The Lion - MAGS magazine - Nov 2014

LIONTHE

Mount Albert GrAMMAr SchoolNovember 2014

2 Mount Albert Grammar School

BR j8

243

Mount Albert Grammar SchoolAlberton AvenueMount AlbertAuckland 1025

Ph 09 846 2044

www.mags.school.nz

The Lion is the official magazine of Mount Albert Grammar School

Editorial enquiries to editor Estelle Sarney [email protected], ph 09 846 2044, x 8236

Advertising enquiries to Tim Kay, MAGS Foundation [email protected], ph 09 846 2044 x 8127

Cover photo: Year 13 Dance students Riley Bourne and Emily Mills, photographed by Photography teacher Peter Rees

Designed by Blueriver Creative (Nikki Ross)

Proudly printed by Webstar

Maria Tutaia walks through a netball guard of honour in the FW Gamble Hall after her induction into the MAGS Hall of Distinction. See story on page 60.Ph

oto

cour

tesy

of t

he N

Z H

eral

d

BR-j8

538

3

Contents4-5 From the Headmaster

6-13 MAGS in the community

14-15 Staff farewells

16 School Ball

17-25 Academic news

26-29 International student news

30-31 Creative writing

32-37 Performing Arts

38-39 Senior Prizegiving

40-41 Service Lions and Year 11 Prizegiving

42-43 Pasifika and Arts Dinners

44-45 Sports and Leavers’ Dinners

46-57 Sports news

58-63 MAGS Foundation

64-66 Corridors - Albertian news

67 Key dates

38

58

49

33

16


From the Headmasterthat this lack of appreciation of the Arts in some schools has been ongoing for years, and gives an example of the story of renowned British ballerina and choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne. Initially at school she was failing because she was constantly fidgeting and lacked focus. Her mother, not knowing what to do, took her to a doctor. After a while the doctor took Gillian’s mother out of the room on the pretence of discussing the girl’s condition in private, but as he left he turned on the radio. He encouraged Gillian’s mother to watch her daughter through the doorway – Gillian began dancing to the radio music. The doctor told her mother that Gillian was a dancer, and suggested she try a dance school. The rest is history – Dame Gillian went on to choreograph the longest running musical in Broadway history – The Phantom of the Opera - and the musical Cats.

One of my favourite books is Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind. Pink argues that “the future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind”. The era of “left brain” dominance is giving way to a new world in which “right brain” qualities, such as inventiveness, meaning and empathy,

The importance of the Arts in our education system cannot be overstated. It still amazes me that in some schools the Arts are regarded as some sort of co-curricular add-on, completely under appreciated and not deemed worthy or “academic enough” to be part of the teaching programme.

This is very much dated thinking, based on the old hierarchy

of subjects from a time when the reason for schooling was to prepare students for an industrial age.

Educationalist Sir Ken Robinson, in one of the most watched “Ted talks” on YouTube, makes a point about students who have learning needs not met by schools which don’t have Arts. These students are deemed to be “failures” at school, or get into trouble because they are disengaged. He goes on to say

5 5

predominate. There have been many studies from all over the world that conclude the importance of the Arts in the school curriculum in preparing students for this new world. Among other things they all focus on how important it is for an economy to have employees who are creative, collaborative and innovative thinkers if those economies are to compete globally. This isn’t to say that only the Arts subjects contribute to these skills, but clearly Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts contribute more than most. In fact, for some corporate employers a Masters in Fine Arts is more desirable than an MBA.

For this reason I worry about the path that education in New Zealand has started to follow. There appears in schools a narrowing of focus since the advent of National Standards. I have heard from teachers in primary schools that it’s getting harder to engage and motivate students, with learning being directed increasingly toward testing.

The Arts has suffered as a result of the more restrictive emphasis on numeracy and literacy. In the United Kingdom and the United States numerous reports have come to the conclusion that the continued focus on narrow aspects of the curriculum and ongoing testing has had a negative effect on students.

In New Zealand we are lucky to have an outstanding school curriculum that is admired all over the world. The New Zealand curriculum reflects the needs of the 21st century learner. The Arts has its place beside seven other learning areas, and is considered as an equal and important part of the whole.

Students taking the Arts improve their critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. Self-expression in the Arts assists students’ creativity, innovation, self-discipline and collaboration, all of which are becoming more important in the workplace.

I’m pleased to report that the Arts at MAGS have never been stronger. All areas are continuing to develop and evolve. This year Liam Ferguson, our Head Boy, has been an outstanding advocate for the Arts. For these subjects to increase the traction they have at this school, and to flourish in society, advocacy is needed. We don’t need Daniel Pink, Sir Ken Robinson and numerous studies to tell us why. We need only look at our outstanding Arts students for clear and compelling evidence of the value of the Arts, and how those subjects have helped prepare them for life beyond MAGS. I encourage our students to continue to be advocates for the Arts, helping ensure those disciplines attain the respected place in society they deserve.

Dale Burden

From left, Mr Robert Tate of the US Embassy, Associate Principal Mr Paul McKinley, Mr John Mills, Josh Williams, Deputy Principal Ms Jo Williams, Ceylonese Taumaoe, Mr Chris Barber and Mr Tony Scott of the Auckland Fire Service.

MAGS was honoured to host two New York firefighters as part of their visit to New Zealand to mark the anniversary of 9/11.

Mr John Mills and Mr Chris Barber spoke to Year 9 and 10 students in two assemblies on Wednesday, 10 September. They work at neighbouring fire stations on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They were accompanied by Mr Tony Scott of the Auckland Fire Service, who worked with the US Embassy to bring the firefighters to Auckland to take part in an anniversary event on Thursday, 11 September, including a Sky Tower stair-climb and a ceremony in Queen Street.

After watching a short video about the September 11 attacks, students were able to ask questions of the two New York firefighters. Mr Mills and Mr Barber spoke about their jobs, the different kinds of situations they have dealt with, and why they became firefighters. Mr Mills said he made his decision after his father died in the South Tower on 9/11. Mr Barber, who was already a firefighter in a different State at that time, was in New York on holiday on the day of the attack.

New York firefighters visit MAGS to help mark 9/11

He was able to help, and decided to stay and apply to work for the New York fire department.

Mr Mills said he and Mr Barber appreciated being able to talk with the students as much as the students appreciated hearing from them.

“Those images are still hard to watch, but for kids who were just being born around that time it’s important that we remember that event and talk about how much things have changed since then,” said Mr Mills.


The ASB School Farm at MAGS was profiled in a video produced by the ASB for this year’s Fieldays.

Launched and the event’s opening on 11 June, the video includes interviews with students studying Agricultural Science, the Head of the Department Mrs Michelle Farmer, and comments from one of two students awarded an ASB Rural Scholarship this year to enable them to board at School House, attend MAGS and study on the farm.

The ASB last year renewed the school’s lease of the farm land for 99 years at a peppercorn rental. In the video, the bank’s Rural General Manager Mr Mark Heer, speaks about the value of the farm and the school’s education programme in attracting urban students to careers in the rural sector.

MAGS farm profiled in ASB video at Field Days

A group of primary school students found high school science could be fun and surprising during visit by MAGS' Head of Science, Ms Ang Whitlam.

Ms Whitlam visited the Waikowhai class of New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education on 19 September, following an invitation from teacher Ms Charlene Barnett. The children, who attend the special class one day a week outside of their normal schools, were studying science and Ms Barnett thought some high school experiments would extend their learning.

Ms Whitlam took the students through a series of experiments that had the children enthralled - chemical reactions that caused balloons to explode in a small ball of flame, liquids to fizz and smoke, and test tube ingredients to change colour.

You can watch the video by visiting www.youtube.com and searching for “Mount Albert Grammar School agriculture course”.

Science visit enthralls primary students

Com

mun

ity

7

Attaining a Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award at Bronze or Silver level is a big achievement, gaining the demanding Gold standard is another step up altogether. In the seven years the scheme has run at MAGS, only four Gold Awards have been achieved, and on 18 October, two former students received theirs.

Tim Rutledge (second from left) and Edward Duncan, who both completed their studies at MAGS in 2012, were presented with their Awards by the Governor General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at a ceremony in Epsom attended by the Headmaster, Mr Dale Burden, and the teacher in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award programme at MAGS, Mr Andy Belson (left).

Edward and Tim were congratulated on their completion of the four sections of service, skill, physical activity and adventurous journey over a minimum period of a year, and an additional section involving a residential project.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award – two attain Gold

Three inspiring MAGS prefects sang nursery rhymes, played quoits and chatted to the Governor General during a Barnardos picnic lunch at Government House in Mt Eden on 25 June.

The Barnardos senior staff were delighted with the way the Year 13 students interacted with the pre-schoolers from Clendon, encouraging them to talk, join in the singing and model fun, positive behaviour over lunch. Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae (pictured below) also commented on how well the prefects connected with the youngsters, as Kathryn Sherlock, Lauren Liell and Eric Munro sat on rugs and played with the children. They were accompanied on the picnic by Director of Guidance Mr Paul Ferner.

Mr Ferner says MAGS has an excellent relationship with Barnardos, as some boys in the organisation’s care live in zone and attend our school. “The boys enjoy the structured environment and security in our caring school community,” says Mr Ferner.

“This award recognises the efforts you have made over a lengthy period,” said Sir Jerry. “You and your family, friends and supporters can be rightfully proud of your achievement. Participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award is about more then learning valuable life skills. It is also about recognising the importance and benefits that flow from service to the community.”

Edward and Tim had earlier returned to MAGS to be presented with their Awards at a special assembly.

“The Gold Award has required a huge amount of commitment, time and motivation from these young men,” said Mr Belson. “Congratulations to them both on their outstanding achievement.”

The following students received their Bronze or Silver Awards in the latter half of 2014:

Eva Ashmore, Laura Bayfield, Deep Bedekar, Flynn Campbell-Scott, Georgia Carter, Isabelle Cassidy, Malila Christoffersen, Aakash Dalvi, Bradley Dennehy-Beals, Harry Duncan, Grace Drummond, Olivia Eagles-Smith, Miranda Emza, Lily Joe, Angela Fong, Maddison Hargreaves, Celia Hext, Sophia Hogg, Gina Holden, Emma Hughes, Leilani Ioelu, Hamish Jelleyman, Ruby Johnston, Alicia Kennedy, Claire Liu, Oscar Ma, Madison McGregor, Katy MacKenzie, Lewis MacKinnon, Virginia Megson, Jessica Middelberg, Ayla Millham-Lamb, Hayley Nisbet, Oona Palmer, Franziska Robinson, Sanaz Samadian, Ajaleyah Taylor, Emma Thomas, Alex Thompson, Paula Towers, Michael Soffe, James Toohey, Alysha Vaigalu.

Barnardos Picnic at Government House


Mount Albert Grammar School entered two teams representing Costa Rica and Uganda in this year’s Model United Nations Assembly. The teams, called Delegations, dressed in the traditional dress of their nations, and were required to accurately represent their nations on the six remits put forward. They were also presented with impromptu issues for debate.

Our Costa Rican team delegates were Sarah Crowhurst, Irene Wu, and Alexandra Chaptynova. Our Ugandan delegates were Eduard Canning, Jade Xiao and Samuel Buckman.

Delegates were welcomed by “Secretary General” Maryan Street, a former Labour MP who was then the Associate Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. They were also welcomed by members of Rotary International, who remarked on their future potential and influence as leaders to better the world that we live in.

The delegates from Mount Albert Grammar School presented well-argued stances during remit debates and involved themselves in making alliances and rivalries.

Our teams debated such remits as “The United Nations investigates foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war and takes action to end this intervention. Practical measures are taken to end this devastating war, provide aid to refugees and bring peace to Syria”. Another remit was “The Mexican government is commended for its campaign against drug cartels and organised crime. Either Latin American nations such as Guatemala and Colombia are asked to follow the Mexican example, or adopt the stance of Uruguay.”

Our teams were well-prepared and popular, receiving enthusiastic applause every time they walked on stage. The event came to a close with a speech by the then Labour leader David Cunliffe, who then fielded questions from the students.

MAGS delegates at model UN Assembly

Com

mun

ity

9

Delegates Katie Budgen and Liam Rudd took MAGS’ place at the table for the National Student CHOGM meeting at Parliament Buildings from 28-29 July.

The event replicates the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which is held in a different country each year, where talks are held between nations and resolutions are put to vote.

During the two days, the students, from schools all over New Zealand, were addressed by the Prime Minister Mr John Key, a number of MPs, and had a “crisis session” hosted by Colonel Martin Dransfield of the NZ Defence Force.

The event was held in the Grand Hall at Parliament Buildings, and the students attended a “State Dinner” at the Beehive.

Katie and Liam were randomly assigned the Maldive Islands to represent, and had to research the issues affecting that nation. Both are members of MAGS’ Premier Debating Team, so were well-equipped to state the Islands’ concern that global warming could lead to the islands being underwater within the next century.

“We got our resolution passed that Commonwealth members use sanctions against countries that exceed a certain carbon emissions quota,” says Katie. “We had to have talks with countries like Singapore to make sure we got the votes we needed - it was interesting learning how politics operates at that level.”

MAGS’ committee of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) organised a series of events in July to raise the profile of their cause.

On 31 July other students arriving at school were met with a mock car crash in D Quad. For the rest of the day, SADD members wore black and did not speak unless required, alluding to the ghosts of young people killed in car crashes involving alcohol.

Painting sessions and the distribution of “mocktail” fruit drinks at lunchtimes were other activities the students chose to spread their anti drunk-driving message.

Students Against Driving Drunk act out their message

MAGS at model Commonwealth meeting

The crisis session looked at a state of civil unrest, similar to that going on in the Ukraine, and Colonel Dransfield was able to advise the students on how such conflict might be resolved.

Another group of students posed as journalists, held press conferences and put out a CHOGM newspaper.

Katie and Liam said the experience opened their eyes to the background workings of international politics and diplomacy, and they appreciated the opportunity to take part.


Put your faith in usthen put your feet up!

Ph O9 846 947O Email [email protected] 746 New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland 1025 anneduncan.co.nz

RESIDENTIAL SALES • RENTALS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

MAGS’ annual Quiz Night on 8 August was the best attended ever, raising nearly $3000 for Autism New Zealand.

The FW Gamble Hall was filled with 32 tables of entrants, including parents, teachers, students, Albertians and members of the community. Generous local businesses provided supplies and prizes.

The Quiz Master, teacher Mr Pat Barrett, commended Prefects Sarah Crowhurst, Rohith Nagulan and the Academic Council for their great organisation of the event, and thanked everyone who attended for their support of the school and this year’s chosen charity.

Quiz Night raises $3000 for Autism New Zealand

Com

mun

ity

11

A Plunket Babysitting Course run at MAGS proved popular among girl and boy students.

This is the third year MAGS has hosted the course, which is run by a Plunket educator over five lunchtimes. This year about 50 students wished to take part, necessitating two classes on different days.

Teacher in charge Ms Kate Todd said it was great to have so many boys enrolling this year.

“With the increasing popularity of ‘mannies’ and more parents thinking outside the box, a babysitting course is a wise choice

Babysitting course popular with girls and boysfor a responsible and mature young man,” says Ms Todd.

About half of one class was made up of boys.

This year’s course was run by Ms Julie Arrowsmith, who is also a trained secondary school teacher. She went through issues ranging from settling babies to safety, and each group had a practical session where Plunket parents, their babies and toddlers came to school so the students had some hands-on experience. As part of the course each student was challenged to create their own ‘Babysitter’s kit’, which might include bubble blowers, balloons, play dough and books.

The MAGS colours of blue and yellow were worn in a multitude of ways on 22 August, at a Mufti Day to raise funds for the Cancer Society.

Students brought a gold coin in return for the freedom to wear their own clothes in the theme of Blue & Yellow, tying in with the Society’s Daffodil Day the following week.

A number of teachers joined in on the mufti theme, and there were performances at lunchtime and appearances by Leo the Lion.

Mufti Day raises funds for Cancer Society


Prefects sold for a good causeThe annual Prefect Auction raised more than $3600 for Amnesty International across two lunchtimes on 5-6 August.

Students and teachers packed the hall to bid for their Prefect of choice out of 46 volunteers - each had to stand on stage during bidding beneath a police-type mugshot and a pithy bio. Teacher Mr Pat Barrett was an excellent auctioneer, and many students and teachers secured a Prefect to be their “Slave for a Day” the following Monday.

Top bids ranged from about $45 to $200, with some groups of students putting money together so they could share a Prefect.

Prefects accompanied their owners throughout the school day and had to do as commanded, including completing their owner’s school work.

The student-led Interact fundraising committee organised the auction, with oversight from teacher Mrs Johanna McHardy, as a way of raising funds and awareness for the work of Amnesty International.

Shave for a CureEnglish teacher Ms Sarah Drew was one of a number of MAGS staff and students who had their hair shaved off for charity in August.

Like most families, Ms Drew has friends and relatives who have died or are now battling cancer. She decided to take part in the Shave for a Cure fundraiser in memory of loved ones lost, to help provide wigs for those in need, and to raise funds for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.

The event was held in the old gym at lunch time on 20 and 21 August. The volunteers had gathered sponsorship totals ranging from $20 to $2500 - all to be donated to this worthy cause. Those brave enough to lose their hair had a large and supportive audience cheering their efforts.

Ms Drew with fellow teacher Ms Sarnia Slabbert, who shaved her head for the cause last year.

Com

mun

ity

13


The biggest change Mr Paul Gardner has seen at MAGS in his 40 years at the school was not the arrival of girl students in 2000, and women staff along with them, but the sheer growth of the number of students and teachers.

“There were about 800 students here when I arrived in 1975, fresh out of teachers’ college,” says Mr Gardner. “Now

there are 2700, and more than 200 staff. It’s become its own community.”

While that meant that whole school attendances at events such as swimming sports and athletics days became impossible, Mr Gardner has welcomed the variety of opportunities the growing school has offered him as a staff member.

“Some of my most enjoyable times have been the Outdoor Education camps I’ve attended as a teacher helper – to Muriwai, Army Bay, Motutapu, Taupo, the Coromandel and Tongariro National Park.”

For 10 years in the 1980s he ran the school dances, he was on the first Board of Governors and the first Board of Trustees, he’s done concreting at School House, planted trees and tended the Horticulture unit, looked after the stationery room, run school camps and activity days, managed Junior rugby for 18 years and Badminton for 10 years, been a Year 12 Dean

for 12 years, and for 25 years as Chairman of the Staff Room Committee, organising all the staff social functions.

Early on he claimed the corner classroom he considers the best in the school – B1, and from there has helped his History department grow from three classes to 13 classes across Years 11-13.

He also watched the student demographic change.

“When I arrived in the 70s MAGS was a school deeply in transition – from a white working class school that aimed to be a clone of Auckland Grammar, to one where the student population that was 50-60% Pacific Island. It was developing its own culture and identity, and in the 80s decided to be a true reflection of what it was.

“Today I believe MAGS is one of the top schools in New Zealand – we are unequalled in sporting success, and academically we’re in the top 5. The longer I’ve stayed the better it’s got. And now we’re in another era of change, where with technology the kids potentially know more than the adults. Teachers are no longer just teachers, but also guides.”

Mr Gardner is now 62 and wishes to “step onto a new escalator” while he still has his health, and pursue other interests. He’s planning to move to Taupo to be closer to his elderly mother, and from there travel, enjoy his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette, walk his huntaway dog Star, and continue doing volunteer work for the SPCA.

“I will miss the collegiality of the staff, and the kids. I like to think I have a dry sense of humour and don’t take the kids or myself too seriously – I enjoy the day to day banter. I think what marks out MAGS kids is their friendliness – some new teachers find it quite disconcerting. But if they can get used to that, and reach the exacting standards of the school, working at MAGS is a great springboard to other things.”

Paul Gardner – History teacher 1975-2014, Head of History 1987-2014

Staff farewells

Mr John Pipe was pleased to see MAGS reach an NCEA pass rate of 85-90%, but didn’t rest there.

“This year we’ve been working hard on that other 10-15%,” he says, speaking of his role as Director of Staff Development.

Part of that has been putting systems in place to pick up students who are not learning, and set them on the right path.

The other part is providing teachers with techniques and opportunities to create the optimum learning environment in their classrooms.

Mr Pipe has also had strategic input into the Senior Management Team, acting as a filter between them and the Heads of Department to find ways to make the school run better and, ultimately, increase the chances of success for students. He also created a tool for self-review to help teachers keep improving.

With a background in teaching History, Mr Pipe asked for one class to keep his hand in the profession, and for the past five years has taught Year 13 History. He also helped organise the MAGS Year 11 History Quiz team which regularly comes first, second or third in the Auckland competition.

He is now stepping back from full time work to spend a day a week restoring his 1935 Austin 10 Lichfield Saloon, and fulfill a lifelong aim to learn ventriloquism – he even has the dolls to start learning with.

In between he will continue to share his knowledge by contracting out his skills in professional development to schools.

John Pipe – Deputy Principal 2006-2014

15

The suitability of Mrs Michelle Farmer’s name to her role as Head of Agricultural Science never fails to amuse students and parents; she says she got used to that a long time ago.

The eponymous nature of her title has been just one of many sources of humour in a job that is unique in Auckland.

“I’ve never lost any livestock, except a solid wee piglet called Kamikaze who was last seen heading towards St Lukes, never to be seen again,” says Mrs Farmer.

Then there was Boris the boar, bought from Auckland Zoo but so overweight he could hardly move. The then farm manager, Mr Malcolm Rountree, put him on a diet, which was effective except that he grew increasingly grumpy. When he began attacking the chickens Boris had to go.

For a while students were more worried about a mob of emus, whose paddock they had to cross on the annual school cross country race. “The students were seen to run particularly fast through that paddock, worried that the emus might chase them,” recalls Mrs Farmer. “After a couple of years we changed the run route.”

It is the students she has taught over her 14 years at MAGS that Mrs Farmer says she will miss the most. When she arrived, from

a background in agricultural economics and farm management, there were only 60 studying Agriculture. Now 160 pass through her classroom each year, spanning Year 10 to Year 13.

“They’ve helped keep me relevant,” she says. “They teach me new things too. And MAGS students are always friendly, cheerful and respectful – they’re a delight to be around.”

Mrs Farmer has worked hard to increase the academic emphasis on what used to be considered a menial subject, and is pleased to see the perception of Agricultural Science among staff and students has changed.

“It is now seen as a worthwhile, academic subject with real and varied career opportunities in a huge sector of the New Zealand economy.”

She has seen her former students go on to manage sheep stations and dairy farms, become vets and work for corporates in agricultural logistics. Jordan Smith last year won Young Maori Farmer of the Year, and two Year 13 students from 2013, Jack Scahill and Jessica Munro, are now at Lincoln University on scholarships.

The farm now covers its operating costs by using milk from its dairy cows to rear lambs and calves for sale. Mrs Farmer thanks the two farm managers she has had in her time, Mr Rountree and current manager Mr Larney Palmer, for their help with this, and for helping her to get students excited about agriculture.

“Our students love coming up to the farm for this subject. It’s been so rewarding teaching it to Auckland city children who might never have considered it if this farm wasn’t here.”

After 14 years Mrs Farmer is moving on to pursue other challenges. “There are things I’d like to do which I can’t do while I’m here, so I’ve decided to take the plunge.”

Michelle Farmer – Head of Agricultural Science 2001-2014

Seeing her own department change and grow in the 10 years she’s been here, Chemistry teacher Mrs Clare Baldock has also been pleased to see MAGS’ development of its academic focus, and its Arts programmes.

“The emphasis on teaching and learning has grown even stronger, and it’s been great to see the growth of dance, drama and music,” says Mrs Baldock.

After completing a degree in Chemistry and Computing at Auckland University, Mrs Baldock spent her early career as a computer programmer.

“But I decided I wanted to work more with people, so retrained to become a Chemistry teacher.”

Her job at MAGS was her first, and after her first year in B14, B13 became Ms Baldock’s classroom and has remained so. She enjoys its sunny aspect, looking north over the sports fields.

She looked after the Badminton team for eight years, a boys’ Basketball team for a year, and this year took over the Robotics team. “I’ve just loved working with the Robotics kids,” says Ms Baldock. “They’re so passionate and creative, and just really nice kids doing really well. I’ll miss them.”

She has seen an almost complete turnover of Science staff in her time, and has worked with three Heads of Department – Michael Hart, Janet Lee and now Ang Whitlam.

“Ian Scoltock is one who has been here longer than me – one of the funny memories I’ll take away is of him setting off the fire alarms with his science experiements.”

She says she’ll miss the “fantastic staff” of MAGS, particularly those who work in the Science Department – “they are all really supportive and fun.”

Mrs Baldock is heading to Massey High School to teach Chemistry there. With an nine-year-old son, Cameron, and six-year-old twins Samantha and Elizabeth, she is looking forward to working closer to home.

Clare Baldock – Chemistry teacher 2003-2014

Staf

f fa

rew

ells


We’ve never seen them look so glamorous - senior students relished the opportunity to dress up and dance the evening away at the Pullman Hotel ballroom on 5 July.

The annual School Ball is one of the few occasions that Year 13 students can get together as a whole group. This year was as memorable as ever, and our Year 13s did themselves proud on every level.

Teacher in charge Ms Natasha Phyn said the Student Ball Committee did a fabulous job of organising the event, including decorating the ballroom to the theme of Central Park with tables named after New York neighbourhoods.

Our two talented MC’s Israel Wong-See and Isaiah Teleiai led the way with a choreographed dance, and kept the entertainment going.

White Door Photography captured our young men and women in their finery, and on the dance floor. You can see dozens of other photos at White Door’s Facebook page.

A buffet dinner and great music rounded off an event enjoyed by all the students and staff who attended.

Cutest couple: Jed Bradley and Joey Lew

School Ball

Best Dressed Boy:

Te Reimana Parangi Best Dressed Girl: Katie McDonagh

King and Queen: Te Uri Kingi and Alice Mallon

Teacher in charge Ms Natasha Phyn with Ball Committee leaders, from left, Claudia Howlett, Te Uri

Kingi, Amy Lee and Tania Bokoiv.

Best Dancer: Isaiah Teleiai

17

Year 13 Agricultural Science students spent the last day of Term 3 on the MAGS farm being assessed on their skills in riding ATVs, or All Terrain Vehicles, more commonly known as quad bikes.

Head of Department Mrs Michelle Farmer and Farm Manager Mr Larney Palmer were assisted by Mr Colin Rush of Agritec, a private training provider, in observing the students’ safe riding skills and giving them further advice and encouragement.

“Accidents on quad bikes happen every week on farms around New Zealand, so we consider this safety assessment an important part of the Agricultural Science course,” said Mrs Farmer.

Most of the students learned how to ride ATVs in theory and practical lessons over the past two years. Skills they mastered included how to shift their body weight to keep the ATV stable over different terrain, and how to dismount safely if need be in hilly, slippery situations.

Agricultural Science and Horticulture

Agriculture students learn how to ride safe

Bumper harvest at school orchardPlenty of rain through winter resulted in a excellent crop of citrus fruit in the MAGS orchard in August.

Head of Horticulture Ms Trish Bevins said trees laden will oranges were harvested and a tray given to each school department and to horticulture students. In addition to the normal Naval oranges, the students also grew Blood oranges, which have a pink interior.

Meyer and Lisbon lemons are picked as people request them, including teachers in the Food Technology. Orange and lemon cakes are cooked in return.

Year 13 students harvested their crop of Satsuma mandarins, grown as part of their study on a nationally significant export primary product.

Ms Bevins says the orchard was planted about eight years ago. In addition to citrus it also contains apples, plums, feijoas, figs, kiwiberries, nectarines, perismmon, blueberries, yellow quince and a grape vine. There are plans to extend the orchard’s size so that more trees can be planted.

If you would like to find out more about MAGS’ Horticulture Unit, please email Ms Bevins at [email protected]

Aca

dem

ic n

ews


Classics2014 trip to Greece and ItalyHead of Classics Mr Greg Cave led his fifth and biggest ever group to visit ancient sites in Greece and Italy over the October school holidays.

The tour experienced by 34 students, five teachers and four parents included Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Naples and Rome, and gave the students valuable insight into the importance of the Classical World to modern New Zealanders.

Among the sites the group visited were the Acropolis in Athens, where students were able to see the Parthenon, Erechtheum and Temple of Nike, all temples studied in the Year 12 course.

At Olympia, they visited the site of the ancient Olympic games, and some ran down the original track in a mock race. Madelaine Corban and Henry Babor received laurel wreathes from the guide for winning their races. They saw Mycenae, the ancient citadel of Agamemnon, and Epidauros, the famous theatre.

After visiting the ancient city of Corinth the group caught a ferry to Bari, Italy, heading first to Naples to visit the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum which were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. On the way to Rome the group stopped at Monte Cassino and the Commonwealth cemetery where a large numbers of New Zealanders, killed in 1944, are buried. There they saw the monastery which was rebuilt after being destroyed that same year. For many of the students this was the highlight of the tour.

In Rome the group visited the Vatican, Saint Peters, the Colosseum and the Forum. They also went to the Catacombs outside the ancient city, which were originally used for the burial of early Christians.

There was also time for sightseeing, shopping and experiencing some of the modern culture of the two countries during the tour. Mr Cave said the students were a credit to the school and all said they had a wonderful time.

19

Aca

dem

ic n

ews

CommerceShadow a Leader DayThree of MAGS’ top Year 13 students spent a day learning about business first hand on Shadow a Leader Day on 1 July.

Kathryn Sherlock spent the day with the CEO of Leadership New Zealand, Ms Sina Wendt-Moore, Eilish Buckley was partnered with the Westpac New Zealand’s Head of Corporate Strategy & Development Strategy, Products & Marketing, Mr Julian Smith, and Luke Butler experienced at day at Ports of Auckland with CEO Mr Tony Gibson.

The students attended meetings with different departments of each business, were taken to lunch with contacts who could offer advice, and were able to ask questions about how they could shape their future careers.

The programme is run by AUT in liaison with MAGS’ Head of Commerce, Ms Sarah Hayes.

Ms Wendt-Moore and Mr Smith both said that they also appreciated gaining the students’ insight on issues affecting young people.

“Leadership New Zealand’s purpose is to grow great leaders, and part of that is helping older and younger leaders to interact and integrate their experience,” says Ms Wendt-Moore. “Kathryn took part in a panel discussion and it was helpful to hear her ideas and opinions.”

Mr Smith said part of his job was developing an inclusive workplace as well as incorporating diversity into the bank’s dealings with its 1.3 million customers.

“I was able to ask Eilish what young people would look for in a workplace, and what would make it attractive to them,” said Mr Smith.

Eilish said it was an “amazing experience” to see first hand a day in the life of a big business that she might aim to work for in the next few years.

Business students donate earnings to charitiesYear 12 Business students took a production and sales assignment a step further by giving their earnings to a range of charities.

The project, which covered the first two terms, involved preparing a business plan, making a product, taking it to market to sell and then undertaking a review to improve their ‘business’ further. This year, not only were the students motivated to make a profit, they were also motivated to give back to the community.

Most businesses chose to donate a percentage of their profits to charity while some chose to donate all. Some businesses approached charities to help them endorse their products by using the charity’s name and logo and placing donation buckets at their market stalls.

This was testimony to the philanthropic and enterprising spirit of the young business entrepreneurs. Many thanks to the Cancer Society, the Heart Foundation, Cure Kids, the Breast Cancer Foundation, Child Cancer Foundation, the SPCA and KidsCan for giving support to our student groups.

The businesses sold their products at various markets, including Parnell, Avondale, Wesley Community Centre, Blockhouse Bay Community Centre and Takapuna, in their own time, usually at weekends.

Each business then shared their experiences in class and gave feedback on what they learned and gained from working with different people.

The Year 12 Business Studies students formed the following businesses: Candlelux Candles, Poroporo Flax Bracelets, Stacey’s Soaps, Wick-ed Candles, ‘Catch a Dream’ Dream-catchers, Papier Décor Origami, Soap Co, Heart Soaps, Brace Yourself Bracelets, Beadz Foundation, Crew Recycled T-shirts, Green Zone Herbs and Seedlings and Sumaringa Lavalavas.

Nisha D’Lima, Business Studies teacher


MAGS’ Junior German language students won nearly all the top places at the annual Goethe Society Auckland competition.

In the Year 9 category, Rosemary Tatupu came first while Allie Hawksworth came third. In Year 10, Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd came first, Fraser Eade came second and Eamon Sadler took third place.

Several hundred students from a large number of schools take part in the competition. Of the top 38 prizes in the Year 9 category, MAGS students won 17 (45%). Of the top 28 prizes in Year 10, our students won 23 (82%), including the top three places.

In Term 2 the students sat an exam testing listening, reading and writing. The top students from this were chosen to sit a speaking test at Auckland University in August. Marks from all the tests were combined to find the winners.

LanguagesTrip to JapanTwenty Japanese language students spent the October school holidays in Japan with teachers Ms Yukie Oki and Ms Kathy Edmonds.

The students, from Years 10, 11 and 12, began their experience in Ms Oki’s home city of Osaka. They visited the school she attended, and stayed with host families.

Winning Chinese language student Daphne Erlano with Gold Award winners, from left, Heejoo Jang, Hien (Helen) Thu Nguyen, Angela Liu and Anvilly Huang. Absent are Thomas Day and Tyler Jerrom.

From left, Fraser Eade (second place Y10), Rosemary Tatupu (first Y9), Allie Hawkesworth (third Y9), Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd (first Y10) and Eamon Sadler (third Y10).

Year 11 Chinese language student Daphne Erlano came top out of about 300,000 competitors around the world in an online language competition.

Daphne answered 60,104 questions in Chinese, and had the top score of 23,001 points, placing her top in the world for Chinese, and in the top 2% overall for all subjects.

Daphne, who has been learning Chinese since Year 9, says she spent the 10 day duration of the competition answering as many questions as she could in her spare time.

Her teacher, Ms Eva Liu, says her success is testament to her perseverance and determination to do well.

The competition is run by online language website Language Perfect, which holds the event among its students around the world over 10 days each year. The website is used at MAGS as a learning tool by teachers of English as a second language, te reo, French, Chinese, Japanese and German.

In addition to Daphne’s success, students who won Gold Awards in this year’s competition were Tyler Jerrom (Y12

Japanese), Angela Liu (Y11 Chinese), Hien (Helen) Thu Nguyen (Y11 French), Thomas Day (Y10 German), Anvilly Huang (Y9 Japanese) and Heejoo Jang (Y10 Japanese). A number of other students also won Silver, Bronze and Credit Awards.

Head of German Mr Warwick Gibbs said teacher Ms Barbara Lynch should be congratulated on the results she achieved with her Junior students.

German language students scoop top places in Auckland competition

Japanese student wins international competition

They then travelled to Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo, visiting educational and tourist sights and experiencing Japanese culture.

This is the first time a Japanese trip has been undertaken; Ms Oki hopes it will become a regular opportunity for MAGS Japanese language students.

21

Performance poets claim second placeMAGS’ young Performance Poets punched above their weight to beat many older contestants and claim second place in an Auckland competition at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau on 26 July.

Year 9 student Hannah Cope (second from left) and Year 10 students Theresa Boyd and Jahmal Nightingale took the stage against poets from nine other schools, most of whom were in Years 12 and 13. The students said the stadium was full, and the atmosphere was more like that of a concert.

The finalists had attended workshops each Saturday over seven weeks leading up the final, perfecting their poem’s language and construction, and their performance.

Theresa’s poem was about identity and being able to choose who you want to be ahead of others’ expectations, Jahmal wrote a love poem, and Hannah’s piece was about personal expression, self-esteem and confidence.

Called Word - The Front Line, the competition was run by the South Auckland Poets Collective and Action Education. The judges included poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, rapper Giant Killa and the current New Zealand Poetry Slam champion, each of whom performed.

English teacher Ms Sarah Drew, who runs MAGS’ Spoken Word Poetry group, said she was proud of the students doing so well against others older than themselves.

“This is just the beginning of Spoken Word Poetry at MAGS,” says Ms Drew. “Watch this space.”

Te Reo speech competitionThree students represented MAGS at the Auckland Regional Nga Manu Korero Speech Competition in Manukau, at which 42 schools from across Auckland took part.

Year 13 student Lucy Culleton (centre) competed in the Senior Maori division and came third in the Impromptu Speech category. She had to choose from four subjects and had only five minutes to plan a three-minute speech in te reo. Lucy chose ‘Technology is me and I am my cellphone’. She had earlier gained sixth place for her prepared 12 minute speech on ‘Who has the right to change Maori protocol’.

In the Junior Maori category, Waimarie Hunia of Year 10 (left) also came sixth with a 10 minute speech in te reo on how her iPad enables her to express herself.

Year 9 student Phoebe Sullivan prepared a six minute speech for the Junior English language category on ‘You Only Live Once’, and came fifth.

All three girls are part of Te Puna O Wairaka at MAGS and study te reo. The department’s Head, Mr Tahau Thompson, said the students performed above expectation and gained positive comments from the judges regarding the structure of their speeches, their confidence and competence with the language.

“We would like to build on our success by taking a bigger group to the competition next year,” said Mr Thompson. “It’s an opportunity for the students to learn that it’s one thing to be a great linguist, but another to capture an audience and make a convincing argument.”

Lawyers

Tel: 09 622 2222 • Fax: 09 622 2555PO Box 13-017, Onehunga, uckland 1643

33 Selwyn StreetPlenty of parking

[email protected]

For Property, Wills, Trusts, Estates, Business, Employment, Franchising,and Family Law.

We are local lawyers, providing legal services to the MAGS community, since 1945. A member of

Public speaking

Aca

dem

ic n

ews

22 Mount Albert Grammar School22 Mount Albert Grammar School

Outdoor EducationGreat Walk – Lake WaikaremoanaThe Year 13 Outdoor Education class tramped the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk in the Te Urewera National Park from 25 - 28 May.

The trip provided students with a real life event to focus on safety management issues and strategies.

lt also enabled them to practice their leadership skills and relate them to contemporary leadership principles.

The 13 Outdoor Education class took part in a four day Rogaine Tramp in the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park near Te Aroha from Sunday 22 June to Wednesday 25 June.

Rogaine is similar to orienteering. The activity provided students with another real life event with which to focus on safety management and leadership.

During the four days, groups were challenged with visiting as many controls as possible before a deadline on the last day. Points would be deducted if a group was late. The students made all of the navigation and group management decisions in order to maximise their time and ensure harmony remained through very testing conditions. Each night the groups needed to find a suitable place to camp which could range from comfortable huts, campsites or a random position in the bush.

The winning group (pictured) continually pushed themselves and gained valuable points by traversing an old overgrown route along the main spine of the ranges.

MAGS’ Year 11 Outdoor Education students proved how tough they are by filling both the girls’ and boys’ podiums at the Junior Tough Guy Tough Girl Challenge on 26 June.

Held at the Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre, 370 students from around Auckland took on a 6km course that included water trails, a crawl under barbed wire obstacles, swamp crossings, a bush trail, equestrian obstacles, open paddock running, hill climbs and a sand crawl. Most competitors were in Year 11 but others were in Years 12 and 13.

In the girls’ division Madison McGregor came first, Dominique Godfrey came second and Ella Neighbours came third. Among the boys, James Kirkham came first, Thomas Trevelyan came

Year 13 Rogaine Tramp

second and Fraser Campbell came third.

Head of Outdoor Education Mr Darren Whitehead said he was also impressed that from an academic perspective the majority of the class achieved the assignment with Merit or Excellence.

“The challenge allowed the group to demonstrate quality movement in the performance of mud running to supplement other running performances over the term.

“This event will now act as a source of information to further develop an understanding of how the body functions specific to an endurance activity; it will be useful in the students’ learning of exercise physiology.”

Clean sweep of Tough Guy / Tough Girl Challenge

2323

The six Year 10 Outdoor Education classes visited Woodhill Mountain Bike Park across the last three days of Term Two. This was to conclude their Mountain Biking unit and enable them to develop mountain bike riding skills

and reinforce concepts introduced in the classroom.

On 20 May the Year 11 Outdoor Education class also went to Woodhill Mountain Bike Park.

This experience allowed them to experience mountain biking in order to further develop an understanding of how the body functions specific to mountain biking to assist them the bio-mechanics assessment. It also helped to develop their understanding of factors that influence their own participation in physical activities. The day consisted of bike setup, uphill riding, downhill riding, cornering and low balance structures.

The two year 12 Outdoor Education classes participated in two

Year 13 Solo ExperienceThe objective of the two-night solo experience is to further develop an individual’s self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, personal responsibility and personal motivation. Year 13 students undertook the experience on 14-16 October, and as in previous years, found it a test both mentally and emotionally, but one which helped them further consider their own values and provide them with a time to set their own goals prior to examinations, further study or entering the workforce. The experience helped them learn how to reflect and provided them with another opportunity to display environmentally responsible and sustainable practices.

The class was separated from each other for the duration of the experience. They were each given a designated area to remain within, establish a shelter and spend 43 hours in solitude. Students were given individual reading, writing and reflection tasks to complete. They were allowed their standard tramping gear and were given basic food rations. They were not allowed extra reading material, music players, mobile phones, extra food, watches or fire-lighting equipment.

Thank you to Rob Garden for allowing us to use his private land to enable our students to have this powerful experience.

mountain biking day trips in Term 2, one to Woodhill and one to the bike trails of the Hunua Ranges.

The Hunua trail is a more technical single track through a variety of bush, farmland and rivers in order to build upon the skills learned at Woodhill and extend students’ riding ability. They are assessed on intermediate to advanced terrain as well as trip preparation and risk management planning. Students were also demonstrating areas of social responsibility for themselves and as part of a group.

Year 13 classes took on the two-day, 85km Timber Trail in the Pureora Forest, west of Lake Taupo on 25-26 September. A cycleway between Pureora and Ongarue, the Timber Trail uses historic bush tramways, old bulldozer and haul roads, and newly constructed track. The Grade 2/3 trail features 35 bridges, including 8 large suspension bridges - the longest being 141 metres. It showcases the historic Ongarue Spiral, a marvel of engineering. It passes through magnificent podocarp forests of rimu, totara, miro, matai and kahikatea, as well as some exotic forestry and more open vegetation, offering extensive views of the surrounding landscape.

To view a video of this trip please visit www.youtube.com/user/MAGSOutdoorEducation

Mountain biking

Year 12 five-day Coromandel journeyThe Year 12 Outdoor Education students’ five-day journey across the Coromandel, from Thames to Whangamata, was a full-on adventure in the last week of Term 3.

Three groups traversed the ranges by mountain bike, foot and kayak, staying at campgrounds along the way. The weather was good, and everyone arrived tired but happy at the Whangamata Surf Club on the Friday in time for fish and chips.

Overall, it was an awesome trip, providing students with real challenges, planning, problem solving and experience in making good decisions. A

cade

mic

new

s

24

Social Sciences

MAGS’ Junior Social Studies team won the Auckland Social Studies Association’s Junior Inter-school competition in June.

Pictured from left are Hugh Malcolm and Reuben Cato (both Year 9), together with Year 10 students Julia Robinson and Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd. They beat more than 30 teams from schools as far afield as Morrinsville and Te Kuiti.

The quiz was held at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. MAGS entered three teams of Year 9 and 10 students, who answered questions on famous New Zealanders, New Zealand geography, countries, famous quotes, landmarks and current events.

The MAGS 1 team finished 10 points ahead of hosts Diocesan, with Macleans College third.

A MAGS Year 11 Geography Quiz team came second in the Auckland round of the annual national Maatangi Whenua Geography Quiz held at St Cuthbert’s College on 16 June.

Samuel Darin (pictured left), Angela Liu and Thomas Butler scored 117 points, our highest ever score, getting top marks in ‘Geography in the News’ and the only perfect score in ‘Birdseye View’.

Their mark was not quite high enough to beat a strong team from Pakuranga College. Auckland Grammar was six points behind us in third place.

Well done also to the MAGS 2 team of Jasmine Cooling, Jessica Middelberg and Connor Bougen, who finished a creditable sixth place.

A group of Year 12 geography students came third in the annual Auckland Geography Teachers’ Association Year 13 Quiz held at St Cuthbert’s College on 6 August.

With our Year 13 geography students away on the Rotorua field trip, it was down to MAGS’ Year 12 geography students to fill the breach. Pictured from left, Edwin Stanton, Rebekah van Dort, Sam Cummins and Gilbert Patten Elliott stepped up to the challenge.

Students from more than 20 schools answered questions on current events, geography alphabet and general geographic knowledge.

Some last minute revision and frantic learning of the Year 13 curriculum by the Year 12 team paid off, with MAGS scoring good marks in nearly every round, getting through to the final four playoffs for the third time in four years.

The team is keen to do even better next year when they get to return as Year 13s.

Auckland win for Junior Social Studies team

Year 11 Geography team second in Auckland

Year 12s come third in Year 13 Geography Quiz

25

ScienceTop marks in international science examJunior students Theresa Boyd and Henry An earned High Distinction Awards in this year’s ICAS science test - placing them in the top 1% of more than one million participants from more than 20 countries.

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) are independent skills-based assessments with a competition element.

They are sat under exam conditions at each participating school.

Henry, Y9, pictured with Theresa, Y10 and Headmaster Mr Dale Burden, also gained the Principal’s Award for the highest score of all the MAGS students who competed.

Girls excelling in maths and science were selected to hear a presentation by Dr Karen Willcox, a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.

A team of MAGS Robotics students won the Design Award at a Robotics Challenge event for Auckland schools.

Thirty five teams took part in the competition at Massey University’s Albany campus on 16 August. The robots had to be able to lift cubes, transport them across a space and stack them on poles at the other end. The designers of the MAGS robot were Harry Duncan (left), Alex Boyd and Parie Malhotra.

Teacher in charge Ms Clare Baldock says the students have been working on their robot since the start of Term 2. They are taking part in a series of events called the VEX Robotics Auckland Ladder Challenge, with the aim of qualifying for the National Championships next February.

From there they hope to gain a spot at the World Robotics Championships in America next year.

Astronautics Professor visits maths and science girls

The Kiwi engineer did her initial degree at the University of Auckland before completing her Masters and Doctorate at MIT. She spoke to the girls about working for Boeing and as a Professor at MIT, teaching and leading research projects that use mathematical computer models to help design better systems. These have ranged from replicating the flight mechanics of birds and bats, to finding out how astronauts can move efficiently in zero gravity.

Dr Willcox said she chose engineering for a career because it would enable her to help solve problems of global importance, it had a range of applications - from aircraft to energy, cars to biomechanics - it would enable her to work in teams of people from diverse specialties such as biology, chemistry and computer science, and it would give her the opportunity to work on fun projects in fun places, such as studying jet engines at the Nasa Dryden Flight Research Centre in the Mojave Desert.

She urged the girls to consider engineering as a career. “We need women in engineering,” she told her audience. “They bring a different perspective, and an awareness of the bigger picture.”

Robotics team wins Design Award

Aca

dem

ic n

ews


More than 125 International students have taken part in a wide range of activities over the second half of 2014, showcasing the talents of a diverse group. Their first priority remains study success, and to that end our International team, headed by Mr Evan Gray provides monitored support and encouragement.

Countries represented this year: Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, Tonga and Vietnam.

We had an intake of 26 students in Term 3. Most are here to prepare for mainstream courses in 2015.

Russian students Kseniia Kutovaia, Vladimir Shvetsov and Polina Shevteova

Elena Herrera and Maria Herrera, Year 12, from Spain

European students at MAGSInternational students from Germany, Italy and Russia said a fond farewell to MAGS at the end of Term 3, and all said they would like to return to New Zealand one day.

Pictured above are Thomas Schubert from Austria, Emily Orf from Germany, and Michele Trucchi, Maria Fiori and Anna Valente from Italy. They were joined by Elena Herrera and Maria Herrera from Spain, and Russian students Kseniia Kutovaia, Vladimir Shvetsov and Polina Shevteova, all 16, all spent a Term at MAGS taking classes ranging from English and Science to Travel and Tourism, Agricultural Science, Photography, Dance, and Food Technology.

Maria, a top swimmer in her home town of Voghera near Milan, continued her training at the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre on the school grounds, and competed in the Auckland Championships and in the Queensland Championships in Australia, coming fourth in her age group at both events in the 50m backstroke.

The students stayed with homestay families near MAGS, and saw some of the country on trips at weekends and in school holidays.

“I will be sad to go and will miss MAGS and New Zealand,” said Maria. “There is a good balance here between academic studies and sport - when a sports game is on at MAGS the school is like a big family and lots of people turn out to support the team.”

Short-term studentsMost of our students are enrolled in courses which lead to graduation from MAGS at the end of Year 13. This year we also hosted a number of shorter term students from all over the world, including:

Michele Trucchi, Year 12, from Italy: enrolled 9 June to 29 August - 10 weeks

Maria Fiori, Year 13, from Italy: enrolled 19 May to 26 September - 17 weeks

Anna Valente, Year 12, from Italy: enrolled 19 May to 26 September - 17 weeks

Emily Orf , Year 12, from Germany: enrolled 19 May to 26 September - 17 weeks

Kseniia Kutovaia, Year 11, from Russia: enrolled 21 July to 26 September - the 10 weeks of Term 3

Polina Shevtcova, Year 11, from Russia: enrolled 21 July to 26 September - the 10 weeks of Term 3

Vladimir Shvetsov, Year 11, from Russia: enrolled 21 July to 26 September - the 10 weeks of Term 3

Chiara Sadino, Year 12, from Italy: enrolled 21 July to 26 September - the 10 weeks of Term 3

Elena Herrera, Year 12, from Spain: enrolled 21 July to 5 September - 7 weeks of Term 3

Maria Herrera, Year 12, from Spain: enrolled 21 July to 5 September - 7 weeks of Term 3

International Student News

27

Japanese student visitA group of MAGS students were ‘buddied’ with young survivors of the Japanese tsunami on their visit to New Zealand from 18-20 August.

Four boys and six girls from tsunami-ravaged towns in the Tohoku region spent a day and a half attending classes with their Year 9 and 10 buddies, and stayed with local families. They were welcomed with a powhiri and farewelled with a lunch. They also spent a day in Christchurch meeting students who had been through the earthquakes and seeing how the city was recovering.

This is the fourth year MAGS has hosted students from Tohuku, and their chaperone, Mr Tosh Aoshima, says the visit is now less about giving the teenagers a break and more about developing their leadership abilities for the future.

“We select them as potential leaders, and from their experience in New Zealand they take home ideas for restoration projects we get them involved with,” said Mr Aoshima.

At the farewell the students spoke of their appreciation in being able to spend time in a country that was also recovering from a natural disaster, and enjoy the day to day life of a New Zealand high school with their Kiwi buddies.

Food and Culture EveningDelicious food, talented performers and an art show made the 2014 International Students’ Food and Culture Evening the best yet.

An array of dishes from cuisines as diverse at Vietnam, Russia and Chile meant guests were spoilt for choice at the buffet dinner.

Students then bravely took the stage to perform their nation’s traditional songs or dances, or simply to show off their talent at western singing and dancing, and classical piano playing.

They enjoyed great support from the audience of fellow students, homestay families and school staff and prefects.

An Art Competition was run in conjunction with the event, with winners announced on the night and the various works on display.

Inte

rnat

iona

l stu

dent

new

s


International Football ChallengeThe inaugural International students’ football match between MAGS and Auckland Grammar School was a great success and saw a new tradition begun.

Although Auckland Grammar won 3-2, the MAGS players left the field knowing they had nearly matched a team that included some Second XI players.

International Dean Mr Ian Cole said 22 students turned up for training for five weeks before a team of 11 was picked, with five subs. There were seven nationalities in the team.

Mr Cole said the MAGS boys were down 3-0 at half time, but came back strongly with goals to Itaru Furumoto and Masayoshi Sasaki.

“Their spirit and effort was great to see,” said Mr Cole, who thanked Captain Chirasin Tangprompham, student coach Legend Parata, and assistant manager, student Leroy Wee.

“Auckland Grammar were great hosts - putting on food for everyone after the game. We intend for the match to become an annual event,” said Mr Cole, who presented a trophy to be engraved with the winning school’s name each year.

2014 International Department Sports Tournaments Term 1 - VolleyballThis was a great way for new students to meet those already at MAGS. Ten boys’ and girls’ teams from many countries took part in the tournament and the final was played in the new gym, expertly refereed by MAGS volleyball captain, local student Alysha Vaigulu.

In an exciting final, the boys from Chile beat a team composed of mainly House Boys from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and India. In third place was the strongest Chinese team which also included one Vietnamese student.

Term 3 - BadmintonFor the first time, the tournament stage was played after school at the Mount Albert YMCA and saw more than 40 students taking part. The finals were played in the new gym over two lunch times and were won by Chinese students Kam Zhang and Pofi Huang, who beat the brother and sister team of Michael and Jasmine Ma. The third placed pairing was Sam Zhang and Alex He.

FootballSix teams took part in the tournament and for the first time this included four girls – Diana from Russia, Samantha from Germany, Maria from Spain and Gene from Thailand, who all showed great spirit and “mixed it” with the boys.

For the first time both Chinese teams featured in the semi-finals and their strongest team made it through to the final.

The team of Japanese, Chilean and one Italian student became this year’s champions. The Most Valuable Player was Itaru Furumoto who had equalised with 28 seconds left on the clock before his team went on to win in extra-time.

The games were well refereed by local students Isaiah Zarate-Rapana and House Boy Pekay Edwards.

BasketballThe four teams competing in the finals consisted of two from China, one from Japan and a mixed nationality team from Malaysia, India, Japan and Russia.

The third place play-off was won by Team Samurai 10-2. The final was a repeat of last year with the strongest Chinese team (Never Lose) winning 13-6.

The students enjoyed playing on the full court in the new gym with the electronic scoreboard adding to the excitement. The Most Valuable Player, as per last year, was Michael Ma.

HoMESTAYS nEEDED

We welcome applications from local families, particularly families with children at MAGS who may be able to provide homestays for our international boys or girls in 2015: short-term (from two weeks as with our hostel boys in their term holidays); medium term (1 or 2 terms); or longer-term (a year or longer).

If you are able to assist, or if you know of a possible homestay, please contact our Homestay Co-ordinator, Julie Boersen at [email protected] or phone 09 846 2044 x 8187

29

International office contacts

Lucy Lu wins six Gold medals at nZ Table Tennis ChampionshipsYear 11 student Lucy Lu is still only 15 years old, but came away from the 2014 New Zealand Table Tennis Championships with six Gold and one Bronze medal.

Lucy won Gold in the U21 Women’s Singles, U21 Women’s Doubles, U21 Mixed Doubles, Open Women’s Doubles, Open Mixed Doubles and Auckland A Grade Team event. She won Bronze in the Open Women’s Singles.

Lucy has been playing table tennis for six years. She came to MAGS from China as an International student in 2013, and says she loves MAGS and New Zealand so much she wants to live here permanently. She hopes to one day represent New Zealand in her sport.

The Evan Gray Cup for the Best All-Round International Boy - awarded to Yuchen (Aaron) Wang, from China. Aaron joined the school in February 2012 and has had an excellent record of service to the International student group, particularly our Chinese students and also to visiting Chinese families. A dedicated and personable young man with a strong sense of loyalty to the school, Aaron was an obvious choice as a School Prefect this year. He was a member of the International Committee, an International Student Leader, a leader at the International Camp, a great supporter of other International students at the weekly Study Centre and Sports Tournaments, a Peer Support student and a performer at the Food and Culture evening.

Aaron has a good academic record and will study IT at University in 2015.

The Evan Gray Cup for the Best All-Round International Girl - Awarded to Chae Yun (Christine) Park, from Korea. Christine joined us in February 2013. She was a student leader that year and with her obvious social and academic skills she earned her appointment as a School Prefect in 2014.

A friendly and confident young woman, she has thrown herself into every possible activity: a member of the International

Senior Prizegiving - International Student Awards

Committee, an International Student Leader, an organiser of the Food and Culture Evening, a leader at the International Camp and a helper with International Sports Tournaments.

Christine has done well academically and is on track to enter AUT University in 2015 where she will study spatial design.

Julie Boersen Accommodation Co-ordinator [email protected]

Suzanne Hine Secretary [email protected]

Ian Cole International Dean [email protected]

Evan Gray International Director [email protected]

Best All-round International Girl and Boy Chae Yun (Christine) Park and Yuchen (Aaron) Wang (right), with Sijie Zhuo, who won the Engineering Cup and came 1st in Year 12 Mechanical Engineering and Technology Hard Materials.

Inte

rnat

iona

l stu

dent

new

s

A Simple Man By Tobias Heeringa, Year 13

It was an understatement to say that Greg was excited. He was, in fact, ecstatic. For Greg was a simple man, and it seems to be a recurring quality amongst those of the simple mind to be greatly affected by things of little consequence. Any basic problem becomes a calamity, any convenience, a miracle. So it must then be taken into account the level of importance placed on the word ‘understatement’. For Greg was truly excited. But before we know the reason for his excitement, we must come to know Greg.

Greg Archibald Johnson, once a full time Grocer, was now retired living a cosy little life in a comfortable cottage in a tiny yet comfortable town. A simple mind brood’s simple pleasures and Greg didn’t live with need for anything that he didn’t already have.

In particular he was fond of his extensive record collection, a good cooked breakfast, and his one brown woollen cardigan with the small hole down by the cuff. But what he held dearest in his world, were his flowers.

It is hard to describe Greg’s affection for his flowers. One might say that he loved them, but could it be argued that it is impossible for one to love inanimate objects in the same way an intimate love is kept for family or significant others.

Does that mean Greg only ‘liked’ his flowers in the sense that he only held affection for them, or did he possess some emotional attachment to them in a way no other was able to love something of such little significance?

The important thing to note here is that Greg, to some degree, cared, for his flowers, and had a whole delightful assortment of varieties. They spread across the garden in rolling waves of colour, organised to such a degree of perfection like the rows of identical houses in a provincial suburb. There were daffodils, as delicate to the touch as they looked, lilies gracefully white like the twirling clouds residing far above his garden, and sunflowers with petals that seemed to soak the sun’s vibrant colour straight from the air around them.

To him, his flowers were the closest thing to natural perfection. And yet, as good as they were, Greg had become prideful and wished to see his flowers grow even greater, to see them become absolutely supreme in their exquisiteness.

This leads us back to the reason for his excitement. For he had procured a particular type of fertiliser, one with new formulations into plant growth hormones that allowed a flower to surpass all constraints Mother nature placed on it in size and vibrancy. And today was the day for the application of said fertiliser, Greg had decided; it was time for his flowers to become more than what they could on their own. It definitely made for exciting times in Greg’s simple mind.

Greg finished liberally applying the ooze from the fertiliser bag across the base of the last untreated flowerbed. It sunk into the dirt, quickly disappearing into the brown earth as Greg stood up. He wasn’t anticipating a long wait for the serum to work, but he did not imagine it would be as short as it actually was.

His eyes grew wider as it began to take effect, and within minutes the plants were looking far more vivacious than they ever had been. The smaller flowers suddenly multiplied into huge bunches, and the larger ones grew in girth and height so that they towered over the others. The colours of the various flowers began pulsating with a vibrancy he had never seen before, and they became so animated in the growing frenzy that they seemed to almost come alive.

Stunned at the immense beauty that his flowers had now taken on, Greg felt he had to kneel. No sooner after was he crouched adoring his flowers, did he began to hear a chorus of voices, quiet at first, that soon grew to a great drone that permeated the

air around him. He realised of course that it had to be coming from the flowers!

They had become so animated that they had actually come alive and were now inundating him with a song like that of an angelic chorus. They were singing to him, the master gardener, their creator! Greg grinned like a young boy, the immense joy he felt reflected perfectly on his face. He loved his flowers, and they loved him too. He looked at them again, smiling, and they were smiling too.

The daises, the lilies, the roses, the bluebells, the hydrangeas and the sunflowers all grinned back at him, mirroring his joyfulness, as they sung to him with songs of praise and adoration. Greg knelt in bliss.

An onlooker stood watching over Greg from the house’s back stoop, as he knelt in the garden. An expression of immeasurable sorrow was ingrained deep into the wrinkles around her eyes. Instead of seeing the immense ensemble of smiling shrubbery that he did, she saw only a pallid old man, raving and ranting about imaginary flowers whilst writhing about in the weeds and vines that inhabited the squalid yard.

She did not suffer from the debilitating mental illness that plagued Greg’s mind that caused him to hallucinate in such a way. Her suffering stemmed from the deep well of depression caused by the knowledge that her husband was mad, and that he would not only never be able to look her in the eye and recognise her as his own wife, but also fail to recognise the pain that he was unwittingly causing her.

“It’s not his fault, it’s not” she said to herself, as she slowly slid down the outside wall of their old cottage, its quaint charm long since flaked away with the paint. She fell into a half sitting position as she watched her husband frolic in the weeds, the tears from her eyes welling into deep set wrinkles.

“Listen to the flowers! Listen to them! They’re so beautiful!” he yelled at nobody. “You used to call me that.” she replied faintly. But he didn’t hear her. Instead he only heard singing.

Ink and Iron CloudsBy Tom Coupe, Year 13

Under a blue sky threatened by a metallic grey, a pig spent its last moment twitching at the feet of a man. The man regarded the animal with his usual stony silence, but today, there was a fragile aspect to his stoic mask. For some reason, he found the pig fascinating, though it was little different to any he’d killed before. The blood drew bubbling lines down its neck, tracing a complex design on the clearing floor. A scarlet scrawl on yellowed ground, like words on official paper.

Almost like… a letter. The man closed his eyes, attempting to force back the sudden barrage of fragmented images and sounds. An official seal, red and menacing, shadowed by a neatly lettered name.

John, how could you let this happen? HOW!? The heady scent of summer, and golden hills rolling into the distance.

Failure to meet the medical prerequisites of service. Angry tears down the face of a pregnant woman.

How? HOW!? The man’s eyes snapped open, and in a sudden fit of fury, he lashed out at the pig. Once. Twice. He stopped, breathed, and slumped slightly. His boots were smeared with red, the swine lay broken before him; he was dominant. And yet… in that moment, he felt more like the pig than the hunter.

“Can I interest you in a drink of the finer stuff, Mr Leach?” John asked, in a tone of bland politeness. “That would be most welcome,” replied the banker, though he looked wary. Of course, drink was technically illegal after the Volstead act of seven months ago, but who was going to enforce it this far west?

“Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna poison you” John said, though he was sorely tempted. Shunting his chair out from the table and turning toward the house, John let the amiable demeanour slip.

“Damn cursed man,” he hissed under his breath, “thinks a suit gives him the right to the earth.” Ducking through the old, sagging doorway, John motioned to his wife.

“Git the whiskey.” Jane pulled the bottle lethargically, and rested it on her pregnant belly.

“He’s gonna take it all, isn’t he?” John stared back at her in icy silence, and lifted his hand for the bottle. Neither moved for several seconds, as if afraid to break the fragile air between them. Finally, Jane relented, gingerly passing the whiskey over.

“You make this right, for all of us. You hear me, John Atlas?” John turned with his usual stony expression; but as he saw the stamp of sky through the doorway, blue rusting black, his mask cracked. The face underneath held the fear of a small man who saw darkness brewing above, waiting to fall on all he had.

Amber whiskey sloshed into the glass, while Mr. Leach drummed his fingers on the table. His face looked like a factory product yet to be painted, with greying hair, greying eyes and greying skin. He smiled contentedly after a sip, but John fancied it the knowing grin of a predator, seconds from a kill.

“Unfortunately, Mr Atlas, we must be back to business. I’m sure you understand the state you’re in, financially?” John did. He had read that wicked letter many times; the dark ink and darker words were etched into him. Of course, being a banker, Leach wanted to say it again.

“Your debt is outstanding, and has reached a truly improbable level. You may not borrow from us again until you pay back… some 57,200 dollars.” The grey man leant forward. “Honestly, that will be impossible to repay under your current income. That’s nearly twice the value of your land! You wouldn’t happen to have a war pension would you?” John’s face pulled grimly.

Failure to meet medical prerequisites for service.

“I… no.”

Failure.

“Well,” Leach sighed, setting his glass precariously on the edge of the table, “I only see one viable option.”

Weak.

“Sell the ranch. The animals, the land… Everything. Move out of here, into town. What with the new railroad, there’ll be plenty labour work; you could even clear the debt in a matter of years!”

WEAK.

Leach reached for his glass, and knocked it from the table. A trail of bright liquid, tinted red in the afternoon sun, trailed in its wake. The glass raced to the floor, seeking destruction, and splintered into a thousand irreparable pieces. The man who’d broken it procured a handkerchief, and went to soak up the liquid.

“Silly me,” he said, “I’m always doing this.” He stood up, as casually as he’d shattered John’s life, his menacing smile haloed by the dark iron clouds behind him.

John sat on his porch for a long while, watching his land decay under the withering black sky. The hills of golden grass rusted. The farmhouse hunched to the ground, creaking with the fear of a last breath. But the clouds pressed on, inexorable and uncaring, intent on greying the world. Jane stepped out.

“So. This is it, then?” John nodded. She sat beside him, and shrugged her shoulders. “Nothin’ we can do, honey. We can manage. We can get by.” She rubbed her belly. “This is your pa’s fault, really; he was the one who left us with that debt.”

“Not all of it,” said John, still staring fixedly into the distance.

“Maybe. But anyway, what we had here couldn’t have lasted. The simple life is dying; America wants towns and trains now. They want tomorrow, and this” she gestured out to the hills, “isn’t part of it.” She rubbed John’s back, and heaved herself up, and went back inside. John was glad she’d gone, because his face was no longer the stone of a strong man. He was crying quietly, lost in a changing world, and he couldn’t have her see that. The storm reached him then, the shade of cold metal, and bore down heavily on his shoulders. The icy rain mixed with his tears, and a mantle of shadow fell upon his land, until he was alone in an empty grey void. These were the clouds of tomorrow, and he was but a small man of the past. A pig at the feet of a hunter. John cried for all he’d lost, as the storm of the new age rolled in.

Cre

ativ

e w

riti

ng

Sculpture by Amberine Dias, Year 13


MusicA concert of Greatest HitsThe variety of musical talent among students at MAGS was on show at the school’s annual concert on 25 June, held at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre in Epsom.

Vocalists played a starring role in the show, this year called Greatest Hits, which featured nearly 30 acts ranging from the school orchestra to solo singers.

Head of Music Ms Milica Zjajic-Moon conducted the orchestra through pieces ranging from Skyfall, the theme song from the latest James Bond movie, to the Henry Mancini classic Moon River, accompanied by singer Laurena Roquero.

There were classical pieces from the Piano Quintet, MAGS Strings, the Flute Sweets and by stunning pianist Jia Yang Zhang; jazz from the two different groups, opera from Mapa Toutaiolepo, and songs from the Mixed Choir.

Original contemporary songs were performed by Jenna Ackerman, who recently won an Auckland award for her lyrics, and James Donaldson and Mackensie Clayton with their band Empty City. Taine Buchan, who has an agent and has started playing gigs around Auckland city, performed a cover of the Tom Odell song Another Love.

Lili and Lina Li gave a beautiful performance on two guzhengs, or Chinese harps, and young singer Siosiua Atuekaho gave a cheeky rendition Quando Quando. Braedon Schache did a fine job of accompanying the orchestra on two songs, while the Girls’ Barbershop Chorus and the Lionesses Quartet displayed their impressive range on Love Me Tender and Dream a Little Dream of Me.

It was a vibrant, entertaining evening hugely enjoyed by the full house, and by the talented performers on stage.

33

Jazz band wins Silver Award

Auckland awards for songwriter and guitarist

MAGS’ Jazz Band won the Silver Award in the KBB Music Festival held from 4-8 August.

The festival was this year held at Westlake Boys’ and Westlake Girls’ High Schools. It featured music groups from schools across Auckland who take part in either performance or competition categories.

The Jazz Band played five arrangements under the direction of Albertian Ben Sinclair, including an interpretation of Over the Rainbow featuring beautiful vocals by student Janet Stewart. The other pieces performed were Moten Swing, The Magnificent Seven, Sloo Foot and One Mint Julep.

The MAGS Concert Band also took part in the festival in the performance section.

Jenna Ackerman and Nathan Rhodes-Hasler each won awards at the Auckland Smokefree Rockquest on 14 June at Raye Freedman Arts Centre.

Jenna won the APRA Lyric Award for Tyler’s Song, inspired by her 11-year-old brother who has a condition called Fragile X. Nathan (top left) won the Musicianship Award for his performance with fellow MAGS student James Donaldson, who also played guitar and sang a song the pair wrote called Blind Eye.

Jenna and Nathan were up against about 40 competitors from around Auckland. Jenna, Year 10, and Nathan, Year 12, both take guitar lessons and study Music at MAGS.

James Donaldson wins songwriting competitionYear 12 Music student James Donaldson (top right) won the Wero Songwriting Competition with his song ‘Try’.

James’ song was judged the best of dozens submitted by secondary student songwriters from all over Auckland. He not only wrote the song, but sung and played nearly the instruments on his recording, including guitar, bass and saxophone, with only a drum machine for backing.

For his prize, James won a $500 Rockshop voucher, will record his song in a professional recording studio for its inclusion on the annual Play It Strange CD, and perform his song at the Earth Turning Ceremony for the WERO development.

Per

form

ing

Art

s


The annual Junior Bytes and Arts Alive concerts once again displayed the rich depth of talent among MAGS students.

The Junior concert by Year 9 and 10 students was held on 23 September and the Senior concert held the following evening, both at the Centennial Theatre at Auckland Grammar School.

Performances by singers, dancers, drama students and musicians were by turns awe-inspiring, touching and comical, with fantastic range shown by many students who excel in more than one discipline.

A number of pieces were original compositions, including those by singers Jenna Ackerman and Taine Buchan, and dances choreographed by a number of Senior students. Audiences were treated to award-winning performances, such as the MAGS’ Jazz Band’s and singer Janet Stewart’s rendition of Over the Rainbow, part of a set which won a Silver Award at the Auckland-wide KBB Music Festival, and Jenna Ackerman’s moving original song Tyler’s Song, which won the APRA Lyric Award and came runner-up in the Word Up songwriting competition.

Drama students performed excerpts from this year’s school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Head Boy Liam Ferguson performed a scene from his award-winning interpretation of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Junior students performed a variety of drama pieces, many of which showed their sense of humour.

The Perfect Dance, performed by the prefects of 2014, was a hilarious medley of styles and costumes devised by dance leaders Emily Mills, Emma Pearce and Claudia Howlett “to introduce the prefects to the joys of dance”.

Junior Bytes and Arts Alive

Junior Bytes and Arts AliveLisa McLaughlan wins prestigious dance awardYear 12 Dance student Lisa McLaughlan won the 2014 Ora Burnett Jazz Award at the Auckland Caledonian Society’s Dance Festival in October. She received $5000 and the Hirst Family Cup.

Lisa competed against 18 other dancers from around the country. Each had to perform three dances - contemporary (with their own choreography), modern jazz and an impromptu routine.

Lisa’s father Mr John McLaughlan said the judge commented that Lisa’s impromptu dance was so good it could have been choreographed; the judge thought Lisa had a very promising future ahead of her as a choreographer.

Lisa is hoping to attend a summer dance programme at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York next July and will use her prize money to help fund her trip.

Per

form

ing

Art

s

History brought to life at AlbertonYear 11 drama students used historic Alberton and the family who lived there to devise scenes for a performance on 30 May.

Head of Drama Dr Lilicherie McGregor says groups of students could choose characters from the family tree of the Kerr Taylor family, who lived at Alberton for 109 years. They then devised scenes suited to their chosen room in the house, with a theme relevant to the period. Stories included a sister getting involved in the women’s suffrage movement of the late 1800s, a son volunteering to fight in World War I, and a daughter dying in the 1918 flu epidemic.

A volunteer from Alberton visited the students during rehearsals to tell them about attitudes and etiquette during that time in history. Period costumes were hired from the Playhouse Theatre in Glen Eden, and the scenes performed before a live audience which moved between rooms with the actors.

Drama students produce Love and InformationTwo classes of Year 11 Drama students staged an unusual play for their parents on 21 August called Love and Information.

Written by English dramatist Caryl Churchill, the play is comprised of 57 short scenes, mimicking the digital world of text and tweet messages. Head of Drama Dr Lilicherie McGregor staged the play as though the students were sitting around a campfire, with each short scene acted out by torchlight.

Between each act Year 10 student Jenna Ackerman sang a song she composed for the performance called Just a Love Song.

Dr McGregor said the students enjoyed experimenting with the groundbreaking structure of the play, and creating meaning for their selected scenes.

Drama

Challenging political play performed by Year 12 DramaTwo Year 12 Drama classes performed the challenging play Marat Sade for parents and supporters on 27-28 August.

The play is set eight years after the French Revolution and was written by German playwright Peter Weiss just after the World War II had ended. Head of Drama Dr Lilicherie McGregor says it asks questions around whether people are any better off after revolution and war, and was relevant in the context of conflicts currently occurring in Iraq, Syria and Gaza.

Dr McGregor staged the play with “polymorphic” action, so that in every scene every character was doing something in the background, even when they were not central to the action.

“It meant that everyone was acting all of the time, so everyone had the opportunity to pass this assessment with Excellence,” said Dr McGregor.

The students say Marat Sade is an intense play and they enjoyed the opportunity to get to grips with more mature roles.


Liam Ferguson selected for Shakespeare trip to Globe TheatreHead boy Liam Ferguson has won selection to travel to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and visit the playwright’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Liam will be one of 24 young actors to perform and study at the theatre in July next year. They were chosen from a group of 48 regional winners of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition who gathered in Dunedin over the October school holidays for workshops and rehearsals. Liam’s group performed the play Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Liam’s portrayal of the character Berowne helped him win a place on the trip to England. He is pictured in character as Henry V, the role which won him the Auckland competition.

“We’ll see plays and go on tours of theatres, and have workshops at the Globe Theatre before performing part of a play there,” says Liam.

He is applying to study Medicine at Auckland University, but will keep up his acting as a hobby. After he has finished his NCEA exams he will be busy fundraising the $8000 required to go on the Shakespeare trip.

37

Per

form

ing

Art

s


When is the best time?Orthodontics at Keith Nelson

“The Dental Family for your Family” www.keithnelson.co.nz

As soon as problems can be identified, a plan should be formulated for the eventual correction.Each problem has a “best” time to make the correction Many problems can be identified as early as age 6 - 8, So early assessment is a good idea.Drs Deanna & Vikki Nelson have over 20 years experience and have completed a two year Diploma in Progressive Orthodontics.

Obtain a healthy beautiful smile1 Straighten misaligned teeth2 Correct jaw problems3Why get braces?

CALL US 378 0877FOR AN ORTHODONTIC ASSESSMENT TODAY

Senior PrizegivingThe Mount Albert Grammar School Duxes for 2014 are Sarah Crowhurst, Katie Budgen and Rohith Nagulan.

Katie and Sarah’s academic marks were so close that it was decided not to have a Girls’ Proxime Accessit this year but to award the title of Dux to them jointly.

The three top students were named at MAGS’ Senior Prizegiving ceremony in the FW Gamble Hall on 3 November. It was attended by parents, staff, members of the Board of Trustees, representatives of tertiary study providers, and the MP for Mt Albert, Mr David Shearer.

Headmaster Mr Dale Burden presented an annual report on the progress of the school and students, Head Prefects Liam Ferguson and Katie Budgen gave speeches about their time at the school and what they have gained from their time here, and performances were given by the MAGS Quintet, the MAGS Jazz Combo, and songwriting award-winner James Donaldson with MAGS musicians.

Headmaster Mr Dale Burden with the Mount Albert Grammar School Duxes for 2014, Sarah Crowhurst, Katie Budgen and Rohith Nagulan.

The Best All-round Girl and Boy were Alexandra Chaptynova and Eric Liu.

Winners of the Boys Proxime Accessit awards were Eric Liu and Benjamin Dekker.

Te Uri Kingi won the Te Puna o Wairaka Whanau Award for Best All Round Maori student.

Charlotte Pritchard won the Fa’amausili Trophy for the Best All-Round Pasifika Student.

Kathryn Sherlock was awarded the Sylvia Lamb Benevolence Cup.

Grace Drummond was awarded the Linda Fraser Cup for Best All-Round Girl in Year 12.

39

Creating great smiles.CALL US 378 0877

CHILDREN TEENAGERS ADULTS

FOR AN ORTHODONTIC ASSESSMENT TODAY

www.keithnelson.co.nz “The Dental Family for your Family”

Katie Budgen and Eric Munro won the Neville Watson Memorial Prize for the students who best typify the Spirit of MAGS.

Rohith Nagulan was awarded the Isaac Gray Cup and Gina Holden the Girls’ Foundation Cup for Service to the School.

Headmaster Mr Dale Burden with Mt Albert MP Mr David Shearer at the Prizegiving afternoon tea.

Isaac Ah Kuoi-Atmore, named Head Boy for 2015, won the won the Harry Wichman Cup for Best All-Round Boy in Year 12. With him at the Prizegiving afternoon tea, were, from left Uncle Andrew, mother Liz, Nana Siutu, father Graeme, brother Keneti (Head Boy in 2012) and sister Maraea.

Head of Music Ms Milica Zjajic-Moon won the teachers’ Herb Towers travel prize for professional development.

Winners of the CP Liddell Scholarships for excellence in teaching were Ms Aubrey Mason, Mr Gareth Hodges, Ms Amy Wiltshire and Ms Alayna Pulham.

Aakash Rajay won the Hanson Cup for Senior Progress and Endeavour.

Jessica Chen won the Yevette Williams Cup for Effort for Year 12 Girls.

Pri

zegi

ving

s


Lyon, Harshil Magan, Alice Mallon, Emily Mills, Eric Munro, Shannon Murphy, Rohith Nagulan, Chae Yun Christine Park, Emma Pearce, Laura-Marie Rodahl, Laurena Roquero, Phoebe Ross, Kathryn Sherlock, Timothy Sinclair, Alexshana Sivarajah (re-award), Raymond Subritzky, Witana Subritzky,Yuchen Aaron Wang, Irene Wu.

Year 12 Service Lion winners: Alexander Boyd, Vivek Gajanand, Hamish Jelleyman.

Year 11 Service Lion winner: Hooryah Asif.

Service LionsThe Service Lions for 2014 were awarded at a special service assembly on 24 October. This year’s guest speaker was Ms Diane Roberston, CEO of Auckland City Mission.

Ms Robertson spoke to the students about finding value in service when recognition and thanks was not necessarily forthcoming.

“The reward is knowing that you have given value, even if you might not see it at the time. It is very rewarding to me to come to Mount Albert Grammar School and see young people who have contributed to their school community. Take that sense of service into your lives and continue to help your community, place of work and other people and you will help to make this country an even better place in which to live.”

Students were awarded Service Lions for services to music, visual arts, the performing arts, the library, technology, the academic council, International students and the wider school community.

Year 13 Service Lion winners: Oliver Barnett (re-award), Jed Bradley, Samuel Buckman, Katie Budgen, Alexandra Chaptynova, Jennifer Chen, Sarah Crowhurst, Lydia Denby, Sanjana Dudaki, Angela Feng, Liam Ferguson, Gina Holden (re-award), Claudia Howlett, Vibhuti Kadam, Eric Liu, Elizabeth

Service Prefect Kathryn Sherlock with Diane Robertson, teacher Sarah Hayes and Headmaster Dale Burden.

41

Year 11 PrizegivingElliott Paton-Simpson and Alex Thompson received the top awards at the Year 11 Prizegiving in the FW Gamble Hall on 31 October.

They were named the Best All-round Boy and Girl. Lisa Zhang received the Jo Williams Cup for Diligence, and Jacob Marsh was awarded the Robert Willmott Memorial Prize for Quality of Effort.

Elliott won the Warwick Gibbs Cup for his outstanding academic achievements to date, his participation in the Debating Team, Theatresports, the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition and in the school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

He has also been a member of the Shine Christian Group, the Spoken Word Poetry Group, a student Technology leader and entered the Goethe Society German language exams. He even found time for his sport of fencing.

Alex won the Brian Murphy Cup for her outstanding academic achievements, her involvement in orienteering, canoe polo, surf lifesaving, water polo, cycling and her completion of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award at Silver level.

She also contributed to the school’s Interact charity fundraising group, Students Against Driving Drunk, and Debating.

Headmaster Dale Burden with, from left, Lisa Zhang, Jacob Marsh, Elliott Paton-Simpson and Alex Thompson.

Pri

zegi

ving

s

Arts DinnerNicole Roulston and Liam Ferguson (pictured right) are MAGS’ girl and boy Duxes Artium for 2014.

Their awards were announced at the Arts Dinner on 28 October, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland city.

Liam, who is also MAGS’ Head Boy, was earlier awarded nearly all of the top drama prizes, including Best Male Actor, Best Sheilah Winn Performer, the McGregor Cup for Drama Leadership, Most Promising Drama Student and the JCNB Clark Memorial Cup for Excellence in Dramatic Work.

Earlier this month Liam was selected among 24 young Shakespearean actors to travel to the Globe Theatre in London and Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon next year.

Nicole was earlier given the awards for Excellence in Painting, Excellence in Design, the Senior Art Cup, and shared the Leadership in Design award with Tobias Heeringa.

In his speech to the students and parents present, Headmaster Dale Burden encouraged the students to continue to be advocates for the arts.

“The arts are so important but they can be a quiet part of society. I hope when you go out into the world that you continue to stand up and advocate for the arts to be seen and heard, and help others to become involved.”

The evening featured performances by the award-winning Jazz Band, dancers, singer Mapa Toutaiolepo accompanied by gifted guitarist Saul Osaki, Liam Ferguson playing two characters from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and a screening of a music video made by the winners of the Most Promising Film Maker award, Mackensie Clayton, James Donaldson and Gilbert Patten-Elliott.

Tim Moss-Mason and Thomas Kerby won Distinguished Service Awards for Photography. Thomas also won the award for Service to the School in Art.

Best Female Actor Isabella Kerridge-

Temm with her father Peter.

Head Girl Katie Budgen, pictured with her mother Pauline, won the Simpson-Grierson Debating Cup and was part of the group that won the Chamber Music Award.

Tobias Heeringa, winner of the Photo Wizard Award and co-winner of Leadership in Design, with his parents Vincent and Sarah.

Camille Hay, winner of Most Conscientious Dance Student, with her

mother Robyn.

Deborah Fletcher, pictured with her parents Mary and Graham, who is on the MAGS Board of Trustees, won Excellence in Dance Choreography.The Most Promising Film Maker Award was won by the team of James Donaldson, Mackensie Clayton and Gilbert Patten-Elliott.

Mapa Toutaiolepo sang a beautiful

rendition of Sam Smith’s Not the

Only One.


Pasifika DinnerMAGS’ Pasifika community came together for the inaugural Pasifika Celebration Dinner, held at Kowhai Intermediate on 23 October.

Between dance and music performances were speeches from Headmaster Mr Dale Burden, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr Greg Moyle, and the Minister for Pacific Peoples, the Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-liga.

Pasifika Liaison Mr Apisaloma Taulapiu gave a moving tribute to long-time Music teacher Mr Tagaloa Peter Su’a, who presented the Pasifika Dux Artium awards to Janet Stewart and Saul Osaki.

The Pasifika Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year were David Hutchinson and Rivalina Fuimaono. The Year 11 Academic Awards went to Leilani Ioelu and Luke Fitzpatrick; in Year 12 they were won by Janet Stewart and Isaac Ah Kuoi-Atmore, and the Headmaster’s Pasifika Award for All Round Achievement in Year 13 went to Rivalina Fuimaono and David Hutchinson.

Music teacher Mr Tagaloa Peter Su’a with the Pasifika Duxes Artium, Janet Stewart and Saul Osaki.

Mr Burden with the winners of the Year 13 award for All-round Achievement, Rivalina Fuimaono and David Hutchinson, who were also named the Pasifika Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year.

Deputy Principal John Pipe with Year 12 Academic Award winners Janet Stewart and Isaac Ah Kuoi-Atmore.

Deputy Principal John Pipe with Year 11 Academic

Award winners Leilani Ioelu and Luke Fitzpatrick.

Mr Su’a and his wife with MAGS staff.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

BR

-j857

1

43

Sports Dinner and Awards eveningCaitlin Pritchard and James Stacey received MAGS’ top sports awards at the annual Sports Dinner at Alexandra Park on 30 October.

Caitlin was named Victrix Ludorum for her achievements in football, futsal, touch and swimming. James received the Victor Ludorum for excelling in athletics, lacrosse, hockey, cross-country, football and multisport/triathlon.

The Headmaster’s Cup for Team of the Year went to the First XI Girls’ Football team, which won the Auckland league, Auckland Knock-Out Cup and National Championship, all without conceding a goal.

The Te Aroha Keenan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Girls’ Sport went to Maia Wilson for representing New Zealand with the Tall Ferns Basketball team.

The Olympic Cup for Outstanding Achievement in Boys’ Sport went to Cole Evans for representing New Zealand with the Junior Black Sox Softball team which won the Silver medal at the Junior Men’s World Series in Canada in July.

Olympic rower Nicky Coles was this year’s guest speaker, and shared the story of her journey to two Olympic Games.

The Olympic Cup for Outstanding Achievement in Boys’ Sport went to Cole Evans.

The Te Aroha Keenan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Girls’ Sport went to Maia Wilson.

Headmaster Dale Burden with Victrix Ludorum Caitlin Pritchard, guest speaker Nicky Coles and Victor Ludorum James Stacey.

The Headmaster’s Cup for Team of the Year went to the First XI Girls’ Football team.

Olympic rower Nicky Coles was this year’s guest speaker.


Leavers’ DinnerThe Year 13 students of 2014 had one last chance to dress up and celebrate together at the annual Leavers’ Dinner, held at the Alexandra Park function centre on 3 November.

It was a happy, relaxed evening, full of humour and a few tears as students prepared to go their separate ways.

Head Prefects Katie Budgen and Liam Ferguson gave their final speeches, their words tailored for their fellow students, with special mentions of teachers who had a particular effect on them during their high school years.

Year 13 Deans Ms Jess Lythe and Mr Martin Wright also each gave a speech, in which they congratulated the students on the fine young men and women they have become, and challenged them to go out into the world with purpose and self-belief.

Each student received a Graduation certificate, and Form classes came together with their Form teachers one last time for a photo.

A highlight of the evening was the screening of the MAGS Leavers’ Video, created by Media Studies Trophy winner Jed Bradley with oversight from his teacher Mr Simon Allen. A compilation of images, interviews and footage taken during the year, the video is now available for viewing on the MAGS YouTube channel.

Headmaster Mr Dale Burden wished the students’ well for the future, assuring them the school had prepared them well for life beyond MAGS.

45

Spor

t

Netball – North Island and National Champions

The Premier Netball team turned the tables on Saint Kentigern College following their loss to that school in the Auckland championship, overpowering them 42-31 in final of the Upper North Island tournament. They went on to win the National Championship for a record third consecutive year, beating St Margaret’s College of Christchurch in the final 41-26.

Girls’ Football – Auckland and National Champions

The Girls’ Football First XI achieved their goal of an “Immaculate Season” - winning the Auckland League, the Auckland Knock Out Cup and defending the National title, all without conceding a goal. The team scored 114 goals this season, with nil against.


Snowboarding - Gold Medal

Year 13 student Eric Munro won Gold in the Giant Slalom at the North Island Secondary Schools Snowboarding Championships.

Cheerleading - North Island Champions

MAGS’ cheerleading team were crowned Grand Champions at the Schools Spectacular Cheerleading Competition, winning their division and the overall competition ahead of 40 North Island teams.

Canoe Polo – Auckland Champions

The Premier Canoe Polo team won the Auckland Championship for the fifth year in a row, beating Long Bay College 5-2 in the final.

Basketball – Auckland Champions

The Under 15 Girls’ Basketball team beat Massey High School 51-23 to take out the U15 Greater Auckland Championship.

Lydiard Challenge - winners

MAGS’ distance runners once again dominated the Arthur Lydiard Challenge Cup, winning both the Boys’ and Girls’ Team trophies and most of the top individual places in the 10km race.

Spor

t

47

BasketballMAGS basketball had a great season, with four teams coming first or second in the Central Zone competition and therefore qualifying for the Greater Auckland Tournament in August.

The U15 Girls, U17 Boys and U17 Girls all won their Central Zone leagues, while the U15 Boys came second.

The U15 Girls scored 233 goals with only 26 scored against them across four games in their Central Zone championship round. They went on to win the Greater Auckland Championship, beating Massey High School in the final 51-23.

Both the Girls’ and Boys’ Premier teams qualified for the National Championships, played in Palmerston North during the October holidays. The Boys had three good wins against Onslw College, Pakuranga College and Christchurch Boys’ High School to finish 12th overall. The Girls also had some wins on the way to finishing 23rd. Head of Basketball Mr Daryl Cartwright said he was pleased with the teams’ performance, and potential to develop further next year.

Canoe PoloMAGS’ Premier Canoe Polo continued its winning run, clinching the Auckland Championship 5-2 over Long Bay College on 23 September.

This is the fifth year in a row the team has won the championship under the guidance of coach Mr Andrew Candy and teacher in charge Mr Henry Ludlam.

This is the third year the current team has come out on top.

Pictured below from left, they are Jack Mabus, Liam Hughes (Captain), Marshall Norbitt, Joshua Bougen, Kailash Uchiyama Cawte and Alexander Hunt.

48

Finally, the 13th and 15th grade sides made up the best players of that age group both made the finals of their respective Cup competitions. The 15th grade were particularly notable for seeing off both Westlake and Sacred Heart in earlier rounds. However, both sides lost their finals 3-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Well done to all the boys involved in another successful and enjoyable season of MAGS football. Thank you very much to all the parent volunteer coaches and managers, without which many teams wouldn’t exist. We look forward to 2015.

Cross countryMore than 1000 students were watched by cows, sheep and chickens as they took part in the MAGS 2014 cross country races in May, with the school farm providing ideal terrain.

The event is compulsory for Year 9 and 10 students, and some older students who are keen on distance running joined in too. This year Headmaster Mr Dale Burden kept pace with the boys and girls in each of the four races, and other staff joined in on some.

The route around the school fields and farm comprised 3km for Year 9 students, 4.5km for Year 10s and 6km for Senior students.

The top three place winners in each of the Junior races were as follows:

Year 9 boys: 1st Phoenix Silver, 2nd Oliver Curtis, 3rd Nathaniel Kost

Year 10 boys: 1st Martin Lyon, 2nd Sean Atherton, 3rd Jimmy Banks

Year 9 girls: 1st Teuila Sotutu, 2nd Emma Fletcher, 3rd Amelia Jack

Year 10 girls: 1st Grace Jale, 2nd Sophie Tse, 3rd Dillyn Ward

Football – BoysFootball continues to be one of the largest participation sports in the school with over 400 girls and boys playing each week. It was another busy season for boys’ football at MAGS as we entered 15 teams across all grades and three representative Cup teams.

The First XI had was a mixed year as they finished fifth in the Premier grade and were knocked out of the National Championships on penalties by St Kentigern College at the quarter final stage. It was a year of inconsistent results that saw them beat eventual runners up Westlake Boys 4-1, but lose both games to newcomers Macleans College. The Second XI mirrored this form and ended the season in fourth place.

This year saw four Senior sides playing in the B and C grades and the most notable result was the Sixth XI, defying their ranking to finish a very creditable third in the B championship above the Third XI.

MAGS junior football continues to be strong with three teams being entered at each of year level of 9, 10, and 11. 14A were hugely unlucky not to claim their Championship as they finished first equal with Westlake and Auckland Grammar, but were denied first place on goal difference by a mere two goals. The 14B side finished sixth in the same grade beating many other schools’ top sides. In the 13th grade it was another close-run competition with MAGS, Westlake and Auckland Grammar again at the top, but unfortunately a late season loss to Auckland Grammar consigned the 13A to finishing third.

Spor

t

49

MAGS’ First XI Girls’ Football team defended their New Zealand title in Taupo in 5 September, winning 2-0 in the final against St Peter’s School from Cambridge.

The win cappeed off the “Immaculate Season” that coach Mr Paul Marshall was aiming for - to win the Auckland League, the Auckland Knock Out Cup and defend the National title, all without conceding a goal. The team scored 114 goals this season, with nil against.

Headmaster Mr Dale Burden was in Taupo to see the team secure the trophy for the second year running, with goals by Samantha Tawharu in the second minute, and Jacqueline Hand in the 22nd.

CheerleadingMAGS’ Cheerleading team were crowned Grand Champions at the Schools Spectacular Cheerleading Competition on 17 August.

Held at the ASB Stadium in Kohimarama, the MAGS girls won their division and then the overall competition ahead of about 40 teams from other schools from around the North Island.

Led by coach Ms Michelle Williams (pictured), and teacher in charge Ms Carissa Calvert, the 14-member team includes girls ranging from Years 9 to 13.

Three members of the team were selected for the NZ U17 team that competed at the U17 World Cup in Costa Rica in Term 1 - Jade Parris, Bella Kingi and Deven Jackson. Five others were selected for the NZ U16 team that went to Australia to play New South Wales teams in July - Jacqui Hand, Alosi Bloomfield, Nicole Mettam, Grace Jale and Samantha Tawharu.

Mr Marshall said the girls were dominant against every team throughout the week-long national tournament.

“This team is just at a different level - they’re phenomenal,” said Mr Marshall.

The previous month the team triumphed 1-0 over Saint Kentigern College in the Knock Out Cup Final at Seddon Fields.

And on 2 July they secured the AKSS Championship on points for the sixth year in a row.

Mr Marshall said the girls’ superior tactical knowledge and strong team bond are parts of their winning formula.

First XI Girls’ Football

Ms Williams said they had been practicing their routine since February, and should be very proud of their success.


Lacrosse - Girls

Lydiard ChallengeMAGS once again dominated the Arthur Lydiard Challenge Cup long distance race, held in West Auckland on 13 September.

For the second consecutive year MAGS won both the Boys’ and Girls’ Team trophies after our runners took most of the top placings in the 10km races.

The event, a fundraiser for the Legend Charitable Trust, has special significance for MAGS as Arthur Lydiard is an old boy of the school, and went on to train fellow Albertian Sir Peter Snell, helping him achieve his Olympic gold medals.

The Senior Girls’ team took out the Girls’ Team title by claiming the first four places - Rebekah Van Dort came first, Dillyn Ward second, Elizabeth Lyon third and Nicole Lawrence fourth.

The Senior Boys also won their Team trophy after Andrew Battley came first, Martin Lyon third, Liam Grozev fourth and Thomas Coupe fifth. Special mention must be made of Liam who was asked on the morning of the event to step up from the 5km race to the Senior 10km race to replace a late withdrawal.

The races were run over part of the Waitakere course on which Arthur Lydiard trained his gold medal winning athletes.

MAGS’ young Premier Lacrosse team did extremely well to come runner-up in New Zealand, despite the loss of 10 Year 13 players who won the National title with the team in 2013.

Held at Fowlds Park in Mt Albert on 23-24 August, MAGS got through the first day winning 5-3 against Diocesan and 10-4 against St Peter’s Cambridge, with a 1-10 loss to Cambridge High School. This secured them a place in the semi-final on the Sunday. They beat Epsom Girls Grammar School 7-5 to once again face Cambridge High School in the final.

The MAGS girls fought hard and although they lost 4-8, this team of young players, some of whom had not played lacrosse before this year, have plenty to build on for the future.

Spor

t

51

NetballMAGS’ Premier Netball team overcame St Margaret’s College from Christchurch 41-26 in the final to win the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Netball Championship for a record third year in a row.

MAGS convincingly won every game during the four-day tournament in Palmerston North from 7-10 October, adding the 2014 national championship to the Upper North Island title and Combined Points Tournament win in Auckland earlier this season.

Co-coach Ms Te Aroha Keenan said “We didn’t defend the title, we won it. We lost six girls after the final last season, but have still come back to win this year. I put that down to our talent identification, our development programme, our planning, and teaching the girls to not just be good netballers but good people. Then everything else comes up to the standard we want.”

Ms Keenan’s co-coach Ms Paula Smith said: “It was a great team effort. The girls and their families have been superb.”

Headmaster Dale Burden was in Palmerston North with the team through their campaign. “This was the seventh year in a row the Premier team has made the national final, our fourth championship win since 2010 and the third in a row. This is an outstanding effort and testimony to the quality of the players, great coaching and managing and wonderful support from parents. This is a great team and most importantly they epitomise the positive culture and everything that MAGS stands for. I am so very proud of them.”

The team’s scores through the tournament were: vs South Otago High School - won 50-14, vs Auckland Girls’ Grammar - won 44-19, vs Palmerston North Girls’ - won 44-22, vs Wellington East Girls’ - won 45-24, vs St Kentigern - won 42-30, vs St Mary’s - won 46-32, Final vs St Margaret’s (Christchurch) - won 41-26

Four MAGS players were selected for the NZSS Tournament team - Captain Holly Fowler, Chiara Semple, Maia Wilson and Alanis Toia.

The previous month the team turned the tables on Saint Kentigern College following their loss to that school in the

Auckland championship, overpowering them 42-31 in the Upper North Island tournament at Te Pai Centre in Henderson.

Ms Keenan and Ms Smith were delighted to claim the trophy for the eighth year in a row.

In addition, MAGS players Chiara Semple, Alanis Toia, France Bloomfield, Caitlin Dowden and Holly Fowler were named in the Tournament Team, and Holly was named Player of the Tournament.

“All 12 players should be commended for their efforts - they all played their part,” said Ms Smith.

The team got away to a strong start and remained at least 9 points in front of the opposition throughout the final.

At the start of the season, the team won their third straight NZ College Netball title at Trusts Arena in Auckland on Monday, 26 May, defeating Auckland Girls’ Grammar in the final 37-26.

The defending champions dominated across the court. MAGS captain Holly Fowler, who was named player of the match for her performances in the defensive circle and at centre, was delighted with the win after a “tough week” where seven of the squad had been involved in the International Schoolgirls Netball Challenge in Adelaide.

“We still had to come out here and do our job on court and I’m really proud of the girls for doing that.”

Their links on court showed early on and co-coach Ms Keenan believed it was telling in the final result.

Four members of the Premier team were in the NZ Secondary Schools team which won the International Schoolgirls Netball Challenge in Adelaide in May for the third year in a row, beating School Sport Australia 39-30 in the final. Captain Holly Fowler led the team, while shooters Maia Wilson and Chiara Semple each netted goals with 92 per cent accuracy. Alanis Toia was also part of the squad.

NZSS were the only side to remain unbeaten through the tournament, which included nine pool matches, a semi-final and the final.


Mountain BikingYear 10 student Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd is the under-15 Girls champion for the Auckland Secondary Schools Mountain Biking series.

Isobel competed in five races, starting with the North Island Secondary Schools champs held at Hunua in March, followed by the Auckland series - Riverhead and Totara Park in June, and Whitford and Woodhill in August. Isobel won every race, sometimes by quite a margin, and often beating a lot of the boys.

MAGS also had success in the Under-15 Boys and Under-17 Boys categories, with Max Neradt (Year 9) and James Kirkham (Year 11) both coming third in the overall series.

RowingFive MAGS rowers came home with gold, silver and bronze medals after competing with an Auckland squad in the Queensland Schools Rowing Championships in Bundaberg in September.

Maria Markovich, Jonathan Winter, Carl Pracey, Fergus McSwiney, Matthew Smith and coach Josh Schmidt were selected for the Auckland Rowing Light Blues squad to compete in Queensland at the end of Term 3. Sixty four schools from all over Queensland took part.

The boys formed half of the Auckland Eight, coached by Mr Schmidt, which won gold. They then won gold in the Four, and silver and bronze in Pairs. Maria won silver in the Girls’ Double, bronze in the Eight and bronze in the Quad.

Earlier in September, the MAGS Boys’ First Eight won Silver in their first outing in the schools’ section of the prestigious Great Race on the Waikato River.

Our second placing in the time trials qualified us to compete in the A Final against Hamilton Boys, as only two boats can compete on the river at the same time.

Our crew was coxswain Dylan Dodds, Carl Pracey (stroke), Jonathan Winter, Fergus McSwiney, Matthew Smith, Pierre Fladgate, Tom Butler, Cole Brann and Mark Lawrence The boys were then able to watch the main events of the weekend - the races between Waikato University and invitation crews from Melbourne, Washington and Harvard.

The Great Race is a prestigious event that is an honour for any school to be invited to. For MAGS to win silver on our first outing is special, and we look forward to competing again next year, perhaps with a girls’ crew as well.

In October MAGS Row made another historic step in its modern history with the boating of our first ever Under 18 Girls’ Eight.

The young crew, made up of U15-U17 rowers, came second among the schools in the Premier U18 event at the Waitemata-TGS Regatta at Lake Pupuke, impressing commentators with their potential. The same crew had earlier won the U17 Eight by two boat lengths.

With MAGS Row now into its sixth season since relaunching, it has enough boys and girls to boat Eights in all four age groups, from U15 to U18.

Spor

t

53

The eight captains who led their teams so well, from left, Rivalina Fuimaono (MAGS Girls’ Football), Amorangi Malesala (St Kent’s Netball), Dylan Lam (MAGS Rugby), Sam Nock (St Kent’s Rugby), Holly Fowler (MAGS Netball), Nikita Lieshout (St Kent’s Girls’ Football), Dylan Bracey (MAGS Boys’ Football) and Daniel McLean (St Kent’s Boys’ Football).

The annual Sports Day between MAGS and Saint Kentigern College was a great success on 2 August, with each school taking a trophy at the end of the games.

MAGS’ First XI Girls’ Football team won 3-0, MAGS Premier Netball team won 39-32, the First XI Boys’ Football was a 2-2 draw, and Saint Kentigern won the First XV rugby 20-0. This meant that Saint Kentigern took home the Jubilee Cup for rugby, while MAGS claimed the Burden-Cole Cup as the overall winner on the day. The games were this year held at Mount Albert Grammar.

Every game was well played with great sportsmanship shown both on the field, and at the two functions held at School House.

MAGS Headmaster Mr Dale Burden and Mr Steve Cole of Saint Kentigern paid tribute to the players, coaches, organisers and parents for their commitment to their teams, and the developing of a great sporting tradition between the two schools.

MAGS vs St Kentigern Sports Day


OrienteeringThe Term 2 orienteering programme kicked off in week two with the AKSS Individual Championships, held on farmland terrain near Waimauku.

Conditions were wet and muddy, but top five placings were achieved by Alec Ross, Gabriel Dean and Theresa Boyd.

The NZSS Championships were held in the July school holidays in the Waiuku forest and MAGS fielded a team of 15 – an encouraging step up from last year’s team of one.

The three-day NZSS is primarily a team competition for the Top School trophy. Many of the MAGS team were relatively inexperienced in the forest terrain but after a shaky start in the Sprint on Day 1, all managed to contribute to the points tally in the Long Distance event. Theresa Boyd ranked in the top 10 for both Sprint and Long Distance. In the relay, the Junior Boys team of Gabriel Dean, Dylan Smith and Liam Thompson were just squeezed into 4th place. On the final points table, MAGS Girls ranked 4th out of 25 schools in the ‘small teams’ competition while MAGS Boys were 10th out of 32 schools in the main competition.

Term 3 saw the final events of the navigation sports calendar with the NZSS Rogaine Championships in Rotorua and the AKSS Rogaine at Shakespear Regional Park. The three hour NZSS rogaine was particularly demanding on the steep trails of Whakarewarewa Forest , finishing just on dark.

MAGS Junior Girls Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd and Theresa Boyd were delighted with their 3rd place, which they repeated a few weeks later with a bronze medal at the AKSS Rogaine Champs. Credit is also due to the newcomer Junior Boys’ team of Year 9 students Jonty De Pledge and Liam Thompson for their 5th place at the NZSS event.

SnowboardingThe MAGS Snowboarding team surprised many other schools with closer links to Mt Ruapehu’s skifields by taking out three top awards at the North Island Championships from September 22-24.

The Girls’ Team came third out of 46 schools with points accumulated across the three events - the Giant Slalom, Border Cross speed race, and Slope Style event where they show off jumps

and aerial spins. The MAGS girls were Olivia Stewart, Brooke Hansen, Maddison Hargreaves and Bridget Hartley.

Rugby LeagueMattais Heimuli and Connor Purcell were named among the top 13 rugby league players in Auckland at the Auckland Rugby League’s end of season awards for Premier high school players, held at Alexandra Park on 20 August. Mattais, a loose forward, and Connor, a prop, were named in the CRL Premier XIII Merit Team of the Year.

Both are members of MAGS’ First XIII, which reached the semi-finals of the Auckland competition this year.

Mattais, Connor and Reuben Porter were also selected for the NZ Rugby League 18s team that played two “Tests” at the NZRL National Youth Tournament in Rotorua in October.

The MAGS trio lined up with other star high school performers from all over the country, against the Taurahere Kiwis, a side made up of NZ-eligible players from New South Wales.

Although the NZ 18s lost both Tests at Puketawhero Park, 18-20 and 10-30, they acquitted themselves well, with Connor scoring a try in the first match.

All three boys now have contracts with NRL clubs’ U20 teams. Reuben is one year through a two year contract with the Sydney Roosters and has been commuting between Auckland and Sydney this year while completing his final year at MAGS. Connor has a contract with the Canberra Raiders U20 squad, and Mattais is with the Warriors U20 squad.

In the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions, Eric Munro won Gold in the Giant Slalom (pictured), and Olivia Stewart won Silver in the Slope Style.

Teacher in charge Mr Matthew Huang said 11 students competed and were to be commended for their results, particularly considering Auckland’s distance from the slopes.

Spor

t

55

SoftballYear 12 student Cole Evans and Albertians Callum Elson and Bradley Bennett were part of the Junior Black Sox Softball team that won the Silver medal at the Junior Men’s World Series in Canada in July.

It was the first podium finish for the New Zealand Junior team since 1997.

Callum’s mother Mrs Carol Elson said the boys represented New Zealand with skill and commitment.

“The boys were amazing to watch - they played themselves into the final so well,” said Mrs Elson.

SwimmingMAGS swimmers made their mark with a number of first, second and third placings at the AKSS Individual Championships at the West Wave Aquatic Centre on 29 June.

Charlotte Pritchard1st 50m Butterfly1st 100m Butterfly 1st 50m Freestyle2nd 50m Backstroke

Yinhu Cui1st 50m Backstroke 2nd 100m Backstroke3rd 100m Freestyle

Katherine Grozev1st 100m Medley2nd 50m Backstroke2nd 100m Backstroke2nd 100m Freestyle

Sylvia Louis-Marie3rd 50m Backstroke

Liam Grozev3rd 50m Backstroke3rd 100m Backstroke

Caitlin Pritchard 2nd 50m Butterfly 2nd 50m Freestyle2nd I00m Medley3rd 50m Backstroke

Tyler Jerrom 2nd 100m Butterfly3rd 50m Butterfly, 3rd 100m Backstroke3rd 100m Medley

Emily Jerrom3rd 100m Butterfly

Fynn Oberdries2nd 50m Backstroke

MAGS’ winning football team, from left, teacher Ms Haana Bovaird, student coach Samantha Tawharu, Jeremiah Halaapiapi, Amelia Eades, Tyler Chen, Brenna Simmons, John Silakivai, student coach Kalisha Moore and teacher Ms Jenny Cannon.

Special Olympics – FootballMAGS’ Special Olympics team won their division at an Auckland schools’ football competition at Trusts Stadium on 19 June.

Our five-member team won all their games without conceding a goal. They worked well together, were supportive of each other, showed good sportsmanship and were delighted with their win.

Here is a list of our top results. The full list of results is on the MAGS website.

On their way to the final the New Zealanders won over the United States, Denmark, Canada, Japan, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Mexico and Argentina. They played Argentina in the final, losing 9-0, but were delighted with their overall performance.


Underwater HockeyMAGS’ Junior Open Underwater Hockey team finished a successful season winning both the Northern Region and the Auckland titles.

They went through the Auckland competition undefeated, and Leo Enright-Meiklejohn was named Outstanding Player in Auckland. The majority of the boys made the Auckland Under-18 squad.

At the New Zealand championships in Rotorua from 6-7 September the team finished a commendable fourth after losing the final 3-4 in extra time. Leo Enright-Meiklejohn and Finn Hollingworth were named in the Junior National Tournament team.

In the Auckland competition, MAGS was Runner-up School of the Year, Marshall Norbitt was named Outstanding Senior Player of the Year in Auckland, and Celia Patterson won the Dave Mason Memorial Trophy for Sportsmanship in Auckland.

The Most Valuable Players players for MAGS were named as Marshall Norbitt and Brittany Jamieson.

WeightliftingCongratulations to Year 11 student Isaiah Papalii, who came home from the Oceania Power Lifting Championships in New Caledonia with two gold medals.

Isaiah won the Youth (U17) 94kg+ division, and the Junior (U20) 105kg division with a 107kg snatch and a 125kg clean and jerk.

Isaiah, who is still only 15 years old, is also a member of MAGS’ First XV.

Year 12 student Matthew Downes won three gold medals at the Oceania Wrestling Championships in American Samoa. This qualified him to be the New Zealand and Oceania representative at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, in August.

Matthew then went on to win two out of three matches against American wrestlers at the Downunder International Wrestling Event held at the North Shore Events Centre on the 4-5 July. Matthew was selected for the New Zealand Secondary School Wrestling team after being ranked first in his weight and age category at the National Secondary School Wrestling Championships earlier this year.

The New Zealand team competed against wrestlers from the USA and Australia in the Downunder event. Wrestling in the USA is the fourth largest college sport and the USA is one of the top Olympic wrestling nations. More than 100 USA wrestlers competed in the individual events in Auckland, and the USA fielded several teams in the Team event.

Matthew won two of his three matches against USA wrestlers. In the Teams event the New Zealand team came fifth after four of the USA teams, followed by two other USA teams and Australia. The tournament was a great success and provided valuable experience for the New Zealand wrestlers against tough opposition.

Wrestling

Spor

t

57


MAGS Foundation - Investing in the future of the school

The inaugural Mount Albert Grammar School Fine Art Show raised $47,000 for the school, with more to come in through commissions placed with artists at the show.

Organised by the Friends of MAGS Committee, the funds will be used for a range of initiatives at the school, particularly in the Arts. The show also marked the launch of the Greg Moyle Arts Scholarship for talented MAGS students.

The Director of the MAGS Foundation, Mr Tim Kay, said more than $100,000 worth of art was sold over the weekend of 22-24 August, with 40% of each sale going to the school. An auction of pieces donated by respected artists Dean Buchanan, Neal Palmer and Bobby Hung raised an additional $6000.

More than 400 pieces of art were exhibited at the show by more than 100 artists. Neal Palmer and Bobby Hung painted ‘live’ at the opening night cocktail party, while talking with guests about how they produced their work. The exhibition included pieces by MAGS’ top art students.

“It was particularly pleasing to see about three quarters of the students’ art sold,” said Mr Kay. Leading art collector Sir James Wallace bought four student artworks and said he would exhibit them in the Wallace Arts Centre at the Pah Homestead.

About 350 people attended the opening night cocktail party and Mr Kay said there was a steady stream of visitors through the weekend, from the Mt Albert community and further afield.

“The show more than met our expectations from a fundraising point of view, and in terms of community enjoyment,” said Mr Kay. “It showcased what MAGS can do not just for our families and contacts, but to the wider Auckland community.”

Albertian and the Chairman of the MAGS Board of Trustees, Mr Greg Moyle, said he was proud to be able to launch an Arts Scholarship that would help other students develop their talent and passion for the arts. Mr Moyle has a large art collection, a number of pieces of which decorate the walls of MAGS’ main administration block.

Proudly sponsored by Barfoot & Thompson Mt Albert office and Fuji Xerox, the MAGS Fine Art Show will become an annual event. Mr Kay said he already had artists committed to exhibiting next year.

Artist Dean Buchanan with MAGS

art teacher Peter Rees.

Board of Trustees Chairman Greg Moyle.

Mt Albert MP Peter Shearer and Suzanne McNamara of Friends of MAGS.

Art collector Sir James Wallace and Tim Kay of the MAGS Foundation.

59

MA

GS

Foun

dati

on


Wednesday, 15 October, was an historic day for Mount Albert Grammar School - our first former girl student, Silver Fern Maria Tutaia, was inducted into the Hall of Distinction.

In a moving ceremony filled with warmth and humour, Maria’s citation was read by her coach from when she captained MAGS’ first Premier Netball Team in 2004, Ms Te Aroha Keenan. Ms Keenan still oversees MAGS’ netball programme, and the Netball Academy and Premier players, dressed in netball uniform, formed a guard of honour through which Maria entered and left the FW Gamble Hall.

The Hall was filled with Year 9 and Year 13 students, Maria’s parents Sam and Niukini, sister Rina, former team-mates, coaches and friends, and the ceremony attended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr Greg Moyle, President of the Albertians’ Association Mr Ben Stallworthy, Headmaster Mr Dale Burden, Associate Principal Mr Paul McKinley, Director of the MAGS Foundation Mr Tim Kay and former Headmaster Mr Greg Taylor. The ceremony was coverered by the New Zealand Herald.

Maria spoke warmly of Mr Taylor and how he helped engender the values of acceptance and respect for which she remembers the school.

“He would chat to me every week about how netball was going,” says Maria. “Taking the first Premier team to Nationals and coming fourth, when we had come from nowhere, is a memory I’ll keep for my lifetime.”

Maria wore a MAGS skirt, blazer and tie in honour of the school, and told the gathered students that they were privileged to attend what she considers the best school in the country.

“I wear this uniform on behalf of the dignitaries sitting on the stage with me, for the students who have come before us, some of whom have their names on the walls around you, and in honour of my family. This school has pride, respect and heart - it taught me to learn, strive and have a real crack. Mental toughness wins games, and in life you will face hardships and if you don’t have mental toughness you won’t succeed.

“Decide what grows you, serves you, and in the end makes you happy. If I can get my name on these boards there’s no reason why any of you can’t do the same. It’s an honour to have my name forever a part of this school.”

Maria Tutaia inducted into Hall of Distinction

Team mates from 2004: Lavinia Vaitohi, Maria Tutaia (Captain), Casey Boxall and Melanie Wooders.

Former Headmaster Greg Taylor, Board of Trustees Chairman Greg Moyle, Headmaster Dale Burden, Maria and Tim Kay of the MAGS Foundation.

Maria with her former coach, Te Aroha Keenan

Maria with her proud parents Niukini and Sam, and sister Rina.

Maria with some of MAGS other top netballers who followed in her footsteps, from left, Kelly Griffin (2008), Destiny Grace (2013), Portia Woodman (2009), Tera-Maria Amani (2011), Erikana Pedersen (2012), Jamie-Lee Price (2013) and Holly Fowler (2014).

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f the

NZ

Her

ald

61

From the Albertians AssociationThis October we opened another chapter in our history. The Association admitted netballer Maria Tutaia to the Hall of Distinction.

Honouring a top sports person in this way may not seem unusual or unwarranted but this award breaks new ground. Maria is the first woman to be admitted to the Hall of Distinction.

This award is recognition of the changing face of the Mount Albert Grammar ‘family’. For most of its history Mount Albert Grammar School was boys’ school, at times a pretty rough boys’ school. But a defining feature of the Mount Albert Grammar culture, and a reason I love the school, has always been a willingness to push boundaries.

In 2000 two Albertians, Greg Taylor and Peter Thorp, the Headmaster and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, broke with tradition by changing Mount Albert Grammar and establishing it as a co-ed school. This brave decision was not popular

everywhere but with the clarity of hindsight we can see that it has made Mount Albert Grammar a better school.

In this broader context Maria’s award is important because admitting Maria to the Hall of Distinction is not just honouring her; we also celebrate a ‘school family’ that has the courage and vision to look beyond tradition and to constantly evolve.

At the moment we are planning more opportunities to celebrate Albertian success, including planning for the 100th Jubilee, setting up opportunities for Albertians in Wellington to reconnect, and looking hard at next year’s nominations for both the Hall of Distinction and Albertian of the Year.

Per Angusta, Ad Augusta

Ben StallworthyPresident, Albertians Association

MA

GS

Foun

dati

on


Seeking fun-filled and exhilarating adventures in the sparkling

Check out www.rapuadventures.com to find out more!

1 & 2 Day surf lessons 7 & 14 Day Surf Tours Custom adventures for

schools and corporate groups

New Zealand surf? We have what you’re looking for…

MAGS Foundation 2015 eventsThursday, 19 March: Mount Albert Grammar School Albertians Association Wellington Branch Reunion, The Wellington Club, Wellington.

Tuesday, 31 March: Mount Albert Grammar School Fundraising Golf Day, Titirangi Golf Club.

Friday, 24 April: ANZAC Service, FW Gamble Hall, and Old Boys’ Luncheon, School House.

Sunday, 17 May (TBC): Mount Albert Grammar School Albertians Association Annual Reunion Dinner, The Northern Club, Auckland.

Friday 21 August-Sunday 23 August: Mount Albert Grammar School Fine Art Show 2015.

Wednesday, 23 September: Old Boys’ Luncheon, School House.

Wednesday, 2 December: Old Boys’ Luncheon, School House.

The Mount Albert Grammar School Foundation underpins support of the School by the many stakeholders – not only parents and alumni, but also the Mt Albert and Auckland residential and business communities, the ASB Bank which owns the School Farm, families and friends of the School.

The Foundation organises fundraising, bequests, events, sponsorship and scholarships to assist the resourcing of the school.

MAGS has a superb tradition of achievement over its 90 year history. The Foundation has for some time recognised that the huge goodwill of the MAGS’ former pupils, parents and stakeholders is under-utilised and needs harnessing to satisfy both those supporters and the school. The setting up of a fully-professional Foundation Advancement Office, led by Director of Advancement Tim Kay, fulfils this need. The beneficiaries will be MAGS students and our future society.

Iconic business leader Chris Liddell (Dux and Victor Ludorum 1974) and his brother John spearheaded the Foundation’s

target of raising $10 million by the school’s centenary in 2022 with a $1 million commitment to the Foundation earlier this year. Other MAGS leaders have followed suit.

The Friends of MAGS Committee organised the inaugural Fine Art Show in August, which raised $47,000. Since the Advancement office was established, more than $1.8 million has been raised through sponsorship, general donations, bequests, endowment funds, scholarships and events.

We encourage the MAGS community of the 21st century to get involved and give back to the school to supplement the efforts of last century’s Albertians who set up the Foundation’s initial resource. The MAGS Foundation is committed to providing the vehicle for you to stay involved with the School and its progress.

As a first step, please contact Tim Kay, Director of Advancement, phone 09 815 4034, or email [email protected] with your contact details if you are not yet on our database.

Tim GouldingChairman, MAGS Foundation

The MAGS Foundation

63

Old Boys’ LunchesAt the end of each term Old Boys are invited to a luncheon at School House. It’s a time to catch up with old friends, hear from current Headmaster Mr Dale Burden, and invited speakers. Here are some of the Albertians who attended the luncheons this year.

Bob Eades (standing) and Graham Burgess

Brothers Tom and Alexander Bowie Richie Afford and Bob Kinnear

Colin Nicholls and Alan Burton David Hanson and Dr Ron Goodey Stan Carwardine

Drs Cedric Hoskins, Ron Goodey and Dick Lawrence

Arts Co-ordinator Jacqui Cesan speaks at an old-boys-lunch

Mike Blamires and Guy Nash

MA

GS

Foun

dati

on

64 Mount Albert Grammar School64

Oliver Sail selected for All WhitesMAGS old boy Oliver Sail (2012-2013) was selected for the All Whites squad for November’s tour to China and Thailand.

The 18-year-old goalkeeper has already been to China this year with the U20 New Zealand side, where he was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament, and over winter added an ASB Chatham Cup semi-final with Central United FC to his rapidly-growing football CV.

“When you’re a kid and playing football you dream of playing for your country so it’s awesome to get to that stage so soon,” he told the Football NZ website. “But I certainly want to go further. I want to have a long career playing for New Zealand.”

Oliver, who is the son of MAGS teacher and Cricket Academy Director Mr Tony Sail, recently moved to Wellington to link with the Phoenix ahead of the club’s entry into the ASB Premiership. He is also looking forward to New Zealand hosting the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2015

Albertian wins scholarship to ChinaDavid Tuipulotu (2008-2012) called into MAGS to say goodbye to a few favourite teachers before his departure for China on 18 September.

David came second in a New Zealand universities' Chinese language competition, winning a one-semester scholarship to study at a university of his choice in China. He chose Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he will study Chinese language and literature.

David, now 20, was a star student of Ms Eva Liu during his time at MAGS, winning a number of language competitions. He is now working on a degree in Arts and Theology at Auckland University. He has a particular interest in Chinese history, and would eventually like to work with Chinese historians, or as a lecturer in Asian history.

Phot

o by

Jose

ph D

awso

n, U

nite

c.

Laurelin Okan (2008-2011) has won a $10,000 Unitec scholarship to further develop an app she designed for people with heart disease.

Called HEART (Heart Emergency App Recognition Technology), Laurelin’s app measures heart rate and function to detect when a dangerous heart rhythm or heart attack might occur, and will alert medics such as the ambulance service.

Laurelin, now 21, has hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a disease that affects the muscle of the heart and can lead to cardiac arrest. She hopes the app will help more people like her with heart disease gain help quickly after a heart attack.

Now studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Auckland University, Laurelin says she came up with the idea for the app as part of an assignment to design a solution to a world-wide problem.

“I’m not a very techy person at all - I was more of an English and Classics student at MAGS - so I got techy people to do

the computer side,” says Laurelin. “I had the idea and hope to be able to market and sell it eventually.”

The Unitec Success Scholarship will help her develop the project to the point where it could be a commercial proposition.

Business student develops heart monitor app

65

Georgia Guy debuts for White Ferns on West Indies tourAlbertian cricketer Georgia Guy (2007-2011) made her mark with the White Ferns on their tour of the West Indies in September.

In her debut international - the opening One Day match in St Kitts - Georgia claimed 2 for 26 from 8.1 overs. In the following One Day game she took 1 for 27 from 10 overs.

Earlier this year Georgia travelled to Bangladesh with the NZ T20 squad.

MAGS’ Director of Cricket, Mr Tony Sail, says Georgia was the only girl to have so far been a member of the MAGS Cricket Academy, and went on the junior cricket tour to Australia where she successfully bowled off-spin against male opponents.

MAGS vs MAGS in the ITM CupA host of MAGS old boys starred in provincial teams for the ITM Cup 2014 season.

From left, All Black Steven Luatua and Gafatasi Su’a played for Auckland, Albert Nikoro made national news with a 59

metre penalty kick for Waikato, and Elias “Jack” Goodhue joined Milford Keresoma in the Canterbury team in only his first year out of high school, scoring a try on debut against Waikato.

From the ArchivesBruce Stewart – actor, scriptwriter and author

Bruce Stewart, born in 1928, attended MAGS from 1942 to 1945. He was good academically, and while he kept going with Science classes all the way through his schooling, his best subject was English.

This stood him in good stead as he went on to become a noted radio actor and prolific scriptwriter.

Initially he studied to become a Marist Brother and hoped to study for the priesthood. Realising that he did have the vocation he turned to his other love; acting. He performed in Pacific Forces concert parties as a singer, pianist and storyteller.

He moved to Sydney and came to prominence as Major Gregory Keen of M15, a pre-James Bond action man. Keen first appeared in the cult 1940s radio serial Dossier on Demetrius. The 104, 12-minute episodes are still available. The show was so popular that New Zealand’s Parliament rose early so that members could listen to the last episode.

Two other episodes of Gregory Keen adventures, again starring Bruce as Keen, were produced. Deadly Nightshade, in which Keen travelled to Australia to search for a missing scientist, and Twenty-Six Hours, set in Berlin.

In 1954 Bruce moved to the UK and continued to work as an actor. He also began scriptwriting. His television play Shadow

of a Pale Horse was an international success, winning awards in the US and the UK. He went on to write as many as 200 scripts for radio, television and the stage in various genres.

Bruce penned 19 of the 26 episodes of the 1970s children’s science-fiction series Timeslip (which still has an official website). Earlier, he had written the screenplay for The Hand of Night, a ‘vampire film without blood’.

He contributed episodes to The Onedin Line, Secret Army, Crown Court, Sergeant Cork, Sherlock Holmes and many other scripts in a 40-year association with the BBC. Ever versatile, his play, The Hallelujah Boy, about worker-priests in France had a run in the West End.

Two of his novels, A Disorderly Girl, about three generations of women from Australia’s convict era, and The Hot and Copper Sky, about a New Zealand family in the Great Depression did ‘respectably’.

The Stewarts, Bruce and Helen, and their six children lived most of their lives in Surrey.

Bruce Oliphant Stewart died peacefully in his sleep on 29 September 2005.

Per Angusta Ad Augusta

Brian Murphy, Archivist

Cor

rido

rs -

Alb

erti

an n

ews


Albertian ObituariesDr Ronald Albert Baker CBE (1934-1939)

Ron Baker started in 3Com but was soon transferred to academic classes where he was top of 4A and never looked back. He was a Junior Association Football representative and went on to play for the First XI. He was also a runner and a member of many clubs. He went to medical school and after a career as a doctor he became the New Zealand Director General of Health.

Alexander Annis Corban OBE (1938-1941)

Fifteen members of the Corban family, over three generations, have been pupils at this school, our largest family. After a degree at Auckland, Alex studied at Roseworthy Agriculture College in South Australia.

Between 1949 and 1982 he held just about every position at Corban Wines. He had national and international recognition for services to viticulture and oenology.

Alex was a fellow of the Wine Institute of New Zealand. He retired to Hastings.

A service was held at the vineyard of his son Alwyn of Ngatarawa Wines and his funeral was held in Henderson.

John Anthony (Tony) Gibson (1956-1960)

Tony was the son of Bert Gibson who was a long time master at the school who was in charge of Agriculture. As a boy Tony was a significant rower. As a fourth former he was in the First IV and in his last two years was in the First VIII and Captain in his last year. This led to a lifetime interest in rowing. He joined the West End Rowing Club the year he left school and that association lasted more than half a century. He was involved with every aspect of the club and was its president and a Life Member.

Mark Hartley Kirschberg (1961-1965)

Mark and his twin brother Paul were prominent House Boys in their day. They gave Junior House Masters a run for their money and they were relentlessly good humoured and jolly. Mark was First in Upper 5 and won the Sixth Form History prize.

Ever the adventurer, Mark went to Australia as a young man. He died in the Philippines.

Mark Anthony Otway (1946-1948)

Mark joined us from Takapuna Grammar School. In his first year he was the tennis champion.

He was CSM of the OTC, in the First XV, a boxer and an athletic representative.

In his last year he was a prefect and captain of the First XV.

He continued with tennis, playing at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

He played seven Davis Cup rubbers against Hungary, Ireland, Romania, British West Indies, Venezuela, Israel and Spain.

Mervyn Stanley Rosser (1939-1943)

Merv was a prefect, Captain of the First XI Association Football team and Dux. He returned as HOD Mathematics after the retirement of Herb Towers. He left here to teach Engineering Mathematics at the University of Auckland, where he became Associate Professor. Merv also had a music degree and was the organist and choirmaster at the Mount Albert Methodist Church for three decades. At his funeral a hymn was sung for which Merv had written the music.

Connell Percy Thode (1925-1926)

Con received credit Certificates for Mathematics and Science and he was a swimmer which would have stood him in good stead in later life. He was a sailor. At the outbreak of war he had a yacht masters ticket and after a series of adventures arrived in London on a freighter and became an ‘Acting Probationary Temporary Sub-Lieutenant’. He was posted first to a corvette, became a sub-mariner, served on six submarines before getting his own command as a Lieutenant- Commander, HM Submarine Sythian, and is believed to be the only New Zealander given command of a Royal Navy submarine during World War II. At war’s end he returned to New Zealand and was instrumental in setting up and helmed the Spirit of Adventure. He died aged 103 and was farewelled from the chapel of St Christopher at the Devonport Naval Base.

Alan Charles Thom (1937-1940)

Every year Alan won Credit, Merit and High Merit Certificates in a range of subjects, notably Latin and History. He was also a sporty boy, playing for the First XI Association Football. He was the under 10 stone boxing champion, a member of athletic teams (junior champion) and a tennis player. As well, he was a member of many clubs and societies.

During the Second World War Alan was a pilot in the RNZAF based in the UK. In civilian life he was an accountant and company secretary for Hughes and Cossar.

His son Richard was on the staff here in the 1970s.

Maxwell Deacon Wickham (1940-1944)

Max was three years in the First XV and in his final year was both captain and an Auckland Secondary Schools Representative. He also played First XI Cricket for three years and was in the First Rowing VIII for the same time, being captain in 1944. He was both Head Prefect of School and School House. Max undertook rural pursuits, working for Dalgety’s in Wellington, farming in Te Puke and was a director of the Bay of Plenty Dairy Company. He continued with rugby, playing for both Wellington and Bay of Plenty.

We also note the passing of June Hemus, widow of Ron Hemus.

June will be remembered by generations of Houseboys as a serene and kindly figure.

Also Brendan Schollum who taught chemistry here in the 1970s and went on to be a noted educator and Principal of two schools.

The School community offers its condolences to the families of the deceased members of our School.

Key Dates

Please refer to our website www.mags.school.nz for the full calendar, including all sporting events.

Auckland Anniversary Day Monday 26 January

Waitangi Day Friday 6 February

Good Friday Friday 3 April

Easter Monday Monday 6 April

Anzac Day Saturday 25 April

Anzac Day public holiday Monday 27 April

Queen’s Birthday Monday 1 June

Labour Day Monday 26 October

2015 Term Dates2015 Public Holidays

TERM 1 Monday 2 February Year 9 only to Thursday 2 April

Tuesday 3 February Full school in

TERM 2 Monday 20 April to Friday 3 July

TERM 3 Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September

TERM 4 Monday 12 October to Thursday 10 December

January 27 Tuesday Staff meetings

Senior re-enrolment (9am - 3pm)

28 Wednesday New Staff Induction

Timetable Administration Day

Senior re-enrolment (noon-3pm)

Peer Support Training

29 Thursday Staff Administration Day

Peer Support Training

30 Friday Staff Administration Day

February 2 Monday Year 9 Students only commence school

3 Tuesday FULL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

6 Friday Waitangi Day

26 Thursday NCEA Information Evening – F.W. Gamble Hall at 7pm

March 10 Tuesday Year 9 Parent Evening – F.W. Gamble Hall at 6.30pm

12 Thursday School Swimming Sports Day

13 Friday Senior Leadership Assembly – F.W. Gamble Hall at 2pm

17 Tuesday School Athletics Day at Waitakere Trusts Stadium

23 Monday Scholars Assembly – F.W. Gamble Hall at 2pm

23 Monday Summer Tournament Week begins

24 Tuesday Parent-teacher interviews

26 Thursday Parent-teacher interviews

31 Tuesday Dance concert

April 1 Wednesday Dance concert

2 Thursday END OF TERM 1

3 Friday Good Friday

6 Monday Easter Monday

TERM 1, 2015

67

The Lion - MAGS magazine - Nov 2014

Documents

Transcript of The Lion - MAGS magazine - Nov 2014