EDUCATION: WESTLAKE GIRLS
Kaumatua Jerry Norman, Principal Jane Stanley and Matua Eddie Hudson at the Blessing.
Prefects look around the almost-completed centre.
Kaumatua Jerry Norman.
Head Prefect Grace Chen speaks at the Blessing.
Prefects and staff at the Blessing.
Westlake Girls Event Centre Just before Lockdown hit, Westlake Girls High School was gearing up for the Grand Opening of its new 1,000- seat Event Centre on 20th August. Governor-General The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy and her husband Sir David Gasgoine were to officially open the Centre, accompanied by key players in the construction of the building. The hour-long ceremony was due to include performances by the school’s kapa haka group, Cantare choir and Westlake Symphony Orchestra. Sadly, while this was obviously unable to proceed, we will hold some sort of celebration once school returns. The building was blessed on Friday 6th August. A small group gathered at 6.30am for the ceremony, including Senior Leadership Team members, Board of Trustees, and people involved in the building’s construction and design. Our Mätua Eddie Hudson, and Kaumatua Jerry Norman officiated the ceremony.
It's been an exciting couple of weeks migrating various school activities into the Event Centre. House Captains (minus one who was absent) and our Head and Deputy Head Prefects had the privilege of being the first students to take a tour of the building just before its completion. Our first event open to parents was a Study Skills Evening on Monday 9 August – the same week assemblies were moved from the gym to the Centre. During those assemblies, state-of-the-art equipment was given a test-run through videos, music and speeches. As you can see from the photos, it was a huge success. We are very excited about the possibilities this Centre opens up for Westlake Girls. It’s very quickly become the heart of our school, and a place where our students’ talents can be exhibited, appreciated and celebrated. It’s a place for creativity and the challenge to our students now is to dream big about how they can use it.
First assembly in the Event Centre.
78
Issue 123 - September 2021 www.channelmag.co.nz
