire Department, and a crew lead of the Houston branch of Rebuilding Together, which repairs homes at no cost for low-income elderly homeowners. In February, the father of five helped launch the Massey University science academy for young Māori, Pūhoro, of which he is an ambassador. ‘I especially like the ‘hands on’ aspect of field trips, lab work and career exposure [the academy will provide]. I have always enjoyed helping other people, and with my Māori heritage, I am excited to be a part of this academy. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully inspire and motivate others to bigger and better things by sharing my life experiences with them. I have always loved looking up at the night sky as long as I can remember, and just knew that I wanted to one day be involved in some way with the human exploration of space.’

In 1984, John moved to the New Zealand Dairy Board where he was a senior executive for 15 years with roles covering the Board’s supply chain, arrangements for purchasing dairy products from the independent dairy companies, and the financial and management accounting for the parent company. In 2000 he returned to economic consulting in transport, agriculture and education, and for a period was on the NZ Apple and Pear Board.

In 2007, John and Ann moved to Kohimarama, the Auckland suburb of John’s formative years. He remains busily involved, having been appointed in 2008 as Executive Director of the Board of Airline Representatives (BARNZ) which represents the airlines that fly into New Zealand on matters affecting them collectively.

Saint Kentigern College is very proud that one of their early students received such a prestigious award and went on to a distinguished career that has been very much a fulfilment of the vision that Cecil Rhodes had in establishing the Scholarship.

Rhodes Scholarship

Established in 1903 under the will of Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international graduate scholarship programme in the world. The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students at the University of Oxford, and providing transformative opportunities for exceptional individuals. Rhodes’s vision in founding the Scholarship was to develop outstanding leaders who would be motivated to ‘fight the world’s fight’ and to ‘esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim’, and to promote international understanding and peace.

Source: New Zealand Universities website

Kirstyn Goodger

After graduating from the College in 2008, Kirstyn represented New Zealand at the World Junior Rowing Championships, where she won a silver medal. In 2010, she received a full scholarship to attend the University of Washington in Seattle where she gained a Bachelor of Science majoring in oceanography. She exceled in the university’s rowing team, going unbeaten in a pair crew for four years! Head coach, Bob Ernst nicknamed her ‘the universal donor.’ ‘She makes everybody else she rows with better,’ he says.

She returned to New Zealand in 2015 and is now working as a coastal scientist for engineering company, Beca. Her work involves studying the seafloor and movements of ocean currents near the coast to predict the way the surf will shape coastlines and its impact on ports and marinas. She is also enjoying further rowing success, winning her first red coat – awarded to national title winners – as part of the Central women’s 8+ championship crew in February.

She shares the story of her time at the

‘I started at the College in Year 9 in 2004, which was the year after girls had joined as students. I joined the rowing club the same year and because there were so few girls, there were only two crews. I remember during winter training sometimes I would be the only girl. I worked hard to prove myself as strong and hard working as the male rowers and knew I had achieved this feat when they started referring to me by my last name (later shortened to Goodg). I believe I still hold the girls’ 5km erg record. I was Deputy Club Captain in my U18 year and a Sports

Duncan Wilsher

Duncan was College Head Boy in 2009. After leaving Saint Kentigern, he spent a year working in Chile as a teacher aid/ rugby coach for children between 5 and 10 years old which he found to be a highly rewarding experience as it exposed him to a vastly different culture and language than his own. It was in Chile that he started to learn Spanish as a second language, which he continued to learn at University. Alarmingly, five days after arrival in Concepción he experienced an 8.8 earthquake, which made life very difficult for a while, but it was nonetheless an experience of a lifetime.

In 2011, he returned to New Zealand and started studying law and Spanish at Otago University. After three years in Dunedin, he

Prefect. My greatest achievement while rowing for the College was winning a silver medal in the U17 women’s four at the North Island Secondary School Championships.

My determination to row impacted on my studies, but what got me through was the relationship, trust and respect I had from my teachers, Head of Senior School, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop and former Executive Head, Mr Warren Peat. They were extremely supportive of my dreams and helped me in every way they could. Taking a wide variety of subjects has also helped in my career path. In my final year I took physics, chemistry, art, art history, design and calculus. I had a passion for the arts which I supplemented with science and mathematics subjects, as I enjoyed problem solving. I highly recommend every athlete to study a language as it is required if you want to go to university in the United States. I knew that learning in some subjects came easily and others simply involved hard work if you want to be successful, much like what is involved to be an athlete.’

then went on exchange for a year in Europe, studying Spanish in Madrid for six months and International Law in the Czech Republic for six months. During this time, he took advantage of his location and did a considerable amount of travelling, with particular highlights being participating in ‘the running of the bulls’ in Pamplona, attending an All Blacks match in Edinburgh, camping in the Sahara desert, and backpacking through Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo.

Upon completing his law degree, he was fortunate enough to be selected for an internship with the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials at the ECCC (the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia). Currently in Phnom Penh, he works in the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges. This is an impartial branch of the Court responsible for collecting both incriminating and exculpatory evidence regarding alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed between 1975 and 1979. He finds it an incredibly interesting and a highly challenging area of law to work in and urges anyone with an interest in law or politics to track the cases currently under investigation. He is thoroughly enjoying working in Cambodia, finding it to be a beautiful country and he is very grateful for the amazing opportunity he has been given.

Duncan says, ‘For all those who are eager to do something challenging and exciting with their time after College, I highly recommend taking some time to live overseas. For me, it has been a truly enlightening process. I found the best way to spend the most time abroad was to combine travel with work and/or education. There are plenty of opportunities on all continents of the world where you can spend time immersing yourself in a culture and language vastly different to your own and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.’

photo credit: Rowing Celebration

Dr Michael Kraakman

Michael graduated from the College in 2004 having been a Prefect and Wishart House Leader in his final year. He is well-remembered as a triathlete and an accomplished cyclist having been part of the team that won ‘Team of the Year 2004’ after a year of notable wins. He was also a boarder at Bruce House and enjoyed the camaraderie that came with it.

Since leaving Saint Kentigern, Michael moved to Dunedin to complete a Bachelor of Physical Education at Otago University. He said that at the time, this was a seemingly natural progression for someone with a keen interest in sport and exercise. During the later parts of this degree, he became interested in the idea of continuing with research following the completion of an honours year where he conducted research to investigate how breakfast alters energy utilisation during subsequent exercise.

A lack of prospective funding and a passion for more ‘in depth’ science led Michael to Palmerston North where he completed a Graduate Diploma in Science with a major in Biochemistry and Human Genetics. From here, he moved to Melbourne to complete his PhD in Professor Mark Febbraio’s Laboratory at the BakerIDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. During his time in Melbourne, he was involved in projects investigating how obesity causes insulin resistancethe primary symptom leading to the development of Type 2 Diabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome.

In July 2015, Michael moved to New York to join the Department of Medicine at the prestigious Columbia University as a post-doctoral research scientist in the laboratory of Professor Domenico Accili. There, he is currently researching how various metabolic diseases influence the bone and bone marrow to modulate white blood cell production, inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk.

In November of that year, he was named as one of two Russell Berrie Foundation Scholars for 2015 who will share a US$150,000 grant that enables international researchers to work for up to two years in laboratories affiliated with the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. With the scholarship funding, he will investigate how obesity promotes tissue dysfunction that leads to morbidity. While existing research describes how blood cell formation is altered in obesity, Michael’s project will look at how bone marrow tissue itself is affected by obesity, which until now has been poorly studied.

Michael has relished his opportunities for on-going research and has had several papers published, a prestigious achievement for a young scientist.

Now married, Michael and his wife are thoroughly enjoying this opportunity to live in New York.

Tessa Meyer

The 2011 Head Girl of the College, Tessa Meyer, is continuing the Saint Kentigern tradition of service with her support of a special campaign to promote volunteering in the community. Following her graduation from the College, Tessa gained a Bachelor of Science at University of Canterbury (UC) and is now studying towards her Masters in Urban Resilience and Renewal. She is the Vice-President of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA), which partnered with the RSA and UC in launching the Serve for New Zealand initiative for Anzac Day. The essence of the campaign is to generate a new tradition of service during national days of significance. It encourages New Zealanders to pledge their support to give one hour (or more, if they wish!) of their time to volunteer in their communities on public holidays.

‘The idea was ignited when we spent time with Prince Harry last year,’ says Tessa. ‘He mentioned connecting with retired servicemen – and we realised that the SVA and the RSA share similar values of compassion, comradeship, and a spirit to help others. Our team was overwhelmed with the positive reaction the campaign received. It was incredibly exciting to see our engagement with people increase as the hours pledged online rose to 6500 by Anzac Day. I think it’s

so important to recognize that little efforts can collectively make a remarkable difference, that’s what this is all about!

‘This is something I learnt while at the College, and my experience has shown me that a lot of young people do really value service and make time for it. It’s a wonderful way to connect with others and to generate stronger communities, and I hope this campaign – which will continue in future years – will remobilize service-inclined people and inspire others to start!’

Simon Morrow

Studying media studies in Year 13 is how I found my interest for film and television. Learning about film techniques, producing movies and having a passionate teacher in Mr Ian Thomas made me realise that for my career I wanted to work in media, especially television. After leaving the College, I studied at AUT for three years doing a Bachelor of Communication Studies. I majored in television in my final year and this is where I found my passion for news and filming.

I started my career doing work experience for TV3 and got my first job as a sound operator for the current affairs show, ‘60 Minutes.’ After a year I made the move to camera operating, working throughout the North and South Island covering stories including the Christchurch earthquake, general elections and sport. I also travelled to Australia to cover some entertainment stories.

I’m currently a cameraman/editor for NewsHub and TV3 based in London. I cover stories in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States and North Africa. Recently I have been to Calais in France reporting on the refugee crisis, the EU referendum and Six Nations rugby. I’ll be covering the ANZAC Commemoration in Gallipoli, the US Presidential Election, the ongoing refugee crisis in Greece, stories from the Turkish/Syrian border and any breaking news that happens throughout Europe and other territories. This career has allowed me to travel all over the world, meet all kinds of people and understand different cultures.

Iain Nealie

Looking back, I’d say it all started with Year 12 Media Studies. Until that point I’d never found a subject that really clicked for me. I always enjoyed films, writing and technology but never considered there was something that combined these things together. Subsequently, it didn’t take much to get me hooked on film directing and editing. I ended up pouring hours into film projects that in hindsight were cringeworthy at best and downright embarrassing at worst. Fortunately, the world hasn’t had to suffer through any more of my film attempts. I quickly came to realise my passion lay much further behind the lens.

I’ve been at Google for the past two and a half years working in a relatively new team that’s designed to help Google’s clients, partners and agencies utilise our platforms and products in more creative ways - which is basically an overly verbose way of saying we’re trying to make digital advertising better. As you can imagine, having ‘Google’ on your business card helps open doors, and I’ve had the fortune to work on some really interesting projects. I pinch myself daily, and frequently find myself wondering how I got here - more often than I’d like to admit.

Officially, my advertising career started at the end of 2008. After two frustrating years of study at Auckland University, I quit and transferred to AUT, where I enrolled in the Bachelor of Communications Studies, majoring in copywriting. I went on to pick up a full-time role at one of New Zealand’s top creative agencies, six months before graduating.

In 2009 my art director colleague and I rebranded ourselves as ‘Plankton’ to help stand out and give our CEO an easier name to remember. We thought being at the bottom of the ‘agency food chain’ had a nice ring to it; so we launched a fundraising IPO, which saw us float shares in our creative future in an effort to send ourselves to advertising’s Mecca, The Cannes Lions Festival in France.

When not scheming up lucrative fundraising projects, my creative partner and I were cutting our teeth on some of New Zealand’s biggest brands. Shooting the All Blacks for an Adidas campaign was definitely a career highlight, as was designing the NZ-inspired vodka bottle for cult-swedish brand, ABSOLUT. In 2010, I was lucky enough to be named in Campaign Magazine’s Top 50 emerging talent lineup, which was a great way to round off two years in the industry.

In 2012, I moved to Sydney, taking a role at Saatchi & Saatchi where I worked across their entire client portfolio. Most notably, we launched the ‘Penny the Pirate’ campaign for OPSM - a children’s book that helps parents screen their children for potential eye issues. The campaign has been recognised around the world with over 100 international advertising awards, recently being named in the Warc 100 as the Most Effective Campaign in the World for 2015. Shortly after we released the book, I was offered a role at Google. We’ve got some amazing projects lined up this year and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Lloyd David

What have you been doing since you graduated College?

I’ve been doing a lot of things but my main focus since leaving school has been taking my acting career to the next level. I’ve been training full time with Massive Theatre company with its emerging artist group, as well as training with Peter Feeney in his ‘Actors Lab’. The stage show, ‘The Wholehearted,’ marked my first professional show.

Why drama?

What got you started?

If you know me then you know I’m a HUGE professional wrestling fan. When I was five I remember watching Raw (wrestling show) and emulating the entrances of wrestlers such as the Rock and Steve Austin. However, my mum walked in and broke my heart with one line. She said, ‘Lloyd, professional wrestling is fake.’ Now seeing the distraught look on my face, she tried to save herself by saying, ‘It’s acting,’ and so in my head, in order to be the best wrestler in the world, I had to be the best actor and it just snowballed from there. When I got to Saint Kentigern, I met Head of Drama, Ms Emma Bishop and I cannot thank her enough because she really helped me see that there is a career in the performing arts. Under her guidance, I was able to do some of my best work!

What is it like working as a full time actor?

It’s quite funny because although technically this is my job, it’s never really felt like a ‘job’ to me. I mean, I am blessed that I get paid to do what I love, and honestly the money is just a bonus to me, but being able to step on stage and take people on a journey is the best part of being an actor. I’m the platform for the audience to dream around. I love it! I love getting it ‘right’ and I love finding all the ways to get it ‘right.’ And just because I’ve got a professional part, the learning doesn’t stop for me. I sort of saw this production as much of a learning experience as it is a professional show.

Tell us more about the process that led to your first professional production.

Massive Theatre Company has their own unique style of making theatre. They are very well known for having physically charged shows with ‘complicite’ (French for ‘the secret between two or more people’) as the driving force. So first and foremost, ‘The Wholehearted’ is a devised show; a show made from stories from the cast and interviews the cast has done with people outside the rehearsal space. And basically, all the questions and provocations that were put forward all centre around the idea of wholeheartedness and more importantly the pursuit of wholeheartedness. Once we’ve done all our research and we’ve gathered all our ‘material’, we find dynamic ways in which these stories can be both thought provoking and theatrical. Eight hours a day, six days a week is what it took to create this finished result...

What do you love most about working with Massive and having been in Wholehearted?

I love everything! There is never a dull moment, there is never a non-living moment. When you watch a Massive Theatre Company show, you’re watching a quality show. One thing Massive does particularly well, I think, is that everybody in the company aims to be excellent performers. There is no tolerance for mediocrity. If you’re boring, you will be told and I love that. There aren’t pats on the back for putting up ‘okay’ work or ‘half good’ work. It’s either the work is good or it’s not. It’s a direct replica of what the industry is like, and you know you’ll be bringing your best to the stage. ‘The Wholehearted’ was no different. Everything that is shown through ‘The Wholehearted’ has been worked since November of last year, and even then the show won’t be at its best. But I do guarantee an authentic, timeless, edgy, and a thought provoking theatre work.

Grace Bradshaw

After graduating from the College in 2009, I studied towards a Bachelor of Communications at AUT and majored in journalism. Once I’d completed my degree, I went on to be a news editor at Yahoo New Zealand. In 2014, I packed up and moved to London to feed my travel cravings and backpack around Europe. I arrived back last year and began my role as a digital producer and online homepage editor for the New Zealand Herald website, at NZ Media & Entertainment.

I did media studies in my final two years at the College, as well as photography, English, music and art history. I had always been keen on getting into media because I thought it was a way I could combine my writing skills and creativity. The Photoshop skills I learnt while taking photography have proved vital! In my roles at Yahoo NZ and the NZ Herald I use it on a daily basis and it’s a great skill to have.

In my first semester at AUT, I found I was familiar with the material in some of my papers as I had already learnt it in media studies at the College. This definitely helped with an easy transition from school to university and was an advantage to feel up to speed. Throughout the degree there was a lot of essay writing – media studies, English and art history all helped me be prepared for this.

Blue and Whites in the Blues!

This year, more than 20 per cent of the Blues Super Rugby squad are Old Collegians of Saint Kentigern! Eight of the 39-man squad selected by new coach, Tana Umaga attended the College, which is the largest contingent from any school in the squad. The team is captained by Jerome Kaino, who is joined by fellow Old Collegians, Matt Duffie, Joe Edwards, Scott Scrafton, Sione Mafileo, Blake Gibson, TJ Faiane and Sam Nock. Matt has returned to rugby union after a successful, albeit

injury riddled, rugby league career with the Melbourne Storm and NZ Kiwis. Joe, Sione and Blake Gibson all made their Super Rugby debuts last year and Scott and Sam are in line to get their first caps. TJ will unfortunately miss the entire season after reinjuring his knee.

Four players from the 2015 graduating class, Dalton Papalii, Jerry Samania, Sesimani Tupou and Wesley Tamiefuna, were also named in the Blues U20 squad for two matches in February.

Old Collegians take on 1st XI Cricket

Anumber of recent Old Collegians and former cricket players for the College took on the current 1st XI in the friendly annual fixture. The students were in top form with the match taking place during their successful campaign in winning the Auckland One Day Championship as well as the regional Gillette Cup qualifying tournament. However, the Old Collegians had age and experience on their side. The match was closely fought, with plenty of banter between the two sides, especially between players on opposing sides who had once been teammates for the College! The Old Collegians especially enjoyed reuniting on the pitch. This encounter will be a much-anticipated date on the calendar in the coming years as the players from this year’s champion 1st XI filter into the Old Collegians’ team!

Scholarship for Braydon Ennor

2015 College graduate, Braydon Ennor has been awarded a $5,000 rugby scholarship and a place in the Crusaders Rugby Academy while studying at the University of Canterbury. Braydon, who plays in the midfield, says he was thrilled to be awarded the scholarship from WooHoo NZ Tax Refunds and it will help him while studying for his Bachelor of Commerce Degree, majoring in Business Management. ‘I really want to play for the Crusaders and one day for the All Blacks, so getting the scholarship and a place in the academy are steps towards this.’

As a member of the Crusaders Academy, Braydon will work with a team of coaches and support staff who will assist him throughout his scholarship. Selection for the scholarship is based on exemplary rugby, academic, and holistic skills.

Braydon is joined in the academy by fellow Old Collegians, Sean Paranihi and Paripari Parkinson. Ninety per cent of academy inductees have graduated into professional rugby contracts at ITM Cup level or higher and 33 have gone on to represent the All Blacks in the past 17 years.

Old Collegians Marry

After eight years together, Erin Helliwell and Stephan van Gruting tied the knot in January this year at a beautiful wedding in Tai Tapu, Canterbury. The pair first started dating during their final year at Saint Kentigern and the wedding was attended by a number of Old Collegians.

Living in Christchurch, Stephan completed his Bachelor of Sports Coaching at Canterbury University, as well as a Certificate in Fitness at CPIT. He works as a Personal Trainer at a private gym, as well as coaching the Division 1 University of Canterbury Rugby Team. He is also works for the CRFU, doing Strength & Conditioning training for the Black Ferns (among other teams).

Erin completed her undergraduate and Honours degrees at Canterbury University, and is due to hand in her Master’s thesis in Psychology. She started her professional training at Canterbury this year and is working towards becoming a Clinical Psychologist. Alongside her studies, she works with youth as a Community Support Worker and volunteers as a crisis worker for a sexual assault support service.

Old Collegians v 1st XI Hockey

Early in April, the Boys’ 1st XI Hockey team played a team of Old Collegians, as part of their preparations for the upcoming season.

A strong line-up of Old Collegians including Black Stick, Dion Gosling, former 1st XI Captain Logan Alderson, and other Premier Club representative players such as Mike Hook and Michael Passmore, proved too strong for the College boys eventually beating them 5-3.

In Memoriam

STUART WILSON

Dr Stuart Elwyn Wilson MB, CHB, MStJ, Lt Col (Ret), R775506 passed away in Dunedin in October 2015. Dr Wilson # 113 was a foundation boarder at Bruce House and attended the College from 1954 to 1957.

Stuart Wilson trained first as a pharmacist in Whangarei, then as a doctor at Otago University. He had a strong connection with the Order of St John which he supported as a doctor.

As a GP, Stuart enlisted with the Territorial Force in 1981, serving as Medical Officer at 4th Otago and in 1983 he commenced Regular Force service being initially posted to Burnham Camp. As Colonel Wilson, he undertook Medical Officer Appointments in Waiouru and Linton and served as Commanding Officer, Senior Medical Officer and Assistant Director Defence Medical Services in those locations.

The players enjoyed a barbecue following the match, with a chance to catch up and share experiences playing hockey for the College.

Special thanks to Old Collegians Co-ordinator Malcolm Cowie, and Chris Dowdle for their organisation of the event.

He also served at Royal New Zealand Airforce bases at Whenuapai and Wigram.

Overseas postings later took Stuart to Singapore and Vanuatu and in 1992 he was deployed with the New Zealand Medical Team to the United Nations Special Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq (UNSCOM)

Despite being away from Auckland, Stuart was a keen member of the Old Collegians Association and attended functions whenever possible, the last being the 60th Jubilee in 2013.

Stuart is survived by his wife Colleen, four children and eight grandchildren.