Piper Issue 60 December 2016

Bringing Joy to Others

Each year, our children love to go and spread some Christmas cheer by visiting Retirement Villages and singing to the residents. This year was no exception with a visit to Epsom Retirement Village and Grace Joel. Proudly wearing their Santa hats, the children sang their Christmas songs at the top of their voices. ‘Santa wear your shorts’ was a favourite as the residents clapped along! The smiles and genuine appreciation on their faces made it all worthwhile.

Carol Service

How can anyone not smile when the stage comes to life with 50 preschoolers singing? Our Preschoolers attended the Girls’ and Boys’ School Carol Services, both held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral this year.

‘You make the whole world smile with your little button nose’ was the song of choice at the Girls’ School Carol Service. As the song progressed, the children’s actions and singing to each verse became more and more animated! It put a smile on everyone’s faces as the children left the stage.

A week later, it was time to perform at the Boys’ School Carol Service. Reverend Hardie had chosen his favourite children’s Christmas song, ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.’ The Cathedral was filled to over-flowing with more than 2000 people watching but that did not deter our Preschoolers! In full voice, with our transition boys proudly wearing Rudolph antlers and noses, the children and staff exploded into an upbeat rendition of ‘Rudolph!’ A massive round of applause saw the Preschoolers smiles on display for all to see as they returned to their mat.

Santa comes to Preschool

Who said 3 and 4 year olds wouldn’t be able to learn and remember more than 10 songs, with words and actions? They hadn’t counted on our Preschoolers! At the annual Christmas party, the 60 children gave a fantastic concert, singing their hearts out on stage for family, friends and invited guests.

After enjoying a special party lunch back at Preschool, the ringing of a bell saw all the children rush to the fence and squeal with delight as Santa arrived – by Jeep! He told the youngsters that he knew where to come as he’d heard their amazing voices singing! Each child had a turn to sit on Santa’s knee for a photo and to receive a present. As he left, Santa told the children that their Christmas artwork was the best that he had ever seen and he is looking forward to coming back next year.

Red Nose Day

The importance of caring for others less fortunate than ourselves is something that the Preschool instils in the children. Every year they focus on organisations that help others and this year, top of our list was ‘Cure Kids’ for their Red Nose Appeal.

With the children adding red to their uniforms and bringing a donation, the Preschool managed to raise $815.00. Cure Kids Ambassador, Eva came to collect the money and the children entertained with a fantastic rendition of ‘You make the whole world smile’, a song written for the Red Nose Appeal.

Diwali

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights was celebrated at Preschool. Traditional Indian dress, saris, boys’ tunics and dresses were brought into Preschool by our families to share with the children. Our children loved the opportunity to dance to Bollywood music, as well as have their hands painted with henna. A very special art display was made by the children, replicating ways that Indian families may decorate their houses. It is great to see the children experiencing learning opportunities from other cultures, which has also included Matariki and Chinese New Year, in reflection of Auckland, our multicultural city.

Buzz Buzz Buzz

The Preschool students received a visit from Sara the ‘Bee Lady’ during ‘National Bee Month.’ She arrived dressed as an apiarist (beekeeper) and talked to the children about the importance that bees play in the life cycle for humans to survive. She brought a living bee hive with her, which allowed the children to watch through the glass to see the bees at work. They were also able to hear the ‘buzz’ by putting their ears against the glass.

The children sat engrossed listening to Sara before they headed off to make their own beeswax candle to take home. What an amazing scientific learning and exploration opportunity for the children!

Butterfly Creek

Amassive dinosaur with claws and teeth greeted the Preschool students, staff and parents, as they arrived at Butterfly Creek for a day of learning and fun. The Dinosaur Kingdom was a major highlight with life-size dinosaurs, eggs, a ‘Dino Dig’ sandpit with huge fossils, amazing facts and a flying Pterodactyl. The Butterfly House was very hot and humid, but the children were fascinated by the butterflies flying around them and landing on their clothes.

They then ventured onto Bugs Galore, which had real life cockroaches, wetas, spiders and everything ‘creepy crawly,’ which saw many adults cringing but the children loved it! Thankfully, they were well enclosed in glass terrariums! Next on the list was the Buttermilk Farm – an interactive, hands-on farm experience. The children could cuddle guinea pigs and rabbits, hand feed goats and sheep - but nothing was as cute though as our own Preschool pigs and lamb!

Norman, our sheep

It’s not every day children arrive at Preschool to find a 5-day old lamb nam ed Norman! After the success of having piglets onsite, the opportunity to have a lamb for a few weeks was met with much excitement.

The Carnegie family picked up the orphan lamb from a farm in Rotorua and the Preschool was happy to be the ‘day time nanny’ with Norman going home each night with the family. Lambs are not as smart as pigs when it comes toilet training, so nappies were daily attire for Norman!

The children loved taking him for walks on his lead, hand feeding him his bottle and having him become part of the Preschool family. Eventually, toilet requirements and the need to eat lots of real grass saw us farewell Norman, but what a great learning opportunity for our children.

Grandparents’ Morning

The Preschool was buzzing with excitement on the morning our treasured grandparents came from far and wide to spend the morning with us! Morning tea had been prepared and the children just couldn’t wait for them to arrive! The occasion was a chance for the children to share quality time as they showed their grandparents around their place of learning.

Our visitors really enjoyed the children’s performance of some of their favourite songs and watching their fitness routine. Donations of almost $800 worth of books were kindly donated by the grandparents to the Preschool - what lucky children! A special gift of ‘Grandparent Pills’ (jellybeans) with a poem rounded off a fabulous morning.

I can Cut!

Daily opportunities for the children to have access to scissors through all areas of art activities ensure scissor skills are developed at a young age. Learning to hold the scissors with the correct grip, opening and closing the scissors, and being able to rotate the scissors around shapes to cut them out are all part of the learning process.

Cutting and scissor skills are a developmental skill that come once children have the strength in their hands to hold the scissors. Initial snips, followed by longer more controlled cuts, lead to greater competence.

Our children love to use scissors and as part of the process, through a series of photos, their progress is documented in their portfolios, with larger shapes leading to smaller shapes as their skills develop. It is fabulous witnessing the stages the children go through and watching their sense of achievement.

Run, Jump, Hop, Throw

So many events were on offer at the Tabloid Sports Day held in the Jubilee Sports Centre at the Boys’ School. Hurdles, high jump, basketball hoops, chicken toss, javelin throw, sack race, egg and spoon events were all entered with huge amounts of enthusiasm! With lots of parent and teacher encouragement, the children didn’t want to stop!

As the morning came to an end, the children did their weekly Yoga session on their special, individual Yoga mats. This is a great opportunity for the children to slow down, concentrate and gain control of their breathing and body. The focus and movements needed for the children to do the body shapes, helps with their midline and mindfuln ess.

A Year of Fantastic Firsts

At the 2016 Prize Giving, it was timely to reflect on 12 months in the role as Principal of the Girls’ School. I finish the year so impressed by the calibre of our girls – not just the prize winners but each and every one of them. I love that they are articulate and confident, caring and friendly, and, most importantly, have a real thirst to learn. I appreciate that they strive for excellence across the academic, sporting, cultural and arts areas, making the most of the many opportunities. How proud I am of them all!

During the year, we acknowledge the many successes of the girls at assembly or on OLE each Friday, but here, I celebrate those special moments we all shared during the year:

Unforgettable moment: Our first term this year was marred by a fire in our school hall. The girls were exceptional in the way they followed the practised procedures. As it was during the warmer months, time flew by while repairs were being completed and then we

were back in the hall with upgrades to the lights, sound and ICT.

Cultural highlight: The girls performing the Kaikoranga to welcome Rangiruru girls on the first day of their exchange, with the support of Whaea Vikki Demant.

Most nerve wracking moment: Watching the Year 7/8 Girls’ Basketball team playing the Boys’ School Team. There was excitement, nerves, some major tousles but lots of fun!

Best community service contribution: Year 3 raising money to contribute to the Life Pods, sharing the initiative with the School and encouraging the wider community to participate.

Best winter event: Flora MacDonald Day, an annual feature event for the Girls’ School, usually taking place in summer. The snow activity was an unexpected treat and everyone donned beanies, gloves and polar fleeces for a fun filled occasion, celebrating our Scottish ancestry!

Most personal fun: The surf lesson with the Year 8 girls at Camp earlier in the year. It was so pleasing to see every girl experience success on their boards. Needless to say I spent more time under the water than up on my board!

Meaningful moments: The Year 1 girls presenting the Year 8 girls with their Leaver’s Scarf at Chapel.

Most ‘buzzy’ moment: The ‘Saints’ Hip Hop crew, with our own student choreographer, Irava Upu, winning the best Primary/ Intermediate crew in New Zealand.

Most humorous moment: Theatre Sports when the Year 7/8 visited from the College for a combined event. I haven’t laughed so much in years!

Best student-led initiative: Three Year 8 girls had a hunch, put together a marketing plan and have influenced change. Next year, our Year 7 and 8 girls will no longer wear the straw hats or berets. Well done J’adore HarrisTavita, Addison Peebles and Florence Dallow.

Most Community fun: House Athletics Relays hosted by the Boys’ School. A scorching hot day, House chants, singing and fierce sporting competition.

Service Unseen: Our families, through our P&F, have set up ‘Food from the Heart,’ where families cook meals and bake muffins for the freezer at school. This food has been appreciated by many in our community at times when they most need our support. Thank you to the parents who have demonstrated this act of service for our community.

This has been a year of ‘firsts’ for me. As the year draws to a close I would like to thank my Senior Leadership team who have helped me understand the special character of Saint Kentigern Girls’ School. Our staff is a highly talented, committed and able team whom I value most highly.

I thank our parents for their feedback. There is incredible depth and strength within our parent body who have a real commitment to their girls’ place of learning and the opportunities available to them. I truly appreciate and value your support. I am also grateful to the Old Collegians Association who support our school every step of the way.

I would also like to express my personal thanks to the Trust Board for their encouragement and support this year. We are in safe hands indeed with this caring group with their collective wisdom and business acumen, displayed by the members and their administrative team as they guide our wider organisation into the future. It is also timely to acknowledge fellow Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and Reverend Reuben Hardie for their tremendous support.

With one year behind me, I am now looking forward with huge anticipation to another exciting year in 2017!

Fides servanda est

Ms Juliet Small, Principal

Farewell Year 8 Girls

As the Year 8’s time at the Girls’ School came to a close, they first received their Leavers’ Scarf at a special assembly in their honour; a handmade silk scarf embodying symbols that signify the tale of Saint Kentigern; the bird, the tree, the fish, the bell and the Iona Cross at Chapel. As each name was called, the girls were greeted by the Year 1 students who presented the scarf. This customary tradition is a symbol of thanks from the youngest members of the School to their role models and elder sisters. In lieu of the Reverend Hardie, Mrs Kaila Pettigrove took the service. She told the Year 8 leavers to remember to act justly, with love and mercy and to walk humbly with God as they move onto a new school and new adventures.

This was followed by the Year 8 Graduation dinner held at Sorrento in Cornwall Park. Principal, Ms Juliet Small, warmly welcomed all the guests followed by President of the Old Collegians Association, Mr Andrew Morgan, who gave the sponsor’s address. He encouraged the girls to reflect on their time at school and to keep in touch through the Old Collegians Association as they go through life.

Old Collegians’ Representative and 2013 Head Girl of the College, Ms Sharnika Leleni told the girls it is important that they keep challenging themselves, so that they reach their potential. Head Girl of the College, Sydney Fraser congratulated the girls on completing their final year. She said, ‘Even though it seems a bit scary moving up in the world, just know that there are some exciting times ahead.’

Following dinner, the girls mixed and mingled, seeking signatures on their white and blue Graduation Bear. The guest speaker for the evening was international netball player, Ms Maria Tutaia. Ms Tutaia’s netball career has seen her play for the Auckland Diamonds, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, Northern Mystics and the Silver Ferns. Ms Tutaia was ‘interviewed’ by Year 8 teacher, Mrs Jill Wahlstrom, who had compiled a list of questions from all the Year 8 girls. These included, a typical training day, sacrifices made growing up to become a great sportsperson, hobbies and challenges faced.

From a very young age, Ms Tutaia had a high level of achievement in netball having made the Auckland U21 team at the age of 15. The girls asked for guidance on reaching goals, whether academic or within sports. Ms Tutaia quoted her father, ‘If it is meant to be, it is up to me’. A final piece of advice from Ms Tutaia was, ‘Most importantly, listen to your mum and dad. But at the end of the day, you are in charge of your own destiny, don’t let anyone get in the way.’

Head Girl, J’adore Harris-Tavita, thanked Ms Tutaia for taking time out of her busy schedule to join the girls on their special night, and for sharing her experiences and advice.

With the night coming to an end, Ms Small concluded by saying to the graduating girls, ‘Be the best that you can possibly be, remembering all the advice and support provided to you over the years. You can move forward with confidence and enthusiasm to make the most of all opportunities that lie ahead.’

Girls’ School Prizegiving

J’adore Harris-Tavita Dux

J’adore has proven herself to be a multi-talented student, who seems to effortlessly succeed across a whole range of activities, all the while maintaining a sunny disposition. Academically, J’adore has been very focused on her studies, showing excellent time management in order to meet her numerous cultural and sporting commitments. Her teachers praise her work ethic and the progress she has made in her two years. J’adore is a strong public speaker, winning the Year 8 speech competition and receiving a distinction in her speech exam. Throughout the year, she has maintained outstanding results across all subjects.

Charlotte Koerber Proxime Accessit

Charlotte has been a member of our school community since she was 5 years old. During those years, she has won a number of prizes including the diligence award in Year 4 and Year 5. English and writing, in particular, have been a strength for her and she has demonstrated this in winning the English prize in Year 6 and the poetry competition in Year 5 and 6. Charlotte also has strengths in sport but has been unable to be a full participant due to injuries.

Music and speech and drama are also strengths and Charlotte is particularly looking forward to joining the drama class at the College.

The

School students, staff, proud family and invited guests packed out the JC Chambers Hall at the Boys’ School for this year’s Prizegiving. It was an evening to celebrate our students from Year 0-8 in their academic, sporting and cultural successes.

In great Saint Kentigern tradition, the official party of teachers and Trust Board members were piped in by former Girls’ School and now College student Kate Pennycuick. All guests were welcomed by Principal, Ms Juliet Small, who said it is a time to reflect on the last 12 months.

Chairman of the Board, Dr Bruce Goodfellow commended the Girls’ School for a year of progress. He said, ‘I hope you make the most of the remaining time at the School, it is your opportunity to take on new challenges and develop your talents in an environment where you are always being encouraged to do your best, we ask that you return next year ready to make it your best year.’

This year has been a year of ‘firsts’ for Ms Small. She said, ‘As I reflect the last 12 months in the role as Principal of the Girls’ School, I am so impressed by the calibre of the all the girls. I also appreciate that they strive for excellence across the academic, sporting, cultural and arts arenas, making the most of the many opportunities.’

Junior and Middle School academic awards were presented by Trust Board member, Mrs Rosemary Harris. College Head of Senior School, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop presented the Year 7-8 girls with their awards. The prolific cultural and sports programmes at the School were celebrated with awards for art, speech, drama and music, and the winners of our sports championships and most valuable players of our teams.

This year ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ was presented to two students, Year 8 student, J’adore Harris-Tavita and Year 7 student, Khanye’ Lii Munro Nonoa. Deputy Principal, Mrs Judith Dobson said, ‘on checking all the data around their sporting achievements it was clear that both girls have performed at the highest level; both at school and outside of school.’

The first of the special awards was for Citizenship, which went to Tiffany Rodrigo and Year 8 student, Kaya Blackler was the recipient for the Dr Sandra K Hastie Cup for School Spirit.

While it was a time of celebration, there was sense of sadness with it being the final gathering for the Year 8 girls before they embark on their next journey to College, as a Year 9 student. In her vote of thanks to the School, Head Girl, J’adore Harris-Tavita encouraged all students, especially the Year 7 girls going into Year 8, to make the most of every opportunity they are given.

She said, ‘Make it your own. Leave a special mark on this school, which you will be pleased to look back on. I know I am proud to say that I have done that. She also paid tribute to her fellow Year 8 students and how close they were as a group. ‘The importance of getting along with each other, no matter what clique or posse you come from. It has been a highlight to be able to call them my sisters in blue,’ J’adore said.

Girls’

Time Well Spent

Over the past three years, as part of their Service Programme many girls in Year 7 and 8 have participated in an afternoon visit to the elderly at the Caughey Preston Rest Home in Remuera. The residents are always very interested in all the activities that the girls are involved in at school.

Teacher in Charge, Mr Andrew Finn said it’s not unusual for the girls to tell the same stories, several times, to the same residents, which is a key learning curve for them! He said, ‘Some of the residents have fantastic and sometimes fanciful stories of their youth and the girls learn to tell the difference between the two!’ He also said that many of the girls develop friendships with the elderly folk, ‘sometimes is it a sad learning curve when one of the residents passes away due to illness or old age. Fortunately, at Year 7 and Year 8 level, the girls are mature enough to deal with this.’

This year, the girls have been particularly positive and have tried new things. They love to play the piano, or to take along their musical instruments such as a trumpet or flute. The elderly folk enjoy listening and will often clap and sing along especially when they hear songs such as ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘When the Saints Go Marching In.’ The students have also spent time playing foosball, charades and ‘guess the movie star’ with the elderly residents. All in all, it’s time well spent!

Citizenship Awards

Congratulations to Millie Thomas, Year 6 and Charlotte Koerber, Year 8, who were recipients of this year’s Remuera Lions’ Citizenship Awards. These awards are presented each year by the Remuera Lions Club to students who best exemplify the ideals of the Lions Junior Citizenship Code.

Published Poets!

Chiara Bottaro, Year 6 and Khanye’Lii MunroNonoa, Year 7, had a unique experience, attending the Wellington launch of a poetry anthology, ‘Penguin Days’ in which their poems had been published.

The Candles of Christmas

‘Candles

symbolise the light of God coming into the world through the birth of his son, Jesus. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God’s grace to others.’

All those who gathered at the Holy Trinity Cathedral for this year’s Girls’ School Carol service were welcomed by The Very Reverend Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of the Cathedral. Principal, Ms Juliet Small, then greeted the families of the girls and the Preschool students before Reverend David Smith gave the call to worship.

Year 7 student, Sharmaine Tapling opened the readings, setting the theme for a service focussed on the ‘Candles of Christmas’. Year 7 student, Vivian Pettigrove continued with ‘Christians throughout history have used candles to symbolise God’s presence with us and to enlighten our worship. In recent years, we have seen the growth in the importance of light as a sign of remembrance.’

The nine candles lit throughout the evening represented some of the special Saint Kentigern values that the students studied in Christian Education this year. As the service unfolded, the girls lit each candle, explaining the importance and representation of each one. Candle for love, patience and tolerance, kindness, generosity, joy and humility were all lit first.

During ‘Silent Night’ the Preschool students made their way up on stage. They sang ‘You make the Whole World Smile’, along with their teachers. As the service continued, the girls progressed through their readings and songs, to deliver a message of finding peace and love at Christmastime.

Head Girl, J’adore Harris-Tavita, alongside her mother, spoke about the seventh candle. J’adore said, ‘This Christmas we tell of the birth at Bethlehem. The birth of a special baby was the hope of the world, as we remember and celebrate this birth, we have hope for our world today. We light this candle for Hope.’

The girls prepared gifts for the Dingwall Trust and these were presented during the service. As the gifts were brought forward, School Council Leader, Charlotte Koerber, said ‘As we celebrate the birth of Jesus tonight, let us reflect for a moment on what Christmas really means. We hope that the gifts that we place around the tree tonight will bring some light and love to those in our wider community.’ The ninth and final candle was lit for friendship.

As the Choir sang ‘All Through the Night’, the Year 1 students came down the aisle in pairs to create a nativity scene at the front of the church. The ‘Three Wise Men’ following on to present their gifts to the ’New Born King’.

Reverend David Smith gathered students, teachers, the Chairman of the Trust Board, Dr Bruce Goodfellow and fellow members from the audience, to create his own nativity scene. As the nativity scene grew, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were pushed further into the background. Reverend Smith said, ‘Don’t forget the baby! The reason for the season. In amongst all the presents, food, celebrations and the holidays, let’s remember what Christmas was originally all about; the birth of Jesus the Christ.’

With the service coming to an end, Deputy Head Girl, Nieve Campbell said the Year 8 prayer, and then the Year 8 students came forward to receive their Leavers’ Candle from, Ms Small and Mrs Dobson. This is a poignant moment for the girls and their families as their time at the School has come to an end.

The congregation sang ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ as the girls lined up at the front, to lead out of the cathedral ahead of our guests.

Amazing Debut Performance!

When the Girls’ School attends their chapel each week at Somervell Church, the girls have come to enjoy organist, Dr Michael Jenkins playing a recital to conclude the service. Dr Jenkins carefully selects each piece, sharing his expertise and expanding the girls’ understanding of classical and sacred music. One morning last term, the girls had a special surprise when diminutive Year 5 student, Mia Li stepped up to the organ, placed her hands on the key board and feet on the pedals. Wow! What a performance she gave playing Handel’s Sonatina in D minor brilliantly!

We learnt that whilst Mia has been learning the piano for five years, she only took up the organ last term, receiving lessons from Dr Jenkins. It was hard to believe that Mia had been learning for such a short time!

APO’s Little Drummer

Year 6 student and snare drum player, Asha Gin, had a fantastic opportunity to play alongside APO’s Principal Percussionist, Eric Renick in the lead up to Christmas. Ten ‘little drummers’ from around Auckland were chosen to take part in a workshop and audition with Eric, with the hope of selection to perform with the APO at one of their APO 4 Kids Christmas concerts.

The workshop put the drummers through their paces as they worked on Jingle Bell Rock, the concert performance piece. Such was the talent on the day, three drummers were eventually chosen to each play at two of APO’s Christmas concerts. Asha was absolutely delighted to be selected, also receiving extra lessons from Eric in preparation. What a fantastic experience!

Te Whare Me Ona Tikanga: Treasures & Tales

There was much excitement when the girls in Years 0-3 boarded the bus for a trip to Auckland War Memorial Museum. The visit was planned as a way of introducing their Term 4 Social Studies topic on Maori Myths and Legends.

The Museum has a wealth of striking artefacts and the girls were fortunate to be able to take advantage of the Museum’s very engaging educational programme targeted at their age group.

On arrival, the girls were greeted and then welcomed into the Tainui ancestral house, Hotunui. For first time visitors, there is always a sense of awe when entering a meeting house and the girls were most respectful, paying careful attention to their guides.

The guides took the girls on a journey of exploration, telling the story of Rangi and Papa (the Creation Story) and looking in careful detail at the whakairo (carving) and kowhaiwhai patterns depicted on the walls and rafters. They learnt about the shapes, colour and meaning behind many of the symbols before settling down in groups to use templates of elements of the kowhaiwhai to make their own story to share with the group.

Kowhaiwhai are beautiful patterns that appear as painted scroll designs, abstract and curvilinear in form. At first, kowhaiwhai patterns may seem a means of decoration only, but closer examination reveals sophisticated mathematical precision involving symmetry, rotation, reflection and translation.

The visit culminated with a fantastic cultural performance of singing, dancing and action songs before finishing with everyone’s favourite –the haka!

Trips such as these play an important part in the girls’ learning. Education outside the classroom allows for authentic learning where the girls can experience new ideas first hand and be guided by those with specialist knowledge. It was a fantastic opportunity for the girls and we thank the parents who took the time to accompany them.

Back at school, the Year 0-1 girls used their new-found knowledge about kowhaiwhai to inspire their art unit for the term, working towards some carefully crafted pieces that made a wonderful display. The girls were also in for a treat from fellow students in Year 6.

The Year 6 girls had also taken a trip to the Museum as a joint venture between their Social Studies and English learning. Their day of Museum discovery was focused on ‘Ipu Moana,’ which covered sea migration and the cultures of the Pacific.

On return, the Year 6 girls were tasked with retelling Maori myths and legends through handmade picture books. They had to explain in their own words, ideas behind the myths, such as why the kiwi couldn’t fly, how the kiwi lost his wings, why we have a sun, how Maui fished up the island, or why volcanoes erupt. Knowing that junior girls also had a similar unit of study was an added incentive, as Year 6 knew they would have a willing and interested audience to write for!

In conjunction with developing their books, the girls also designed and crafted hand puppets during fabric technology, ready to engage their young listeners and enhance the story telling experience.

The older girls always enjoy spending time with the juniors – a feeling totally reciprocated by our youngest students! The ‘book and puppet’ session was well received in the Junior School as the ages partnered up to share the stories and recap on their Museum experience.

HOUSE RELAY CHAMPIONS

1ST WISHART

2ND CARGILL

3RD HAMILTON

4TH CHALMERS

Girls’ School Athletics Days

Our Junior and Middle School girls stepped up to the line to make their mark at Athletics this term (the the Year 7 and 8 competed alongside College students earlier in the year).

The Junior School battled against the heat, whilst the Middle School were nearly swept off their feet by the gusty wind, but neither weather pattern deterred the girls from doing their best.

Each day started off with the optional long distance race. For the juniors, it was 400m. This caused a little confusion at first as the younger girls didn’t realise they could pass each other! Once told to ‘target the person in front of you and get ahead of them’, the race was on! The Middle School had the option of tackling the 800m – and some were rather shocked when they realised they had agreed to two laps of the field but gave it their all!

Throughout each of their events, the girls were in great spirits and gave each activity a go, from running to throwing and jumping. Special thanks to all the staff and senior girls who assisted at each event, for enduring the wild weather to record, measure and time!

A little later in the term, all the girls joined with the Boys’ School for a morning of House relay races. A fun morning enjoyed by all!

Congratulations Isabella Hughes who went on to place 2nd in the Year 5 High Jump at the Remuera Zone event.

HOUSE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONS

1ST CARGILL

2ND CHALMERS

3RD WISHART

4TH HAMILTON

Girls’ School Year Group Champions

1st 2nd 3rd

Year 0 Kasey Wray HA Coco Zan HA Emily Hu CA

Year 1 Ameila Hardie WI Violet Lindsay Smail CH Queenie Lang CA

Year 2 Rosie Ward CH Laura Koeman CA Sienna Robertshaw CH

Year 3 Claudia Stewart CH Alianna Hay CA Olivia Carpenter CA

Year 4 Sahara Knottenbelt WI Sophie Yan HA Sienna Hirst CH

Year 5 Isabella Hughes CH Frances Revell-Devlin WI Alisa Iosua CA

Year 6 Zoe Wong HA Millie Thomas HA Amy Skidmore WI

Year 7 Khanye’-Lii Munro-Nonoa CH Ocean Scott HA Verity Ward CH

Year 8 Florence Dallow WI J’adore Harris-Tavita CA Elyse Tse CA

Success for Rhythmic Gymnasts

It was very successful day at the Auckland/North Harbour School Competition for our rhythmic gymnasts. Well done in particular to Year 5 student, Darcy McDonald who placed 1st overall in the Level 2 Club division.

Other results of note:

1st Year 2 Ribbon Chloe Chester

1st Year 8 Rope Anastasia Mulcahy

2nd Year 3 Hoop

Sevgi Yildiz

2nd Year 5 Ribbon

Chloe McGregor

3rd Year 3 Hoop

Catherine Fowler

Girls Build a New Car

With thanks to Year 4 teacher, Mr Andrew Finn

Afterthe unprecedented success of the Girls’ School at the New Zealand National Soap Box Derby this year, (which resulted in Year 7, Ocean Scott securing a spot in the Annual World Championship in Akron Ohio), it was decided that a second soap box car would be acquired by Saint Kentigern Girls’ School to further grow the sport.

The car arrived as a kit set, comprised of hundreds of parts, courtesy of the Auckland Rotary Club. From the outset, it was agreed that girls should be responsible for making the vehicle.

To qualify for the ‘Soap Box Derby Engineering Team,’ the girls were tasked with building their own creations over the holidays to demonstrate their engineering skills. Many amazing items were built, ranging from sturdy wooden boxes and birdhouses, to a bionic arm made from popsicle sticks and rubber bands! One student made a full scale bridge to use across the creek at her home!

Ten girls from Years 6 and 7 qualified for the team and have been working together in their lunch breaks to make the new soap box car. The process began with sanding down the wooden floor deck of the vehicle, and applying wax and tong oil for aerodynamics. The following stages have seen the girls adding braking gear, steering rods and cables to the build. Everything must be made precisely to the specifications, due to the rigorous scrutineering that occurs during the soap box finals at the Regionals, Nationals and World Championships.

Year 7 students Mariana Paravicini, is the nominated captain of the Soap Box Engineering Team and she has been busy monitoring the work that the girls do in relation to the Building Manual. She said, ‘Everyone works well and we all encourage each other. So far we haven’t made any mistakes but we did make a mess when we opened the oil on the first day! Hopefully we can make the car go fast for our drivers so we can send them to America again.’

To add to the excitement, all girls throughout the school, from Year 1 to Year 8, have been encouraged to design their best Saint Kentigern inspired shell. The build continued throughout Term 4 and will hopefully be finished by the start of 2017, when trials and training will begin for the new Soap Box Racing Team.

Engineering Team: Ashley Wang, Julia Koeman, Miabella Robertshaw, Charlotte Snookes, Torie Pickering, Kaythi Finn, Grace Gilbert, Alexia Oscroft, Piper Wallis, Mariana Paravicini (Captain)

Girls vs Wild

Agroup of Year 8 girls set out to Tawharanui Wildlife Sanctuary for an action packed, overnight outdoor experience as part of the Gold Level Saint Kentigern Service Award. Prior to the trip, the girls had to plan and buy their own food to cover dinner, breakfast, lunch and snacks within a set budget. As well as assembling their own tents, the girls had to cater and cook all their own meals outside on a gas stove.

On arrival, the girls were split into two groups to take on a ‘Survivor’ theme and were given a variety of tasks based around mental, physical, environmental and artistic challenges to gain points to try and become the ‘ultimate survivor’ group. There were also additional ‘bonus’ points for showing acts of service.

The following day, the group set off for Goat Island where the service component of the girls’ trip was to help clean up and clear the beach of rubbish. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to swim and take a trip on the Glass Bottom boat to see a variety of sea life and learn about the importance of marine reserves.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed all that Tawharanui and Goat Island had to offer; from a beautiful beach with great surf, rolling hillsides and an abundance of protected wildlife.

Grandparents’ Day

‘Being a grandparent isn’t a big thing… it’s a million little things. It’s the hug, the walk, the birthday card or the phone call…’

Asteady drizzle did nothing to dampen the excitement and warmth of feeling between the generations when Grandparents were invited to school. As the girls entered the school hall ready to entertain, necks were craning to spot a glimpse of their own special visitors; faces breaking into wide smiles when the eye contact was made!

Grandparents hold a special place in our hearts, remembered long after we have ‘grown up.’ In welcoming this morning’s guests, Principal, Ms Juliet Small reflected back on the connection she had with her own grandmother, starting with a shared name. A quick show of hands revealed that most don’t stray far from the family tree when choosing a ‘middle name’ for their daughter!

Year 8 student, Taylor Maxwell took on the role of MC, introducing each of the performers. The Kapa Haka group were first on stage to perform three waiata, including a short poi dance. Open to all age groups, the girls clearly loved the opportunity to sing to an audience. Year 5 student, Darcy McDonald followed. Darcy is a successful rhythmic gymnastics competitor and wowed us with her skilled ball routine. Few have had the opportunity to see our national title winning hip hop crew perform. What a fantastic, gritty performance! No wonder they won! Year 5 dancers caught us tapping our feet when they revisited their colourful Cuba Dance, prepared for last term’s Soiree. The entertainment concluded with the whole school joining as one to sing, Michael Jackson’s ‘Heal the World.’

Then the smiles grew even wider as the girls collected their grandparents for a tour of the School. Those without their own visitors were quickly adopted for the morning as the groups moved around the campus, the pride and joy evident! The visit was capped off with a morning tea back in the hall before the grandparents headed home after a busy and most enjoyable morning!

Visual Arts Exhibition

During Term 4, the after-school Visual Arts Academy held their biannual exhibition of student artwork. Each academy, student could enter up to three pieces of artwork. Over the course of three days, many came to admire the work and were given the opportunity to vote on their favourite piece. A total of 244 votes came back. Year 4 student, Amelie Heeney, won the ‘People’s Choice’ award by two points, for her acrylic painting ‘The Sneaky Puma’.

Students in the academy work with mixed media painting, carving, clay, drawing and printmaking over the year. It is open to boys and girls, from any school, offering after school workshops twice a week. Art teacher, Mrs Diana Roband, also offers holiday programmes.

Girls’ School Parents & Friends

As the 2016 school year comes to an exciting end, it is with great pride that I share the many achievements from the past three terms.

Our Mother Daughter High Tea in June continues to attract a wonderful turn out with over 300 ladies and girls making their way to Alexandra Park Function Centre for a lovely afternoon. It was fantastic to see our girls so excited and enjoying some special afternoon tea treats! A special thank you to the organising committee of Ms Dee Wakelin, Ms Melissa Barnett and Mr Matthew Gillard for all of your efforts.

Flora MacDonald Day was was the undoubted highlight for our girls. Moved to Term 2 this year due to the school hall fire, we were blessed with a lovely winter’s day. The Parents and Friends team, led by Ms Sarah Norrie, along with Reverend Reuben Hardie, supplied the amusement slides, outdoor soccer equipment, indoor inflatable equipment and the spectacular snow display on the school field. The look on the girls faces when they saw snow on the field was priceless and they definitely enjoyed our parent volunteers pouring them a cup of hot chocolate after they had frolicked in the snow!

Our ‘Over the Rainbow’ themed disco was eagerly looked forward to and this year did not disappoint! With girls dressed in very bright coloured clothing, they danced the night away. Glow sticks were again in high demand and the noise from within the newly repaired hall was something to behold. Our appreciation goes to the many volunteers who prepared the school hall and assisted during the evening so

magnificently. My sincere thanks go to Mrs Justine Murchison who led the organising committee for a third consecutive year.

Timed to coincide with Father’s Day, the Father and Daughter Breakfast in September was held at the Ellerslie Events Centre and was a highly successful and enjoyable event. For those in attendance, no one will ever forget Reverend Reuben Hardie’s video presentation which made the entire crowd burst out in laughter for minutes on end! A huge thank you to the organising committee led by Mrs Rebecca Scoones with assistance from Ms Cate Scragg.

The Saint Kentigern Girls’ School bi-annual fundraiser was held on the evening of Saturday 29th October and was a Parents and Friends Dinner at La Cigale in Parnell. This fantastic event was attended by over 100 parents, teachers, Trust Board representatives and friends of the school with all the food having being inspired by our own Mrs Allyson Gofton. With a targeted fundraising amount of $20,000, we were absolutely delighted to finish the event with a surplus of $27,581. This event was a huge undertaking and I sincerely thank Mrs Kim McGregor and Mr Stacy Colyer for their immaculate planning and execution.

As your Chairperson, I have thoroughly enjoyed the 2016 school year and have witnessed an amazing sense of comradery within the school. Thank you once again to all our wonderful volunteers who have worked tirelessly throughout the year, your efforts are greatly appreciated by our school community.

Rebecca Gadsdon-Green, Chairperson

Gingerbread Hearts for a Cause

The Year 3 girls are on a mission to raise $2000 to purchase a Lifepod, one of the infant incubators designed by Sir Ray Avery for Third World conditions.

Sir Ray has two daughters at the Girls’ School and is an avid supporter of Saint Kentigern and, in turn, our schools have been supporting his venture over the past couple of years. The girls have learned that ‘not all children get a great start in life’ particularly children from poorer countries who are born early. The Pods are designed for a hot climate where supplies of clean water and power are intermittent; they can purify their own air and water and have the resource to run for 10 years.

Picking up on Lifepod’s ‘beating hearts’ theme, the girls set about organising a school-wide bake sale of their ‘Year 3-famous’ Gingerbread Hearts. After trialling six different gingerbread recipes, they voted a winning recipe. The girls each baked a batch at home and brought them to school to decorate with a little parent help. The girls are proud to report that their efforts raised $650 towards their goal. When the girls move on to Year 4, they plan to carry on their fundraising efforts to meet their target of purchasing a Lifepod. Well done girls!

To read more about Lifepods: https://thelifepod.co.nz/

How is Success Measured?

Is it a numbers game where bigger is better? Is it a ‘winner’ takes all scenario, with points for and against the deciding factor?

When I stand at the expressway in the morning, greeted by energetic, smiling boys who are in a rush to get to their classrooms, see their teachers and friends and embark upon a school day, that’s how I measure success.

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. When the boys are asked what Saint Kentigern means to them, they invariably mention two key words – Values and Opportunities.

The differentiating factor of our school is the focus on community, service, values and leadership that define who we are. Other schools talk about it, however, we live our values as evidenced by the huge and selfless commitment to service we make throughout the school year. Our wish is that your sons will continue to think of others in the years ahead; as we believe that they can make a difference in their communities, wherever that and they may be.

This year we have continued on our quest to provide the very best opportunities for the boys at our school.

The arts are flourishing. Outstanding results in speech and drama, brass competitions and art exhibitions are impressive. What is equally as pleasing is the large number of boys who are actively involved in the arts. Our music itinerant programme teaches a large and growing number of boys from all levels of the school each week. We have two choirs, both of which were able to perform at public events during the past year. Art from all year levels is on display around the school and this year, for the first time, has been used in a service project, brightening a reception area for grieving families at Middlemore Hospital.

Our sporting teams continue to perform at a high level. Success in skiing, water polo, basketball, tennis, swimming, athletics and

cross country reiterate the talent we have in our community. It is not, however, just the successes of our top teams that define our sporting year, it is the opportunities for all boys to experience different and varied codes at their personal level. Boys are provided training and opportunities to compete against others. They develop skills and understand that teamwork makes a difference to results. I continue to admire how our teams approach their games. Sportsmanship is always evident and is the Saint Kentigern way!

The contribution, achievements and successes of our boys throughout the year have been exceptional. There have also been times when we haven’t peaked at the right moment or where we have perhaps come second on the day and while we can be disappointed, it should make us stronger and more determined.

When I reflect on the 2016 school year, there are numerous moments that stand out covering all aspects of school life however my top two are:

1. Education Excellence: Affirmation from the Education Review Office (ERO) that we are providing a high quality boys’ education where boys are supported to strive for excellence in all areas of school life and be of service to others. What more could we ask for?

2. Most Anticipated Event: The redevelopment of Roselle House was started in October and will be completed by October 2017. How great to think that the boys will be back in the heart of the School and enjoying the Learning Commons as a technology rich collaborative learning space for all levels. My personal thanks also to those members of our community who have believed, supported and contributed to the campaign.

Whether a parent or a student, you too will have your 2016 moments and I encourage you to think about them and write them down. Why that moment? How did it make you feel? Answering these questions will provide an insight into what motivates you!

Our challenge for 2016 was to go from good to great where quality is evident in everything undertaken. I am happy to report that this has been a great year and we are a great school, however, at the start of 2017, our current benchmark of great becomes good and we start over again. We must always challenge our thinking and be prepared to push boundaries to remain at the top of our game.

Fide Servanda Est

Peter Cassie, Principal

Year 8 Leavers Farewelled

The final weeks of 2016 marked a period of transition for the boys in Year 8 as they closed the chapter on their primary school years. The farewells began firstly at a special assembly in their honour; an opportunity to present them with their leaver’s tie ahead of the Graduation Dinner. As the Year 3 boys are also in a period of transition, graduating from Junior to Middle School; the handing over of the ties was a privilege reserved for them. The Year 8 leavers then stepped forward to perform a rousing Haka to the School in thanks.

At their Graduation Dinner, guest speaker, ‘Blade Runner’ Liam Malone, received a standing ovation. His message to the 123 graduating Year 8 boys was loud and clear, ‘Aim high and push yourself beyond your limits – never say never, you’ll never know what you’re truly capable of if you don’t try.’

Dean of the Senior School, Mr Richard Kirk opened the formalities saying, ‘When I look back at the things that you have achieved over the course of this year, I am honestly amazed. I thought the students in schools where I have taught previously were busy people; then I came to Saint Kentigern! What we pack in is huge, truly a ‘world of opportunity.’

Many looked forward to hearing Liam Malone following dinner, having seen him leave his mark on the Paralympics in

Rio. His story is not one about disability or ability, but rather about attitude. Through sheer determination, he propelled himself into the international spotlight winning gold in the 200m and 400m and a silver in the 100m T44 classification. He set his sights on those goals and achieved what he set out to do – he has now set his sights on becoming the fastest runner in the world by 2020, ‘legs or no legs.’

With his trademark mix of humility, humour and down to earth Kiwi charm, Liam endeared himself to our families as he told his personal story of triumph over adversity. His overriding message was to ‘not let the opinions of others become your reality.’ He encouraged the boys to ‘take a massive bite at something, and chew like hell!’

In his closing address, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie reiterated Liam’s message of aiming high telling them to, ‘Be like a turtle. In order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them.’

Our boys have been well prepared in their primary years and we wish them well as they now move on to new challenges, knowing they will always be a part of the Boys’ School.

Matthew Chandler Dux

Matthew has strived for excellence in all areas of the curriculum during his time at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School. This year his combined marks were: English 89%, Maths 96%, Social Science 97%, Science 94.3% creating a total 376.3 and an average 94.075%. In his examination marks only Matthew earned: English 94%, Maths 95%, Social Science 95%, Science 95%. This was a total of 379 with an average of 94.075%. Matthew is a worthy recipient of the Foundation Pupil Cup for Dux.

Isaac Mellis-Glynn Proxime Accessit

The Jubilee Cup for Proxime Accessit was awarded to Isaac Mellis-Glynn and is a deserving recipient. Isaac’s combined marks were: English 88%, Maths 92.7%, Social Science 96%, Science 98.5% creating a total of 375.2 with an average of 93.8%. In his examination marks only, Isaac earned: English 85%, Maths 96%, Social Science 92%, Science 98%, giving a total of 371 with an average of 92.75%. Isaac was also awarded the Senior Citizenship Cup.

Boys’ School Prizegiving

A Celebration of Excellence Pipers

David Allan and Cameron Dean led our staff and invited guests into the very last Saint Kentigern event of the year, the Boys’ School Prizegiving. Students, their families, guests and teachers filled the Old Collegians Sport Centre, at the College campus, to congratulate this year’s prize winners on their academic, sporting and cultural success.

This year the Junior School Awards were presented by retiring Junior School Dean, Mrs Linda Reid, we thank her for her ten years of service in the Junior School. Longstanding Trust Board member and School advocate, Mrs Rosemary Harris presented the Middle School Awards with fellow Trust Board members, Dr Bruce Goodfellow, Dr John Kernohan and Dr Glen Pettigrove also performing duties. Mr Peter Nelson, affectionately known as ‘Old Boy No. 20,’presented the sports awards. We sincerely thank them for their time and their constant support of the School.

The final awards of the morning, the ‘special awards,’ were presented by Principal, Mr Peter Cassie. The Remuera Lions Citizenship Awards were awarded to Benjamin Hardie and Akash Mudalier. The Brian Matthews Citizenship Cup went to Max Trankels for consistently showing empathy to others and being responsible and courteous in the Junior School. Oliver Rowntree and Isaac Mellis-Glynn received the Middle and Senior School Citizenship Cups respectively for their outstanding service and leadership. The Joel Campbell Memorial Trophy, for service to others, went to Benjamin Ross. For displaying true grit and spirit in the sporting arena, Jourdan Klink received the Knox Family Lion Heart Award. Brodey Warren and Adam Tamati were the Sportsman of the Year recipients for the Middle and Senior School respectively. Bradley McCarthy has demonstrated diligence, cooperation, courtesy, sportsmanship and friendliness to earn the Rex Hooton Cup for School Spirit. With an average grade of 92.75%, Isaac Mellis-Glynn finished as the Proxime Accessit, with Matthew Chandler named Dux of the School with an average of 94.075%.

It’s three years since Mr Cassie set himself a goal and rashly declared that he would pipe himself into the 2016 prizegiving! In his address, he said that his ‘failure’ to do so gave cause for reflection, having discovered the ‘challenge’ proved bigger than he anticipated. He said, ‘Making mistakes and failure is a necessary part of the learning process. If we don’t make mistakes or experience failure, it implies we are not challenging ourselves, thereby restricting new opportunities. We all have dreams and mine was to pipe myself into Prizegiving. Dreams are great, however, if you’re not prepared to put in the hard yards then they will always remain, just that …….a dream. Challenge yourselves and be prepared to do the hard yards!’

Adam Tamati Senior Sportsman of the Year

The Ross Perry Cup for Senior Sportsman of the Year goes to Adam Tamati who has represented the School in many sporting codes: 1st XV Rugby team, 1st XV Rugby Captain, Auckland U13 Rugby team, Eastern Zone Athletics team, Inter Zone Athletics team, Eastern Zone Swimming team, Inter Zone Swimming team, Year 7/8 A Softball team, Year 7/8 A Basketball team and the Year 7/8 A Water polo team which won Tim Sonderer Memorial Trophy, AIMS Games and Auckland Eastern League

To conclude, graduating Head Boy, Isaac Mellis-Glynn made his final Valedictory Speech, before handing the mantel of leadership to the new Head Boy for 2017, George Beca. Isaac shared his eight years as a Saint Kentigern boy highlighting all he had enjoyed but most importantly, he said, ‘My time here has taught me the values of a true Son of Kentigern. It has taught me to have respect for everything and everyone, to show integrity and be truthful in all that you do, to serve others whether it be in your home, at school or in the wider community, to strive for excellence in all facets of school life and finally to show love and kindness to others.’

Congratulations to all of the boys who received awards and we wish our Year 8s well as they move on to secondary school.

Other Special Prizes

Remuera Lions Citizenship Awards

Congratulations to Boys’ School students, Benjamin Hardie, Year 6 and Akash Mudaliar, Year 8, who were recipients of this year’s Remuera Lions’ Citizenship Awards. These awards are presented each year by the Remuera Lions Club to students who best exemplify the ideals of the Lions Junior Citizenship Code.

A Mural for Middlemore

Earlier in the year, the Boys’ School was approached by the Hector Hospital Trust to paint a mural for one of the reception areas for grieving families at Middlemore Hospital. The idea was stored away and, at the end of the year, selected Year 8 boys came together to work collectively on this community service project.

Because of the nature of the intended site, and the need for the area to be used by the hospital without interruption, the decision was made to prepare a set of canvases at school to ensure high quality work and to be able to actively engage the boys in the design, painting and final installation of the mural.

The theme of falling leaves was picked and six teams of boys embarked on designing their own composition within the context of the theme. The six ideas were transferred to the 600 x 1500 cm canvases and painted with a similar treatment so the final artwork would look like a set rather than a group of individual ideas.

It took over 150 ‘boy hours’ of painting to create the six canvases. Each canvas was given several different coats of paint and some textured top coats. The murals were then transported out to the hospital to be hung, but first the boys prepared the site, painting rectangles of background colour on the wall to give the paintings a frame to sit within. The artworks were then proudly hung.

On the final day, all the boys met with the local kaumatua who blessed the paintings and thanked the boys for the work they had done. The boys were proud of their work, understanding the special significance of the project they had undertaken.

Bradley McCarthy: Rex Hooton Cup for School Spirit

Benjamin Ross: Joel Campbell Memorial Trophy

Jourdan Klink: Knox Family Lion Heart Award

Brodey Warren: AW Smith Cup for Middle School Sportsman of the Year

Max Trankels: Brian Matthew’s Citizenship Cup (Junior School)

Oliver Rowntree: Junior Citizenship Cup (Middle School)

Courage for Christmas

It is eight years since Reverend Caleb Hardie last conducted the Boys’ School Carol Service when he was, then, the School Chaplain. This year, he stepped in to lead the call to worship, to lend a helping hand to his brother, current Chaplain to the Schools, Reverend Reuben Hardie.

Caleb quipped that his brother Reuben ‘is tied up with other things’ but as the community is well aware, Reuben is currently recovering from surgery having offered the ultimate Christmas gift to the Fitness family. Mark Fitness, a Christian Education teacher at the Schools, and his wife Gabe, discovered with great distress that their baby, Lexi, needed a liver transplant for a better start to her young life. Whilst Reuben may have dreamed of being ‘Superman’ as a youngster, he has grown to be ‘Liverman’ in his adult years – the right match making it possible for Reuben to offer part of his liver to transplant to Lexi. Both are in recovery and doing well.

In 2008, the last time, Reverend Caleb Hardie took the service, the current Year 8 boys were only in Year 1, so he said he felt honoured to be at their special final service. In his opening prayer, he said, ‘God, tonight we are here to remember the gift of your son – the wonder of his birth –and the miracle that he is with us now, helping us, guiding us, inspiring us to walk in his footsteps and to have the courage to be all that we can be.’

This service is always a delightful time of music, whether it’s the congregation singing time-honoured carols or listening to our youngsters raise their voices in song. Oscar van Druten was this year’s soloist, opening the service with the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ before the congregation joined in, setting a wonderful tone for the evening as early summer sun streamed through the stained glass windows.

The Junior School loves to sing! ‘The bells ring out’ was their selection, some of the boys a little wide-eyed as they turned to face a congregation well in excess of 2000! By contrast, our Performers’ Choir is well used to an audience, making a superb job of ‘This little babe’ and the ‘Saint Kentigern Blessing,’ accompanied by harpist, Yi Jin.

Old Collegians, Sam Downes and Manase Latu, both studying ‘voice’ at Auckland University, opened the first verse of Silent Night. They were talented choristers at College but it was amazing to hear how they have developed. Later in the service, Manase returned for a solo. From the oldest to the youngest; our Preschool girls and boys were next to step up with their version of ‘Rudolf the RedNosed Reindeer’ – in a tight race with the Junior Boys for the cute factor! The final group was the staff who joined as one to sing, ‘What child is this?’

Rev Hardie set us all a challenge asking, ‘How well do you know the Christmas story?’ Drawing on volunteers to take a quiz, it soon became apparent that somewhere along the way, ‘a good story’ may have replaced real facts.

‘How did Mary travel to Bethlehem? How many wise men visited Jesus? Was Jesus born in a stable?’ The answer to all these questions is, ’The Bible doesn’t say.’

‘But,’ Rev Hardie continued, ‘at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter whether or not Mary rode on a donkey or walked, whether there were three wise men or five, or whether Jesus was born in a hotel or a cowshed, it is what is at the heart of the story that matters. That God loved people so much that He sent Jesus to make that love clear to us and to help us to have the courage to live life to the full. That is at the heart of this Christmas story! Because it takes courage to really live, to give life your all. To make the most of school life takes courage, to leave as the Year 8’s are doing, to head out on a new adventure takes courage, to stand up for someone else takes courage…and to give a piece of your liver away, well that takes a special kind of courage!’

The Carol Service is a poignant moment for the families of the boys in Year 8 as their association with the School draws to a close. At the conclusion of the service, the Year 8 boys came forward to light a candle, before Head Prefects, Isaac Mellis-Glynn and Jack Sandelin led their peers from the cathedral, marking the start of a new chapter in their lives.

Season of Giving

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but is also a season of giving. The Boys’ School have made Christmas even more special for the families of Wymondley Road School by donating 71 hampers. Throughout the final term, the boys from every year level donated items to fill the hampers with something for everyone. The students who received the Christian Living Award from each class were giving the opportunity to deliver the gifts and be a part of the special assembly at Wymondley School.

Boys’ School Principal, Mr Peter Cassie explained that our community is very much a part of their community, just as much as ‘you are a part of us.’ He said, ‘We are so proud to be associated with this great school. We will always treasure it and this is a very, very special occasion for us.’

Mr Cassie made the point that both communities wanted to make a ‘difference’. He said, ‘Giving is an amazing thing. If we can bring that bond together and share in this love and act of service, then we are doing our jobs.’

To show their appreciation, the students from Wymondley Road presented our boys, staff and parent volunteers with candy leis, which was an absolute heart-warming moment for everyone there. Giving a lei represents an endless line of love, aroha, to the person you are giving it to.

Wymondley Road School Principal, Mr Pelu Leaupepetele said since working at the school, he has been humbled by the hamper distribution and the act of kindness that is shown.

He said, ‘This is so special for us, because of the relationship we have with Saint Kentigern. The young men who do acts of kindness and service are making sure they make a positive impact on the communities they serve.’

Intermediate Art Exhibition

This year’s Auckland Intermediate Art Exhibition was held for the second time at Corban’s Estate in Henderson; the expansive space giving the opportunity for the boys to enter large installation works as a group, as well as demonstrate their individual skill.

Twelve boys represented the School with works ranging from two point perspective landscapes of a space station to three layer coloured paper insect collages. The insect theme continued with a set of large scale insect sculptures made from foam board. From studying how to draw and stylise insects for their collage, the Year 7s went on to make an interlocking insect sculpture. These were originally each made as a small sculpture, with the five best turned into large scale versions. Each of the concept drawings were blown up 400 times to plan the large scale version. These were then spray painted by the boys and displayed at the show. The opening night of the exhibition drew a big crowd from across Auckland; a positive response for the boys’ work – they left feeling very proud!

Gold, Silver and Bronze for Musicians

Year 6 Expo

The best musicians from the Boys’ School attended the annual Lewis Eady Music Competition in Ponsonby. Each year our students attend this competition, impressing the judges with their skill. This year was no different with a gold, two silvers and a bronze award for the four groups entered!

Zoo Snooze

Each year, our boys in Year 3 have the chance to visit the zoo for a night time, torch lit safari and a sleepover. For many, this is their first time away from home overnight so the excitement levels are always high! As the gates to the zoo closed to the general public at 5pm, the zoo became the domain of just over 20 boys on each of the two nights.

Each year, the boys in Year 6 are presented with a unique opportunity – to undertake a significant and lengthy enquiry over the course of a term and then exhibit their learning journey for the wider school community in the form of an Expo. The boys were required to explore multiple perspectives including going beyond the school gates to talk to experts in the wider community.

Maritime Exploration and Discovery

As part of the Boys’ School Year 5 Social Science Inquiry into ‘How we Organise Ourselves’, with a focus on how ancient explorers have influenced the world that we live in today, the boys embarked on a ‘voyage’ to the New Zealand Maritime Museum for a morning of exploration and discovery of their own.

An Afternoon of Song

Held in the beautiful interior of St Matthewsin-the-City, the Boys’ School choirs, along with choristers from the College, presented a fabulous Sunday afternoon of song early in Term 4.There are over 100 boys involved in the choral programme, split between the Saint Kentigern Singers and the Performers’ Choir. All 100 opened the concert with a Maori welcome followed by the Lord’s Prayer accompanied on the organ.

The Saint Kentigern Singers is an all-comers choir of 60 students mostly in Years 4 and 5, with a smaller group of senior boys who assist in the smooth running of rehearsals and help the younger boys to learn their parts. The concert was the first time that this younger choir has performed outside of school and they certainly stepped up to the challenge This was followed by a cheeky solo from Jack Webber singing ‘Consider Yourself’ from Oliver.

Guest singers for the afternoon were the Year 13 graduating members of the gold-award winning College choir, Kentoris. Some of these

students have been singing together for five years – indeed, a number of the boys, who transitioned from the Boys’ School, have sung together for over a decade! This was a poignant moment for this group who were singing together for the last time.

The Performers’ Choir is an auditioned group of top performing choristers at the School. They meet twice a week for rehearsals and work on complex three-part harmonies. They, too, sang a repertoire of sacred and contemporary pieces with the highlight, a new piece by New Zealand composer, David Hamilton, ‘Boys will be Boys.’ Mr Hamilton was in the audience and we thank him for his support.

Principal, Mr Cassie closed the saying, ‘Music is an international language. It doesn’t matter where you are, or what the language – you can feel the joy, the sorrow, the emotion of those who have chosen to sing, and you are carried along with them.’

Presbyterian Schools Combined Choir

On the final day of Term 3, three Boys’ School students, Sam Harnett, Cameron Dean and Jack Webber, along with two Girls’ School students, Vivian Pettigrove and Jorja Hendricks, travelled to Scots College in Wellington to take part in the ‘Presbyterian Schools Song Project.’ Alongside more than 30 choristers from Presbyterian schools from all over New Zealand, they were off to learn and record a new choral work, ‘Pioneers of Hope’ by Rev Malcolm Gordon in celebration of the era of ‘school centenaries.’

Composer, Rev Gordon and conductor for the project, Mr Lisi put the newly formed choir through its paces before heading to the recording studio. A recording set-up was a new experience for the students, and it was really fascinating for them to see how the recording process worked. They learned about different concepts like sound absorption and the importance of the microphones being in exactly the right position. On their fifth try, they had a perfect run and the soundtrack was nailed! A movie was made of the day and we can’t wait to see it!

Making, Creating, Appreciating NZ Sculpture OnShore

From cave to canvas, marble and bronze with charcoal, paint and tools, since the dawn of time, the human impulse to create works of art has been universal. Throughout all stages of civilisation and in every region of the world, art has reached beyond the boundaries of language, time and space to communicate beliefs and express ideas about the human experience.

During Term 4, our boys in Year 6 looked at ‘how we express ourselves,’ specifically exploring the central idea that ‘our world can be expressed through visual arts.’ They asked, ‘What is art, where is art and how is art communicated?’

As cultural documents, works of art provide important insights into both past and existing cultures, helping us to understand how others have lived and what they valued. With this in mind, the boys explored the many and varied styles of art from impressionism to cubism and abstract, and looked at mediums from painting to sculpture. Through their research and discussions, they came to learn that over the centuries, society and particular periods in history have influenced the nature of artistic works, and the way in which they have been used to communicate ideas and feelings.

Above all, they came to understand that the making, creating and appreciating of art is a personal experience.

To support their unit of study, the boys were fortunate to be able to visit the NZ Sculpture OnShore exhibition based at North Head in Devonport. One of New Zealand’s largest and oldest outdoor exhibitions, it has grown over the years from being based in a private garden to occupying the spectacular Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve on Auckland’s North Shore.

The exhibition, which features work from established and emerging artists, provided the boys with a unique snapshot of contemporary, three dimensional art practice in New Zealand today. Purposefully placed around North Head with backdrops ranging from open water to city skylines, the works included monumental stand-alone sculptures, domestic and smallscaled works, ephemeral projects, light and sound art works, process art and many sitespecific installations.

In discussing sculpture in the classroom setting, the boys had come to understand concepts around scale, size, texture and form, but nothing compared to having the opportunity to see multiple, large scale artworks in situ! The idea that ‘visual art is seen differently through the eyes of different people’ quickly became apparent as the boys discussed their likes and dislikes, and which piece impressed them the most!

From 10,000 white windmills blowing in the wind to a triceratops compiled from driftwood, eerie daleks standing guard, monkeys on electronic devices and a pack of roaming, wild beasts, there was plenty to intrigue the boys. Much of the intrigue came from, what was for the boys, the eye-watering costs of some the artwork. But much of the talking point came from the incredibly intricate detail of some of the pieces such as the deep-sea bronze diving helmet and the marble feather, or the idea that a seemingly simple object, when artfully placed with others, could take on new meaning.

The visit certainly fired up the imagination and the boys were keen to put their learning into practice!

One of the sculptures that intrigued me is called 10,000 wind mills and it meant exactly that. The reason the sculpture intrigued me was the fact the sculptor used normal objects to create it and the sculpture was interactive and made a whistling sound; once you were in-between the windmills it felt that you were in a field of flowers.

- Jamie Hilliam, Year 6

Monkeys on their modern devices, Marble hands with big misprices, Big people that have been remade, These sculptures are all being displayed.

This big event right by the shore

Had these sculptures that we adore.

- Matthew Morris and James Vine, Year 6

Personally my favourite sculpture was of an old pearl diver’s helmet and the oxygen tank connecting to the diver. It was made out of the smoothest copper and felt like soft silk running through my hands. But I thought the most astonishing part of it was the detail taken in making the accessories for the pearl diver like the spikey spear gun and the specific rope coils in the net.

- Josh Ongley, Year 6

It was very interesting to see the diversity in the sculptures and how they were made. Our favourite sculpture was the Daleks. We liked it because the artist used recycled objects to make them. For example, the gun was made out of an egg beater and its hand was made out of a toilet plunger.

- Matthew Hirst and Louis Robinson

It was like a giant majestic bird had soared above the sky,

Sent by the gods to watch over Earth's people

And as the bird soared by it gave us a present that landed in the soft, lush, green grass. The present had a lot of amazing patterns and details

That present was a Marble Feather, a truly amazing gift.

- Ashe Renault- Pollard, Year 6

Marble Feather

Entrepreneurs in the Making!

Purpose, Product, People, Profit

The Senior School quad was abuzz at the end of Term 4 as the Year 7 boys manned their stalls and got trading underway at their Market Day; the culmination of a term-long Social Studies unit on ‘Enterprise: Building and Running a Small Business.’

Working in small groups, which included a nominated CEO, accountant, marketer and designer, they were responsible for the launch of their business from product conception to retail. Each group was required to develop a detailed business plan that included market research to determine the purpose and viability of their product, development of a prototype, working out a suitable marketing plan, ensuring they were on budget, fine-tuning mass production and finally preparing to sell their goods to Years 5 and 6.

A virtual economy was used with ‘Kents’ money as the currency. Each group was given a weekly wage from which deductions were made for services such as using the printer, advertising costs per poster displayed, ‘import duties’ on such things as electrical equipment or plastic bags required on the day, a music license if required and a ‘mobility’ license, for those who chose to ‘wander and sell.’ So there was no unfair advantage from stall positioning, an auction was held to pre-purchase each team’s location.

Earlier in the term, their ideas were pitched to business leaders in a Dragons’ Den style forum. The ‘dragons’ – parents who had offered their commercial expertise – quizzed the boys on their advertising plans and profit expectations, and gave advice on how to price their goods and reduce costs.

And so it was down to trading, the students had two hours to tout their wares to the younger students and parents. Some tied their offerings into the impending festive season and sold Christmas-related goods, others offered miniature games, there was an eye-catching range of handmade, smiley pillows and the rather sneaky book with a hollow to hide your cell phone! To Purpose, Product, People and Profit, another two P’s could be added – the Power of Persuasion! Those who engaged with their customers found sales were brisk!

When trading finished, the students had learnt how to operate a budget, considered the economics of how to allocate their time and ‘Kents,’ had developed their communication skills and applied all of these into a cohesive business plan!

Halberg Sports Day a Great Success

It was an absolute pleasure hosting the Halberg Sportability Day at the Boys’ School for the seventh year; a day that gives students with physical disabilities an opportunity to enjoy and shine in a range of tailored sports events, assisted by our own Year 8 student mentors.

Over 80 disabled, young sportspeople, from 40 different schools around the Auckland region competed against each other in ability-appropriate sports, including gymnastics, badminton, blind football, swish and more. The adaptive sports allowed our visitors to ‘have a go’ at something new, while others were competitive with the chance to win prizes.

Aside from enhancing the lives of physically disabled children through sport, the other aim for the day is to include the Year 8 boys in a service element. Our boys diligently played their part in assisting their visitors when and where needed, alongside the families and staff from their support networks. Staff from the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, who had helped organise the event, were also on hand. We were proud to witness the boys taking responsibility of their physically disabled peers, showing compassion and spirit as they helped them perfect their sports techniques, encouraging them and sharing in their triumphs.

Mental and Physical Agility Required!

Eighteen apples cost 90 cents and fourteen oranges cost 84 cents. If an apple and orange fruit drink contains equal amounts of each fruit, and 6 in total, how much will its contents cost?

The answer is 33 cents. Not sure how to work it out? Try asking our Year 8 House Mathex teams at the Boys’ School! Fleet of foot and fleet of mind, the teams lined up from Years 4-8 to out-run and outcalculate each other in the annual House Mathex competition. The event requires a small team to answer a set of 20 problem-solving questions correctly within the allocated time. There is a catch, this is a collaborative effort. One of the team is also assigned as a runner, to sprint back and forth to fetch the questions and return the answers to the front for marking; running a complete circuit to get there. Speed is of the essence – the huge stop watch is counting down the minutes right to the final second!

So, Manu and his brother, Rau, have combined ages of 30. In fourteen years, Rau will be three times the age Manu is now. How old is Rau?

Tricky, eh! Now run your answer to the adjudicators. You should have answered 19! If you got it right, you’ll receive the next question to run back to your team. If not, go try again or elect to ‘pass’ and lose the points. With other year groups watching and cheering from the stands, the noise was deafening as the excitement built, especially when two Middle School teams raced for the finish in the final seconds.

And one last one...

Of a group of 32 students, fourteen can neither paint nor dance, seven can dance only, and three can paint and dance. How many can dance only?

The final results? Whilst Chalmers won the Middle School event and Cargill won the Senior School, when both sets of results were combined, Hamilton were declared overall winners!

Tug of War!

‘Take the strain. Ready. PULL!’

Hot on the heels of Hamilton winning House Mathex the day before, it came down to the very last pull on the rope in a tie-breaker for Cargill to out-pull Hamilton for a ‘green’ win in the annual Tug of War!

Head of Sport, Mr Duncan Grant took on the role of MC, keeping the interest high with lively banter. The cheers rang out from the stands and muscles were put to straining point as the boys lined up in the Jubilee Sports Centre to see which team could heave the hardest for House victory. Each year group had a representative team with the competition taking a knock-out format working through heats, to semi-finals and onto a final best of three. As the competition between sides became tense, the cheering grew louder creating an amazing atmosphere amongst the boys!

With all rounds complete, Cargill and Hamilton were on unexpected even points, so a quick decision saw a new team for each side made up of one boy from each year group. The roars were deafening as the boys took the strain but it was Cargill who dug deep to cross the marker over the line, leaving Hamilton 2nd, Chalmers 3rd and Wishart in 4th place.

Grandparents' Day

Grandparents travelled across the country and from the other side of the world to be with their grandsons on Grandparents Day. The ones who couldn’t make it used technology to share the boys’ special day with them. The love and joy shown on each of their faces prove that distance is only a word.

Head Boy, Isaac Mellis-Glynn welcomed everyone and explained that his grandparents are some of the most influential and important people in his life, ‘Your smiles and love are endless and your caring personality never seems to alter, even when you see the hallway window give way to a cricket ball! You are role models for us all to look up to, as every word that you speak is deliberately chosen, wise, thoughtful and kind.’

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie took a moment to acknowledge all the grandparents who weren’t able to be with us, knowing full well that they were with us in spirit.

Our guests were treated to a performance from the Kapa Haka group and, for the first time, both school choirs came together to sing two songs that they have been working on as a combined group.

The boys waited excitedly outside the sports centre and as each of the grandparents made their way out, the boys searched the crowds for their loved ones, once sighted their smiles exploded! Hand in hand the boys took their grandparents on a tour around the School and finished in the hall for morning tea.

Tennis Championships

Congratulations to the finalists in the annual Boys’ School tennis championships.

Year 4 Marco Alpe beat Tudor Dalzell 9/3

Year 5 William Lawrence Vai Vai beat Hugo Wigglesworth 6/1 6/0

Year 6 Noah Payman beat Benjamin Hardie 4/6 6/3 6/1

Year 7 Christoph Grant beat James Flay 6/2 6/0

Year 8 Max Dickey beat Zac Lerner 6/2 6/2

Boys' School Athletics

Sun, wind, torrential downpours – we saw it all at this year’s Boys’ School athletics events but despite the variable conditions we saw records tumble in each of the age groups!

The Middle School was first to head to Mt Smart and, with the weather in their favour, competitive spirit was on a high as the track and field got underway. Of the nine records broken this year, seven were claimed by Middle Schoolers, with James Ford leading the way breaking three records in sprint and long distance. Well done James!

Sunscreen and sunhats were somewhat superfluous at the Senior School event as the weather tested the mettle of our best senior athletes – and the staff who stood in the rain and wind to time, measure and record! Everyone was pleased to see the sun break through! Well done to Jack Mitchell who broke the long jump record.

The Junior School competition took place on the top field at school with all our youngest athletes raring to give it a go from running and jumping, to egg and spoon and sack races. Max Trankels kept his winning form from earlier years to break the 100m record.

The boys went on to enjoy a morning of House Relays, along with the Girls’ School.

Record Breakers!

Year 3: Max Trankels 100m

Year 4: Pierce Gault 100m, 200m

Year 5: Ethan Knox Discus

Year 6: James Ford 100m, 200m, 800m Brodey Warren Discus

Year 7: Jack Mitchell Long Jump

HOUSE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONS 1ST WISHART 2ND CARGILL 3RD HAMILTON 4TH CHALMERS HOUSE RELAY CHAMPIONS

Athletic Champions

Remuera Zone Athletics

1st Max Trankels HA 2nd Angus Patterson CH 3rd = Joshua Motion CH

Year

1st Pierce Gault CA 2nd Caleb Power WI 3rd = Ollie Davies CA 3rd = Tudor Dalzell CA

1st Ethan Knox CA 2nd Ashan Weerasinghe HA

3rd Harry Becker CH

Year

1st James Ford WI

2nd Brodey Warren HA

3rd Benjamin Hardie WI

Year

1st Jack Mitchell WI

2nd Tim Brady HA

3rd Isaac Wong HA

Year 8 Champions

1st Quinn Thompson WI

2nd Adam Tamati CH

3rd Thomas King CH

Eastern Zone Athletics

Battle in the Stars!

Loaded picnic baskets at the ready, Saint Kentigern families streamed through the gates at the Boys’ School for this year’s sell-out fireworks night. With the main focus of the evening skywards, every patch of turf was a perfect picnic spot! With all 2000 tickets sold, it promised to another fantastic family evening for young and old.

The Boys’ School Jazz band was first on to the entertainment stage but, sadly, their chance to play to their biggest audience of the year was short-lived when the heavens momentarily opened and they scuttled for cover. With the sun back out, the Boys’ School and College rock bands entertained, drawing a minimosh pit of youngsters in support, others flocked to the rides, purchased wrist band at the ready, to take advantage of as many turns as possible while the daylight lasted. Amongst the adrenaline-filled fun this year was the ‘world’s tallest inflatable slide.’ As some found to their cost, once they’d scaled the steep climb to the top, there was no going back. There were more than a few wide eyes as they whizzed down the slippery slope!

Without question, the biggest draw card is anything involving water. Once the domain of the cold, wet dunking machine, this has been superseded in recent years

with a much easier target, the chance to hit a teacher with a wet-sponge. Amongst the staff willing to test their dignity was a very game Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and School Chaplain, Reverend Reuben Hardie. The gold coins flew in!

As the night sky darkened, the Boys’ School Pipes and Drums took to the stage to herald the start of the show. Now seasoned second timers, this year the boys dressed in black and played in the dark, using new, glowing blue drumsticks to highlight their dexterity.

It was then left to Mr Cassie to welcome the large gathering of families as they settled back for the main event…with one slight space-opera twist, as in true Star Wars style, Storm Troopers climbed onto the stage, along with Lord Reuben Vader (Rev. Hardie) and Princess Leia Small (Girls’ School Principal, Ms Juliet Small). The ensuing light sabre battle saved the event, letting Hans Solo (pre-chosen winner, Year 5 student, Ethan Knox) press the plunger to start the show. Wow, what a show as the Battle in the Stars raged into action, lighting up the sky directly overhead!

A special thank you to the following sponsors: A-Ward, New World Eastridge, Kennard Hire and Panasonic New Zealand.

Boys' School Parents & Friends

AWESOME.

For those of you who were lucky enough to attend or volunteered for the Father and Son Breakfast, this word seems to sum up 2016. An industrious and successful year within the Saint Kentigern Boy’s School community fundraising endeavours, placed an emphasis on also ensuring a good balance was struck on an equal or greater proportion of ‘friend raising’ activities. Promoting good values, is what the School has a strong reputation for and we hope that parents have enjoyed getting involved in the action the year has provided.

The year kick started with a new parents' morning tea, continuing regularly over the course of the year. The aim of this has been to provide constructive insights for parents to help make the transition for their son a smooth one while giving new parents a chance to socialise and get to know more about the Parents and Friends in an informal environment. Many thanks to Kerryanne Tisdall who organises this each term and the team of school liaisons, Katie Wilson, Corinne Stilwell and Vanessa Playle, who assist in hosting.

The Middle School and Year 7 picnic were both crowd pleasing picnic events on the top field and a chance for parents and students to socialise with new families and strengthen connections going into the new year.

One of the most anticipated events on the school calendar, and a Parents and Friends and School joint event, is Celtic Day. This was again very successful led by Vanessa Playle and her group of team leaders responsible for each activity. Great project management allowed for a quick turnaround of ten minutes per activity and a wide range of action for the boys to participate in added to the fun. From more cultural disciplines such as drumming to the always popular sponge throwing, the action was ramped up a gear with the addition of trenches on Roselle lawn for this year. Apologies to the caretaker!

In May, the Mothers’ Morning Tea was held. This was a charity fundraising event with profit raised from this going towards the K E Falconer Women’s Sports Scholarship in honour of Kirsten Falconer. Kirsten was an active member of the Parents and Friends and sadly passed away on ANZAC Day 2016. A staggering 240 mothers attended event with guest speaker, Niva Retimanu, who spoke about her experiences, as outlined in her book, on long distance running around the world and sharing her inspirational personal experiences on achieving her goals. Thanks to Phillipa Hiddleston and the team of volunteers who made this run so efficiently, including our very own Principal, Peter Cassie, who was personally attending tables!

Quiz night this year opted for a theme of ‘On TV’. This bought some of the most interesting and imaginative tables and costumes to date with some getting into character more than others. Funds were raised from some great auction items on offer, and there was plenty of food, drink and entertainment. Our thanks go out to Shelly Horton and Sarah Walsh, along with their team, for giving up their time and ensuring this was an enjoyable and fun evening.

The annual Father and Son Breakfast was a sell out and a highlight for the boys to spend quality time with their Dad or significant care giver this year. Guest speaker, Cam Calkoen, with his AWESOME presentation, had a huge impact with an overwhelming amount of attendees expressing their enjoyment at this event. It’s always tricky to ensure helpers for such an early morning start, with so many parents occupied with work and school duties at that time of day, so a big thank you to Cath Costello and the many people who baked pies, served or helped with clean up, you all came through to produce yet another outstanding event and these events would not be possible without your support.

Grandparents are highly regarded within the Saint Kentigern community and the huge contribution they make to our boys lives so it is always an honour to host them at school for our annual Grandparents' Day. Baking supplied was exceptional, thank you to Phillipa Hiddleston for putting this together.

As the school year neared an end for 2016, the Fireworks night rolled into action. A record sell out of 2000 attendees was fantastic with feedback best to date. Learning from past events has led the team to push boundaries even further with reinvention of entertainment which included some pre-fireworks theatrics starring Juliet Small (Princess Leia Small), Peter Cassie (The Grand Master) and Rev Reuben Hardie (The Dark Lord), taking centre stage in a Star Wars action sequence. Some new unseen before pyrotechnics were also showcased, led by Dr Martin Van Tiel for a 13 minute spectacular display. Application of online ticketing and selection/ payment of on field activities made for greater efficiencies this year.

The Fireworks team has been together for the past four years and I must say do an incredible job, with near perfect planning. This year we have several key members leaving, Special thanks goes out to Peter Green, Kerry George, Blair Knill and Campbell Shearer who are leaving and a big ‘thank you’ for the rest of the team comprising Naomi Hageman, Robyn Kenna, Fiona Freeland, Amanda Wilkinson, Kathryn Hughes, Deborah Ward, James McLeod and myself.

Final thank yous are for the amazing community work that occurs. Corinne Stilwell for organising ‘Meals for Families’ which has been a great initiative and incredibly beneficial to those going through tough times. Also thanks to Kirsten Stanfield for organising the Christmas hampers that we deliver to Wymondely Road School. The hampers are gratefully received. Many thanks to our community for their hamper donations and those who offered to make them up and deliver them. In addition to this, are the many families who help to empty the Sharing Shed and volunteer on Halberg Day.

I would like to finish with this small note for 2017.

I know we are all busy people but if you can give a small amount of your time to help out with one event or if you would like to help out with some goods or services, please let us know. Trust me when I say ‘every little bit helps make this school the best in the world!’

Simon Ward Chairman, Boys’ School Parents and Friends

A brief ‘State of the Nation’ college

It seems appropriate at the end of the 2016 academic year, a year that has heralded considerable change, to give a brief state of the nation through the eyes, fading as they are, of the Head of College.

As you will be aware, earlier this year, I announced my intention to retire in July next year. Over the course of this year, much thought has been given by the Board and senior staff to the decision to restructure the management of Saint Kentigern. The planned appointment of an educator in the role of overall Head of Saint Kentigern, to oversee the activities of each of our schools, is far-sighted. This role will be supported by an experienced Chief Operating Officer with considerable educational experience. The mandate of these two positions is vital to ensure further growth, development and financial security. I fully support this direction to ensure Saint Kentigern continues to flourish.

Academically, the College continues to advance in most areas. Once again, the 2016 results should see the majority of our NCEA students gain their certificates at each Level and we are hoping that the endorsement percentage will also continue to rise. I am pleased to see a growing number of boys and girls opting to study towards the International Baccalaureate Diploma. This alternative qualification not only gives students new opportunities and challenges, but also the teachers who are lucky enough to deliver its curriculum.

The appointment of some of our staff to senior positions in other schools is testament to the high regard in which our academic teachers are held. This means, in return, that intelligent and vibrant teachers are seeking positions with us to gain similar opportunities. This is particularly evident and pleasing in the vital areas of Science, Mathematics, English, Commerce and Technology; subjects which some schools are finding challenging to fill.

Our staff continues to be our greatest asset - but the problems recently highlighted in the media with regard to the increasing cost of living in Auckland,

resulting in many choosing to move to the provinces for a more affordable lifestyle, cannot be ignored in coming years.

One of the College’s other great assets is undoubtedly our location and grounds. The development and upkeep of our environment has not only meant a wonderful playground for youngsters to enjoy but is a remarkable marketing tool. One of the major aims of the Trust will be to continue to develop our site with modern, relevant buildings.

The quality of our governance, academic staff, facilities, and opportunities for our students to grow and learn has, among other things, meant unprecedented interest in places at the College. The roll will grow again next year - a desirable situation for any school to be in.

Most families seeking a Saint Kentigern education do so for the all-round experience that we have grown a reputation for providing. The nature of our pastoral care system and rigorous academic opportunities for students of all abilities, are vitally important. Equally important are the Christian family values, so well-portrayed by our Chaplain, Reverend David Smith, and the growing opportunities for students to look beyond themselves and give service to others, both within and beyond our community. Most families also want their youngsters to experience some of the vast variety of co-curricular activities we are able to offer. It is such an important part of a young person’s development and the commitment by our staff to be fully involved does set us apart from virtually every other school in the country.

At the time of writing, the future looks very bright for this College. We may face challenges but we also know that wonderful opportunities lie ahead.

As I head towards my retirement, I can honestly say that I have loved almost every moment of my career in education; there has not been one day when I have not wanted to come to school. I do understand that classroom teaching has changed and I am in wonderment of the opportunities that lie ahead with innovative classroom spaces, effective learning intentions and, of course, the use of technology becoming more and more exciting. However, despite all the technological advances, I still strongly believe that the influence an inspired teacher has, using the depth of their knowledge, force of their personality and skill in communicating with youngsters, will always be what young people relate to - and will remember long after they leave the College gates.

Fides Servanda Est

Mr Steve Cole, Head of College

Farewell

to two Long Serving Members of Staff

At the end of each year, a number of staff leave the College as they move on to new pastures; quite often to a notable promotion. Each year, there are also those who have reached retirement age and, at the end of their working life, leave knowing that it’s time to take a rest, also knowing that they leave a job well done. Two stalwarts of the College retired at the end of the year having undertaken remarkable tenures at Saint Kentigern, amassing 70 years of service between them!

Terry Haffern – 38 Years of Service

Mr Terry Haffern has taught at the College for 38 years since he was appointed as Head of Biology. It is a subject he has taught with flair and passion throughout his time at Saint Kentigern, but his involvement in College life has been so much more, from rugby coaching, to Head of Tennis, football coaching and, in recent years, drama productions.

Mr Haffern has always had a spring in his step! With an endless enthusiasm and zest for life, he has never failed to seek out new and interesting ways to engage his students. Young at heart, yet wise and experienced in years, he has always been willing to share his ideas and understandings about teaching Biology and how to better engage students. This, combined with his cheerful disposition and ‘all knowing smile’ has made him not only a wonderful teacher but also a treasured and valued colleague who has a great deal of respect from students and staff alike.

Interestingly, in the early days, Mr Haffern, along with others, was involved in not only teaching but also in ‘mucking in’ to landscape quadrangles, create ponds and develop the Horticulture area!

There are very few people in a secondary school who would have given such wide and varied service to one organisation over so many years. In addition to his considerable impact in the science department, former students will also remember his passion for the various teams he coached. Current arts students will remember his dedication to the ‘backstage crew’ for many notable shows.

Still vigorous and very young at heart, no doubt Mr Haffern has many long happy years ahead!

Val Little – 32 Years of Service

When Mrs Val Little began her tenure in January 1984, there were only three female staff members. In 1986, when she was promoted to HOD of Commerce, she became the first female Head of Department in the history of the College. In another first, she became the first female staff member to attend Field Centre as a walker and not as a cook.

The growth of Commerce during Mrs Little’s tenure is a testament to her determination, work and ability. Commerce is the largest and most successful non-compulsory subject department in the College and she has forged a formidable reputation as an outstanding teacher who would not accept second best from her students.

Mrs Little has also been Teacher in Charge of Student teachers for five years, the Textbook Co-ordinator for eight years and founded the annual Honours Board Dinner. She is one of only two staff to be recognised with the title ‘Master Teacher’ by the Trust Board.

Mrs Little has also made a valuable contribution to the life of the College. Besides her involvement in both squash and badminton, she managed and organised the Young Enterprise and Accounting Pursuits programmes for many years, with the College team being Auckland Regional Champions in Accounting for six consecutive years. She has also assisted students with preparing their applications for PWC and RSM Prince Scholarships.

Looking back at her career, it is no doubt the achievement of her pupils that gives Mrs little the greatest sense of accomplishment. The success of her students at both college and university are a source of great pride for her. We wish her well as she moves into her retirement years.

Principalship for Mrs Tracey Dykstra

We congratulate former Head of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Tracey Dykstra on her appointment as Principal at Senior College within the ACG Group. Mrs Dykstra has been part of the Senior Management Team at the College and is noted as a wonderful educator; this is a very well deserved appointment. Her impact in the academic and general life at our College has been considerable. The staff have really enjoyed working with her over the years and we have been hugely grateful for the innovative approach she has taken to teaching and learning at Saint Kentigern. We will follow her influence beyond the College with much interest.

Senior School Prizegiving 2016

Senior Prizegiving signalled the end of another notable year in the life of the College as the Saint Kentigern College community gathered in Elliot Hall to congratulate our Year 11, 12 and 13 IB (International Baccalaureate) and NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) academic prize winners, including those who have received scholarships to continue their education at tertiary level.

As well as our top academic achievers, Senior Prizegiving also recognises our very best sportsmen and women, debaters, actors, dancers and musicians, and those who have given well beyond expectation in Service. At all levels, there are many who strive to achieve their utmost in every endeavour they undertake.

Each student who came across the stage could be rightfully proud of awards that recognised their significant contribution. The afternoon culminated with the announcement of the highest academic honour, the Dux. The honour was awarded to both the top IB Diploma student, Kevin Shen and the top NCEA student, Nicholas Allen. Congratulations to these two deserving students who have worked hard and made the most of every opportunity.

IB Dux Medallist for 2016

Kevin Shen

Kevin joined the College in 2012 as a Year 9 student, immediately demonstrating his outstanding academic ability, particularly in the subject of Mathematics.

He is an exceptional mathematician with exemplary skills in this subject. This year, he was placed first in the Senior Division of the Auckland Mathematical Olympiad and gained second place, for the second year running, in the Casio Victoria University Senior Mathematics Competition. Most significantly, Kevin has been a national representative in the prestigious New Zealand Mathematical Olympiad team for three years, earning an honourable mention at the International Mathematical Olympiad each year.

In 2015, as a Year 12 student, Kevin achieved an NZQA Outstanding Scholars Award after achieving Outstanding Scholarships in Chemistry, Statistics, and Calculus examinations, which are usually taken in Year 13.

Kevin has been a four-time recipient of Academic Colours in the Senior College. In Year 12, he won the IB Diploma Prize for Mathematics and Economics and a ‘Top Academic’ award. As a result of his academic achievements in Year 12, Kevin was chosen as a member of the 2016 Scholars Group. This year, he is awarded the IB Diploma Prize in Mathematics and a Saint Kentigern Scholarship. He will be sitting NZQA Scholarship examinations in Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, Calculus, Economics.

In addition to his academic success, Kevin has been involved in the co-curricular life of the College as a member of the Premier Chess Team and a Badminton team. He has also participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.

During his time at the College, Kevin has served others in various capacities: as a College Librarian, a Peer Support Leader, Academic and ESOL Mentor and member of the Environmental group. He has also participated in Presbyterian Support’s ‘Enliven’ programme.

In 2017, in recognition of his exceptional academic ability and extensive involvement in a range of activities, Kevin has been offered a ‘Top Achiever Scholarship’ from the University of Auckland.

NCEA Dux Medallist for 2016

Nicholas Allen

Nicholas, an outstanding scholar with tremendous academic talent, joined the College in 2012 as a Year 9 student.

Achieving Academic Colours in every senior year, Nicholas has also won the Latin Prize three years in a row and in 2015 gained a ‘Top Academic’ award. As a result of his academic performance, he was chosen to be a member of the Year 13 Scholars Group and will be sitting NZQA Scholarship Examinations in Latin, Statistics and English. This year, he is also awarded the Goldson Prize for Chemistry and a Saint Kentigern Scholarship.

During his time at the College, Nicholas has made a considerable contribution to the Arts as both a crew member for College musical productions and a member of the Kentoris Choir, which this year won a Gold Award at the National Big Sing Finale. He has also been a Model United Nations representative, a member of the Rock Climbing club and the Silver and Steel group. Nicholas has represented the College in Football and has been a member of the Premier Yachting squad.

In addition to his varied and extensive co-curricular involvement, Nicholas has served others at the College as a Peer Support Leader, Academic Mentor and member of the Environmental Group.

In 2017, Nicholas intends to study Law and Science at the University of Auckland.

Middle School Prizegiving

On the final day of the College year, the Sports Centre was packed to capacity as family, friends and special invited guests gathered with our students in Years 7-10 to celebrate their academic, sporting and cultural successes at the Middle School Prizegiving.

The official party of College leaders, Trust Board members and teaching staff were piped in by Jack Frewin, followed by the College Sinfonia, comprising our Middle School musicians, accompanying the National Anthem.

In recognition of excellence, effort, diligence and achievement, the top students in each age group came forward to collect their prizes from Trust Board members, Dr Bruce Goodfellow and Mr Alan Burton,

Dux of the Middle School

Isobel Merrie

with Head of Middle School, Mr McQueen, and Head of College, Mr Steve Cole awarding the ‘special’ prizes in each age group.

Special cups were awarded to Maddison Clarke for the ‘All-Round’ girl and Benjamin Shepherd as the ‘All-Round’ boy. These two students have been fully committed to all aspects of College life. The top honours of the morning went to Isobel Merrie as Dux of the Middle School, a student who has attained significant academic achievement.

At the conclusion of the formalities, the Second Pipe Band finished the year in our traditional manner by ‘Beating the Retreat’ from the bridge.

Our congratulations to all our award winners and especially to Isobel!

Isobel Merrie has the honour of being awarded the Dux of Middle School for 2016. Isobel has consistently achieved Excellence or Excellence Plus in her subjects. She has had outstanding results for both Year 11 Cambridge Mathematics and Year 11 Music in Year 10 and has been commended for her Latin, Social Studies and Spanish success.

As an all-rounder, she has excelled this year both academically and in her co-curricular activities. She has found success in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award; Middle School Production Cast and Chorus for ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dream Coat’; is a member of Kentoris Choir which placed first at this year’s Big Sing competition and rows for the U15. Isobel’s leadership skills have been demonstrated through her role as a Middle School Student Leader.

Isobel is a fine leader and Daughter of Kentigern with a commitment to strive to achieve at the highest level. Her ability to immerse herself with a passion in all areas of learning is a testament to her maturity.

The J.E.H Kururangi Cup

For the Year 10 Boy showing All Round Ability

Benjamin Shepherd

Benjamin demonstrates all the attributes of a well-rounded student and has shown a great capacity to embrace all the College has to offer. His discipline and determination towards his studies have led to excellent grades across all his subjects including outstanding results in Year 10 English and Year 11 Cambridge Mathematics. His leadership skills have been demonstrated through his role as a Middle School Leader.

Benjamin has shown substantial co-curricular commitments this year including: Middle School Scholars Group, Theatresports, Basketball U15B, Rugby U14, Cross Country AKSS Mixed, Athletics Eastern Zone, Debating Junior Premier Two, Tennis Junior A2 and the Year 10 Mathex Team. He has also participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.

The Birch Cup

For the Year 10 Girl showing All Round Ability

Maddison Clarke

Maddison strives for excellence in an impressive range of academic, sports and cultural endeavours.

She is a well-rounded and successful student largely due to her perseverance, hard work and dedication to every challenge she sets her sight on. She has had outstanding results is Year 10 English and Year 10 Social Studies, attaining Excellence +. Her leadership skills have been demonstrated through her role as a Middle School Leader.

Maddison has also had substantial co-curricular commitments including: AKSS Aquathon, AKSS Cross Country, AKSS Duathlon, AKSS Swimming, Junior Cycling, Open Water Swimming, Middle School Production Cast and Chorus for ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dream Coat’ and Wearable Arts Show Designer. She has also participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.

38 Tertiary Scholarships Awarded!

The College is thrilled that by Senior School Prizegiving, 28 of our graduating students had already been awarded 37 significant tertiary scholarships, providing them with financial assistance for their chosen tertiary studies. In some instances, these provide a very substantial sum and these students can be very proud of their achievement. Other students can be equally proud to have been offered more than one scholarship, opening up choice as to where they continue their education.

THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

Each year the number of scholarships awarded usually increases over the summer break as exam results become available; in particular for those seeking scholarships from universities in the Northern Hemisphere.

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements!

University of Auckland - George Turner Wilson Music Trust Scholarships

University of Auckland - Scholarship from Faculty of Business & Economics

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Scholarship

University of Otago Vice-Chancellor’s Entrance Scholarship

University of Otago Vice-Chancellor’s Entrance Scholarship

University of Otago Vice-Chancellor’s Entrance Scholarship

Emily Young $2,500 for first year only

Thomas Morton $3,000 for first year

Has Brooke $20,000 paid in first year

Katherine Chang $20,000 paid in first year

Greer Hunter

$20,000 paid in first year

Kevin Shen $20,000 paid in first year

Samantha Louie $20,000 paid in first year

Aimee Blake $6,000 for first year only

Sophie Clarkson $6,000 for first year only

Greer Hunter $6,000 for first year only

Spencer Johnstone $6,000 for first year only

Emily Peart $6,000 for first year only

Caitlin Walker $6,000 for first year only

Nicola Williams $6,000 for first year only

Jonathan Lee $6,000 for first year only

Ella Mayhew $2,500 for first year only

Harriet Carter $2,500 for first year only

Zach Tucker $2,500 for first year only

Greer Hunter $4,000 for first year only

Jonathan Lee $4,000 for first year only

Spencer Johnstone $4,000 for first year only

Saint Kentigern Scholarships

Each year at Senior School Prizegiving, the College awards special Saint Kentigern Scholarships to our highest achieving scholars in recognition of their academic achievement. This year, seven scholarships were awarded to be put towards further study.

Kevin Shen and Nicholas Allen, our IB Diploma Dux and NCEA Dux, each received $3000.

Dominic Devlin, Kurt Hawkins, Haswell Brooke, Connor Mattson and Henry Mellsop each received $1000.

These students have applied themselves fully to their academic studies whilst at College and we wish each of them the very best as they move on to their tertiary studies.

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

Victoria Excellence Scholarships

Victoria Excellence Scholarships

Victoria Excellence Scholarships

Victoria Excellence Scholarships

Victoria Achiever Scholarship

THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY

UC College of Business and Law Award for Excellence.

UC Engineering Top Scholars Award

UC Go Canterbury Scholarship

UC Go Canterbury Scholarship

UC Go Canterbury Scholarship

UC Go Canterbury Scholarship

UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO

Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (AUT)

AUT Vice-Chancellor’s Significant Student Scholarships

Alexandra Gordon $5,000 for first year

Jonathan Lee $5,000 for first year

Oliver O’Rourke $5,000 for first year

Ainsley Foster $5,000 for first year

Sophie Clarkson $5,000 for first year

Matthew Wong-Kam $5,000 per annum for three years

Has Brooke $5,000 per annum for two years

Liam Braithwaite $5,000 towards accommodation for first year

Andrew Glover $5,000 towards accommodation for first year

Hamish Glover $5,000 towards accommodation for first year

Richard Salwey $5,000 towards accommodation for first year

Sydney Fraser $10,000 per annum

Jonathan Lee $6,500 per annum

AUT Vice-Chancellor’s Significant Student Scholarships (pending)

Holcim Scholarship

RSM New Zealand Accounting Scholarship

INTERNATIONAL

Winthrop University, USA Tennis Scholarship

Sydney Fraser $6,500 per annum

Caitlin Walker $2,000 per annum and paid holiday work

Ryan McEwen $1,200 per annum

Connor Williamson 70% of all fees per annum

Year 13 Graduation Chapel and Dinner

TheYear 13 leavers came together for one last time at their Graduation Dinner. It was the last time they would wear their school uniform, the last time they joined in worship and the Prayer of Saint Kentigern, and the last time they would follow a lone Piper as one.

Over 900 guests comprising students and their families, along with staff and Trust Board members gathered on the top floor of the Ellerslie Convention Centre for Reverend David Smith’s Graduation Chapel – an ending and sending. Before Chapel began, the audience was treated to a moving duet by Sam Elliot and Isaac Samuels.

Reverend Smith reflected on all that he hoped the students had learned in Chapel. He said, ‘I hope at Chapel you were challenged to think about life and love and community. And at the very least, that you were encouraged to be open to the possibility that there’s more to life than meets the eye.’

Reverend Smith encouraged the graduates to go forth with all their strength ‘and then some’. ‘Three words,’ he said, ‘that can transform our lives.’

Directly after the Chapel Service, the audience were again treated to a very powerful and moving solo by Emily Young, who sang ‘Forever Young’. The Heads of Houses then called each student up to receive their Diplomas and to be congratulated by Dr Bruce Goodfellow, Chairman of the Trust Board and Mr Steve Cole, Head of College. They then went on to receive their testimonials from Mrs Suzanne Winthrop, Head of Senior School.

Upon completion of the formal graduation, the procession was led by Piper, James Milner to the dinner venue. From there, the evening was free of formality to enjoy dinner.

Following dinner, Head Boy, Edward Barry and Head Girl, Sydney Fraser addressed the audience. Sydney thanked Mr Cole on behalf of the Class of 2016. She said, ‘Even though our final week was a tad crazy, It’s the high expectations that you place on us, that enables is to succeed in all areas of life, so thank you.’

As always, the House leaders spoke on behalf of their Houses. Each mentioned how it has been a privilege to lead their House and they offered thanks to their teachers, fellow students, parents and Heads of Houses.

We wish all these students and their families well as they end their time with us.

Bruce House Dinner

Reverend David Smith, Housemaster at Bruce House reminds us each year that the boarders are a special community within the College; a family - a very special whanau - which others may not really ‘get’ until they belong.

Parents of the Year 13 graduates, staff and Trust Board members joined the boarders at Bruce House early in Term 4 to celebrate their achievements and give thanks to those who care for them – their surrogate family members during term time. This was a special evening where the invited guests soon gained an understanding of the very strong family bond that pervades the boarding house.

Year 13 student, Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta led fellow boarders in a highly charged House Haka before the guests were escorted to their table.

This year Bruce House has been home to 119 young people – the largest cohort to date. Following dinner, Reverend Smith said he particularly enjoys the ‘every-day stuff’ ‘up at the House’ - hearing the boarders’ laughter, observing the camaraderie, hearing their stories and celebrating their successes. He has immense pride and ‘aroha’ for his ‘extended family.’ ‘As I look at you, I see myriad characters. Each one of you is your own person, yet each one of you is part of something bigger than yourselves. You can be proud of yourself for who you are, for what you do and for all that you contribute to the fabric of the College.’

Current Bruce House Head Prefects, Alfie Robertson and Iris Lee both came forward to speak with passion about their boarding experience. They have both been excellent role models to the younger students and epitomise all that is good in such a community. Both have only been boarders for two years and whilst they acknowledged that they might not have done the ‘hard yards,’ they had both come to know the sense of belonging and family within the House. They paid tribute to their fellow boarders and the many staff who care for them amongst the duty, nursing and catering staff.

The evening concluded with Head of College, Mr Steve Cole presenting the Bruce House Awards for 2016 followed by the announcement of next year’s Bruce House student leaders: Head Girl, Lisa Miyaura, Head Boy, Harrison Taylor and their deputies, Ty Stevens and Louis Poot.

Bruce House Awards 2016

The MacFarlan Award for Head Boy: Alfie Robertson

The MacFarlan Award for Head Girl: Iris Lee

The McGuiness Cup for Academic Honours: Alfie Robertson

The Morgan Cup for Year 11 Academic Achievement: Rafe Macdonald

The Bruce House Cup for All-Rounder Boy: Finn Linton

The Norma Cowie Cup for All-Rounder Girl: Lyla Tapusoa

The Marcroft Cup for Sportsperson of the Year: Mererangi Paul

Middle School Solo Music Competition

OVERALL SOLO MUSIC WINNER

Adam Perry on Piano Accordion

After the ongoing success of the Senior School Solo Music Competition, it was finally time to celebrate our talented younger musicians. For the first time, the Middle School held its own Solo Music Competition in Term 4, treating the audience to some fantastic performances, including wind, voice, strings and piano pieces, with some ‘jaw-dropping’ moments.

The competition was open to any Middle School student who was Grade 3 or higher on their instrument. After a series of auditions, the competition put each of the 14 finalists in the spotlight, under the watch of our two guest judges for the evening: Senior Lecturer in Music Education Graham McPhail and Rachael Brand, who has recently finished as Director of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

As the winners were announced, the students waited nervously to hear their names called. Adjudicator, Graham McPhail, said the standard of musicianship was incredibly high given the age of the students. Both adjudicators were in compete agreement on the winners for each of the sections, with one clearly standing out as overall winner. Year 9 student, Adam Perry, was the inaugural recipient of the overall Middle School Solo Music Award, after impressing the judges with his incredible Piano Accordion performance, Hungarian Dance No 5 by Johannes Brahms.

String Finalists

Sophia Chiang and Charlie Edmonds

Wind Finalists

David Liu and Libby Lightfoot

Voice Finalists

Sarah Liu, Elsdon Yong and Emma King

PIANO WINNER - Daniel Huang

Piano Finalists

Middle School Drama Club

We all know the traditional tales of the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella, right? We also know that Roald Dahl put his own spin on them when he wrote his ‘Revolting Rhymes’ – yes? So when the College Middle School Drama Club chose the tales, read the rhymes and then wrote their own version, we knew to expect the unexpected! Absolutely!

These might have started out as the fairy tales we knew from our childhood but once Years 7-10 had finished with them, new takes on morality emerged! Cinderella’s Prince Charming proved anything but with his social ineptness, whilst Cinderella turned out to be not so squeaky clean, having been responsible for her father’s untimely end. Little Red Riding Hood saw high school cliques emerge where the Wolf’s entourage may not have been so bad after all. And where did that full-on food fight come from?

When the Three Little Pigs set off a trade war between NZ owned Mitre 10 and Australian owned Bunnings, it was inevitable the huffing and puffing would take a new turn. Whoever knew the poor Wolf simply had hay fever and couldn’t track down any anti-histamine? She really didn’t intend to blow down all those houses!

The Middle School Drama Club meets after school once a week. Unlike our auditioned drama groups, the club is for students who simply want to try something new, give it a go and get involved.

Olivia Chiang, Jesse Niu, Catherine Chang and Yu Dian Dong

STRING WINNER - Celina Tsui

WIND WINNER - Adam Perry

VOICE WINNER - Venice Qin

Performer of the Year

Emily Young

‘Celebrating the Arts’ was an opportunity to reflect back on the year to recognise our many talented performing artists across all disciplines, giving some the opportunity to perform before presenting the 2016 Cultural Awards, culminating in naming the 2016 Performer of the Year. This award recognises a student whose achievements as a performer in his or her chosen field have been exceptional during 2016. In a College with so many talented young people who excel in a wide range of artistic endeavours, the selection of an overall Performer of the Year was not an easy decision to make.

Emily Young was named for her remarkable commitment to the Arts Programme at the College. Her outstanding ability spans cello performance, voice, musicals and theatre. While this award is determined solely on the applicants’ achievements in 2016, it would be remiss not mention some of her previous successes.

As a cellist, Emily has excelled since taking the principal cello seat in the College Symphony Orchestra as a Year 10 and subsequently leading the section for four years during which time the orchestra received two KBB Music Festival Gold Awards. In 2015, Emily was a member of the New Zealand Secondary School’s Symphony Orchestra.

Emily has discovered her true passion is ‘voice.’ As choir leader and a section leader of both Kentoris and Musettes, she has demonstrated the highest levels of leadership that we can expect from our students. Kentoris won Best Mixed Choir at the Auckland Regional Big Sing and a Gold Award at the National Finale in Dunedin this year. Emily has also been a solo music finalist for four years. This year Emily was awarded the George Turner Wilson Music Trust Scholarship to study voice at University as a Year 13. Emily was also selected for the New Zealand Secondary Students’ choir which toured Canada earlier this year.

On stage Emily has had roles in both the Musical and Drama Productions. Perhaps one of the pivotal achievements for Emily in 2016 was her masterful portrayal of Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Her exceptional delivery of one of the most challenging roles in Musical Theatre was without question a performance highlight of hers for 2016.

One Final Song

At an afternoon of choral singing at St Matthews-in-the-City hosted by the Boys’ School, guest singers at the concert were the Year 13 graduating members of the gold-award winning College choir, Kentoris. These are all students who are confident in their abilities to sing and who have relished every opportunity to perform over the years - in a range of settings from outside Farmers at the Pakuranga Plaza to Carnegie Hall in New York!

Talent Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our own home grown talent show – SKC’s Got Talent. Winner for the evening was Lively Nili who sang an Alan Stone number, ‘This bed I made,’ while playing guitar, winning him the title and a trophy. The judges commended Lively for his ability to connect with the audience. Second place went to Year 10 student, Matthew Turner singing Adele’s ‘Someone like you,’ accompanying himself on ukulele. Third place went to bubbly Year 9 tap dancer, Izzy Fox.

Winners:

1st Lively Nili Vocals and Guitar

2nd Matthew Turner Vocals and Ukulele

3rd Isabelle Fox Tap Dance

Some of these students have been singing together for five years – indeed, a number of the boys, who transitioned from the Boys’ School, have sung together for over a decade! This was a particularly poignant moment for this group who were singing together for the last time. They welcomed the opportunity for one final song.

The Rise of Culinary Design

Whetherit’s a meal in a fine restaurant, a quick bite at a café, conversation around the breakfast table or a simple takeaway coffee, eating is at the very core of human existence. Anyone who has watched one of the plethora of cooking shows on television, snapped a photo of their meal to ‘eat and tweet,’ dropped into an artisan food market or stopped by a growing number of specialty food trucks and ‘pop up’ cafes, will be aware that interest in food has gone beyond simple sustenance; the preparation and presentation of food has taken a new, dynamic direction.

Exciting menus, beautifully presented food, superb flavours and textures, surprising ingredients - and commercial possibilities. They are here to excite us.

It is only a generation since the weekly food shop was spread between the green grocer, butcher, baker and dairy, with a home vegetable garden both a necessity and a source of pride. Now supermarket shelves are teeming with consumables from every corner of the world – each tin, can and packet requiring food industry professionals to bring them from concept to table. New Zealand’s ‘pot of tea’ is all but forgotten as another entire industry has grown up around the consumption of coffee, with New Zealand taking the art of ‘flat white’ to the world!

But there is another change afoot. 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. Food consumption is coming full circle with the emphasis back on eating fresh and limiting packaging.

Extensive media exposure and the huge increase in dining choice has led to a growing interest in career opportunities within the culinary and wider hospitality industry, as well as the more scientific side of food development.

Since the Jack Paine Art and Technology Centre first opened 14 years ago, many changes to the curriculum have taken place but none more so than in recent times as the ‘JPC’ reviews its practice and responds to our changing world. In times past, ‘cooking’ as a subject may have been seen as the domain of the less able student but that has long since changed. The corner of the JPC reserved for Food Technology is an area where food, art, technology and science intersect. Overarching this is the aim that design and ‘design thinking’ should be front and centre of Food Technology education.

In this world of ‘disruption’ and unprecedented technological advances, there is a growing need to ensure our students are resourceful and resilient when they leave school, ready for a future-

unknown. It is no longer enough to just know; tomorrow’s work force needs to be able to apply their knowledge. If we are to move forward as a nation of creative and critical problem solvers, design has to be a valued part of our culture. That means investing in education that promotes problem-solving through ‘designerly’ thinking, risk taking and intelligent failure – exactly what Food Technology offers those who take it on.

The JPC is well-resourced but is currently working towards industry-standard facilities for teaching Food Technology. The Centre is also fortunate to have a teaching staff with fantastic industry connections and a passion for developing the best in their students. Whether students select to take Food Technology in their senior years with a clear goal in mind or simply as an area of interest to supplement their other studies, over the course of any one year, there are multiple opportunities for the students to put their learning into practice. From long-term product development for the CREST Food Challenge, to coming to understand the commercial application of preparing specialist food items for mass production at the French Artisan Market, designing artful patisserie for a cake auction, or learning about the business, technical and service aspects of baristamade coffee through our own Blue Brew coffee cart, opportunities abound.

Most recently, the Year 10 students were tasked with devising a menu ‘with constraints’. Each took on a ‘primary stakeholder’ whose diet, whether chosen or required, posed some limitations on the choice of ingredients. Working in small groups, the students followed a conceptual design process, creating a menu and preparing a meal for their client. Working within the dietary constraints, each group was also given a key ingredient on which to base the meal, with an added focus on sustainability and seasonality. From those favouring macrobiotics and food pyramids to LCHF, sugar-free, flexitarians, weight-loss hopefuls and those who ate ‘raw’, each was presented with a fantastic three course meal!

In recent years, our students have gone on to study Food Technology at tertiary level. In 2015, Keegan Chessum was one of a pair who won gold at the Auckland Regional CREST Food Challenge. Now studying at AUT, he says that taking part in CREST gave him clarity. ‘After spending months working on the Challenge, developing a product from an initial brief to the final prototype, I realised I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life. CREST built up my passion for food and the sciences, and gave me a drive that is still running full steam a year later!’

On a recent visit to Masu Restaurant at Sky City to study the art of plating Japanese food, our students reacquainted with Old Collegian, Alex Southwick who is completing his first year of the SkyCity apprentice chef programme. Alex was a most successful Food Technology student who was keen to pursue his love of cooking. The apprenticeship has been a challenging, yet hugely rewarding undertaking for Alex who is thoroughly enjoying his place of work. (Read more about Alex in the Old Collegians section.)

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. This multi-faceted subject is so much more than the ‘cooking class’ of old. In the Senior School, NCEA Levels 1-3 Food Technology is a demanding course structured to scaffold the learning and pressures that students can expect to experience during tertiary study. They are expected to approach briefs with critical and original thinking, leaving the course with an extensive portfolio and basic industrial experience.

Like all subjects in the Jack Paine Centre, Food Technology teaches students how to solve diverse problems through the synthesis of all other learning areas. Most importantly, they gain experience in the core skills necessary in any modern workplace such as intelligent failure, risk taking and the ability to work collaboratively. And let’s not forget – their food is great!

Six-Year Winning Streak in Accounting!

The Accounting team from the College has won the annual CETA (Commerce and Economics Teachers Association) Pursuits Competition for a record sixth consecutive year; an outstanding result! In the past twelve years, Saint Kentigern has won the cup seven times –our nearest rival being Westlake Boys who won it twice in earlier years.

The competition is open to schools from around the greater Auckland region and includes seven rounds of challenging questions to find the supreme champions. Saint Kentigern entered both an accounting and an economics team with the economics team also doing well, finishing in second place. It was a close call for the winning accounting team, however, who faced a tie-breaker with Elim College in the final!

The students found it an excellent way to prepare for their examinations and thoroughly enjoyed this testing yet entertaining evening.

Accounting Pursuits team: Matthew Kelly, Spencer Johnstone, Nicholas Vyle, Matthew Wong-Kam, Ryan McEwan (Captain).

Economics Pursuits team: Kevin Shen, Henry Sung, Bill Yang

Accounting Scholarship

Congratulations to Ryan McEwan who is this year’s recipient of the RSM New Zealand Accounting Scholarship. For the past 30 years, RSM has offered Saint Kentigern a scholarship to award to a promising accounting student to continue his/her studies. The offer also includes the chance of an internship during the holidays to help students further their knowledge. We are grateful to RSM for this long-standing partnership to assist Saint Kentigern students with their studies. More can be read about this in the Old Collegians section.

National Engineering Science Win!

ACollege team with a love of mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics has been awarded the top prize in the University of Auckland’s annual competition, ‘New Zealand’s Next Top Engineering Scientist’. Our congratulations to the team of Year 13 International Baccalaureate students, Cameron Low, Kevin Shen, James Hansen and Henry Mellsop who were awarded $6000 in prize money!

Run by the Department of Engineering Science, the competition is hotly contested, pitting hundreds of teams from across the country against each other and the clock as they try to solve a challenging problem and write a scientific report within a nine hour time frame. This year, the challenging question put to the students was ‘What is the fastest, humanly possible time for the Olympic 100m freestyle event?’

Teams from all over the country worked simultaneously in groups of four to break the problem into sections and model each of the stages using mathematics. They had nine hours to complete a report and submit it digitally. When the dust settled, the students used their physics skills to deduce that 44.05 seconds would be the world 100m record that could never be beaten.

Our College team had a critical edge, as the extended essay that Henry Mellsop had written towards part of his IB programme had required him to extensively study the power output of athletes earlier this year. James Hansen brought his competitive swimming

experience to the team. This knowledge, combined with the mathematical ability of these top students, honed by the IB Higher Level mathematics and physics courses, allowed them to produce the winning submission.

In addition to their prize money, the students are also guaranteed paid summer internships at Orion Health, or Fisher & Paykel Healthcare or the University of Auckland should they choose to study at the Department of Engineering Science in future. Well done boys!

Shadow a Leader

Shadow a Leader is an exciting initiative organised by the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at Auckland University of Technology. Now into its fourth year, following the success of a pilot in 2012 and significant growth of the initiative since then, 2016 Shadow a Leader took place in July during National Leadership Week. Its focus is to support the work that the Sir Peter Blake Trust and Leadership New Zealand undertake to develop future leaders of New Zealand.

Leaders from a range of business backgrounds offered the opportunity for selected Year 13 students to shadow them for a day to see what a the course of a working day entails and what it takes to succeed in a business endeavour. Thomas Morton and James Brown, who have exhibited business leadership potential, were selected to take advantage of this opportunity.

Thomas reported that, ‘It was a really great day, never a dull moment. Along with 75 of AUT’s own Business and Law students, were 75 very fortunate Auckland secondary school students, along with 75 of New Zealand’s most recognised business leaders. The range of speakers organised was really impressive and they all spoke about the underlying positive hope for the future and stressed that business and innovation will become a huge driving force going forward.

James shadowed Mr Dave Wilson, Director of Cisci Systems New Zealand, and Thomas, Mr Brett Marsh, Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Care Trust. We spent the whole day, mostly in the company offices, learning from our assigned business leaders and experiencing first-hand what business in New Zealand had to offer. It was an incredible opportunity to see behind the closed doors of some of New Zealand’s most innovative companies and speak to the people that had made them. Spending just one day with a business leader has completely changed my outlook on university and work in the future. The Saint Kentigern College Commerce Department has a strong relationship with AUT and their Business School and I would recommend that if students were offered this opportunity, they take it in order to have a better understanding of what business in New Zealand has to offer.’

Crest Food Challenge

Congratulations to the Food Technology team comprising Maximillian Ballard, Ryan McEwen and Sophie Rees who were placed second in the Upper North Island CREST Student Product Development Challenge, hosted by the College at the end of Term 3.

Jointly run by the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology, and the Royal Society of New Zealand, the Challenge gives teams of senior secondary school students the opportunity to explore creative solutions to practical, food science and technology problems while working with food industry mentors to develop an innovative new food product. The experience exposes students to the work done by scientists, technologists and engineers in NZ’s food industry and raises the profile of a career in the industry.

This year, the College had two teams competing in the Challenge Final which saw 14 teams from 7 schools presenting their work to a judging panel. Each team provided samples of their product and was interviewed by panels of industry experts on their development process.

Both Saint Kentigern teams were mentored by Old Collegian, Neala Ye who works for Frucor Beverage as a product development technologist. Both teams were given briefs from Frucor to develop beverages targeted at the 14 to 18 year old market.

Second placed Team Hydro Melon (Maximillian Ballard, Ryan McEwen and Sophie Rees) developed a ‘natural’ sports beverage whilst the Highly Commended Team Coco-Berry (Aimee Hollis and Harrison Young) worked towards a ‘better for your teeth’ beverage.

SCHOGM

With thanks to student reporter, Alex Gordon Earlier this year, six College students travelled to Wellington to take part in the annual, national Student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (SCHOGM). The event is part of Commonwealth Youth New Zealand’s efforts to immerse young people in the issues of our world. Hosted in the halls of the Parliament’s Beehive, students from around New Zealand took on the roles of either Head of Government or Foreign Minister of a Commonwealth member state. After learning all there was of diplomacy and the issues within their designated countries, two days of fierce debate began. Topics ranged from the refugee crisis and climate change, to international terrorism and good governance within the Commonwealth.

Jono Lee and Lanlie Zheng represented the country of Bangladesh, while Jess Hunt and Kurt Hawkins took on the challenging role of acting for Singapore, while Alex Gordon was paired with a Wellington student in representing the Republic of the Maldives. Sam Tait played an integral role as part of the Media delegation, who made the delegates accountable by questioning them further on comments made during debate.

Throughout the two days, students were also given opportunities to step away from their role as a country delegate and hear presentations of the work by various organisations. These included Amnesty International, the Department of the Interior, as well as a settled refugee

who had set up a foundation for teenage refugees within New Zealand. Being offered the opportunity to interact with such a variety of knowledgeable people all focused on bettering international diplomacy and human rights saw a new level of awareness invested in debates, as delegates were able to relate information first hand to their points of view.

The first night of the conference concluded with a special event; a dinner for delegates hosted in the Beehive Ballroom. This event hosted New Zealand’s most recent recipient of the Queen’s Young Leader Award. Brad Olsen was inspirational in the telling of his story, and motivated many students to think on how they, themselves, are able to become active within their own communities.

The second day of the conference saw events similar to that of the day before, though with a reserved visit to watch the MP’s of New Zealand in the debate chamber. At the conclusion, delegates were presented with certificates of participation from MP Peter Dunn and congratulated for the effort put into embodying the role of each of their Commonwealth nations.

Overall, the 2016 SCHOGM was a truly inspiring event that allowed students to get a taste of international diplomacy and relations, as well as meet other young people with the same passion to make a difference as a generation.

The Science of ‘Magic’

The IB Group 4 Project

With thanks to Physics teacher, Mr Hamish Wilde

As part of the International Baccalaureate programme, Year 12 students are required to undertake around ten hours of cross-discipline scientific research called the Group 4 Project. The theme this year was ‘Magic,’ with students doing research on a topic of their choice that spans two or more sciences. Most chose to investigate the most effective way to perform some sort of stage trick, allowing them to practise their research and analysis skills while having some fun presenting the tricks to each other at the end. These skills will be vital to student success in their Internal Assessments for each of their IB science courses.

Group topics chosen this year included investigating how the amount of smoke given off by ‘smoke fizzers’ depended upon the mix of reactants used, how chemical concentrations

influenced classic favourites such as model volcano reactions or ‘elephant toothpaste’ tricks. Other groups investigated how to set paper US dollar bills on fire without damaging the notes themselves. (An initial experiment with a New Zealand plastic $5 note was much less successful!). One group performed a trick where glass can be smashed by an audience member then reformed by a special solution, taking advantage of material science to fool the eye of the observer.

The students also learnt that not all tricks are successful, with some tricks failing to live up to expectations! Some opted to don safety gear and investigate ‘whoosh bottle’ effects or how much energy from a fuel can be absorbed by water without putting the fire out, making for low temperature burning that buskers and stage performers use the world over to

Art Awards Finalists

The artistic ability of four of our students, Amber Bray, Year 13; Anna McKee, Year 12; Georgia Knox, Year 12; and Elise Hinomoto, Year 12 was recognised at the Wallace Secondary School Art Awards, which reward and celebrate emerging artistic talent in New Zealand.

Organised by the Wallace Arts Trust, this is a nationwide competition which attracted over 300 entries this year. The girls were amongst only 37 finalists chosen to exhibit their work at the historic Pah Homestead gallery. Congratulations to the girls on their outstanding work.

perform impressive tricks. Finally, one group just wanted to figure out the best way to suck eggs through a tiny hole into a bottle!

The usage of computers, smartphones and laser thermometers has transformed the experiments possible at secondary college level, allowing students to be inspired and dream of taking up a career in one of the sciences.

Top marks in Maths Competition!

During the year, 130 College students from Years 9 to 11 entered The University of Otago Junior Mathematics Competition; an event held annually by the university. The competition attracts over 10,000 entries from 250 participating schools each year with the students facing five questions on the paper with an hour to complete them all.

We are delighted to report that Andrew Chen placed 1st in the Year 11 competition with Year 9 student, Grace Chang in 2nd place in her age group. Steven Cho (Year 10), Eric Li (Year10), Callum Lee (Year 11) and Yunfan Yu (Year 11) also won prizes for being ranked in the top 30 in the country.

Field Centre A Rite of Passage

As six buses and seven mini-buses pulled in to College to load 350 students, 66 staff and their 416 backpacks, daypacks, sleeping bags, tramping boots, wet weather gear, polypropylene undies, fleece tops, beanies, a change of socks and the all-important 416 toothbrushes, you begin to get an idea of the logistics involved in getting the whole of Year 10 ‘down the mountain’ for their annual ‘Field Centre!’

Field Centre is an amazing experience for Year 10, which takes months of careful, prior planning. The students are sorted into 13 Lodge groupings, along with staff who undertake the activities with them, and cooks who stay in the Lodge to prepare the meals. Another ten mountain ‘professionals’ are also engaged. That is, 426 people needing to be organised into activities, and requiring three meals, snacks and drinks a day whether in the Lodge or out on the mountain.

A well-oiled team swings into action to co-ordinate food supplies. The figures are definitely noteworthy! It’s not until you see the shopping list that you start to fully appreciate the true scale of the undertaking: 4,666 loaves of bread, wraps and assorted buns, 252 litres of fresh milk to get the week started, backed up with 57kg (yes kilos!) of milk powder and 33kgs of Milo! 265 boxes of cereal, with a further 40kg of rolled oats to set them up for a day’s activity. 84kg of flour, 104 kg of sugar, 50kg of jam, 20 litres of honey, 27 jars of

peanut butter and 431 packets of biscuits to ensure there’s something tasty on return. And 7kg of coffee for the staff!

The bulk is pre-purchased and driven to the mountain where it is offloaded in the central car park and then carried box by box up to the Lodges – the students’ first chore on arrival! The initial supplies are supplemented by daily deliveries from the local supermarket in Ohakune.

The equipment required for the overnight tramps is also another huge logistical undertaking. A tent is little use without its tent poles when you’re six hours hike from civilisation! Likewise, leaving your wet weather jacket back at the Lodge could spell disaster. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, water, spare clothing, first aid supplies, maps and, um…spades for essential business, all have to be distributed, checked, checked again and carried. That’s 105 tents with, 210 poles, 1890 tent pegs, 120 stoves and the, um, 14 spades to do the right thing!

By the time the week comes to a close, the students will have chomped through a mountain of food to give them the energy needed for at least 60 km of walking each – that’s close to 25,000km collectively!

Back in the Lodges there are the 4300 metres of Glad Wrap, 1200 Snap Lock bags, 27 litres of washing up liquid, 140 Chux cloths, 28 cans of fly spray, 1400 disposable gloves, 2,592 toilet rolls and the 105 large rubbish bags to aid clean up at the end.

As Field Centre approaches each year, our students voice trepidation about what lies ahead; questioning whether they have the stamina to face the physical challenges of tramping, rafting and camping in difficult terrain; challenges that include the Tongariro Crossing and a three day tramp…. we’ll come back to that…

The weather can be fickle on the mountain and sadly this year, it proved fickle in the extreme! Whilst the first group arrived in sunshine, it was quickly followed by rain, snow, blizzards, gale force winds and fog, adding a unique set of challenges as the daily programme was revisited to ‘work around’ the weather patterns. So extreme was the weather that some activities were deemed too dangerous to undertake under the circumstances. Only four of the thirteen Lodge groups were able to complete the Tongariro crossing and none completed the Summit Walk to the Crater Lake of Ruapehu. The usual three day tramps were scaled back to limit the nights under canvas when the weather conditions became unsafe.

Safety on the mountain is about being well prepared and with Field Centre now in its 47th year, there’s has been plenty of time to fine tune for all eventualities – as shown in 2013 when the mountain blew its top! Wet, cold, windy weather can be demoralising when your outer clothing is wet, your pack is heavy and you still have a long, uphill climb ahead of you - yet it’s amazing how students and staff dig deep. The revised programme this year still took our students out in some challenging conditions that served to raise the awareness of being prepared and adapting to rapidly changing conditions in the outdoors. It was heartening to see our students support each other when spirits flagged, learning a lot about themselves and others in the process.

As each activity is ticked off, the students gain a growing sense of self and achievement. Field Centre is a unique opportunity to gain independence and explore personal strengths in an exciting, spectacular and challenging outdoor environment. – it’s a shame that for most of the week, the weather was so closed in, the students couldn’t see the vistas. This year certainly came with its own set of challenges, but we have seen this kind of weather pattern before. With the ‘rite of passage’ complete, the students returned bursting with stories to tell and will undoubtedly still recall Field Centre as one of the highlights of their time at the College.

Home Centre

At the end of the academic year, when exams are over and the Year 10 students have left for Field Centre, Years 7-9 enjoy a series of rewarding activities that include physical and mental challenges, along with an element of service to others.

The Year 7 Decathlon, challenged the younger students in fun-filled afternoons of sport whilst also being mentally taxed in academic activities which included quizzes and project work. Each activity earned points towards prizes at the end.

The Year 8 Challenge Week saw the students mountain biking in Woodhill Forest, embarking on a treasure hunt at the Auckland Museum, creating a ‘Cardboard City,’ learning more about World Vision and what they can do to help, undertaking a water safety programme and participating in an all-day ‘Top Town’ event.

During Home Centre, the Year 9 students gave service to local schools and rest homes, explored the ‘physics’ of Angry Birds, made Marvellous Machines inspired by Da Vinci, conjured up ‘Brain Food’ in the kitchen, took on team building challenges and visited the zoo.

One of the ongoing activities for the Year 8 students is the creation of a Cardboard City based on an original idea inspired by ‘Caine’s Arcade,’ built by nine-year-old American, Caine Monroy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard game arcade. The students were instructed to ‘think outside the box,’ to make ‘structures’ rather than houses, and to come up with original ideas based on a word their class had been given. These words included arched, segmented, tall, blocks, connected, curved and stepped. From there, the Year 8 students constructed the Cardboard City from corrugated card, packing tape and large roll of white cotton string.

During the Year 9 Home Centre, the students experienced giving service to local, low decile primary schools, by helping paint their playground, getting involved in a garden to table programme and helping assist students with new technology. They also assisted with gardening at local rest homes, helped to wrap Christmas presents, put up decorations, mingled with residents and assisted to record life stories.

A new activity introduced this year was Marvellous Machines; an integrated design challenge based on Leonardo da Vinci’s machine and automata design. Students competed in their tutor groups to design and make a machine based on a selected word such as; swing, sail, vibrate and oscillate, using a box of mystery items. Prizes were awarded to each group that managed to present a finished and functioning machine that met the given specifications, alongside a scale model and branding of the machine.

Each tutor group had to work together to fulfil the requirements for each area. The areas included project management, construction and engineering, textile fabrication, 3D sculpting (digital and physical), design and visual communication and food technology. The students assigned to the kitchen were working on a slightly different project; to design and make a ‘brain bar’ ready for the final presentation of the finished outcomes.

Head of Technology, Ms Demelza Round said overall the students did really well. She said, ‘Some of the thinking and decision making staff saw in action was impressive, as was the combination, logical and lateral thinking demonstrated by all tutor groups. As an exercise designed to test the resilience, communication and design thinking of each tutor group it is safe to say all students should be proud of the efforts and they now certainly deserve a holiday!’

The College Sporting Year in Review

with thanks to Head of Sport, Mr Martin Piaggi

The girls’ and boys’ Premier Tennis teams both made the Auckland Championship final with the boys winning and the girls managing runners up. The girls placed 2nd nationally and the boys are National Champions. Saint Kentigern was the only college to have a boys’ team, a girls’ team and a mixed team at the Nationals. The mixed team placed runner up. The intermediate boys team also won the Auckland title as did the junior boys and junior girls. The intermediate girls placed 3rd. The AIMS tennis team won overall. Daniel Perrson won the North Island Intermediate Boys Open Championship and was 2nd in the doubles with James McPherson. Ella Simmons also achieved well, placing 2nd in the Girls’ Doubles.

The highlight of the Athletics season was the senior boys’ 4 x 400m relay team who not only won Champion of Champions but broke the long standing Auckland athletics school record and went on to win silver at Nationals. The intermediate girls’ 4 x 100m relay team also won Eastern Zone and greater Auckland gold and went on to win silver at Nationals. Matthew Manning and Lisa Putt also won national individual medals.

Rowing had a good summer programme culminating as always at the National Regatta this year in Twizel. The boys had three crews in the final of the U17 VIII with the 1st crew securing gold. We had two crews in the Maadi Cup final including the whole of the U17 VIII. The U17 boys’ coxed IV were North Island Champions and runners up at Nationals. The girls’ U18 lightweight coxed four were North Island Champions and placed 2nd at Nationals. The girls’ U18 VIII also made the final at the Nationals.

The boys’1st XI Cricket team lost only one game while securing a place in the prestigious Gillette Cup competition where they finished runners up. Once again, Saint Kentigern has been proudly engraved on the H R Marrayatt Cup as Auckland 1 Day Champions. The girls’ 1st XI managed a credible 3rd place in the Auckland competition.

The boys’ Waterpolo team had an outstanding National tournament making it through to the final. The premier girls’ team, after struggling in the Auckland competition, secured a win in the National 2nd division.

The girls’ Premier Cycling team had an outstanding year winning the Auckland series, finals day and recorded the season’s fastest time. They also won the North Island Team Time Trial. The senior boys’ team managed 3rd place in the Auckland series while the junior boys placed 2nd in Auckland, 2nd at North Islands and 4th at Nationals. The junior girls’ were 3rd in the series and 3rd at Finals day and 4th at Nationals. The Year 7 / 8 girls placed 2nd at the North Island’s and won the Nationals. The girls’ Year 7/8 team are National Champions.

The College also boasts two exceptional Mountain Bikers in Blake Ross and Josh Oxenham. Blake dominated his opposition accumulating the maximum number of points across the 3 events, achieving 180 points in the Nationals. Josh Oxenham was more steady, accumulating 156 points in his age group. Both boys won the Overall MTB Champion title. Blake is the U15 NZSS MTB Overall Champion for 2016 and Josh is the U17 NZSS MTB Overall Champion for 2016.

The girls’ 1st XI Football team were 2nd in Auckland, 2nd in their knock out competition and 3rd at the Nationals. The boys’ 1st XI Football team were runners up in the Auckland league, runners up at Nationals but

winners of the Knock Out Cup for the first time in the College’s history. Seven of our boys’ football teams placed 2nd in their competitions with the 15A team winning their Championship and placing runners up in the Knockout Cup.

No fewer than six of our Basketball teams placed in the top three of the Counties Manukau competition with 4 teams actually winning their grade. The girls’ Premier Basketball struggled in the weekly competition but placed a credible 4th at the regional tournament.

The Golf team are Auckland Champions winning the NZ Qualifying Event. The girls’ touch team are number 1 in Auckland. The boys’ Junior Squash team were 2nd in their grade and the Premier Boys’ team placed 3rd in Division 2. In fencing, the College team placed 3rd in the sabre and 3rd in the Auckland Secondary Schools Women’s Event.

The girls’ 1st XI Hockey team placed 3rd in Auckland and 3rd in the Super City competition. The boys’ 1st XI hockey team placed 4th in the Auckland competition and 6th in the Super City with an up and coming side.

There was a very strong showing from our Netball programme. The 9A’s were 3rd overall and the 10A’s won their competition. The Year 7/8 team placed 3rd at AIMS. The Premier Netball team won the Auckland Final in as good a game of netball as you could ever witness. The result was reversed at the Upper North Island Tournament and Saint Kentigern were runners up. The pressure came on at Nationals and the same two sides met in the final and in a show of mental and physical strength, for the first time in Saint Kentigern history, we were crowned National Netball Champions.

In Rugby, five of the twelve teams made it to the semi-finals with the 5A and the U15’s both winning through to the final. Both teams fought hard but came up short. The 1st XV lost in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the competition and then went on to record eight straight wins and earn themselves a home semi-final. They were the only team to beat the eventual National Champion team but they weren’t clinical enough in the semi-final to make it through to Eden Park and the final.

In 2016, we recognise 33 students who have represented their country competing in an international event in their chosen sport. We recognise 18 students who receive Sports Colours for being ranked in the top 3 individually in their sport or making an U18 or older age group national team. We celebrate our second world champion and world record holder in Connor Brown. Connor travelled to Aigle, Switzerland where the New Zealand 4k Pursuit Team won the Junior World Championship in world record time. Sydney Fraser (Head Girl) and Mererangi Paul have both signed professional contracts to play ANZ netball in 2017 and Maddy Park has secured a professional cycling contract in the USA. A number of students will take up a sporting scholarship in the USA including Vilisi Tavui, Sophie Stewart-Hobbs, Shaylee Syme and Conor Williamson. We also have boys who have signed with provincial rugby sides and a number will pursue football scholarships or contracts.

Sport continues to offer pathways for boys and girls and not just with playing. Sport also remains a vehicle to learn so many life lessons. In 2017 we aim to continue to inspire students enough so that they pursue their sporting interests and learn and grow, readying them for life beyond Saint Kentigern College.

College Sports Awards

In a sporting year which featured Auckland, national and world titles, there was much to celebrate at this year’s Sports Dinner!

We welcomed back Old Collegian, Mathew Ridenton to present the prizes. After leaving College, Mathew took up a professional contract with the Wellington Phoenix. He has now played 31 games for the Phoenix and has three full International caps for the All Whites. Mathew is justifiably proud of his achievements and is thankful for the pathway created during his College years.

Our sports programme is deservedly one of the most diverse and successful in New Zealand and our players, coaches and managers can be proud of the efforts they have made to maintain that competitive edge, while inspiring our students to strive for their personal best in all they do.

Dux Ludorum

Mererangi Paul

The Dux Ludorum is the major individual sporting award of the year and is awarded to the most outstanding sports person, girl or boy. The winner is generally an all-round sports person who has represented the College at a number of sports.

Mererangi is a true all-rounder. She was 3rd overall senior girl in the College athletics, at Eastern Zones, she was part of the 4x100m relay team that set a new Saint Kentigern record. She is a member of the Premier Touch team and was a member of the team last year when they won the National title. She is the Senior Touch player of the year for 2016. She is a member of the Premier Girls’ Netball team who are Auckland and National champions. She was named in the Tournament team at Nationals and as Player of the Tournament for Upper North

Boys runner-up to The Dux Ludorum

The Bruce Palmer Award

Cameron Low

Cameron placed2nd in the College senior boys athletics and at Eastern Zones and Greater Auckland athletics, he placed 3rd in the 3000m. At the North Island Athletics he also placed 3rd and set a new Saint Kentigern College record. He placed 2nd at the College cross country and at the Auckland cross country he placed 7th and his 3 person team placed 3rd. He is the Auckland senior boys Duathlon champion. He is a member of the Saint Kentigern Table tennis team which placed 3rd in Auckland.

He is a member of the Auckland Secondary Schools cross country team which placed 3rd at Nationals.

He placed 4th in the U20 Oceania cross country. He was 3rd in the U20 Auckland secondary schools road race. He is the New Zealand U20 Duathlon champion.

Islands. She played in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball team and has been named in the New Zealand Open Women’s Touch team. She has signed a professional netball contract to play for the Sky City Northern Mystics in next year’s National competition.

Nominees : Madeleine Park, Year 13; Cameron Low, Year 13; Victoria Kolose, Year 12; Edward Barry, Year 13; Luke Johnson, Year 13; Viona Silao, Year 12; Connor Brown, Year 13; Ryan McEwen, Year 13; Luke Paanakker, Year 12; Finnley Allen, Year 13; Daniel Whitburn, Year 12; Mererangi Paul, Year 13; Ethan Blight, Year 12; Sophie Stewart Hobbs, Year 13; George Ellett, Year 12; Summer-Jean Motufoua, Year 12; Anna Wilkinson, Year 12; Sydney Fraser, Year 13.

Girls runner-up to The Dux Ludorum Tori Kolose

Tori was 1st in the senior girls 200m at the College athletics and placed 2nd in the 100m and 2nd in the 200m at the Eastern Zone athletics.

She was also a member of the 4x 100m relay team which set a new College record. At the Auckland athletics she placed 3rd in the 100m and 2nd in the 200m. She is captain of the Premier Girls’ Touch team. This team are Auckland champions.

She is also a member of the Premier Netball team. This team is the Auckland and National championship winning team. She was named in the National Tournament team. She was named in the New Zealand Women’s Touch team and captain of the Aotearoa Secondary Schools Touch team.

Headmaster’s Awards

These awards go to students who have played for the College demonstrating commitment and professionalism in their chosen code. The recipients are power houses within their premier teams and made a difference every week to the performance of the team.

Ryan McEwan, Ella Mayhew, Emily Braid, Shaylee Syme, Dylan Morris, Jessica Speight, Liam Williams, Sandeep Patel, Tanielu Tele’a

Jerome Kaino Cup

Reuben Clarke

The Kaino Cup is presented to a team athlete who ‘the team could just not do without.’ Reuben has been the best goal keeper in secondary school football for 2016. On numerous occasions he saved goals that no-one else could have saved to keep Saint Kentigern in the game. He was also a leader in marshalling the defence.

Grant Dalton Leadership Cup

Lizzy Mudford

This cup is awarded to a leader who builds a team around them and demonstrates leadership qualities by helping others within the team to develop their skills.

Lizzy has epitomized what it means to lead a Premier side. As captain of the girls’ Premier Cycling team, she led by example, working tirelessly to motivate her team.

John Irvine Outstanding Performance of the Year

Connor Brown

This award is given to a team or individual who has achieved at the highest level and gained the results reflective of their dedication, determination and desire to succeed. Connor is our second world champion and world record holder. As a 17 year old, he travelled to Aigle Switzerland with the Junior Men’s 4km Track Pursuit team. In an outstanding final they beat the crack Danish team to not only win gold but set a new world record.

Team of the Year

Premier Netball team

After beating Mt Albert Grammar (MAGS) in the Auckland Championships, then losing to them at the Upper North Islands, the pressure was on at the Nationals when our girls faced MAGS again. With two of our key players down, our girls stepped up and by the slimmest of margins made a first for Saint Kentigern netball – a National title.

Nominees: Athletics 4 x 400m Boys Relay; Cricket Boys 1st XI; Cycling Premier Girls; Football Boys 1st XI, Football Girls 1st XI, Netball Premier; Rowing Boys U17 8+; Tennis Boys Premier; Tennis Girls Premier; Touch Girls Premier; Waterpolo Boys Premier.

The Sissons Award Year 7 & 8 Sportsman of the Year

Harry Lowe

Nominees: Bailey Liu, Year 7; Daniel Persson, Year 8; Ben Connell, Year 8; Jacob Spring, Year 8; Harry Lowe, Year 8.

Harry was the Year 8 Boys’ Swimming Champion, Year 8 Boys’ Athletic Champion, was 3rd in the Year 8 Boys’ Cross Country, a member of the College 13A Football team and also played in the U13 College Knock Out Cup team. He was captain of the Year 7/8 1st XI team and the AIMS team and also captain of the Year 7/8 1st XI Cricket team. Outside College he was awarded AUCC Bradman Cup for the most runs scored across all junior grades (Y5 - U18) for the season. He scored 640 runs and broke the club record for the number of 50’s in a season. He was also selected in the Auckland Football Talent Centre.

Year 7 & 8 Sportswoman of the Year

Sophie Spencer

Nominees: Neve Webster, Year 7; Nakoia Ashford, Year 7; Sophie Spencer, Year 8; Ava McKenzie, Year 8; Mia Harries, Year 8.

Sophie came 2nd overall in the Year 8 Saint Kentigern Girls’ Swimming, winning the 33m Back, 33m Breast, coming 2nd in the 100m Free and 3rd in the 33m Free and the 33m Fly. She won the College Year 8 Girls’ Cross Country and is the NZSS Open Water Swimming U12 Girls’ Champion, the AKSS Aquathon U14 Girls’ Champion and the NZSS Aquathon U12 Girls’ Champion. She is also the NZSS Triathlon U12 Girls’ Champion, the AKSS Duathlon Year 7/8 Girls’ Champion and the NZSS Duathlon U12 Girls’ Champion.

The Leyton Monk Award Year 9 Sportsman of the Year

Will Bason

Nominees: Dylan Muggleston, Year 9; Tom Downs, Year 9; Jaylen Rodwell, Year 9; Will Bason, Year 9; Logan Cowie, Year 9.

Will is the College Junior Boys’ Swimming Champion, winning the 33m Back, 100m Free, 33m Fly, 33m Breast, 33m Free and placing 2nd in the 200m Free and Medley. He is also the NZSS U13 Boys’ Open Water Swimming Champion, a member of the Rugby U15 team and Waterpolo Senior B Boys’ team. Outside College he plays waterpolo for Marist and he was in the U14 Auckland East Representative team.

Year 9 Sportswoman of the Year

Cecile Velghe

Nominees: Dawn Boxer, Year 9; Emma Hannan, Year 9; Ling Kong, Year 9; Grace Chang, Year 9; Lilly Ellis, Year 9; Cecile Velghe, Year 9; Zara Smith, Year 9.

Cecile is the College Junior Girls’ Athletics Champion, winning the 100m, 200m, 300m, Long Jump and Shot Put. At the Eastern Zone she won 100m, 200m, 300m and Long Jump and at the Greater Auckland she won the 200m and the 300m. She is a member of the Junior A Touch team and the Premier Girls’ Touch team, while also being Captain of the 9A Mystics Netball team.

The Philip Yolland Memorial Award for the Junior Sportsman Years 10 & 11

Dylan McCullough

Nominees: Callum Walsh, Year 11; Cameron Church, Year 10; Ben Lowe, Year 10; Dylan McCullough, Year 11; Ryan Church, Year 11.

Dylan won the Intermediate Boys’ 1500m at the Eastern Zone Athletics and placed second in the Intermediate Boys’ 1500m at the Auckland Athletics. He is the Auckland Intermediate Boys’ Triathlon Champion, the New Zealand U16 Boys’ Triathlon Champion and the Auckland Intermediate Boys’ Aquathon Champion. He is also the New Zealand U16 Boys’ Aquathon Champion, the Auckland Intermediate Boys’ Duathlon Champion and the New Zealand U16 Boys’ Duathlon Champion. He is the College Intermediate Boys’ Cross Country Champion and a member of the Junior A Cycling team. This team placed second overall in the Auckland series, second on Finals day and second at the North Island Cycling Championship.

Year 10 & 11 Sportswoman of the Year

Tayla Earle

Nominees: Jaymie Kolose, Year 10; Mahina Paul, Year 11; Annabelle Waterworth, Year 10; Tayla Earle, Year 11; Elise Conway, Year 11; Maddy Clarke, Year 11; Lisa Putt, Year 10; Kayla Robertson-Tekii, Year 10.

Tayla is a member of Premier Girls’ Touch team which won the Eastern Zone and the Greater Auckland Zone and have qualified for the Nationals. She is also a member of the Premier Girls’ Netball team. This team won the Auckland Championship and the New Zealand National Netball Championship and placed runners up in the Upper North Island tournament. Tayla was named in the tournament team for both the upper North Island and the Nationals. She is an Auckland U17 Netball Representative, a member the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Netball team and was also an U18 New Zealand Touch team trialist.

Premier Cricket 2nd Best in New Zealand!

After qualifying earlier in the year, the boys’ 1st XI travelled to the New Zealand Secondary Schools One Day Cricket Championship in Christchurch, quietly confident after beating an Auckland U19 team and the Auckland Cavaliers team in warm up matches.

This was the culmination of a watershed year for Saint Kentigern College cricket. With a new indoor training facility that opened at the end of 2015, and the arrival of a new full time coach, Ben Williams, the whole of the cricket programme has been revitalised and reenergised. From the Junior grades right through to the 1st XI, there has been real signs of cricketing talent development.

It was the 1st XI’s win in the Hal Marryatt Cup in Term 1 that earned the team the right to represent Auckland and Saint Kentigern College at the National 1st XI One Day Championship. This was the first time the College had been to this tournament in 25 years!

On Day 1, the team batted beautifully against Hutt International Boys’ School to post 296 for 6 with Sandeep Patel scoring 83 and Conor Ansell scoring 78. Apart from a patch in the middle of the 2nd innings, Saint Kentigern took regular wickets and, in the end, won comfortably taking Hutt International all out for 198 in the 40th over. An excellent start to the tournament!

On Day 2, the match up was with Christchurch Boys’ High School. This was tipped to be the match-up of the tournament and it lived up to the expectation. Christchurch batted first and scored 243 for 8, batting out their 50 overs. After losing Conor Ansell early, Jimmy Webb and Sandeep Patel steadied the ship before Jimmy was run out. Finn Allen came to the crease and demonstrated why he is not only in the New Zealand U19 team but tipped to have a real future as a professional cricket player! He scored 110 runs on the way to a likely victory while wickets fell around him at regular intervals. When we lost our 9th wicket, the stage was set for 4 runs to win with 1 wicket in hand and 2 overs to play. Jono Low scored a single. Finn had to take the lead. But this was not a ‘Boys’ Own’ fairy tale ending - well not for Saint Kentigern anyway! Finn was caught at backward point and Christchurch Boys were on their way to winning the tournament.

On Day 3, we played Hamilton Boys. Hamilton batted first and scored 168 all out in the 47th over. Both Sandeep and Conor carried their bats through the innings, Sandeep finishing with 104 and Conor scoring 50. The win was achieved in the 27th over and made the loss to Christchurch even harder than at the time.

Thursday saw consistent drizzle and low cloud through to about 1.30 in the afternoon and resulted in no play for any of the teams.

On Day 5, we played Otago Boys. Batting first, the boys were disappointed with their effort. Conor scored a very good 50

steadying the ship and setting a platform. With the next 3 batsman not troubling the scorers much, it was up to Matt Soroka to lead us to a total we could defend. Matt finished on 47 and Otago Boys were chasing 223 to win. They were well on track when our bowlers struggled to settle on line and length. That was until Angus Anderson took the ball. He bowled as a Year 13 should playing his last game for the College. Fired up, he took 4 for 36 off his 10 overs. Otago Boys were all out for 180 in the 42nd over.

Unfortunately Christchurch Boys also had 3 more wins and we had to settle for being the second best 1st XI cricket team in New Zealand.

The National Secondary Schools tournament was the best run tournament we attended this year. The format was brilliant and the facilities were first class. The organisation, including the team liaison people and the quality international standard umpires, gave the tournament real credibility and prestige. This was a fantastic opportunity for our boys to play against the best teams in the country and there was a lot to learn.

At the College Sport Young Sports Person of the Year Awards, Sandeep Patel won the Cricketer of the Year for his consistently strong performance. It was also a proud moment at the Auckland Secondary Schools Cricket Prizegiving when the 1st XI was awarded the Premier Spirit of Cricket Award for their sportsmanship. The Colts team won the John O’Connor Trophy for winning their grade and Olivia Dodd was named Premier Girls’ Wicket Keeper of the Year. Our Premier Cricket coaching staff, Mr Ben Williams and Mr Greg Haines were both named as Coaches of the Year, testament to the fantastic work the pair has undertaken this year to lift the level of play at the College across all grades but especially at Premier level.

Photo courtesy of Phototek

Premier Netball National Champions!

Afterbeating Mt Albert Grammar (MAGS) at the Auckland Championships, then losing to them in the Upper North Island Championships, tensions were running high at the National competition in Wellington during the October school holidays!

With comfortable wins during pool play, the team then hit a very fired up Wellington East in a match which went to extra time with our girls winning by just 2 points! They followed up with another win against Manukura, a strong side from Palmerston North, which set them up for a rematch against MAGS in the final.

In a repeat of last year’s grand final, the pressure was really on in front of a packed and noisy stadium. With star shooter, Sydney Fraser out of the tournament through an earlier injury, it was a blow when Mererangi Paul was also sidelined through injury on the morning of the game.

At quarter time, the lead was held by Saint Kentigern by three goals. By half time, MAGS had fought back with a four goal lead taking the score to 21-17. A strong third quarter propelled our girls forward by a single goal, paving the way for a tough mental and physical battle in the fourth quarter.

With four minutes to play in the final quarter and the crowd roaring in support, our girls were in front by four goals. As the clock wound down, Saint Kentigern held the slimmest of margins – one goal – as MAGS tried valiantly to draw level in the final minutes.

When the final whistle blew, the jubilation was clear! Saint Kentigern were the winners of the 2016 NZ Secondary Schools Netball Champs, 35-34; a first for the College!

Mererangi Paul (based on earlier play), Tayla Earle, Ashleigh Garner and Tori Kolose were all named in the Tournament team.

Team: Mererangi Paul, Mahina Paul, Victoria Kolose, Hannah Ward, Viona Silao, Lauren Pickett, Vilisi Tavui, Tayla Earle, Ashleigh Garner, Kayla Robertson-Tekii, Jaymie Kolose, Georgia Ropati

Third Consecutive Win for Touch Juniors

The Junior Girls Touch team, captained by Gemma Laverick and Jaymie Kolose, pulled out all the stops to secure a Saint Kentigern win at the Auckland Zone Championships for the third consecutive year!

The competition is the culmination of the junior competition that runs during Term 4 for Year 9 and 10 students. Our girls were tested at every match throughout the competition. A tough quarter-final against Rangitoto (4-3) led them into the semifinals against local foes, Howick College. This was a comfortable win of 7-1 leading them into a final against Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS).

From the start, AGGS had the girls on the run! With 4 minutes to go, the score was 8-7, however, our defence stood their ground and combined with good yards, maintained our lead to win! Well done girls!

Six ‘YSPOTY’ Awards for College Students

College Sports - Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards

The annual College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards were held at Eden Park, to honour the best student athletes in Auckland across the 32 sanctioned college sports. The top three students from throughout Auckland, are selected as finalists in each sport, culminating in an overall sports person of the year. This year, the College was proud to have 20 of our students selected as finalists with five of them going on to be named as winners. Talented Year 13 sportswoman, Mererangi Paul, won both the Netball and Touch (Girls) categories.

To receive an invite to these awards is an honour as it means the student has been noted during the season as one of the top three players in their chosen sport from every secondary school in the Greater Auckland Area.

Over 600 people attended the event and it was a proud moment for the students, their families and the College when the winners were announced. At the end of the night, out of all the winners of each sport, finalists are named for overall Sports Person of the Year. It was great to have two of our students, Mererangi (Netball and Touch) and Connor Brown (Cycling) named as finalists. Diocesan and Westlake Boys were the eventual winners, for rowing and multiport respectively.

Congratulations to all the students selected as finalists, a fitting end to a fantastic year of sport at Saint Kentigern.

WINNERS

Cricket Sandeep Patel

Cycling (Boys) Connor Brown

Cycling (Girls) Madeleine Park

Netball Mererangi Paul

Touch (Girls) Mererangi Paul

Waterpolo (Boys)

Dominic Rankin-Chitar

OVERALL FINALISTS

Connor Brown

Mererangi Paul

FINALISTS

All Rounder-Tori Kolose, Cricket-Rae Allright, Cricket- Sandeep Patel, Cycling-Connor Brown, Cycling-Madeleine Park, FootballHannah Blake, Football- Luke Johnson, Football- Liam Williams, Golf-Erik Jorgensen, Golf-Andrew Meng, Multisport-Anna Wilkinson, Multisport-Daniel Whitburn, Multisport-Dylan McCullough, NetballSydney Fraser, Netball-Mererangi Paul, Rowing-Ethan Blight, Tennis-Heve Kelley, Tennis-Shaylee Syme, Tennis- Lana Popovich, Touch- Mererangi Paul, Touch- Tori Kolose, Waterpolo-Dominic Rankin-Chitar.

Medals at Athletics Nationals

Well done to the team of College athletes who qualified to take part at the New Zealand Secondary Schools National Athletics competition held in Waitekere over three hot and sunny days last weekend.

Good results in the preliminary rounds saw a number of both Junior and Senior competitors advance through to the final day of competition with 10 of our athletes gaining podium places.

Matthew Manning won gold in the Senior Boys 1500m and, with fellow Senior Boys’ 4 x 100m relay team members, Mitchell Gibson, Dominic Devlin and Ben Paanakker, added silver to the tally.

Lisa Putt was a silver medallist in the Girls’ Triple Jump, also winning silver in the Junior Girls’ 4 x 100m relay along with team members Jaymie Kolose, Elise Conway and Cecile Velghe.

Congratulations to these students, a fantastic way to finish the year!

GOLD MEDAL: Matthew Manning

Senior Boys 1500m

SILVER MEDAL: Lisa Putt

Junior Girls Triple Jump

SILVER MEDAL: Senior Boys 4 X 400m Relay Team

SILVER MEDAL: Junior Girls 4 X 100m Relay Team

TOP 5 RESULTS:

George Koslov 4th Junior Boys 200m Final, 5th Junior Boys 100m Final

Lisa Putt 4th Junior Girls Long Jump

Mayah Coleman 4th Senior Girls Javelin and Discus

Dominic Devlin 4th Senior Boys 400m Final

Mr Cowie Honoured

Mr Malcolm Cowie is long time stalwart on the staff at Saint Kentigern. Generations of boys knew him as their PE teacher, football coach and Housemaster at Bruce House. More recently, the girls have also benefitted from his extensive experience as a coach.

At this year’s Annual General Meeting of New Zealand Secondary Schools Football, Mr Cowie’s enormous voluntary contribution to secondary school football was acknowledged by being awarded an inaugural Life Membership. This recognises his contribution over 30 years to the provision of the best possible opportunities in football for secondary school students.

His experience includes 28 years coaching football at Saint Kentigern; coaching NZSS representative teams from 1988 to 2007 including tours of Australia, Europe and Korea; serving as Chairman of the NZSS Football National Executive for 18 years and taking on the role of Patron after stepping down as Chairman; and has been instrumental in developing representative programmes for U15 and U19 players including the organisation of a number of international tours worldwide.

Mr Cowie’s positive attitude, enthusiasm – and broad Scottish accent! – are legendary. He is well deserving of this acknowledgement.

Gold Medal for Young Cyclists!

In the New Zealand Road Cycling Championships held in Palmerston North, the Year 7 & 8 Girls team comprising Sophie deVries, Chloe Cox, Finn Bilsborough and Sophie Spencer won gold in the Time Trials. Sophie Spencer also won the NZSS U13 Girls’ Road Race and placed 2nd in the Points race. Well done girls on fantastic cycling results!

Daniel Wins North Island Finals

Intermediate-age players from all over the North Island competed in the Intermediate School Tennis finals at the Waikato Tennis Centre in Term 4. After two long, hot days of matches, Year 8 College student, Daniel Persson won the Intermediate Boys Open Championship.

It was a big effort from Daniel in an important event and now he will go on to play the winner of the South Island competition.

Also, great results from Year 7 student, James McPherson, who came 5th in the Boys’ Singles and paired with Daniel to place 2nd in the Boys’ doubles. Year 8 student, Ella Simmons also achieved well, placing 2nd in the Girls’ Doubles and 6th in the Girls’ Singles.

This follows on from the outstanding results at the AIMS Games earlier this year. Daniel, alongside Year 7 students, Joey Huang and Caleb Mattison won Team Gold, while Daniel and James won Doubles Gold.

College Welcomes Grandparents!

Ifyou have an umbrella you won’t need it! That old adage almost proved true when early-morning downpours sent staff scurrying to collect umbrellas in anticipation of over 350 grandparents onsite during Term 4! Thankfully the skies cleared and the campus was on display in brilliant sunshine by the time our guests arrived.

It’s an eagerly awaited highlight of the Middle School calendar, when the Year 7 and 8 students invite their grandparents to see their place of learning. Our visitors travelled from far and wide to witness their grandchildren’s education in action. Usually welcomed to the Sports Centre Lounge, the current renovations to the Sport Centre moved the arrivals to the more spacious Year 12/13 common rooms, where they enjoyed a morning tea provided by the Parents and Friends, with support from the Year 10 Middle School student leaders.

The grandparents were officially welcomed by the Head of Middle School, Mr Duncan McQueen, and the Head of College, Mr Steve Cole. Mr Cole quipped that this morning’s guests were without doubt the best behaved group he’s spoken to in the senior common room! A grandparent himself, he identified with our visitors. He said that while many facets of education have changed over generations, having an inspiring and caring teacher remains the most important factor in a child’s success in the classroom. He thanked the guests for their

commitment to their grandchildren and for coming to observe a slice of their daily lives at Saint Kentigern.

When it was time for the students and their special guests to meet, the wide smiles and tight embraces showed the bond between the generations! The grandparents were escorted to the Elizabeth MacFarlan Centre where each class had planned a presentation and a quiz to grill the older generation. A tour of the campus showed the grandparents where the students attend chapel and our other landmarks before reconvening in the Sports Centre for the Middle School assembly. The Middle School Pipes and Drums played as everyone took their seats, and there were also performances from dance classes, the Middle School Sinfonia and the Maori and Pasifika Cultural Group. A large number of performing arts participants received badges to recognise their commitment to one or more disciplines, and it was extra special for the students to have their grandparents on hand to see this acknowledgment.

Grandparents play a very special part in the lives of our students, offering not only love, support and moral guidance but, in many cases, also offering the financial resource to ensure their grandchildren have the very best education available to them. Thank you to all grandparents who came from near and far for your support to your grandchildren, families and the College.

College Parents & Friends

The Saint Kentigern College Parents & Friends have had another successful year in 2016. I wish to extend my thanks to our Executive team who have again given their time and effort in supporting the College. I also wish to thank the parents who have worked in Saints Café and the lunch bar, and who have helped at the many College functions at which the P&F provide refreshments.

The work that the P&F does in support of students and staff plays an important part in the operation of the College. I acknowledge the thanks for this support expressed to the P&F by the teaching staff and the Trust Board.

Saints Café and Lunch Bar

Management of Saints Café and the lunch bar remains one of our most vital functions. We appreciate our arrangement with the Trust Board that allows the P&F to apply profits towards the support of students and staff. Both facilities are operating at a good level and we constantly monitor prices and margins for the best results.

Having parents help out in Saints Café and the lunch bar avoids us needing to ask our parents to fundraise in more traditional ways. If each family were to provide one parent to assist just once a term then we would have easily enough helpers. We now offer parents who help in Saints Café or the lunch bar a $5.00 voucher as a small thank you, to be redeemed by the parent or their student in either Saints Café or the lunch bar. Parents should contact Trish at skc_pfadmin@saintkentigern.com if interested in helping out or simply have a question.

We have investigated an online lunch ordering system for Middle School students so as to greatly reduce the waiting times and congestion at the lunch bar. I am hopeful that the online ordering system will be running in the first term of next year. We are also drafting plans for renovations to the lunch bar to enable more efficient service as well as making the area more appealing.

Information and Social Evenings for Parents

This year there has been some new initiatives such as changing our community meetings to an information and social evening format. We have speakers on topics of interest to parents from both College staff and outside experts. For example, in October we funded a presentation on parenting young adults by recognised and experienced speaker, Yvonne Godfrey.

Families in crisis

In keeping with the College’s desire to support families experiencing an extreme crisis, we have introduced Lunch Vouchers that can be given to the students of these families for use in either the Saints Café or the lunch bar. We see this as a small but practical way of supporting a College family in a time of great stress.

Funds Provided to Students and Staff

This year we have provided approximately $50,000 to support a variety of travelling cultural and sporting groups and to buy equipment for various teaching and co-curricular activities. This amount is less than in previous years, however, we have been able to satisfy every request for funds that has met our criteria. From next year we plan to increase our standard maximum support from $1,500 to $1,800 per travelling group.

Asian Parents Social Group

This group continues to grow, providing an opportunity for Asian parents with limited English to meet, socialise and hear speakers on a variety of subjects concerning the College. P&F Executive member, Ms Jessie Liu convenes this group, providing translation into Mandarin at the meetings so parents obtain information that they may otherwise miss. Subjects of interest to parents have included: opportunities for students in the Sports and Music departments and the understanding of academic reports.

Executive Committee personnel

Our long-serving secretary Mrs Desiree Jenkins-Allright has retired as her younger child finishes Year 13 this year. Mrs Jenkins-Allright has made an outstanding contribution to the P&F and the wider College, and I am very grateful to her.

David Courtney, Chairman

From The President of the Old Collegians

The final weeks of the 2016 school calendars are fast approaching with final exams, sports and graduation dinners sponsored by the Old Collegian’s Association held at each campus, the annual Year 10 College Field Centre trip to Mt Ruapehu, and the excitement of the summer vacation signalling the end of another year of excellence at Saint Kentigern.

The SKOCA vs College annual Netball event was held in October and, with some high-scoring players joining the SKOCA team in the last two years, a tight game was witnessed. It was pleasing to see SKOCA regain the cup after the last couple of years’ losses, with a final score of 40-43. Players, parents and supporters enjoyed refreshments after the game, and clearly there will be some further top players joining the SKOCA ranks for next year’s challenge.

The SKOCA College Golf Day was held at Remuera Golf Club in early November and again drew a full field with 23 Fours competing to share in the impressive prize pool. The weather was ideal and the standard of play ‘encouraging to impressive’ depending on the calibre of each team. Again my thanks to the generous prize sponsorship from Bayleys, Ricoh,

Toshiba, ANZ, Lexel Systems, Jack’s Coffee, Camelot Group, Test & Tag and Spices Thai. The winning Four was the Bayleys No 2 Team, led by OC Nick Bayley. Our thanks to OC’s John Gilbert and Robert Johnstone for marshalling the hole-in-one to ensure fair play. Thanks also to Trust Board member, Rosemary Harris for her involvement on the day and patrolling the course with refreshments with long standing committee member, Sandy Campbell, and her forthright attempts to provide some golfingetiquette directives to those few considered to lack such skills – all with variable success!

The Auckland Recent Old Collegians (18-26 years) event was held in mid-November in Parnell to provide a fellowship opportunity for recent past students/members returning home for Christmas after university exams, OE, as well as recent College leavers all able to network amongst past school friends and meet new friends/members.

The final SKOCA event for 2016 was the Boys’ School 2011 leavers BBQ in December, where boys and their parents met for an informal barbeque to catch up with old friends from 2010’s Year 8, prior to departing to university, OE or to begin their working careers.

We wish all members at the greater Saint Kentigern family a happy and festive summer holiday.

Fides Servanda Est.

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

Andrew Morgan, President of the Old Collegians Association

WHERE ARE YOU?

WHAT DO YOU DO? EVER WONDERED WHAT YOUR OLD CLASSMATES ARE UP TO? EVER THOUGHT THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU DO?

These pages belong to you, our Old Collegians. We need your help to make these pages interesting and informative. Write a few lines to fill us in on what you’ve been doing since leaving school, or what you are about to do, a recent achievement, a momentous event or any other item of interest. Alternatively, we also welcome more in depth articles, as appear on these pages. Family and friends, tell us what our sons and daughters of Kentigern are up to nowadays.

Pictures speak a thousand words! In this digital age, it’s really easy to provide a photo but please email all digital pictures at maximum resolution. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please direct all correspondence to the Editor: jane.kneale@saintkentigern.com Communication Manager, Saint Kentigern Trust Board

Have you moved? Are you moving?

SKOCA 2017 Calendar

SUNDAY 4 MARCH

SKOCA - CRICKET DAY

Time: 12 noon

Venue: No 1 Field, College Refreshments provided

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

SATURDAY 1 APRIL

SKOCA – Rowing Reunion BBQ @ MAADI Cup Final

Time: 12 noon

Venue: College Designated Area, Lake Karapiro, Cambridge

Format: BBQ Lunch & Watch Finals, All Welcome.

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

In Memoriam

We express our condolences to the families of these members of our community who passed away recently.

MRS KATHLEEN HOWSON

ANNUAL DINNER & AGM

FRIDAY 7 APRIL 2017

COLLEGE 1970-79 DECADE FOCUS

Guest Speaker: Head of College, Mr Steve Cole –‘My Time at Saint Kentigern College’

Venue: Elliot Hall, Saint Kentigern College Campus

All Old Collegians welcome with special rates for (ROCs) Recent Leavers

RSVP: skoca@saintkentigern.com

TICKETS:

PROGRAMME:

Mrs Howson, who was Headmaster’s Secretary at Saint Kentigern College from 1967 to 1983, passed away at the end of October in Kerikeri. She was age 93.

When Mrs Howson began working at the College, there were only two administration staff in the office. Her role in supporting the day to day administrative tasks at the College was vital.

The Howson family have a long association with Saint Kentigern. Jim Howson, Kath’s son, is an Old Collegian, and Brenda Howson, her grandson’s wife, worked for some years at the College as a Receptionist and also as an ICT administrator.

‘Mrs K M Howson’ is one of the earliest names on the new Ancillary Staff service Honours Board that hangs in the MacFarlan Centre.

MICHAEL CAREY GREEN, BA DIP TCHG

A teacher of English and Journalism at Saint Kentigern Colleg e from 1993-1995 and 1997-2002, Mr Michael Green passed away in August 2016.

Mr Green, who came to New Zealand from the United States, was highly regarded by his department colleagues and had an excellent rapport with his students. Continuing the publication of the Saint Kentigern student newspaper The Voice, Mr Green made an outstanding contribution to secondary school journalism, winning a prestigious Churchill Fellowship in 1997 to travel and study overseas.

Mr Green later taught at Macleans College including several years as Head of English.

$70 per head

$650 per table of 10 ROCs $50 per head

6.15pm: AGM

6.30pm: Pre-Dinner drinks

7.15pm: Dinner

BOYS’ SCHOOL SKOCA GOLF DAY

FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY

Registration: From 11.30am for 1pm start

Venue: Auckland Golf Club

$100 per player

Refreshments provided

RSVP: sue.bowskill@saintkentigern.com

skoca@saintkentigern.com

Grant Halley –Supporting College Students for 30 Years

Astudent at the Boys’ School from 1961-1968, and the College from 1969-1973, Old Collegian, Grant Halley has had an enduring connection with Saint Kentigern, in association with recently retired Head of Commerce, Mrs Val Little.

Grant is currently the Managing Partner for RSM New Zealand, an accounting firm that has recently been awarded RSM Member Firm of the Year at an international conference held in Beijing, China.

Grant began work with RSM in 1977, becoming a partner in 1983. His role has evolved over the years and he has accumulated an impressive diversity of knowledge.

From the basic beginnings of his accounting career, using book keeping ledger machines (complete with ledger cards) and hand drafting accounts, to today’s current paperless accounting software system, Grant is now a highly regarded business consultant with expertise in management accounting, strategic management, tax advice, acquisitions, divestments and company and group restructuring.

Thirty years ago, Grant returned from his OE in London, where he had broadened his experience, working at Deloitte. After a two year spell with Hally Labels, Grant resumed work at RSM. As one of four Partners, he was ‘charged’ at the time with the job of renewing his links with Saint Kentigern. In so doing, the primary aim was for the firm to attract potential future staff and, while still students, to

stay in contact with them as they progressed their studies through university.

In 1986, Mrs Val Little had recently been appointed as Head of Commerce at Saint Kentigern. Through a joint meeting, the RSM partnership with Saint Kentigern was born. For the past 30 years, RSM has offered a scholarship exclusive to Saint Kentigern, to award to a promising Year 13 accounting student to continue his/ her studies. The scholarship provides $4800 for university study assistance over four years, together with the chance of an internship at RSM during the holidays to help students further their knowledge. RSM also funds the Accounting prize at the Senior School

In 2016, the 30th RSM Scholarship was awarded to Year 13 student, Ryan McEwan who is ecstatic to be this year’s recipient. He follows a long line of students who have taken advantage of the mentoring offered and have gone on to achieve highly in business.

As RSM’s consulting practice has grown over the years, the opportunities across Auckland, further afield and internationally for bright, young graduates has grown. Grant says, ‘We think the scholarship is an amazing win-win for all because we can get to know the students through holiday assignments. We assist them financially, mentor them through holiday internship, and in so doing, help them to choose the appropriate direction for their careers. For the right candidate, there is also significant opportunity for future employment at RSM.’

Saint Kentigern continues to be extremely grateful to RSM for their long-standing partnership to assist Saint Kentigern students with their studies. This has been an incredibly generous offer over the last 30 years that we know our students have benefitted from.

Graeme Hawkins – Former Scholarship Recipient

Iwas awarded the Prince & Partners Scholarship in 1988, which helped cement my interest in Finance and launch me on a business career that led to companies and countries that I had never dreamed of visiting, working with or living in. From the outset, I felt honoured to receive this award, not least because the scholarship helped fund my university years. Importantly it gave me the opportunity of holiday work, a taste for city life, the service industry, and wearing a suit-and-tie, back when this was highly desirable.

After completing two degrees at the University of Otago (a B.Com in Accounting and a B.A. in Economics), I completed my Chartered Accountancy membership with one of the ‘big six’, first in auditing and then management consulting, before being headhunted by Fletcher Challenge’s energy team where I worked daily with famous names like Angus Fletcher and David Kirk.

A few years later, I couldn’t delay my O.E. any longer and departed for Europe and the unknown. I made the most of London’s vibrant consulting scene, spending a year in each of British Airways FinanceOperations, BBC Broadcasting-Finance and Redstone Telecom, then Britain’s 6th largest telecom as the IT bubble grew and burst. Progressively moving from analyst to senior and then to manager, these roles gave me experience in all the core finance fields, as well as areas further from the core finance competencies like strategy and operations. I then settled in another media firm, Central European Media Enterprises, which took me to exotic places like Ljubljana and Bratislava on a monthly basis, working with amazing people at a very dynamic time for Central Europe.

Falling in love, first with Europe, then with central Europe and then with a German, I moved to Berlin in 2005, where I am still based with my wife and two perfectly bilingual children. Here, The CocaCola Company gave me the change to progress to Director level via Marketing Controlling, Commercial Finance and Procurement, as well as travel globally in my international roles - plus it bought me very close to FIFA’s Soccer World Cup!

Since 2015, I have been a Finance-On-Demand freelancer where I am currently CFO, Finance Advisor or Finance Mentor to a number of clients: mostly start-ups in the vibrant Berlin start-up scene. It’s worlds away from the blue-chip companies I’ve worked for, but the core skillset of Finance that Prince &

Alex Southwick – Apprentice Chef

During my time at Saint Kentigern College, I came to realise that I was passionate about food and, in particular, creating interesting food that was appealing to look at as well as eat.

Food Technology staff, Mrs Susanna Pattison and Mrs Julie Pearson, allowed me to experiment and I learnt to love working with food and learning about the many different aspects of food. I spent many hours in the ‘Food Tech’ rooms developing new dishes for competitions and assessments. I also loved making coffee and learnt my barista skills from many hours making coffee at school when the espresso machine was introduced.

In Year 12, I did some work experience at Sails Restaurant and at the Hilton Hotel, and this confirmed that the career I wanted to pursue was as a chef. I knew university wasn’t for me as I wanted to cook and learn hands-on through an apprenticeship which would offer the chance to gain a qualification and to really learn my trade.

Sky City affords great opportunities for apprentice chefs as it offers an International Programme through City and Guilds. They take on between 10-15 apprentices each year and these places are greatly sought after. I was the youngest apprentice selected and I love that I get to work with world class chefs and have the opportunity to be involved with major charity events such as Dining for a Difference. Whilst Sky City is best known for its casino, it is way more than that. It has multiple restaurants – all those in Federal Street as well as those in the Sky Tower itself - so the breadth of experience I am gaining is amazing. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been chosen.

I started doing food competitions at school, coming runner up twice in the Secondary Schools City and Guilds Cooking competition, through the support and guidance of Mrs Pattison. These competitions helped give me the confidence to apply for the Sky City Apprenticeship. Since joining Sky City this year, I have also competed in The Teams Challenge for Sky City run by the Chef Association, where we again came second and I learnt silver service waiting skills. Next year will bring more opportunities to compete in chef competitions.

Sky City has a large production kitchen where I learnt to cook large quantities such as 200 litres of soup, 400 litres of butter chicken, 80 kg of braised lamb ribs or 50kg of chocolate brownies! The quantities were mind blowing initially but now I am not fazed at all by the size of the task. I have also worked in the convention (conference) kitchen where I was able to assist in the plating of dinners for up to 1000 people at a time. I enjoy plating food and making it look good to the eye. We have done dinners for the likes of Vodafone Warriors, the Mayor of Auckland,

and large companies both at Sky City and off site in venues such as St Matthews-in-the-City, Auckland War Memorial Museum and The Cloud.

In looking back at my time at Saint Kentigern, I was allowed to follow my passion and the teachers supported both my love of food and photography, enabling me to gain NCEA in subjects that I enjoyed. I was able to link photography and food technology together for my Year 12 photography board. In Year 11, I was able to write and design a cookbook in digital technology. It was these innovative teaching solutions that supported my learning and allowed me to gain confidence in my own abilities through the phenomenal support of the Technology Department.

I would encourage any students to follow their dream, even if it is different to what your friends are doing and to remember that university is not the only way to gain qualifications or a career. I earn while I learn and have no student loan at the end of my training - a huge advantage. But most importantly, I’m doing what I love!

Phillip Christopher - National IT Manager

Phillip attended the College from 1985 -1989. He is currently the IT Manager for DLA Piper which is a global law firm with over 4000 lawyers in more than 30 countries. Phillip enjoys the challenge and the technical aspect of the role. He especially likes collaborating with DLA Piper colleagues, vendors and clients all over the world.

Phillip has always had an interest in ICT and trained in Minnesota, USA. Prior to DLA Piper, Philip worked at Watercare Services Limited where he was a team leader and involved in the Auckland Super City Project. He has worked for various ICT companies such as Axon Systems, Integral and as a consultant. He has provided support and advised clients such as Air New Zealand, Bridgestone Firestone and many more.

He has always had a passion for information technology, even though it was not a core subject at the College in the late 80s. He is a qualified Systems and Network engineer in Microsoft, Cisco, Citrix and ITIL.

He recommends, for any students wanting to pursue a career in information technology, that the key to achieving success in the industry is good technical skills. He also advises that to achieve long term success, make sure you have exceptional interpersonal skills. From a hiring perspective, he wants ICT professionals with a personality that will suit the culture of the firm. Phillip recommends while at College, alongside your studies, hone in on developing your people skills with your peers and teachers.

Philip has fond memories of the College, especially the friendships he developed with teachers and students. His most memorable sporting moment was winning the soccer premiership two consecutive years in a row and winning the ‘golden boot’ at the Nationals.

Phillip has been married to his wife Jacqui for 17 years. He has three children, Madeline 15, Ruary 12 and Lachlan 6. He has been fortunate enough to travel, play and coach football at a high level in NZ, USA and UK. He says it was all due to Malcom Cowie who still attends the College today. Lately, Phillip’s focus is on coaching his children’s football teams.

Duncan Jessep and Joshua Impey Business Development Managers, Singapore

Whilst Duncan Jessep and Joshua Impey followed separate paths after leaving College, a job opportunity has brought them together to work for the same company in Singapore. Both Business Development Managers for IT company, Pure Storage, they are responsible for exploring and evaluating new opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. Pure Storage is an enterprise all-flash solution to tackle the most demanding business and IT problems, currently providing service to companies such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Nielsen, ANZ Bank, AirNZ, Foodstuffs and Russell McVeagh. They are both enjoying their work and lifestyle in Singapore.

Duncan Jessep: The transition for me from Onehunga Primary to Saint Kentigern in 2000 was a bit of a shock but after seven years I graduated as a Son of Kentigern. Mr K. Taylor, Mr S. Wackrow and Mr D. Lowe were among many others who provided guidance that I did not fully appreciate at the time, but very much contributed to where I am today.

In 2008, I enrolled at the University of Auckland to study a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and after graduating, started my first job at Ernst & Young through their graduate programme. It was a great place to learn the foundations of working within a corporate environment, performing under pressure and understanding what type of business I was truly passionate about.

Since joining, I’ve had the absolute privilege to see our company go from strength to strength – first $1m deal in NZ – IPO on the New York Stock Exchange – and continued growth of products and customers in APAC and globally.

Now based in Singapore full time, I am fortunate to spend my weekends exploring South East Asia, competitive trail running, and playing touch rugby with our community of expats who live on the equator.

In 2012, I handed in my notice and flew to Melbourne, landing a job at Capgemini, a management consulting company, soon after my arrival. My ‘Melbourne Chapter’ was an incredible experience and I would encourage anyone considering Australia to live there. In late 2014, I received an offer to join a Silicon Valley based start-up called Pure Storage. The role was based in their APAC head office in Singapore.

Joshua Impey: After graduating in 2006, I went on a GAP year Kingsmead School near Liverpool, England. I travelled extensively through Europe during this time and it helped me further mature prior to starting tertiary study. I did a Bachelor of Commerce in Auckland and as part of my final semester, I completed an internship at Southern Spars, the world leader in carbon masts, booms and rigging for yachts of all sizes, including the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race yachts. The internship led me, in time, to become Global Marketing Manager, a position I held for over three years, responsible for the development and management of the international brand. This allowed me to travel all over the world, including attending the Monaco Yacht Show.

After a year travelling from South America to Canada in 2015, I returned to the job hunt in 2016, securing a position as a Business Development Manager at Pure Storage in Singapore, alongside an old Saint Kentigern friend, Duncan Jessep.

Singapore is a fantastic place to live and we both manage to get out and travel regularly. The opportunities in Singapore are endless and I have no doubt that Saint Kentigern provided the perfect platform for success.

Shane Van Gisbergen - Born to Race!

Shane van Gisbergen attended Saint Kentigern College from 2001 through to 2006. While at the College he pursued his love for speed racing Karts and ATV’s. His talent shone through and he won the 2004 SpeedSport Magazine Formula First Scholarship and, later that year, won the title ‘Rookie of the Year’.

Since leaving College, Shane has long been tagged as ‘one to watch.’ He has been on a fast track to success, winning the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship in 2006 while he was still at school. He then finished a close second in the Toyota Racing Series in 2007, 1st overall in the TRS International series, plus another Rookie title. Later that same year, Shane signed a contract with Stone Racing Brothers, making his V8 Supercar Championship debut he had always dreamed about at the Oran Park round. He was with Stone Racing Brothers until 2012.

In 2016, Shane moved to the successful Triple Eight Race Engineering team, alongside two of the most successful drivers in the series history: Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. In December 2016, Shane achieved his lifelong dream, by winning the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship title. He became the first New Zealand driver to win this title since Jim Richards, in 1991. The win wasn’t smooth sailing, as things did not go to plan! After a horror start, Shane dropped five spots from pole position and then got hit with a pit lane penalty for spinning Mark Winterbottom. But a smart strategy, fast car and timely safety car intervention allowed the Red Bull Racing driver back into the game and he collected enough points to take an unassailable lead in the build up to the finale.

SKOCA Netball

With thanks to Amorangi Malesala, Sharnika Leleni and Kelly Alexander

Shane’s brilliant driving had fans and teams on their feet and holding their breath. On lap 60, he set a new lap record. Not happy with just finishing fifth which was adequate to seal the title, he had his sights set on a podium finish which would also help his team mate Craig Lowndes in his quest for 3rd overall in championship. Over the next 10 laps, he managed to finish another two spots up to 3rd which gave him the final step of the podium and cemented the Championship.

In the final race of the Championship Shane managed to survive three safety car interventions to seal the win and finished the year with eight race wins, 19 podiums, seven poles, a win in the Pirtek Enduro Cup, the prestigious Driver’s Driver Award , and lastly, the ever important Jason Richards Memorial Trophy which he won at the ITM round of Supercars at Pukekohe in November.

Not one to sit back, no sooner had he secured his win in Australia and he was off to Malaysia to compete in the Sepang 12 Hours Intercontinental GT Championship! He has already won the 2016 Blancpain Endurance GT Championship in Europe for McLaren. Shane has long realised the importance of his family and the support they have given him and so dedicated the win to his parents for the sacrifices they made, saying ‘I owe everything to my family’.

It was a pleasure for a team of Old Collegians to return to the College to take part in the annual Old Collegians versus Premier Netball team game.

We knew that the netball match against the current National secondary school champions, was not going to be easy! Going in to half time, our team was down by 10 goals, however, we stepped up the action in the second half and managed to pull through with a final score of 40-34.

Following the match, we enjoyed an after match function hosted by Glennis Pearson in the Sports Centre Lounge, where we were able to interact with current players and parents. As members of the Old Collegian Committee, we would like to congratulate the girls on their achievements throughout the year; we know that all their hard work has paid off.

A special mention to our ‘good luck charms,’ Mr Malcolm Cowie and Glennis’ for hosting this annual event, the work that both of you do on behalf of the Old Collegians does not go unnoticed.

We would like to thank the College girls and Miss Nicola Lewis for the hard fought, competitive game. It’s good to see the depth of netball continues, and the competitiveness of these annual matches will only get better and better. All the best for your future endeavours.

Sarah Zhang

Saint Kentigern College Class of 2015, Cornell University Class of 2020

The story behind how I ended up studying at an Ivy League school in New York starts in Year 10. As a Year 10 student, I found myself spending countless hours gazing at senior art and architectural projects in the JPC. This experience, paired with a strong wanderlust, spun a crazy fantasy of studying Architecture in New York City in ‘a near future.’

Fast forward to Year 12 and 13 - to the arduous IB Diploma years! One of my main incentives for choosing the International Baccalaureate was due to my desire to study overseas. My dreams of going to America had struck me as unrealistic by then and, instead, I had my eyes set a little closer to home – studying in Australia.

For anyone reading this and considering the IB, I won’t sugar coat it; it wasn’t easy! Even as my first year of university draws to an end, I still have yet to encounter anything as challenging as the IB. However, don’t let that deter you, as I can confidently say that it is well worth it. I don’t think anything could have prepared me so well for university as IB did. It taught me many academic and organisational skills that I am extremely thankful for.

During Term 3 of Year 13, I revisited my forgotten dream of NYC and decided that I would apply for the USA. For anyone considering studying in America, I strongly advise you to begin your preparation in Year 12; this way you will have time to create a quality application and still be able focus on your end of year exams. I paid the price for my indecisiveness by having to balance SAT preparations with my IB exams. I sacrificed my entire summer holiday in order to prepare

Claudia Gibb

– Published Children’s Author

After graduating from Saint Kentigern College in 2011, I moved to Upstate New York, USA on a scholarship to Keuka College. I studied Communications and Business and then in my second year, I transferred to Brooklyn, NYC to attend Saint Francis College.

I loved New York and I had always dreamed of living there!

During this time I worked as a local TV news reporter for Yates County and on the St Francis College newspaper.

When I returned to New Zealand, I wrote and collaborated with Colombian Artist, Camila Abondano to create the recently published children’s picture book ‘Minty Wants to Go to New York City’. A tale about a young whale dreaming big, overcoming obstacles, having the courage to do the right thing and raising awareness to save our precious oceans.

All of the illustrations are hand drawn by Camila. The book is proudly 100% New Zealand made and published by Snow Globe Publishers.

for SAT exams, writing supplementary essays for American universities and creating my portfolio.

Since the American academic year does not begin till August, I was accepted into the University of Melbourne in January 2016, and began my university experience there. Despite having already applied to the States, I chose to do this as a fall back, just in case I was rejected from the American schools I wanted and would, therefore, already be sorted and secured in another university. At the University of Melbourne, I majored in Architecture under the Bachelor of Environments for one semester. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Australia and would recommend it to anyone who would like the experience of studying overseas but remaining still relatively close to home.

Halfway through my first semester in Melbourne, I received an unexpected acceptance letter from Cornell University, an Ivy League school based in Ithaca, New York. Although Cornell is not located in what had been my dream location of NYC, I have come to like it better as the tranquillity of upstate New York gives me the peace and quiet to focus on my studies. Not to mention, I’m able to visit NYC and experience the city life during the weekends.

My time at Cornell so far has been an amazing experience. Although the semester is nearly over, I’m still constantly being amazed every day. I’m surrounded by driven and studious students, bright professors and talented individuals. It’s all very overwhelming and more often than not I feel like the small fish in a big pond. Although it’s a challenging environment, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I have learnt anything through my journey, it’s that as cheesy as it sounds, nothing is impossible. Saint Kentigern offers many opportunities, you just have to look for them and make the most you can out of them. You determine your future.

If you’re seriously considering studying overseas, it’s always good to research, talk to the career advisor, work hard and know that it’s not impossible. Stick to your ambitions, no matter how crazy and fanatical and never let anyone stop you from achieving them!

‘Minty Wants to Go to New York City’ is now being turned into a book series about the adventures of Minty and his sea mates. We hope to inspire young people between the ages of 4-10 to become big dreamers.

One of the highlights of having my first book published is the amazing feedback from young readers around the world, from school children in New York to South American children reading ‘Minty’ to learn English.

I am honoured to have worked with Camila to create this book. ‘Minty’ has been featured in National Geographic Kids for New Zealand and Australia and the book is selling at Paper Plus and bookstores nationwide.

For more information, go to: mintywantstogotonyc.com

Hanna English

Saint Kentigern College Class of 2015, St Mary’s College of California, Class of 2020

Hanna graduated from Saint Kentigern at the end of 2015 and we were proud to hear that she had gained a significant 100% scholarship to study in the USA. A boarder, Hanna is well remembered as a strong athlete, named as Runner-Up to the Dux Ludorum in her final year. Whilst she excelled at football, having been named in the U20 NZ Squad for the 2016 FIFA World Cup, it was on the strength of her running that she was selected for scholarship. Hanna has now begun her studies in San Francisco and tells us of her first impressions.

‘I arrived at Saint Mary’s College of California in the San Francisco Bay Area in August to start the next chapter of my life as a student athlete at a Division 1 College in America. During my first week, I went to Lake Tahoe with the cross country team for a four day training camp at altitude. I was surprised at the impact of running at altitude and at first I struggled to adjustbut the scenery was amazing!

I am really enjoying the balance between my academic studies and athletic training. I am majoring in kinesiology - Health and Human Performance. My four classes are all scheduled around our team trainings during the week, which takes up an average 20 hours and 80+ kilometres of running per week. The team

Ayden Lamont

environment makes training so much more competitive and motivating compared to what I had been used to back in NZ. Training consists of rep training, hill reps, tempo running, long runs, gym work, cross training (biking or swimming), acupuncture sessions and stretching/recovery management.

The weather in Moraga is perfect for living and training. Temperatures have been around the mid-20s since I have arrived but got as warm as 36 degrees earlier in the semester. So far I have competed at the West Coast Championships in San Diego and also at an invitational meet in San Francisco where I placed 5th. We have had five other races this season with regionals left to race. I’ve been surprised by the number of entries in each race with fields of over 200 runners. In spring the focus changes to track and field working towards the 1500m and 5km races.

It’s been a fantastic start to my studies but I’m also looking forward to returning to NZ for Christmas!

Saint Kentigern College Class of 2015, Princeton University Class of 2020

With his shared strength in rowing and cycling, coupled with sound academic abilities, 2015 Deputy Head Boy, Ayden Lamont, caught the attention of five Ivy League universities in the United States. He accepted an early application to Princeton University where he is currently rowing with their light weight crew and studying.

Ayden reports on his experience to date:

I started rowing for the first time at the end of Year 8 (2010), so this is now my seventh year of rowing – it feels like a long time to say the least! During the 2012-2013 rowing season, personally my favourite season, I was in the U18 VIII as a 15 year old. I learnt so much that season being surrounded by 18 year olds who I looked up to greatly. I was fortunate to share their greater experience and they were great role models.

In the seasons following that, I won gold in the U17 Quad at the North Island Secondary School competition in 2014. I rowed for the Auckland Light Blues in the Queensland State Championships where we came away with gold and this remains one of the best rowing opportunities that I have experienced so far. My final season, before I travelled to the USA, was with West End Club where I rowed the eight and single.

Being Deputy Head Boy in my final year was an awesome experience and I learnt a lot from that too. I learnt valuable leadership skills as well as how to work efficiently in a team.

Over here at Princeton University, it is a completely new experience and I am loving it! As expected, there is a lot of hard work and study, but I am enjoying the experience and am very grateful to be here. My intended major is Economics with a certificate in Finance. Currently in the first semester of my freshman year, I am taking an Economics class, a Math class, Spanish and a writing class. I am enjoying stepping up to the challenge and striving to achieve my best

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Its acceptance rate is 6.5% where, in last year alone, 29,303 applicants applied for a place at the university and only 1894 students were accepted. I am part of their Class of 2020 and I am very proud and honoured to be attending such a prestigious university.

The level of rowing at university level here is very strong. In my lightweight team alone there are over 70 rowers and the depth is incredible in terms of performance ability. I was particularly proud to be selected onto the team to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta, held in Boston MA recently.

Overall the experience is awesome, as well as being challenged academically and improving, I am also physically improving as my rowing makes great gains with the training I receive. Whether for academic or sporting reasons, or a combination of the two, I definitely recommend to other students to looking at coming to the USA to gain new experiences that will set you up for life.

SKOCA Golf Day

On a grey day, but with otherwise perfect conditions, a record twenty-two teams of four gathered for the Ambrose Tournament at Remuera Golf Club. A barbecue lunch was served while the teams readied themselves for tee-off.

The main focus of the day was on fellowship and fundraising, which is a polite way of saying - all levels of skill on the course are acceptable! Whilst there is an element of fun, and some seriously competitive golf between ‘certain’ teams, the primary goal of the day was to raise money for the Old Collegians Scholarship Fund that helps to assist a child of an Old Collegian, or a child with a family connection to an Old Collegian, to secure a place at Saint Kentigern. The Old Collegians fund scholarships to each of the campuses.

There were additional incentives to rise to the occasion with prizes which included closest to the pin and longest drive, as well as a $2000 cash prize on the line for a hole in one on the 8th.

The ‘Bayleys Team 2’ which consisted of Nick Bayley, Andrew Wills, Mike Brickland and Joseph Grima were the winning team, with Joseph also taking out the ‘closest to Pin Hole 17’. Dave Stanley, Scott Campbell, Brent Leslie and Josh Bardell took out the remaining closest to pin honours and ‘Best Dressed when Viewed from a Distance’ went to Hayden Butler.

With help from sponsors including Toshiba, Test & Tag, Jack’s Coffee, Lexel Systems, Camelot, Ricoh, Spices Thai, And Bayleys St Heliers, a significant amount was raised for the scholarship fund, which makes a real difference to the recipients.

Wirihana Cup Returned!

With thanks to student reporter, Regan Nash, Year 8 It was a very determined Boys’ School 1st XV that set out on a very hot and sunny evening, to try and win back the Wirihana Cup from the Old Collegians.

The cup was first played for in 1961 and this was a feature on the calendar until the cup went missing some years later. When it resurfaced in 2012, it was ‘game on!’ Each subsequent year, the former cricket players from the Boys’ School have been invited back to school for a challenge match and barbecue always played with a dose of good fun.

This year, the Boys’ School team wanted revenge for the loss last year and there was a definite air of confidence in the team!

Year 8 student, Regan Nash was excited to be playing against his two older brothers - Harrison and Mitchell who had both captained the 1st X1 at school. Charles Wilkes was playing against his brother Edward and father, Paul.

Batting first the Boys’ School scored in excess of 200 runs with a consistent batting effort from everyone. Fronting for the Old Collegians, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie struggled as wicket keeper at times – preferring to use a softball mitt than cricket ‘wicki’ gloves. Not really cricket! Umpire, Deputy Head, Mr Grayson Aspinall, made some ‘interesting’ but the boys thought ‘very fair’ calls! No surprises whose side he was on! The Old Collegians were automatically out if they hit a 6 - and many fell to this trap!

With great fielding and bowling from the boys, the older players were soon out with lots of runs needed. The Boys’ School 1st X1 achieved their aim, bringing back the Wirihana Cup to its rightful place in the trophy cabinet on Shore Road!

Our thanks to Old Collegian, Peter Nelson, for his fabulous BBQ expertise, and to the returning Old Collegians and the parents for their support.

Boys’ School Class of 2001

On a scorching evening just before Christmas, a large group of boys from the Boys’ School Class of 2001 (now college graduates) along with their parents, came together for a BBQ to catch up with old friends before they head off on the next stage in their lives.

It was great to see these friendships rekindled as the boys shared stories of their respective college experiences and talked about ‘where to from here.’ Parents also had chance to reconnect and remember a time shared during their sons’ days at the School.

The boys took the opportunity to take a look around the grounds to see how things have changed on campus before tucking into a BBQ dinner cooked up by Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and ‘Student No 20,’ Peter Nelson.

Boys’ School Head Boy 2001, Isaac Samuels, then and now!