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Rangitoto College
We are proud to report that Year 13 debater, and talented academic, Friederike Voit, was selected for the Auckland Debating Team in late March. Friederike is a passionate debater, with a highly analytical approach to debating and the ability to see nuances in a case.
Friederike’s talent was recognised by Auckland Schools Debating in 2019 when she was selected for the Auckland Development Squad, and at Rangitoto College’s Performing Arts Awards, she was awarded both the Brash Cup for Achievement in Debating and the Moynihan/ McKinnon Rosebowl for Best Contribution to Debating. Most notably, Friederike’s ability was also recognised when she won the Top Speaker Award for the Advanced Open Grade of the Auckland Schools Debating Competition in 2019. In a grade with well over 200 speakers, many of them a year older than her, this is a significant achievement. We look forward to seeing Friederike’s progress and further achievements with the Auckland Team in 2020.
Friederike Voit
Student Leaders commemorate Christchurch shooting
To commemorate the March 15th Christchurch shooting, the Cultural and Community Committees brought members of our kura together to stand in solidarity against Islamophobia. The 15th of March was a day that changed our nation forever, and the first anniversary was an important opportunity to remember those who died, along with their families, the city of Christchurch and the Islamic community of Aotearoa. Both New Zealand and Islamic cultures were represented at the commemoration through kapa haka and spoken word poetry performances, aiming to show that as long as we continue to listen empathetically to the stories of others, acts of hate can be overcome. We are proud that through the amazing turn-out and powerful messages of support, Rangitoto College is taking further steps towards cultural acceptance. Above all, we wish for this to build an increasingly unified community, contributing to the message that love conquers hate, demonstrated on 15th March 2019, and at this commemoration. - Genevieve Kuan, Cultural Committee Leader
Year 9 Beach Day
With the support of Year 13, every year the College’s Peer Support programme brilliantly sees our Year 9 students through the uncertainty of starting secondary school. Year 13 Peer Support Leaders run weekly sessions that are carefully designed to develop and build friendships, effective communication skills and confidence, while also tackling complex issues such as bullying. It is amazing to see how this helps students in our Year 9 cohort come out of their shells and work together as a team. As part of the Peer Support programme, Year 9 students, along with their Year 13 Peer Support Leaders, spent a memorable Beach Day at Long Bay Regional Park in late February. To celebrate both school and class spirit, Year 9 Tutor Classes were each assigned a house colour of either red, blue or white, Rangitoto College’s official trio of colours. Students dressed up in their house colour while shouting unique class chants as they enjoyed activities such as tug of war, big shoes, giant Jenga, and volleyball, while water-based activities including aqueduct and hold-in-bucket helped beat the heat of New Zealand summer! - Carol Huang and Matthew Taylor, Year 13 Peer Support Leaders
