Piper Issue 69 December 2019

Boys’ School

Saint Kentigern OCA

President: Hayden Butler

Secretary: James Bennett

Treasurer: Neville Lyne

Email skoca@saintkentigern.com

Parents & Friends (SKC)

Chairperson: Margaret Wind

Secretary: Sharon Coombes

Treasurer: Andrew Ellis

Parents & Friends (SKBS)

Chairperson: Craig Irwin

Secretary: Jane Petersen

Treasurer: Manisha Kesha

Parents & Friends (SKGS)

Chairperson: Rebecca Scoones

Secretary: Dee Wakelin

Treasurer: Julie Bolton

Open Days

Breakthrough to learning

Boys’ School – Thursday 27 February

Years 0 - 8 82 Shore Road, Remuera

College – Wednesday 4 March

Years 7 - 13 130 Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga

Girls’ School – Tuesday 10 March

Years 0 - 8 514 Remuera Road, Remuera

Preschool – Tuesday 10 March

Ages 3 - 4 514 Remuera Road, Remuera

Scholarship Applications For 2021

A number of Scholarships are available at the following Saint Kentigern schools:

• Girls’ School: For students currently in Year 6 at a New Zealand school, entering Year 7 in 2021

• Boys’ School: For students currently in Year 6 at a New Zealand school, entering Year 7 in 2021

• College: For girls and boys who are currently in Year 8 at a New Zealand school, entering Year 9 in 2021

To be considered for a Scholarship, applicants must be New Zealand citizens or hold New Zealand residency. All students applying for a Scholarship, regardless of the category, sit an academic entrance exam. For more information please visit saintkentigern.com

In addition, the Saint Kentigern Old Collegians’ Association funds scholarships to each campus which will be awarded to a recipient who is a child of an Old Collegian or has a family connection to an Old Collegian. Sons and daughters of Ministers of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand are admitted on special terms.

Bursaries are also available to secondary school students whose circumstances would otherwise not enable them to attend the College.

Scholarships to Saint Kentigern Boys’ School and Saint Kentigern Girls’ School

Scholarships cover a portion of the tuition fees for two years and are reviewed annually.

Boys’ School Applications close on Friday 6 March 2020.

All applicants must sit a test at the Girls’ School on Thursday 12 March 2020.

Girls’ School Applications close on Wednesday 4 March 2020. All applicants must sit a test at the Boys’ School on Wednesday 18 March 2020.

Phone:

Scholarships and Bursaries to Saint Kentigern College Scholarships cover a portion of the fees and are normally for five years, reviewed annually.

Applications for Academic, Performing Arts and Bursaries close on Friday 20 March 2020. All applicants must sit a test at the College on Thursday 9 April 2020. Scholarships cover a portion of the fees and are normally for five years, reviewed annually.

To apply for a Sports Scholarship, please email the Director of Sport on ask@saintkentigern.com

From the Chairman of the Trust Board

2019 has been an exciting and challenging year for Saint Kentigern and for the College in particular. At governance level, the Presbyterian characteristic of engaging in wide ranging debate has certainly been in evidence.

From the Chairman’s perspective, this has been a busy year for us all. As you will know we have been much more engaged with our Saint Kentigern community in the past 12 months than previously.

This year, the buildings focus has been on planning and design for our Primary Schools for what will be the largest building projects in our history. We are pleased that there has been much discussion with both parents, staff and students on these. Next year, we will turn our attention to the buildings at the College and we have a very exciting programme ahead for the next 10 years or so.

This year, we conducted the first parent survey for some years across all our schools. The survey provided us all with a high level of reassurance that the overall experience of our schools is very good. It was very pleasing to receive so much positive feedback. However, we are actioning plans that address those areas where we fell short of your expectations and will report to you on progress with these changes, school by school.

The role of the Head of Saint Kentigern, and the structure and leadership roles at the College, were closely analysed by the Board following two extensive reviews. This resulted in a renewed commitment by the Board to the concept of our Saint Kentigern schools working together. It reiterated our desire to provide a coherent pathway for students from age 3 to 18. It restated the desire that, while they work together, each school should retain their own distinct character.

the two roles of Principal of the Middle College and Principal of the Senior College were disestablished at the end of the 2019 academic year. Whilst Mr Duncan McQueen has chosen to stay on and take up the new role of Director of Campus Life and Special Character, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop has chosen to leave us at the end of the 2019. We give our thanks to Mrs Winthrop for all she has done for Saint Kentigern during her 18 years of service and leadership. We wish her the very best for her next leadership role.

You will also be aware that we commissioned a review of our sports programmes, appointing a panel largely made up of parents at the College to canvas widely, and report to us. With over 1500 students involved in 152 teams across 34 different codes, this has been a big undertaking. Most importantly, we wanted to review our approach to Sport against our Saint Kentigern values. We also wanted to ensure that we offer a very positive experience for ALL students – be it those who just want to have fun with their mates through to elite athletes who see it as a future career option. We have made some decisions, many of which will be far reaching,

We received the panel’s comprehensive report and considered it along with other perspectives and information to hand. We are working with our staff on the recommendations we have already decided to adopt, and also on areas which we feel need a bit more consideration.

On behalf of the Trust Board, thanks to all of those of you who have written letters, made submissions in the surveys and otherwise engaged with us. That is very much appreciated; it has been a great help and we are sure that Saint Kentigern will be enhanced as a result. I also must mention the tremendous support and continuing commitment to Saint Kentigern from all parents and their friends. We feel privileged to be able to serve all of you. Thank you.

The decision was made to return Saint Kentigern Senior College and Middle College to one entity – Saint Kentigern College. The 65-year tradition of one College will return and there will be a unified purpose and plan. The College will have a Principal, a Director of Campus Life and Special Character, four Deputy Principals, curriculum leaders, and senior administrators that all act across all levels of College life. The pastoral concept of Middle School and Senior School and the House systems that are central to this, will remain and will be strengthened. We are very pleased to welcome Mr Russell Brooke from ACG Parnell as the new College Principal from 2020.

With the return to a single College structure with a single Principal,

Now I must address the most important people – our students. Many of you are about to finish your last year with us at Saint Kentigern. One of our goals at Saint Kentigern is that our graduates will serve and lead with distinction. Leadership is a quality we all have a chance to demonstrate. Everyone has a chance to be a leader, even if it’s just taking responsibility for assisting someone in difficulty on the street or taking the initiative in the family context like taking responsibility for some of the household chores. You don’t have to be Prime Minister or Jeff Bezos of Amazon to show leadership and in many contexts your leadership can be with distinction. Think about it. I challenge you to continually be on the lookout for leadership opportunities.

This goal of ours also talks about serving and it introduces the concept of servant leadership which adds another dimension. Think about this too. Leadership is also about serving – two sides of the same coin so to speak. The Trust Board is here to serve the staff and together we serve our students and families and each other. The staff of Saint Kentigern are here to serve you, and you to serve them and each other. It puts our relationship in another light, doesn’t it?

Most of you will have done service in the wider community as part of your Saint Kentigern experience. I hope that when doing your service activity, you have thought of yourself as a servant; in fact, I suggest to you that life would be better for us all if we regarded every act of ours from the perspective of service. Think about what

Introducing the new Principal of Saint Kentigern College

would change. So I ask you. How have we done together, we serving you and you serving us? Will you, our students, go on to serve and lead with distinction within whatever community you find yourself in? Do you rate us an 8 or 9 out of 10, or something more modest? Our goal of continued service and leadership is consistent with the Christian faith at the heart of our Trust Deed. Our motto is ‘Keep the faith.’ I trust you have experienced here, something worthwhile keeping.

As I have said before, valuing broad learning is a key Presbyterian value. It’s also Presbyterian if while you have been here, you have personally tried to have a go at a range of subjects and activities in sport and performing arts, clubs, and service. We applaud all those students who have put in their best attempts.

Without the loyal and skilled teaching staff and management team we have, the Trust Board’s efforts and deliberations would be for nothing. And that goal for our students – going on to serve and lead with distinction, might well be compromised. We thank the staff team for another great year across all our educational endeavours. The results we celebrate are a sign of your success as well as our students’.

I must also thank my Trust Board colleagues for their outstanding support of this community during 2019. We are going to miss two of them – Alan Burton who retired at the May Annual General Meeting and Rev David Connor who will leave us in December. It’s been a busy year for us.

On behalf of the Trust Board to all of those graduating from Saint Kentigern, our very best wishes.

Fides Servanda Est

Dr John Kernohan Chairman of the Trust Board

Earlier this year, the Trust Board informed the Saint Kentigern community of their decision to return to a single College structure, with one Principal, from the start of 2020, moving away from the separate Middle College and Senior College model first introduced in 2017.

The Saint Kentigern Trust Board is very pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Russell Brooke as the new Principal of Saint Kentigern College.

Mr Brooke has been Principal of ACG Parnell College for the last three years and was the unanimous choice of the Trust Board. Chairman of the Board, Dr John Kernohan says, ‘Following an extensive selection process, we were delighted to appoint someone whose experience in education is so well-suited to leading the College today, and into the future.

‘Mr Brooke impressed the whole Board with his genuine alignment with our Saint Kentigern values. He has a proven commitment to creating a positive environment that allows all students to thrive and encourages excellence across all aspects of school life.’

In his former role, Mr Brooke led significant growth in the roll, presided over a leading academic record, and increased student participation across a wide range of cocurricular and sports activities. Prior to joining ACG, Mr Brooke was Associate Principal, then Principal of Long Bay College, where over 13 years, he established a reputation for outstanding educational leadership.

His earlier educational career was spent at St Peter’s College and Westlake Boys High. Mr Brooke held roles as teacher of Mathematics and IT, Head of Music and Director of Curriculum.

‘Joining the College represents a very special opportunity for me to lead a faith-based school of such very high standing,’ Mr Brooke says.

‘I have huge respect for Saint Kentigern’s history and its impressive record in academic achievement, performing arts and sport. I am very much looking forward to getting started.’

Mr Brooke holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland, a Diploma of Teaching and a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership. With personal strengths in mathematics and music (he once played trumpet in a Shirley Bassey concert tour), Mr Brooke’s educational ambition is driven by a love for what he calls ‘a school in its fullest sense.‘

‘This means all the elements that are already part of Saint Kentigern; morning sports training, chapel in the evening, music, all the events that go into a full school life. I look forward to being part of the success of a school where everybody wants to be, where as a student you get a good start in life, no matter who you are. That really fits with the Presbyterian tradition; it’s for everybody, a place where everyone can flourish.’

Mr Brooke has two children who, as young adults, are starting their careers and he is a huge admirer of the work of his wife, Michele, who is Head of the Special Education Unit at Takapuna Grammar School. As well as playing music, he uses his spare time to indulge a passion for yachting and restoring classic cars.

Mr Brooke will take up his role in early 2020. His priority will be to get to know the College well, while looking forward to being part of its ongoing evolution in a vibrant and modern context.

The Trust Board’s decision to return to one College was taken after long and careful consideration, following two rigorous reviews that both indicated that a single College was the right fit for our community.

The Trust Board is confident that Mr Brooke will provide robust and effective leadership for the College as it continues to build on the strong foundations and achievements of the past 67 years of Independent Education. We will look forward to welcoming him early next year.

Fides Servanda Est Dr John Kernohan Chairman of the Trust

From the Chaplain

Fishing

The other day I was talking with our Director of Sport, who assured me that over the Weekend, the fish were biting. Well, all I can say is that without a doubt, the best fishing experience in my tender years - and please note that this story is without any of the usual hyperbole that usually accompanies fishing stories - was way back in February 2008, when the then Headmaster, former Head of Sport and I braved the tumultuous, mountainous, raging, pitiless, chaotic seas on the far, far side of Waiheke, fairly near Chile, and came home with a haul of almost biblical proportions. Indeed, for a bit of a novice, it was the sort of fishing experience that whetted my appetite for more.

Well, just nine short months later, with the warmer weather coming on, I decided to get cracking. So, I talked to Mr Robinson, our Service Co-ordinator and an experienced fisherman, about rods and reels and things. And I talked to Mr Piaggi, because he’s the genuine article when it comes to all things fishy. I even pulled out my Jamie Oliver’s recipe book to sort out a few fish recipes, checked the lemon tree and purchased some tinfoil, for like a lot of things, and fishing is no exception, preparation is important. What else? A rod, hooks, sinkers, a bait board and net for landing the fish. Life was beautiful.

On Boxing Day, we headed to the winterless north. I moored the boat out the front of our little piece of paradise and settled in and thought about fishing. But you know what? I soon discovered that the conditions were never what you’d call optimum for fishing in the Christmas of 2008. You see, I’m not a morning person, so there was none of this getting up at 5.00am nonsense. And during the day it was too hot, and in the early evening I was on BBQ duty and, and, and…

bait in the freezer didn’t have a ‘best by’ date and before I knew it, it would be Christmas again.

Someone once said; ‘Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow,’ which, to be honest, isn’t flash advice. You see, procrastination is seldom ever a helpful thing to do. It just robs us of living now. Someone else said, ‘It’s the start that stops most people’ and it certainly stopped me. And in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, a wise man said; ‘If we wait for perfect conditions, we’ll never get anything done.’

Have you ever decided to get into something, so you purchased the gear, paid the subs, had some lessons, but never really followed through with it? Well, the good news is, it is seldom ever too late to try again.

At the end of John’s gospel there is another ‘fishing’ story. The resurrected Jesus had come to break bread and fish with his disciples and having done so, we are told that the person he spends most time talking to is Peter. What the story doesn’t mention, is that a few chapters earlier, just before Jesus was crucified, this very same Peter had denied knowing Jesus, not once but three times. And so, whatever else this story teaches us, it has to be a classic; ‘Let’s start again’ story. Over a feed of broken bread and fish, Jesus effectively says to Peter, ‘Let’s start again!’

So, as it happens, I never did get to go fishing that Christmas, but it didn’t matter because there was plenty of summer to come and anyway, I’d be able to talk to Mr Piaggi and Mr Robinson about their experiences and generally get a little more knowledgeable in preparation for my first big haul. But when Term 1, 2009 started, there was 1st XI Cricket and life got busy, but it was all good, because the

As for us, it doesn’t matter what’s gone before us in 2019, for the very essence of the Christian message is a continual invitation to start again. We get things wrong, we make mistakes, we squander opportunities and yet we are invited to turn around and to start again. The psalmist once said that life rushes us by and that it is ‘like the new grass of the morning, though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered…So God, teach us to number our days, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.’ In other words, God help us to live, to really live, to make the most of our days. Help us not to miss out on all that life has to offer because we’re always waiting for perfect conditions. Indeed, may we never be left thinking, ‘Why did I let my opportunities slip away?’

Fides Servanda Est

Reverend David Smith College Chaplain

It is easy for those of us who are privileged to turn a blind eye and pretend that there are not people within society who are less fortunate than ourselves, however, it is the duty of those of us who have the most to help those who have the least.

Sam Clarke, Year 13

The Last Word

With thanks to graduating Year 13 student, Sam Clarke

At Senior College assembly throughout the year, our Year 13 prefects take it in turns to give ‘The Last Word.’ These speeches are always well-written and well-delivered, giving us cause to stop and think. Sam Clarke gave his ‘Last Word’ at the Senior College Graduation Dinner to a gathering of 820 students, their parents, staff and special guests. It is our Vision that our graduates will go on to ‘Serve and Lead’ with distinction. Sam’s Last Word was a timely reminder about the importance Saint Kentigern places on being of service to others.

Have ever had to worry about whether you have clothes to put on your back?

Have you ever left school unsure of whether you will have a roof over your head for the night?

Have you ever had to worry about going hungry because you are not sure whether your family can afford to put a meal on the table?

Have you ever had to help your family or parents pay the bills?

Has your family have ever chosen not to take you to the doctor, when you need to, because they are unable to afford it?

It is easy for those of us who are privileged to turn a blind eye and pretend that there are not people within society who are less fortunate than ourselves, however, it is the duty of those of us who have the most to help those who have the least.

Roughly a quarter of children in New Zealand live below the poverty line. That is a quarter of the childhood population that we do not hear about, and apart from the occasional lunchtime service opportunity through the school, we have very little interaction with this group of people. It is easy to forget that these people exist and to ignore the daily struggles that they endure.

Most of us at Saint Kentigern are fortunate to have privilege and opportunities. This point is not to make you feel guilty about the opportunities you have been given in your life, but to remember to be grateful for them and more importantly to make the most of them.

We are products of our environments. All of us here have been fortunate enough, in the very least, to be schooled in an extremely positive environment where we have been given a head start in life that many children in New Zealand do not receive. For those who are raised in an environment where they face struggle every day and do not have the many opportunities and the privilege that we can so easily take for granted, it is much harder to get ahead in life. We must recognise that for those who do not receive a head start in life, it is not their fault and it is the obligation of people like us to help them.

I have been fortunate to grow up where everything I have needed is given to me. I have been fortunate enough to experience many different countries and cultures. Yet, the one thing that gave a feeling like no other was being able to give to other people. When I travelled to Vanuatu in July and experienced what it was like to give service to people who needed it the most, it opened my eyes to what service really meant and allowed me to appreciate all that we have back home that I had previously taken for granted.

For students graduating Saint Kentigern, it is my hope that this value the school teaches is not forgotten. At Saint Kentigern we have a strong value of service, and giving has been woven into the culture of our College. It is my hope that we all remember these values once we move on from our school lives. I hope that we can hold onto these values and continue to make the lives of those around us better through our own personal acts of service.

Contribution or service doesn’t have to be a huge donation to charity or giving up your life for a not-for-profit. Every small act can make a difference and so I would encourage everyone to contribute towards something that is bigger than yourselves and something outside of your own personal interest. I hope that everyone can go into the world and find a way to make a difference and make the very most of the privilege and opportunities we have all been given.

At Saint Kentigern we have a strong value of service, and giving has been woven into the culture of our College. It is my hope that we all remember these values once we move on from our school lives.

Sam Clarke, Year 13

Building Saint Kentigern

Masterplan Phase 1 Developments

During 2018, the Trust Board was pleased to confirm the Master Plan for significant development of new, purpose-built facilities, and enhancement of current facilities, on the Shore Road Campus and Pakuranga Campus.

Since the last issue of Piper, work has continued to progress on projects at both the Shore Road and Pakuranga Campuses, with work tracking well against expectations. With exciting plans ahead beginning to gather momentum, much of the work at this stage is about ‘enabling works’ –that is, the prior preparation in readiness for the ‘main projects’ to go ahead.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the Phase 1 Projects, please email masterplan@saintkentigern.com

Shore Road Campus

In anticipation of the construction of two new buildings on the Shore Road campus – the Specialist Facilities and the new Girls’ School – there has been a busy period of enabling works over the last few months.

During the October holidays, the Gate 1 entranceway was widened to accommodate future two-way entry and exit, with new entrance gates installed, retaining the historic look of the original entrance way. The driveway down to Roselle House has been widened and new pedestrian concrete pathways have been constructed. Work continued during the course of Term 4 and was completed on schedule.

With the arrival of six relocatable classrooms to create temporary teaching spaces during the construction period, building sites were fenced off below the tennis courts, around Roselle Lawn and at the

Junior School end of the top field. The Trees for Survival growing unit has been relocated to allow for two of these classrooms, which will be allocated to the Senior School. A further three classrooms on Roselle Lawn will accommodate students in Year 6 and one at the edge of the top field will house a Year 5 class. A toilet block has been put adjacent to the Roselle classrooms and decking and accessways have been created for all classrooms, and services installed. Students will move into these classrooms at the start of the new year.

Over the Christmas period, hoardings will be set up to fence off the part of the top field, extending around the construction site of the new buildings. Demolition work will begin in the summer break on the current Middle School, former library and staffroom in anticipation of this exciting new construction phase.

PAKURANGA CAMPUS

Chapel Renovation

The Chapel of Saint Kentigern has been the cornerstone of the Pakuranga campus since the 1970s. It has long been the place where the Saint Kentigern community comes together to explore the Christian values upon which the College is founded and celebrate special occasions. As well as regular Chapel services for our College students and their families, it is also a place of worship once each term for the students and families of both the Boys’ School and the Girls’ School.

Anyone driving up the Pakuranga Highway recently could not fail to notice this particular change on the Pakuranga Campus! Since the beginning of Term 4, the Chapel has been swathed in scaffolding as much needed renovation and upgrade work, to the both the interior and exterior of the iconic Chapel of Saint Kentigern, gets underway. For those who have had the chance to be escorted inside, it’s quite a sight to see the interior stripped back to the minimum!

Work is progressing according to plan and we look forward to welcoming the students back to regular Chapels at the start of 2020.

Extra Classrooms

There are long-term plans in place to develop new purpose-built teaching facilities on the Pakuranga campus to accommodate anticipated roll growth. The first stage arising from the Masterplan will be the addition of a new science and general classrooms building to be located adjacent to the current Science Centre and the Jack Paine Art and Technology Centre. This will provide a further 11 teaching spaces to allow for the growing focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) subjects.

To facilitate future development, four relocatable classrooms were delivered onto campus during the October holidays. Two have been installed in the vicinity of the Jack Paine Centre and a further two near the Science Block.

Bruce House Renovations

Our youngest male boarders, who are housed in the Bruce House Quad, will be delighted to discover that when they return at the start of 2020, their ablution and showering facilities will have had a makeover! With the bathrooms having originally been installed in 1959, the latest makeover will be well-received by the boys!

Developing Life-long Traits and Characteristics

During children’s early years, it is important to have quality opportunities for learning. As teachers, the influence we have on young lives is monumental and the importance of partnerships with families to help facilitate positive development of cognitive, social and self -regulation skills is crucial. As important as academic learning is - it is one partcultivating positive characteristics and traits in children are just as important. Preschool focuses on balancing these traits in each child and ensuring parents understand the importance this plays in their overall development. All children are capable of extraordinary things when we believe in them and they have the building blocks to succeed. These start with a base of consistency from the adults involved in their lives. Children watch and learn from us as role models and it is imperative that we demonstrate these traits.

Resilience - This is not something that children have or don’t have – but a skill they develop, it needs to be learnt, nurtured and actively encouraged. It is natural to protect children to make their life easier but teaching them how to handle problems, face challenges, teach problem-solving, whilst encouraging them to do their best to achieve - will ensure they develop competently. When children are resilient, they are braver, more curious, adaptable and able to reach out to the world.

Confidence – This is one of the greatest gifts we can give young children. Creating positive self-esteem helps children’s happiness and belief in themselves. Keeping the balance between giving them opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences without putting too high expectations on them is a key. Having self confidence in their own abilities and doing their best - whatever that ability is – is far more important than being compared to the level or expectation of others.

Social skills – Giving children opportunities to learn how to communicate with peers, build effective and reciprocal relationships, develop social interactions and appropriate skills helps as they grow. Socialisation is an imperative part of developing emotional qualities and regulation. It is important that they learn the skills of being

able to relate to other children of their age in a positive, reciprocal way – not just with adults.

Independence – Instilling independence and expectations for children is a characteristic when fostered at a young age and is a crucial part of their development. Children gain confidence, new skills and qualities of perseverance, concentration and self-help skills when independence is encouraged. Promoting children to have a healthy sense of independence is a key for raising a child to be independent, self-motivated, showing integral personal and social developmentwith support of their parents and teachers. A key focus at Preschool is fostering independence – where children gain the skills necessary for school and life.

Empathy – Raising children with empathy helps them develop better emotional intelligence. As they develop, this characteristic needs to be fostered. Caring for others, showing empathy and kindness to those around them – no matter what age, gender, socio-economic group or culture is imperative. Concern and care for people and animals helps create a sense of empathy, incorporating skills needed for a life-time – a key part of our Preschool programme.

Self-help skills – Young children are often underestimated in their abilities to do tasks or gain personal skills. From a young age, doing chores around the home develops skills for life – and although it takes longer (when adults are busy), it is important to give children opportunities to develop these. At Preschool, children are encouraged to dress themselves after swimming lessons (even if buttons are in the wrong hole and socks inside out), carry their own school bag in, tidy up after themselves, independently feed themselves, clear their plate off after meals and take it to the kitchen and self-select activities. These skills are learnt with regular practice, role modelling by teachers and peers with support, expectation and encouragement are achieved at Preschool. Once at home, these selfhelp skills need to be continued –if you expect them to do it, they will rise to the occasion.

Children need to know that there are adults in their lives who believe in them and love them unconditionally. As teachers and parents working together with the shared goals of achieving the best possible outcome for the children, we will ensure that the values, traits and characteristics are instilled in them from a young age – and a strong foundation will be created for life.

Fides Servanda Est

Mrs Sue Nash Preschool Director

Christmas Cheer

The Christmas season is an exciting time of the year for the Preschool, as the children look forward to performing some of their favourite Christmas carols at different events.

The preschoolers travelled to Epsom and Rawhiti Retirement Villages to entertain the residents and sing Christmas carols as part of learning how to serve others. At Rawhiti, the residents put on a Christmas balloon party with candy floss and even a special visit from Santa!

One of the highlights of Term 4 was the Girls’ School Carol Service held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The children were thrilled to be given the opportunity to perform in front of the large Girls’ School audience and sing the ‘Joy Song,’ which was a perfect fit for this year’s ‘Joy’ theme. Smiles of joy filled the Cathedral as the children performed the actions and sang at the top of their lungs.

The final Christmas event on the Preschool calendar was the Christmas Concert. The children took to the stage at the Girls’ School in front their parents, grandparents, friends and special guests. Again, the preschoolers performed several Christmas songs with great confidence, remembering all the words and actions! What a great way to finish and celebrate the year that has been.

Grandparents’ Day

Every year we have a tremendous turnout at our much-anticipated Grandparents’ Day - this year was no exception! Grandparents streamed through the Preschool gates to be greeted by the preschoolers who were eager to show them around.

The morning was full of smiles and hugs as the children spent time with their loved ones reading stories, creating art and playing learning games.

To wrap up the morning, the preschoolers performed their favourite songs and gifted their grandparents with a poem which they had crafted.

Learning Through Baking

Learning to bake and cook meals is an important part of a child’s learning and development, as it helps to build basic maths concepts, language skills and helps the children to gain positive social interactions with their peers. It also helps build self-confidence, collaboration skills and teaches the children how to share and work as a team, as well as helping to lay a foundation for healthy eating and an interest in food. It takes a bit of preparation ensuring everything is ready before the children start, especially making sure they have clean hands every step of the way.

From the maths and language concepts of measuring, weighing, adding ingredients, following a recipe with visual and verbal instructions, to exploring their senses through smell, taste and sight, and not to mention, eating the finished product, the children got to experience and enjoy it all!

Nurturing Ducklings

Research shows that from an early age, a child develops empathy through interaction with animals. At the Preschool, we introduce the children to as many animals as possible to help them learn how to care for, nurture and connect with the natural world.

One example this year was the arrival of four ducklings – which the children were ecstatic about. Abandoned by their mother duck, Sue’s Mum, Marj thought it would a great idea for the children to foster them –and what a great idea that was, the children loved it!

The children spent time every week cleaning out their enclosure, taking them for swims and making sure they had enough food. After three weeks, the children took the ducklings back to their home in Kumeu.

It’s All a Buzz

September is New Zealand Bee month and every year we ensure that the children learn about the important role that bees play in our ecosystem. This year, apiarists visited in their suits, an international ‘honey judge’ came to talk to us, and the children made beeswax candles and discovered how bees make honey. Alongside this, the children created bee art, built beehives with blocks, visited the garden centre to buy bee-friendly plants for our bee garden and played language and maths bee games. The highlight this year was receiving our own beehive where we look after rescue bees from ‘Bees up Top’. All areas of the Preschool curriculum were covered in this project –science, maths, language and books, art, social science and the living world. What a fabulous learning experience!

Sharing our Learning Portfolios

The Preschool programme is constantly evolving – this is evident by not only taking a walk around the preschool and looking at the walls, but by opening a child’s learning portfolio.

These portfolios are a highlight for the families and extended families to enjoy and are even more loved by the children themselves. The children regularly sit and look through their folders, both individually and with their friends. The excitement and joy shown on their faces as they recall past events, share their experiences and revisit what they learned or enjoyed, is what makes these portfolios such a vital part of Preschool.

The photos taken or stories written and used in their learning stories, magic moments and events throughout the year, capture the fun and endless opportunities that our Preschools programme has to offer. Each term, the children have a large collection of new pages to include, with a careful balance between documenting their learning, developmental skills, social interactions with peers, Preschool events, parental aspirations and their interests.

As the children leave and take their portfolios home, the inclusion of their Transition to School Programme is added, leaving many children excited to share it with their new teachers!

Off to School We Go

Our Transition to School Programme ensures a seamless move from Preschool to Primary School. The children start with regular visits to either the Boys’ School or Girls’ School the term before they are due to start - meeting their new teachers and friends! Being involved in and visiting all areas of the school helps the children to gain an understanding of how school works, and makes them feel a lot more comfortable.

The children bring a packed lunchbox once a week during the term and sit together and learn about opening their packages and choosing their food to eat. This is a great learning curve and gives them the self-help skills necessary for independence at school.

Since the Preschool opened, our Transition Programme has been appreciated and valued by not only the children and their families but also the staff at the Boys’ School and Girls’ School, as they know the Preschool children are ready to start the next part of their learning journey. With more than 250 boys and girls who have started at our Saint Kentigern schools since we opened, the Transition Programme continues to be an integral part of Preschool in setting the children up for further success once at school.

How do you Measure Success?

With the 2019 School year ending, it is important that I take time to reflect on all that has been achieved or undertaken by boys, staff, parents and our wider community, to gauge how successful we have been.

It is easy to compare those activities where you can see a win-loss ratio for teams, or see individual successes in the many sporting, academic or cultural opportunities our boys face each year, but is that really the true measure of a successful year? Yes, we are incredibly proud of our achievements, and it is important that we acknowledge the efforts of the boys, but it is just as important to recognise those boys who didn’t quite make the podium, but gave of their very best. Without them competing or taking part, you don’t have a competition.

One of the greatest American Basketball coaches, Coach John Wooden, known for his inspirational messages, defined success as follows, ‘Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best, to become the best that you are capable of becoming.’ Success is therefore an attitude! I couldn’t agree more!

At each admissions interview, my final question is always, ‘What do you think I want or expect from you when you join our School?’ The answers I get are all on the right track –‘To live our values,’ ‘To work hard,’ ‘To make mistakes,’ ‘To try new things,’ ‘To be involved in service’ … and so on. While I agree with each of those responses, I then let them know that my answer is very simple, ‘Be the best you can be in everything you do! If you do, then your time at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School will be incredibly successful.’ Pele said, ‘Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.’

What is your success? What has been the most significant memory in your life? Take some time to think about these questions as this will help you understand what success means to you and how it made you feel. Everybody should be able to experience that feeling on numerous occasions.

A successful school year to me is seeing our boys grow and develop into fine young men, who know right from wrong, who are prepared to live our

values, who are not afraid to stand up for what is right, who know what it means to be of service to others and who treat everyone with respect. This Utopian idea of success is a journey that we undertake each year, and while there are cases where reminders may be needed, the message invariably does get through. I am incredibly proud of our boys and when I personally witness our values coming to the fore or hear from members of the public of the good things our boys are doing, we know we are on the right track.

• To see the boy who now gets out of the car at the expressway, bright-eyed and excited about the day ahead is success, as it wasn’t like that when he first started.

• To see boys, approach an adult who has come into the school grounds to offer them assistance, is success.

• To see boys showing true sportsmanship when playing their sport against others, is success.

• To witness a boy in mathematics go from the child who had no self-belief or confidence come into class excited and ready to learn, is success.

• To see our senior boys, take on levels of responsibility, service and leadership that you wouldn’t expect from students of this age, is success.

• Where a parent has a relationship with their children so that they feel they can talk about their worries or concerns, is success.

• Where a child owns up to their wrongdoings without apportioning blame to others, is success.

• Where a community can work together to produce an amazing, funfilled fireworks display that entertains 2000+, is success.

• Where parents and sons work together in acts of service that makes a difference, is success.

• Success is being yourself!

2019 has certainly been a successful year. Thank you for the part that you played.

‘However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.’

Stephen Hawking

Let’s look forward to 2020 and the opportunities that will be presented.

Boys’ School Graduation Dinner

‘You are on the last leg of your Boys’ School journey and will soon become part of our School’s history and a true son of Kentigern. The friends you have made here, will be friends for life.’

Mr Peter Cassie, Principal

With the Year 8 boys’ time at the Boys’ School drawing to a close, 135 boys, their parents, staff, Trust Board members and invited guests gathered at Eden Park Function Centre, to reflect back on the boys’ last eight years of friendship and learning, as they prepare to move on to the next stage in their education.

Senior School Dean, Mr Richard Kirk, opened the formalities saying that the boys could be proud of themselves for the contribution they have made to the life of the School, particularly this year, when so many have stepped up to show leadership. He kept the boys and their parents laughing as he compared their characters to chocolates in a box of ‘Favourites.’ The boys reflected that it was probably a good thing to be a ‘Crunchie’ or a ‘Caramello’ but maybe not a ‘Flake!’ As the boys move on in life, Mr Kirk said to be kind and act responsibly. ‘You have been exposed to a key set of values that I hope has set your moral compass for the next stage in life.’

This year’s special after-dinner guest is no stranger to Saint Kentigern! Ben Horne joined the Boys’ School at Year 7 in 2005 and quickly made his mark, going on to be selected as Head Boy the following year, a remarkable achievement. Ben went on to pursue his love of cricket and is now a regular member of the Auckland Aces

Cricket Team as their wicketkeeper/batsman. As a youngster, he was noted for his trademark quick wit, a trait that is clearly still with him. He, too, kept the dinner guests laughing as he recounted his school days, with some subtle, good humoured digs in Mr Aspinall’s direction! He left the boys with four key messages: 1) Try as many things as you can. 2) Look after your mates. 3) Don’t be an idiot. And arguably the most important …4) Keep your mum happy! It’s better to have her batting in your corner than on the other side!

As our boys prepare for their next adventure, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie raised a toast to Year 8, thanking both the boys and parents for their ‘amazing contribution’ to the School. He gave special acknowledgement to those families who have had two or more sons graduate over the years and those who have had ‘generational’ involvement. Of particular note is the Adams family. Charles now graduates, following in the footsteps of both his father, Tim and grandfather, David who was a Foundation pupil.

In his final ‘words of wisdom’, Mr Cassie quoted Einstein saying, ‘Try not to become a man of success. Rather a man of value.’ The evening finally concluded with one last Haka from the boys, led by Sam McLeod.

A Humble Crumble Christmas

As we enter the season of Christmas trees, carols, gifts and treats, at a time of year when there always seems to be so much ‘busyness’ in our lives, it’s always a joy to stop for an evening, to sit quietly in the splendour of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and enjoy time with our boys, their teachers and families, as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

In time honoured tradition, the joy of Christmas and the re-telling of the birth of Christ was ushered in with an evening of song and worship at the Boys’ School Carol Service at the end of term. As families gathered, the jazz band played a medley befitting the season –and the congregation sat and wondered what scenario Chaplain, Reverend Reuben Hardie might have concocted for his Christmas message this year!

The service opened with the clear, high voice of Year 8 student, Charles Adams singing the first verse of 'Once in Royal David’s City' from a balcony high above the congregation, leading them to join in the first of the carols.

After Reverend Ivica Garcia welcomed all to the Cathedral, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie reiterated the words of welcome. Mr Cassie said that the Carol Service is undoubtedly his highlight of the School year. He said, ‘It brings our community together; it is a wonderful opportunity to hear our Performers’ Choir singing in a Cathedral; we are able to give thanks to our Year 8 graduates for all they have contributed and wish them well as they prepare to leave. And most importantly, we are inspired by Reverend Hardie as his message will challenge us to remember the real purpose of Christmas.’

Each year, the staff also join as one to present a carol. This year they sang, ‘We Three Kings’ which segued nicely to Reverend Hardie’s message. The carol speaks of three kings from the Orient following a bright star to bring gifts to the King of Kings, the new-born babe of Mary. How might a King of Kings look? And so Reverend Hardie called on Year 3 student, Maddox Bedford to come forward and don the royal robe of a king, and adding a sceptre, a crown and a little bling, while calling for choir, a throne and a footstool – the latter in the guise of Year 6 boy, George McGuiness! With a crown on his head, this is what the three Kings may have expected to find, for in those days, success was measured by power and wealth. And yet, Jesus wasn’t the King of Kings in the way our world expected him, and herein lies the essence of Christmas, for the King of Kings was born in a stable to humble parents and spent his first night lying in a manger. The beauty and wonder of Christmas is that a humble boy named Jesus transformed our world forever through his compassion, through his confidence in God and his amazing humility.

Reverend Hardie told the boys that at Christmas, we can get caught up in extravagance and expense, complicated Christmas plans and tricky recipes - but maybe we need to dial that back. Instead of robes and a crown and fussy food, Rev Hardie served up Mrs Pilkington’s classic humble crumble. The crumble serves as a reminder that the story of Christmas points us to one of the values we place great importance on at our school - the value of humility.

The accomplished Performers’ Choir were the first school group to sing, delivering ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ beautifully, leading the way for Head Boy, Will Ormond and his mother, Josephine Forsman to take the first readings. Next it was time for the Junior boys to turn and face the congregation to sing the lively, ‘C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S!’ There were a few wide eyes when they saw the extent of their audience, but they soon slipped into the rhythm of their carol, with beaming smiles as some spotted their parents!

Deputy Head Boy, Charlie Dickinson took the third reading, leading to former student, Paddy Leishman being invited to sing, ‘O Holy Night.’ Paddy started in Year 1 in 1999 and is well remembered for his singing. He has recently returned to the School as a Gappy.

We farewell two staff this year who have showed tremendous service to our school – Carolyn Williams has served for 12 years and Gaye Pilkington for 30 years. They were invited to read the final lessons.

The Middle School Choir were next to perform singing ‘Christmas Hallelujah,’ the classic Leonard Cohen number reworded for the season, with small groupings bravely stepping forward to take turns as the leads.

As we reflected on the night that Jesus was born, Paddy Leishman returned to sing the opening verse of ‘Silent Night,’ before the congregation joined in.

As the service came to an end, Chapel Prefect, Cayden Lin-Vaile led the Prayer of Saint Kentigern. The final moments of the Carol Service is always 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, Will and Jamie led their peers from the cathedral, marking the start of a new chapter in their lives.

We are incredibly proud of our young men. As they leave our school, we hope and pray that they will always know that they belong – that they will always be sons of Kentigern.

‘Go with confidence and humility

May you know

God’s love all around you

God’s peace in your heart

God’s wisdom to guide you

God’s strength each day’

Sharing Good Cheer

The spirit of Christmas lies in bringing families together, the giving of gifts and sharing of food as we remember the birth of Christ. During Term 4, our Boys’ School families collected goods class by class to create a number of large hampers, and a mufti day was also held to raise money to buy meat packs.

Over the last eight years, the Boys’ School has forged a special relationship with Wymondley Road School in Otara and it’s always a pleasure to visit and be welcomed their students and staff. The boys nominated to receive the Christian Living Award travelled to Otara to hand over the donations and share in a special assembly in the final week of term. We thank Wymondley for welcoming us into their school and for the friendship we have forged. We hope the baskets bring good cheer at Christmastime!

Thank You Mrs Pilkington

At the end of 2019, we farewelled Mrs Gaye Pilkington after 29 years of loyal service to the Boys’ School. Gaye joined the staff in late 1990 as a part time teacher before taking on the role of Christian Education teacher two years later. Later, she took on a Learning Support role that she continued until retirement, helping countless boys who needed a little extra help. It is for her role as Value Co-ordinator that Gaye will be mostly remembered. Working with a team of parents, Gaye was instrumental in the introduction of the core values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Love, initially for the Boys’ School but later adopted by the wider organisation.

We wish Gaye all the best for her retirement years and thank her for her many years of service – a true servant of Kentigern. Thank you Gaye!

Boys’ School Prizegiving

At the very last Boys’ School event of the year, piper, Charles Adams had the honour of leading the procession of staff and invited guests into the Prizegiving ceremony. 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 and to recognise those who have made a notable contribution to service and citizenship.

Following the address by Chairman of the Trust Board, Dr John Kernohan, the Music, Speech and Cultural Awards were presented by Mrs Rosemary Harris, Deputy Chair of the Trust Board. The Sports Awards were presented by Old Boy No 20, Mr Peter Nelson.

Head of Saint Kentigern, Mr David Hodge gave his address before the presentation of the Junior School awards by Mrs Julie Rand, who leaves her admissions role this year.

The Middle School Awards were presented by Mrs Carolyn Williams, who is retiring from teaching, and the Senior Awards by Mr Hodge. Retiring after 30 years of service to the Boys’ School, the Christian Living Awards were presented by Mrs Gaye Pilkington. We sincerely thank all our presenters for their time and their constant support of the Boys’ School.

Prior to the Senior Awards, Principal, Mr Peter Cassie made his address, asking the question, ‘How do we measure success?’ He said, ‘It is easy to compare those activities where you can see a win loss ratio for teams or see individual successes in the many sporting,

DUX

Luca Toner

Luca Toner has had an outstanding year, striving for excellence in all areas of the curriculum during his time at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School. This year his combined year and examination results were: English 93%, Maths 94%, Social Science 94%, and Science 93%. This was a total 374 with an average of 93.5. Luca has been a highly diligent, motivated and conscientious young man and is a worthy recipient of the Foundation Pupil Cup for Dux. He also achieved exceptional results in the ICAS Assessments scoring High Distinctions and Distinctions.

academic or cultural opportunities our boys face each year, but is that really the true measure of a successful year?’ Mr Cassie went on to explain that for him, a successful school year is one where he can see boys grow and develop into into fine young men who know right from wrong, who are prepared to live our values, who are not afraid to stand up for what is right, who know what it means to be of service to others and who treat everyone with respect.

The final awards of the morning, the ‘Special Awards,’ were presented by Dr Kernohan and Mr Cassie before graduating Head Boy, William Ormond made his final Valedictory Speech. He was joined by his Deputy, Charlie Dickinson, to hand the mantel of leadership to the new Head Prefects for 2020, Head Boy, James Hiddleston and Deputy Head Boy, Louis Spillane.

In their final act as students of the Boys’ School, the Year 8 boys joined the official party as they filed out of the Sports Centre. Congratulations to all of the boys who received awards and we wish our Year 8s well as they move on to secondary school.

Proxime Accessit Thomas Hageman

The Jubilee Cup for Proxime Accessit is awarded to Thomas Hageman, who is a deserving, hard-working recipient. Thomas’ combined year and examination results were English 92%, Maths 92%, Social Science 92%, Science 89%. This was a total of 365 with an average of 91.25%. Thomas is an outstanding student who has participated in academic, cultural as well as many sporting activities. He is an outstanding speaker and competed in the Senior School Speech competition. He is also a very talented photographer. Thomas is the Academic Prefect and has certainly carried out his academic duties diligently.

Senior Sportsman of the Year

Ashan Weerasinghe

The Ross Perry Cup for Senior Sportsman of the Year goes to Ashan Weerasinghe, who has represented the School at the highest level in many sporting codes: 1st Rugby & 1st Cricket Teams, Eastern Zone Athletics, Eastern Zone Cross County, Interzone Athletics, Interzone Cross Country, Senior School Athletics Champion. Ashan completes eight years of education at the Boys’ School. Appointed as Hamilton House Prefect in his final year, he has been an outstanding young man whose contribution and leadership in 2018 caps off his time at the Boys’ School in fine style.

Three National ICAS Medals Awarded

Two Boys’ School students, Oliver Mar in Year 3 and Eason Liu in Year 4 clearly know their sums – and Eason is a whizz at science too! Both boys were very proud to hear that they will be awarded ICAS medals at a special ceremony to be held at The University of Auckland in December, for achieving the top score in the country for their year group in the New Zealand and Pacific International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS).

Oliver will receive an ICAS medal for his top mark in New Zealand for Year 3 mathematics and Eason will receive a medal for the top marks in the country for both mathematics and science in Year 4!

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

Earlier in the year, a number of our students from each of our Saint Kentigern schools were entered in ICAS in a range of subjects with many gaining Distinction and High Distinction. Almost 100,000 students sit these tests world-wide, so it is an amazing achievement to be awarded national medals for top marks in the country!

Congratulations to Oliver and Eason on their outstanding academic success!

Senior Citizenship Cup Cayden Lin-Vaile

Rex Hooton Cup for School Spirit Sam McLeod

Saint Kentigern Poole Cup Max Trankels

Joel Campbell Memorial Trophy Mark Galloway

Knox Family Lion Heart Award James Crosbie

Brian Matthews’ Citizenship Cup Adrian Chan

Middle School Sportsman Max Trankels

Remuera Lions’ Citizenship Josh Motion

Remuera Lions’ Citizenship Charlie Astwick

Vanuatu –

A Humbling Experience

With thanks to student reporters, Charlie Astwick and Finn Watney Agroup of Boys’ School students travelled to Vanuatu for the second year running to offer service to those in need. After building strong relationships and enjoying the overall experience last year, a new group Year 8 students, including Saint Kentigern staff, Girls’ School students and parents, packed their bags and flew over during the holidays.

Split over two weeks, the boys rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into building and painting projects at Etas Presbyterian School and Macses Presbyterian School in Port Vila. The students also installed playgrounds donated by Auckland City Council and painted their classrooms.

The team installed three outdoor tables and chairs at the main Presbyterian church and renovated three apartments at Sutherland House - a residence operated by the Presbyterian Church for international mission and service workers.

Recent Presbyterian Church Global Mission Workers, Neville and Gloria Jones, also travelled with the group to help facilitate the service trip. The team worked tirelessly to achieve their goals and it

was an incredible feeling for the group watching the children enjoy their new playgrounds once completed. It was even more rewarding to see the way our students interacted with the local children - the laughter, learning and new relationships forged will be cherished by our students and our parents for a long time to come.

As expected, our students were fully engaged, whether it was mixing cement, painting, playing sport with the local students or reading in their classes. It is these connections and friendships made between our students and the students of Vanuatu which makes these trips so special.

Our thanks to the staff and parent helpers who made the trip possible and to the Saint Kentigern community for their generosity in donating over the past 6 months. We also thank Kerry Logistics who sponsored the 40-foot container to transport the donated goods to Vanuatu, and Stacy Colyer from GreensceneNZ who led the playground initiative. Your contribution helped make a difference to the communities we support, and they were truly thankful.

Year 8 boys reported on their experience:

Charlie Astwick : Reflecting on the trip, I feel like we improved the quality of life for so many people whilst we were over there, whether it was the playground at Etas, painting Sutherland House or just being there with the kids. I think that this trip has made me find my love for helping others - I feel like I learned this about myself because of the smiles we put on faces, the way they would run up to us when we arrived, or the way that I felt every night when I reflected on the day. The feeling in the evening was incredible. I would lie in bed staring at the roof thinking about the ways that I made a difference and how I would change their lives again tomorrow. The type of work like digging holes, painting and assembling playgrounds never seemed to get boring and I think it was because if you just turned around, you would see these children who were so excited for their new playground. This trip was also very good for team building as we got to work together a lot and were always giving encouragement. I also loved the bonding with my dad, I enjoyed the time we spent one on one, whether it was helping to assemble one of the playgrounds or just in the morning waking up to breakfast together. Overall, I really enjoyed my time and I am so proud of what our group achieved together.

Open for Play

It was an exciting morning for our Junior School boys when the first phase of their new playground, located by the swimming pool, officially opened for play. Principal, Mr Peter Cassie joined the boys as Kane Clarke (Year 3) and Kian Forrest (Year 0) cut the ribbon - before being the first students to test the two new basket swings and a slide! Several excited students followed in their footsteps, as the others patiently waited for their turn. The slide is not for the faint-hearted – it runs the length of the hillside!

The new playground is being built in two phases after a great deal of ‘consultation’ with the students about the design. They also created a set of safety rules for all to follow. Phase two of the playground will be built during the summer holidays.

Historically the first Boys’ School playground was made from wood and later metal. Today, the playgrounds are predominately made from rotational-moulded plastic, which has been proven to be the safer option for the children. Besides the fun aspect of the new playground, the students are also gaining beneficial life skills while playing on the equipment. The basket swings are designed to help build on a child’s social skills and to positively help with their balancing skills and posture, whilst the slides encourage both confidence and exploration, which is important in a child’s development.

The boys had a great morning and fun was had by all as they each took turns testing out their new playground!

Finn Watney: ‘Halo, nem blong mi, Finn.’ That was how I introduced myself to the kind-hearted people of Vanuatu. I was lucky enough to be on the second service trip which was filled with memories and incredible experiences. I specifically remember handing out clothes in the village. Everyone was so grateful. I recall a little girl running back to her corrugated iron hut holding a grey polo top for her father. This warmed my heart and reminded me of how lucky we are. I also remember when I was working at Sutherland House, a small building with four apartments used for locals and service groups passing through, there was a young boy living in the room below where we were working. I think back to him always trying to help us paint the walls or wash the stairs. He was always working even when nobody asked him to. It made me think about always doing my best. I kept this in mind for the rest of the trip. We did a lot of work there, for instance, digging through endless coral, sanding the floors and mixing the concrete for the playground equipment. This was tiring and I was happy to see my pillow at the end of the day! The children we met were unforgettable. When we finished the playgrounds, I loved the way they sprinted up the playground steps and dived onto the swings and flew down the slides. Overall, the trip to Vanuatu was humbling and completely life changing.

Sharing Learning, Sharing Knowledge

Year 6 Inquiry Exhibition

Each year, the boys in Year 6 are presented with a unique opportunity - to undertake a significant and lengthy inquiry over the course of a term and then exhibit their learning journey for the wider school community in the form of an exhibition. Not only is their finished work put on display, but the boys are also on hand over three sessions to answer questions from visitors about the process behind their inquiry and what they learnt as a consequence.

With the broad theme ‘How the World Works,’ the boys were encouraged to consider the following:

• The natural world and its laws

• The interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies

• How humans use their understanding of scientific principles

• The impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment

This was a cross curricular inquiry with links not just to social science but English and mathematics as well. The boys worked in small groups of up to four to brainstorm which path their own inquiry would take. Firstly, they picked an overall line of inquiry and from that each planned their own personal exploration within their chosen subject – these ideas were many and varied.

The boys were required to explore multiple perspectives, including going beyond the school gates to talk to experts in the wider community,

and conducting all the organisation and safety information for this to take place. Some boys arranged fantastic opportunities to talk to key people, including scientists and business leaders, to gain a deeper understanding of their chosen line of enquiry. As the projects got underway, they kept log books that recorded all their work and in the final stages, worked out how best to present their findings to engage an invited audience.

There was another very important aspect to their learning. This was a truly collaborative project and the boys learnt that collaboration is not always easy! This required a fair sharing of the workload and understanding that sometimes you have to agree to disagree when deciding on outcomes. These are vital workplace skills.

The parents were invited to visit the exhibition to view the boys’ displays and seek a deeper understanding of the different topics from the boys themselves. The boys were adept at articulating their learning and were also keen to comment on the step by step processes they had learned from the organisations they had spoken to, and the relevance of applying the same thinking to their own learning.

In a frequently changing world, understanding how to inquire, how to sift through ideas to make informed decisions and developing the ability to collaborate with others to present joint findings are all part of a valuable journey that these boys are just beginning to discover.

Literacy Circles

With thanks to Jarred Wilson, Middle School Dean

In the Middle School, our boys in Years 4-6 start the move from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ as they develop their ability to engage deeply with a text. This involves going beyond the literal and looking for hidden meaning, as well as questioning an author’s perspective and purpose.

In Year 5, one of our most engaging English units is always our ‘Literacy Circles.’ This is a student-centred, collaborative approach to reading and derives from, but goes above and beyond, a classic ‘novel study.’

In our Literacy Circles unit, boys work together in groups of up to six, with each group member having a copy of an appropriately levelled group novel. Each week, boys are assigned a specific group role, which is different to their fellow group members, and is based on a common reading comprehension strategy. These group roles, alongside the reading comprehension strategies are:

The Predictor

Predicting what comes next in a text requires the boys to think about what they have understood to that point. This goes beyond the plot and requires boys to think about what they know about characters and their motives. In this activity, boys have to make sensible predictions about ‘what could happen next’ and provide evidence to support their thinking.

The Interrogator

In this activity, boys need to come up with a range of questions based on their chapter that they could ask their peers during the group discussion. They use De Bono’s Thinking Hats to think widely and ask questions about the text based on facts, feelings, positives, negatives and creativity.

The Wordsmith

Vocabulary Development is important as boys begin to read more complex texts. This activity requires the boys to find the meaning of unknown or interesting words and to find synonyms that could take their place.

The Summariser

Summarising a text requires the reader to determine the main points and those that are less important. In this activity boys provide a summary of their text selection, which would often be read aloud at the beginning of the group discussion.

The Character Detective

Inferencing is a skill that when mastered, allows a reader to connect on a much deeper level with the texts they read. In this activity, boys list character traits of the main characters in their novels and provide evidence for their decisions, using quotes from the text to illustrate their ability to ‘read between the lines’.

The Connector

Making connections between what happens in a story and the boys’ own experiences helps them to feel a personal connection to the text and aid their understanding and empathy within a novel. Relating characters’ experiences to their own, helps our boys to put themselves in the shoes of their characters and helps to form a deeper connection with their text. In this activity, boys had to make links between events in the text and their own experiences.

The Illustrator

Visualising scenes and characters in a story helps the boys to ‘live the world of a novel.’ In this activity, boys are required to choose and illustrate a scene from their novel. This requires them to look closely for descriptions made by the author and to think deeply about how to ‘fill in the blanks’ based on their understanding of the themes of the novel.

In addition to the weekly tasks, boys are also able to extend themselves with E4E (Extra for Experts) tasks. These are designed to challenge the boys further within each reading comprehension strategy. Whether that is making text-to-text or text-to-world connections in the Connector activity, or creating a ‘Wanted’ poster as an extension of the Character Detective activity, these extra challenges provide extension for those boys who needed it and also added a level of competition - which we know boys love!

Each week culminates with a Literacy Circles discussion, where boys engage in rich discussion about their text. With one boy appointed that week’s ‘Discussion Director’ each boy is given the opportunity to share their weekly reading comprehension task, and to discuss the chapter selection for that week. These discussions go beyond the plot, as boys engage in critical reflection while they read, discuss and respond to their novel. Assigning roles to each member of the ‘Circle’ means that each student has the opportunity to voice what he has learnt in a small informal setting.

These discussions give our boys the opportunity to reshape their thinking and make meaning from other boys’ perspectives which makes for a deeper understanding of the text. The boys also just love sharing their work with their peers and receiving feedback and feedforward on their completed work.

From Monet to McCahon

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 live, have lived and what they value. With this in mind, the boys have been exploring the many and varied styles of art 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 have come to understand that the making, creating and appreiating of art is a personal experience.

To support their unit of study, the boys embarked on an enriching experience at Auckland Art Gallery, exploring the theme of personal storytelling through artwork, with a special focus on the work of Colin McCahon, a current major exhibition. The programme was split into three sessions with each group taking part in gallery session with an educator, a studio art lesson and a self-guided gallery tour to view the wider works. During each activity, staff, parents and the gallery educators discussed with the boys some of the diverse ways that artists create art to tell their personal story. Colin McCahon is widely recognised as New Zealand’s foremost painter. Over 45 years, his work encompassed many themes, subjects and styles, from landscape and figuration, to abstraction and his iconic use of painted text. With the gallery educators, the boys took a close look at the McCahon’s ‘Landscape themes and variations’ and then, in complete contrast, viewed an abstract work, ‘FrenchBayDarkly’ by John Reynolds – an aerial perspective ‘mental mapping’ that imagines McCahon’s journey and emotions on a day he went missing in Sydney in 1984. The contrasting themes and style of work prompted plenty of discussion amongst the boys.

In the practical art session, the boys were encouraged to think about ‘their’ Auckland – what it is about the city that’s important to them personally. It was also suggested that they think of a letter or word that could be incorporated into their work. Using a template, they were first challenged to put down their ideas and discuss them with a friend before embarking on an artwork in a medium of their choosing. From watercolour, to pastel, pens, brightly coloured dyes and cut collage, their works were very individual and told a personal story!

The gallery visit encouraged the boys’ curiosity, awareness and understanding in the arts, helping develop critical thinking skills that are transferrable to other learning environments. Interaction with the art works opened opportunities for discussion, enabling the students to articulate and share their own artistic insights with enthusiasm and confidence. The visit certainly fired up the imagination and the boys are now keen to put their learning into further practice back at school!

Our sincere thanks to the parents who accompanied the boys to the gallery. As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Art on Display

With thanks to art teacher, Mrs Betsie Warner

The 2019 Auckland Intermediate Schools’ Art Exhibition was once again held at Silo Park in Wynyard Quarter, Downtown Auckland. The amazing space inside the old cement silos gave the opportunity for our boys to show off their artistic skills in a truly amazing venue. This year, the selected thirteen boys represented the School with works ranging from fused glass platters to laser cut sculptures.

In Year 8 this year, they have been working in two distinct groups. One group has been learning about different styles of print making and the other group about how to design and create wooden sculptures utilising the laser cutter.

The printing module included two types of printing, utilising the mediums of foam and wood. The skills of photography, design, sketching, template creation, wood carving and printing using ink were developed.

In laser cut sculptures, the process was simple. It involved designing and cutting out black paper templates, ready for the laser cutter. These were scanned and then the laser cuts out the exact shape they have created. This process allows the boys to express their own ideas by researching and then creating works that displayed their own creativity and ideas.

The Year 7 Boys studied glass fusing and how to create mosaic pictures using cut glass. They created designs of their own choice by making a template then cutting the glass to create their picture. The glass was glued onto a base then fired twice in the kiln - the first to fuse the glass together and the second to slump it in a mould to form a usable dish.

The Exhibition opening saw an enthusiastic crowd welcomed, with a positive response for the boys’ work. Well done to those boys in Years 7 and 8 whose work was selected for display.

Year 3 Camp All Go

After last year’s unseasonal cold snap and rain thwarted plans for the first Year 3 boys’ overnight camp, there was a huge sigh of relief this term when the sun shone down, giving the all clear to go ahead!

In the past, the boys in Year 3 experienced their first ‘school night’ away from home at the former Zoo Snooze programme at Auckland Zoo. No longer on offer, the Junior School staff devised a new and challenging programme last year, to give the Year 3 boys a taste of school camps to come, making the most of our own amazing ‘school camp ground’ and the natural facilities around campus – but sadly, last year, the sleepover was not to be.

This year, with all the elements in our favour, the boys arrived at school, not only with their school bags, but also sleeping bags and PJs for a night away from home – a first for many! The timetable was suspended and using the outdoor expertise of Todd Dorset (brother of staff member, Kurt), the Year 3 boys enjoyed two fantastic days of outdoor activity! It’s fair to say that the boys were quickly engaged in a variety of action- packed activities, and ‘quiet times’ in ‘quiet places,’ by rotation.

The most essential equipment was a tent for the night and as they unpacked the tents, poles and pegs, questions began to fly. ‘Which way up does this go?’ ‘What does this piece do?’ ‘How does this fit together.’ Bit by bit they learned the art of working co-operatively, and the communication between the boys as they pulled together was fantastic!

The pool was put to use to learn to kayak. Here, the focus was very much about developing the confidence and skills to not only paddle a kayak, but to know how to cope when things go awry. Time was spent practising holding their breath underwater before being tipped out the kayak and learning the correct procedure to clamber back in. The huge smiles said everything!

Hearing the Legend of Maui, and how he used flax ropes to ensnare the sun, the boys learnt how to strip and prepare flax for plaiting. The boys took the responsibility of handling ‘stripping knives’ – a section of saw tooth – very sensibly, working in pairs to soften the fibres before plaiting into long ropes – and then testing its strength with a tug of war!

No camp experience is complete without a campfire and there is nothing like the smell of doughnuts cooking on an open fire! The boys learnt how to rub sticks to create a spark to start a fire – not an easy feat - before cooking their tasty treats on sticks over the flames. Delicious!

Late in the day, the boys all pulled together to construct a tepee. Standing metres high, this required careful teamwork by the boys to manoeuvre the giant bamboo supporting structures into place, before taking it in turns to hammer in the pegs.

As a respite from activity, the boys were encouraged to take quiet time out to read in either the tepees or in hammocks dotted around amongst the trees. Getting in the hammocks proved just a little more challenging than anticipated – resulting in some hilarious ‘cartoon’ moments! No, it’s not easy to read hanging upside down!

As day turned to twilight, the boys were joined by Principal, Mr Cassie to enjoy a filling barbecue dinner – cooked by a willing band of Year 8 boys. There was not a lot of lettuce added to the plates, but the sausages and burgers went down a treat!

With pyjamas and teeth cleaned, there was one last physical activity as the boys let off the last of their energy in a noisy round of tug of war. Then, it was time to settle quietly to listen to former student, Paddy Leishman sing – well, maybe not so quietly as there was still some energy left to dance!

But it was a tired group of boys who finally settled into their sleeping bags overnight. The staff were definitely ready for sleep too!

There was so much packed into day one, but part of a camp experience is being ready for the next challenge ahead! Rising to another beautiful day, breakfast was eaten, tents tidied and sleeping bags packed away ready to get the day underway. Whilst swimming and quiet games in shady spots were on the cards, the main focus was on taking a hike in groups around the Orakei Basin – with plenty of sunblock and water to drink, for it was another hot day!

With the weather in our favour, the entire camp was an outstanding success. The boys developed a first taste of independence, along with a love of camping that has set them up well for future EOTC experiences. Our thanks to the staff and Year 8 students involved for the part they played in making this such an enjoyable experience for the boys. When the parents arrived to collect their sons at the end of the two days, the boys were bubbling with stories to tell….and were very tired!

Boys vs Wild Service Camp

With thanks to Year 8 student reporter, Charlie Astwick

Towards the end of term, 63 boys who had gained their Silver Service Award travelled up Tawharanui Regional Park for the annual three-day Boys vs Wild Service Camp. Year 8 student, Charlie Astwick reports: ‘I really enjoyed my time at Boys vs Wild as it was a great way to spend time with the other students to finish the year.

On the first day, I went to the supermarket as I was my group’s ‘shopper.’ The reason we had ‘shoppers’ was because each group of six was set the challenge to buy the food, prepare and cook their own meals as a group. In the shop, we had to have an idea of what we were going to cook and what we needed. There were eleven of us making our way around the supermarket, filled with excitement we got all our food, making sure we kept within budget.

Later that day, when we arrived at camp, we met the Park Ranger, Morris. One of the aims of the camp was to give service in the community. Morris talked to us about pests in the bush, showing us some samples – now frozen! - and told us why they had to trap them. Our job was to cover the edges of the pest fences in the park with gravel, so that the pests couldn’t crawl under. This required carrying numerous buckets of heavy gravel and raking it into place!

We finished the day with a swim, had dinner and played games at the beach before bed. After cooking breakfast the following morning, we got together for survival-based activities like bivvy building and making fishing rods. A bit of storm came through in the afternoon and in the driving rain, we had to re-secure our tents! It wasn’t long, however, before the sun came out and we could enjoy the rest of our camp with a mixture of games and chores. Our final act of service was to search for rubbish in the bushes as we learnt that the pukekos are known for taking rubbish from campers into the surround bush areas!

Hamilton Wins Athletics

When the rain fell in torrents, cancelling the Middle School athletics event, it was fingers crossed for the Senior School event the following day - which happily went ahead without a hitch! Held at Lloyd Elsmore Park, the conditions proved perfect for a day of competitive running, throwing and jumping, with the boys giving each event every ounce of their energy!

No matter their ability, the determination on each face to give their best was fantastic to see! Year 7 student, Luka Makata proved a record breaker, with a mighty throw of 10.08m in the Shot Put. Well done Luka!

A week later it was the turn of the Junior School to bounce, leap, run and throw their way around the top field in glorious sunshine. Giggles giggled out as the boys bounced along in hessian sacks, there was extreme concentration as they willed the ‘egg’ to stay on their spoon and sheer exuberance as they set off sprinting down the track – one group overshooting their 50m finish line and carrying on in leaps and bounds to the end of the field oblivious to the marshals calling out to stop!

In the midst of a busy end of term, a gap was finally found for the Middle School finalists to test their mettle and they, too, poured their energy into a gaining a placing. Six records were broken! Harold MacCulloch broke the Year 4 400m record, Miki Cronin broke the Year 5 200m, 400m and 800m records, Hugo Bricklebank broke the Year 5 Ball Throw record and Charlie Field broke the Year 6 High Jump record. Well done boys!

As always, we were truly grateful to the willing band of parents who offered their assistance, taking the role of timekeepers in all the races from 100-800m – with a range of heats and finals, a huge number of boys flashed past them at the finish line! A sincere thank you for your help and good humour!

HOUSE ATHLETIC CHAMPIONS

1ST HAMILTON

2ND CARGILL

3RD CHALMERS

4TH WISHART

JUNIOR SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

Year 0 Champions

1st Jack Stephans (CA)

2nd James Bruford (HA)

3rd Felix Newland (HA

Year 1 Champions

1st Edward Moon (HA)

2nd Austin Cui (CA)

3rd Rafe Goldwater (CH)

Year 2 Champions

1st Hayden Guo (CA)

2nd Austin Watson (CH)

3rd Cyrus Tong (HA)

Year 3 Champions

1st Harry Simpson (HA)

2nd Eden Reynolds (CH)

3rd Hugo Gordon (CH)

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

Year 4 Champions

1st Harold MacCulloch (CH)

2nd Ben Durose (CH)

3rd Severyn Yuschenko (HA)

Year 5 Champions

1st Hugo Bricklebank (HA)

2nd Miki Cronin (WI)

3rd Toby McFarlane (CA)

Year 6 Champions

1st Max Trankels (HA)

2nd Angus Paterson (CH)

3rd Charlie Field (HA)

SENIOR SCHOOL CHAMPIONS

Year 7 Champions

1st Pierce Gault (CA)

2nd James Hiddleston (HA)

3rd Luka Makata (CH)

Year 8 Champions

1st Ashan Weerasinghe (HA)

2nd Harry Klouwens (CH)

3rd = Ethan Knox (CA)

James Crosbie (CA)

Zone Athletics Results

YEAR 7 EASTERN ZONE

400m 2nd Ari Taylor

High Jump 2nd Nick Rupert

Shot Put 3rd Luka Makata

Pass the Baton

HOUSE RELAY CHAMPIONS

1ST HAMILTON

Yellow, red, blue and green House shirts cut a swathe of colour across the top field as the runners got ready to race at the House Relays! If the residents of greater Remuera didn’t already know all the words to the chant for each House – or the Village People’s enduring YMCA – they surely do now!

Each year group fielded a team of runners, whilst the rest of the boys and girls, joined by many parents, sat on the bank cheering on their House representatives. House chants rang out, the cheering was loud and the runners were fast!

2ND CARGILL

3RD CHALMERS

4TH WISHART

Our sincere thanks to parent, Andrew Cornaga from Photosport for sharing his photos.

Klippel Shield Back in Cabinet

Relay 2nd Oliver Hardie, Pierce Gault, Joe Lepionka, Jack Hartner

YEAR 8 EASTERN ZONE

100m 3rd Ashan Weerasinghe

200m 2nd Ashan Weerasinghe

800m 2nd Lev Gorb

800m 3rd Ethan Knox

1500m 3rd Mark Galloway

High Jump 2nd Henry Richardson

Relay 3rd Luca Toner, Harry Taylor, Harry Klouwens, Ashan Weerasinghe

YEAR 5 REMUERA ZONE

Ball Throw 1st Hugo Bricklebank

100m 3rd Miki Cronin

200m 2nd Miki Cronin

YEAR 6 REMUERA ZONE

100m 3rd Angus Paterson

200m 3rd Max Trankels

High Jump 2nd Charlie Field

Since 1974 the ‘Klippel Shield for Preparatory School Cricket’ has been contested between three strong cricket playing schools – Saint Kentigern Boys’ School, King’s School and Southwell School - with the Boys’ School taking stewardship of the Shield on many occasions –including this year!

In an excellent match against King’s, our boys returned the Shield to the Trophy Cabinet!

King’s batted first and only made 100/8 off their allotted 35 overs. This was due to superb bowling and fielding from the boys in blue. In reply, the Boys’ School made 101/2 off only 24 overs.

While there were fantastic individual performances, it was the effort from all team members working cohesively that produced the great result! Well done boys!

Ignite Peace

Imagine all the people, living life in peace…

John Lennon

In a week with winds whipping up from across the Tasman and a band of heavy rain forecast, it was a nervous wait for the team who had been preparing all year for one of the biggest nights of the Boys’ School calendar - the annual salute to Guy Fawkes. With good weather finally assured, the scene was set for another fantastic night of fireworks - and a relieved team from the Parents and Friends could relax knowing that their months of planning could now come to fruition!

The gates opened at 5pm as a capacity crowd of 2000 streamed in, loaded picnic baskets at the ready, for an evening of relaxation and entertainment. With the main focus of the evening skywards, every patch of turf was a perfect picnic spot! As parents set up camp, the children quickly did the rounds to check out the ‘fairground’ activities.

From late afternoon, the stage came to life, as the Boys’ School and College musicians entertained, drawing a mini-mosh pit of proud parents to record the performances on their phones! Meanwhile, the majority of the youngsters flocked to the rides, purchased wrist band at the ready, to take advantage of as many turns as possible while the daylight lasted.

As always, one of the most popular activities was the annual chance to target a teacher with a wet sponge! Amongst the staff willing to test their dignity was ever-game Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and School Chaplain, Reverend Reuben Hardie. If we’re honest, they enjoy it every bit as much as the boys! The gold coins flowed in as hopeful students took aim!

A range of food was on offer, including non-stop barbecue food being cooked up by a keen band of parents – that was a lot of bacon hitting the grill! Thank you, parents!

As darkness set in, the Boys’ School Pipes and Drums played, and Mr Cassie thanked the families for their support.

This year’s theme set out to spread a message of peace and harmony. A giant, inflatable cinema screen dwarfed the field and as night fell, music clips and messages of hope from young Syrian refugees gave cause to reflect. On the Saint Kentigern stage, a young girl called Anungoo Bayarsaikhan, performed an incredible, acrobatic, balancing act.

Continuing the theme, a group of boys selected from across the all Year levels came forward, holding candles, to explain what peace meant to them. Each had something pertinent to say but Sam Nicols from Year 4 struck a chord with Reverend Hardie, ‘Peace is something that we can all make and is what we all need’ – a reminder that we all have a part to play in a peaceful future.

The logistics for a fireworks night held on school grounds are such that a lesser team, faced with so many hurdles, and health and safety requirements may have simply placed it in the ‘too hard basket’ long ago. Over the years, our own determined organising committee has conquered the paper work to ensure that both people and property are safely protected. Planning began at the start of March and the team of Parents and Friends has been totally focused on ensuring that a safe and successful fireworks night continues as our school's signature event. Well done! It was fantastic!

Our sincere thanks to the Fireworks Organising Team, parents and staff for their immense effort in bringing this to fruition, and all those who helped in the cleanup afterwards!

Grandparents’ Day

‘I love this day – the buzz, the excitement and the manner in which your grandsons share their school with you is GOLD!’

0ver 650 proud grandparents filled the Boys’ School Jubilee Sports Centre for Grandparents’ Day; a special morning that gives our boys a chance to proudly show their grandparents around the school, through their classrooms and share what they have achieved this year - all while spending a little quality time together.

In his welcome to the visitors, Boys’ School Head Boy, Will Ormond stated, ‘It is said that a grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.’ Whether seated as a grandparent, or as boys watchful for their special visitors, or with memories of our own grandparents in times past, everyone gathered, young and old alike, could relate to that statement - for grandparents hold a special place in our hearts with their unconditional guidance and love.

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie told the grandparents that it’s always a pleasure for our boys to invite them to school, and a quick tally showed that many had travelled great distances to be therefrom both across New Zealand and the world! Mr Cassie said he loved to watch the special connection between the boys and their grandparents - the love and that sheer joy and laughter when the

Peter Cassie, Principal

two generations got together! And if the ‘dad jokes’ he served up on Fathers’ Day weren’t bad enough, Mr Cassie had plenty of groanworthy grandparent jokes up his sleeve!

Our special visitors were treated to a performance by the Jazz Band, followed by the whole of Chalmers House singing up a storm, with a performance of ‘World in Union’ - the rugby anthem that saw them win the House Music competition last term. Whilst the formalities concluded in the gym, the rest of the school waited excitedly on the top field for the visitors to make their way out. Usually they would race forward to greet their grandparents but this time, they stood their ground for the whole school to deliver a rousing haka, led by Sam McLeod. It quickly became apparent that the older generation have kept up with technology – a sea of cell phones recording the event!

Arms wide open, the boys collected their grandparents, before hand in hand, they led their special visitors around the school. It was a busy, truly enjoyable morning and we look forward to welcoming our grandparents back next year!

Saint Kentigern Boys’ School Parents and Friends

It is only right to start this report by acknowledging all the parents that helped to make the 2019 P&F successful and deliver all the key events so well. The commitment of busy parents to roll their sleeves up and be a part of the SKBS community, by helping deliver memorable events and initiatives for the benefit of their sons, is nothing short of amazing. The special culture of the Boys' School makes it unique and I am proud to say that the activities of the P&F in 2019 have contributed to continuing to make it feel this way.

I’d like to acknowledge the contribution of the Executive Committee of the P&F and the commitment they have made this year in helping our P&F to continue grow. I’d specifically like to recognise the significant contribution of Shelley Horton who will step down at the elections in March after more than 5 years involvement with the Committee. Shelley’s knowledge of the School, its processes and objectives has been invaluable in shaping and steering the direction and initiatives of the Committee. Thank you Shelley.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the contributions made by a number of hard workers and volunteers:

• Our syndicate leads – Amanda Burns, Kirsty Macorison and Liz Hewes. While they all did a sterling job leading the communications and coordination of information across the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools, they were also relentless volunteers for many events.

• Special mention: Philly Hiddleston. Philly has played an important role being the P&F lead for several of the school led events as well as a volunteer at many others. Thank-you Philly.

Celtic Day (Lead: Vanessa Playle): As usual, a highlight of the year for many. Well executed again and a great way for new boys to the School to really experience one of the fantastic cultural/fun elements that makes the Boys’ School so special.

Father and Son Breakfast (Lead: Celia Motion): Once again, a hugely successful event and inspiring guest speaker. Whilst recently, there has been some debate as to the capacity of the JC Chalmers Hall to cope with the demand for this event, very few missed out in 2019.

Fireworks ‘Ignite Peace’ (Lead: Michael Hewes): This year’s fireworks evening, ‘Ignite Peace’, was once again a sell out and

highly profitable event. This iconic ‘must see’ event has 2,000 attendees, with fantastic feedback. The fireworks crew is a small, well-coordinated and was led this year by Michael Hewes. Without their dedication and expertise this event simply would not be what it is today. A big thank you to them.

New Parents' Morning Tea: Held at the start of each term through 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 & Friends Association in an informal environment.

Mothers' Morning Tea: A charity fundraiser set out to thank our busy Saint Kentigern mums and give them a chance to connect with their boys at school. Well attended and lots of great feedback on an enjoyable experience.

Grandparents’ Day: Grandparents' Day is another highly regarded event on the Saint Kentigern community calendar and while this is run as a school event the P&F provides a very memorable morning tea.

Financial update

Following the completion of Roselle House, the most significant financial request from the School was a contribution to each of the 3 new playgrounds/adventure track. We were pleased to be able to donate $20,000 to each of these. We have also supported teacher development by funding programmes outside of the classroom, invested in new VexIQ tables for the robotics events, as well as contributing towards a new speaker series.

It is the committees view that it is important we meet our charter goal of ‘positively benefiting our boys now’. Our clear objective for 2020 is, therefore, to work in partnership with the School to find new initiatives that can make a real difference to our boys’ growth and development to invest our funds against.

Chair Summary

It has been a privilege to lead the Boys’ School P&F Committee in 2019. I have been extremely fortunate to have been surrounded by a supremely capable and willing Executive Committee and broader group of event leads and volunteers. It has been energising to get closer to the School and its goals and objectives and to play a part in helping make the Saint Kentigern experience for our sons the unique and special experience it is.

I leave with two regrets – I did not volunteer for a role like this sooner and that I have only been able to contribute in the Chair role for one year.

Craig Irwin Chairperson

A Year of Highlights

WhenI reflect on the 2019 school year, there are three major highlights:

1. Outstanding Feedback from the Education Review Office (ERO)

The verbal feedback from the Review affirmed that our girls are articulate, confident and successful, and that they are inclusive and look after each other. ERO noted the positive relationships between the staff and girls, and affirmed the culture of our school. ERO also mentioned the wide variety of academic opportunities through specialists, the many opportunities to experience co-curricular activities, and many opportunities for leadership and service offered to the girls.

The final report will be made available to us early in the new year and we will share more about it then.

2. Designing a New Girls’ School

Our journey designing the new Girls’ School has been and will continue to be an extraordinary collaboration across our Saint Kentigern staff. Based on the feedback from the girls, parents and staff, we have worked through design plans with the architects to design a truly unique school which will enhance our educational proposition in the future. I look forward to sharing more with you.

3. Roll Growth

This year we have had unprecedented roll growth with a 21% increase in the roll from February to November. Based on feedback from new families, the increase seems to be twofold; we have certainty now about the building plans for our new school on the Shore Road Campus, and our ongoing academic and co-curricular success is testament to the strength of our programmes.

Along with these three major highlights, were countless other special moments during the year but these were some of my favourites:

Academic Highlights: We were delighted to see so many girls representing the Girls’ School at the Auckland City Science Fair this year with many outstanding results.

Best Entertainment: ‘The Snow Queen,’ our Year 0-6 Production. Lights, camera, action! Wicked laughs, sparkle, sequins and a wonderful hour living in a fantasy world. Our production was a wonderful collaboration amongst staff and the girls in Year 0-6.

Cultural highlights: My first viewing of the ShowQuest Dance rehearsal. The girls’ portrayal of Rosa Parks and her story during a time of segregation made me cry, the dance was so moving.

Most personal fun: The waterslide at Flora MacDonald Day! Girls and staff alike had a wonderful time at our formal assembly celebrating our Scottish heritage, followed by all the fun activities.

Most Meaningful Moment: ANZAC Day Dawn Service with the Boys’ School where we stood together as a community to reflect and remember the contribution of those soldiers who gave their lives for us.

Collaborative Successes: Completing the detailed designs for the new Specialist Block, in collaboration with staff at the Boys’ School.

New Sports Opportunity: Establishing a Girls’ School ski team who placed first in the Auckland Ski Champs!

Successes Unseen: The Service trips - what we don’t see is the setup work that goes on behind the scenes. Thank you to staff, girls and parents who went over and above in preparation, collecting the goods, fundraising, organising and putting together materials to take to Vanuatu and Fiji. And another thank you to our student leaders who have sustained our Students’ in Prayer initiative, where the girls gather for morning tea each week, to pray and support each other.

Student Led Initiative: The newly formed girls’ Rock Band called ‘Random Strand’ who performed at the Saint Kentigern College Rock Showcase. This was a great example of one student’s dream and her perseverance to get other students organised to create music together.

Best moment of belonging: Watching the House leaders as it was announced that Cargill narrowly beat Wishart for the House Athletics Relay cup this year; a wonderful moment of leadership, belonging, friendship and competition.

Looking forward to 2020: In March next year, we celebrate 10 years together at the Girls’ School. This will be a wonderful occasion for us to reacquaint and connect again. I look forward to many former students and staff joining us for the celebratory events!

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School

10 Year Birthday Celebration in 2020

In March 2020, we will celebrate 10 years of Saint Kentigern Girls’ School with a number of birthday events. We are very excited to be hosting the birthday celebration. I am looking forward to catching up with the girls and their families againthere are so many wonderful memories and good times to share together. We do hope that you can join us to mark the occasion.

Ms Juliet Small Principal - Saint Kentigern Girls’ School

The Girls’ School Parents’ and Friends are looking forward to joining the Saint Kentigern community, both old and new, to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Girls’ School. We acknowledge this is a significant milestone for the school and look forward to supporting the celebration events. It is an exciting time for the Girls’ School as we look back on how far we have come, and look ahead towards a promising future.

Rebecca Scoones Chair of the Parents and Friends

Event Schedule

Thursday 12 March 2020

Past & Current Staff Cocktail Function

Time: 6:00pm to 8:30pm

Venue: Winger Maserati, Newmarket

The Saint Kentigern Trust Board welcomes past and current staff to an informal cocktail evening to open the celebrations.

Friday 13th March 2020

School Assembly

Time: 8:45am to 9:15am

Venue: Saint Kentigern Girls’ School, Remuera. Join the girls at formal school assembly for the official welcome and ‘cutting of the cake’ to celebrate our 10 Year Birthday!

Friday 13th March 2020

School Birthday Party

Time: 9:45am to 2:45pm

Venue: Saint Kentigern Girls’ School, Remuera. A fun-filled day of activities for the current students at the Saint Kentigern Girls’ School campus!

Friday 13th March 2020

Past Students Informal Catch Up for under 18s and their mothers

Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Venue: Saint Kentigern Girls’ School, Remuera. This is a fantastic opportunity for past teenage students and their mothers to catch up and reconnect with each other. Don’t miss this special occasion! This is a ticketed event and confirmation details will be provided.

Saturday 14th March 2020

Past & Current Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Community Cocktail Function

Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Venue: Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Tamaki Drive. A Cocktail Function for the wider community to come together and celebrate the School in an informal setting on Auckland’s waterfront. This is a ticketed event and confirmation details will be provided.

Sunday 15th March 2020

Past & Current Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Community Chapel Service

Time: 11:00am

Venue: St Mary’s at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell. A Chapel Service for all, led by Reverend Rueben Hardie.

Girls’ School Prizegiving

Students, their families, guests and teachers filled the Boys’ School JC Chalmers Hall for the annual prizegiving. This special occasion is a time to congratulate the students on their academic, sporting and cultural success.

College Piper, Fayth Doherty led staff and invited guests into the Hall before Principal, Ms Juliet Small officially welcomed everyone. Chairman of the Trust Board, Dr John Kernohan spoke about leadership and congratulated the girls on their efforts this year, encouraging them to say ‘yes’ to every leadership opportunity presented to them.

Head of Saint Kentigern, Mr David Hodge congratulated the staff and students on their fantastic Education Review Office (ERO) report that was carried out this term. Mr Hodge highlighted several comments that the reviewers made, including the unique bond between staff and students, how well-mannered, happy, articulate, confident and positive the girls were, and the endless opportunities to foster service and leadership.

The Junior, Middle and Senior School Academic Awards were presented by the Deputy Chair of the Trust Board, Mrs Rosemary Harris, Boys’ School Principal, Mr Peter Cassie and Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Merle Boniface before Ms Small gave her address.

Ms Small spoke about the year in review and the great achievements the girls have made, such as the all new girls’ ski team, who placed first in the Auckland Ski Championships and the senior students who participated in ShowQuest and placed first! She also spoke about

DUX

Edith Li

Edith began her journey with Saint Kentigern in 2018 as a Year 7. In this time, Edith has gone from strength to strength, developing strong communication and organisational skills, as was demonstrated in her leadership role of her House, Wishart.

Edith has continued to show determination and enthusiasm in her academic studies and combined with a mature outlook to her learning, has proven to be a winning combination this year. She is an enthusiastic student and has made the most of every opportunity that she has been given. One such opportunity was in music where she attained Excellence in Class Music. She is a competent musician, participating energetically in the Orchestra and has enjoyed the Choir.

the increasing roll growth and the designing of the new Girls’ School, and the 10-year celebration in March 2020.

After a humorous drama interlude by Isabella Hughes and Keeley Berkovist, the ‘Cultural Awards’ were presented by Mr Cassie to students for art, speech, drama and music. Following this, Mr Hodge presented the ‘Sports Awards’ and acknowledged ‘The Sportswoman of the Year’, Amelia Duff.

The final awards for the evening were the ‘Special Awards’. These awards were presented by Ms Small to students who have shown outstanding results, resilience, service and leadership throughout the year. Deputy Head Girl, Keeley Berkovits gave thanks before Head Girl, Jamie Chandler gave her final speech, wishing her fellow students, including the 2020 Head Girl, Mikayla Chung and Deputy Head Girl, Sophie Yan the best of luck in the coming year. To conclude the evening, the Performers’ Choir sang the blessing.

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

Proxime Accessit

Xarya Knox

Xarya joined our Saint Kentigern community as a Year 0 in 2011 where she quickly demonstrated a quiet determination with a burning ambition to achieve, especially in the academic arena. She is a very kind and thoughtful student and is always willing to help where needed, especially when it comes to the Junior School.

Xarya has immersed herself in school life, participating in a variety of cultural co-curricular activities. She was an integral member of our Kapa Haka Group, where she was a wonderful role model to her peers, demonstrating leadership and a pride in her heritage. She also confidently and competently led the Student Council Committee, using her initiative to organise many fundraising events.

Xarya is not only an outstanding communicator, winning the Senior Speech Competition but also a studious student.

Sportswoman of the Year

Amelia Duff

Amelia is hard-working, competent and an all-round athlete. She has had a successful year in swimming, where she was named the ‘Year Group Swimming Champion’ and the ‘Overall Senior Swimming Champion’. She has performed credibly at both Zone Competitions where Counties Manukau ranked her first in her age group for the 200m backstroke and 100m freestyle. She was also ranked third in the 200m individual medley. Amelia is also a versatile netball, touch rugby and tennis player.

Amelia is recognised as a dedicated and passionate young sportswoman who consistently strives to give her absolute best. She is not only an incredibly talented young lady but is also an incredibly humble and modest young woman and is seen as a true role model among her peers.

Farewell Year 8

Wearing their graduation scarves, the girls, along with their parents, staff and invited guests, gathered at Sorrento Restaurant in the grounds of Cornwall Park, to celebrate and reflect on their time at the School. The room was beautifully decorated in blue and white colours, setting the scene for a wonderful, family evening.

Principal, Ms Juliet Small welcomed everyone before passing the microphone to President of the Old Collegians Association, Hayden Butler and Old Collegian Representative, Laura Porter. Both Old Collegians congratulated the girls and thanked them for their service, attitude and efforts throughout their time at the Girls’ School.

Girls’ School Deputy Head Girl, Keeley Berkovits welcomed College Head Girl, Alex Hynds up to speak. Alex, much like the girls, mentioned the nerves of moving into a new chapter and encouraged the Year 8s to not ‘fear what could go wrong but to get excited about what could go right.’ She said the College is a great place to make new friends, grow, learn new skills, find new hobbies, mature and push new boundaries. Her final tips were to not take life too seriously and to focus on the positives.

Before the main course was served, Chapel Prefect Anamia Rangihaeata welcomed the Year 8 cohort forward to sing the Maori version of ‘Hallelujah’. The girls were keenly applauded for their stunning performance!

Guest speaker for the evening was Eliza McCartney. Eliza has represented New Zealand at several competitions and Commonwealth Games around the world in pole vault and was the youngest-ever Olympic medallist. In her speech, Eliza shared some of the major struggles that she has faced in her career thus far and gave the girls tips on how to deal with the stress of life, challenges and failure. She encouraged the girls to be open minded, face challenges head on, put 100% into everything and laugh. She agreed with Alex by saying, ‘live in the moment and don’t take life too seriously.’

To conclude the evening, Ms Small gave her final words and presented the girls with their leaving gifts. The girls received a Saint Kentigern ‘bear’, a bracelet with the Saint Kentigern Crest and a sending prayer bookmark. The evening concluded with a slideshow of their time at the Girls’ School. Many tears, laughs and smiles were shared before Reverend Reuben Hardie closed the evening with a final blessing.

The Gaudeamus Cup for making a difference

Keeley Berkovits Lightfoot Cup for Citizenship

Jamie Chandler

Dr Sandra K Hastie Cup for School Spirit Isabella Hughes Junior School Cup for service to the Junior School Xarya Knox

Preschool Cup for service to the Preschool Chloe Ira Gold Service Award Chelsea Wijntjes

Remuera Lion’s Citizenship Award Tiana Gray Remuera Lion’s Citizenship Award Catherine Fowler

Spreading Joy

TPreschool gathered to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. The annual Carol Service brings together our community for an evening of service, carols, reflection and celebration. This year’s theme was ‘Joy,’ and the importance of spreading joy and cherishing joyful moments.

The Girls’ School Kapa Haka Group opened with a beautiful Karanga led by students, Anamia Rangihaeata and Tiana Gray, followed by the Waiata Powiri – ‘Silent Night’.

Once seated, Principal, Ms Juliet Small thanked everyone for attending and made special mention of the Preschool who were excited to be taking part in the service for another year.

Reverend Reuben Hardie gave the call for worship and everyone joined together to sing the carol, ‘Joy to the World’. Year 5 and 6 students, Daliah Shin and Jeanna Ho gave the first readings, followed by Year 4 student, Olivia Hunter-Thodey and Year 7 student, Karenpreet Kaur, before the Performers Choir sang the well-known, ‘A Joyful Song’ by M Lightfoot.

Every year, it is a tradition that the Head Girl and her mother present a reading. This year, Jamie Chandler and her mother, Kara shared their words of encouragement before everyone stood to sing ‘Away in a Manger’, as the Preschool made their way to the stage to perform the ‘Joy Song’.

Following the Preschool, the girls had prepared gifts for the Dingwall Trust which they presented as the whole school performed ‘Midnight’, by M & H Johnson.

Reverend Hardie addressed the congregation while unwrapping a mound of strawberries! He invited three students up to demonstrate how we can share joy in even the littlest things, like indulging yourself in the taste of strawberries! Reverend Hardie spoke about the joy of Christmas and how important it is to cherish the ‘strawberry moments’ - the joyful moments with your family and friends.

This year, we had a special solo performance by Year 13 College student, Christina Middlebeek-Harrison. Christina performed ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ as the junior students made their way down the aisle to create a nativity scene at the front of the church.

The congregation stood again to sing ‘O Holy Night’ and the Performers Choir followed with the ‘Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Blessing’ as the Year 8 Leavers’ Candles were presented to the Year 8 students by Ms Small and Deputy Principal, Mrs Jill Wahlstrom.

Reverend Hardie finished with a final blessing. This was a touching moment for the girls and their families as their time at the School has come to an end. To finish the evening, the congregation sang, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ as the girls processed out of the Cathedral ahead of our guests.

Vanuatu – I’ll Never Forget

With thanks to student reporters, Tiana Gray and Charlie Gundy

Onceagain, the Girls’ School joined forces with the Boys’ School to travel to Vanuatu to offer service at the beginning of Octoer. The girls rolled up their sleeves to take on the shared building and painting projects at Etas Presbyterian School and Macses Presbyterian School in Port Vila. The students installed playgrounds donated by Auckland City Council and painted their classrooms. They also distributed clothes, shoes and hygiene packs to the students, their families and the community, as well as distributing over 500 bras to the women.

The team also installed three outdoor tables and chairs at the main Presbyterian church and renovated three apartments at Sutherland House - a residence operated by the Presbyterian Church for international mission and service workers.

The girls soon learned the art of mixing cement, painting and digging, as well as taking every opportunity to play with or read to the local children. It is these connections and friendships made between our students and the students of Vanuatu which makes these trips so special.

Year 8 girls reported on their experience:

Tiana Gray: The Vanuatu Service trip was an experience I’ll never forget – it has taught me a tremendous amount about life. I noticed how little the children had, although this never bothered them because they always wore a big bright smile. Playing games with the children and handing out clothing was really humbling. Building the playgrounds was a tough job but the work paid off once we were able to see their reactions. I also loved painting the children’s and teachers’ faces. This has made me realise to never take things for granted and I am grateful for everything I have. I am extremely thankful to have been a part of the service trip team.

Charlie Gundy: The Vanuatu Service Trip was an eye-opening experience and really helped me see how happy these people are even when they have so little. I learned that a lot of these kids don’t have basic things like toothbrushes, undies, clean water and clothes that don’t have rips in them. This made me realise that we are so fortunate here in New Zealand. My favourite part of this trip was giving the hygiene packs to the little kids because they don’t have these basic needs. When we finished the playground, it was really exciting to see them all running, playing and smiling. This is a week I will never forget.

STEAMing through Antarctica

With thanks to Middle School Dean, Miss Gina Hemmingsen

Creating learning experiences that engage our students in solving both challenging and authentic problems is important at the

Girls’ School.

Every term, the curriculum is woven through one of the school values so that our students build meaningful connections situated in real world contexts. This is epitomised in our ‘Design Time’ sessions, which is one of the highlights of our girls’ learning journey in the Middle School, as it allows the students to embrace the technological age through innovation, problem solving and collaboration.

During ‘Design Time,’ the Middle School is organised into groups to provide an opportunity for the girls to develop their creative and technological skills and explore four different kinds of technological problems. The school value, ‘Excellence’ was at the centre of our curriculum for the term, and the learning context was set in Antarctica - in the early days of exploration as Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton raced to be the first to reach the South Pole. Not all of them met with success. The girls investigated how thorough preparation, endurance and persistence contributed to their quest to achieve their goals. Learning in science helped the girls to understand the ways in which the harsh, desert of ice in Antarctica posed a challenge for the explorers. However, ‘Design Time’ presented teachers and students with an opportunity to put their creative thinking caps on and begin to solve some of the many problems that explorers face in Antarctica.

Minecraft

Settling on a floating ice continent can be a perilous business. To survive the Minecraft version of Antarctica, each group of girls was required to research and ‘build’ a Minecraft shelter which would keep ‘them’ safe from the harsh, cold winds of Antarctica. Survival depended on sound research.

Once completed the students had to evaluate which shelter and materials might be the most effective and justify their choices in a presentation to the class.

Used in an educational setting, games such as Minecraft enables students to explore a context outside of their everyday experience and develop their ability to think strategically, setting up contingencies for a variety of possible outcomes.

While using Minecraft enabled the girls to develop their skills in coding through picture codes, it was also an ideal way to test their learning in social science, and provided opportunities for students to develop the ability to be resourceful and learn how to collaborate with others.

Food Technology

There’s nothing like a lovely warm meal on a cold winter’s day. Never was this truer than preparing for a culinary expedition in Antarctica. The learning focus of this unit was to create a nutritious and sustaining meal that could be eaten in a cold climate. The girls were given a ‘Masterchef mystery box’ with which to create a meal to share. One of the ways that food technology has changed in the last ten years, is that it has become a lot more about process of design creation and less about recreating a carbon copy dish that they have seen the teacher cook. While students were introduced to cooking techniques and ‘base recipes,’ they were encouraged to innovate and create their own dish.

Stop Motion Animation

While learning about how animals adapt over time to survive in hot and cold climates, the girls were tasked to show how ‘Alice the Camel’ could adapt from a life in the desert to living in the freezing temperatures of Antarctica. In order to guide ‘Alice’ through the adaption phase, the girls worked in groups to investigate what features would enable animals to survive in the desert, and what was required to survive in Antarctica. The technological challenge was to show the metamorphosis of ‘Alicel’ through stop motion animation - a series of photos with incremental changes stitched together to create a movie. The process required taking many photos of the still-life models in order to stitch a scene together, reflect on their work and edit carefully to create the effect of seamless movement, which was a painstaking process!

Edison Cars

Moving on the ice can be a slippery slope, requiring innovation and scientific thinking just to stay upright. In groups, the girls were given the problem of creating a vehicle that could move on ice. They researched the kinds of vehicles that were used in Antarctica and explored how friction could be enhanced to keep vehicles from sliding on the ice.

Following this, each group was supplied a robotic ‘Edison’ car. Their first task was to learn how to make it move through coding. Initially using bar codes to programme the Edison, the girls progressed to scratch programming, which is a simple coding language designed for children. The key learning in this unit was writing code and testing each segment of code to ensure that their Edison car went where it was supposed to go, requiring the skills of creativity, collaboration and innovation. After that, the girls were able to build on to their Edison with Lego to generate the friction needed for their car to move on ice. Then came the finale, an Edison car race on ice with a touch of roller derby about it! A few collisions, cheering and some wee accidents on the way!

Sleeping with Sharks

Our Year 4 Girls’ School students embarked on an adventure to Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium as part of their Social Science studies. This was not the typical visit that visitors to Auckland enjoy –the girls arrived after the daytime crowds had gone, carrying pillows and sleeping bags ready for a sleepover with the sharks!

The stay focused on the two main themes - the preservation of animals at risk in our oceans and the exploration and challenges of life in Antarctica.

On arrival, endless questions were asked as tales were told and the girls were given a glimpse into what it would be like to be a scientist living in the Antarctic and the valuable research they do as part of a global understanding of the health of planet earth. The students were surprised to discover the Antarctic can reach -90 degrees and that humans must stay inside if it is lower than -50 degrees, and that the winds can blow in excess 300kmh.

Following their discussion on all things Antarctic, the girls explored the aquarium where they visited the penguins, fed the fish and prepared fishy artwork to scan into a large animated art display. After supper, the girls got ready for bed – beneath the shark tank where they slept for the night! Tucked up in their sleeping bags, the girls watched as the creatures swam overhead –a most relaxing way to fall asleep!

Throughout the year, the girls had looked closely at global warming and pollution, and how this effects sea levels, earth and our animals. They also investigated life in Antarctica and researched how animals adapt to the cold, as well as the properties of ice and how the windy, desert-like climate of the frozen continent of Antarctica posed unique challenges for early explorers.

Staying overnight at Kelly Tarlton’s put their classroom learnings into an authentic context. The girls saw how the organisation works to save animals and how they are looking after endangered turtles. They were also able to walk through Captain Scott’s hut and reflect on the challenges he faced.

The girls had a fantastic time and we thank the staff and parents who assisted overnight to make this learning encounter possible.

Hamilton Wins Athletics

Split into three separate events, the Girls’ School students competed for House points and podium places at this year’s Athletics. The Year 7 and 8 students joined the College students earlier in this year. Great results were achieved and students, Cleo Hancock (Year 7) and Cilla Fa’afua (Year 8) were named the 2019 Senior School Champions.

The Year 4 to 6 girls also held their athletics at the College and although the weather proved ‘challenging’ on their event day, the girls performed outstandingly and collected fast times, big jumps and long throw records. A special mention for Year 4 student, Amelia Hardie who claimed first place in five of her events (100m, 200m, 800m, long jump and discus) and to Year 5 and Year 6 students, Brooke Rowntree and Emily Cornaga who placed first in all their running events (100m, 200m, 800m).

Later in term 4, the Year 0 to 3 students, along with the support of their House Prefects spent their Athletics Day at the Boys’ School. It was a great day, the sun was shining and, in the end, Jayda-Belle Gonzalez-Smith, Alyssa Wray, Elsa Taylor and Kasey Wray were named the Junior School Champions.

Well done to all the students who participated and to Hamilton who gained the overall most House points followed by Wishart, Chalmers and Cargill.

HOUSE CHAMPIONS

1ST HAMILTON

2ND WISHART

3RD CHALMERS

4TH CARGILL

SOUTH EASTERN ZONE ATHLETIC RESULTS

YEAR 7 GIRLS

100m 1st Sienna Moyle

200m 1st Sienna Moyle

200m 3rd Cleo Hancock

Relay 3rd Sienna Moyle (GS)

Cleo Hancock (GS)

Zaina Liang (SKC)

Frankie Wingate (SKC)

Long Jump 3rd Cleo Hancock

Shot Put 1st Nora Caffery

Shot Put 3rd Levonah Motuliki

Discus 2nd Nora Caffery

YEAR 8 GIRLS

Discus 3rd Cilla Fa’afua

REMUERA ZONE ATHLETIC RESULTS

YEAR 5 GIRLS

Ball Throw 1st Sofia Ellis

YEAR 6 GIRLS

60m 2nd Emily Cornaga

100m 2nd Emily Cornaga

INTER ZONE ATHLETIC RESULTS

YEAR 7 GIRLS

200m 3rd Sienna Moyle

Shot Put 3rd Nora Caffery

YEAR 8 GIRLS

Long Jump 1st Katelyn Quay-Chin

YEAR 0 CHAMPIONS

1st Jayda-Belle GonzalezSmith CH

2nd Evie Reynolds CH

3rd= Kayla Richardson CH

3rd= Sue Yoon HA

3rd= Victoria Huang CH

YEAR 1 CHAMPIONS

1st Alyssa Wray HA

2nd Eknoor Kaur WI

3rd Darci Barnes CA

YEAR 2 CHAMPIONS

1st Elsa Taylor WI

2nd Lulu Lang CA

3rd= Bella Boyd CA

3rd= Tiffany Wang HA

YEAR 3 CHAMPIONS

1st Kasey Wray HA

2nd Eve van Aalst CH

3rd Sadie Fitness CA

YEAR 4 CHAMPIONS

1st Amelia Hardie WI

2nd = Lulu Fairbairn CA

2nd = Queenie Lang CA

YEAR 5 CHAMPIONS

1st Laura Koeman

Brooke Rowntree

Bianca Ivanova

Emma Scholtz

Emily Cornaga HA 3rd Louise Beaumont HA

YEAR 7 CHAMPIONS

1st Cleo Hancock WI

Sienna Moyle HA 3rd Amelia Duff CH

YEAR 8 CHAMPIONS

1st Cilla Fa’afua HA

2nd Tiana Gray WI

3rd Anamia Rangihaeata WI

House Relays

In a blaze of summer sunshine, the Girls’ School joined the Boys’ School at Shore Road for the annual House Relay event. It was a fantastic morning of running, cheering and chanting as the relay teams took their marks and got set to go, ready with the baton at the handover mark!

With all the points tallied, Cargill stood on top of the podium for the Girls’ School. Well done to all our runners – including the game parents who picked up the baton to compete!

Our sincere thanks to parent, Andrew Cornaga from Photosport for sharing his photos.

HOUSE RELAY CHAMPIONS

1ST CARGILL

2ND WISHART

3RD CHALMERS

4TH HAMILTON

NZ Selection

T he Girls’ School Touch Rugby Team had fantastic year winning many games, including the South Eastern Zone Touch Tournament. This was a great achievement for the girls as it was the first time that a Saint Kentigern team has won the tournament for this age group – with special thanks to their coach Lance Watane. Players, Levonah Motuliki and Tiana Gray had a particularly good year as they were selected for the New Zealand Touch Team. Both Levonah and Tiana will travel with the team to compete in New Zealand and overseas! Well done girls!

Skiing Success

Congratulations to our Girls’ School Ski team who placed first overall in the Auckland Primary School Ski Champs at Snow Planet. Pieter Spencer, Lily Loutit, Harper Buchanan, Bella Brady, Stella Catchpole, Maya Zurflueh, Charlotte Horne and Lucy Taylor all competed in the Giant Slalom Course and had three timed runs. Based on their times, they were able to collect the trophy and claim the regional title. Pieter and Lucy also participated in the mini rail jam. Well done girls!

Grandparents’ Day

Grandparents’ Day is the special day on the calendar when the students are given the opportunity to show their loved ones around the school.

On arrival, the grandparents were welcomed by Deputy Principal, Mrs Jill Wahlstrom and Head Girl, Jamie Chandler, before the Kapa Haka group, led by Year 8 students, Xarya Knox and Levonah Motuliki performed. The group opened with a prayer followed by E te Hokowhitu – Tuini Ngawai and Kia Tau – The Benediction. The girls performed with great poise and displayed great technique and skills when it came to the poi.

Principal, Ms Juliet Small spoke about the important role that grandparents play in the development of a child, stating the ‘Grandparents, like heroes, are as necessary to a child’s growth as vitamins.’ Ms Small thanked the grandparents from visiting before handing the stage over to the school orchestra to entertain before Year 5 students, Gemma Berkovits and Jeanna Ho, performed a wellpolished scene from Cinderella, and the choir sang ‘The Wind’ by New Zealand Composer, David Hamilton.

After the formalities, the Prefects led the grandparents to the classrooms to meet their granddaughters. It was great to see the interactions between the generations and the looks on the grandparents’ faces as they attempted to navigate the latest technology gadgets in the Senior School STEAM classrooms. The library book sale was popular once again with excited girls buzzing around to choose a book, taking a moment to read it together with their grandparents.

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

Elisa Wins Prestigious Competition

Year 7 student, Elisa Wu has been playing the flute since she was eight years old and dedicates around an hour and a half a day to practice. Her hard work and efforts paid off with a win in the Junior Section at this year’s American Protégé International Woodwind and Brass Competition – which is a massive achievement as she was one of the youngest competitors.

Elisa entered the competition online after performing at Carnegie Hall in New York earlier in the year. She was inspired by her sister who had also competed. To enter the competition, Elisa recorded herself playing ‘W. A. Mozart- Rondo in D major, KV Ahn. 184’ accompanied by Juan Kim on piano and sent it to the judges in America. Elisa said she was thrilled when she discovered that she had won her section and had been invited back to the Carnegie Hall, New York to play in April next year. ‘I am excited to go back and play in front of a live audience. It will be a great opportunity for me to gain more experience and exposure.’

Elisa has also played the violin since she was five and started playing the viola this year - she hopes to enter the same competition next year in these two categories. Well done Elisa! What a great achievement - we wish you the best of luck!

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Parents And Friends

It is with great pleasure that I update the community on the Girls’ School Parents and Friends achievements this year.

At our AGM in March, there was no change in our committee with office holders content to remain in their roles. The committee is made up of myself, Rebecca Scoones as Chairperson, Gretchen Weightman as Deputy Chairperson, Dee Wakelin as Secretary, Julie Bolton as Treasurer and Paul Whitford as Parent Liaison.

I am so thankful for the efforts of our committee and the dedication and support they show to our community. We are also lucky to have consistent parent attendance and support at our meetings. Without this wider Parents and Friends support, we would not be able to provide the many events and fundraising/friend raising initiatives that the families in our community enjoy.

The main events we have organised this year were the Girls’ School picnic, the Father Daughter Breakfast, the Mother Daughter High Tea, the school disco, and support for Flora MacDonald Day.

The school picnic is always a well-attended event at the start of the school year that sees families mingling with fellow classmates, and staff. Those that attended enjoyed the evening and were filled with enthusiasm for an exciting school year ahead.

The Father Daughter Breakfast and the Mother Daughter High Tea were both held at Ellerslie Event Centre and once again these were very well attended. We had speakers at each event that included a police dog training specialist at the High Tea educating the girls’ and their mothers on the training of NZ Police dogs. The Breakfast speaker was Phil Somerville who leads the Eat Less Plastic campaign. Both of these speakers were excellent and kept everyone engaged and at times amazed.

The school disco is always a highlight for the girls’ and this year’s disco had a ‘Welcome to the jungle’ theme. It was a great night and everyone, parents and staff included, had a fabulous time.

It has been encouraging for us to be able to give back to the Girls’ School over the year. This has included two new water bubbler fountains to replace old ones, and an action-packed inflatable obstacle course and water slides for Flora MacDonald Day. We also provided new games and toys for the Junior School classes to use on wet days.

We have concentrated very much on friend raising events this year rather than specific fundraisers, however, our next fundraising initiative is selling sustainable and reusable shopping bags and cooler bags with Saint Kentigern branding which we hope all campuses will take advantage of.

Our monthly meetings have continued to be busy and well attended with strong support for the Girls’ School. I want to thank all the parents that have offered help, time, and support to our events. I have often been amazed by the sense of community and support within the school from the school staff and parent community. It has been a privilege to take an active role in the Girls’ School Parents and Friends this year to support the Saint Kentigern community.

Rebecca Scoones Chairperson

Saint Kentigern Jute Bag

Shopping Bag, Bottle Bag, Insulated Bag

Saint Kentigern Girls’ School Parents and Friends are ‘doing their bit for the environment!’ Determined to eliminate plastic waste, they are pleased to to offer Saint Kentigern branded jute shopping bags as a fundraiser.

Three styles of bags are available - a Shopping Bag, a Four Bottle Bag and an Insulated Bag - all made with high quality materials and featuring the Saint Kentigern logo. All funds raised from the sale of the bags will support the Girls’ School.

The bags are available to purchase from the website www.saintkentigernbags.com Overseas

Thank You Mrs Winthrop

With the announcement from the Trust Board earlier this year that from the start of 2020, there will be a return to a single College structure with a single Principal, the two roles of Principal of the Middle College and Principal of the Senior College were disestablished at the end of the 2019 academic year.

Whilst

Mr Duncan McQueen has chosen to stay on and take up a new role as Director of Campus Life and Special Character, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop chose to leave us at the end of the 2019. As we say our farewells, we give our heartfelt thanks to Mrs Winthrop for all she has done for Saint Kentigern.

Mrs Winthrop joined Saint Kentigern in 2002 from Baradene College, where she had been Deputy Principal. As the incoming Deputy Principal to Executive Head at the time, Mr Warren Peat, as well as Head of Senior School, Mrs Winthrop’s first year at Saint Kentigern was a year of preparing the ‘boys-only’ College for the introduction of girls at Years 7, 9 and 11 in 2003. From the arrival of those first few Foundation girls, her special task over the ensuing years was to create ‘A World of Opportunity’ for girls as well as boys. By 2005, there were girls at all levels of the College, with rapidly growing interest from families for a Saint Kentigern education for both their sons and daughters.

With the introduction of girls, came an expanding College roll, resulting in more teachers, new learning programmes and new facilities, including, at the start of 2011, the introduction of girls’ boarding at Bruce House, after 50 years of boys-only boarding. As the first Head of Girls’ Boarding, Mrs Winthrop and her family moved into the girls’ boarding facilities for the first three years, to care for the girls, and ensure a smooth transition and sense of belonging –something that was most successfully achieved and a period Mrs Winthrop remembers fondly.

In 2005, Mrs Winthrop undertook research that led to the Trust Board introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, to offer our senior students a choice of qualification pathways in their final College years. Mrs Winthrop successfully led the implementation

of the IB Diploma programme, which is now well-entrenched at the College, with increasingly rewarding results for students with each passing year.

As a Christian and passionate proponent of the value of ‘service to others,’ Mrs Winthrop championed the growth of service at the College and initiated the appointment of a Service Coordinator to create and oversee our service programme for students. She led the first Year 12 Service Trip to Vanuatu, establishing links that continue to endure. She leads by example and has been a constant reminder to our students to live by the special Christian character and values of Saint Kentigern, where service to others is considered ahead of personal gain.

For the last three years, Mrs Winthrop has been Principal of the Senior College, where she continued to make a significant, positive impact. As the first female leader at the College, she has been a strong female role model to both our young men and women, in all aspects of College life. She was tasked by the Trust Board to lift academic standards, which has seen a very positive growth, particularly in the number of NZQA Scholarships awarded. She also revised and led the establishment of an expanded pastoral care team to ensure the very best care and well-being for our students.

Mrs Winthrop has dedicated herself to the education and betterment of all the young people in her care. For those who have worked alongside her, they will remember a woman of strong principles who wanted the very best for all around her, staff and students alike. Above all, they will remember a woman with a good and caring heart – a servant heart.

Mrs Winthrop, on behalf of all the students and staff who have attended Saint Kentigern during your tenure, we would like to say thank you. Thank you for your unwavering dedication, passion and commitment to our students to become the very best that they could be. Thank you for the countless hours you have spent supporting our students in their individual and collective endeavours, whether academic, debating, singing, acting, dancing or competing in one of a multitude of sports on offer, you have been there to guide, support and give thanks. Thank you for your love and concern for our young men and women, and for our staff.

Mrs Winthrop, thank you for your 18 years of service and leadership. We all wish you the best for your next leadership role.

What is Character? middle college

How many times have you heard it said that someone ‘is a real character’? Generally, this is spoken as a term of endearment, or to highlight the light-hearted or friendly nature of someone. But character is so much more than that.

It is said that true character is who you are when no one is there, when no-one is around you to impress or interact with. It’s who you are on the inside, but there can be no doubt it’s also who you are seen to be on the outside. Our students need to develop character. I say ‘develop’ rather than ‘learn’ because it is pretty hard to either ‘teach or learn’ character. It’s a life-long journey of interactions and thoughts, of being yourself, yet also taking in consideration and empathy for others… it develops, it grows and, as I have written before, it starts in the home.

By the time students join Saint Kentigern College, a large portion of their individual character is already determined, but not totally predetermined by previous experiences alone. We can change. We can develop those character strengths we admire in others.

There are many character strengths or attributes to aim towards (Peterson & Seligman, 2004, list 24 key characteristics), and while we regularly highlight aspects of these at Middle College assemblies, as do our Tutors through our Navigate programme, and Rev Smith in his weekly chapel services, hearing about them is not the same as living them.

In the Book of Hebrews (Chapter 5:2), the author states, ‘… because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.’ While I would like to think that education is not a ‘suffering,’ we all need perseverance as we experience the highs and lows of our daily routine. In class, the challenge to understand and master that difficult concept or formula, while not suffering in the physical sense, it can cause stress or impact self-confidence, and failure has the potential to cause students to lose hope. Perseverance does develop character and with that a hopefulness that difficulties can be overcome. Here in lies a role for friendships and empathetic teaching.

Recently, our Year 10 students have had the challenge of Field Centre in the Tongariro National Park and for many, the physical and mental challenges it provided during the 3 day tramp, or completing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, or sharing a tent and working together as team, will have developed their personal character.

The hope is that from experiences such as these, we can build into our students the character that will better prepare them for the next steps.

As 2019 draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge the dedication and leadership of the Middle College Deputy Principals, Mrs Chay Carter and Mrs Marianne Duston, for their hard work and focus on student learning and development. Working together with Year 7 to 10 Curriculum Leaders and Middle College Heads of House, this team has ensured the wellbeing of our younger students and provided challenge for them to strive towards.

2020 will see a new leadership structure implemented at the College, returning to a more traditional single Principal model. While structures and personnel may change, the core values of the College will remain the same; Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Love. These are timeless and encompass the many character strengths we wish to see in both our staff and students. Having had the privilege to lead the Middle School from its inception by the Trust Board in 2003, through to my last three years as Principal of the Middle College, I have tried to champion the importance of these significant adolescent years, a time for both greater depth and breadth of learning and personal development. Character is crucial. The opportunities and challenges at Saint Kentigern are there for the taking and it is through making the most of their skills and talents, together with their interactions with peers and staff, that students will develop their own personal character. It has been said ‘you shall know them by their fruit.’ It is the students’ actions, words and conduct that is probably more important or memorable than their grades and GPA. People will remember ‘who you are, rather than what you know’. Therefore, I will continue to work at the College to enable all our students to have the opportunities to become the best versions of themselves. They are all unique and need to be respected and accepted as they are, but the challenge remains to become the ‘characters’ they want to be known as, each and every day.

Mr Duncan McQueen Principal, Middle College

Senior College Prizegiving

NCEA Dux Medallist

Jesse (Xiyuan) Niu

Academic success is proudly acknowledged at the College and the Senior College Prizegiving was a fitting celebration to end the year, as the Saint Kentigern community gathered in Elliot Hall to congratulate our Year 11, 12 and 13 NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma academic prize winners, including those who have received scholarships to continue their education at tertiary level.

As well as our top academic achievers, the Senior College Prizegiving also acknowledged our accomplished debaters, actors, dancers and musicians, and those who have given well beyond expectation to serve others. At all levels, the students have reflected our mission to inspire excellence and our vision to serve.

The evening concluded with Senior College Principal, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop announcing the highest academic honour - the Dux for NCEA and Dux for the IB Diploma. This year, Jesse (Xiyuan) Niu was named as our NCEA Dux and William Feng as our IB Diploma Dux. Congratulations to both these deserving students who have worked hard and made the most of every opportunity.

Jesse is an outstanding scholar who has achieved considerable success during his time at the College, achieving Academic Colours in every senior year. Last year, he was awarded the F.H Kriekhaus Prize for Mathematics with Calculus and the J. F Coughlan Prize for Chemistry. Jesse was also awarded an NZQA Outstanding Scholarship in Music whilst in Year 12. This highlights another strong passion and talent of his - music. Jesse is an accomplished musician and has contributed to many Saint Kentigern musical groups.

This year Jesse has accepted a Top Achiever Scholarship at The University of Auckland, where he would like to study engineering.

Jesse has been awarded:

The University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

The Matheson Prize for Mathematics with Calculus

The Goldson Prize for Chemistry A Saint Kentigern Scholarship

IB DUX Medallist William Feng

William is a young man of impeccable character. William’s exceptional academic ability, inquisitive mind and sound work ethic auger well for him to continue to achieve with distinction. In 2018, he was awarded the IB Diploma Prize for Economics and was awarded Academic Colours or Honours in each of his senior years. This year, William has been involved in our Peer Support Programme, as well as a member of the College 2019 Monetary Policy Challenge team, and was a highly valuable participant in the 2019 Economics competition organised by The University of Auckland.

William has been awarded:

The IB Diploma Prize for Chinese

The IB Diploma Prize for Economics

The IB Diploma Prize for Mathematics

The IB Diploma Prize for Physics

Saint Kentigern Scholarship

First in Year 11 NCEA

Isabeau Pan

Isabeau was last year’s Dux of the Middle College and has gone on to demonstrate an incredible transition into NCEA. Her teachers have praised her love of learning as well as her humble and grounded nature. As well as being placed first in Year 11 with a Grade Point Average of 97.4%, Isabeau is also the recipient of the Technology- Spatial Design Prize, and the Visual Art -Painting and Printing Prize.

First In Year 12 NCEA

Joseph Chan

Joseph is an outstanding student with exceptional abilities. As well as The P.G Hadfield Prize for First in NCEA Year 12, which recognizes his 95.5% Grade Point Average, Joseph is also the recipient of the W.G Bell Prize for English.

First In Year 12 IB Diploma

Heeju Rho

Heeju is a student of extraordinary ability. Last year she was awarded first in Year 11 NCEA and this year, she has transitioned well into the International Baccalaureate Diploma, with her teachers praising her mature approach to inquiry learning. As well as The P.G Hadfield Prize for First in IB Year 12, Heeju is also the recipient of The IB Diploma Prize for Biology and The IB Diploma Prize for Physics.

Tertiary Scholarships for 2020 Awarded

The College is thrilled that by Senior College Prizegiving, 25 of our graduating students had already been awarded 30 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.

Each year the number of scholarships awarded 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 outstanding achievements and worthy recognition.

THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarships

University of Auckland Faculty of Arts Entry Level Undergraduate Scholarship

THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship

University of Otago Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

University of Otago New Frontiers Entrance Scholarship

University of Otago Performance Entrance Scholarship

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS

Young Enterprise / Enterprise in Action - The Massey Innovators

Challenge & NZ Trade and Enterprise Challenge

Ben Fraser $20,000 for one year

Jesse Niu $20,000 for one year

Misaki Chen $20,000 for one year

Christopher Simonds $20,000 for one year

Olivia Overfield $20,000 for one year

Cindy Yi $20,000 for one year

Margaret Li $5,000 one-year tenure

Richard Lu around $35,000 over 3 years

Charlotte Lindsay Smail $5,000 one-year tenure

Emily Lott $6,000 for first year only

Ben Shepherd $6,000 for first year only

Benji Klipin Between $2,500 and $5,000 for 1 year

Lucy Hunter Between $2,500 and $5,000 for 1 year

Emma Sampson Between $2,500 and $5,000 for 1 year

Genevieve Trimble $16,000 for the first three years

Charlie Thomlinson $7,000 scholarship and a fully-funded trip to Chile

Saint Kentigern Scholarships 2019

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

Jesse (Xiyuan) Niu, this year’s NCEA Dux and William Feng, our IB Diploma Dux, each received $3000, whilst the other six, Harriette Baxter (NCEA), Misaki Chen (NCEA), Ben Fraser (NCEA), Jason Hatton (NCEA), Margaret Li (IB) and Cindy Yi (NCEA), each received $1000.

In addition to the Dux Medal and Saint Kentigern Scholarship, Jesse was also awarded The Matheson Prize for Mathematics with Calculus, The Goldson Prize for Chemistry and he has also been awarded a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship worth $20,000.

IB Diploma Dux medallist and Saint Kentigern Scholarship recipient, William, was also awarded The IB Diploma Prize for Chinese, The IB Diploma Prize for Economics, The IB Diploma Prize for Mathematics, and The IB Diploma Prize for Physics.

Harriette was also awarded the Spanish Prize and The Stevens Prize for Classical Studies. Misaki was also awarded a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship worth $20,000. Ben was also awarded The Lambie Prize for Geography, The Bankier Prize for History, the Rotary Senior College Service Award and a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship worth $20,000. Jason was awarded the Media in Society Prize, the Technology Animation

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (AUT )

AUT Significant Student Scholarships

AUT Significant Student Scholarships

THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY

UC Emerging Leaders’ Scholarship

and Motion Graphics Prize and the Technology Computer Science Prize and an AUT Significant Student Scholarship worth $6,500.

Margaret was also awarded the IB Diploma Prize for History, the IB Diploma Prize for English and a University of Auckland Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Scholarship worth $5000. Cindy was also awarded the Frank Reeves Memorial Cup for Literature and a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship worth $20,000.

We congratulate each of these students and wish them the very best as they move on to their tertiary studies.

Claire Hollingworth $5,000 for one year

Alex Macmillan $5,000 for one year

Ben Shepherd $5,000 for one year

Genevieve Trimble $5,000 for one year

Olivia Overfield $5,000 for one year

Samantha Shing $5,000 for one year

Jason Hatton $6,500pa initially for 1 year

Zac Attwood $6,500pa initially for 1 year

Ben Shepherd Tuition fees (second year) or accommodation fees to $6,000, and leadership programme

UC College of Business and Law First Year Award for Excellence

Go Canterbury Scholarship

MASSEY UNIVERSITY

Vice Chancellor’s High Achiever with Distinction Scholarship

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

Lincoln University Rugby Scholarship

Lincoln University Hockey scholarship

Ben Shepherd $5,000 for one year

Thomas Clifton $5,000 towards accomodation

Cameron Nahill Total value $7,500

Harrison Dakin $6,000 in 1st year

Daniel Woud $6,000 in 1st year

Middle College Prizegiving

Academic, sporting and cultural successes were proudly acknowledged at the Middle College Prizegiving. The Sports Centre was abuzz as families, friends and specials guests of our Year 7-10 students came together to celebrate another successful year.

The official party was piped in by Elijah Wong, followed by the New Zealand Anthem accompanied by the Middle College Wind Band. Principal, Mr Duncan McQueen formally welcomed everyone before those gathered stood for the Prayer of Saint Kentigern.

Trust Board Chairman, Dr John Kernohan congratulated the students on their achievements and encouraged them to continue working hard and to be great role models. Head of Saint Kentigern, David Hodge thanked the staff and Mr McQueen for their hard work, leadership and commitment throughout the year. Mr Hodge concluded by congratulating the students before each age group came forward to collect their awards.

Dux of Middle College

Ethan Fung

The Cameron Cups for Citizenship were awarded to Jade Nomani and Melody Lui-Webster for their worthy contribution, and the Year 7 and 8 Menzies Cup for Citizenship was awarded to joint winners, Ricky Shen and Katelyn Quay-Chin. Cups were also awarded to Eva Melhuish and Ethan Agaimalo for showing ‘All-Round Ability’ throughout the year. The top honours of the morning went to Ethan Fung as Dux of the Middle College; a student who has attained significant academic and co-curricular achievement. Ethan thanked his friends, family and the Saint Kentigern staff before explaining his success wouldn’t have been possible without them. He concluded by encouraging the students to work together and support one another.

To conclude the formalities, Mr McQueen thanked everyone before Reverend Smith closed in prayer and The Saint Kentigern College Second Pipe Band beat the retreat.

Ethan has consistently achieved Excellence or Excellence Plus in his core subjects which included Year 11 Science and Year 11 Cambridge Mathematics in Year 10, with a total GPA of 397. These exceptional results are underpinned by his outstanding effort. In 2019, Ethan received a Distinction award in the Australian Mathematics Competition and was placed in the Top 100 in the New Zealand Junior Mathematics Competition. He was also awarded Academic Honours and his class prize. Excelling not only academically, but in his varied co-curricular involvement, this year Ethan was awarded the Badminton Singles Trophy, as a member of the Badminton Premier team. He has also been a member of the Junior Premier Debating Team and a participant in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Musically talented, Ethan has played the Clarinet in the Symphony Orchestra and was also a finalist in the Solo Music Competition. He has also been a member of the Concert Band and the Lepidoptera Society.

Ethan has been an excellent role model as a Middle College Leader. In addition to his academic and cocurricular achievements, he shows a genuine interest in his fellow classmates. With his commitment to strive for excellence in all areas of life, Ethan is a true Son of Kentigern.

The Birch Cup

For The Year 10 Girl Showing All Round Ability

Eva Melhuish

Eva is an exemplary student in every respect. She fully embraces all opportunities on offer. Her outstanding attitude and effort in her academic studies have led to excellent grades across all her subjects.She has been an excellent role model as a Middle College Student Leader, positively and energetically representing Chalmers House with pride and service to others.

In addition to her academic success and leadership, Eva has shown an incredible capacity to embrace and excel in a myriad of co-curricular endeavours. This year, she has participated in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and has been involved in the Girls’ Cycling team, the Open Water Squad and the Triathlon Squad that won the National Team Title at the Triathlon Nationals. She has also competed at both the AKSS Triathlon and Aquathon Champs.

The J.E.H Kururangi Cup

For the Year 10 Boy Showing All Round Ability

Ethan Agaimalo

Described as diligent, responsible, courteous and a natural leader, Ethan is an exceptional all-round student who is highly respected and admired by his teachers and peers. His outstanding attitude and effort underpin his strong academic results.

Ethan has been a highly effective Middle College Student Leader, representing Stark House with pride, sincerity and care., He has also been involved in a range of sporting and cultural endeavours. He has been member of the Year 10 Rugby Development Programme, the U15A Rugby team and the Senior Touch team. Ethan was a key member of the Samoan Cultural Group at the Saint Kentigern Cultural Evening, and also danced with his sister paying homage to their Tongan Heritage and family.

The Year 7 and 8 Menzies Cup for Citizenship

Joint Winners - Ricky Shen and Katelyn Quay-Chin

Ricky Shen

Ricky is a reflective and motivated student with an innate desire to succeed, as well as being an exceptional role model and leader of others. He has excelled academically, and he has been involved in a wide range of cultural and service endeavours, with a personal highlight being the opportunity to represent year 7 and 8 students at the annual presbyterian schools youth leadership conference in term 3. Ricky’s humility, positive attitude and commitment to everything he undertakes has earned him the respect of his teachers and peers, and we have all appreciated and benefitted from his maturity, wisdom and kindness. He leads by example with his caring nature and his constant cheerfulness. Ricky can be extremely proud of his outstanding achievements this year and is a worthy corecipient of the menzies cup for citizenship.

The Cameron Prize for Citizenship – Year 9

Jade Nomani

Jade exemplifies what it means to be a student of Saint Kentigern. In Year 9, not only has she achieved very good academic results, she has also thrived in a myriad of co-curricular activities, both sporting and cultural. Her sporting prowess is exceptional in both Athletics and Netball. Jade won the Athletics Championship Trophy, representing the College in Eastern Zone Athletics and AKSS Mixed Cross Country. She has been in the Sports Development programme for Netball and has played in the Netball Mystics team. Jade is also a valuable member of the Kapa Haka group. She has a friendly personality and positively engages with students across year levels, who enjoy her energy, humour and natural leadership. The College is very proud of Jade’s citizenship and all-round achievements this year.

The Cameron Prize for Citizenship – Year 10

Melody Lui-Webster

Katelyn Quay-Chin

Katelyn Is An Outstanding Citizen Of The College And Has Been Involved In Many Facets Of College Life. She Is A High Achiever Both In The Classroom And On The Sports Field. She Still Finds Time To Involve Herself Fully In A Range Of Other Co-Curricular Activities With A Strong Focus On Service To The College And To Others. This Has Included Completing Her Silver Service Award And Being Involved In Activities Such As Seedlings For Service, World Vision 40 Hour Famine, Shoe Bank And Goodfellow Apprenticeship. Katelyn Always Gives Of Her Best And Is Consistently Kind And Helpful To Others. Her Humility, Coupled With A Great Sense Of Humour Endear Her To All. Katelyn Is A Natural Leader And She Was Selected To Attend The Annual Presbyterian Schools Youth Leadership Conference In Term 3. Katelyn Shows Initiative And Compassion And Is A Worthy Co-Recipient Of The Menzies Cup For Citizenship.

Melody is a worthy recipient of this award showing confidence and natural leadership in all she undertakes. Described by her teachers as vivacious and hard-working, Melody has managed a busy schedule exceptionally well and has achieved many outstanding results both academically and in the Performing Arts. Melody’s involvement in the Dance Showcase, the Chalmers House Band, Kentoris, the Massed Choir and her lead role in the Middle College Production of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ led to her receiving the award for Middle College Performer of the Year. She also won the Middle College Solo Music competition. Melody is respected as a role model of exemplary citizenship.

Two Spelling Whizzes!

Two Year 7 College students, James Carter and Alan Chen were both thrilled to find out that they will be awarded ICAS medals at a special ceremony held at The University of Auckland in December, for achieving the top score in the country for their year group in spelling at the New Zealand and Pacific International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS).

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

Earlier in the year, a number of our students from each of our Saint Kentigern schools were entered in ICAS in a range of subjects with many gaining Distinction and High Distinction. Almost 100,000 students sit these tests world-wide, so it is an amazing achievement to be awarded national medals for top marks in the country!

Congratulations to James and Alan on their outstanding academic success!

Senior College Graduation Dinner

As their final year of schooling drew to a close, our Year 13 students gathered for one last time with parents, staff and invited guests at the Year 13 Graduation Chapel and Dinner, to mark the end of their time at Saint Kentigern, as they prepare to move on to life beyond the College gates.

With a record 820 in attendance, Reverend Smith’s service was held in Elliot Hall, with every seat taken. While guests filed in, photos streamed on the big screen - a reflection of a final year well spent in the company of friends, playing, performing and achieving.

Year 13 student, Christina Middelbeek-Harrison, was called on to open the service in song with ‘When we were Young’ (Adele). A little later, fellow Year 13 student, Venice Qin followed to sing ‘Amazing Grace,’ with Christina finishing the service with the sung blessing. Both these girls have powerful voices and have regularly contributed to Chapel over the years - the congregation was clearly moved. Head Boy, Ben Shepherd gave the final Bible reading for the year.

The recurring theme throughout the night was that of our Vision Statement, that our ‘Graduates will Serve and Lead with Distinction.’ Reverend Smith asked, ‘What might this look like?’ He said, ‘To ‘Serve and Lead with Distinction’ involves humility and empathy, and the recognition of the place of others in our lives. It entails the need to treat others with the same respect and dignity that we would expect ourselves. It involves the rolling up of one’s sleeves and the understanding that the fulfilling of our responsibilities always comes before the assertion of any rights. And it requires a willingness to keep ‘listening to’ and ‘learning from’ - even from those whom we lead.’

The culmination of the students’ secondary education was recognised with the presentation of their diplomas by Senior College Principal, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop, Chairman of the Trust Board, Mr John Kernohan, and Head of Saint Kentigern, Mr David Hodge. As the students crossed the stage, proud parents looked on, undoubtedly wondering where the years had gone! The guests were then piped to the Sports Centre for dinner - the last time for a while that the students will hear the sound so synonymous with Saint Kentigern.

The Sports Centre had been amazingly transformed by the Parents and Friends with a mass of balloons in House colours. Deputy Head Prefects, Molly Saker and Beck Robson did a sterling job as MCs for the evening, keeping everything moving, as well as offering anecdotal

insights into the strong bonds between this cohort. Before dinner was served, the Grace was offered by Jonathan Twyman.

At each Senior College assembly throughout the year, the prefects take it in turns to share their ‘Last Word.’ Sam Clarke’s was saved for the Graduation Dinner and was a powerful reminder of the importance Saint Kentigern places on the value of service to others. Sam said, ‘It is the duty of those of us who have the most, to help those who have the least.’

Head Prefects, Ben Shepherd and Alex Hynds also spoke one last time. Above all, there was an air of gratitude as they offered thanks to their parents, teachers, tutors and other mentors within the College. But their final words were left for Senior College Principal, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop, to acknowledge her service and commitment as she prepares to leave Saint Kentigern. They said, ‘Mrs Winthrop has been a truly inspiring leader in our College community, since beginning here in 2002. She epitomises what it means to live by the ‘Saint Kentigern Way.’ Her selfless commitment, undying dedication and love of Saint Kentigern has provided us all with opportunities for which we can be thankful for. Mrs Winthrop was the first female leader of Saint Kentigern, and part of her role when she began at Saint Kentigern was to assist with the transformation into a co-ed school. She has been a very empowering female leader. We are all deeply saddened by her departure from the College, but wish her all the best for the future.’ Mrs Winthrop was given a standing ovation.

Mrs Winthrop thanked the parents for believing in Saint Kentigern and entrusting their children to our teaching and care. She told the students to remember the fortunate grounding they had been given and encouraged them to give back by serving others. ‘Many of you will become leaders in various spheres of influence in NZ and overseas. Be strong, compassionate, humble and grounded people who lead as examples of excellence.’ She left them with the quote, ‘You only have one life, make it a life that counts.’

The sentiments expressed throughout the night of thankfulness, friendship and pride in having attended the ‘world of opportunity’ that Saint Kentigern offers, confirmed that these students will go on to great things. We wish them well in their future endeavours and thank them for everything they have done to extend the Saint Kentigern legacy.

‘God, as a hugely significant journey ends, a new road beckons.’

Rev David Smith

Middle College Celebration Lunch

Our Year 10 students gathered in the gym to mark their final year in the Middle College with a shared lunch. Whether they have been at Saint Kentigern for two of four years, the lunch celebrated their time in Middle College years and was a chance to reflect, and also mentally prepare themselves for their adventures ahead –firstly Field Centre and then Senior College.

With the Chapel being renovated, this year’s Chapel service took place in the gym. The students entered the gym, accompanied by the Middle College Pipes and Drums. Reverend David Smith spoke about change, courage and the Year 10 ‘rite of passage’ –Field Centre. The Reverend encouraged the students to ‘pack’ a positive attitude and to try their best. He also encouraged them to enjoy the adventure, and to learn from one another and their environment. He said it is often when we are on unfamiliar paths that we discover things about ourselves – ‘Enjoy being an adventurer and walking the new paths.’

Following their lunch, the students reflected on the year and watched House videos that had been put together by students. Old Collegian, Jeremy Kyle was welcomed as a guest speaker. Jeremy spoke about his achievements since leaving Saint Kentigern and how it is important to ‘chase your dreams’. Jeremy is an artist and has created art for the likes of Under Armour, The Chicago Bulls, The New York Times and the United Nations. He encouraged the students to have faith in their journey, God and to be kind to everyone along the way. He kindly donated an NBA painting to the school.

Middle College Principal, Mr Duncan McQueen concluded and wished the students the best of luck. He finished by reminding the students to be themselves and to continue to live by the Saint Kentigern Way.

Harvard: 7 Weeks Away From Home

With thanks to Year 12 student, Xavier Yin

Harvard. That one word held so much meaning to me this year. It held an unforgettable opportunity to meet new friends, explore subjects of interest and live on a renowned university campus. This is my story of Harvard Summer School 2019.

I will never forget the letter that came into my mailbox in early February. Harvard Summer School was the one thing that I had wanted. Nothing could have been better than seeing the word ‘Congratulations!’ on my laptop screen. I was delighted, surprised even, that I had the opportunity to be one of a select few students from around the world.

Fast forward to late June, I had just moved into a Harvard first-year dorm and hit the ground running. For the next seven weeks, I quickly realised, I would have a fast-paced computer science course with four three-hour lectures a week, relentless problem-sets and weekly unit tests. My ‘Intensive Introduction to Computer Science’ classes consisted of a diverse combination of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from various countries, and offered many interesting problem-set tasks, such as designing a human versus computer Battleship game and a sudoku solver.

As the gruelling weeks passed, problem sets progressed from typing simple commands into a Java console to working with elaborate data structures. Getting through some of the problem sets required staying up late to meet the tight deadlines and countless hours staring at lines of code.

Classes aside, I found comfort in the Harvard environment. From the many food options to the recreational facilities, there was always some way to spend my free time. Aside from the acceptable quality of food at Harvard’s main undergraduate dining hall, Annenberg, the best food was found around campus. Opposite Harvard Yard was the Smith Campus Center, a tall glass building that contained many different restaurants and cafes, it was in this building that I spent much of my studying time, lunchtimes, and time with friends. One Sunday I was working on the sudoku solver from 9 am until 10 pm with some classmates—I had not left the Smith Campus Center for the entire day!

But there were often gaps in my schedule and I spent time with friends exploring the surrounding Boston area, even taking trips to the cinema and beach. And while I have spent time in Boston before, my time at Harvard opened my eyes to the culture and livelihood that thrived in previously untravelled places. I repeatedly travelled to Boston’s famous Chinatown over the seven weeks and embraced the cultural diversity of the district.

The amount of independence I had was a shock from my heavily planned high school schedule. It meant getting up before my 9 am lecture, doing the laundry regularly, and arranging a physical exercise routine, all without input from a teacher or supervisor. I also took part in activities such as playing table tennis, running along the Charles

River, and going to Hemenway Gym, these were opportunities to both form friendships and talk with other students at Harvard.

Harvard Summer School also has an optional programme called Harvard Summer Servers, which offers various community service opportunities to the surrounding Boston and Cambridge areas. One such opportunity is helping at the Boston Red Cross Food Pantry, which gives students the opportunity to give away bags of food to families in need. I encouraged many of my hallmates and others I met during the programme to try this inspiring experience. After this first trip, I suggested that Harvard Summer Servers add two more trips (they initially had only two) to the Food Pantry so more students could take part in service. These extra trips proved fruitful in both the monotonous work of packing the food bags and the many connections we made to other volunteers in the community. The trips started early in the morning, we left Harvard Yard at around 7.30 am and returned at around 1 pm. While the non-stop four-hour service trips to the Food Pantry were tiring, I felt a sense of accomplishment each time from the smiling faces of the thousand or so families we served across the four trips. These trips were truly an invaluable and unforgettable experience that I am grateful for.

Looking back on my seven weeks at Harvard, nothing I have previously experienced could have compared with the connections and opportunities I gained there. I formed friendships with both high school and university students around the world and was able to gain understanding of undergraduate student life. My time at Harvard gave me a newfound appreciation for opportunities: to jump on any opportunities that arise, as each one is a life-changing experience. Without the support of Mrs Winthrop, Mrs Shaw, and Mr Lee, Mr Aldiss, and the countless teachers that have supported my sevenweek endeavour, this trip would certainly have been impossible.

Bruce House Dinner

Parents of the Year 13 boarding graduates, staff and Trust Board members joined the boarders at Bruce House early in the term to celebrate their achievements and give thanks to those who care for them – their surrogate family members during term time.

The evening got underway with Year 13 student, Valance Yates, leading fellow boarders in the Bruce House Haka, before the guests were escorted to their tables. Head of Boarding, Mr Martin Piaggi paid special tribute to Valance for the huge contribution he has made to Bruce House and the leadership skills he has shown.

Following dinner, Mr Piaggi spoke of the three pillars of expectation that were introduced to the House this year - ‘Gratitude, Humility and Contribution.’ Implementing this meant that all 101 boarders needed to buy into the shared mindset; something they have done willingly. He spoke of the immense pride he feels for the young men and women in his care and the great strides that have been made to create an even stronger sense of family bonds within Bruce House.

The House is well served by a group of wonderful staff who care for our boarders. The shared respect and love became evident during the course of the evening as current Bruce House Head Prefects, Tiaan Tauakipulu and Seloa Keil came forward to pay tribute to their fellow boarders and the many staff who care for them amongst the duty, nursing and catering staff and, in particular, Mr Piaggi and Head of Girls’ Boarding, Mrs Bridget Anitelea. Both students have been excellent role models to the younger students and epitomise all that is good in such a community. They both spoke passionately about their boarding experience.

Another constant at Bruce House is Senior College Principal, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop, who cared for the foundation female boarders when boarding was first offered to girls in 2011. Each year she addresses the boarders with fondness, having a true appreciation of what it means to be a part of their community. She told the boarders, ‘In education we talk about the importance of developing ‘soft skills.’ As a boarder, you have the best opportunity to learn skills such as resilience, confidence, organisation and the ability to work in a team that includes both genders. The ability to live with others who you may not necessarily choose to live or work with, means you have to develop crucial traits such as empathy, tolerance, considering others before yourself, patience, humility and loyalty. As boarders you may not recognise these advantages now, but in a few years when you look back on your time at Bruce House, you absolutely will.’

This was a special evening where the invited guests soon gained an understanding of the very strong family bond that pervades the boarding house. The evening concluded with the Bruce House Awards.

Bruce House Awards 2019

The MacFarlan Award for Head Boy: Tiaan Tauakipulu

The MacFarlan Award for Head Girl: Seloa Keil

The McGuiness Cup for Academic Honours: Harriette Baxter

The Morgan Cup for Year 11 Academic Achievement: Christine Gao

The Bruce House Cup for Top All-Round Boy: Caelan Potts

The Norma Cowie Cup for the Top All-Round Girl: Harriette Baxter

The Marcroft Cup for Sportsperson of the Year: Shalom Broughton

Exploring Maori Culture

During a visit to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Year 8 cohort immersed themselves in Maori culture, learning about the Maori rituals, customs, myths and legends and how they utilised the land. As part of their unit ‘Te ao o te Maori - World of the Maori’, the students looked at how the Maori lived years ago and took part in a workshop, witnessed a cultural show and toured the museum.

During the workshop, the students were taken on a guided bush walk through the Domain where they learned about the links between the land, native trees and plants, and humans, and how the the forest was used to survive and make tools, weapons and clothing. They also discovered which plants were used for food and medicine. The students had the opportunity look at a kauri and handled traditional weapons, clothing and tools made from some of New Zealand’s native trees. The students were surprised to discover that the markings and patterns made on the flax used for piupiu were made from a type of clay.

Inside the museum, the students looked at traditional artefacts, displays, models, tools, clothing, the meeting house and waka, and worked through a list of questions to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the culture. To conclude the day, the students were entertained by Maori performers who used song and dance to tell the stories of their ancestors.

Overall, the trip was fantastic and provided a great opportunity for the students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the history of New Zealand and Maori culture. It also allowed the students to hone in on their Te Reo Maori skills. Our sincere thanks to the museum staff for their time and for sharing their expertise with us!

Pick, Sort, Pack, Win

Congratulations to Year 8 Middle College students, Mia Li, Imogen Perry, Katelyn Quay Chin and Jina You who put on their problem-solving hats to win, firstly, a local round, then the Auckland semi-final of the EPRo8 practical engineering competition, to secure a place in the EPro8 Challenge Auckland Grand Final to be held in early December.

EPro8 pits teams of students against each other to complete a variety of tasks in a set amount of time. Over the course of three hours, each team is located at a workstation that contains an impressive assortment of equipment, including gears, wheels, pulleys, weights, tools, aluminium framing, motors and electronics. Working quickly and collaboratively, the teams are required to plan/design and build a range of solutions to novel problems, all within certain specifications and under time pressure.

At the Auckland semi-final, held at Somerville Intermediate, the tasks were within the context of an orchard – picking, sorting, packing. Working as a team to pool their ideas and make the best use of the resources available, the girls were asked to create picking structures, motorised conveyor belts, electronically controlled spray and lighting systems, automated fruit sorting devices and fruit counters.

The girls won the semi-final competition by 80 points! Well done girls on your ability to think fast and apply your knowledge to new situations! From a competition that started with 30 teams at local level, only 12 now remain and the girls are looking forward to competing again at the finals. Good luck!

Tradesmen for a Day

With thanks to Year 9 student reporter, Jashil Rana

With work currently underway by APS Complete Property Services Ltd to strengthen and refurbish the Chapel, four Year 9 boys were given a unique opportunity, following exams, to spend a day on site with professional APS staff, to extend their knowledge of the construction industry.

One of the boys, Jashil Rana reports: ‘Before we could enter the site, Warren, the site manager, instructed us regarding the site’s health and safety requirements. He also explained the purpose of the renovation and restoration of this site. To enter the Chapel, we were required to put on safety gear such as gloves, helmets, glasses, high-visibility vests and steel-capped boots. This was to ensure our safety and minimise any risk of injury while undertaking new tasks throughout the day.

The Chapel is currently surrounded by extensive scaffolding, both outside and within, thus securing the work area for the builders. Inside the Chapel, we learnt how to construct a basic scaffold structure, learning that teamwork, collaboration, and communication are very important to complete the job with maximum safety and efficiency. Under close supervision, we were permitted to climb the scaffolding to the upper levels both inside and out, which was an amazing experience, especially indoors, seeing the Chapel stripped back while the work takes place. We were surprised to learn that weather does not play a major factor in time management during the strengthening procedure, as the helical screws are drilled from the inside and most of the exterior work can be left for good weather conditions.

At the end of the day, we were fortunate to be able to take home architectural documents regarding the construction of the site and other assorted papers to give us both a reminder of the day and further insight. We learnt a range of skills as we shadowed the construction workers that day and all four of us are incredibly grateful to the APS staff and Saint Kentigern for allowing us this rare and valuable experience.’

The Kents Film Festival

With the Dance Studio transformed to a cinema, the filmmaking talents of our Senior College students were showcased to an appreciative audience. Over the course of the evening, twelve films were shown, drawn from the best work of our Year 12 and Year 13 Media and Digital Technology students, along with two groups who had entered the Auckland 48 Hour Film Festival earlier in the year.

Acting Head of Media Studies, Mr Luke Oliver explained that the films encompassed almost half a year’s work for the students, as they scripted their films and then moved through the pre-production and production phase. Our Year 12 students worked within the ‘horror’ genre – and there’s no question they nailed that! Year 13 were tasked with creating a short film in the ‘Film Noir’ genre weaving together the themes, conventions and style that is ‘Noir’ (black). Animated film was a new category this year, bringing yet another style of movie-making to the screens from our Digital Technology students.

Prior to the screening, a team of judges, comprising ex-students and industry professionals judged the films on cinematography, editing, performance, sound, visual effects and best films for NCEA Level 2 (Year 12), NCEA Level 3 (Year 13) and Animation. Our sincere thanks to the judges, Calvin Sang, Cam McColl and Cameron Magill for taking the time to view the films and all those who came in support of our film students.

The Kents Winners

Best Year 13 Film, Peoples’ Choice and Best Cinematography: Team: Jason Hatton, Ayesha Hunwick

Best Sound and Best Editing: Team: Jack Horsnell, Nathan Laing, Sam Ashton

Best Year 12 Film: Team: Robson Snookes, Matthew Doonan, Alex Corr-Lyon

Best Animation

Film and Best Visual Effects: Jason Hatton

Best Performance: Amelia Elliot

Celebrating the Arts

Toround off the performing arts year, guests filled Elliot Hall to celebrate our remarkable student talent at the annual Celebrating the Arts evening. In reflection of the year that has been, Middle and Senior College Dance, Drama and Music students entertained the guests in between the award presentations.

The Jazz Combo and Concert Bands played as our guests arrived and took the opportunity to view the Visual Art displays from our NCEA art students. Once seated, the Pipes and Drums officially opened the evening, making a grand entrance onto the Elliot Hall stage. Head of Performing Arts, Naomi Wilson and Arts Prefects, Venice Qin and Matthew Turner welcomed everyone and shared some of this year’s highlights. The evening was a great success and offered a mix of entertainment while awarding those students who have dedicated many mornings, lunchtimes and evening hours to the arts.

In between awarding badges, colours, silver ferns and trophies, the Theatresports Premier Team, Dance Extension Class, Drama Scholarship group, Kentoris, Year 13 Dance Class and performers from the Cultural Group, Fiddler on the Roof and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang showcased their talents and hard work.

The Drama department shared some of their highlights for the year and stated that in February, five students gained Scholarships from their 2018 Examinations. This included one Outstanding Scholarship recipient (Lauren Aspoas) and three current Year 13 students gaining the achievement. This was the highest number of Drama Scholarships awarded to any one school for 2018. In Term 2, the Play Series showcased six senior classes of over 100 drama students, performing over three weeks in five different plays. The style and theatre forms included, Theatre of Cruelty, Absurdism, Elizabethan, New Zealand, contemporary and Verbatim styled theatre genres.

The Year 13 extension class toured a devised Theatre in Education Show to teach preschool aged children the value of numeracy in a fun and interactive way with ‘One More Sheep’. Shake the Quad was well attended, the performances were strong, and students were recognised at the regional Shakespeare Festival with a Special Award for their clarity and consistency of voice and language.

This year marked the 12th year in a row that Saint Kentigern has made the Theatresports Grand Final and the first year a mixed gender team played in this final and they placed third overall.

It has also been a fantastic year for Music as they have claimed four Gold Awards (Symphony, Big Band, Concert Band at KBB and Nationals) and five Silver Awards this year (Kentoris, Chamber

Orchestra, Stage Band, Jazz Band & Combo at regionals). The Chamber Trio also gained National success, as well as many other students who placed at the Auckland and/or National Youth or Secondary Schools Choir, Concert Bands and Orchestras. Year 13 students, Jesse Niu also received ‘Outstanding’ for his 2018 Year 12 NZQA Music Scholarship. The NCEA Music and Music Project classes continue to go from strength to strength, with the majority of students completing their performances and composition standards in the co-curricular ensemble events throughout the year. Several senior musicians have volunteered to take an active role by sharing their musical talent and passion with the students at Boys’ School and Girls’ School. With over 250 students, 30 music tutors and 35 ensembles, it has been a very successful year.

Over the course of 2019, we have had many successes and achievements within Dance, with the annual Dance Showcase being the highlight of the year for the dance students. This year, we introduced student-led Dance Troupes to the Showcase, which was a fantastic addition, with some of our Senior Dance students taking the opportunity to develop their leadership skills along with their choreographic skills.

We also had success out of school with a group competing at the World Hip Hop Competition. From the Royal Family, we had Renee Salesa, Maia Salesa and Mila Stanisich place fourth and from Rebellious, Charlotte Richardson, Montoya Ottaway, Gema Whitford-Joynt and Panen Gu place tenth. We also had several students achieve success at the Auckland Caledonian Society Dance Competition. We had Ruby Ryburn, who dances with MEBA, win at the Ora Burnett Jazz Awards and placed as a finalist for the Hillary Peacock Ballet Award. We also had Isabelle Fox gain third place in the Ora Burnett Jazz Awards. Our Senior Hip Hop crew LUX, led by Senior Dance student, Raychel Tapsell, also did particularly well and were invited to perform at the Tempo Dance Festival.

The most anticipated item of the evening was who would be crowned ‘Performer of the Year’ for the Middle College and Senior College. An exceptional programme is only made possible by the dedication of students, which made the decision this year extremely difficult. But two students stood out, covering all areas of the arts –Melody Lui-Webster and Venice Qin.

Both students met the criteria being; they had lead roles or leadership in Arts performances, received significant Performing Arts awards and represented Saint Kentigern at a regional, national and/or international level.

Middle College Performer of the Year

Melody Lui-Webster

Melody embodies everything we expect of an outstanding performer. She takes Drama and Dance academically, is part of both Kentoris and the Massed Choir, takes Trinity Speech and Drama, as well as being a member of the Drama Club and several Dance Troupes. In fact, most of her spare time is spent in the arts.

For someone who is only in the Middle College, her performing arts experience is extensive. This year alone, she sang with Chalmers House Band for House Music and performed solos at both the Middle College Music Evening and the Cabaret Evening. She performed a total of six dances in the Dance Showcase and her film was also screened here.

Outside school, Melody played the lead role of Morticia Addams in the Children’s Musical Theatre production of the Addams Family. She followed this up with an unforgettable performance as Truly Scrumptious in the Middle College production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in May.

She has received numerous awards this year in the arts, including dance awards for tap, lyrical, choreography, song and dance. She was selected as a singer for Parris Goebel’s production, ‘Girl’ for the Tempo Dance Festival. She is also an excellent choreographer, having co-choreographed Edgewater College’s production of ‘Chicago’ and choreographed Churchill Park School’s production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in September.

Melody is a true professional! She is always in the right place at the right time, listening to all direction, supporting her peers and showing kindness for everyone. She is creative and passionate and a phenomenal performer.

Senior College Performer of the Year

Venice Qin

Venice is a truly exceptional performing artist, with a broad range of skills. She is fully dedicated to the Arts as a performer, leader, mentor and helper. She will never turn down an opportunity to get involved and has immersed herself in the Arts during her time at the College. Her Performing Arts CV is extensive but some of the highlights for this year include: Winning Silver in the Auckland Secondary Schools Jazz Festival and Gold in the KBB Music Festival as Jazz Soloist for the Big Band. She has been the Jazz Combo vocal soloist for two years and won Silver at the Auckland Secondary Schools Jazz Festival this year. She has also been in leadership roles as the Kentoris Choir Leader and Lower Wind section Leader for Concert Band –winning numerous awards. She is the Principal Bassoonist for the Symphony Orchestra where she Won ‘Best Performance of a Classical Work’ for Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto. She is a member of both the Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Group and was a Solo Music Finalist again this year.

Venice is also a keen actor and she received a PACANZ Nomination for National Young Performer of the Year (In the Speech and Drama Section), both in 2017 and again this year. Many will remember her for her outstanding performance in a lead role as Golde in this year’s Senior College Musical Fiddler on the Roof.

She has balanced all of this and many commitments and achievements outside of school, with the demands of her IB studies and being part of our phenomenal Arts Prefect duo.

Not only does Venice have an extensive understanding of the Performing Arts but she is an incredible ambassador for it. She is a highly engaging young person who connects well with everyone she meets, regardless of their preferred art or style. She is empathic, kind, generous, dedicated and humble but maintains outstanding standards in everything she does – all the traits we look for at the College in a role model. We wish her luck next year as she applies to study Musical Theatre in the United Kingdom.

Maori and Pasifika Evening

Saint Kentigern takes pride in the many different cultures that make up our community. In celebration of language and arts week, our Maori and Pasifika community of students, staff and their families, came together to present an evening of song and dance – an evening full of colour and rich with community spirit.

From delicious food to a formal welcome, followed by dancing and singing, with great vocal support from the audience, this was a great evening of entertainment! The costumes and backdrops were amazing and the students were a joy to watch.

On arrival, food stalls, prepared by the families, were set up in the Elliot Hall foyer for the guests to enjoy traditional food, before enjoying the show. Students, Benji Pauga and Caleb Pese were the MCs for the evening and opened the concert with a humorous piece to set the tone. Playing the guitar and singing an ‘unknown’ welcoming song, the pair got the audience laughing from the moment they stepped onto the stage.

The first item for the evening was a performance by Chloe Haerewa, singing in Maori. Chloe gave a beautiful performance and was a great example of the talent to follow.

Following in her footsteps was the Samoan Group, led by Selena Agimalo. This group of 17 students took the audience on a wonderful journey to the tropical islands. Their performance was full of energy, colour and excitement as smiles filled the room and the audience cheered. It was wonderful to see such a well-polished set, as the dancers moved gracefully to their different formations, making clear representations of their Samoan culture.

To complete the Samoan set, Seloa Keil performed a Taualuga. Seloa shone on stage as her magical dance brought the whole Samoan Group and family members together to dance and celebrate as one. Seloa’s energy and stage presence was incredible to watch!

Christina Middelbeek-Harrison’s voice was spell-binding as she sang Whakaaria mai and Whakamoemiti. It was clear that Christina is no stranger to the stage, giving a very polished performance.

The audience was in for another treat but this time, from the Staff Kapa Haka Group, a newly formed group this year who have practised under the watchful eye of College Te Reo teacher, Matua Maurice Nelson. Many of the group took on the Te Reo course last year and were proud to be able to present back to the students at only their second public performance this year.

This was followed by a Tongan dance performed by Selena Agaimalo and the Piukana family. In the next item, a group of Tongan girls and boys, led by Peata Fatai, also danced beautifully. The girls performed two pieces, Tau’olunga and Faha’iula with great energy and poise, and the boys certainly held the attention of the audience with their strong and energetic performance, Soke.

Next, Moiralisa Ainu’u Aneru, Caleb Pese and Damien Faiane performed a song together, followed by the College Kapa Haka Group, led by J’adore Harris - Tavita and Selena Agaimalo. This was a great way to conclude the show as the students gave a strong rendition of. the Waiata-Tira: He Honore, Whakaeke: Haukiwi, Moteatea: Maia, Waiata-a-ringa: Medley, Haka: Ruaūmoko and Whakawatea: Nei Rā Te Kaupapa.

Teacher in Charge of the Cultural Groups, Mr Leti Fetalaiga gave his closing speech, thanking all the students, tutors and teachers for their hard work, and also to the family and friends who came along to show their support. Matua Nelson finished with a closing prayer before proud families went on their way.

A production of this calibre requires a lot of hard work from staff and students alike but each year when this evening comes around, we are particularly appreciative of the input from the students’ families. Well done to all who were involved, this was a production you can all be proud of!

Middle College Solo Music Finals

After a series of auditions, twelve of the most accomplished Middle College musicians were selected to perform before a judge at the annual Middle College Solo Music Competition – and the competition was stiff! Guest adjudicator, Dr David Lines, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Auckland School of Music, had the unenviable task of picking the winners. His years of experience did not make judging task any easier! This year, Year 10 student, Melody Lui-Webster won the voice section with her performance of ‘On My Own’ from the musical, ‘Les Miserables.’ Melody was also chosen as the Overall Winner. In summing up, Professor Lines said that Melody captured the mood of the piece, giving an emotional delivery. Emma Ying on the harp and Ian Chiao on the violin were joint winners of the string section with Sunny Le winning the piano section and Mia Li the clarinet section.

Well done to all our finalists and in particular to our winners for their fine musicianship.

OVERALL WINNER: Melody Lui-Webster

STRINGS WINNER: Ian Chiao STRINGS WINNER: Emma Ying

PIANO WINNER: Sunny Le WIND WINNER: Mia Li

Middle College ‘Home Centre’

As all the Year 10s head to Field Centre, the remaining Middle College students spend their final two weeks taking part in a series of activities designed to help them to step out of their comfort zone, engage in learning, work in teams and serve others. Both on and off the campus, the activities were a varied selection for each year level.

The Year 7 Decathlon challenged the younger students in several quizzes, projects and sports, testing their collaborative, leadership and communication skills. One of the new initiatives this year was ‘Ceramic Painting’. Each student was given the opportunity to paint their Year 7 memories onto plates which, once glazed, they could take home. Two of the past and most favoured activities were on the agenda again this year - First Aid and Hamper making. The students did a great job and prepared 400 Christmas food hampers for families in need.

For the Year 8 Challenge Week, the students took part in several fun-filled activities that mainly focused on creativity, collaboration and fitness. Visitors from ‘Artz on Show’ ran a day of workshops and the students rotated around mountain biking in Woodhill Forest, a fact-finding treasure hunt at the Auckland Museum and participated in ‘Top Town,’ working in teams through a variety of physical challenges. They were also put through their paces at Laser Combat and created a ‘Cardboard City’.

In its second year running, the first week of the Year 9 programme focused on ‘Fusion’ – a programme that makes cross-curricular connections between Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science to work out a fictional ‘crime’. This was a chance for the students to develop their problem solving, curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills and test their theories in front of a ‘judge’ in the final ‘crime court case’.

Year 9 also took part in a range of service activities which involved helping at a retirement home, visiting local, low decile primary schools to help in the classrooms, and took turns in a clean-up of the Tamaki Estuary. The students also enjoyed fun, team building activities that included waterslides and bumper balls!

To conclude their final year of Middle College, the Year 10 students, spent the majority of their time at Field Centre but for the two days on campus, they visited Mataatua Marae, where they were introduced to the formalities and protocol of a traditional welcome, heard Maori myths and legends, and enjoyed learning a haka and new waiata, and also visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

By the end of the two weeks, the students walked away with big smiles, knowing not only had the holidays arrived, but they had given new activities a go and learned new skills. What a great way to finish the 2019 academic year!

50 Years of Field Centre

The 2019 trip ‘down the mountain’ marked the 50th anniversary since Field Centre first took place in 1970.

Whilst much has changed in the intervening 50 years, much has also stayed the same. The outcomes of providing our students opportunities to improve leadership and communication skills, build resilience, develop lasting bonds with their peers and extend their comfort zones through adventurous, challenging activities – while having plenty of fun - have not changed!

50 years on, and as Field Centre approaches, our students still 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, yet 50 years on, they return exhilarated by the experience!

50 years of experience has paid dividends when it comes to the organisation of Field Centre – for it is a mammoth task! The logistics involved in getting the whole of Year 10 to the National Park is huge! As the buses pull in to College to load 330 students, 63 staff and their 393 backpacks, daypacks, sleeping bags, tramping boots, wet weather gear, polypropylene undies, fleece tops, beanies, a change of socks and the allimportant 393 toothbrushes, you begin to get an idea of the logistics involved.

Prior planning includes sorting the students into 12 Lodge groupings, along with staff who undertake the activities with them, and cooks who stay in the Lodges to prepare the meals. Another group of mountain ‘professionals’ are also engaged. That takes the total to over 400 people needing to be organised into activities, and requiring three meals, snacks and drinks a day, whether in the Lodges 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 Field Centre 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…. Whilst that can all be planned for, there is one thing that is impossible to plan for months out. Even days out it can be a bit of a ‘best guess,’ for we know weather reporting in New Zealand, like the weather itself, can be fickle. Our students are advised to be prepared for every eventuality – like the ‘sideways’ rain and sleet that greeted the first students on arrival! This made the unloading of gear and food to lodges just a wee bit challenging! The heavy rain and strong winds persisted for a couple of days requiring the programme to be juggled, but soon the poor weather and risk of hypothermia was replaced by brilliant sunshine and the need for sunscreen and constant rehydration as the activities got underway in earnest! Every single group was able to cross the snow-line to ascend the summit of Mt Ruapehu – and then experience the adrenalin-pumping sensation of sliding back down snow on polythene bags!

As each activity was ticked off, the students gained 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 has been a cornerstone of College life for 50 years and never fails to be recalled as one of the highlights of a Saint Kentigern education!

Field CentreEarly Beginnings

In this, the 50th year of Field Centre, it is fitting to look back to where College camps and the importance of outdoor activities first began.

Saint Kentigern fifth form students first attended an ‘outdoor training school’ at Hunua in 1958 held at the Presbyterian Bible Class site. Supervised by Mr Stan Mair, the boys were introduced to the unforgettable experience of being served heavily salt-laden porridge cooked over an open fire by Reverend Dr Adam MacFarlan, dressed in a kilt and gum boots, whilst also learning the skill of keeping food warm in hay bales!

In those early days it was recognised that the benefits of camp were twofold. Whilst being introduced to new outdoor activities was the focus, the opportunity for boys and masters to get to know one another better in an informal setting was just as important.

In 1961, the camp moved to Mr Clive Cashmore’s property at Orere Point where it continued for several years with the boys’ sleeping under canvas. A further boost to outdoor education came in 1964 as tramping trips to the South Island were organised by Mr Ron Stone, where they tramped in some of the most beautiful scenery in the world in the Rees and Dart Valleys of the Southern Alps. Escalating costs curtailed the South Island trips but new ventures opened with track cutting sorties around Lake Waikaremoana and public service works by senior boys on Little Barrier. Both students and staff were taking an active interest in outdoor education and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme in New Zealand, was first begun by our College.

It was in 1970 that a Saint Kentigern outdoor education ‘rite of passage’ was established. College staff met at Roberts House to discuss the possibility of extending the outdoor experience to involve all fourth form boys and at the end of that year, Field Centre at Tongariro National Park replaced the fifth form camps at Cashmore Valley. The tradition continues and it has long been recognised that this intensive outdoor experience, often under extreme conditions, challenges students to discover hidden personal resources.

Sporting Year in Review

With thanks to Head of Sport, Mr Richard Stead 2019 has been an exceptionally good year for Saint Kentigern sport. In most codes and in most age groups, Saint Kentigern has been at the forefront of many Auckland competitions and where the opportunity has been presented, teams and individuals have also performed incredibly well at National and International level.

The summer season highlights included the Boys’ Premier Tennis team winning all competitions available to them and becoming New Zealand Champions. The Premier Girls’ team were Auckland Champions. In the New Zealand Championships, our Premier Girls’ team and Premier Mixed team were beaten finalists, Saint Kentigern is the only College to have teams qualify in all three competitions.

The Junior Boys’ 4 x 100m Relay team won gold medals, breaking the Auckland Secondary School Athletics Championship record that has stood since 1993. The Senior Girls’ Relay team also won gold and set a new College record of 49.70 seconds.

In the Auckland Secondary Schools Aquathon Championships, ably led by our captains, Finian Orr and Maddy Clarke, both won Gold Medals and other team members also performed exceedingly well. At the National Secondary School Championships, Ruby Spring won Bronze in the U14 Girls and the U14 Mixed Team, and the U16 Girls Team won Gold Medals in the Transition Relays. In the 4-person team events, our U14 Mixed Relay and U16 Girls team won Gold Medals.

Our Premier Sailing team produced their best result in the last 5 years, placing 7th overall in the Gold Fleet (Top Division) at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships.

Once again, the Girls’ Premier Touch had an outstanding National Tournament in December 2018, placing 2nd. They have now made the final 5 times in the last 6 years and will look for another good performance in the National Championships in December. Jamie Kolose represented New Zealand in the Women’s Touch team, claiming a Silver Medal at the World Cup.

Kelly McKinnon finished 2nd in the New Zealand Orienteering Championships U14 events and in the Australian Orienteering Championships, she won the Women’s U14 Australian Long-Distance race and placed 3rd in the Oceania Sprint Distance event.

The Premier Golf team finished 2nd in the New Zealand Secondary Schools (NZSS) qualifying event in Auckland and thus qualified for the NZSS finals in Cromwell in August. The team finished a very credible 3rd position in this event. Stephen Liu finished third overall in the individual scores.

In Rowing, both the Boys’ and Girls’ U17 eights made A finals at the North Island Secondary Schools Championships. The highlight was the Silver Medal the U16 Boys won in a very hotly contested field. The

U16 Boys’ Eight and U18 Boys’ Novice Quad went on to also make the A Final at the National Championships.

The Premier Girls’ Water Polo team completed their most successful season ever, qualifying for the Auckland Premier grade and then making it through to Top 4. The Premier Boys’ Water Polo team qualified Top 4 in Auckland and placed 5th at the Nationals.

In Cricket, our 2nd X1 played consistently good cricket winning the 2nd X1 competition. In Summer Tournament Week (20/20 format), our 1st XI played well to make the final but were beaten by King’s College. Our Girls’ 1st X1 continue to develop as individuals and a team, with some very good performances and we look forward to their development in the following years. Our Colts 1 team finished the halfway stage of their competition at the top of the table.

In the Secondary School Table Tennis Competition, Saint Kentigern achieved excellent results with three teams winning their respective grades, they were our Premier Team, B1 and C2 grade teams. Our Premier team was unbeaten throughout the competition. Nathan Xu had a 100% winning record. It is worth noting that Joanna Yang, a member of our Premier Team, is only a Year 8 student. The winning Premier and B1 Grade teams were entered in the Champion of Champions tournament, both teams went through the tournament undefeated, winning gold medals.

For the first time the College entered a Junior Girls’ Futsal Team in the New Zealand Secondary School Junior Competition, which they won and were unbeaten in all their games.

At the Auckland Swimming Champion of Champions, Olivia Peebles won Gold Medals in the U13 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle events. At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, she won 6 individual Gold Medals, a most impressive achievement. She then teamed up with Oliver Avis, Isabella Campion and Alex Perry to win Gold in the U15 mixed 200m Freestyle Relay.

At the AIMS Games we were the top school in swimming with Alexandra Campion 1st overall individual champion for girls and James Crosbie 3rd overall for boys.

The winter season was also highlighted by superb performances from the Premier Boys’ Basketball team who were beaten finalists in the Auckland Premier competition, they then went on to win the Regional championship and became New Zealand Secondary Schools Champions, an achievement that has not be done before by a Saint Kentigern Basketball team. Shalom Broughton was awarded MVP of the tournament and he, along with Levick Kerr and Alex McNaught, were selected in the Tournament team. This is a real credit to these boys, their coach and all the hard work that has gone into the programme. The U17 Boys’ Basketball team were beaten finalists in their Auckland Regional final, losing by only 1 point.

We enjoyed another successful year in Cycling. We gained team time trial medals at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships in Junior Girls and Year 7 & 8 team. Success again for the Senior Girls and Year 7 & 8 teams at the North Island Championships. Saint Kentigern Team always perform well at the Auckland series with Senior A Boys placing 2nd, Senior A Girls 3rd, and Junior Girls 3rd. Individually we have had several standout performances including a New Zealand title to Jensen Foster in the Under 20 Men’s Criterium and Bronze in the Points race. Medals were also gained by Jamie Cantell-Roberts, Ethyn Brooks, Olivia Rooney and Sophie Spencer. Special mention must go to Ruby Spring for her outstanding year, dominating the U15 age group and winning numerous New Zealand titles around the country.

2019 signalled a rebuilding phase for the Premier Girls’ Football side. Newly appointed coach, Mr Gerard Hodgson, instilled a great team ethos and the team competed well against the best sides in the competition finishing the season just outside the top four in fifth place. The Premier Boys’ Football claimed back-to-back Auckland Premier League titles and were beaten finalists in the Auckland Knock-out Cup. 15A1, 14A1 and 13A1, playing a highly attractive brand of football, won their respective competitions.

The 1st XI Boys’ Hockey team won the Auckland title, were runners up in the Greater Auckland Inter-City competition and won the Bronze medal at the National Championship (The Rankin Cup). They lost their semi-final in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out after being held 1 all at fulltime. A young girls’ Hockey 1st XI also had a very good season, placing 3rd in the Auckland Competition and 4th in the Greater Auckland Inter-City Supercity competition.

The Premier Netball team have had a very good season. They won the Auckland Premier 1 competition, beating Howick College in the final. They followed this up by winning the Upper North Island Tournament (UNISS), where they beat St Peter’s Cambridge 44-21 in the final. At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship, the team were unbeaten going into the final, again they played St Peter’s Cambridge, unfortunately losing in a fiercely contested game. The Senior A Netball team had a successful season making it through to the Premier 2 final, losing to Baradene. Year 10 Mystics won their grade in the Auckland Competition and Year 9 Mystics were placed runners up. Year 7 Steel also won their grade for the first time ever.

champion. Several teams gained placings in a variety of other sports including Tennis, Table Tennis and Badminton.

In 2019, we won three National Premier Team titles. This year, we recognise 30 students who have represented their country, competing at an International event in their chosen sport. We recognise 16 students who received Individual Sports Colours. Each year, we nominate many of our top students, competing in Premier level for the College, for the Annual College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year (YSPOTY) Awards. This year the College was proud to have 13 students selected as finalists in sixteen categories, with four of them going on to be named as winners in their sport - Jaymie Kolose for Touch, Nathan Xu for Table Tennis, Nick Beamish for Tennis and Finian Orr for Triathlon. Will Bason, Alex McNaught, Lisa Putt and Cecile Velghe also received medals as ‘all-rounders.’

Nathan Xu’s performance’s in Table Tennis during 2019 has been outstanding, unbeaten in the Secondary School Competition, he has represented New Zealand not only at last year’s Youth Olympics but also at the Table Tennis World Championship. Nathan won the Oceania Age Group titles this year and the Senior Open title at the North Island Table Tennis Championship. At the recent Auckland Table Tennis Open Championship, Nathan won the Men Doubles and the Men Singles, beating the New Zealand Open Men’s Number 1 ranked player in the process. At the recent Secondary School Table Tennis Nationals, Nathan again showed his class by winning the U19 Singles. Then at the New Zealand Table Tennis Open Championship, he won Silver in the Open Men’s Grade.

The Rugby 1st XV progressed to the final of the Auckland 1A competition, losing to King’s College 22-29 in a thrilling encounter on Eden Park. Earlier in the season they won the annual Presbyterian Quadrangular. They also beat St Peter’s to claim the Moascar Cup (equivalent to the Ranfurly Shield) and maintained this until losing it to King’s College. The team qualified for the New Zealand Top 4, Co-Ed competition, by comprehensively beating Rangitoto College in the Blues final. They then went on to win the Co-Ed Top 4 beating a resilient Fielding High School team 29-22. In grade rugby 1R, 5A, 6A and the U15 Restricted team all made semi-finals.

At the Auckland Secondary Schools Snow Sports Championship, Connor Addis won Gold Medal in the Senior Boys Slopestyle, Emma Straka won the Gold Medal in the Junior Women’s slopestyle and the Saint Kentigern Women’s team, overall, won the Bronze Medal.

At the North Island Secondary School Snowsport Championships the Saint Kentigern A Team placed 3rd in the Giant Slalom, the Slopestyle team won Silver and in the individual events Connor Addis won Gold in the Slopestyle.

Our AIMS Games team performed well overall with Joanna Yang winning the Table Tennis title, Hugh Webster placing first in the Optimist Sailing Fleet and Alexandra Campion named Swimming

Several Old Collegians from 2018 have performed well in the professional sporting scene since leaving the College. Tayla Earle has had an excellent first season with the Mystics Netball team, also gaining selection in the Silver Ferns Development Squad. Mahina Paul was selected for the New Zealand Black Ferns 7’s squad. Rivez Reihana played for the Waikato ITM Rugby and New Zealand U20 teams respectively. Tamaiti Williams and Isaiah Punivai also represented New Zealand at Rugby U20 level too.

Caleb Pese’s future career in Rugby League looks promising, after gaining a place at the Sydney Manly Rugby League club in 2020. Three of our current 1st XV players have signed rugby contracts for next year. Cameron Church and Tiaan Tauakipulu with Auckland Rugby and Jona Mataiciwa with Bay of Plenty.

This year, former student, Brayden Ennor played a significant role for the Canterbury Crusaders and being named in the All Black squad, playing his debut test against Argentina.

Sport continues to play an important role of the development of students at Saint Kentigern. Sport now offers our very talented students pathways into the professional scene and it will always be the vehicle in which students gain important lessons for life. We will continue to inspire students. We want our students to channel their energy into being better than before and to never stop trying, but also to remain grounded and humble. We will continue to be the benchmark of sport, we will continue to compete at the highest level, while being mindful that sport is an important component for good health and wellbeing for all.

College Sports Awards 2019

At the end of each year, the Sports Department hosts an Awards Dinner for over 500 people to honour our sporting elite and there is always much to celebrate. This year, 1536 students from Years 7-13 have played in one or more sports, with over 100 staff managing or coaching a team. Twenty-four teams, representing thirteen different sports won Auckland titles with a further seven New Zealand titles gained in six sports. 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 - the emphasis being on personal best.

The Sports Dinner is the culmination of the efforts of many people but Director of Sport, Mr Richard and Sports Manager, Miss Lynne Scutt deserve our thanks for the huge amount of work it takes to bring this together.

Dux Ludorum

Jaymie Kolose

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 allround sports person who has represented the College at a number of sports.

Jaymie placed 2nd overall in the Senior Girls Athletics, winning the 200m and 400m. She was this year’s captain of the Premier Netball team who were Auckland Champions, Upper North Island Champions and 2nd at the National Championships. She was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball team. She is a member of our Premier Girls’ Touch team, and she was selected for the New Zealand Open Women’s team for the World Cup in Malaysia, who won the Silver medal. Jaymie is an outstanding athlete!

Nominees: Jaymie Kolose, Alex McNaught, Lisa Putt, Will Bason, Cam Church, Jensen Foster, Annabelle Waterworth, Cecile Velghe, Kayla Robertson-Tekii, Josh Child, Maddy Clarke, Sacha McLeod, Logan Cowie, Finian Orr.

Boys Runner-Up to The Dux Ludorum

The Bruce Palmer Award Cam Church

Cam was 2nd overall in swimming sports. At the EZSS Swimming Championships, he was first in 100m freestyle, 100m freestyle relay and the Medley Relay. He was 3rd overall in the College Athletics Championship winning the long jump. He was captain of the Rugby 1st XV. The team won the Presbyterian Quadrangular, was 2nd in the 1A competition and they are the Blues region Co-ed champions and won the National Co-ed Top 4 title. He was also captain of the Blues U18 Rugby team and played for the NZ Secondary Schools team. He is contracted to the Auckland Rugby Union in 2020.

Girls Runner-Up to The Dux Ludorum

Lisa Putt

Lisa placed 3rd in the College Senior Girls’ Athletics, winning the 100m and long jump events. At the Auckland SS Athletics championships, she was 1st in the Senior Triple Jump event and a member of our 4X100m relay team that set a new College record. She is a member of our Premier Girls’ Touch team. She is a member of our Premier Netball team that won the Auckland title and the UNISS title, where she was named MVP in the final. The team went on to place 2nd at the NZ Championships. She was a finalist in the College Sport Young Sports Person of the Year in 3 categories: Allround, Touch and Athletics and won the Touch category. She was also awarded the Steve Cole Cup.

John Irvine Outstanding Performance

Premier Boys’ Tennis Team

This award is for an individual or team which has achieved at the highest level and gained results reflective of their dedication, determination and desire to succeed.

Team: Nic Beamish, Max Dickey, Samuel Hodges, Jack Loutit and Caelan Potts

The Steve Cole Sports Trophy

Lisa Putt – All round. Netball, Touch, Athletics

This Award is presented to Sportsman or Sportswoman who epitomises the values identified by Mr Cole as the foundation blocks of our sports programme. ‘Respect for everyone, integrity for what we do, always deliver your best in the pursuit of excellence.’

Outstanding Individual Performance

Nathan Xu –Table Tennis

This is a special award introduced this year for a remarkable individual effort.

The Jerome Kaino Cup

Cam Church - Rugby

The Jerome Kaino Cup is presented to a team athlete who ‘the team could just not do without.’

Principal’s Sports Awards

For dedication and outstanding commitment to their chosen sports often as captains, always as leaders.

Sam Clarke Rugby & Water Polo

Christina Middelbeck-Harrison Water Polo

Kervin Guttenbeil Hockey

Daniel Woud Cricket and Hockey

Elliot Watson Basketball

Jaymie Kolose Touch, Netball & Athletics

Tiaan Tauakipulu Rugby

Lennox Moss Hockey

The Grant Dalton Leadership Cup

Josh Child- Hockey

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.

Team of the Year

Premier Boys’ Basketball Team –National Title

Team: Shalom Broughton, Samuel Chan, Josh Child, Kazlo Evans, Levick Kerr, Gabriel Nolan, Kaea Rangihaeata, Alexander Rivers, George Turner, Elliot Watson and Co-Captains Martin Gan and Alex McNaught

Age Group Winners

Year 11 Sportsman of the Year: Kaea Rangihaeata

Year 11 Sportswoman of the Year: Natalia Rankin-Chitar

Year 10 Sportsman of the Year: Kiyann Manukonga

Year 10 Sportswoman of the Year: Brooke Fonoti

Year 9 Sportsman of the Year: George Turner

Year 9 Sportswoman of the Year: Ruby Spring

Year 7 & 8 Sportsman of the Year: Coen Anderson

Year 7 & 8 Sportswoman of the Year: Alex Campion

Four Auckland ‘Yspoty’ Sports Awards for College Auckland College Sports - Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards

The annual Auckland 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, throughout Auckland were selected as finalists in each sport, culminating in an overall sports person of the year. To receive an invite to these awards is an honour as it means the student has been noted during the season for their outstanding play in their chosen sport from every secondary school in the Greater Auckland Area.

This year, the College was proud to have 13 students selected as finalists in sixteen categories, with four of them going on to be named as winners in their sport - Jaymie Kolose for Touch, Nathan Xu for Table Tennis, Nick Beamish for Tennis and Finian Orr for Triathlon. Will Bason, Alex McNaught, Lisa Putt and Cecile Velghe also received medals as ‘all-rounders.’

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 Sportsperson of the Year. It was pleasing to have two of our students, Jaymie Kolose and Nathan Xu named as finalists.

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

Winners of their sports categories:

Jaymie Kolose Touch

Nathan Xu Table Tennis

Nick Beamish Tennis

Finian Orr Triathlon

All Rounders medals

Will Bason

Alex McNaught

Lisa Putt

Cecile Velghe

Finalists

Lisa Putt – Athletics, Jensen Foster – Cycling, Stephen Liu – Golf, Lennox Moss – Hockey, Cam Church – Rugby, Caelan Potts –Tennis, Lisa Putt – Touch, Maddy Clarke – Triathlon.

Double Gold at Nationals

Congratulations to Natalia RankinChitar who won two gold medals at the New Zealand Athletics Championships in Wellington in early December. Natalia won the Junior Girls shot put and discus, breaking the College record in both events! Well done Natalia!

Year 7&8 Zone Athletics

Well done to athletes who competed at the Year 7 and 8 South Eastern Zone Athletics Competition, gaining 14 medals collectively in several running and long jump events.

Special mention to Year 7 student, Timothy Wallace who gained four medals in total – three first place medals and one third place! Timothy went on to gain a further two medals at the Inter-zone, with Katelyn Quay-Chin also gaining an Inter-zone medal.

YEAR 7 BOYS

800m

Frankie Wingate

YEAR 8 GIRLS

100m 1st Katelyn Quay-Chin

Relay 2nd Alexandra Campion Claudia Spencer Mya

Zoricich Katelyn Quay-Chin

Long Jump 1st Katelyn Quay-Chin

Inter Zone Athletics Results

YEAR 7 BOYS

800m 1st Timothy Wallace

1500m 3rd Timothy Wallace

YEAR 8 GIRLS

Long Jump 1st Katelyn Quay-Chin

First Ever National Basketball Title

The College Boys’ Basketball Programme is one of the many co-curricular programmes that has excelled this year and for the first time since the competition’s inception 53 years ago, our Premier team has won the national competition!

Following the regional basketball competition, the team travelled to Palmerston North for the national competition, going through the competition unbeaten. They won against Mount Albert Grammar School in the semi-final and went on to beat Rosmini College in the final.

Coach, Aaron Young said, ‘We are really fortunate to have incredible facilities here at Saint Kentigern. The boys utilise the new courts and the new weights and gym area which helps when it comes to training and games.’

Young said the theme for Nationals week was ‘proceed with confidence’. Everything the students did, they made sure they did with 100 percent confidence. ‘It’s not easy to win a National Championship, so we knew we had to take care of the little things, on and off the court. We took our nutrition, sleep and hydration very seriously. We

had put in so much work during the year, we didn’t want to fall short of our goal and not take care of our bodies at the most important time of the season. As momentum and confidence took over and we started to play some of our best basketball of the season in the biggest games.’

Overall, the boys had a great time, showed great team spirit and walked away feeling very proud of their achievement. Young commented that ‘the side-line support was unbelievable, and we want to thank all those who were involved or came along to cheer the team on.’

Special mention to Shalom Broughton, Levic Kerr and Alex McNaught who were named in the Tournament Team and Shalom for being named MVP of the tournament.

Team: Shalom Broughton, Samuel Chan, Josh Child, Kazlo Evans, Martin Gan, Levick Kerr, Alex McNaught, Gabriel Nolan, Kaea Rangihaeata, Alexander Rivers, George Turner and Elliot Watson.

Coach : Aaron Young, Assistant Coach: Kazlo Evans, Team Manager: Trish Lowe

Netball 2nd in NZ

This year, the Premier Netball team were the only team, to go into the Auckland finals unbeaten, becoming Auckland Champions after beating Howick in the grand final. They went on to play some outstanding netball at the Upper North Island Secondary School competition where once again, they remained unbeaten and took the title after beating St Peters 44-21. Heading to the National Championships in Nelson, they competed against the 16 best teams in the country, performing well in the pool stages, to reach the final once again unbeaten. Unfortunately, in the national final, they lost to St Peter’s, 34-31, in a tightly fought contest. Despite the disappointment, the girls can be proud of an outstanding season – they played 30 games and won 29 of them!

Touch 3rd in NZ

At the start of the holidays, the Girls Premier Touch team travelled to Rotorua for the New Zealand Secondary School championships. Playing in hot dry conditions, the girls played six games in pool play, scoring 50 tries to get through to the top three and a chance to play on finals day. In the final rounds, with losses to Hamilton Girls and Columba, the girls placed third in New Zealand.

Jaymie Kolose, who is in the NZ Women’s team, was outstanding and led by example. Jaymie, Lisa Putt and Cecile Velghe were all named in the tournament team. With the season ended, the team loses five Year 13s and we thank Jaymie, Lisa, Gemma Laverick, Sam Watson and Kayla Robertson-Tekii for their efforts with the team over the years.

Year 7 Grandparents’ Day

Early in Term 4, our Year 7 boys and girls welcomed their Grandparents to College to get an insight into their learning programmes, some of which are so very different from when they attended school! It was a special morning for all, especially for a couple of students whose grandparents had travelled from as far as South Africa and Romania to spend some time with them. It was also a special morning for Old Collegian, Christopher John Clark as he took great interest in the development of the College since he joined the College as a Foundation student in 1953!

Almost 300 extended family members joined Middle School Principal, Mr McQueen, staff and student leaders for morning tea. Mr McQueen welcomed our guests and thanked the grandparents for attending, reminding them of the vital role they play in their grandchildren’s lives.

Our Year 7 students waited excitedly to escort their visitors back to their classrooms. Each class devised their own programme for the morning, sharing some of the highlights of the year. Some of the

classes shared their musical talents and language skills, performed skits, showcased student-made videos and some spoke about their science fair projects and sporting achievements - the grandparents thoroughly enjoyed this.

After a tour of the campus, the morning concluded with our grandparents being welcomed to a Middle School assembly where they heard from the Pipe Band and watched students receive awards for their achievements this year. Following this, some of our grandparents joined their grandchildren for lunch at the Saints Café.

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. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting our special visitors and thank them for joining us for morning of shared experiences. We know the students loved it; we hope you did too!

Saint Kentigern College Parents And Friends

It gives me great pleasure to present this report for 2019 on behalf of the Saint Kentigern College Parents and Friends.

Executive Team

Margaret Wind, Chair

Andrew Ellis, Treasurer

Sharon Coombes, Secretary

Prue Cowan, Marketing and Communications Convener

Marlene Jackson, Functions Convener

Philippa Boyes, Functions Convener

Jessie Lui, Asian Parents Group Convener

Trish Heikoop, P&F Administrator

Robyn Kenna, Events Convener

2019 has been another very busy year and with a growing student roll, our functions and events have seen large increases in attendance numbers. This we welcome, as we see our role as that of ensuring the parents and caregivers of the current student body have a thoroughly enjoyable, informative and inclusive experience throughout the time their children attend the College. Our primary objective is to ensure that the parents of Saint Kentigern students have a lasting and positive memory of the College, as they are key stakeholders and crucial to its ongoing success.

We achieve this in the following ways:

1. Information and Social Evenings for parents to hear from expert speakers on topical subjects, plus a chance to socialise with other parents, the Board, Head of College, Principals, senior and specialist College staff.

2. Provide catering and/or volunteers for the following events:

• Open Day 600 + visitors to the College

• Senior School Musical Production – 4 nights

• Parent/Teacher interviews - 5 evenings over Terms 2 and 3

• Middle School Production - 3 nights

• Futures Evening - 50 lecturers and speakers

• Dance Showcase - 2 nights

• Drama Production - 3 nights

• Year 12 Graduation afternoon tea to 80 guests

• Sports Awards Dinner setup for 500 guests

• Grandparents’ Day morning tea

• Year 10 Graduation Lunch

• New Entrants Day afternoon tea to the 600 students after testing

• Year 7, 9 and 11 Parents Welcome to the College (separate evenings)

• Graduation Dinner – assisting with preparation, cash donation

3. Asian Parents Meetings: Convening regular meetings for over 250 Asian parents, representing 248 College students. In addition, our Convener manages the WeChat group that provides easy day to day communication, support and the sharing of school information – key information emails are translated into Mandarin to assist parents for whom English is their second language.

4. First Chinese Culture Afternoon for students (held on 26 September 2019).

5. Monthly Parents and Friends Newsletters promoting social and information evenings, fundraisers and other useful information.

6. Developing promotional material for new parent packs.

7. Managing the ‘Families in Crisis’ programme in conjunction with Suzanne Winthrop.

8. Entertainment Book Fundraiser.

9. Managing the Parents and Friends volunteer database.

10. Daily recruitment of parent volunteers to assist in the Cafés and the hundreds of other volunteers who assist at College events.

11. Provide donations and contributions for parent events, forums, overseas travelling sports and cultural trips, prefect gifts, prizes and graduation.

12. Oversee the Café operation, including menu selection, pricing and compliance management.

The College has evolved significantly over the past seven years, and to that end, discussions around the future role of Parents and Friends has led to some exciting new developments. Now, we have two fully functioning cafes that are widely recognised as having the best menu options and facilities in any college or school cafe around New Zealand. With the advent of multiple legislative changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Employment Act and more recently, the Food Act, the role of managing the cafes is no longer practical for the Parents and Friends. The cafes are now a sizeable business unit and we recently considered, that given the volunteer nature of our team, managing this remotely was not the most efficient way to ensure professional oversight and achievement of the KPI’s set for this department. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to conduct this role in the past and look forward to providing a continued level of service to the College through all other activities in the future.

New initiatives for 2020 include the adoption of the ‘Food from the Heart’ initiative, taking a lead from the very successful programme in place at the Boys’ School and Girls’ School, along with an increased role in parent advocacy through providing more opportunity for engagement with senior management and Board members at parent forums.

I would like to acknowledge one of our departing Executive members, Sarah Storer, who retires after six years from our committee this year. Her contribution and the number of hours she committed to the College parents and caregivers will be hard to replace. The wonderful contribution given by many parents throughout the year, with respect to volunteering their time has been humbling and I want to personally acknowledge and thank them.

I would also like to thank Duncan McQueen and Suzanne Winthrop for their immense support and attendance at Parents and Friends functions throughout the year, providing parents with a wonderful opportunity to engage and feel at home in the College environment. We wish both of them well in their future endeavours.

It has been my pleasure to serve as the Chair of the Saint Kentigern Parents and Friends and I look forward to continuing this service throughout 2020.

Margaret Wind, Chairperson, Saint Kentigern College Parents & Friends

From the President of the Old Collegians

2019 has seen the continued success of all three campuses in both Cultural, Academic and Sporting endeavours and the Old Collegians continue to follow and enjoy the achievements of our current Students.

We continue to work on our core goals of Fellowship, Scholarship Support, Philanthropy, Special Grants and Graduation Celebrations and I am pleased to report on these events as follows:

The Annual College Golf Day was held at Remuera Golf Course on Monday 11th November. This year’s event was the largest in our history with 108 players. The forecasted bad weather held off and the course was in fantastic condition. This year, the team comprising Stuart Bulcraig, Gary Rees, Paul Motorshead and Ian Haringa took out the competition with an incredible score of Nett 51. I would like to again thank all of our hole and prize sponsors for generously donating, the funds raised have gone towards our newly established Duke of Edinburgh Gold scholarship fund, and for the third year, our Field Centre Equipment Fund. Both allow students who otherwise might struggle financially to participant fully in these activities. Thanks to John Howard and Walter Chieng and their teams for again creating a superbly run event.

This year, we held two very successful graduation anniversary events. The graduating class of 1994 held a reunion for their 25th anniversary combining with the Opening World Cup Game of South Africa v All Blacks. Head Boy of ’94, Mark Williams, provided the venue and Cam Marcroft was the chief organising force behind a very successful evening. Over 40 Old Collegians turned up and had a great time. We plan on having a 25th reunion every year from now so the 1995 graduating year needs to get mobilised!

We also had a 30th year anniversary reunion spread over a weekend from the graduating class of 1989. This included a campus tour on Friday afternoon for those who had not managed to return to the College in recent years and wanted to see how much

had changed. The overwhelming consensus was just how improved all facilities were from ‘back in the old days’. Current students should feel very privileged with what their campus now provides.

The culmination of the weekend was the dinner held in the Sports Centre where over 80 former students from 1989 attended. This represented over 80% of that year, a truly outstanding effort. What also made things special was twelve of the teaching staff from that era also attended which allowed for a fair few stories and memories to be retold. My thanks go to Mark Richardson and Cameron Russell who put in a lot of hours and effort to bring everyone together.

As part of our yearly commitments, we continue to sponsor Graduations, including the Year 8 Boys’ School Leavers’ Dinner, The Year 8 Girls’ School Leavers’ Dinner and the Year 13 Leavers’ Brunch at the College. As students move into the next stage of their schooling/lives, we welcome them into the Old Collegians network, whether they are moving to a different school or moving into a new stage in their life they realise that Saint Kentigern is still a part of them and the Old Collegian network is there to support

SKOCA 2020 Calendar

SUNDAY 15 March

SKOCA T/20 Cricket match versus SKC 1st X1

Time: 12 NOON

Venue: No 1 Cricket Field College BBQ and refreshments to follow.

WEDNESDAY 1 April

SKOCA Hockey match versus SKC Hockey 1st X1

Venue: Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Centre 5pm Start Pizzas and refreshments to follow.

We held two ROC (Recent Old Collegian) events in Dunedin and Christchurch and I would like to thank both Trent MacDonald and Matthew Wong-Kam for being the driving force behind each event. Our Auckland event had over 100 people in attendance.

I would like to thank the Old Collegian Committee for all their hard work throughout the year and their support of initiatives and passion for the Saint Kentigern Community. Its been another busy year with some great new events now becoming a regular feature of the Calendar.

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

Fides Servanda Est

Mr Hayden Butler, President of the Old Collegians

THURSDAY 30 APRIL

SKOCA AGM

Venue: Roselle House 6.30pm Start Refreshments to follow

SATURDAY MAY 16th

SKC 1st XV v Auckland Grammar

Venue: Top Field 2.30pm start Refreshments to follow

Celebrating the Class of 1959

The Boys’ School students had the privilege of meeting fifteen of the 1959 foundation students when they returned to school for a visit. In 1959, Saint Kentigern School, as it was then known, had a roll of only 200 boys. Now 60 years later, the roll is well over 500! The gentlemen were amazed to see how much Roselle House has changed and loved the idea of it now being a learning commons for the students. In their time, the upper floor of Roselle House was the home of the inaugural Headmaster, Mr Jack Chalmers.

Following lunch, the group finished their visit by attending assembly. Foundation student, Peter Nelson welcomed them and awarded foundation student, Ronald Lennox-King an Honours Tie – a tie that is given to a select few who have made a significant contribution to the community. Mr Lennox-King was not only the first Head Boy of the School, but also our first Olympian, when he sailed for Hong Kong at the 1972 Olympics. Foundation student, Laurence Ennor played the piano to accompany the boys as they concluded assembly with the School Song.

Class of 1989 Weekend

In what was the largest Old Collegian turnout yet for a single year, the College class of 1989 celebrated their 30th anniversary in October. Split over two days, a large group of former students shared memories and many laughs as they reconnected with one another, as well as some of their former teachers.

Their celebration started with a tour of the College, where the men saw first-hand how much the school had changed since their time at Saint Kentigern. They were taken aback by the upgraded specialist facilities and broad range of both, curricular subjects and co-curricular activities on offer. Following their tour, they gathered in

the Sports Lounge for afternoon tea before heading into the city for dinner.

The following morning, the group enjoyed watching the Saint Kentigern 1st XI Cricket Team in actionbringing back special memories for those played sports for the College. Later that evening, they were invited back to the Sports Lounge for a dinner and presentation by ICT Director, Walter Chieng. Mr Chieng shared Saint Kentigern’s future plans with the gentlemen and thanked them all for coming. The weekend was a great success and we thank all those who helped organise the special occasion.

Phil Somerville – Eat Less Plastic

Phil Somerville left the College in 1987 and since then has lived a very adventurous life between New Zealand and America. From the age of 23, Phil discovered a passion for film, working in both countries as a stunt double and actor in many award-winning films such as Island, Captain Phillips, Iron Man 3, Zero Dark Thirty, Jack Reacher, Mission Impossible and Avatar.

Phil moved to California in 1987 and started acting in Los Angeles but later moved back to New Zealand to start a production company. After running it successfully for a year, he made the move back to Los Angeles to give himself a bit more of a challenge.

Later, Phil moved to Mexico where he became a Sports Director at Club Cozumel Caribe, the first resort ever built in the area at that time. He met his wife, Jill and toured and worked alongside singer, Shania Twain. Phil and his wife moved to Venice Beach in 1999 where Phil started an entertainment brand for children. Phil ran this for five years before taking time off to have his two children, Stryder and Reef.

During this time, Phil started learning about pollutants in our oceans and decided he was only going to pursue ventures that would positively make a difference to the planet and society. He gave up his Hollywood lifestyle to focus on reducing our carbon footprint. Phil sailed for 6 months, all the way from Los Angeles to New Zealand to test how much plastic is in our waters. In his travels, he was not

only sampling the waters for micro-plastics but he stopped at nine different islands and schools along the way to educate the locals on different ways in which they can help keep our waters clean.

Phil discovered there are ‘more than 8 million tonnes of rubbish that gets dumped into the ocean each year and that there are around 240 million tonnes of plastic waste in our oceans today.’ This fuelled his motivation to educate people and start the initiative, Eat Less Plastic. Phil now travels around the world sharing his story and ways in which people can help keep our waters clean.

Phil thanks Saint Kentigern and says the school taught him how to stay committed and to work hard, have drive and to be patient. ‘Saint Kentigern taught me to commit to things and to finish it even when it gets hard.’ Phil’s next mission is to create a high-end, fully ‘off the grid’, sustainable house. We wish him all the best on this great adventure!!

Paddy Leishman – Musician and Songwriter

Musician and songwriter, Paddy Leishman spent eight years at the Boys’ School and says they were some of the happiest times of his life.’ From 1999 to 2006, Paddy attended Saint Kentigern, where he found his love and passion for music. Following his schooling years, Paddy attended The University of Auckland - School of Music, where he studied a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Popular Music and Songwriting.

After graduating, Paddy moved to London where he worked as a musician for two years. Following this, he returned to New Zealand to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Film Sound and Composition at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.

Paddy started his current artist solo project, ‘Paddy Echo’ at the beginning of this year and has released two singles. He hopes to release another EP in January when he embarks on a writing trip to America.

Outside of music, Paddy has a passion for sport, acting and film. He is currently working as a youth acting and vocal coach at the Encore Theatre Collective; a youth theatre company that he and three friends started. There, he is working towards their first show, ‘My Son Pinocchio’, which will run from December 19-22 at the ASB Waterfront Theatre.

Paddy has offered assistance to the Boys’ School during Term 4. Reflecting back, he thanks the teachers at Saint Kentigern for their guidance and encourages current students to absorb all that they can while at school, and to utilise all that the school has to offer. ‘You are all so incredibly lucky to be there and I don’t think you realise how fortunate you are until you leave.

I certainly didn’t! Saint Kentigern is a unique place and this is a unique time in your life so breathe it all in, as much as you can!’

Former Head Girls Gather

On a bright summer’s evening, seven former Head Girls gathered at the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower to spend an evening with Mrs Suzanne Winthrop during her final week at the College. Arranged by 2013 Head Girl, Sharnika Leleni, she was joined by the first two Head Girls at Saint Kentigern, Jessie Jarvie (nee Emerson, 2005), and Gemma Drummond (nee Kirk 2006), along with Tessa Meyer (2011), Chelsea Wiggall (2012), Isabella Denholm (2017) and Laura Porteous (2018).

Whether well established in their working lives, or just setting out on university courses, the women all spoke fondly of the impact that Mrs Winthrop had in their formative years and the importance that the presence of a strong female role model had in shaping their own lives.

Sharnika spoke on behalf of those present and those unable to attend saying, ‘I think because of the role each of us had as Head Girl, we had the privilege of getting to know you better than some of our peers. Your work ethic, attention to detail and passion are attributes of yours that stand out. You have always had time to talk to give confidence and encourage all students, whatever their aspirations may be. We saw how much you cared about every student and made their problems or triumphs your own’

Gemma, the second Head Girl, said, ‘The time I spent with Mrs Winthrop, and the values I learnt and have taken away from Saint Kentigern, have left me with an incredible sense of gratitude for having had the chance to be there.’

In the chatter that ensued over dinner, there much was to laugh about as the young women recalled their school days, especially the first Head Girl, Jessie’s recollections of College life as one of the first 25 girls in a Senior School of over 400 boys! Yes, many of the boys in that first year of change were unmerciful to the foundation girls, yet inadvertently, it served to make the girls more resilient and even stronger of character! Jessie went on to marry Paul Jarvie, from the ‘last year of boys.’

Jessie acknowledged that Mrs Winthrop was instrumental in ensuring that girls were successfully introduced to the College. Now seventeen years on, the most recent Head Girls, Isabella and Laura, agreed that their senior years at Saint Kentigern were truly co-educational – their age group had never known it to be different! They, too, acknowledged the role that Mrs Winthrop played as a strong, female role model with Tessa and Chelsea agreeing that this was important during their formative years.

The women enjoyed the chance to meet with their mentor and now look forward to celebrating the 20th year of Saint Kentigern girls in three years time.

Recent Old Collegians Reconnect

Over 100 ‘Recent Old Collegians’ came together at the Lula Inn on the viaduct to catch up in late November with the girls sending Piper this photo from the evening. Member of the Old Collegians committee, Laura Porter said, ‘The event enabled fond school memories to be shared as well as current life stories, making for some long-lasting connections – the evening was thoroughly enjoyed!’

Chelsea Wiggill

2012

Jessie Jarvie 2005 Gemma Kirk 2006 Tessa Meyer 2011

Sharnika leleni 2013 Isabella Denholm 2017 Laura Porteous 2018

Will Farrell-Green – Media and Technology Leader

Will Farrell Green graduated from Saint Kentigern in 2001, having been Wishart’s Deputy House Captain in his final year. Throughout his time at the College, he participated in all swimming, triathlon, duathlon, cycling, athletics, cross country and waterpolo activities, and was the New Zealand Schools Triathlon and Duathlon Champion in his senior years – later competing in the Junior Olympic Games in Sydney.

Will thrived in this environment, where he later became a professional triathlete and represented New Zealand, racing on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship circuit for five years until 2008, when he retired and started his business career. Will said Saint Kentigern helped to shape him into who he is today and also taught him how to set goals and to focus.

‘Saint Kentigern taught me what success means and gave me the right attitude to maximise opportunities when they are presented. I translate these same principles into everything I do nowadays, which is particularly important given I work in a sector (tech) that is highly competitive and fairly ruthless in terms of success.’

Will started university following his sporting career. He completed an MBA at Auckland University while working his first job. After working in strategy, operations and product, Will moved to Spark before founding and launching New Zealand’s first dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) start-up, Morepork, at the beginning of 2015. That same year, Will and his wife decided they wanted global experience and relocated to San Francisco to work in Silicon Valley.

Upon arrival, Will worked at Pandora and built a division of their business called, The Music Maker Group, a scaled marketplace connecting artists with fans through content programming, artist promotional tools and live events. This was a great experience for Will, however, the company was later sold and he moved to Amazon, where he now oversees strategy and operations for their video services globally.

We Stand Corrected!

‘Amazon is an amazing but demanding place to work and this was a big step for me because culturally, it was entirely different from what I had experienced before. But I am learning a huge amount and the goal one day will be to return to New Zealand where I can use my experience to make a difference locally,’ he said.

Outside of work, Will loves spending time with his son Jack and likes to keep fit. ‘My wife and I had our first child in 2017 and he’s the favourite part of our day. We have another child on the way in March next year. I also still like to keep fit and compete in the odd Half Ironman Triathlon, if and when my schedule allows it.’

Will thanks Saint Kentigern for helping him to kickstart his career and said Saint Kentigern ‘does a great job at allowing individuals space to pursue their passions while also providing an environment which fosters belief and a pathway to be successful.’

Will encourages all students to enjoy themselves while they are at school and to keep an open mind. ‘Work hard at whatever is your current passion – the rest will follow.’

In the October Piper, we incorrectly reported that the current College 1st XI Boys Football team claimed back-to-back Auckland Premier League titles for the first time in College history. How wrong we were! Team members from the 1988/1989 teams were quick to point out that they were in fact the first teams to win back to back titles – almost 30 years earlier! We stand corrected!

Five Years On

On a Sunday evening just before Christmas, a large group of boys from the Boys’ School Class of 2014 (now 2019 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.

There was initial surprise as they gathered at the Sports Centre lounge, to see half the top field fenced off in readiness for the building programme over the next two years. The boys took the opportunity to take a look around the grounds, including the refurbished Roselle House, to see how things have changed on campus before tucking into a BBQ dinner cooked up by Principal, Mr Peter Cassie with help from Boys’ School staff, Sue Bowskill and Karyl Kid, along with parent help from Richard Cave, father of Charlie.

We wish these boys all the best as they move on in life.

Hugo Dorrestyn – Gappie in the UK

Hugo graduated from the College in 2018, having had an active interest in the Performing Arts during his college years. Like many students before him, he has taken the opportunity to do a ‘Gap’ year in the United Kingdom. Drawn to the opportunity to travel the world and meet different people, Hugo awoke in London to ‘bricks that have more history than the whole of New Zealand, bustling crowds and glass wrapped skyscrapers. Steam poured out of buildings in the winter chill as people brushed past in their Burberry coats and scarves.’

Hugo reports: ‘After a brief orientation, I discovered I would be placed at the ‘Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.’ The school is unbelievably beautiful - a great red and white Georgian mansion in the English countryside. Once owned by Walter Rothschild, one of the richest, private zoologists the world has known, the ballrooms, with their ornate marble fireplaces and grand wooden staircases, are now set aside for ballerinas. A few weeks in, I saw the beauty of seeing snow fall for the first time and the school grounds carpeted in a thick,

snowy coat – and soon I was getting pummelled with snow balls by a horde of unruly dancers, actors and musicians!

My work is split over three different departments. I spend time slopping on paint, soldering wires and building sets in the theatre workshop. In the academic department, I assist teachers, sometimes by reading with children in the learning support department and sometimes helping out with swimming lessons. My favourite part of the job is working in the boarding house. Tring has three, but I work solely in ‘Clockhouse’ with 65 of the most talented, amazing boys and two lovely house parents. It’s where I have basically volunteered to be a big brother!

Aside from the fantastic time you have at your placement, every school holiday you are free to depart and explore. Maybe I haven’t got my first year of university under my belt yet but I’ve admired the Eiffel Tower as it sparkled on a dark winter’s night, I’ve hiked up the side of a Norwegian fjord, amongst bell-clinking goats and wildflowers, I’ve cycled alongside the Berlin Wall while dining on currywurst and so, so, so much more. There is a whole continent to explore. Not only are you seeing the world, but the maturity and experience you gain from being by yourself and responsible for your every move is life changing. Your independence skyrockets along with your confidence in facing new obstacles.

I wholeheartedly believe that this gap year has been the best thing I have done so far. I was not ready to choose or commit to university but by taking a gap year, I have been rewarded with so many amazing life experiences and have grown so much.’

Boys’ School Deputy Head Boy 2014, Beck Robson

SKOCA Golf Day

On a day of mixed conditions, a record number of teams, the largest ever, 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 enjoyment, fellowship and fundraising, which is a polite way of saying - all levels of skill on the course were 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 Scholarships to each of our schools, the Old Collegians Field Centre Provision Fund and our newly established Duke of Edinburgh Gold scholarship fund, to allow students who otherwise might struggle financially to participant fully in these activities.

There were additional incentives to rise to the occasion with a wide range of prizes for which we sincerely thank our sponsors. This year, the team comprising Stuart Bulcraig, Gary Rees, Paul Motorshead and Ian Haringa took out the competition with an incredible score of Nett 51. Thanks to John Howard and Walter Chieng and their teams for again creating a superbly run event.

In Memoriam

It is with sadness that we record the passing of the following members of the Saint Kentigern community. We express our condolences to their families.

MELEISEA Marcus #5002

IRWIN John College teacher 1955 - 1977.

THOMAS Evan Boys’ School teacher 1961-1972

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