2 minute read
Westlake Boys’ High School
Westlake Symphony Orchestra performing at Equinox Concert.
Outdoor performances prove popular
Covid restrictions haven’t slowed down our music department, who have forged on despite masks and spacing rules, to ensure the 2022 music season starts successfully!
This term Arts Captain William Squire has hosted a couple of ‘lunchtime live’ sessions with Year 11 contemporary music students kicking it off on a Friday with their rock band ‘Chazzy Modems’. The 85-strong Symphonic Band also held an outdoor open rehearsal leading up to the Equinox Concert. These lunchtime live sessions proved popular with staff and students alike.
Then on Thursday 31st March a spectacular Equinox concert was held outdoors in the Westlake Boys' quad at 5.30pm. The weather put on a stunning evening, and the quad was packed with families; from babies and children to teens, parents and grandparents all enjoying the fantastic music and wonderful relaxed atmosphere.
The Equinox concert is a well-loved tradition in the Westlake music calendar - giving each group the chance to perform one piece, to show the work they've been putting in during rehearsals in the first term and giving audience members a taste of what is to come from these talented musicians and directors in the year ahead as they build up to further concerts and their festival season.
This was the first live concert since August last year for our musical groups – hopefully book-ending what has been an extremely challenging environment for musicians and performers during Covid restrictions.
‘Chazzy modems’ perform a lunchtime live session.
Cricket 1st XI at Eden Park.
Summer sport success
It’s been great to get some summer sport played this term, that culminated in Summer Sports Tournament week, and a sports exchange with Hamilton Boys High School. Although this looked slightly different to usual, our sportsmen have thoroughly enjoyed the mostly settled weather and the opportunity to play sport again.
Our sailors remained unbeaten during the Auckland Cup Team Sailing event at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club and clinched the final 2-0 against Auckland Grammar. Our Westlake Red team then took out the Harken Keelboat Championship, bringing the title back to Westlake for another year.
Our senior rowers spent a fantastic week down at Luke Ruataniwha, competing at the Maadi Cup, which culminated in our teams reaching 13 finals. The boys raced well in a challenging season, losing 12 out of 30 weeks of their training due to Covid restrictions but they embraced the challenge and represented Westlake Boys superbly.
A young and talented Westlake First XI cricket team is enjoying the challenge of a very competitive Auckland competition. Westlake was unbeaten throughout pool play and playoffs in the mid-week T20 competition, rising victorious in the final against Sacred Heart for the first time in the school and competition’s history. Thanks to our cricket sponsors North Shore Toyota and Cricket Express.
While team and individual results across a number of sports have been impressive, the collective desire to have students back playing sport safely has been everyone’s priority. Here’s hoping for an uninterrupted start to the winter season and a full calendar of school sport in the months to come.
