Darfield High School 2015 Yearbook by Darfield High School

2015

y ours

darfield High School yearbook

contents

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reports

Principal PTSA Ex-Students BOT

leaders

Prefects Peer Support O800 Pupils Peer Mediators

departments English Science Commerce Mathematics

Geography History Library Year 9

The arts

Art Drama Music

events

Stage Challenge Talent Quest Shave for a Cure World Vision Spirit of Adventure

year 13

The Year Formal Ambitions

2014 prizegiving Merit Awards Sporting Cultural

Academic Premier

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DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL Website: Email: Address:

Phone

www.darfield.school.nz admin@darfield.school.nz Darfield High School 7 McLaughlins Road PO Box 5 Darfield 7541 +64 3 318 8411

staff

juniors

Photo Details Changes

Year 8 Camps Pre Formal Year 9 Camp

international Japanese French International Department

technologies Food and Nutrition

Design and Visual Communication Digital Soft and Hard Materials

houses

sports

Kikorangi Rawhiti Tawera Waimakariri

Rugby Hockey Basketball Volleyball Football Netball

2015 classes

You are generally welcome to reproduce material provided you first gain permission from the school

3 principal’s report We started the year with about 150 new students, taking our total roll to just under 800—the largest the school has ever been. We are about four classrooms under entitlement and are working with the Ministry of Education regarding construction of additional facilities. A new, smaller, enrolment zone from 2017, as a result of the establishment of a secondary school in Rolleston, is likely to result in fewer students from the West Melton area, but will be balanced by growth in other in-zone areas. This has been an exciting time for several growing families. Each year for the past few years, we have had from four to eight teachers on maternity leave at any one time. We have been fortunate to have been able to appoint some excellent teachers to cover these positions during the leave. This year, we started with seven teachers in maternity leave positions and expect to start next year with two. The Education Review Office conducted a review of the school in late 2014 and released their confirmed report in 2015. We were very gratified that they were able to provide some very positive feedback, including: “The school has a strong focus on individualised pathways to support and meet student learning needs.” “Students are offered regular and useful feedback about their learning success and next steps for learning.” “There are respectful and supportive relationships between staff and students.”

“Teachers use a variety of useful strategies to engage students and support their learning.” “Clear expectations for learning and behaviour.” “School culture supports students’ on-going learning, achievement and wellbeing.” “There are good school-wide opportunities for student leadership and these are particularly evident in the way senior students support younger students.” We recognise that there are areas we want to improve, but we are happy to take a moment to be proud of our achievements before we move our focus again to areas for development. There were some exceptional results attained by students in the 2014 NCEA. At Level One, 95% achieved the certificate with over 35% gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement. At Level Two, 98% achieved the certificate with over 35% gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement. At Level Three, 72% achieved the certificate with 44% gaining a Merit or Excellence endorsement. Thank you to our staff for the hard work that goes in to supporting the students to achieve so well. Having a passion for what they do is a factor to which successful people often attribute their success. They do what they do because they enjoy it. They look forward to coming to work every day. A challenge in this, however, is to find out what our passion is. “Do I have one?” “Should I be worried if I don’t?”

“A culture of celebrating students’ success and building students’ belief that they will succeed.”

Michael Fullan, a Canadian education academic, said, “If you are not sure about what you have a passion for, you should continue to build your skills and you will find your passion.”

“Wide range of learning opportunities within and beyond the school.”

It is OK not to know yet what your passion is. Keep working hard anyway. Keep learning.

Through this learning, you will find a spark that sets you off on an exciting new path. Keep learning, because you will discover new things and your passions may change. Mahatma Ghandi is quoted as saying the following (although it is a reworking of a much older Buddhist philosophy): “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” The first part of this quote, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow”, is about taking your opportunities, like carpe diem— seize the day. However, when this idea is taken to the extreme, it can easily drift into ideas of living for the moment, not worrying about tomorrow, being totally spontaneous. The problem with this is that being totally spontaneous means not planning for the future or not thinking about consequences. This seems a very self-centred way to live a life. This is why I like how the second part of the quote brings it all together —“Learn as if you were to live forever”. This is the idea of lifelong learning. If you keep learning, you will find your passion. One of the privileges of being a principal and a teacher is the chance to “make a difference” to individuals, to families, to society. Sometimes, in all of the rushing around we do, we lose sight of what a profoundly worthwhile and satisfying feature of our work this is. We get to witness the growth, energy and blossoming of talents as students take their path into adulthood. We get to contribute to this and to share in this. We get to help passions develop. We get to support students in discovering what they are passionate about. James Morris

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 3

Darfield High School Ex-students’ Association

Parent Teacher Student Association On hearing the words PTSA, many people run a mile, thinking it sounds like a lot of work and commitment. Well, it’s not. People say we do a lot less fundraising than at their primary schools, and we have a lot more fun. The PTSA’s aim is to keep it simple and stay with what already works.

PTSA. As we gain more experience, the easier these nights are to run.

Over the last 10 years, we have had our regular major fundraisers, the Kirwee Show, Entertainment Books, and the DHS Formal that we cater for. Every year, we have been amazed by the number of volunteers who seem to magically appear on the day.

Historically, this has always been a small group of volunteers. But what an amazing job they do every year for our students. We are proud that all the money we raise goes back to help the students. This is the last year for Anne, Erin, and Jane. We would like to thank all those wonderful people whom we have met over the last 10 years; the friendship, laughter and occasional wine help make things run smoothly. On leaving the PTSA, we will really miss the camaraderie and the enthusiasm of this group.

Occasionally, we will try something new. Five years ago, we decided to try a Quiz Night. This has become very popular and, so long as it doesn’t coincide with a Crusaders or All Blacks rugby game, it is well attended and is now a regular feature. This is also a lot of fun for the

We would urge anyone to go to a meeting. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7.30 pm in the staff room. These are usually short, fun meetings and a good chance to meet new people. Anne Forbes, Erin Lancaster and Jane McMillan

We are celebrating early next year! Mark Saturday 27 February 2016 in your diaries! February 2016 is an important milestone date in the history of our school—Darfield High School. In February 2016, it will be sixty-five years since 21 boys and 23 girls, ranging from Form 3 (Year 9) to Form 5 (Year 11), began school at what was then known as the Darfield District High School—the nominal head being the Principal or Headmaster of Darfield Primary School. Prior to 1951, there were

Class of ’65 Reunion Ex-students celebrated 50 years since being at school together, as well as reaching their “Golden Age” of 65 years. For some, it had been 50 years since they had seen each other. Out of 67 original students, 30 attended the function. Sadly, three of the 1965 class are no longer around. Annette Scott was still able to wear a school uniform and this was well received on the day. The group appreciates the school’s assistance in printing information cards for the tables and providing material from the archives. Denis Diedrichs

Above: Annette Scott and Denis Diedrichs 4 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

times when Secondary schooling was provided. In 1903, Darfield District High School was set up, but it closed in 1910. It reopened in 1913, but closed again in April 1921 “due to lack of support”! And then came the important birth date of our current school—February 1951. In 1962, the school became a full High School providing for Form 3 (Year 9) to Form 7 (Year 13) and, in 1978, Form 1 (Year 7) and Form 2 (Year 8) were added, making our school the Year 7 to Year 13 High School that it is today. In 1957, the Ex-Pupils’ Association was formed— and now the Ex-Students’ Association encompasses ex-pupils, ex-teachers and exCommittee/BOT and PTSA members. The Association is running the celebration of the School’s 65th Jubilee on Saturday 27 February 2016. Check out the event on the school’s website, or contact our Secretary, Diane Woodward (nee Beveridge), by phone on 318-8039 or at dwoodward@ pggwrightson.co.nz Lindsay Johnston, President (Above with Diane Woodward, Secretary)

Above: 4th Form, 1965

Board of trustees Report 2016: a Year to Celebrate

We will always have work to do. But we must pause to celebrate where we are now, and where we are going. What an amazing school we have and what an honour it has been, as the Board of Trustees, to serve the school— our staff, students and community.

Our vision for our students is that they will have the knowledge, skills and wisdom to contribute and participate successfully as lifelong learners.

This year, we have had a change-around with long-standing member and former Chairman, Marty Gameson, standing down to pursue his other passion—rugby! So, my first year as Board Chair has been a huge learning curve, but awesome all the same.

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Knowledgeable Learners are…familiar with and skilled in something.

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Skilled Learners are…able to carry out complex activities or functions involving ideas (cognitive), things (technical), and/or people (interpersonal).

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Wise Learners are…thinkers who act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.

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Lifelong Learners are…self-motivated and committed to the pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional growth.

We have focussed our year on our strategic goals and plan. This has seen some excellent results and robust discussion, with the main focus question being “What are your expectations of what the learning and behaviour of a child will be when they leave Darfield High School at the end of Year 13?” I would urge you all to think about this question as it does pose a good mental challenge. “Is our school fit for purpose as we look to a future that has likely not yet been created?” When we think about the telephone—as I grew up it had a dial face and was attached to the wall—it steadily progressed to push buttons, the cordless, then a cellphone that looked like a brick, to the smartphones we have today. With this in mind, the challenge for the Board and our staff is preparing our students for the changing environment that we live in. I am thrilled with the way we have identified as the year has gone on, that yes, we are fit for purpose and we have a strong group of dedicated staff who ensure that our students’ needs are well catered for, with an eye on the now, and an eye to the future.

One of my favourite quotes is “the window of opportunity is so clear—most people see straight through it”; our desire for our students is that they will see each opportunity they are presented with and apply sound judgment, common sense, moral understanding of others and courage to see how that opportunity can work. I congratulate the staff on another fabulous year. It is truly an honour to journey with our students from Year 7 all the way through to Year 13, watching them start as nervous 11-year olds and graduating as confident young adults. Every member of our staff enables them on this journey to ensure we achieve our school vision. Sue Robinson, Chair

Above: cutting of cake, furthest female to attend and closest female to attend

Above: Attendees YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 5

6 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Mr K Hoy, Mr C Quinn, Mr G Chalk, Mr J MacDonald, Mr S Gerritsen, Mr S Jermyn, Mr R Baars, Mr J Dickens, Mr S Gough, Mr R Meder

Front Row:

Mr R Smith, Miss L Blakemore, Mrs J Turner, Miss C Walker, Mrs B Seaward, Ms C Curtin, Mrs R Balchin, Ms T Evans, Mr J Morris, Mrs K Morgan, Mr T Adams, Miss N Hely, Mrs C Whyte, Ms B Smith, Mrs N Ferguson-Brown, Mrs L Pengelly, Mr J Bell, Mr P Tsavousis

Second Row: Mrs S Hayakawa-Buist, Miss K Hobson, Mrs B Lester, Mrs S Staddon, Mrs E Guy, Ms H Duckworth, Mrs G Galletly, Ms J Stark, Mrs V Oliver, Mrs K Armstrong, Mrs A Boaz, Miss L Petersen

Third Row: Mrs J Duncan, Mrs J Hill, Mr C Singh, Miss J Watherston, Ms H Williams, Mrs J Huggins, Mr G Gracie, Mrs S Watson, Mrs S Davies, Mrs C Cartman, Mrs G Gregory-Hunt, Ms L Gallacher

Fourth Row: Mrs K Wilson, Mrs A Hanson, Mr P Cattell, Ms M Evans, Mr G Fee, Mr E Stott, Mr M Maude, Dr G McKenzie, Mr B Hayward, Mrs A Walker, Miss S Waters, Miss S Rawson, Miss A Shahbaz

Back Row:

Principal: Deputy Principal: Deputy Principal: Deputy Principal:

staff Mr James Morris Mrs Kathryn Morgan Ms Trish Evans Mr Todd Adams

TEACHING STAFF Mrs Karen Armstrong Sports Co-ordinator Mr Remco Baars HOD Science Mrs Rachel Balchin HOD Music Mr Jared Bell Year 11 Dean, PE, Social Studies Ms Louise Blakemore Year 13 Dean, Digital Technologies Mrs Camille Cartman Year 7 Homeroom, Peer Mediation Mr Peter Cattell Science, Mathematics Mr Gavin Chalk HOD Technical Ms Christine Curtin Design and Visual Communication Mr Jason Dickens PE, Outdoor Ed Ms Helen Duckworth Teacher Librarian Ms Melina Evans Mathematics Mr Graeme Fee Year 8 Homeroom, Social Studies Mrs Nikki Ferguson-Brown HOD English Ms Laura Gallacher English Mrs Genevieve Galletly Year 8 Homeroom Mr Stuart Gerritsen Assistant to HOD Science Mr Shawn Gough Assistant to HOD English Mrs Andrea Hanson Drama Mrs Jane Turner TIC History and Social Studies Mrs Sumi Hayakawa-Buist Japanese, International Department Miss Kimberley Hobson Year 7 Homeroom Mrs Bronwyn Hoy TIC Digital Technology Mr Kevin Hoy Year 8 Homeroom Mr Scott Jermyn Year 7 Dean Mme Marjorie Juhel French Miss Vanessa Kidd Careers Adviser, Work Exploration Miss Jasmine Ling Accounting, Mathematics Mr John MacDonald Physical Education and Health Mrs Jayne Mallinder-Scott Counsellor and Health Mr Matthew Maude Science and Specialist Classroom Teacher Mrs Suzanne McFerran Learning Support Dr Grant McKenzie Science and Senior Biology Mrs June Milne Mathematics Mrs Janet Nethercott Year 8 Homeroom Mrs Lesley Pengelly HOD Special Needs Miss Laura Petersen Social Studies Mr Christopher Quinn Geography Mrs Jemma Rangi Year 7 Homeroom Mrs Bronwen Seaward Year 8 Dean Miss Ameera Shahbaz French Ms Bree Smith HOD Art Mr Rex Smith TIC Rural College, Science Ms Jan Stark English Mr Edward Stott Year 8 Homeroom Mr Warwick Stubbs Music Mr Panos Tsavousis HOD ESOL Mrs Jane Turner TIC History and Social Studies Mrs Aileen Walker Technology Textiles Miss Charlotte Walker HOD Mathematics, Year 10 Dean Miss Sarah Waters Technology Food and Nutrition Miss Julia Watherston Physical Education Mrs Carrie Whyte Year 9 Dean, Mathematics Ms Hiria Williams Kaiako Maori Mrs Kathryn Wilson Year 12 Dean, Science and Mathematics

SUPPORT STAFF Ms Tracy Cameron Cleaner Miss Hannah Cossey 24/7 Youth Worker Mrs Sue Davies Attendances Ms Danielle Duﬀ 24/7 Youth Worker Mrs Jane Duncan Librarian Ms Nicola Earle Teacher Aide Ms Jude Elliot Network Administrator Mrs Chrissie Fairbrass Canteen Assistant Manager Mr Enrico Festa Cleaner Ms Shirley Fitzgerald Teacher Aide Mrs Elaine Guy Reception, Administration Mrs Louise Hamilton Counsellor Mr Sage Harris 24/7 Youth Worker Mr Bob Hayward IT Support, Administration Mrs Poiema Heine 24/7 Youth Worker Miss Nicola Hely Director of International Students Mrs Jill Hill Student Administrator, First Aid Mrs Jane Huggins Principal’s and BOT Secretary Mr Terry Hutchinson Workshop Technician Mrs Sally-Ann Lemon Teacher Aide Mrs Brenda Lester Executive Officer Mrs Trudy McKay Librarian Mr Ross Meder Caretaker Mrs Lynn Meder Canteen Assistant and Cleaner Mrs Jan Mitchell Arts Co-ordinator Mrs Samantha Newbigging Teacher Aide Mrs Vicki Oliver Alternative Education Tutor Miss Sarah Rawson Homestay Services Co-ordinator Mrs Andrea Ritchie Teacher Aide Mrs Trish Roper HR Co-ordinator Mrs Louise Singh Teacher Aide Mrs Shona Staddon International, Finances, NZQA Assistant Mrs Anne Tait Cleaner Supervisor Mrs Melanie Tapa Rugby Co-ordinator Ms Marita Taurua Cleaner Ms Cat Tijsen Science Technician Mrs Maria Townsend Transition, Rural College and Gateway Mrs Janice Van Tongeren Canteen Manager Mr Jeremy Walter Grounds/Maintenance Mrs Sheryl Watson Administration, Publications Mrs Lesley Whellans Attendance Co-ordinator, Teacher Aide ITINERANT MUSIC TEACHERS Mr Guy de Lacey: Clarinet, Saxophone, Quartet Ms Julia Evans-Brant: Flute Mr Ray McMurdo: Guitar Mrs Barbara Mulholland: Vocal Mrs Cecilia Pascoe: Piano Mrs Pauline Sewell: Strings Ms Karen St Guillaume: Brass Mr Rob Zipfel: Drums

STAFF ON LEAVE: Rachel Balchin Anna Lee Amy Tangney Marjorie Juhel Graeme Fee YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 7

staff changes: welcomes and goodbyes Brenda Lester They say that time flies when you're having fun, and that's certainly the case for me since starting here at Darfield High School in January this year. Being new to working in the Education sector was a bit scary at first, but a great life challenge. The support and friendship I have experienced in this time truly reflect the culture and values of the school, and I want to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome and part of the Darfield High School family. Suzanne McFerran In Term 3 of this year, I had the pleasure of joining the team who work in the area of Special Education at Darfield High School. Designing and implementing individual learning plans, in positive collaboration with families, learners and committed teaching staff, together with working alongside a highly supportive team comprised of enthusiastic, dedicated and skilled para-professionals, we have enabled students with a range of special needs to achieve a variety of educational and personal successes this year. To be a part of such a progressive community of teachers and learners is a professional highlight for me. I look forward to continuing my association with the Darfield High School community in the coming years and supporting students to achieve their dreams and realise their potential. Nicola Hely 2015 has been my first year as Director of International Students at Darfield High School. Although I’ve really enjoyed it, there have certainly been a few challenges along the way. I can’t thank enough the amazing International Department staff for helping me through the first year, and the wider Darfield High School staff for being so understanding and helpful. I’m really looking forward to 2016, some more challenges, and lots of fun along the way.

June Milne I have really enjoyed working in the Mathematics Department at Darfield High School this year. It has been rewarding to see the growth and success of students in Mathematics and in other subjects throughout all levels of the school. From a teacher's perspective, the friendliness and respect of students are a direct result of all the supportive parents, and the efforts of the community and school staff. Thank you for your continued support for the coming year and wishing you all the best of health and happiness for 2016. Aileen Walker I am an ex-pupil of Darfield High School and grew up in Courtenay. I have joined the staff this year, teaching Soft Materials Technology and Food Technology. I have been warmly welcomed and supported by my department and the senior leadership team. This year has been full of challenges and it has been a pleasure to watch the students learn and grow. I look forward to what next year brings and the challenges ahead. Louise Hamilton I come to Darfield High School from a background of Years 7-10 teaching, Counselling and Social Work in Schools. I really enjoy meeting new students; encouraging and supporting them to develop new skills to help them reach their goals. In my three terms at DHS I have met and worked with a range of students, each with their own special personality and characteristics and it is a privilege to build a rapport with them. I am looking forward to working with groups of students and collaborating with colleagues next year to support constructive class cultures, build social skills and get to know the staff and students better. Laura Petersen My time so far at Darfield has been very enjoyable. The highlights throughout the year have been going on the Geography Camps, getting involved in Tabloid Sports,

and taking students down to the Social Studies Quiz in Timaru. The staff, students and family members have all been very welcoming, and I am looking forward to seeing you all next year Warwick Stubbs In the weeks that I have been at Darfield High School, I have found students to be polite and fun to work with. With the Jazz and Ensemble groups well established, the Rock and Pop bands can work towards great opportunities like Rockquest and recording or performing careers. I have discovered a great deal of talent throughout the different year levels and am looking forward to encouraging them in their musical pursuits to complement and enhance their chosen career paths. Bronwen Seaward I started teaching in Year 7 at Darfield High School eight years ago. I still remember my first day —I think I was more nervous than the students! There have been a lot of highlights during my time here, including being nominated for the Big Day Out in my second year, initiating the Blended Learning classes and, more recently, being the Year 8 Dean. I have had many opportunities in both my teaching and my own learning, and I have built many meaningful relationships with staff and students. I look back with fond memories and look forward knowing that the experiences I have had here will stand me in good stead in my new position. I would like to thank all the staff and students I have worked with over the years—I will miss you all. Sarah Waters A huge thank you to Darfield High School, ‘School of Dreams’ for a spectacular nine years. I have very much enjoyed my time teaching Food Technology at Darfield and will definitely miss the school, the people and the community. It was awesome to have a part in refurbishing the Food room; the space is now super-cool and looks

very flash. I’m looking forward to a new adventure, teaching Food Technology at Kirkwood Intermediate. Keep cooking and live life with a bit of spice! Jane Turner I am very sad to be leaving Darfield High School. I have loved getting to know all the students and staff over the past three years. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people, especially the wonderful Social Studies department! I have loved the friendly nature of the students and my amazing History classes in particular! I am very excited to be starting a new chapter in my life by becoming a full-time mum. I wish my students well with their exams and would like to say a big thank you to all of the people I have worked with over the three years for making my time here so special. Peter Cattell I started at Darfield High School in 2000, when I was offered a short-term relief position to teach Statistics. Since then, I have had a variety of teaching and other roles here, including Lab Technician, Computer Network Technician and ‘go to’ person, evening class organiser and overseer of AV jobs. I’ve loved helping with the various productions over the years. It has been good to see the skills students have gained from my help in lighting and sound. I have taught Physics for most of my time here, as well as many years as a Video Conference Physics teacher. I may have had up to six different schools present at a lesson, all at the same time, from across the country. This

experience as an online VC teacher led me to the job of eLearning supervisor for students, within our school, who participated in online courses. Mathematics teaching has been ongoing, particularly at the higher level with Calculus (I’ve gained the name Mr Cattellculus). I’ve also had some fantastic high-achieving classes of juniors. General Science with juniors has always been varied and interesting—at times a challenge, but mostly rewarding when many tell me later how they really loved the subject. I’ve enjoyed every day coming to Darfield High School. It is such a blessing and privilege to be part of a school with genuine, honest students, wonderfully supportive colleagues, beautiful grounds and environment, and such a variety and diversity of opportunities for the students. I will very much miss being on the teaching staff there. Kim Hobson What a year! 2015 saw me in my first teaching position at Darfield High School, having returned from 2013 when I had spent time working alongside the wonderful Bronwyn Seaward. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know all of the students, staff and whanau of the school, and I look forward to continuing to develop these relationships next year. Ameera Shahbaz Having lived in Saudi Arabia for ten years, Switzerland for a year, Germany for six months and New Zealand coming up 12 years, I have a passion for culture and language. My subject areas are

German, French and ESOL and I have had the pleasure of teaching French to Years 7 to 11 students. The enthusiasm and positive attitude students have towards learning an additional language have been very rewarding. The year has been full of challenges and highlights, with each experience contributing towards my growth and development as a teacher. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year of teaching and I will miss the community, staff and students of Darfield High School. I wish Madame Juhel an enjoyable return to French next year. Chris Singh We farewelled Chris in August after 12 years teaching here. Chris was a Year 7 Homeroom teacher, Leader of Kikorangi House, DJ Singstar at many school events and involved in many sporting scenes here at school. Chris moved on to take up a Counsellor’s role. Gerardine Gregory-Hunt For the last of her nine years here, Gerry taught in the Learning Support Centre, building strong relationships with the students and teaching them everyday skills and how to move towards independence. Graham Gracie Graham came and went this year, helping out our Maths Department, in the junior school. Alyse Boaz Alyse was here temporarily teaching Business Studies. Her business and marketing background proved to be invaluable to students and they gained a lot from her experience. Helene Pollard We farewelled Helene earlier this year from her role in the junior school as Year 8 Homeroom Teacher. Lesley Whellans Lesley is our Attendance Officer, but also took up a position in the Learning Centre this year as a Teacher Aide. She also helps out when extra Reader/Writers are required.

Head and Deputy Head Prefects Balancing responsibilities was a challenge faced by all of us at some stage during the year. With the consistent pressure of internal assessments in all of our subjects, and the responsibility of other leadership roles within the school, times to sit back and relax were few and far between. This is our opportunity to share with you some of the highlights of being Head Prefects for 2015. Weekly meetings with Mr Adams were crucial to the organisation of the team as a whole. He motivated our discussions with the occasional piece of chocolate. These meetings were a great opportunity to assign responsibilities and catch up on the running of that week’s events. In 2015, we made an effort to change up the flavour of school assemblies. As opposed to the somewhat traditional practice of Mr Morris addressing the school independently, this year we incorporated frequent Prefect participation, in the hope of increasing the relatability and captivation of assemblies. Each Prefect-led assembly followed a theme, including pushing your limits and embracing your mistakes. The way in which the Prefects tied ideas together to orchestrate flowing presentations certainly gained favourable feedback from teachers and students alike. This year, we also introduced a new feature to school assemblies, ‘Prefect Profiles’, during which two Prefects would talk about one another to show that we were humans, too. The idea behind this was to reveal the more relatable and approachable side of our Prefects to other students, especially members of the junior school who may have been slightly apprehensive about getting to know senior students. Although a vast amount of these presentations consisted of private jokes between the Prefects and occasionally left some people even more confused about who the Prefects were, the number of friendly conversations we encountered with students around school indicated that it was successful in helping to break down barriers between the year groups of Darfield High School. As well as attending Darfield High’s own formal, ‘A Red Carpet Affair’, James and Emma also attended Lincoln High School’s and Mt Hutt College’s prestigious social events, ‘Night at the Oscars’ and ‘New York Winter’, respectively. Although slightly awkward, initially knowing very few people in the company, they were made to feel very welcome by the other Head Prefects and within minutes 10 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

student leadership were chatting and mingling with a variety of awesome people. As Deputies, George and Lois had a busy job of organising events around school and working with the strengths of Emma and James to create a well-organised and efficient team. Being the first Deputy Head Prefects since 2008 meant they had a clean slate to create whatever legacy they wanted. It was a successful year, with Head Prefects contributing to the running of many campaigns and activities within the school, like PB4L, a litter prevention campaign, World Vision, Stage Challenge, The Eco Club, Anzac commemorations and social activities for the year groups, like the Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner. From the little tasks, like helping Year 7s find their bikes at Triathlon, to some of the bigger tasks, like hosting ANZAC ceremonies and writing speeches, being the Head Prefects of Darfield High School has filled us all with immense pride and privilege. James Cider, Emma Forbes, George Watson, and Lois Freemantle

Head of Sport I leave with pride. Sport is a large part of my life, and I was very privileged to have the opportunity to be Head of Sport at Darfield High School this year. This led to many great outings, watching a number of teams

representing Darfield High School with excellent sportsmanship. Darfield shows great positive behaviours on and off the field and this has led to many great results. 2015 has been an outstanding year with many students taking part in the wide range of sports offered at Darfield High School. I have been a part of sports for my whole Darfield High School life, and I would like to wish all sports teams and individuals all the best for the coming years. Amanda Schnell

Head of Culture This year's Talent Quest has been a great success with a wide range of different talents being showcased. We had a variety of solo and group vocal performances, dances, instrumental performances, and even a terrific aerobatics performance. The heats ran over four lunchtimes and the final was open to the public as an evening performance. As Head of Culture I was given the responsibility of hosting the Talent Quest and I am thankful for this great opportunity. The Drama department chose a more traditional piece to perform this year for the school’s production—A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare. Josh Cook

Above: Julia Anderson, Will Gross, Ciara Rayne, Haigh Jebson, Tim Logan, Georgia Cridge Leigh McConchie, Sarah Baker, Renee Curtin, Ella Pearce, Nicole Hamilton-Cross, Seth Groom, Mr Adams Savannah Sayer, James Cider, Josh Cook, Lois Freemantle, Amanda Schnell, Brie Gullery

Leadership Camp

Class Councillors

On Sunday 20 September, a group of 28 Year 12 students and three teachers took part in a Leadership Camp, which would help decide the Prefects and Head roles for 2016. We all rose at an early hour, expecting to leave at 9.00 am sharp for Craigieburn Lodge, our home for the next two days. Much to our surprise, we were not expected at the Lodge until after 12, so began our day with a seminar from Mr Adams, Poi and Sage, teaching us what they felt was important for a leader.

A highlight of this camp for me was the Camp Talent Show, where we had fifteen minutes to plan a performance before presenting it. There was a variety of interesting acts, from musical numbers, to an attempted rap battle, to a very questionable recipe for the perfect prefect.

Above: Kieran Heath, James McMillan, William Benbow, Jordan Watson, Fergus Thomas, Bailey Campbell, Tamzin Brunton, Emily Bitmead, Edward Searle, Alexis Sutherland, Michelle Bruce, Harriet Cottrell, Mr Adams, Issy Kennedy, Jessica Bassett, Niamh Guy, Kate Morris, Arial Galbraith, Aidan Brockman

you

In the course of the two days, we took part in about 13 activities, each teaching us about leadership skills, such as co-operation, communication, and moral courage. The activities also allowed us to work alongside people we would not normally work with, creating and strengthening new relationships amongst the students. An example would be the Masterchef, where the camp was split into two groups, one group on dinner duty and the second on breakfast. As well as being the source of the meals on the camp, it also allowed us to contribute our knowledge and work together to make spaghetti Bolognese for dinner, pancakes for breakfast, and a dessert. We were judged by the teachers on our efforts, though we await the results to this day.

thank

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On the second day of the camp, students who were applying for Head roles gave speeches on why they would be suitable for the positions. This may have been the most stressful part of the camp, especially with the news that our very own principal would be joining us for them, but it gave each and every one of us a new understanding of our peers. Over half the camp had applied for Head roles, so there was a selection of different speeches available for our listening—from humorous, to metaphorical, to the straight-up “This is why I should be in this position”. We were able to see viewpoints each student held, what qualities they had that would make them a good leader and, most importantly, how they intended to make a difference at Darfield High School. Above: Just a few of the many who volunteer at the school

I was truly honoured to be part of such an amazing group of people selected for the Leadership Camp, and it was an experience I will never forget. Jasmine Nash, Year 12

Thank you to all of our reader/writers who have given up so much of their time this year to volunteer here at school. Every year we are astounded by the kind people in our community who are willing to come along and help our students.

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 11

eusddies B Year 13: Will Gross, Lois Freemantle, Brock Hatton, Josh Cook, Ciara Rayne, Tim Logan, Mrs Cartman, Seth Groom, Ella Pearce, Nicole Frazer, James Cider, Nicole Hamilton-Cross, Miss Waters, Brie Gullery, Ruby Foster, Amanda Schnell, Sarah Baker, Cherry Dudley, Savannah Sayer

Peer Support This year, continuing a tradition of welcoming Year 7s into the school, a group of Year 12 students took the opportunity to work in Year 7 classes by being a part of the Peer Support programme. Throughout the first two terms of this year, roughly four or five students were each assigned one of the Year 7 classes to spend time with during period 5 every Wednesday. This year, the programme was a great success, with all those involved being able to easily notice the confidence that the new students developed over the first weeks of the year. It was also awesome to be able to develop relationships between year levels in the school, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure it brought back many memories for the Year 12s of their first weeks at Darfield High School. Through their training at the end of 2014, the Peer Supporters learnt many skills revolving around leadership, teamwork and communication. We were able to put those skills into practice through numerous fun activities with the Year 7s during Term One.

Being involved with the Peer Support programme certainly proved to be challenging at some stages; many of us were managing Wednesday sporting commitments which meant we had to be very organised so that our absence from either activity would not cause an uproar! Dealing with sometimes extremely excited and noisy Year 7s was something that was very new to nearly all of us, and it was great to see how all the students stepped up or helped others step up so that we could all do our best in the role. Overall, the Year 12 students involved in Peer Support thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I would like to thank all the Year 7 teachers for allowing us to work with their classesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a special mention to Mrs Cartman and Miss Waters who carried out the training, which was incredibly valuable. To any future Year 12s, I would certainly recommend the programme as it benefits you, the new Year 7s in the school, and the school environment overall. Edward Searle

Year 12: Alexis Sutherland, Finn Leonard, Michael Ridgen, Bailey Campbell, Jasmine Nash, Brittany Muiznieks, Samuel Dalley, Grace Lemon, Edward Searle, Ellen Walters, Mrs Cartman, Lilian Stott, Maddie Tasker, Kaitlin Feast, Emily de Rooy, Olivia McEwan, Miss Waters, Celine Jenkins, Chloe Fraser, Mariah Glasson, Courtney Townsend, Selina Dixon, Kathryn Barnhill, Olivia Shinn, Caitlin Thistoll 12 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

0800PUPILS / ”Speak Up” This has been a significant year for the “Speak Up” team, with the launch of the Student Communication and Safe Practices (SCSP) website. The SCSP website is a tool for teachers; it gives them strategies and increased knowledge about how to deal with different types of bullying, drugs, violence, self-harm, and other situations. Mrs Cartman and I attended the launch day for the website earlier this year. We were able to meet numerous people, including Net Safe New Zealand, the Ministry of Education, police, ambulance and fire service, who had helped put this website together. It was also great to see the finished product. The other “Speak Up” leaders, Mrs Cartman and I have worked hard over the past years to help create this website, spending many hours filming and discussing different scenarios that are happening in young people’s lives. It was humbling to see that our hard work had paid off and that we are able to make a difference in other people’s lives. For the rest of this year, we have been working towards creating more content for the website and promoting the 0800PUPILS hotline. Also, we have worked with our Year 13 students who are filming themselves giving messages to students about what they would do differently if they could have their time at school over again. This gives students helpful advice from people who have been through it. These messages include things like NCEA help, what to do if you are being bullied, leadership advice, etc. For the last four years, I have had the privilege of leading, alongside Mrs Cartman, the “Speak Up” programme at Darfield High School. I am extremely proud of the work that we have done

in this time. I have worked alongside other “Speak Up” student leaders – Henry Oliver, Isobel Nash, Mariah Glasson, Scott Taege and, more recently, Eddie Searle, Katie Sharp and Gus Thomas. I would like to wish future leaders all the best with this programme. Josh Cook

Peer Mediators This year, the Peer Mediators have averaged one mediation a week and it has been a busy time for many of our senior mediators. It is great to see that they are being used, as that is what we are here for. In addition, we are currently training another 20 mediators to join our team. During Term 3, there was International Peace Week, which marks the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombings in Japan. Peace Week is held to commemorate those who lost their lives in this terrible event, as well as to educate people on the consequences of nuclear weaponry. This year, the theme was Collaboration4Peace, Local, National, Global. Peace Week was focused on peace within our school and community. For this, a team of enthusiastic Peer Mediators set up numerous peace-related activities throughout the week, such as baking for a family in need, a peace quote competition, and making origami cranes to go to the Peace Park in Japan. Also, the 24/7 youth workers came and talked to the Year 7s about peace and global peace. Making paper cranes has always been a big part of Peace Week, where Darfield High School students make an effort to make as many cranes as possible to send over to Japan with our exchange students. Thanks to everyone who came at lunch to help us fold all those paper cranes! Katie Sharp

Mediators: James Cider, Lois Freemantle, Esther Blain, Josh Cook, Caleb Banks, Ciara Rayne, Olivia Lemon, Grace Lemon, Emelia Todd-Lister, Jayden Hann, Katie Sharp, Elyse Kerr, Niamh Rayne, Sarah Baker, Emma Kellock, Mrs Cartman, Bena Pearson, Courtney Newell, Caitlin Rayne, Charlotte Boyd, Darcy Edwards, Annabel Jones, Jessica Galletly, Sophie Townsend YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 13

Waste of a Day Trip

Digi Awards

This year, the Years 7 and 8 students went on a Waste of a Day trip. Everyone thought it was going to be a really boring day and we would learn nothing from it, but we were all wrong. It ended up being quite exciting, because we learnt about how the organic waste goes on a really long journey through all these really cool machines and stages, and it comes out as compost! We also got to play some cool games and work out what rubbish goes in what bin, and how to save the environment!

This year, 8SE had the opportunity to take part in the 2015 Digi Awards. Two teams entered the competition, Darfield Heroes and 8SE Heroes. We had to make a video about everyday heroes and enter it in one of the following categories: Music Video, Ripple Effect, or Short Movie. We both entered in Ripple Effect and came out with very good results. The Darfield Heroes placed third! Our team, the 8SE Heroes, were not placed but they did a very good job!

Drama In Year 8 this year, we have had many new opportunities! One of them was the subject of Drama. It was the first time we had experienced it, and there were a lot of nerves when we first stepped into this unknown classroom. Drama has definitely been a highlight subject for all Year 8s; it’s super fun and uses our creative minds.

Deans’ Assembly This year, the school has done something new and has had combined Years 7 and 8 Deans’ Assemblies. This is quite cool because we all now know what the Year 7s get up to. At Deans’ Assembly, we have played some really cool games, such as Current Events Quiz and another one where you have to give clues to another player about what song or movie it is, but you can’t talk— you can only sing and act, and the first team to guess it correctly gets a point. 8ES were quite good at this and won the first round, but so were 8HP and they won the next round and took the statue from them. This year, it was also Mrs Seaward’s first go at being Year 8 Dean. She did an amazing job and it’s a great way to end her years at Darfield High School! Next year, she is moving to West Melton Primary—we all wish her the best of luck and will miss her heaps!

14 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Sir Peter Blake Award This year, the Sir Peter Blake Award went to a very deserving girl who is always there to help and is respectful towards everyone. Her name is Rozlyn Doherty. This is what she has to say about it: “I am very thankful to be given this award and it makes me proud to have been given this.” Mrs Seaward, Jessica Galletly and Stefanie McKenzie

Not only did camp teach us skills and new tricks, it also gave us the chance to make new friends and discover the secrets of our fellow classmates. We hauled our overloaded packs into the bus and found seats. It was a long, but beautiful, ride to the Lake Lyndon Lodge in Porters Pass. As soon as we arrived, we were back outside tramping. We walked for three and a half hours before we came back to the Lodge. The funniest part of the tramp was when Miss Clarke (our student teacher) slipped into a creek when she was just congratulating herself for making it across! By the time we were back at camp, we were exhausted from climbing up hills and running through the long grass. When it was time for bed, we were all out like a light. What a first day! “Time to get up, everyone,” a voice chimed – it was Miss Clarke. When breakfast was over, we got straight into the activities. First for our group was Mountain Biking. We put on our sunscreen as it was a hot and sunny day. Mr Adams put his on all through his goatee, which made it totally white, which Jenny (Jessica Bassett’s Mum) and our group thought was pretty funny. The start of the

Camps for

Classes

bike was uphill, which hurt some people’s legs so they had to get off and walk up. At the top, we had a rest and had a play on the gravel screen; then we headed down, which was good fun, as we went really fast. When we had pedalled back to camp, it was time for lunch. After lunch, our group was off to skiffing! We got changed in a flash as we were so eager to get on the lake. The last activity was Bush Craft with Mrs Cartman. We had to make a bivvy in groups and, if the group didn’t make theirs very well, they got drenched in water. When the night was drifting in, Miss Clarke took us to a nightline. We were blindfolded and taken on a trail, and had to crawl on our hands and knees, following a rope into the grass and brambles. Along the way, there were adults poking us with sticks – everyone was scared out of their wits until we found out it was only the best parent helpers we could ask for. Thank you, Jenny Bassett, Mrs Cartman, Mr Adams, Alan Winter-Reid, Craig Robertson, and Richard Lomas for coming on our fantastic camp of 2015! Also thanks to Jackson and Alan for being the camp leaders and supporting us in even the toughest situations Lucy Mitchell and Maia Adams

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A Night Under The

Big Top With a committee of nine Year 10s and four Year 13s, the Pre Formal Committee was pretty big, and there were plenty of ideas ďŹ&#x201A;oating around. The date was booked, the food list sorted, DJ organised, and the tickets designed. Now came the ticket sales! We sold over 100 ticketsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these numbers made it a very successful night. On Friday 18 September, the committee was busy decorating the hall and getting everything organised. The theme was A Night Under the Big Top, so decorations were based around the red and white of a carnival. We even had some committed seniors dressed as numerous different animals, ringmasters, and even some circus freaks! Although the fire alarm rudely interrupted our dancing, the night was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Pre Formal such a big success, and special thanks to Mr Adams, Amanda Schnell, Emma Forbes and Ciara Rayne, who helped us get everything so organised! Also a big thanks to Will Gross for taking the great group photos! Katie Sharp

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YEAR 9

year is yours the

taking for the

Year 9 has been a milestone in our school lives, giving us a taster of NCEA exams and the independence to choose our subjects for both this year and the next. In Years 7 and 8, options were chosen for us, showing us what each option was like. Now, with Year 10 getting closer and closer, we have the options narrowed down to four, making way for the in-depth learning. As well as giving us the freedom to choose our own options, Year 9 has opened new doors and a chance to grasp at new opportunities. One of these opportunities was the chance, for those who chose French as an option, to be selected for a trip to New Caledonia. Not only did this give us a way to get some time off school on a beautiful island, it gave us the unique experience of immersing ourselves in a country that speaks a different language. This trip was one of the many learning experiences that Year 9 can offer, although many other opportunities can be achieved closer to the school. This includes things like sports—in Year 9, you are able to join a school sports team and compete in South Island competitions for hockey, rugby, basketball, etc.

These recreations are a good way to have fun and enjoy the more social side of learning that Darfield High School has to offer. As you can see by these examples, Year 9 has a wide range of activities that can improve learning and give us the crucial skills that are needed in future years. This year, as well as being given opportunities that we didn’t receive in previous years, we got to experience a more interactive side to our original subjects. Take Science, for example: we have done both an eye dissection (for our light topic) and a rat dissection (for our digestion topic). Although these activities weren’t exactly ‘fun’, they were extremely interesting for me and others in Year 9 who hadn’t done anything like that before. Also, Science, English and Social Studies helped to prepare us for the years ahead. They do this by making us sit two-hour exams in the Hall towards the end of the school year. This helps the Year 9 students as it teaches us the importance of studying, while not being as stressed out when it comes to NCEA exams, and it gives you a taste of what NCEA will be like. Brooke Steele and Nicole Grigg

Year 9 Social Studies This year, Social Studies has been a very interesting and productive subject for Year 9. We have covered four main topics, which covered a wide range of areas and taught us a lot about the world around us. These topics were migration, resources, Ancient Greeks and Romans, and entrepreneurs. In addition to this, we have also been learning skills like graph making and reading, interpreting cartoons, and paragraph writing, to name a few. We have all enjoyed our learning this year and look forward to furthering our knowledge in this subject next year. Kate Morris YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 17

Challenges at Craigieburn

Year 9s Face Their Fears Ms Kelly, Jackson and I made up the team that would take these enthusiastic outdoor adventurers on a journey of themselves and the pursuits the camp offered. Mr Gough “I enjoyed Cave Stream because it was something different and I have never done it before.” Mikayla Jarvis “Cave Stream—because it was a new experience.” Jen Bell “I enjoyed all the outdoor challenges.” Jackson Smith “I enjoyed the Activity Tramp.” Ethan Taylor

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creative writing One thing's for certain, we all exist. Some of us are quiet in the dark while others are out in front of the crowd. As a child, I was both. I used to do things which would attract attention but I would also hate to be the centre of attention. I craved the spotlight but also wished to hide behind the curtains. I used to get extremely angry and emotional for no reason. Only now do I realise that this was probably due to the effects of my parents’ divorce. At the age of eight, during one of my bursts of frustration, I told my mother and stepfather that I was going to leave and run away from home. My mother found this especially humorous and wound me up by saying, “Go on then, do it. Good luck surviving on your own.” I clenched my fists and scowled as tears ran down my face. I ran to my room. I located my school bag, branded with my school's logo. I assembled together items which I thought were essential, such as my Harry Potter light-up wand, some Roald Dahl novels, and my denim jacket. I exited via the back door and farewelled my cat, Phoebe. As I walked out of the gate, it hit me. What was I doing? Where was I going to go? I did not know the answer to either of those questions; I just went for it. I had already committed to my actions so I had to follow through, despite my anxiety about running away. I walked past the row of tall golden birch trees which hung over the worn concrete path. I have a love/hate feeling towards golden birch trees as they are the cause of my year-round hay fever, but their beauty always catches my eye. The way they blend in well with their surroundings makes them almost unnoticeable but, in autumn, their bright yellow leaves flourish and make them the centre of attention. The birch trees go from being invisible to standing out. As a child, I felt a strange but reassuring connection to them. I passed the trees and set off into the unknown. Throughout my life, I have always had a fascination with the unknown. My desire to learn about things which I knew nothing about grew as I discovered more about the world. I used to collect unusual rocks and crystals to place in my room on the window sill. A few blocks away from my house was a shop where crystals were sold. Its unappealing exterior and high prices meant few customers, but I was under the impression that the owner kept the shop as a hobby. I loved to go to this shop even though I could never afford anything. With slow strides, time seemed to casually pass despite my brawling emotions. I arrived at the door of the crystal shop and entered straight away. The elderly man who usually manned the shop was nowhere to be seen. I felt uneasy being in the shop alone. It was the first time I

Stepping out from the Shadows Josh Cook

I came to realise that I didn’t like the feeling of invisibility had actually been physically alone in a building. I had always imagined that being away from my parents would give me a sense of independence, but I felt the complete opposite. I felt scared and I missed being with my family, but I was too proud to go back. I had to commit to my decision and follow through. As I looked around this familiar setting, I saw different colours of crystals which hung from the roof and were assorted on the benches. The crystals just sat there waiting to find an owner, their beauty left unnoticed. I heard a strange noise coming from the back room, which appeared extremely loud because the shop was as silent as a grave. My first instinct was to hide. I didn’t want anybody to know I was there. At that moment, I wanted to be invisible. I saw that the crystals were displayed on long wooden tables against the walls. Below the tables were black curtains, which served the purpose of hiding empty boxes. I launched my body towards these curtains and found comfort in a gap between two boxes. The curtain was like a cloak of invisibility; it made me feel like I was Harry Potter himself hiding from the Dementors. I didn't even know exactly why I felt this way, which made me feel even more frustrated. The strange noises from the back room continued. It sounded like someone was blowing their nose and clearing their throat. The noises were unpleasant and made me feel uncomfortable. It must have been the elderly shopkeeper. The noises eventually stopped; the shopkeeper must have left. I took my bag from my back, slowly and quietly opened the zip, and took out my favourite novel, The BFG by Roald

Dahl. It was difficult to read because of the lack of light, but I found a gap in the curtain which let the sun in. I was able to read the first half of the novel before a loud, ‘Bang!’ startled me. It was the front door being closed. I peeped under the curtain and saw my neighbour, Kathy. She was a tall, skinny woman in her late sixties with an eccentric personality. She wore a multicoloured coat with a mixture of small and large feathers on the sleeves. On her arm, she had six large bracelets with Maori-type patterns on them. The thing that had always stood out to me about her appearance were her large, lime green, circular glasses. I had never seen glasses like those before. I heard my mother and her friends share gossip about her at their weekly coffee meetings; they said she was strange, but I found her interesting. I heard her loud but croaky laugh as she joked around with the shopkeeper who had appeared out of thin air. This wasn’t the first time that I had seen her at the crystal shop; she was a regular customer. I really wanted to come out and talk to Kathy because her unique personality had always amazed me. She wore whatever she wanted, didn’t care what others thought of her, and I felt that she would understand why I felt so confused and emotional. As much as I wanted to talk with her, I was stuck, I was invisible and I hated it. Kathy left shortly after her arrival and I was left in silence, alone, and hidden. After what felt like hours of hiding in the crystal shop behind the black curtain, I came to realise that I didn’t like the feeling of invisibility. Hiding from my problems hadn’t done anything for me. I thought that escaping and hiding would solve my issues but, as I sat, hidden from the world, I wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be noticed. I was scared to return home and face my parents. I thought they would be mad and I didn’t want to disappoint them. I heard the chimes from the door. Somebody had entered the shop. It was my mother. I knew because my ears tingled at the sound of her high-pitched calls, “Josh, sweety, are you in here?” I was too afraid to reveal myself, so I kept still. She continued, “Josh, I know you’re in here. Please come out, please don’t act this way.” I started to sob and my mum could hear me. She came over to me and pulled back the black fabric, removing my cloak. Her wide smile and her arms reaching towards me made me feel at ease to come out. I continued to weep as my mother put her arms around me and gave me a hug. I felt like the stresses and confusion that dominated my thoughts were put on hold. I was able to see more clearly and realise that I didn’t want to be behind the curtain. I wanted to be a silver birch tree in the autumn where I would flourish and be appreciated. YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 19

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english icas competitions

ORAL TAPESTRIES If you missed this year's Oral Tapestries evening, then you missed a great evening of fun, laughter, suspense, and intrigue. The finalists this year were innovative and clever with words, and had the art of delivering thought-provoking speeches. The teachers must be congratulated for raising the standard every year with the three finalists who win their way to represent each year level.

RESULTS

Grace Lemon was a confident, witty, and entertaining compere for the evening and she ably introduced each speaker. What amazes me every year are the topics our wonderful Year 7 Jessica Bassett Year 8 Caitlin Warrington Year 9 Brooke Steele Year 10 George Steele Year 11 Harriet Watson Year 12 Lexi Sutherland Year 13 Tim Logan Overall Winner: Tim Logan

speakers choose, and this year was no exception. The audience was treated to court defence case summations, monologues, comical experiences, informative expressions, philosophical renditions, plus a video of one finalist who could not attend as he was in Dunedin with the First XV. The judges were most impressed with the high standard of the finalists’ oral presentations and congratulated all who spoke. This year’s overall winner, who takes home the Jebson Family Trophy for Best Speaker on the night, was Tim Logan. Melissa Jebson

Caitlin Knowles Harriet Cottrell Kate Morris Elyse Kerr Gus Thomas Kathryn Barnhill George Watson

Olivia Manning Rebecca Inch Georgia Allison Jack McConnell Sophie Bucknell Maddie Tasker

ENGLISH Credit Emily Waters, Michael Bruce-Sheppard, Kieran McKay, Courtney Newell, and Tom Wilson Distinction Jessica Bassett, Hanako Wilson, and Natasha Young High Distinction Kate Morris WRITING Participation Tom Wilson and Tamzin Brunton Distinction Michelle Bruce, Kate Morris, and Hanako Wilson

year 9 speeches 1st: Maddie Beardsmore 2nd: Tiaan Johns 3rd: Lucy Glassey

grammar games On the last day of Term One, the Year 9 students participated in the yearly Grammar Games. Their English teachers had been helping them with various types of activities to get them prepared for the games. Students had been placed into pre-selected teams of four to represent their House. Everyone arrived at the hall, where they sat in their teams and chose a team name. Mr Gough, the host of the games, explained the rules to the students before letting them begin the games. One member from each team was nominated to be a runner, which involved speed walking to the back of the hall and then up to the judges’ desk where they received their question sheet. Each team had two pass cards which they could

20 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

use if they didn’t know the answer to one of the questions. Once they had correctly answered all the questions on the sheet they currently had, the teams received the next page of questions. The previous sheet was then recorded on the results board so students could see who was in the lead. As the end of the games got closer and closer, pressure fell upon the students as they competed for first place. It came down to the final round and there were several teams rushing to finish the questions. But they weren’t as fast as the Rainbow Unicorns (below with their trophy): Emma Pennells, Abi Tuhill, Lucy Glassey and Kieran McKay, who were crowned the winners of the 2015 Grammar Games. Brooke Robinson and Chanelle Inch-Reed

Creative Writing James Thornley Rays of sunlight fall on the two mallard ducks. Their brilliant-coloured plumage shimmers against the clear water. Vivid brown mud with intricate patterns shows through the glass window of the water, setting a stark contrast to the bright foliage alongside the creek. Long grass sways between the skeleton trees; tinges of green and brown flash in the bushes. The sky is clear, never-ending blue as a slight breeze disturbs the foliage. Golden baked fields set a stark background to the creek, like a green and brown snake against a desert background. With a series of alarmed quacks, the ducks scatter, leaving ever-growing ripples as an unnatural current spooks them. A throaty diesel engine roars, invading the air and shattering the serenity of nature. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come on!â&#x20AC;? a voice yells over the howling engines as two dirty trucks bash their way around the corner. Geysers of mud-coloured water shoot in the air, and black smoke tinges the rich blue sky like spilt ink. A

bow wave breaks the bank, making the green grass shine and dance in the wet. Clear water explodes into filthy brown as oversize tyres rip their way through it. The trucks roar up the creek, rattling and bouncing, intent only on reaching the far end of the creek. Like planes looking to land, the two ducks circle, the trucks mere specks to them. Behind the trucks, the water settles like stirred Milo as it is churned up. The front truck drops downwards and instantly its engine screams murder. It explodes forward for a brief second, its wheels spinning at breakneck speed, but Mother Nature claims it like a trophy and it digs itself deeper into the mud with a last whining effort. The following truck slides to a halt and the engines return to a throbbing idle, hissing in the water as it laps against the doors. The waves recede as peace mostly restores itself, the scene quiet and still once again. The flock of onlooking spring lambs

watch in amusement as they bounce and chew through the golden waves of grass. The driver of the stuck truck gets to work, pulling a wire out of the front of his truck and attaching it to a tree ahead like a lasso. Under immense strain, the wire pulls tense, the tree like a fisherman reeling in his trophy catch. The truck slowly moves forward, whirring as Mother Nature slowly releases her trophy with a squelch. With the wire wound back in, the trucks rev their engines and take off, once again bouncing down the creek towards their goal. With a last effort, they bounce up onto a rutted dirt track and park up, victorious over Mother Nature. Natural calm returns to the creek, idling engines setting a backing beat like a drummer in a song.

Darfield Diggers: Hardship and Honour The boys working on this hole are not being punished. No, they are learning. Not how to hold a shovel or use a pick-axe, but about the life of a NZ soldier in the First World War. In this Year 9 English class, the men of Darfield Platoon have been studying the poem, Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori, written by Wilfred Owen.

research, we discovered that 450 men were able to dig a 7 ft deep by 6 ft wide, 250 metres in length trench in six hours. To keep up, we would need to dig eight metres in 12 minutes. While we moved a lot of earth, we did not keep up with the young men of the First World War. Once the trench is finished, there are plans to

conduct exercises and English based tasks from within the trench. I hope the young men of Darfield GO Platoon, will learn honour and about the hardships faced by young New Zealanders serving their country. Shawn Gough

In this work, a group of soldiers are returning from serving on the front-lines, exhausted beyond belief from their time in the trench, when they are attacked by a gas grenade and they witness one of their comrades die a horrible death. To help the boys understand what our NZ soldiers had to endure upon arrival on the battlefi eld, I decided to build a replica World War 1 trench. To begin, the boys learned the dimensions and I sought permission from the parents to work under all weather conditions, allowing us to add further realism to the situation. Most NZ soldiers, as well as Australian, were required, after spending months on a ship, to dig the trenches that would protect them from artillery barrages. That is where the term digger originated. On our first day, we attempted to replicate the speed of 'diggers'. During our YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 21

SCIENCE

13 Biology: Kaikoura Trip

Waimakariri River

This trip was an opportunity to explore a rocky coast and investigate the animals that live there and how changes in their environment affect their behaviour. This year, most students studied three of the crab species that live along the Kaikoura coast line, along with spotted top shells and periwinkles.

Once again, plans for a visit to the Selwyn River were foiled by algal blooms in the Selwyn. Instead, we went to the Waimakariri River, and enjoyed a day out in the warm, sunny weather, counting insects and trying not to get too sunburnt.

Top ten comments from students on the trip: “I really dislike the spotted top shell. They are SOOO annoyingly slow.” Leigh “I think we caught crabs.” Amanda and Ciara “Am I required to touch that?” Brittany “Go little snail, go.” Brittany “I don’t think I’m a bird…I am a bird.” George “Yaaayyyyyy…spotted top shells.” Lara “I laughed so hard I almost threw up.”Caitlin Singing Frozen with Nicole H-C, Brittany, Lara and Julia “Love is an open door!”Nicole H-C, Brittany, Lara, Julia, Emma “Tree.” Timothy Logan “Is that a kookaburra?” Tom (while looking at a kingfisher)

The University of Canterbury, in conjunction with Rutherford’s Den, hosted both classes this year on different dates. Our students particularly enjoyed the laboratory sessions, where they learnt that a suit made of carrots would provide adequate protection against alpha and beta radiation. Unfortunately, gamma rays are not so easily foiled. Sigh…back to the drawing board.

22 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

University of Canterbury:

European Union Contest for Young Scientists This year, I travelled to Milan, Italy, where I was attending the 2015 European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS). This was a fiveday international competition for students who had won first prize, or other high distinctions, at their countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; national science fairs. There were 169 students from 37 countries and, in total, there were 103 projects in the contest. I had travelled the longest way by far and was the only person from the Southern Hemisphere. For the 14 hours of judging at the competition, I stood with the booth I had set up and waited for the judges. In the end, I had six judges visit me. I would tell them about my project and then answer their questions. This usually lasted for 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30 minutes, but I stayed with one judge for about 50 minutes. Over the course of my stay in Milan, we also did some sightseeing. We visited Bergamo Alta, an ancient town with Roman ruins and many buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries. We travelled to an art museum with replicas

18 june

of Da Vinci's work, and even met with Italian astronauts. On our final evening, there was a boat cruise on Lake Maggiore, near the border of Switzerland. I had an amazing time at EUCYS. I met people from all over Europe and the world, including Latvia, Estonia, England, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, South Korea, and USA. My room mate was from Ukraine and, as his project involved watermelons, I even got to try some which he grew himself in Kiev! My days at EUCYS concluded with the awards ceremony. I was very honoured, if not a bit surprised, to receive third prize for my research. I have put in a huge amount of work on this project over the last couple of years so it was amazing to have this recognised, and to see that my work was valued as important by an international jury. I really appreciate all of the work that Mr Baars and Mr Hayward put in to help me prepare for this contest. I was fortunate that my entire family came over to Europe with

me. We travelled around Switzerland before the competition, and afterwards we visited some ancient sites in Athens and Delphi, as well as having some time to relax on Santorini. Tim Logan

day

snow

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commerce

ECONOMICS

BIZNINJA

The Year 11 Economics course studies our economy from the viewpoints of Consumers and Producers and then these two parties working together in the Economy. This year, the class has experienced two wonderful trips looking at local businesses in relation to these topics. The first one was to Darfield Bakery, where the students got a first-hand look at how the theory of the production process actually works in the real world. They found the production process at Darfield Bakery very interesting and also realised there was a lot more to producing a product than first meets the eye. The processes studied at the Darfield Bakery gave them a fantastic insight and ability to provide the depth of detail required in their internal assessment work.

A team of four Year 10 students went to CPIT to compete in the Bizninja Competition organised by the Young Enterprise Trust. Our team competed against about 15 other schools from Christchurch, including teams from St Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Villa Maria, Hillmorton High and Avonside Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

In our second trip, a range of different local business were viewed by our students to study the ways the different sectors of the economy operate together. Our students were great ambassadors for our school and enjoyed their visits outside the school environment. The Year 12 Economics course looks at the New Zealand Economy from a macro perspective, which means looking at the economy as a whole. This year, the class has looked at the economic impact of various events that have happened in New Zealand and analysed their impact on Economic Growth, Inflation and Unemployment. The aim of this course is to help our young people develop into people who are aware of the impact of international events on business and finance in New Zealand.

Business Studies It was a pleasure to come back after maternity leave and work with the students doing Business Studies at NCEA Levels 1 and 2. There were some fantastic business ideas this year, ranging from a photo booth to bath bombs, to candy apples and chocolate brownies. The students learnt many valuable lessons about running a business and the highs and lows of working in a team to achieve their goals. A big thank you to Daryl and Nikki Collier at the Darfield Bakery for allowing us to use their business for our case study again this year. It is so valuable for the students to be able to see how what they are learning about works in an actual business. In 2016, we are renaming Business Studies to Commerce to more accurately reflect the content that the students will study. 24 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

The students were given a few hours to think of how to turn packaging that would otherwise end up in a landfill into a useful product, in a process known as "Upcycling". The students then had to present their product pitch to the judges, who were members of the business community. The judges then decided on the team that had the best product and had best thought of how to market their product to potential customers. Natasha Young, Jack McConnell, Emma Kellock and Harry Bampton did extremely well. They came first in their pool and reached the finals. The students co-ordinated their presentations very well and had some great ideas about how to market their product, which was called the "Mouseater", a mouse trap constructed from discarded PET bottles.

ENTERPRISE DAY Enterprise Day is considered by the Year 10 students to be the highlight of the Year 10 Commerce course. The students always show a great deal of enthusiasm and a high degree of initiative when preparing for this day. This year, they have done an excellent job, not only in preparing their items for sale, but also in presenting them attractively. Some of them have been challenged to step outside their comfort zone by getting up in student assembly and promoting Enterprise Day to their peers. We, the Commerce teachers at Darfield, hope, by partaking in this activity, that we enable our young people to take that first step towards entrepreneurship and turning their talents and ideas into commercial success.

mathematics Cantamaths Each year, the Canterbury Mathematics Association runs an event called Cantamaths. It is open to all Years 7 to 10 students in Canterbury. There are two components of this event, a problem solving quiz and a project/ poster competition. We entered four teams in the Years 9 and 10 problem solving competition which was held at the Horncastle Arena in August. To select the teams to enter, Darfield ran their own Cantamaths competition. Our Year 9 students (Kate Morris, Michelle Bruce, Georgia Allison, Abi Tuhill, Hanako Wilson, Sarah Kellock, Kieran McKay and Cameron Hendriks) and Year 10 students (George Gibb, Simon Seelen, Adrian Nolan, Jack McConnell, Emma Kellock, Natasha Young, Courtney Newell and Caleb Banks) were up against over 20 schools. While we didn’t win the competition, we placed in the top 50%—a brilliant result. Ms Evans’ Year 9 class and Year 10B class were given the opportunity to create a 3D model out of card and straws, or any other material they could bring from home. Bella Cattermole in Year 9 made a wonderful model of a playground, using wood, iceblock sticks, and ribbon—clearly the best entry from Darfield. The Year 10 class created a range of designs, from caterpillars and modular origami shapes to animals and more! It was great to see Darfield creations displayed at Horncastle Arena.

Year 9 Probability Fair As part of the unit on probability, Ms Evans’ Year 9 Maths class were given a challenge. The challenge was to create a game similar to what you might see at a fair or casino. The only condition was that the game must not be fair! This play on words was to highlight that most games of chance are not fair; they are biased towards the “house” winning. After a week of planning, we were ready to set up our fair games in the A Block quad. We gave “money” to Mrs Milne’s and Mrs Whyte’s classes and invited them to participate in our games. From air pong (like beer pong with no beer!) to fruit bobbing, to throwing darts at balloons, and an interesting combination of basketball free throws with a rugby ball, students had a blast.

above

the mean

Congratulations! Well done to those students who took part in the Australian Mathematics Competition: Georgie Hamilton, Scarlett Banks, Niamh Guy, Katherine Hadler, Stefanie McKenzie, Jesse Sutherland, Kate Morris, Hanako Wilson, Courtney Newell, Emma Kellock, Natasha Young, Tom Wilson, Michelle Bruce, and Ellen Walters. Michelle Bruce achieved top place for our school, and was presented with a certificate, Best in School, at a ceremony held at Christ’s College. Also well done to the following students who took part in the ICAS Mathematics Competition, with the following results: Participation: Jessica Bassett, Isaac Earl, Michael Bruce-Sheppard, Tom Wilson Credit: Katherine Hadler, Kieran McKay, Kate Morris, Hanako Wilson Merit: Niamh Guy Distinction: Michelle Bruce, Courtney Newell, Natasha Young

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geography Year 13: Beach Study During March, the Year 13 Geography class spent a day at the beach. Our first stop was Taylor’s Mistake in Sumner, where after experiencing some interesting driving techniques from both Mr Quinn and Miss Petersen, we piled out of the vans to collect our first set of data using equipment supplied by the University of Canterbury. After about an hour in the wind attempting to collect the data (and a few soakings in the water for some), we headed off to Sumner for lunch. Once everyone had their fair share of fish and chips, we set off for the next part of our ‘adventure’ New Brighton. There, we continued to collect our second set of data; with some having lost the energy and patience to deal with others, it was a very interesting experience to say the least. The final part of our adventure was navigating our way home, which eventually got us back to school before the other van. Savannah Sayer and Will Gross

Destination Queenstown Year 13 Geography the organisers of the Queenstown Winterfest go through to gain consent from the council to run Winterfest annually. The second presentation was by Tammy, from Destination Queenstown, a non-profit organisation who help promote Queenstown to a wider range of tourists.

We arrived in Queenstown ready for the following two days to be packed full of hard work and study. The first afternoon we stocked up with unnecessary food items, many of which were left uneaten. We then looked at the site of the Winterfest. After some of us returned from watching “the worst movie ever made about a movie being made” as described by Tom, and recommended by Miss Petersen, the remainder of the day was spent staying up all night playing cards. The next morning, we got up to listen to two informative presentations to assist in the writing of our reports. The first was by Alana, a planner from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, who spoke to us about the processes 26 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

That afternoon, we had free time which was spent ice skating, visiting the scariest haunted house in New Zealand, the Fear Factory, or even purchasing some finely crafted Nepalese ponchos. Some members of the group took part in the Zumba event as part of Winterfest.We also collected data for our tourism class. For our last meal preceding our departure, we went to Searle Lane; this was thoroughly

enjoyed by all before we had to pack up ready to leave on Tuesday morning. Nicole Frazer

Geography in Hanmer Up bright and early, we packed our bags and drove towards Hanmer Springs. As soon as we arrived, we all jumped off and started surveying for half an hour, which to begin with didn’t go too well for Maddy and Caitlin, getting a lot of rejections and only gathering five responses. After time was up, we grabbed some lunch and got back on the bus to our accommodation for the night, the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp. We went on a tour around the camp where Elisabeth, head of the camp, talked to us about the ways in which they are environmentally sustainable. We gathered into groups and did an activity called Mission Impossible, where we had to do team building activities that showed people’s real personalities, and we soon found out who the competitive ones were.

After this, we had free time, involving a group heading to the hot pools, some staying behind and, of course, the annual Geography Trip Mini Golf which, to the students’ disappointment, Mr Quinn won once again. We then grabbed dinner and went home to relax for the night, although, upon arriving back at the accommodation, we found out there was going to be a talent quest. Splitting into groups, the show sure had a variety of acts; the winners were two girls who sing amazingly and deserved it. It was debatable whether any of the other acts had any real talent, ranging from a rendition of My Little Sunshine, to some sort of handshake, throwing in a rap that was done in three minutes; this probably wasn’t Darfield’s best work. Maddie O’Callaghan

year 12 : glacial geography On Sunday 1 March, we headed off to Mt Cook with a couple of stops at Geraldine and Lake Tekapo, where a couple of us hired out Segways while the rest of us ate and took photos. Once we got to Mt Cook, we settled into Glentanner Camp Ground, and then headed off to do our first research task at Lagoon Stream. For this, we had to measure the depth of the stream and different points across the stream to draw a cross section. After we finished both the measurements for a straight and an s-bend in the stream, Daniel and Eric jumped into the deep part of the stream to cool off. When we got back, we all went down to the edge of Lake Pukaki and looked at the

turquoise water. After a talk from Ross, the owner of Glentanner, we had spare time and a pretty uneventful evening. After an early wake up, we hit the road to the base of the Red Tarns walk where we met Ranger Ray and started our torturous climb up the stairs to the scree slope that we would be studying. With Mr Quinn telling us we had “not far to go, it only takes 20 minutes,” we soldiered on up the hill, eventually getting to the top after an hour. Ranger Ray and most of the class, who we presume are now part mountain goat, were hard at work measuring rocks on the scree slope. After completing our research, we started our descent of the million stairs. Then it was to the Tasman Glacial Lake where we jumped aboard the small yellow boats to

explore the lake. We got to see icebergs rebalancing, eat 600 year old ice and to see the actual Tasman Glacier, which was very dirty looking. After this, we went to a 3D movie at Mt Cook and spent an hour and a half exploring the information centre. The next morning, with another early wake up call, we packed up our stuff and headed off for a talk about Glaciation before going to the Hooker Valley walk. This walk was both beautiful and tiring. We got to see the Hooker Glacier, Mueller Glacier and Mount Cook, along with other beautiful snowy slopes. At the end of the track, we had lunch before heading back to the vans and beginning our long drive home. Chloe Fraser and Karta Hewitt

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History

11 Signing up for Year 11 History at the end of last year, I really didn’t know what I was in for. However, always having had a passion for Social Studies, I knew I would enjoy it. To kick off what was to be an exciting year, we had a full-on term of World War Two. Gaining eight credits, we were off to a good start, and I knew I’d definitely chosen the right subject for me. To finish our World War Two topic, our two Year 11 History classes travelled to the Wigram Air Force Museum, where we could experience, in a simulator room, what it was like to have bombs going off around us, take tests to see what our fate would have been, and explore the museum; this was an awesome way to finish a hectic term. During Term Two, we moved on to Black Civil Rights in America, a part of history that opened our eyes and taught us how lucky we are to live in such a free country. For this topic, we also did another internal, putting ourselves in the shoes of the movement’s powerful people, such as President Dwight Eisenhower, in the form of speeches, interviews, and diary entries. We also covered New Zealand becoming nuclear free and the impact this had on our country, a topic we all found interesting, realising how it still impacts us today. The last topic of the year was the 1981 Springbok Tour, where we discussed the impacts of the country being divided and the implications this had on New Zealanders’ families and friends. To finish this topic strongly, we were lucky enough to have our Teacher Librarian, Helen Duckworth, come and speak to the class about her involvement as a student during the tour. Another highlight for some Year 11 History students this year was the History Quiz held in town, where everyone learnt something—as some very abstract questions came up. Overall, I have really enjoyed Year 11 History and would definitely recommend the subject. Georgia Cottrell

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12 Year 12 History in 2015 was a class that I'm sure was enjoyed by all involved. The year revolved around two main topics, the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution, and the significance of the Vietnam War for New Zealanders. These topics were related, which made the course even more interesting – the Russian Bolsheviks had overthrown the Tsarist Autocracy in Russia and replaced it with Communism; however, in Vietnam, the New Zealanders were fighting to prevent the spread of the Communism that had originated in Russia. Given that these events occurred in countries far far away, it was fairly understandable that the course did not include any field trips; however, Mrs Turner certainly did a fine job of helping us experience the significance of these historical events. At the end of Term 3, in our Vietnam topic, a New Zealand war veteran, Billy Barnes, gave up his time to come and talk to us about his own experiences during and after the war. This was a particularly interesting and humbling experience as it really demonstrated to us the impact that the war at home and overseas had on soldiers’ lives. Throughout the year, the class did three internals, an investigation into a significant event, a report about a historical event and, lastly, a written interpretation of different perspectives held during a significant historical event. These required hard work but were very enjoyable and I certainly learnt a lot about things that I did not know had happened, such as the battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. Overall, it was a great year in History and I hope those taking the course in Year 12 next year enjoy it and learn as much as our class did this year. Edward Searle

13 This year, History has been both challenging and highly rewarding. As a class, we learned about a variety of topics, including the establishment of the Canterbury settlement, the Central Otago Gold Rush, the Elizabethan era, and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. As a part of learning about Canterbury, we travelled to Akaroa, and visited key locations which not only shaped Canterbury, but also New Zealand as a country. The trip to Arrowtown was also a highlight, where we were all able try our hand at being real historians: researching certain aspects of the Central Otago Gold Rush, using real archives, in order to form a written report. Level Three History has certainly been a step up from last year; however, I thoroughly enjoyed learning the skills required in order to excel at this course. I would highly recommend History, especially at Level Three, as the analytical and perceptive skills are useful, not only for other NCEA subjects, but also for future study. Ella Pearce

Above: Librarian, Helen Duckworth, with her Award of Merit for Information Literacy, presented to her at the School Librariansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference.

Senior English classes were treated to an entertaining and inspiring visit from Ben Brown. He regaled us with readings from his memoirs, shared his writing process, and gave us an insight into the life of a professional writer. Books With Bob: A highlight of our school year is having Bob Docherty, teen book reviewer, visit. He is exceptional at engaging students, giving them a wee taste of what a book is about, then leaving them hanging... Bob is a bit of a legend in the library and waiting lists are always long after his visits. Des Hunt is a presenter with a differenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;he uses science demonstrations and images to tell the story of how he became a writer of adventure stories. Along the way, he passes on ideas of how to structure stories to make them interesting for readers and he talks about the importance of review and editing once the writing is finished. Below: Renee Cullen and Ms Gallacher won tickets to The World of David Walliams.

lets go to the

library!

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30 30

careers

careers expo Darfield High School Careers Expo was a great opportunity for senior students to talk to different tertiary and industry training providers. Besides giving us lots of free promotional things – like chocolate, hats and drink bottles – they were able to tell us about our options when we leave school. They also gave us a clearer idea about which subjects we need to be taking at school and how those subjects link to the courses and jobs. Talking to the providers gave us a chance to find out about holiday courses—like the Defence Forces Careers Experience Week during the October school holidays.

Interview Day Nerves were running high as the extremely welldressed Year 12s approached school on Tuesday 23 June. It was Interview Day and I, along with all the other Year 12s, felt a little like I had been pushed into the deep end, having two daunting interviews planned for us over the day. Our interviewers, who had already received copies of our CVs, were a wide range of local employers, with many familiar faces among them. Although many of us were nervous and did not know what to expect from these mock job interviews, as soon as we sat down and conversed for a bit, we realised it was not nearly as scary as we had anticipated. The employers talked to us about our CVs as well as our goals and ambitions for the future, and we had the opportunity to ask them questions at the end. It was great practice for us all to be able to experience an interview and receive advice from people who are vastly knowledgeable in the field of employing. Everyone learnt a lot from the interviews and we are very thankful to Ms Kidd for giving us this opportunity. Alexis Sutherland 30 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Life Skills We (Celine Jenkins, Emma Ashworth, and Henry Oakley who joined us later in the year) were given a great opportunity to work with Mrs Singh in our own small Life Skills group. We have had heaps of fun baking and making family dishes. These sessions were based around learning to be as independent as possible in the kitchen and to have the chance to experience new flavours and ideas. We have perfected making cheese sauce. We had to make it for our delicious macaroni cheese, scrummy fish pie, and creamy bacon and corn soup. We covered pasta and mince with spaghetti Bolognese and our favourite design-your-ownburgers, which were the best. Baking items included carnival cupcakes which we iced and decorated in bright colours. They looked and tasted amazing. We were very proud of them. We made muffins, biscuits, cake, and even wholemeal digestives and poppy seed parmesan crackers.

Some dishes were made using just the stovetop, others used the oven and some used just the microwave. Our favourite microwave dish was the chocolate cake which we had warm as a dessert with homemade chocolate sauce. Every lesson, we evaluated what we had made, what went wrong or right, and whether we would make it again. We loved everything we made. Only one item failed our make-again-please test, and that was the pikelets. We think we just chose the wrong recipe for those as they were too rubbery. We also tried to make every dish healthier by adding more vegetables or putting in less sugar. We are looking forward to finishing our year with a spectacular cream and fruit filled pavlova. We have enjoyed our time with Life Skills this year; we have learnt a lot and feel much more confident in the kitchen.

Learning Centre At the Learning Centre, groups of students and individuals are able to access specialised support in a range of areas. The ages and abilities of these students are wide-ranging - they include students who access ORS funding, as well as students who require further support in a particular curriculum area.

learning success in a diverse range of areas which are personally meaningful to them and their families. As part of specialised teaching and learning processes, students are supported to generalise learning gains across environments, including mainstream classes and in their homes and communities.

Literacy lessons, which focus on text decoding, sounding out, and writing and reading texts, are tailored to meet the needs of small groups of students and run up to five times a week. A number of students also attend weekly numeracy lessons where specialised resources are used to accelerate learning and promote individual achievement.

South Pacific Education Courses (SPEC) are held at the Learning Centre and these are of personal interest to students and functional in nature. Life Skills lessons and on-going practice are a major part of these learning experiences, with goals individualised to meet the needs of students.

Two social skills groups are currently being held at the Centre twice a week, and students are making great progress in the areas of interactive communication with peers and gaining skills in the domains of listening, questioning and responding. Friendship, emotional endurance and social growth have been a focus over the past term.

Specialist teachers are supported by a team of highly skilled teacher aides who work, both at the Learning Centre and in classrooms, with individual students, as well as providing teacher support to small groups of students. Lesley Pengelly

A number of students attend the Learning Centre to work on Individual Learning Plans, which have been formulated in collaboration with students, their parents, subject teachers and Special Education staff (teachers and teacher aides). Curriculum-based goals and goals which target the Key Competencies, as well as dedicated personal goals, are specifically tailored to support individual students achieve YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 31

Alternative Education

Reuben Freitas Alternative Education, work experience with Kimber Fencing and Hororata Engineering, and the 24/7 youth workers have been great influences, to help Ruben with his individual education plan this year.

Working Collaboratively

Taylor Wakelin Alternative Education, Work experience at Darfield Mechanical and courses through CTC have contributed greatly toward Taylor’s personalised learning pathway. “AE has helped me to get my NCEA Level 1 and has set me on the right path and the path I want to go on”.

Above: Reuben making lemonade Right: Reuben and Sage

Below: At the YMCA Right: Cooking with Oliver

Contributing toAE students’ success…

Oliver Hamilton “AE is the place that is helping me to get the things I want to achieve.”

Our community

Thank You! Thank you to the Malvern Lions, who have come into school several times this year to cook yummy hotdogs and chips. The money raised goes towards funding our Young Achievers’ Big Day Out.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION / OUTDOOR ED Year 11 PE

These included two skate sessions, two multifitness gym classes and Fast Five Netball (which is netball's answer to Rugby 7s). After learning how to roller-blade in the first session, the students got to hone their skills on the skateboards and long-boards in the second session. Overall it was a fun experience and, apart from a few minor falls, no-one got seriously injured. A big thank you must go to our awesome instructor, Scotty, from Cheapskates Skate School.

the

This Year, 11 PE class looked at Achievement Standard 1.4 which is to do with Generation 'Z' activities. Generation 'Z' is babies born from the mid 1990s to the present. As part of this standard, the students had to experience three typical Gen 'Z' activities.

RESPECT

Rules

Year 12 Physical Education Our Year 12 PE class was a great success and a huge amount of fun. This success came about through cool standards, awesome classes and a great bunch of people who wanted to be there. The year began in the body of work we know as anatomy, studying muscles, bones and their movement during a sporting motion. This was an interesting unit of work as it not only involved our class but also a bunch of keen and willing Year 8 tennis players whom we were able to analyse. One of the highlights of this was watching many of these Year 8s serve the ball more consistently than many of us, particularly me! As the year progressed, there were many good grades, not only that but we were able to do this by having fun, yet focusing well when it was necessary—this was aided by the wise words of our teacher and guide, Miss W, who was most definitely appreciated by the class. Other standards the class completed included biophysical principles in training, the effect of a sporting event on self, others and society, and evaluating leadership strategies. This inevitably led to attending the Year 8 camp, which was an awesome experience and thoroughly enjoyed by all. On this camp, we were able to go mountain biking (the second time for some), abseiling, and nature sculpting. We also took the Year 8s for initiative games while using specific leadership strategies to improve the effective functioning of the group. This was a wicked experience and I know that most of the class enjoyed getting to know some of the Year 8s while getting special treatment with home baking! One of

the highlights of this trip (Camp 1) was playing ‘spoons’ at night after many of the Year 8s had gone to bed. Analysing the application of risk management strategies led us to mountain biking at the plantation and riding through the rain and mud at McLean’s Island, which was more or less enjoyed by all; however, we came back looking like we had rolled through acres of mud. It was worth it. The final assessment that we completed was the netball unit. This was ultimately a success and everyone in the class improved in one way or another. We even managed to have close (ish) games with the Senior A girls’ netball team. Overall, this year in Level 2 PE was thoroughly enjoyable and we had some amazing, fun experiences as a class. Everybody got along and this was definitely aided by our wonderful teacher, Miss Watherston. Anyone doing Year 12 PE in the future would thoroughly enjoy the standards and I hope that they will have as much fun as we did. Michael Ridgen

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The first unit for the year was rock climbing; this unit involved learning basic safety skills and techniques. We learnt the fundamentals of rock climbing and body movement and all about how to grasp holds and use our feet. We practised at school for most of the term, then headed into Christchurch to the Rocks at the YMCA. Here we put our skills to the test against challenging climbs and even had a go in the boulder room. We climbed a lot of different level routes and

34 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Our next unit was tramping and navigation, where we went on an orienteering course to test our prior knowledge, and then went to Mt Richardson. This tramp was our first experience with full packs. We all had the task of navigating the group through different stages of the tramp. Our second tramp was at Castle Hill and we were focusing on navigating over open terrain and dense bush. Apart from a few of us getting lost, the experience of walking round in snow-covered bush was one to remember. Our trip up to Broken River ski field was where the class learnt the basic skills of ice axes and crampons. The class learnt how to self-arrest and

thi nk

even challenged ourselves on a few vertical climbs.

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required

The Year 12 Outdoor Education class had a crash course in the world of the outdoors. The year consisted of rock climbing, tramping, navigating using a compass and map, snow caving, walking with crampons and using an ice axe, weather analysis and mountain biking, with additional skills involving the specific tasks.

d tsi ou

Year 12 Outdoor Education

about group safety when climbing on snow. Our last adventure of the year was mountain biking. Our first ride was at McLeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island, learning basic skills for riding. At school, we also learnt how to repair and fix the mountain bikes. It was unfortunate that, due to bad weather this year, we were able to do only one ride. The whole year was an amazing experience and we are all looking forward to next year. Tag-Teamed by Year 12

year 13 outdoor ed 2015 has been an enjoyable and successful year for the Year 13 Outdoor education class. Our class consisted of Scott Taege, Jordan Watson, Matt King, Tuku Thomas, Michael Millar, Leigh McConchie, Tristan Lancaster, and Josh Jones. The first trip of the year was our tramp to Tarn Col. This was a nice cruisy tramp to start the year. We went over the alpine pass and swam in the col, and learnt about the native whio. After the first trip, we briefly dropped Josh Jones from the class and Haigh Jebson was the newest member to join the ranks. He was quickly initiated by being made to climb the overhang. The next trip on the agenda for our class was the climbing trip to Wanaka, to experience the outdoor climbs situated around the area. We climbed at six areas – Spur Road in Timaru, at “Bakehouse,” “Riverside,” “Engine Block,” “Kai Whakapai,” and “Maincliff.” After the four days

of solid climbing we returned as ragged heroes rather late into the night. The next trip we embarked upon was to Mt Somers. We left at 8.30 on a Friday morning, the group consisting of Jordan Watson, Matt King, Tuku Thomas, Michael Millar, Leigh McConchie, Tristan Lancaster and Haigh Jebson. Our first day was quite uphill until we eventually arrived at Pinnacle Hut. At this hut, we became obsessed with the drunk driving campaign and repeatedly said “get the hell off me!” The next day, we scaled the side of the mountain, made camp and stayed at the summit. This was a really cool experience, camping on the summit, with a view over the plains and the lights at night. The next day, after a beautiful sunrise, we made our descent back to the vans and then slept during the ride home. The last tramp was to Lake Angelus; this was a

four-day tramp around the breathtaking Nelson Lakes. We had to have our crampons and ice axes out on the second and third days, which was a big change for many of us, having no prior experience in the snowline. On the second day, we made it to the snow line. It was hard going in the sun-softened snow, but well worth it when we made it to the top. The view into the Angelus Basin was extraordinary, with its snow-blanketed landscape glowing in the rays of afternoon sunlight. For the majority of the class, it has been a great two years and, for the newest three, it has been a great year. We have all learnt lots and will continue our outdoor endeavours with the knowledge we now have to enjoy the outdoors and be prepared. #morepork #mattking #getthehelloffme #idselllmyfirstchildforahelicopterrightnow #livingthering #drinkdriving

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interna international

limits

interna Thank you so much to all of the international students

who studied with us in 2015.

We wish you all the best in the future and look forward to keeping in touch!

36 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

ational there are NO

ational This year, Darfield High School has welcomed students from China, Germany, Austria, France, Brazil, Thailand, South Korea, America, and Japan. Although coming to a new school in a different country is very challenging, all of the students have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They have made some great friends, taken on new subjects, improved their English language skills, played sports, participated in cultural activities, experienced life within a Kiwi host family, and travelled to some amazing places around New Zealand. Nicola Hely, International Director

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french exchange It’s been five years now since Darfield High School and Lycée Felix Le Dantec first worked together to set the foundation for a long-term reciprocal exchange programme for their students. Le Lycée Felix Le Dantec is our French sister school and is located in Lannion, a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in north-western France. Every year, the French exchange programme allows up to six Darfield High School students to travel to France for two months. The students experience the real French way of life; they are welcomed into the families of Lycée Felix Le Dantec students and attend school every day. While learning the language, they explore the French culture and indulge in the famous French gastronomy! Every year, we also welcome six French students who stay with us for two months. Because this exchange programme is fully reciprocal, all school or host family fees are neutralised and, therefore, the exchange becomes more affordable for the families involved. Due to its linguistic character, this exchange programme is accessible only to students studying French at senior level in our school.

Two of our students have already been selected to be part of the French Exchange in 2016; they are Harriet Watson and Eloise Dance. Marjorie Juhel “Having the chance to host a French exchange student is one that I would take again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, the New Zealand side of the exchange didn't happen this year, yet we were still lucky enough to have six lovely French girls here for nine weeks. The worries about not getting on, or not being compatible with our students were soon reduced; we had nothing to worry about! It soon felt like the students had been with us forever. In just a few short weeks, they have been exposed to a different style of life. Harriet and her student, Marine, went on many adventures together, including tramping, a trip to the capital, and a trip to Hanmer Springs. My student, Lora, and I also made the most of our time together with a trip to the motocross, a holiday to Hanmer, and some time in Tekapo. All the host sisters and students took part in events together, such as the mud run. This exciting new experience will not be easily forgotten. Over the time of their stay, all the girls’ language skills dramatically improved, and we host sisters learnt a lot about France. The saddest part of our time together was the last few hours at Christchurch

Airport. We had all been dreading the day and didn't expect it to arrive so soon. However, the best part for Harriet and me is knowing that we will see our lifelong friends and sisters again in just a few months, as we are travelling to France for our own nine-week adventure!” Harriet Watson and Eloise Dance “Hosting a student is an awesome chance to immerse yourself in a different culture. Having travelled to France in 2014, hosting a student in 2015 was all the more enjoyable. The exchange provided a chance for my family and me to take pride in the Kiwi culture as we showed Léa the many traditions that we take for granted. A particularly impressionable memory was her habit of putting salt in her butter on toast to try and recreate the salted butter she missed from her home country. It was not only a learning experience for Léa, but she also helped me relive my time in France and taught me many things about France that I had not experienced during my time there. At the end of the nine weeks, I had made a lifelong friend and sister. The French exchange is beneficial to all the students who take part in it, whether it be hosting a student or travelling to France. I'm glad it played a part in my time at Darfield High School.” Lois Freemantle

Concours Cuisine des Ecoles Alliance Française It seems to have become a tradition at Darfield High School to participate in the cooking competition called the Concours Cuisine des Ecoles. This event is organised by the Alliance Française, an organisation which runs a variety of events to encourage students studying French to explore and embrace the culture of the language through fun activities. The Concours Cuisine des Ecoles is the Alliance Française’s version of Master Chef. Teams from different schools challenge each other to present the best French menu to French judges. Each team of four students had two hours to select and execute a menu (main dish and dessert). Each year, the theme of the menus changes and this year, the menus had to represent a French-speaking town. Madame Juhel and I took a group of students to the competition. It was dark, bitterly cold and snowing heavily but that didn’t stop our enthusiasm! We braved the snow and travelled to Christchurch Girls’ High on the Thursday afternoon. The students had two hours to cook and present their menu to the judges. We had two teams who had both chosen to cook dishes 38 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

from Réunion Island (a French Island near Madagascar) as we had recently done some work on this in class.

French overseas territory. Our group chose La Réunion, a French territory near Madagascar. We learnt a lot about them and we found that, due to their climate, all of their food was very tropical, like kumara cake, which we made for our dessert (it tastes way better than it sounds!). In the end, my team won, which was a great end to a really fun night. I highly recommend giving it a go if you are taking French next year.” Finn Davidson

The students involved were: Team 1: Joshua Cook, Lois Freemantle, Thomas Rowlands, Finn Davidson Team 2: Alyssa Cruickshank, Brogan Baldwin, Eloise Dance, Akalanka Ekanayake. The teams had fun cooking together, showing excellent team work and impressing the judges. Madame Juhel and I were lucky to have been “I participated in this event with three other selected to be part of the judging panel and we had the opportunity to taste all the teams’ menus. team members and another team from DHS. With the co-operation of all the members, We were blown away as our taste buds enjoyed our team cooked curry de poulet rougaille de their tour around a range of French-speaking tomates (chicken curry) followed by a coconut countries! This competition is three years old cake. The other DHS team won first place in and Darfield has won it three years in a row. So the competition with their delicious curry de Darfield…can we keep this tradition going? Of porc avec rougaille dakatine (pork curry) and course we can! Let us keep defending our title the gâteau de patate douche (kumara cake). and bring on next year’s cook-off ! This event was truly enjoyable and was also a Mme Shahbaz brand new experience for me: there was fun to have and things to learn. I wouldn’t risk “I had the opportunity to take part in a French missing this great opportunity in coming years.” cooking competition. It was really fun and we Akalanka Ekanayake learned a lot about French culture, as we had to base our dishes on a region in France or a

New Caledonia Exchange New Caledonia is a French island, north of New Zealand and only a couple of hours’ flight away from us. The College de Ouégoa, our sister school, is a small public school in the far north province of New Caledonia. They have 130 students from Years 7 to 10 and only 12 teachers. As you may already know, a group of students and teachers from the college of Ouégoa visited Darfield High School last year. They thoroughly loved their stay with us, enjoyed their Kiwi experience, and left having made great lifelong friends at DHS. This year, late November, will be the first time Darfield High School will visit the college of Ouégoa. A group of 12 Year 9 and 10 students will be spending 10 exciting days on the tropical island where they will spend their first five nights in Ouégoa. They are delighted to have us and we are very much looking forward to visiting their school, experiencing their culture, language, and way of life and, most importantly, building new friendships. Students will attend school for two days and spend their first weekend in Ouégoa with their host families. After this, they will have two nights in Dumbéa where they will explore another area

of New Caledonia and learn about the Kanak culture. Finally, they will spend three nights in Nouméa, the capital, where they will participate in a number of tourism activities. Without giving too much away—students will be experiencing a number of activities, including a tour of the capital, a trip to Amédée Island, and visits to the cultural centre, the underwater Aquarium and the local Zoo. This exchange programme aims to not only develop language skills but also raise awareness of the relevance of the French language in the Pacific. We are hopeful that from now on, each school will take turn visiting the other on alternative years. So if you are planning to study French in the next few years, there is a great opportunity waiting for you just here! Marjorie Juhel and Ameera Shahbaz “I am feeling both excited and apprehensive about the idea of going overseas to a Frenchspeaking island. I am looking forward to experiencing a new culture and staying with a French family. I hope to improve my French during this trip and try the different activities they have to offer. Also, I want to try the food.” Jonathan Paxton

DELF Success The DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française) is an official qualification awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the French language skills of non-French learners. It’s an evaluation of a student’s proficiency in French, on an international scale. There are six levels, ranging from A1 to C2. It is recognised throughout the world by universities, employers, and governments, and it is universally accepted as evidence of its holder’s proficiency in the French language. It is most certainly a great asset to have on a CV! This is now the second year that the French department has offered its senior students the opportunity to sit the DELF examinations. This year, four of them did and all four were successful. Bravo to Harriet Watson, Thomas Rowlands, Joshua Cook, and Lois Freemantle for their outstanding performance. Marjorie Juhel

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Japanese Field Trip During June, Mrs Hayakawa-Buist escorted her Year 10 Japanese class to a cultural Japanese exhibition at Villa Maria College. The afternoon was filled with numerous cultural activities and was enlightening for all of the students. Many schools were in attendance, such as Villa Maria, St Andrew's College and Lincoln High School. Every school was to come together to share and participate in their mutual love for all that is Japanese. Activities ranged from Kendo performances, traditional calligraphy, cartoon creating and a cultural quiz, as well as the opportunity to dress up in traditional Japanese attire—Yukata.

tea flavoured biscuits and Japanese Pocky. To conclude the afternoon festivities, everybody participated in a ‘Youkai Taisou Daiichi’ dance, a popular dance routine that is currently sweeping Japan. I found the trip extremely informative. It gave me a new perspective on the Japanese culture and gave me the opportunity to interact with people who share my interest. It was exciting to use our skills of speaking Japanese outside of the classroom, as it allowed us to compare our adeptness with that of other schools. It was fair to say that a great afternoon was had by all. Elyse Kerr

When asked about their favourite activities, my classmate Julia said “Kendo wa omoshirokatta desu” (the kendo was interesting), while my other classmate, Gary, stated that “Shodo wa tanoshikatta desu” ( the calligraphy was fun). Another highlight for us all was the sampling of different Japanese lollies and snacks, eg green

UC NCEA Japanese Workshop On Thursday 11 June, the senior Japanese classes went on a trip to the University of Canterbury’s Japanese workshop. Over 15 schools from around the Canterbury region attended the workshop as an opportunity to develop their Japanese skills and prepare for the NCEA exams in November. After arriving at the University, we registered and went to the lecture hall, where we heard speeches from guest speakers and university lecturers. The CEO of Shuttle Rock came to speak to us about his experience learning Japanese and working and setting up a business in a foreign country. This gave great insight into where we could apply our studies of Japanese after school. After this, in groups, we went with university students to Kirkwood Village and had classes with many different Japanese teachers. In these classes, we learnt how to use new sentence structures and talk about activities we do at the weekend. We also did some revision of subjects we had learnt earlier in the year; this helped us to reinforce our learning and understanding for exams. After two classes, we had a break for morning tea; we were lucky to be able to try traditional Japanese breads which the University had kindly supplied. These breads were very sweet, but delicious. We had more classes before breaking for lunch where we were able to meet other people on the trip and talk about how the day was going. The final part of the day was returning to the lecture hall where the entire group of schools performed the yokkaitaisou dance that we had 40 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

been practising. University students filmed the dance and are making a video about all the schools and students teaching and learning Japanese in Canterbury. Prizes for the day were given out and a few Darfield students were lucky to receive them—they consisted of small Japanese items that are very popular. Before heading home on the bus, we had the chance to say goodbye to new friends and thank you to all the people who had made the day possible, especially the University staff and students and the Japanese teachers from the attending schools. Being able to attend the lectures and classes helped us in our learning and allowed us to develop connections with others students learning Japanese. The opportunity to do this helped us to develop our Japanese conversational skills and benefitted us greatly. Rachael Phillipson and Abbie Cider

japan day On Sunday 1 March, my fellow students of Japanese and I got on a bus and went to the Riccarton Racecourse to participate in the Canterbury Japan Day Festival. It started with a briefing from Mrs Hayakawa-Buist about where we would do our performance. Then we were let loose on the festival. First we had a scout around seeing all of the stalls that were available. There were many traditional Japanese foods, such as Sushi, Sashimi, Teriyaki Pork, Udon Noodles, Soba Noodles and many more types of noodles. Then my friend, Georgi, and I decided to have some Soya Raamen, which is soya flavoured noodle soup before going and watching someof the performances. There were many different types and it was interesting to see things we do in New Zealand done with a Japanese twist. My personal favourite was the Japanese choir who sang famous Japanese songs and then the theme tunes from Japanese Animes, all of which were fantastic. We then saw a demonstration of Kendo, a Japanese swordfi ghting Martial Art. This was very intense with the fights very loud and violent, but in my opinion it also showed a form and beauty, as the fighters had complete mastery over their bamboo swords. I decided that I still hadn’t spent my money and decided to buy a bit of Japanese candy, which tasted amazing. We now had to prep for our performance, which meant getting changed into our traditional Japanese outfits and practising the dance moves. Ellesmere went before us and performed very well, and then it was our turn. We decided to do a dance to a traditional Japanese song called Momiji—this means Maple—as it was the first day of autumn. We also decided to write the song’s lyrics on a very large piece of paper and each person was given one character to write down in Japanese. The symbol I had to write was Mizu, which means Water. The performance went amazingly, with the crowd giving us massive applause afterwards. It was time to pack up and return to the school on the bus. I would recommend this day to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture, language and especially food—it is free admission to go and you get involved with all that Japan has to offer in Canterbury, minus the bullet train. Tom Gullery

t r A 2015 in the Art Department has progressed on fast forward. As usual, there was a lot on and very little time to do it in. Before we knew it, the Senior year was drawing to a close and folios were due. We were once again in the Art rooms well into the evening, with stress levels running high. I like to think that the sleep deprivation has been worth it when I look over this year’s submissions and feel proud of the many students who worked hard to achieve their personal best. The year began with a fruitful Senior Drawing trip to Canterbury Museum, and progressed with an exhibition of Senior work at the Selwyn Gallery. It is always a challenge to produce sufficient work of a high standard mid-way through the year. Participating students should feel proud of their efforts, which drew much praise from the community. This year’s Year 7 students have been involved in project-based learning, by making prints celebrating the valuable local resource that is Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. We have worked with Waihora/Ellesmere Trust (WET) to provide work to be exhibited at Lincoln University as part of the Living Lakes Symposium. This

exhibition has traditionally showcased work by a variety of artists of different ages and so we are honoured to have been selected as the only exhibiting party this year. Adrienne Lomax from WET has been kind enough to talk to our students about the science of the lake and has provided a valuable opportunity both to increase understanding and to share our creative visions with a wider audience. Other notable achievements for the department include the acquisition of a new printing press ‘Conrad’ — a replacement for our very tired 35-year old press, which has retired from service gracefully. The year closed in style with a wee Art party, attended by students resplendent in fancy dress (dress as your folio), art-appropriate food, and a few rounds of ‘Exquisite Corpse’— a Surrealist drawing game. Once again, I am sad to see the lovely Year 13s go. It is never quite the same without them and I wish them well in their creative journeys. Bree Smith

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Drama

What a productive year. It has been go, go, go from start to finish. Some of my personal highlights have been the Senior Drama trip to the Court Theatre to see Romeo & Juliet, the Level 1 and 2 Devising Evening, the Level 3 class production and the New Zealand Playhouse visit.

Performances The recurring theme this year was collaboration. We have had a lot of working across the year levels, such as having the Level 2 students running the technologies for the Level 1 class production of The Blame Game—a whole class show that was based on three teenagers and the effects of drink driving—which the Level 1 class performed in a skilled and effective manner. The Level 2 students each took responsibility for an area, such as lighting, set design and construction, and make-up design and application. The students faced various challenges in working directly with a different class and thoroughly enjoyed working with new students and building their skills in the different production/technical areas. Likewise, the Level 3 class took on a production of their own, with a Level 3 student, Ella Pearce, directing the show. Along with this, Amber Pont designed and applied all the make-up for the show, and a Level 2 student, Sophie Bucknell, produced an impressive costuming piece for Brock Hatton’s character, Glitter Man. Ella Pearce proved to be a fantastic leader and produced a play, Fold, that was compelling and engaging, and used Political Theatre features that addressed issues surrounding the upper class in New Zealand.

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Class Trips In June, the Levels 1, 2 and 3 classes travelled to The Court Theatre to see Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. They were astounded by the quality of the actors, their ability to follow the plot line and language, and the magnificent set design and construction. The students are using their understanding of the performance to review in their external assessment. The New Zealand Playhouse made their annual Drama Department visit in July this year. This year, they performed Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and transformed the traditional Comedy of Manners play into an energetic, fast-paced Musical Theatre piece whose catchy tunes are still inspiring sing-alongs in our classes today. We are looking forward to their return in 2016. Alongside the class trips, the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition, Stage Challenge, and School Production in Term 2, we also had our Levels 1 and 2 Devising Evening. The Level 1 class performed their own Melodramas, based on a given title, and the Level 2 class performed their own Epic Theatre pieces, based on a political angle from a “six-word story” selection. A very busy term, indeed! It has been a fantastic year. I’m going to miss those vibrant Year 13 students and wish them all the best for their future endeavours! Bring on 2016! Andrea Hanson

A Midsummer Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dream

44 music

Smokefree Rockquest Once again, we have had the pleasure of being a part of Smokefree Rockquest. This year, we formed The Leftovers which consisted of a guitarist (Selina Dixon) and a vocalist (Lilian Stott). We crafted two originals, one called The Truth and the other called He Waits. After months of practice, the time had finally arrived. Unfortunately, they expected us to perform only one of our compositions. This was a pity, but we persevered and our months of work were condensed into four minutes. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to perform and share our original piece with other keen musicians. We are planning on taking part next year and hope that other students will as well. Lilian Stott and Selina Dixon

Chamber Music Competition The Chamber Music Competition is a national competition featuring a range of schools. Darfield High School had three groups, consisting of Emma Grigg, Kathryn Barnhill, Isaac Proud and Imogen Groom in the Sassy Saxophones; Imogen, Isaac, Kieran McKay and Ellen Walters in the Clariphones; and Ellen, Emma, Sarah Baker and Leigh Walters in the String group. We performed at Middleton Grange on Thursday 11 June. For some people, it was the first time participating in this competition, making it quite a nervewracking experience. All the groups were really happy with how it went, and received positive comments from the judges. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking forward to next year and performing at an even higher level. Ellen and Emma

Darfunk 2015 was to be a successful year for Darfunk, Darfield High School’s Jazz Ensemble. Consisting of nine members, we were all committed to working together to create a cool, funky sound. After many practices throughout Terms One and Two, we were confident and ready for our competitions in August. First was the CPIT Jazz Quest, held in Christchurch at the Jazz School. This was a great first competition, and we were awarded a Bronze Award. The next week, we headed up to Blenheim for the highly anticipated Southern Jam Jazz Festival. Jazz groups from all across the South Island flock to Blenheim during this time for a fun-filled week of gigs, live music and, of course, the competition. This year, our judged performances were early on the second day. Although we were a bit nervous, this performance went extremely

well. After this, we were able to relax a little more for the rest of the week. We had some really enjoyable gigs with fantastic audiences at amazing venues. Eventually it was time for prize giving—we were thrilled to find out we were being awarded with a Silver Award! This was what we had been aiming for, so it was great to see that our efforts had paid off. After returning to school, we began preparing for Talent Quest, where we enlisted Mr Gough to assist us in doing a cover of Uptown Funk. This was a fun piece which we all had a great time playing. We were lucky enough to be voted the Most Entertaining Act of the competition. Overall, we had an amazing year playing funk music, none of which would have been possible without the support of Mrs Balchin. Now, we’re all looking forward to what 2016 will bring! Kathryn Barnhill

Kitchen Showdown The school kitchen was abuzz with excitement with Year 10 students competing in the Maggi Kitchen Showdown. Teams of four created a healthy meal for a family for under $20, using at least one Maggi ingredient. The competition is an annual event run by Maggi to encourage students to get in the kitchen and cook. Darfield students impressed with their innovative menus. The winning team, Not So Masterchefs: Cameron Brunton, Courtney Newell, Toni Forsythe-Walton and Natasha Young, created yummy Salmon and Rice Parcels.

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TECHNOLOGY FOOD AND NUTRITION 2015 has been the first full year that we been in the new Food room. The students have enjoyed using the new equipment and it is great to use a room that is fully equipped and easier to use. For the first time, Senior students have had the opportunity to participate in a Barista course. Students loved the experience, honing their coffee making skills and creating a buzz around the school with spectators eager to sample their products. We hope to offer a Barista course as a permanent part of our subject and can’t wait to put a coffee machine in to cater to this popular skill. The Senior students have been working hard investigating a number of interesting and important topics relating to New Zealand’s health and nutrition. The World Health Organisation recommends we consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar in our daily diet. A can of Coke, alone, has 10 teaspoons of sugar!!! We have delved into the complex strategies that companies use to make us consume their products. The aim of Home Economics is to make students think critically about their diets and, with statistics showing one in three New Zealanders is overweight or obese, thinking about what we put in our mouths is an essential skill for everybody. Junior Food Technology, as usual, has been abuzz with innovative ideas for new food products. The kitchen is always a fun place to visit during Food Technology classes. Students are creating new ice cream flavours, Kiwiana pizzas, creative cookies, and healthy ‘takeaways’, to name a few.

47 it

Risk taking and innovation are the key and it’s great to see Darfield High School students thinking outside the box. This year, the Year 10 cohort participated in the annual Maggi Kitchen Showdown. For a lunchtime, the kitchen was humming with students all competing to create a fabulous meal for four, which was healthy and cost no more than $20. The winning team’s creation, a smoked salmon parcel, was put on the Maggi website for the public to see and make. A grand effort! Hospitality, Home Economics and Food Technology continues to be a very popular subject at Darfield High School. The students naturally have a good awareness of cooking and the products they create continue to be of a high standard. We are very thankful to have awesome facilities to hone our skills in. Sarah Waters

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Design and Visual Communication In Year 9 this year, we altered the programme to include a more Computer Aided Design focus, with students designing and presenting a robot on SketchUp. Further to this, we had CPIT bring their robotics programme, VEX IQ, out to school and the students were challenged to build computer-controlled robots and race them around a conservation-themed course. Lots of fun was had by all. Year 10 focused on developing studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CAD skills while designing an iPod docking station. During the design process of the iPod dock, we spent a bit of time looking at presentation skills and began learning ideation and conceptual design and development. Year 11 had a strong focus on furthering presentation, design and development in the creation of a Desktop Organiser and then a Tramping Hut. From the Tramping Hut design, a set of architectural plans was generated. In Year 12, the emphasis was on divergent thinking while developing a design for a water feature, and finding a blend of ways to best visually communicate the design ideas. We then changed our attention to spatial design with the re-development of the School Canteen and developing this design through to architectural plans. Year 13 was all about design creation and ideation: taking your own design idea from initial idea stage, through design process, and resolving it through to completion. It provided an opportunity for students to be in control of their own design process and create a unique spatial or product design. Chris Curtin

n o i s vi is the tru e

e v i t a e cr

rhythm 48 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

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50 7

digital technologies Comic Strip Year 7 DTG have been studying information about How to keep Cyber Safe. As part of the course the students planned and created a comic strip depicting a potential Cyber Safety issue. Here is part of a comic strip by Ria Kelly 7CS

Cyber Safety Comic: Privacy protection comic-strip

by 15kellyr (Ria)

8 Digital Footprints Year 8 DTG have been studying information about their Digital Footprint. All of the students’ work for the semester was put into an e-portfolio (website) that they created. George Hamilton

App Inventor Year 9 DTG has been learning how to create android apps using a site called App Inventor. App Inventor is a cloud based tool which means you can build the apps on any web browser and then test them either on an android device or on the computer using an emulator. Students have focussed on creating an app to use as a ‘Brain Break’ from homework and the range of apps created has been fantastic!

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Sophie Palmer

10 Computer Programming One of the topics in Year 10 is Computer Programming. Students are taught the basics of programming and for their project can create a game of their choice. This is done using the Software Scratch which is a drag and drop concept allowing students to join blocks together to create the code.

Websites For the digital media component of this course, students are taught how to code websites using HTML 5 and CSS languages. They are also taught how to edit images using GIMP, an open-source software similar to PhotoShop. Below is an example from Danielle Cooper and her website on Cyber Safety. The aim of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; websites was to educate their peers about how to be safe on the Internet and where to go for help.

12/13 Media In Years 12 and 13, students are asked to create an outcome for a particular client. Year 12 students were asked to create a new logo/ mascot for the school canteen and Year 13 students had to find their own client and work with them to create an outcome.

Georgina Brown

Rebecca Fickling

Liam Hindle

Emelia Todd-Lister

Will Gross

Jessica Neville Jack McConnell

Jasmine Nash

Sam Dorsey YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 51

Soft Materials 2015 has been a busy and productive year and has gone from strength to strength. Throughout the year, we have been very fortunate to have the addition of new Bernina sewing machines and overlockers for the students to use. Students in the Junior school have been planning, designing and making a variety of projects:

The Year 10 students made oven mitts and hoodies. They studied fabrics made from polar fleece - natural fibres vs fabric made of plastic. They learnt many aspects of using a commercial pattern to create their hoodies, as well as the use of colour combinations. They are finishing the year with a Christmas theme.

The Year 7 students were introduced to working safely in the Soft Materials room, and basic hand stitching and machine sewing skills to make pin cushions. They then made a small pillow building on the skills and creativity that they had learnt.

The Senior students have had a busy and challenging year doing Technology Soft Materials by Correspondence. A very special thanks to Mrs Pat Gill for the time, support and patience she has given to the students while they were doing their Achievement Standards.

Year 8 students made wheat bags and aprons. The aprons proved fun but challenging with the students and it was great to see some very good skills and creativity. The aprons were made so that they can be worn in Food Technology classes.

In the lead-up to the festive season, we are making Christmas decorations for our classroom, as well as making small gifts and cards for a child or elderly person. This is to showcase studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own Christmas traditions and creativity.

Year 9 students were given the challenge to plan, design and make an Ugly Creature that had different animal features and was made of recycled materials. The creatures showed the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; creativity and their hand and machine sewing skills.

Soft Materials remains a favourite place for students to come and learn valuable skills and make some creative products. It has been a fantastic year and we can look forward to another exciting year next year. Aileen Walker

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Hard Materials

It has been a busy year for all year levels. Year 7 students have designed picture frames based on the photograph that they brought to class. The brief is to bring the photo out of the frame and turn it into a 3D model. This is achieved by adding features to the frame. Year 8 students brought pictures to the Hard Materials class and glued them to a backing. From this point, the students designed a maze game that had to be challenging to solve. Year 9 students were introduced to the skill of cutting timber veneers. Their design brief was to produce a clock face that had a four-way diamond match. This required precision cutting, using surgical scalpels, and matching veneers

in a diamond pattern. Once the clock face was complete, the students were required to construct an easel for it to stand on. Year 10 students were taught the skills of wood turning and upholstery. The first project was to design a free-standing lamp with a turned column on an elliptical base. The second project was a footstool with four identical turned legs and an upholstered top of their own choice. Years 11 and 12 Furniture Making students made a variety of pieces of furniture that are linked to the Competenz Unit Standards. The challenge for these students is to reach a very high standard of craftsmanship with each of their products. Gavin Chalk

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Rural College

our year: In early March, Year 12 students travelled to Oxford to install hundreds of battens on sheep fences. By the time each student had installed many battens, they were quick and proficient at their task. Much earlier in the year, Year 11 students completed fencing a local life-style paddock. This involved digging and ramming strainer and fence posts, hanging gates, and running electric top wires. This provided hugely valuable experience as students had just completed their theory unit on fencing.

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In July, students from Years 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 travelled to McLeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island to compete against other Christchurch schools in the Canterbury Schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Agricultural Skills Competitions. Georgia Wilson, above, won the top Quad Bike rider in Canterbury, of either gender, which was a magnificent achievement. Blair Manson won the Overall Best Competitor award in the Advanced Competition. A great result! Students, below, competed in the permanent fencing module. Students had 15 minutes to complete a short fenceline with several knots and insulators.Students also competed in Electric Fencing, Tractor Driving, Chemical Spraying, and Motorbike Riding skills.

In mid-winter, Year 13 students weighed, drafted, DNA-sampled, and drenched 500 yearling dairy heifers. Each student rotated through each of the jobs, which took most of the day. A high level of skill was displayed by each of our students. Our Advanced team also competed in the Sheep Identification and drafting module, where their general knowledge of sheep breeds and general sheep knowledge was tested. Then they had to draft nominated sheep into a separate pen. During the very cold and wet weather that followed the heavy snowfall in winter, a small group of Year 11 students constructed a 50-metre post and rail fence in Whitecliffs.

Despite the wet, rocky ground and a nearby pond leaking into all of the fence post holes, the fence was completed to a high standard. The start of the calving season presented the opportunity for Year 13 students to spend part of the day out in the field with dairy cows in the process of calving. They then spent several hours inside the calf shed trying to coax newborn calves to drink from a calfateria for the first time. A lot of patience was required!

In early September, Year 12 students completed week two of tailing a large mob of local sheep. Students had to muster, tail, castrate, ear-mark, and drench hundreds of lambs. This was the second year at the same property for these students and they quickly built on their prior learning to complete the job to a high standard. In mid-October, Year 13 students had their last-ever practical day where they travelled to Glenthorne Station to sample life on a high country station. For many students, this was their first experience of farming beyond the flat lands surrounding Darfield.

In late October, Year 12 students travelled to Annavale station and mustered and tailed 1700 lambs. In late October, Year 11 travelled to Millarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farm at Peak Hill Station. Students participated in a wide range of activities, from tailing lambs and viewing stud bulls, to watching sheep being shorn and viewing a sheep dog demonstrationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x160;all in superb weather conditions. Rex Smith

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 55

No breakfast. Slam. Another boy isolated. Slam. Punches thrown. Slam.We are society. We slammed those doors shut. Our wilful ignorance locked them. Are you okay with that? I am very proud to say that I have not only been involved in five Stage Challenges, but have also played a part in leading one. For those who don't know, Stage Challenge is a student-led dance and drama production where we take an issue in our society and perform it to a judging panel and a stadium audience. It all began last year—ideas for theme, choreography, costuming, etc were things our committee started to play around with. We were quickly set on this year’s theme of Behind Closed Doors, where we look at the issues hidden in many family homes. Brock, Cherry, Amanda, Lois, Brie, Paige, Savannah and I took charge of it. With 80 on-stage performers, we really had our work cut out for us. Walking along the street, would you notice the difference between a home and a house of terror? Take a look behind the closed doors.

56 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

2015 Poverty, male depression and domestic violence are hidden. No breakfast. Slam. Another boy isolated. Slam. Punches thrown. Slam. We are society. We slammed those doors shut. Our wilful ignorance locked them. Are you okay with that? On Thursday 14 May, our cast and crew all headed to Horncastle Arena for a full-on day of rehearsals, meetings, make up, hair and, of course, our final performance. I cannot put into words how proud I am of the performance we put together. There are so many people I am yet to thank: Torlesse Travel, all our sponsors, the committee, and the staff who backed us the whole way. A massive shout out to Ms Blakemore—without her we would all be nearly insane. And of course, thanks to the cast—you guys filled me with happiness throughout the meetings, rehearsals and hair

and make up sessions. Walking off stage that last time, we knew we did our school proud. Emma Forbes

Darfield High School was awarded four awards on the night: Award of Excellence for Performance Skills Award of Excellence for School Community Award of Excellence for Visual Enhancement Award of Excellence for Environmental or Social Awareness

DARFIELDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

GOT

Darfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual quest for the best talent brought some new surprises this year. Highly polished performances by students in singing, dance, music and variety entertained the crowd and kept them guessing. However, Maia Adams, right, took out the grand award with her Butterfly Dance, performed on high silks suspended from the rafters. Well done to all those who competed.

Results: Runner Up Dance: Teresa Barnhill Best Dance: Caitlin Knowles and Sophie Kingi Runner Up Vocal: Kate Morris Best Vocal: Holly Kimber Best Group: Jazz Band Best Variety: Maia Adams Most Entertaining: Darfunk Rising Star: Teresa Barnhill Overall Runner Up: Caitlin Knowles and Sophie Kingi

Overall Winner: Maia Adams

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 57

Shave for a Cure Shave Day had finally arrived, thanks to a lot of work from Will, Brie, and Mr Adams. The shavers, consisting of 20 students and four teachers, began the long wait for their turn in the chair. The Hall filled with supporters eager to see their favourite students and staff lose their luscious locks to the good cause of Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Research. We began the snip with the teachers and Year 13s and immediately got a great response from the crowd. Whoops and cheers could be heard for miles as the brave Mrs Ferguson-Brown had her ponytail cut off and donated it to be made into a wig. The crowd got louder as the other teachers and students stepped up for a trim, especially when the last of Kōkā's braids were cut off! The shavers all came out the other end smiling and looking fantastic, and Mr Gough was looking a little ‘Shawn’. The Shave auction was again held this year and students and staff could bid to be the one that shaved one of our Shavees. This year, the highest bid was $52 to Shave Tane Nikora’s afro!

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New this year to the Shave Programme was the introduction of ‘Hats for a Head’. Jasmine Nash and Samara Crosby came up with the idea of knitting hats and selling them to staff and students as a way to raise money for Shave for a Cure. They enlisted some avid knitters from the Darfield Community and sold hats at lunchtimes leading up to Shave Day. All in all, they raised $230 for the DHS Shave crew—an awesome effort and a great idea. Thanks to all of those who knitted for this cause. Mr Adams, Will Gross, Brie Gullery, and the Shavees would like to give a massive thanks to Lisa, our resident hairdresser from New Image, for cleaning up some of the interesting shave styles, and to anyone and everyone who donated their time, money, and effort in order to raise money for this fantastic cause. Congratulations to everyone involved—we raised over $7481.10, which made us the third highest fundraising school in New Zealand. Awesome work once again! Brie Gullery and Will Gross

World Vision: 40 Hour Famine Thank you to everyone who contributed this year by taking part in the 20 or 40 Hour Famine, sponsoring students and supporting them over Famine Weekend, or by attending our Famine Disco—with your help, our school raised a whopping $5328.60!

us the news that our school had been awarded four places at the Intermediate Scholarship Day. This was a rewards day for four students, full of fun activities, leadership development and presentations from some of New Zealand’s top experts in development.

Lauren Stewart, World Vision Schools’ Coordinator, visited our assemblies to thank students and tell them a bit about where their fundraising would be spent. She, along with the senior Leadership Team, also presented certificates to the Top Ten Collectors, and gave

Brock Hatton, our top collector, spoke to the school about a fantastic opportunity he has been involved in—applying to become a Youth Ambassador for World Vision. From 200 applicants, he was in a group of 20 selected to attend a leadership camp in Auckland.

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 59

Teams of 10 students from four schools, with one teacher per team, compete against each other over a period of five days. The team with the most points at the end of the voyage wins the Spirit Trophy!

Spirit of Adventure Arriving in Auckland around 8.30 am, we got our luggage and took the bus to Princes Wharf and that’s where we saw the Spirit of Adventure ship in harbour. It was MASSIVE! After unpacking our bags and waiting for the other schools, we then got the safety tour around the boat and got told the ‘do’s’ and the ‘don’ts’. Tour completed, we headed out of the harbour and away from Auckland City. Our first activity was to learn how to tie knots and to put up the mainsail. This was a good way to start off and we worked well as a team. After, we went down into the main cabin to have afternoon tea and then back up on deck to play some games! Our first one was speed dating. It was really enjoyable and we all got to know each other better and had a good laugh. We then had a game to see who could remember who. That was funny too. By then it was dinnertime, which by the way was fantastic! An excerpt from the students’ diary: Day 5 started as usual, with a warm-up and a swim. Once everyone was dressed and warm, we headed down to the Aft Cabin for breakfast—today’s breakfast was toast as usual, but with tinned spaghetti, and porridge with fruit and brown sugar. After breakfast, we headed up to the Aft Deck for colours; we were told the weather and where we would be going (rather unnecessary today); as this was the last day, we didn’t get a points update because the trophy would be handed out today. After colours, we had team talks and cleaning stations: today was vegetable prep, but there wasn’t going to be dinner that night, so we could keep talking tactics. Later all the teams on the trip did a raft challenge—first we

60 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

attempted to do a tug-o-war within the rafts to see who was the strongest team at rowing but, after two turns of tug-o-war, we decided the current was too strong and the team on the left would always win. So Andy came up with a solution—a raft race around the boat and, as we went opposite ways, it often ended in a head on collision at one point or another around the boat. So the final came down to us and Kuranui High or KC. We paddled well around the boat but the others did too; however, we finished strongly and we fractionally beat Kuranui; we went so fast, we had a head on collision that ended up with our boat half on top of the others’ boat. For some reason that day, we had a man overboard drill. They told us what we would need to do, then they threw a buoy in the water and we leapt into action. Everyone who wasn’t pointing at the man/buoy overboard was at muster stations; then Alisdair asked us to get on a rope so that they could lower the boat into the water. After they got the buoy back, we were allowed to just mill around on deck and take in the surroundings of Rangitoto Island and approaching Auckland. Assembled for the last time in our colours, it was revealed that the challenges from the last two days came down to us and Sancta Maria, but we had won the Spirit of Adventure! With only three points in it, everybody exploded and started cheering and saying “good job”! After we had docked onto Princes Harbour, we started to unload the boat and get all the gear off it. George Gibb, Cameron Brunton, Andrew Coppard, Harrry Bampton, Jayden Hann, Shae Reid, Katelyn McKay, Remington Evans, Teri Jackson, and Bronte Thomas.

Cross Country

champions

Age Year 7 Boys Year 7 Girls Year 8 Boys Year 8 Girls Under 14 Boys Under 14 Girls Under 15 Boys Under 15 Girls Under 16 ½ Boys Under 16 ½ Girls Over 16 ½ Boys Over 16 ½ Girls

Winner Ethan Rose Teresa Barnhill Jayden Dysart Stefanie McKenzie Rhys Clatworthy Maddie Beardsmore Matt Grigg Leigh Walters Isaac Proud Georgia Shinn Tim Logan Ciara Rayne

Runner-Up Matthew Ashworth Caitlin Knowles Johnny Sims Jenny Walter Jackson Proud Penny Mitchell Harry Bampton Aeryn McMillan-Da Via Nathaniel Dysart Jessica Osborne Edward Searle Olivia Shinn YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 61

Triathlon champions

INDIVIDUAL Senior Boys Years 11–13 1. Isaac Proud 29.11 2. George Watson 29.23 3. Tim Logan 31.57

Intermediate Girls Years 9 & 10 1. Emma Pennells 34.04 2. Niamh Rayne 39.39 3. Penny Mitchell 39.25

TEAMS Senior Boys Years 11–13 1. Morgan Heselwood/Devon Crequer/Dylan Cagney 2. Aidan Tuhill/Sam Dalley/Edward Searle 3. Aidan Tuhill/Michael Ridgen/Ben Millar

29.09 30.18 32.02

Senior Girls Years 11–13 1. Ciara Rayne 34.25 2. Jessica Osborne 38.30 3. Lilian Stott 39.11

Junior Boys Years 7 & 8 1. Ethan Rose 29.15 2. Harry Cookson 31.04 3. Isaac Earl 31.11

Senior Girls Years 11–13 1. Pippa Foster/Harriet Watson/Brogan Baldwin 2. Emma May/Courtney O’Callaghan/Chelsea Wilson 3. Sheree Tomlinson/Olivia Shinn/Courtney Townsend

25.05 26.17 34.33

Intermediate Boys Years 9 & 10 1. Jeroen Breunisse 29.36 2. Harry Bampton 29.51 3. Sam King 32.77

Junior Girls Years 7 & 8 1. Caitlin Rayne 32.43 2. Scarlett Banks 32.59 3. Stefanie McKenzie 33.49

Mixed Years 11–13 1. Matt Grigg/Hamish Evans/Emma Grigg 2. James Doherty/Nathaniel Dysart/Celine Didham 3. James Thornley/Georgia Cottrell/William Benbow

21.57 23.42 26.02

Intermediate Boys Years 9 & 10 1. Ged Roessink/Thomas Williamson/Sam Francis 2. Mitchell Longdin/Lachlan Summerfield/Ben Kimber 3. Cole Spinks/Toby Kars/Toby Gross

31.21 32.14 34.11

Intermediate Girls Years 9 & 10 1. Ashleigh Cridge/Piper Heenan/Hannah Forrester-Rolton 36.25 2. Bronte Thomas/Jodie Rollings/Shae Read 36.44 3. Olivia Lemon/Emma Kellock/Natasha Young 37.14 Junior Boys Years 7 & 8 1. Jesse Gray/George McIntosh/Caleb Curtin 2. Will Davidson/Lachlan Adams/Angelo Barrimond 3. Taylor Barnes/Cameron O’Donnell/Scott McKay

62 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

30.29 32.28 32.34

Junior Girls Years 7 & 8 1. Annabelle Jones/Rozlyn Doherty/Mika Wealleans 2. Teresa Barnhill/Katie Molloy 36.26 3. Georgie Hamilton/Casey Roessink/Sophie Davis

37.55

Mixed Years 7 & 8 1. Georgie Sarginson/Sophie Kingi/Reuben Boyes

32.49

35.27

Swimming

Champions Age U13 Boys U13 Girls Junior Boys Junior Girls Intermediate Boys Intermediate Girls Senior Boys Senior Girls Event 50 m Butterfly Junior Boys Medley Junior Boys 50 m Butterfly Senior Girls Medley Senior Girls 100 m Backstroke Senior Girls

Champion Daniel Baxter Jenny Walter Ethan Taylor Abigail Tuhill Hunter Benbow Emma May Aidan Tuhill Celine Didham

Name Ethan Taylor Ethan Taylor Celine Didham Celine Didham Renee Curtin

Runner-Up Caleb Curtin Caitlin Knowles Callum Murdoch Laura Ashworth Harry Bampton Holly Kimber Michael Millar Renee Curtin

New Record 40.80 1.29.81 41.45 1.27.59 1.31.57

Previous 45.19 1.35.30 41.47 1.32.47 1.35.21

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 63

To the wonderful Kikorangi House! It has been a pleasure for us to be a part of this hard-working House who always try their hardest when the time comes to participate in the House events with encouragement and enthusiasm, as well as the determined faces always supporting one another. We have to admit that being House Captains has had its highs and lows. The lows are not bad—they just remind you that, although you didn’t win everything, the next time you are more determined to win. However, the highs are what make being a House Captain the best experience ever. Being able to see everyone in their blue attire and putting so much effort into each event makes me feel very proud to say that we help to motivate and push you guys to the best that you can be.

64 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

It is also awesome to see everyone chanting as loud as they can to outdo the other Houses! It creates an awesome atmosphere! We have been privileged to witness this from everyone in the Kikorangi House this year and how proud we are of everyone! We may not have won every event, but we gave it our best shot! The ones we did win, however, like the House Quiz and the Oral Tapestries, show how well-rounded we are in both sporting and academic areas. Our best wishes to all of the House next year and to the new House Leaders who we’re sure will be just as supportive, fun and willing to do the best for the House. Go hard, keep your heads held high, and you all will achieve great things. REMEMBER! KIKORANGI FOR THE CUP, YEAH, KIKORANGI FOR THE CUP!

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 65

That Heart is Pure Gold... Welcome to the House summary that everyone’s been waiting for. We know you skipped over the other three just to read this first, so let’s get into it. It’s definitely been a crazy year of House competitions, and Rawhiti hit the ground running with House Mufti. Thanks to our walking banana girls, minions, and assorted yellow costumes, Rawhiti won first place! Our House spirit and enthusiasm never failed us as we continued to excel in events throughout the year— Athletics, Swimming Sports, Triathlon and World Vision, to name just a few.

66 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Our biggest challenge as House Captains was conquering House Singing, arguably the most prestigious House event of the year. As much as we’d love to say that organisation for this was smooth sailing, this may not be strictly true. Sure, we didn’t make it particularly easy for ourselves by choosing Ed Sheeran’s Don’t — a song hailed for its speed and lyrical complexity —but we knew it had potential, and Rawhiti certainly delivered. The challenge made winning House Singing all the more rewarding, and this has easily been our greatest accomplishment of the year. Ahlamhlala.

and last-minute organisation skills. Our new motto, “The last minute is the best minute”, has seen us through many challenging scenarios. Proceeding to Talent Quest Finals, with a flash-mob act organised 10 minutes before our performance, definitely stood out as a highlight. Lastly, a thank you to all the people who were there to help us out along the way. The staff of Rawhiti, Mrs Wilson (our House Leader) and, finally, the House members themselves. Don’t mess with Yellow.

Being House Captains came with many surprises, greatly enhancing our improvisation

Jois

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 67

Tawera House We're pretty sure all other houses are RED with envy when it comes to the Houses. And this year, it has been incredible to lead and watch Tawera work harder than ever, charging towards the House Cup. The year began with a bit of a low as one of our fellow leaders (Brie) was in LA. However, our confidence was not lost going into the Mufti Day Costume competition, and we managed to at least beat Waimak and come in second equal with Kiko. Upon Brie’s return, Tawera went into ‘Parkour’ mode and tore up the other Houses, coming first in Swimming Sports, Triathlon AND Athletics. Term One is always pretty hectic but, at every single event, a sea of red swamped the other Houses. Going into Term Two, you would have expected all of us to have settled into proper study habits and be hammering out the internals. Obviously, again Tawera has been working out, making gains, and being heroes in our community, because we were blown away by some amazing results: first for World Vision participation, first for

68 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Stage Challenge and second for Cross Country. One of the biggest House events is House Singing, which has heaps of points at stake. Taking on a Bill Withers classic, Lean on Me, was one of the best decisions we ever made. It represented everything we ever witnessed in our House— seeing students pulling their friends round the Cross Country course, picking up on when people are down, helping and sympathising with them, showing respect by standing out from the crowd and supporting and helping a friend when they are in need. Watching our House come on stage, walking with pride and wearing bright red sashes, was a moment that we will never forget. One of the best comments from the judges was that we had the biggest smiles —which shows how a big smiling impact can take you straight to an amazing second placing. Throughout Term Three, Tawera kept on bringing us phenomenal results: first for Production, first equal for the House Quiz and second for Oral Tapestries. So now we are at the tail end of Term Four, having just competed in our last major sports

competition —Tabloid Sports. Even on that freezing cold day, Tawera spread the heat across the field. Some pretty awesome Year 12s managed to get a second placing for the wheelbarrow competition and pulled together some intense tug-o-war teams. We won two out of three of the tug-o-wars which, along with the points from the rotational events, gave us second placing. This year, we didn't need to do anything fancy — we didn’t need a new chant, or some big guitarists, or to be named after a river. A bit of red insulation tape, a heap of enthusiastic Year 7s, and the next Usain Bolt or Einstein are what we need for our four-peat. The first word that comes to mind when we think of Tawera is PRIDE. Right from day one, both of us have always been proud to be in this mighty House. Lots and lots of love and good luck for the future competitions— Red is in your blood. As a wise man once said (cheers, Mr Gough): Once a Tawerian, always a Tawerian. Emma and Brie xx

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 69

Waimakariri House Will and I were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to lead the Waimakariri House this year. It has been a great and rewarding experience which neither of us will ever forget. When we put our names down to be House Captain, in all honesty I didn’t think I would get the role of Deputy House Leader because the other candidates were just as capable as I was but, somehow, we have made it through the whole year without having a mental breakdown. This year has been one of our more successful as a House—we didn’t come fourth in each event! Waimak has the best personality because we never give up, which is vital as we are the smallest House. We are the ‘Dark Horses’ of the House Competition and, in the near future, with the right attitude, Waimak could definitely take the House Cup and win for the year. The highlight of my year was definitely the Tabloid Sports tug-o-war! I loved seeing the drive and strength our House has when they work together as one; we ended up the winner of the tug-o-war! BONUS!

70 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

All in all, this year has been the most challenging of all my years at Darfield High School, but it has also been the best, because of Waimak and our fellow Waimakaririans. I'll miss you, wai-tards! Good luck for next year, future leaders. Don’t give up on them, they will definitely surprise you with what they can do :) Georgia Cridge Waimak, easily the House with the most character and fight; after all these years of finishing in a low position, we still fight just as hard every year. House Leader is not an easy job, but it is a position which Georgia and I were lucky enough to have this year. This job has been stressful at the least, with all the preparation which was needed for events, namely House Singing and Tabloid Sports, but this experience has been totally worth it. With Ms Evans guiding us through the tough times which were presented, we were able to finish with yet another improvement on our House points total, coming first in Cross Country, and third in both Swimming Sports and Triathlon. The House started strongly this year and, although we finished on a numerical low, our

hearts have finished higher than ever. Oh, and we won the tug-o-war. In conclusion, the position of House Leader has been an absolute privilege and a pleasure; although it presented many challenges over the year, we both greatly appreciate this position as it allowed both of us to grow as people and as leaders. Waimakariri is our House, and we are the best House—results are not everything; it’s the people who count, and the bonds we have made and the experiences we have had are irreplaceable and unforgettable. We love you with all of our hearts, Waimak; you have done us incredibly proud. Thank you for everything. Will Gross Events Swimming Sports: 3rd Cross Country: 1st Triathlon: 3rd Athletics: 4th House Singing: 4th House Quiz: 3rd equal Tabloid Sports: 4th

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 71

Records Broken Old Record New Record Callum Murdoch Under 14 Boys High Jump Brodie Wanhalla Under 14 Boys Javelin William Brown Under 12 Boys Shot Put

Athletic

Champions 72 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

1.595 m (set 2013) 28.81 m (set 2005) 9.12 m (set 1986)

Age U12 Boys U12 Girls U13 Boys U13 Girls U14 Boys U14 Girls U15 Boys Junior U15 Girls Junior U16 Boys Intermediate U16 Girls Intermediate O16 Boys Senior O16 Girls Senior

29.34 m 29.34 m 9.19 m

Champion Johny Hart Scarlett Banks Cameron O’Donnell/Nik Hodgman Zoe Spinks Samuel Manson/Callum Murdoch Emma Pennells Harry Bampton Molly Buist-Brown/Esther Blain Isaac Proud Chelsea Wilson Harry Pringle Ciara Rayne

Runner-Up Harry Cookson/Tyler Tapa-Wither Lucy Mitchell Jesse Sutherland Stefanie McKenzie George Brown/Rhys Clatworthy Penny Mitchell Michael Dempsey/Matt Grigg Ella Reeves James Doherty/Nathaniel Dysart Courtney O’Callaghan Angus Wilson Cherry Dudley/Sheree Tomlinson

It has been my pleasure to be the Dean of this year group from Years 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 and I am really sad to see them go. They are a wonderful group of students and I am constantly reminding them that they are the 'Best group in the school'. I have enjoyed watching them as they grow into young adults who are prepared to get involved in loads of activities, participating and, in many cases, excelling at the highest level. I wish them all the best as they venture out into further study or work and look forward to hearing about their further successes as the years go by. Louise Blakemore

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 73

When I grow up N: Name NN: Nickname MQ: Best Memories, Quotes A: Ambition N Scott Taege NN Make sure they tell him that I told the person

about Zayne cause then I get a voucher MQ Why does bread have crusts?—Gemma Waters 2k15 Are plants alive?—Gemma Waters 2k15 Are you sure he wouldn’t just sit in the corner and kill himself since he’s emo? — Thom Rowlands 2k17 It’s pelting down like a sack of potatoes— Haigh Jebson 2k15 A To have at least one acquaintance “Complete the perfect week” Ride the tricycle Eddie Searle Head Boy 2k16 N Liam Bragan NN Leo Wright, L Brags, Leonardo, Lime, maiL MQ setting Fran on fire “she’s as warm as a

bean”—Matt King http://giphy.com/gifs/disney-walt-disney- animation-studios-the-emperors-new-groove- llama-HTwlFLITq7v2 “Suit up!” Barney Stinson A Lick the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty Win the game of gnar Have a student loan of under two million N Emelia Todd-Lister NN Rhack “Tuxedo” Clarke, the “bro-est of bros” MQ The fantastic DHS Jazz Band, Blenheim

elephant encounters, PE/\KE and ‘hovervaughn’ [https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=c43vR_if9Vw] Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll...something...something...STARS! —Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack A Study Design at Victoria University, continue being an absolute music nerd—mastering the keytar, and perhaps become CEO of the Hyperion Corporation. N Shannon Griffiths NN Eruri “Shikishima” Free

Emelia, The Secret Garden, CalcCake Day and all the fun/stressful times in Art. When one door closes, the same one opens. Because it’s a door—Andy Biersack A Go to Victoria University and study Architecture. Hopefully, I will design a building that won’t fall down. N Ella Pearce NN That Bald Feminist Girl MQ They didn’t know how to draw anything!—

Shannon, on Greek vase painting. A Overhaul the entire political and justice systems in favour of the feminist agenda/lawyer. N Ruby Foster NN Rubes MQ Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it

happened—Dr Seuss A To have a long career in which I do not give anyone food poisoning, or burn down a building. N Tuku Thomas NN Tuku ‘tickle me’ Thomas, Gerry Brownlee,

Oliver MQ When I broke my arm twice in a year so I could get sympathy from the ladies. When Sandra added me back on Facebook and instagram. When Helen poked me back. A To successfully complete every play in the Barney Stinson playbook. To get poked back by Sandra. N Weasel NN Jordan Watson, weaseljwatson, Eddie toe MQ “Tidy”, “Not Bad”, “Stunning”, “Gorgeous”,

“Just wing it” A Just wing it. N Amanda Schnell NN A-Man-Duhh MQ Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us

N Caitlin Baylis NN John Cena MQ The first time I almost touched my toes.

I want you underneath me—Gemma Waters 2015 A Become a member of society who does jobs and such. To stay friends with Gemma til we’re 155. N Matt King NN Madame Butterfly, Prophet Mathias,

Matthew, Mother Map, 6money

MQ When Liam climbed through a window and

Mr Smith was there. JK Rowling has 9 letters, Harry Potter has 11, JK Rowling = 9/11—Thom Rowlands A To be continued… N Amber Pont NN Matt King MQ Becoming bffs with Gemma, choking on

Jelly A On the back of 17 camels with 12 cats in my pocket, stay friends with Gemma till we die. N Francesca Dela Cruz NN Fran, Franiqua A Bachelor of Commerce—Accounting N Josh Cook MQ Where is everybody?… Ag day.

back. A Road Worker ;)

N Gemma Waters NN Gemgem MQ caitlin :D Watching Amber choke on jelly A Bachelor of Criminal Justice

N Brie Gullery NN Cheese, Edam, Colby, Camembert, Shorty MQ Pushing Tim off a chair in Year 10.

N Sarah Baker NN “Gibbletape” A To make multi-million dollar films with

Year 12 geography trip. A Bachelor of Arts Majoring in Classics. Move to Italia

A-list actors

N Tom Rowlands NN Thom MQ When I kicked Haigh

Year 12 Geography/Glentanner station A To be a better referee than Wayne Barnes N Aaron Gunn NN Aaron “the love machine” Gunn MQ So I just put something in this box and it will

be in the yearbook? A I don’t know yet, any good ideas? N Haigh Jebson NN Jebbo MQ Get off me, GET THE HELL OFF ME

How are ya? I smell like a used car crash—Matt King A Become a certified Master Builder

N Georgia Cridge NN Cridge, C-ridge MQ You have never been as old as you are today,

and you will never be as young as you are today again, so get shit done and be proud. Stay humble. Everything comes from the kindness of my heart. A To have a career in Stock and Crop production and hopefully help farmers get some increase in profit for all their hard work. n Georgia Wilson nn Wilson, Willy MQ Can I have a piece? A Have a career in the agriculture field. N Julia Anderson nn Julius, Jules, Ju MQ Do I even have a quote?

Man she’s basic—Julia Anderson A Bachelor of Nursing N James Wiremu McMillan nn Jamesy MQ Sometimes when I’m taking a bath, I like

to turn the lights off and pretend I’m in the womb. A Commerce N Savannah Sayer nn Sav MQ But the fish will drown—Cherry Dudley A Bachelor of Commerce N Brock Hatton nn BJ, Fart Bubbles, Broccoli, Boris, Youth

Worker MQ Oh darn it, Brock’s darn gone stolen my girl again—Everyone A Try to stay alive, and possibly a bit of acting here and there. N Cherry Dudley nn Chezza MQ I don’t flirt, I talk; it’s not my fault I’m

smoother than the cream cheese on your bagel A Marketing Management N Lois Burtt Freemantle nn LoLo, Lopis, LoBro, Louie, Louigee, Loyce. MQ No, you should not put fries before guys

as your yearbook quote—mum See kids, I told you I was hot in High School A Bachelor of Architectural Studies

N Emma Forbes nn Eeema, Elmo MQ G-times with team Falcon Punch

Bachelor of Physiotherapy N Chisano Tsugehara nn Chiichan MQ Cross Country, Tabloid Sport A High school teacher N William Gross nn Willy, Willis, Willem, Gross, Will.i.am and... MQ Socrates—Josh Cook

Just a sip—Everyone when speaking to Seth at any party A Bachelor of Arts majoring in History, with ambition to become become a secondary school teacher N Nicole Hamilton-Cross MQ Year 12 Geography Trip A College Golf, Bachelor of Science majoring

in Forensic Chemistry N Kieran Heath nn Kez, Kierbear MQ Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.

What you think; you become. What you feel; you attract. What you imagine; you create. A Bachelor of Natural Medicine N Georgina Brown nn Gina, GGB MQ Dirty, smelly hippies—run them over in

your pickup truck—Mr Quinn A Customs dog handler

N Michael Millar nn Macklemicklemillarmore, Millar MQ Tournament banter

N Nicole Frazer nn Nicollywog, Cole, Not the other Nicole MQ Ashburton lockdown 2k14

If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough Getting 25 fines on tournament for not getting enough fines I’ll stab you with a whale tooth—Tom Rowlands 2K15 A Bachelor of Sport Coaching at Canterbury University N Caidyn Dixon nn Caidy, CaidyBabes MQ Take me out of the oven because I’m

done!—Ryan Copping A Enrolled Nursing then Bachelor N Ciara Rayne nn Cez, C-Razz MQ Accidentally taking a slight (hour) detour

mountain biking on Year Ten camp. Also, dribbling the ball to the wrong hoop in my first basketball game. A Bachelor of Food Science

A scene from hell Purchasing my first genuine Nepalese crafted poncho Breaking my foot at school Michael, sell yourself to me—James Cider A Not be a drop out or sell drugs Last resort—engineer N Honoka Ishida MQ Every single day I spent at Darfield High

School A Tax Accountant N Brittany Hodgman nn Brit, Britta, Burt, Britain, Britnay, Hodge

man, Hodgo, Britney,Brittaneigh, Brittasaurus, ...Britney b***h MQ Don’t take it personally, I don’t like anyone—Brittany to Mr Quinn A To become a sports physical therapist and a sport scientist.

N Madison Coleman nn Maddy, Mads, Gazelle Twin, Gordon,

Gord, Sargent Gord, Madeline, DJ Maddy C, Coolman MQ Ryan and Brit’s amazing rapping skills Year 13 History trip to Arrowtown We don’t have phones because we’re gazelles—Lara Stevens I love books more than people A To travel N Renee Curtin nn Nay MQ I’m so perfect A Just wing it—Jordan Watson N Jonathan Anderson nn Jonny MQ Pinging hard out—harry pingas

She’ll be alright A To be loved by H Pingas and to become a successful manager on a farm. N Lara Stevens nn Lala, Lazzah, Lara Stevens MQ Year 12 Geography trip

I mark in a pink onesie so you get excellence—Mr Quinn A Bachelor of Law N Leigh Isobel McConchie nn Leigh MQ Sleeping on the top of Mt Somers

Spirit of Adventure Making life long friends A Bachelor of Nursing; work in the health sector N Tristan Lancaster nn Tristan MQ view from Mt Somers A Building Apprenticeship N Hanako Nakagawa nn Hana, Na-sann MQ Bungy jumping, star gazing at Tekapo

Touching sheep A Diplomat or policewoman N James Cider nn Jay MQ We’ll be making all kinds of gains, all kinds A Bachelor of Commerce and Laws, Social

Entrepreneurship N Angus Wilson nn Gus, Boo MQ What if when we die, the light at the end of

the tunnel we see, is just us being pushed out of another vagina ;)—Jesus Goddard A God

First XV Rugby 2015 has been a successful year for the Darfield First XV Rugby Team who enjoyed a reasonable season of five wins, four losses and one draw—a good accomplishment for a young team. This year was Darfield’s third year in the Brockbank Graves Competition involving three teams from the West Coast. Though it's only the third year of the competition, it is clear that the First XV is growing; we have a lot of good young players willing to climb up the ranks into leadership positions. This year saw the continuation of the school's haka which helps make younger players aware of the culture of the team and the pride they should show when representing the school. This year, the haka was led by Harry Pringle who was willing to take over the role held by Chevvy Roberts last year. Though the majority of players come from different age groups and club sides, the players all co-operated well in the First XV environment, bonding as a team on away trips, which helped us become a competitive team. A highlight of the season was our first game of the season against Grey High at home. The team's first haka helped to lift the intensity which was a contributing factor to overcoming Grey High 70– 0. In the second Brockbank Graves Trophy game of the season, we faced a well drilled Westland High School side in Hokitika. Though, unfortunately, we lost 24 –19, both teams enjoyed the experience, with both teams showing respect at the after-match as the Westland side gave a piece of greenstone to each member of the Darfield squad. The third fixture of the year was College Day at Burnside Park in Christchurch where the boys put up a good effort to win against Middleton Grange and Geraldine High Schools, but suffered a defeat at the hands of Westland in the pool matches. We were still able to qualify for the Final where we met a spirited Rangiora

78 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

SPORTS High School team. It was a hard-fought game but, unfortunately, we went down 7– 0, ending in second place for the second year running. This shows that Darfield High School’s rugby skills have increased immensely, having made the finals in two consecutive years. The third and final game for our Brockbank Graves competition was against Buller High School. This was once again a home game and we hosted them on the school's main field. The boys put in a solid effort this game but were not able to come away with a win. The game ended in a draw 20–20. The end of Term Two saw the 1st XV depart on a three-day Southern tour, where the team played two games. The first saw us undergo a tough battle against Timaru Boys 3rd XV. A few injuries rocked us early but we soon found our rhythm as we crossed for the first points of the game to lead 5– 0. Two quick tries before half-time saw Timaru leading 12– 0 at the break; in the second half, Timaru held their nerve and some try-saving tackles were needed as our ball-carriers were making great metres. However, Timaru's defence held strong and one late try saw them take out the game 19–12. In the second game, we faced King's College in Dunedin. The first half was a tough encounter, with King’s leading at half-time before a big impact off the bench put us ahead for a 36 –29 win.

First XV and lastly the players themselves for producing some great matches, great memories, and some quality banter. Harry Pringle, Tuku Thomas and Haigh Jebson (Captains) RESULTS: College Day Beat Geraldine High School Lost to Westland High School Beat Middleton Grange Lost to Rangiora High School: 7–0 (Final)

The final game of the year was against the Mt Hutt College 1st XV at home. The game was played hard, as it was the last for the year and the last game for the First XV for some of the senior players. The team really gelled, contributing to a 38–5 win.

Beat Greymouth High School: 70–0 Lost to Westland High School: 24–19 Drew with Buller High School: 20 all Lost to Timaru Boys’ High: 12–19 Beat King’s High School: 36–29 Beat Mt Hutt College: 38–5

To conclude, we would like to thank the coaching staff of Mr Jared Bell and Mr John MacDonald whose organisation made the First XV season possible and enjoyable. We'd like to thank the school for being supportive of the

Season MVP Points 1st Haigh Jebson 2nd Tuku Thomas 3rd Harry Pringle 4th Wade Slater

Years 7 and 8 Rugby BLACK TEAM The Black Team had a great season, despite losing their first game to Ellesmere College and another to Aranui about halfway through the season. These were the only losses that the team had, even when playing Ellesmere and Aranui again. Our forwards were strong and had a good scrum, and our backs were quick and made many breaks. Our kickers found the posts most of the time. The team's biggest rivals were Ellesmere College and Aranui. At Quad Tournament, we combined the Black team and the Maroon team to make a super team called the Darfield Rainbow Warriors, and won our first game against Geraldine by quite a bit. Our second game against Mt Hutt was a great game, with Mt Hutt taking the win by a narrow margin. The boys put up a good fight and started to come back in the second half but Mt Hutt shut us out by scoring twice near the end of the game. Our third and final game was against Ellesmere, which we won. This was the game we wanted to win the most because Ellesmere were one of our biggest rivals and a win against them would count for points in the town competition.

Girls’ Rugby

The Girls’ First XV Rugby Team was made up of a range of students from Years 10, 11, 12, and 13. The team played each week against other schools, including Rangiora, Burnside, and Hillmorton. Darfield, although a small team, didn’t give up without a fight, and gave the other teams good games. The end result was never too far off a win. The girls’ team played five games and scored seven tries overall; the spirit and determination shown by the team were impressive and we

Back in the town competition, we won our games against the minor teams. Our next big game was our second game against Aranui. Aranui didn’t have the team they had the first time, so we beat them. The next game was against Ellesmere in the semi-final. It was a good game with both teams having good and bad moments. Then it was the final against Cathedral Grammar but they defaulted, so we won without playing. All the boys were really happy, especially those from last year’s team. George Ridgen MAROON TEAM The Maroon Years 7 & 8 team has had a rough season, winning their first game but winning on and off through the season. Our forwards were a stocky bunch, the front row especially, and we were frequently injury-struck. Our backs were quick and small but our kicker made a vast improvement. We had our good runs; even our clumsy locks had their tries. During the Quad Tournament, we combined with the Black team and thrashed our rivals, Ellesmere College. We also often made combined teams to compete with some of the harder teams, eventually coming second in the Tournament under the name the rainbow warriors. Harry Smith

were often cheered on by the opposing schools’ supporters. A lot of the girls played so hard it resulted in several injuries, including a broken nose, and injured knees and ankles. But still the team carried on to finish the round. This team would never have happened without the support of Ms Tapa, the Rugby Administrator, and the coaching of Mrs Tomlinson and Mr Dudley. A big thanks to them for their support. Cherry Dudley

Doppelmayr Ski Scholarship Being at Darfield High School, we are very lucky to be able to do a winter ski programme at Porters Ski Field. This year, I have been especially lucky to have been awarded a scholarship from Doppelmayr and I am very grateful for that. I have thoroughly enjoyed it this season, missing only one ski trip. Some of my friends did snowboarding this season and they have improved greatly, especially Sam Francis. One really good addition to the ski field this year is the chair lift—it has been awesome and a great experience. It has been named Easy Rider by one of my mates, Sam Marsh, who also goes to Darfield High School. I would like to thank Darfield High School for all their organising, especially Mr Chalk, Ms Evans and Mr Maude, and I would also like to thank the parents for the transport. I recommend this to anyone as it is an awesome experience. Thank you to Doppelmayr for this opportunity. Toby Gross Firstly, I would like to say thank you very much for the scholarship. It provided me with a great opportunity to learn outside of school. This was my third year of the Ski Programme and it’s definitely the best option by far if you are interested in learning to ski. I remember when I was little and my Dad tried to teach me, ending up with a kid who didn’t want to learn and a father that didn’t have much patience left. The Ski Programme was fantastic, in my opinion. I’m far more confident on the ski fields compared to just a few years ago when I was a nervous wreck with no idea what I was doing. Since then, I am far more comfortable going at faster speeds, and I rarely fall over (which is the best part). Turning is most certainly a breeze and I know how to use the ski poles properly. The ski instructors are always very friendly and extremely helpful. They are great at noticing anything you might be doing wrong so that you can improve, and it’s always a lovely experience to be taught by such great people. This experience was definitely a great one and I know that I will have these skills for the rest of my life. I look forward to returning for more great experiences. Lexie Purvis YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 79

Boys’ 1st XI Hockey Earlier in the year, the Hockey season began, and a bunch of young lads were getting ready for a big season. Coached by George Ridgen and managed by Miss Watherston, we were all keen to get underway. Carrying on from last season’s success in the after-school competition and from a decent run of form on tournament, the side looked relatively similar to the one we fielded last year. Our only casualty was our Captain, Ben Ridgen, so Jonathan Anderson stepped up into this role. Haigh Jebson moved out of the goal into a field role, and Tuku Thomas took back his position in the goal, while Kellen Patfield added some pace up front. The season started strongly, with big wins over Riccarton and Papanui, before we were finally moved up into the third division, which saw us swiftly move to the top of this grade, losing only one game. This meant our promotion to SPL (School Premier League) Division Two, in which we had success, coming away with wins over Lincoln and CBHS 2nd XI. Unfortunately, injury caused the loss of Alex Warrington and Tuku Thomas. Gus Thomas stepped into the goal and played very well in his first game. Leading into Tournament in Oamaru, many of the players were running on a high, after the Malvern U18 side took out the U18 Division One Championship, and were hoping to add another trophy to the list. A final win over Rangiora before our departure gave us a boost before the Coaches Cup got under way. On 31 August, The DHS 1st XI Boys’ Hockey side departed for Oamaru to take part in the Coaches Cup. The support crew for the team included Melissa Jebson, the team mother who cooked us a meal each night, Miss Watherston, manager, and our coach, George Ridgen. Our first match was against Gore High. A quick start from our strikers saw us with an early lead, going into half-time 3–0 up. Another five in the second half saw us with a convincing win. Our second game was later in the day, against the hometown side St Kevin’s. After a shaky start, we eventually came out on top, with a solid 5–1 win. After our hot/cold session at 80 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

the Aquatic Centre, we settled in for the night with a comfortable lead at the top of Pool B. Next was Papanui High and they made us work for it, but we came out on top, winning 8–1 in poor conditions, with flooding making it very difficult to get the ball moving. We also had a birthday to celebrate on this day, with key defender Matt King turning 18. He begrudgingly took part in the festivities, even after a rather rude awakening from a fellow team member. We played Lincoln early on Wednesday, and some confusion resulted in a cheeky Lincoln goal. We put this loss behind us and changed up our structure going into the non-competitive match against Logan Park. Not being used to the positions we were in caused a bit of early confusion, but we changed it around which resulted in our winning 5–1. After the day’s play, we kept an eye on the Tournament results. We came out comfortably on top of Pool B and met Buller in the first semi-final. We went into the game focused, and most of the game was dominated by us, but Buller was a very loud team, with some good forwards, and this ultimately led to a counterattack in which they scored. After a very tense last 10 minutes, during which we were deep in their half with them under pressure, the final whistle blew, and Buller came out with the win. We went out for dinner that night allowing the whole team to relax before our game the next day against Dunstan High, playing for 3rd and 4th. Haigh Jebson was another to celebrate his 18th birthday during the week. We started strongly, with a couple of early goals, which saw us go to the break with a nice lead. Dunstan came out firing in the second half, scoring an early goal, but we got another one back. Two late goals from Dunstan saw them level up the match with one minute left. The game ended in a draw, with a sudden death format played to decide the game. For this, we lost our goalie and one of our field players. Dunstan got early possession of the ball and made good use of it. Ending in fourth position, although disappointing, showed us how much we had improved on last year. Having three players

in the top ten for goal scoring (Eddie Searle, Jonathan Anderson and Michael Millar) showed how well we really did, and a few other players weren’t too far behind. Everyone gave their all, and the way we played in some of the games really showed this. I would like to thank Melissa for taking the time to come along and help look after the side. Also to Miss Watherston and George, for taking up their roles again and being a really big help. It was much appreciated. I’d also like to thank the lads that came along. There wasn’t anyone I’d rather have along for both mine and the other Year 13s’ last Tournament. The banter was great, and it really made for a fun week. Michael Millar

Junior Hockey

Beginners to the sport played a good season. Over 12 weeks, the DHS Year 7/8 Hockey team, with Mrs Mallinder as Coach and Juliet Summerfield as Referee, played a tough season at Hagley Park. This team was mixed, playing six-aside with nine players subbing during each 40-minute game. The team were asked about how they felt the season went. Casey said, "Ok, over the games more teamwork was used." Ruby said, "I think it went really well and we tried our best." Overall, the team went really well. For majority of the team, it was their first year playing. Even though we didn't win most of our games, as the ref I think they did amazingly well for a firstyear team and, to any Year 7s who want to give Hockey a try, I suggest that you do—it's a great sport and you will really learn heaps, as well as enjoying it at the same time! Juliette Summerfield and Annalise Selfe

Girls’ Hockey This year, the Girls’ Hockey Team was a very young side and, with six new players, it was a rebuilding year for the team. We went into Tournament Week with pretty low expectations. On Sunday 30 August, the squad of 14 girls travelled the long journey to Cromwell. We woke up on Monday ready to take on St Kevin’s College. We knew this was going to be a tough game but the girls gave it everything and we came away with a solid 3–0 win. This gave us all a confidence boost going into the next day’s games against a strong Cromwell College team who had a home ground advantage. Again, the girls stepped up and played their hearts out, but we could unfortunately manage only a 1–1 draw. We headed back to the motel, gave our bodies some much needed recovery time and prepared ourselves for the second game that day against Logan Park High School. Another 2–0 victory over them saw us finish 1st equal in our pool, and we went through to the play-offs unbeaten. For our quarter final, we unfortunately had a very strong opposition in Dunstan High School

and, although the girls fought hard, we couldn’t keep them out and they took the honours 6–1. This hit us all pretty hard, but we weren’t going to let it affect our next play-off game against an in-form Waitaki Girls’ High. The girls again played an amazing game and came away with a 2–0 win to see us play off for 5th and 6th against Cromwell College, once again. Again, we had a home crowd to battle against, as well as a solid performing team and, although the girls came out firing, we couldn’t quite put this one away and we suffered a 2–1 loss to see us finish 6th out of 14 teams. Tournament, as always, was an amazing time with an awesome bunch of girls. Many memories were made and some great hockey was played. For our young team, this was an awesome achievement and one we will never forget. A big thank-you to our amazing sponsors, Harcourt Insulation, who supplied us with fantastic new training tops (as photographed), and also to Challenge Darfield, Nova Energy and Darfield Seed Cleaning.

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 81

Senior Girls’ Basketball The 2015 season was a great one for the Darfield High School Senior Girls’ Basketball team. We started the season in Division Three of the weekly competition but, after several huge wins, including scores of 94–8 and 62–0, we were moved up three sections into Division Two. With only four weeks left in the competition, we had to step up our game and play to a whole new level of competition. We ended up winning three out of the four games that we played. Unfortunately, due to our late start in the pool, we were able to play off for only 5th and 6th in the finals and, after achieving 5th place in this game, our sights were set on the fast-approaching A Premierships Tournament in Ashburton. In this tournament, there were eight teams in our grade; the top two teams would head to Palmerston North for the National Championships at the end of September. After many weeks of hard training, the tournament finally arrived. We played five games in total over the three days, meaning around two hours of intense basketball each day for the first couple of days of tournament. Of our first three games, we won one game against Rangiora New Life and lost the other two. This meant that we would play against Ellesmere in the semi-finals. It was a close, hard game which we led for the first half of the game but, unfortunately, we ended up missing out on the win by just a few goals. We won our finals, where we were once again competing against RNL, to finish 7th in the competition.

82 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Although this was not the top two that we were aiming for, we improved in leaps and bounds during the three days, learning by watching other teams play and experiencing tough games at a high level of competition. Mr Gough has been an amazing coach for the last several years and his dedication and commitment to the team continue to astound us all. Many times this year he has set his alarm for 5.30 am for our Thursday morning trainings, lost his voice from encouragement, and supported us in improving our basketball skills and knowledge at games and at trainings. We are all hugely appreciative of Mr Gough’s time and effort and couldn’t ask for a better coach. All in all, it was an excellent season for the team. The improvements in the girls’ skills and confidence was clear for everyone to see, and it will be exciting to see how they continue to progress and develop their talents. Unfortunately, it was also the last season for three of us in the team who are in our final year at school, but I know we can all say that the Girls’ Basketball has been a massive highlight of our school years and we have gained so much enjoyment and confidence from it. Even though we may not be quite NBA ready, being in this team this year has been amazing, and we have come together as a team to improve our game, week after week. Every girl in the team should be proud of herself and, if ever in doubt, remember: goldfish. Ciara Rayne

Years 7/8 Basketball This team was a true mix of talented players. We had four boys and four girls, four Year 8s and four Year 7s, four rugby players, three netballers and one footballer, the combination of which brought a skill set unseen by our competition. Only half the team had played basketball before, but that didn’t matter, as the kids showed that great teamwork will always give great results. The Darfield Lakers’ first two games of the season were losses, but then we had eight successive wins! Unfortunately, we lost our semi-final to Ellesmere 9–12 and had to face Lincoln A in the play-off for 3rd and 4th. This was always going to be close, as Lincoln A had beaten us 20–22 at the start of the season. The game went down to the buzzer, not joking, and we won 18 –17 in the final seconds of the game! Superb cheerleading from Ben Knowles on the bench kept the kids’ spirits up throughout. Wonderful sideline support from parents, grandparents, and siblings made the entire season great fun. A big thank-you to the team: Scarlett Banks (only one to out-yell Mrs Armstrong), Harrison Buck (serious defender), Ben Francis (knew all the stats and everyone), Jordy Frew (proshooter), Annabelle Jones (tough enforcer), Hannah King (kept smiling even when exhausted), Caitlin Knowles (never did give that ball up), and Cameron O’Donnell (put his body on the line every single game and still got up smiling), for being fantastic representatives of Darfield High School and playing with outstanding team spirit and dedication. Steph Buck

Year 9 Cricket Team

Senior Boys’ Basketball The 2015 Senior Boys’ Basketball was a bit of a mixed bag, filled with highs and lows, but all in all a good time was had all round! After a poor start to the season, losing the first three games, it was looking like it was going to be a nightmare season. But, after we made a few squad adjustments, bringing in some young, fiery and talented juniors, we were back on track, hammering Rangiora and St Thomas’s in back-to-back weeks. Then, thanks to snow, injury, and sickness, we would miss two crucial games and that would be tough to bounce back from. However, the Darfield team wasn’t that easy to push over and, in the next two games, we earned solid draws against St Andrew’s (division winners) and Hurunui Colleges, when we were playing with the minimum of five players. In the home stretch of the season, we were still in with a good shot for a play-off opportunity. In the final few games, we had a narrow loss

against Cashmere and an easy victory over Unlimited; this meant we had to play in the 5th and 6th play-off game with Cashmere. This game was a close, high-scoring battle but, despite a season high of 35 points for our shooting guard, Juan O’Sullivan, the win wasn’t meant to be, and we ended the season in 6th place—not too bad when contemplating the challenges and obstacles we faced. I would like to thank all the boys who played hard through the season, Mrs Armstrong for driving us to the games, cheering and yelling at us during the games, and stopping for the well-deserved and much appreciated after-game feeds, and our dedicated coach, Campbell Scott, for giving his time to coach us at practice and motivate us during games. If you’re interested in playing next year, have a chat with Mrs Armstrong and she’ll sort it out. All that’s left to say for now is: Bring On Next Season! Michael Campbell

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 83

Junior Volleyball

The Junior Volleyball team has had an amazing season, reaching the finals in the first term and placing second in Junior Division 3. Over the year, our skills have improved through practice and we have gained and lost some players. We have moved up a division and our new players have adjusted well. We would like to say thank you to Mr Mac for coaching us and to the various drivers who have transported us to our games. Olivia Lemon (Co-Captain), Camille Malincon (Co-Captain), Adriana Cornelissen, Julia Trushin, Emily Klaassens, Toni ForsytheWalton, Jodie Rollings, Bronte Thomas, John MacDonald— Coach

senior girls’ volleyball The Senior Girls’ Volleyball team of 2015 made huge improvement as the year progressed. Leaps and bounds were made in the skills we had and the way we played our game. Strategically and skilfully we made heaps of improvement. The year was very enjoyable and we had some really tough and close games. The main team consists of Emily de Rooy, Kyla Higgins, Breanna Hale, Lucy Harrington, Georgia Sutherland, Kristen Blaber-Hunt, Jess Lane, and myself as well as, on occasion, Lexi Sutherland. We were so excited to be able to role model for the junior team, as well as have the opportunity to once again play in the closet game yet, losing out 21–25 and 23–25! With fire in our bellies and passion to continue to improve, we can't wait to see what next year has in store for us. Grace Lemon

Years 7 and 8 Football Darfield High School had two Years 7 and 8 mixed football teams. Players new and old to football have been very enthusiastic and they have all shown increased skills with each game. Both the A team and the B team were successful in scoring goals and all the players had the opportunity to play in the forwards, mids, backs and goals. All the players from both teams should be pleased with themselves—they all played well. Great work! The A team has done exceptionally well, losing only one game and winning the rest, and also winning the Secondary Schools weekly Football competition. The A team were a happy group of football players who enjoyed playing off for 1st and 2nd during their last game of town football on Thursday 8 August, which they won. With some players away sick or with injuries, Cameron Mills and Elijah 84 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Cullen-Reid, from the B team, helped to fill in. They have all worked very hard to get this result and should be very pleased with themselves. The B team is made up from players with limited experience, and the boys had no practice during the season. After losing their coach, Jess Lima, half-way through the season,

they had to adapt to their new coach, Harrison de Rooy, and his game plans. The boys coped well with this change and didn’t let it stop them trying their best and playing great games of football. At the end of the season, they didn’t get the result they wanted, but the boys all said they enjoyed the experience of playing football.

First XI Football

To our surprise, 2015 saw Darfield High School’s senior Football team promoted to the First Division in the Canterbury region, only one division below the renowned Premier League, which has produced some of New Zealand's top footballing talents. This was due to the team’s impressive performance the previous year, and was the first time that a senior Football team at Darfield High had ever been in the First Division. This year, with many of our experienced team members moving on to new pastures, we required extreme focus on the team’s structure and communication, rather than relying on individual talent alone. Communication amongst our team has always been a challenge, since we have players from all over the globe, and could certainly be considered an ‘international’ squad. The countries of origin include Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Germany, and we were even lucky enough to have signed two very experienced, semi-professional players from England! The season got off to a rocky start, with two consecutive losses but, as always, Darfield High School fought back, showing fantastic morale to conjure up a great streak, defeating the wouldbe champions, Linwood, not only once, but also again later in the season, putting our talent and teamwork on display when it mattered most.

Many impressive individual performances were noted throughout the season, including those from our top goal scorer, Harry Barrett-Power, and our ever-dependable goalkeeper, Daniel Roberts. Consistent performances from these players ensured that we kept our momentum in the league. Stellar defensive efforts from Jake, Hamish, Joe and James M spurred us on, while our midfield trio of Yusaku, Taka, and Chang-Won, fought many hard battles against our opposition. Jacob and Tom created many chances up front, and our Brazilian duo of Marcos and Rafa made some fantastic appearances at the end of the season. Although unable to secure a placing this year, the team certainly made an impressive mark on a talented division of players. The high level of discipline instilled in the team from the beginning of the season meant Darfield High was also recognised by other schools for their sportsmanship and spirit.

On behalf of the team, we would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in our school Football experience. This journey began for us at the beginning of Year 9, and has continued all the way through until the end of Year 13. From filling in every now and then, to becoming First Team regulars, to reaching the great heights of managing and captaining, we have appreciated every single bus ride, every crunching tackle, every yellow card, and every breathtaking goal. Thank you to everyone: the fantastic players for your effort and enthusiasm, Mr Walter for your phenomenal work on our Football pitch every season, and most of all, Mrs Armstrong, for your undying support, coordination and encouragement. Good luck for next season— do us proud, boys. Will Gross (Manager) and James Cider (Captain)

Sporting Superstars Ciara Rayne: Canterbury Area Pony Club Eventing Team

Ethan Rose: NZ U13 Mountain Bike Champion; SISS Cycling Champion

Courtney Townsend: Fourth in SI Mini Prix Series; Fifth in SI Championship 1.10 m Series

Harry Pringle: NZSS Senior Boys’ Javelin Champion; South Island Secondary Schools Athletics Competition

Hunter Benbow: NZ Postal Shoot Rep Smallbore Shooting; Third in NZ SS InterIsland Match

Kerryn Tomlinson: Pony Trots Challenger; Rising Star Series

Daniel Felipe: South Island Tournament Selection U15 Rugby James Doherty: Motocross—First in Christchurch TT Series; Fifth in SI Championships; Tenth in NZ Championships Matthew Grigg: First in Canterbury Secondary Schools U16 Boys’ Triathlon Competition Michael Dempsey: South Island Tournament Selection U15 Rugby

Nathaniel Dysart: First in Canterbury Secondary Schools U16 Boys’ Duathlon Competition

Georgia Allison: Horse of the Year Competition—Fifth in Show Hunter of the Year Cat A, Fifth in National Show Hunter Series Cat B Rosa Buist-Brown: Horse of the Year Competition—Fifth in U14; Third in FEI NZ Children’s Competition Sophie Townsend: Second in SI Championship 1.10 m Series; Second in FEI NZ Children’s Competition

Niamh Rayne: Canterbury Area Pony Club Eventing Team Molly Buist-Brown: Horse of the Year Competition—Pony of the Year Augusta Thompson: Horse of the Year Competition—third in 1.10 m Championship, Fourth in FEI NZ Children’s Competition YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 85

Years 7 and 8 Netball During Term Two this year, the Darfield High School Years 7 and 8 Red and Black Netball teams travelled into town to play against other Canterbury schools at Hagley Park. The Red team consisted of Georgie Sarginson, Caitlin Knowles, Rozlyn Doherty, Sophie Townsend, Becky Bruce, Brianna Longdin, Claudia Cullen and Scarlett Banks. The Black team was Sophie Kingi, Annabelle Jones, Sylvia Dempsey, Niamh Guy, Mequa Strowger, Monique St Clair-Newman, Stefanie McKenzie and Olivia Cridge. At the start of the season, the Black team was in B grade but, as they were winning all of their games, they were moved up to the A grade, joining the Red team. In the end, the Red team was placed 4th with the Black team close behind in 5th place. On behalf of the Years 7 and 8 Netball girls, we would like to say a huge thank you to Miss Hobson for taking us for practices and warmups, and to Mrs Armstrong for organising everything. It has been a really fun season. Sophie Kingi and Scarlett Banks

Netball Tournament On 30 August, eight other girls and I headed down to Timaru for the South Island Secondary Schools Netball Competition. We started off well, winning both of our games on the first day against Queen’s (24–21) and Menzies (38–27). On the second day, the weather wasn’t in our favour and we were unsuccessful, losing both games, one against Aparima (33 –16), who ended up losing the final by only two, and also against St Kevin’s 35–22.

On the third day, we didn’t very start well, losing to Geraldine 35–25, but then making an awesome comeback, beating Aranui 38-21. Finally, the fourth day rolled around. We were all tired, sore and injured, but the girls pulled through and gave their all, winning our last two games, one against Westland (35 –21) and the last game against Roxburgh, closing it in by only one point (26 –25). Overall, we placed ninth out of 32 teams, which is a solid effort from the girls. We are all very proud of this achievement, being in the top 10 of the whole South Island. I would like to say a special thank you to our Coach, Betsy Williams, for putting so much effort and time into trainings, gym sessions, and games. Also to Lindsay, our manager, for continually driving us places, being there supporting every game and being there whenever we needed it. And finally, I would like to say thank you to all the girls I had the privilege of playing with this year. You are a great bunch of girls who are very skilled players and made my last year of Darfield Netball entertaining and enjoyable. I will never forget the continuous laughs we shared throughout the season. I was proud to Captain you all. Renee Curtin

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87 87

2014 Junior prizegiving

FORM CLASS AWARDS 7SE Devon Read: Most improved attitude towards his learning; Katie GriďŹ&#x192;ths: High academic achievement, diligence, and a positive attitude to learning; Cameron Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell: Diligence and a positive attitude towards learning; Juliet Summerfield: Citizenship and consistent effort and application across all subject areas; Casey Roessink: A positive attitude towards learning, most improved academic success 7CC Ellie Knights: Consistent effort and application in all classes; Jordan Russell: Diligence, high achievement in all subjects and a positive attitude towards school; Jordan Rugg: A positive attitude and excellent effort in all subject areas; Oliver Plunkett: Enthusiasm and consistent effort in all classes; Taylor Barnes: A positive attitude, enthusiasm and consistent effort in all classes 7CS Charlotte Boyd: Consistent effort and application in all classes; Emily Bitmead: Diligence and high achievement in all subjects; Sophie Palmer: Sets an example of excellence in behaviour and co-operation in all classes; Blake Hubbard: Demonstrates a positive attitude and responsibility in all classes; Harry Williamson: Demonstrating leadership and citizenship in all classes

Amber Hammond: Commitment to her sport, her learning and friendship to others; Aleisha Knowles: Mature and enduring application to learning and her involvement in the school community; Reilly Neal: Consistent effort to achieve a high standard of work and personal development 8GF Jesse Smith: Consistent effort and application in class; Rachel Barton: Diligence and consistent application; Brooke Robinson: Diligence, high achievement in all subjects and a positive attitude towards school; James Geekie: A positive attitude and excellent effort in all subject areas; Samuel Ridgen: Enthusiasm and consistent effort in all classes 8KH James Kempthorne: Consistent effort and application in class. Showing a willingness to help others; Shay Gerrard-Smith: A positive attitude and willingness to be helpful towards teaching staff ; Chrystal Dudley: Enthusiasm and consistent effort in all classes. Always willing to help others; Augusta Thompson: A positive attitude and excellent effort in all subject areas; Jordan Pine: Consistent effort and perseverance in class 9NF Cameron Brunton: Diligence and a positive attitude towards learning; Laura Brown: Consistent effort and application; Imogen Groom: Diligence and a positive attitude

towards learning; Jayden Hann: Diligence and hard work; Teri Jackson: A positive attitude towards learning and supporting other students 9WH Georgia Thompson: Consistent effort and application in class; Samuel Inch-Reed: Diligence and consistent application; Katelyn McKay: A positive attitude and excellent effort in all subject areas; Sam Begbie: Enthusiasm and consistent effort; Renee Cullen: Effort and application in class 9HA Campbell Bryant: Determination, commitment and enthusiasm within all classes during the year; Emma Anderson: Being polite, hard-working and focused in all classes throughout the year; Remington Evans: Regular contributions in class discussions and commitment in Mathematics; Joshua Gordon: Determination, commitment and enthusiasm within all classes; Michael Dempsey: Contributions and commitment to school rugby 9SA Hunter Benbow: Consistent effort in all classes; George Brown: A positive attitude and enthusiasm across all areas of school; George Gibb: Excellent effort across all subjects; Chloe McCaughan: Positive contribution to 9SA; Bridget Leach: A positive attitude and excellent effort across all subjects

7DA Cameron Mills: Being a well-mannered and cooperative class member; Georgia Walker: Being an organised, proactive and excellent school Councillor; Kate Caldwell: Being a kind, considerate and co-operative class member; Daniel Baxter: Citizenship, diligence and a positive attitude towards all subject areas; Nathan Carter: A positive attitude towards learning 8JR Chanelle Inch-Reed: Consistent application and a positive attitude to learning; Tom Shipley: Showing leadership and having a positive attitude to learning; Cameron Smith: A helpful manner and good humour; Lexie Purvis: Consistent achievement in all areas; Naomi Ononibaku: Positive attitude and cheerful manner 8GC Rhys Clatworthy: Sense of humour, commitment to his learning and friendship to others; Ashleigh Cridge: Consistent application to her work, leadership and organisation;

Sophie Bucknell and Elyse Kerr YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 87

10KW Heather McConchie: An improved attitude towards learning and determination to succeed; Georgia Shinn: Significant improvement in achievement in a variety of subjects; Grace Hodgman: Quiet determination to succeed in all subjects; Cameron Ellis: Working well across all subjects and for being a quiet, calm presence in the classroom; Vincent Li Creagh: Improved attitude and increased level of commitment to his studies

Isaac Proud

10JW Kylie Schnell: A positive and hard-working attitude across all subjects; Henry Oakley: Consistent consideration for others and a positive role model; Stephanee Lomas: Conscientious work ethic across her subjects. A positive role model; Georgia Cottrell: Consideration for others and striving to reach her goals; Emma Ashworth: A conscientious worker who always has a positive and openminded attitude to her class work 10AN Findlay Davidson: Diligence and hard work; Brett Langlands: A positive attitude and effort; Sean Pennells: A positive attitude and excellent effort; Fergus Thomas: Diligence and contribution to school; Iva Vukovic: A helpful and positive member of the form class

Hunter Benbow

10RB Cameron Cook: Class councillor and contribution to group work across subjects; Carolin Buechting: Showing maturity and responsibility in a range of subjects; Akalanka Ekanayake: Positive attitude to individual and team work across subjects; Tom Gullery: Showing consideration and enthusiasm in all subject areas; Matthew Hadler: Positive attitude to work across subject areas 10MM Lily Barrett-Power: A positive attitude towards learning and striving for excellence; Shantallia Gerrard-Smith: Showing a positive attitude and determination to succeed; Jayden Hill-Inch: Positive contributions to our class and leadership within the form; Josiah Wilson: Quiet persistence in learning throughout the year; Kayla Croy: thoughtfulness and being a reliable buddy to new students

SPORTING

Courtney Newell

88 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

LETTERS IN SPORTS Artistic Gymnastics: Katie Griffiths Basketball: Blake Stevenson, Jesse Frew Claybird Shooting: Benjamin Sharp Cricket: Brianna Longdin, Sam Clarke, Ethan Taylor, Jesse Frew, Ryan Hughes, Samuel Rowlands

Equestrian: Sophie Townsend, Gus Thompson, Mya Reid, Niamh Rayne, Georgia Thompson, Grace Manera, Heather McConchie, Lily Barrett-Power Kids Karts: Kerryn Tomlinson Football: Jennifer Walter Netball: Sophie Townsend, Annabelle Jones, Rozlyn Doherty, Lucy Glassey Rugby: George Ridgen, Cameron O’Donnell, Henry Ludemann, Nathan Quinn Cricket: Toby Kars, Olivia Brackmann Duathlon: Harry Bampton Football: Jessica Lima Hockey: Caitlin Frazer Netball: Olivia Lemon, Olivia Brackmann, Emma May, Caitlin Soal, Hannah Glassey, Georgia Meyerhoff , Hayley Fraser, Pippa Foster, Kylie Schnell, Eloise Dance Road Racing: Isaac Proud Rugby: Ged Roessink, Harry Bampton, Aidan Thistoll, Mitchell Baird, Cameron Ellis, Morgan Heselwood Smallbore Shooting: Brogan Baldwin Swimming: Hunter Benbow Skiing: Carolin Buechting, Georgi Pander Tae Kwon Do: Kyla Benbow Tennis: Jeroen Breunisse, Olivia Lemon Triathlon: Harry Bampton YEARS 7 & 8 Stefanie McKenzie: The Julie Battersby Cup for Year 7 Girls’ Cross Country Champion; Jonathan Hart: The Darfield High School Trophy for Year 7 Boys’ Cross Country Champion; Emma Pennells: The Early Cup for Year 8 Girls’ Cross Country Champion; Caleb Longdin: The Blackburn Cup for Year 8 Boys’ Cross Country Champion; Jesse Sutherland: The W & M Broughton Cup for Under 12 Boys’ Athletics Champion; Sophie Townsend: The R Adams Cup for Under 12 Girls’ Athletics Champion; Aaliyah Van der Heyden: The Miller Cup for Under 13 Girls’ Athletics Champion; Ben Sharp: The B & E Smart Trophy for the Individual Claybird Shooting Champion; Emma Pennells: Junior Girls’ Triathlon Champion; Caleb Longdin: Junior Boys’ Triathlon Champion; Georgia Benny: Collinton Cup for Under 13 Girls’ Tennis Champion; Olliver Sims: Collinton Cup for Under 13 Boys’ Tennis Champion; Amber Hammond: The Mrs A Cullen Trophy for Under 13 Girls’ Swimming Champion; Caleb Curtin: The Malvern Jaycee Cup for Under 13 Boys’ Swimming Champion; Stefanie McKenzie: The Lesley Hurst Trophy for the Most Improved Junior Netballer; Cameron O’Donnell: Steele Family Cup for Excellence in Sportsmanship in Years 7 and 8 Rugby; Olliver Sims: The Malvern AFC Trophy for the Junior Player of the Year; Lexie Purvis: Doppelmayr Ski Scholarship; Leigh Walters: The Adams Cup for Under 14 Girls’

Cross Country Champion; Harry Bampton: The Trophy for Under 14 Boys’ Cross Country Champion; Isaac Proud: The Addington Cup for Under 15 Boys’ Cross Country Champion; Georgia Shinn: The Mitchell Brothers Cup for the Under 15 Girls’ Cross Country Champion Years 9 and 10; Isaac Proud: The Frew Brothers Trophy for Junior Boys’ Athletics Champion; Courtney O’Callaghan: The Dick Cup for Junior Girls’ Athletics Champion; Harry Bampton: The Dick Cup for Under 14 Boys’ Athletics Champion; Laura McLean/ Grace Manera: The Chamberlain Cup for Under 14 Girls’ Athletics Champion; George Brown: The Hill Challenge Cup for Under 13 Boys’ Athletics Champion; Jessica Osborne: Intermediate Girls’ Triathlon Champion; Harry Bampton: Intermediate Boys’ Triathlon Champion; Micaela Curtin: The Clucas Trophy for Under 14 Girls’ Swimming Champion; Hunter Benbow: The Webster Cup for Under 14 Boys’ Swimming Champion; Caitlin Soal: The Milne/Mulholland Netball Trophy for Sportsmanship; Elyse Kerr: The Horndon Cup for the Most Improved Girls’ Hockey Player; Brett Langlands: The Chamberlain Trophy for the Most Improved Boys’ Hockey Player; Georgi Pander: The Porter Heights Cup for Excellence in Skiing; Toby Gross: Doppelmayr Ski Scholarship; Harry Bampton: The Sportsmaster’s Trophy for Contribution to Rugby below 1st XV; Sophie Townsend: Te Piko Trophy for Outstanding Female Sportsperson in any Code

CULTURAL YEARS 7 & 8 Annabelle Jones: The Worsfold Cup for Year 7 Speech Competition; Kate Morris: The Tecorian Cup for Year 8 Speech Competition; Caitlin Rayne: The Darfield High School Creative Writing Award for Year 7; Michelle Bruce: The Darfield High School Creative Writing Award for Year 8; Laura Bell: The Jenny Pearson Cup for High Achievement in Year 7 Reading; Hanako Wilson: The Hayes Trophy for the Greatest Contribution to Music in Years 7 & 8; Ellsie Coles: The Malvern Community Arts Council Trophy for Enthusiastic Participation in Cultural Activities—Years 7 and 8; Kieran McKay: The Christchurch Music Centre Cup for Years 7 and 8 Music Years 9 and 10; Jodie Rollings: The Post Office Cup for Year 9 Speech Competition; Abigail Cider: The Lee Cup for Year 10 Speech Competition; Niamh Rayne: The Darfield High School Creative Writing Award Year 9; Fergus Thomas: The Darfield High School Creative Writing Award Year 10; Rachael Phillipson: The Johnston Family Trophy for Excellence in Japanese—Years 7 to 10; Thomas Wilson: The Malvern Community Arts Council

Cultural Trophy; Adam Walker: The Darfield High School Junior Drama Trophy for Years 7-10; Leigh Walters: The Christchurch Music Centre Cup for Years 9 and 10 Music; Hunter Benbow: Mrs Wilson-Coutts’ Cup for the Most Promising Musician in the Junior School; Thomas Wilson: The Hayes Trophy for the Greatest Contribution to Music in Years 9 & 10; Holly Kimber: Mrs Wilson-Coutts’ Cup for the Best Contribution to Vocal Music in the Junior School

ACADEMIC AWARDS YEAR 7 Monique St Clair-Newman: 3rd in Year 7 Science; Rhys Hawkins: 3rd in Year 7 Art; Harriet Cottrell: 3rd in Year 7 English; Mequa Strowger: 3rd in Year 7 Technology; Ethan Spence: 2nd in Year 7 Music; Jesse Sutherland: 2nd in Year 7 Art; Alexia Inch: 2nd in Year 7 Technology; Jessica Galletly: 2nd in Year 7 Social Studies; Emily White: 2nd in Year 7 Mathematics; Caitlin Paul: 3rd in Year 7 Te Reo Maori, 3rd in Year 7 International Languages; Rozlyn Doherty: 2nd in Year 7 Physical Education, 3rd in Year 7 Social Studies; Annabelle Jones: 2nd in Year 7 English, 3rd in Year 7 Physical Education; George Ridgen: 2nd in Year 7 Te Reo Maori, 2nd in Year 7 International Languages; Rebecca Inch: The Five Star Paints Ltd Cup for Year 7 Art; Sophie Townsend: The Collins Family Cup for Year 7 Social Studies; Sylvia Dempsey: The Bob Hayward Cup for Year 7 Technology; Jennifer Walter: Te Roopu o Te Aka Tawera Taonga for Te Reo Maori Te Tau Tuawhitu; Stefanie McKenzie: The Judd Family Cup for Year 7 Physical Education 3rd in Year 7 Mathematics; Hayley Murray: The Prime Foods New Zealand Limited Cup for Year 7 International Languages, 3rd in Year 7 Music; Caitlin Rayne: The Roger Hart Memorial Cup for Year 7 English, 2nd in Year 7 Science; Katherine Hadler: The Delys Addington Cup for Year 7 Mathematics, The Stuart Frew Cup for Year 7 Science, The John Gibson Cup for Year 7 Music YEAR 8 Aaliyah Van der Heyden: 3rd in Year 8 Art; Edward Manson: 3rd in Year 8 Science; Brooke Steele: 3rd in Year 8 Performing Arts; Cassandra Hart: 3rd in Year 8 Social Studies; Emily Klaassens: 3rd in Year 8 Music; Harrison Bradley: 3rd in Year 8 Technology; Lucy Glassey: 3rd in Year 8 Physical Education; Abigail Tuhill: 2nd in Year 8 Art; Alexander Stiles: 2nd in Year 8 Music; Georgia Keelty: 2nd in Year 8 Technology; Tiaan Johns: 2nd in Year 8 Performing Arts; Kieran McKay: 2nd in Year 8 Mathematics; Zoe Spinks: 2nd in Year 8 Physical Education; Mereana Gilmour: 2nd in Year 8 Te Reo Maori; Michelle Bruce: 3rd

in Year 8 Mathematics, 2nd in Year 8 English; Saskia Kremers: The Darfield High School Cup for Year 8 Art; Alex McGregor: The Taege Engineering Cup for Year 8 Technology; Emma Pennells: The Milne Family Cup for Year 8 Physical Education; Hanako Wilson: 2nd in Year 8 Science, 2nd in Year 8 International Languages, Te Roopu o Te Aka Tawera Taonga for Te Reo Maori Te Tau Tuawaru; Ellsie Coles: 3rd in Year 8 English, 2nd in Year 8 Social Studies, The Creed Brothers Cup for Year 8 Performing Arts, The Brian Connell Cup for Year 8 International Languages; Kate Morris: 3rd in Year 8 Te Reo Maori, 3rd in Year 8 International Languages, The Darfield High School Cup for Year 8 Social Studies, The Kellie-Ann Headifen Cup for Year 8 Science, The Darfield High School Cup for Year 8 Music, The Elizabeth Blackburn Cup for Year 8 Mathematics, The Stone Cup for Year 8 English YEAR 9 Aeryn McMillan-Da Via: 3rd in Year 9 Art; Lucy Learned: 3rd in Year 9 Te Reo Maori; Emma Kellock: 3rd in Year 9 Mathematics; Jodie Rollings: 3rd in Year 9 Performing Arts; Simon Seelen: 3rd in Year 9 French; Andrew Coppard: 2nd in Year 9 Te Reo Maori; Daniel Felipe: 2nd in Year 9 Japanese; Caleb Banks: 3rd in Year 9 Science, 2nd in Year 9 Music; Jack McConnell: 2nd in Year 9 Performing Arts, 2nd in Year 9 English; Courtney Newell: 3rd in Year 9 Technology, 2nd in Year 9 Social Studies, 2nd in Year 9 Mathematics; Harry Bampton: The S Gardner Cup for Year 9 Physical Education; Olivia Lemon: The Darfield High School Cup for Year 9 Music; Teri Jackson: Te Roopu o Te Aka Tawera Taonga for Te Reo Maori Te Tau Tuaiwa; Katie Sharp: The Codie Barnett Trophy for Year 9 Performing Arts, 3rd in Year 9 Japanese; Esther Blain: The Oliver Müller-Cajar Cup for Year 9 Mathematics, 2nd in Year 9 French; Natasha Young: The Darfield High School Cup for Year 9 Art, 2nd in Year 9 Technology; Niamh Rayne: 2nd in Year 9 Art, 2nd in Year 9 Science, 3rd in Year 9 Physical Education, 3rd in Year 9 Music, 3rd in Year 9 Social Studies, 3rd in Year 9 English, The Trevor Glasson Memorial Cup for Year 9 Technology; Elyse Kerr: 2nd in Year 9 Physical Education, The Katsui Okamoto Memorial Cup for Year 9 Social Studies, The Shaw Cup for Year 9 English, The Woodhouse Family Cup for Year 9 Science, The Darfield High School Cup for Year 9 Japanese, The Darfield High School Cup for Year 9 French YEAR 10 Kayla Croy: 3rd in Year 10 Soft Materials Technology; Devin Benbow: 3rd in Year 10 Food and Nutrition; Emma May: 3rd in Year 10 Rural College; Finn McGregor: 3rd in Year 10 Graphics; Georgia Shinn: 3rd in Year 10 YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 89

Economics; Jordan Hay: 3rd in Year 10 Digital Technologies; Michael Hughes: 3rd in Year 10 Hard Materials Technology; Tom Gullery: 3rd in Year 10 Japanese; Bailey Quirke: 2nd in Year 10 Te Reo Maori; Adam Walker: 2nd in Year 10 Performing Arts; Anna Hefferon: 2nd in Year 10 Soft Materials Technology; Cassidy Judd: 2nd in Year 10 Food and Nutrition; Chelsea Wilson: 2nd in Year 10 Physical Education; Iva Vukovic: 2nd in Year 10 Digital Technologies; James Thornley: 2nd in Year 10 Mathematics; McKenzie Watson: 2nd in Year 10 Rural College; Thomas Wilson: 2nd in Year 10 Music; Pippa Foster: 3rd in Year 10 Art, 3rd in Year 10 Performing Arts; Jade Collier: 2nd in Year 10 Hard Materials Technology, 3rd in Year 10 Physical Education; Amy Bruce: The Claire Hughes Award for Year 10 Art; Billie Jo Greening: The Diedrichs Family Cup for Year 10 Food and Nutrition; Georgia Watson: The Mary Smith Trophy for Year 10 Performing Arts; Henry Oakley: The Te Whare Koru Trophy for a Student Gaining a Significant Goal; Maddison McMillan-Da Via: Te Roopu o Te Aka Tawera Taonga for Te Reo Maori Te Tau Tekau; Sacha Smith: The Selwyn District Council Cup for Year 10 Soft Materials Technology; Isaac Proud: The J & A Scott Cup for Year 10 Physical Education, 3rd in Year 10 Music; Jack Green: The Taege Engineering Award for Excellence and Application in Technology in Year 10, 3rd in Year 10 Te Reo Maori; Rachael Phillipson: The Searle Family Cup for Year 10 Japanese, 2nd in Year 10 Science; Eloise Dance: The Darfield High School Award for Rural College, 2nd in Year 10 French; Brogan Baldwin: The Healey Family Trophy for Year 10 Economics, 2nd in Year 10 Graphics, 3rd in Year 10 Science, 3rd in Year 10 French; Leigh Walters: The Dennis Family Cup for Year 10 Music, 2nd in Year 10 Economics, 3rd in Year 10 Mathematics, 3rd in Year 10 Social Studies, 3rd in Year 10 English; Abigail Cider: The Rebecca Halkett Memorial Cup for Year 10 English, The Alan Blackburn Cup for Year 10 Social Studies, 2nd in Year 10 Japanese; Caitlin Soal: The Ridgen Family Cup for Year 10 Graphics, The Trish Evans Cup for Year 10 Digital Technologies, 2nd in Year 10 Art; Sophie Bucknell: The Gavin and Pam Henderson Cup for Year 10 Mathematics, The

Dr Mary Warren Cup for Year 10 Science, The R L Bennett Cup for Year 10 French, 2nd in Year 10 English, 2nd in Year 10 Social Studies

PREMIER YEARS 7 & 8 Ben Francis: The School Council Cup and Selwyn District Council Award for Service and Co-operation in Year 7; Jacob Thomason: The Class of 1953 Cup and Selwyn District Council Award for Consistent Effort and Application in Year 7; Katherine Hadler: The Creed Brothers Award and the Darfield High School Trophy for the Highest Academic Achievement in Year 7; Kieran McKay: The School Council Cup and Selwyn District Council Award for Service and Co-operation in Year 8; Mya Reid: The School Council Cup and Selwyn District Council Award for Consistent Effort and Application in Year 8; Hanako Wilson: The Hororata-Malvern Returned Services Association Scholarship; Kate Morris: The Milne Trophy and the Selwyn Sawmills Ltd Award for the Best AllRounder in Years 7 and 8; The Creed Brothers Award and the Darfield High School Trophy for the Highest Academic Achievement in Year 8; The Hororata-Malvern Returned Services Association Scholarship YEARS 9 & 10 Lauren Humphreys: The Malvern Sufferage Committee Trophy and Bond Frew Ltd Award for the Junior School; Henry Oakley: The Darfield High School Ex-Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association Trophy and the Selwyn District Council Award for Consistent Application and Effort in Year 10; Joshua Gordon: The Class of 1953 Cup and the Selwyn District Council Award for Consistent Effort and Application in Year 9; Isaac Proud: The Wooster Cup and Selwyn District Council Award for Service and Cooperation in Years 9 and 10; Elyse Kerr: The Creed Brothers Ltd Award and The Wilsthorpe Trophy for the Highest Academic Achievement in Year 9; Sophie Bucknell: The Creed Brothers Ltd Award for the Highest Academic Achievement in Year 10; Leigh Walters: The R H White Trophy and the Selwyn Sawmills Ltd Award for the Best All-Rounder in Years 9 and 10

Teri Jackson

and

think, believe, dream, dare

Harry Bampton

90 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

Georgia Thompson

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 91

7HB Back Row: Brooke Thomason, Aaliyah Cutler, Paula Smith, Scarlett Banks, Molly Batstone, Rosa Dunnlogan Third Row: Ryan Neal, Leah HamiltonCross, Rebecca Bruce, Reuben Boyes, Caitlin Knowles, Sophie Clarke, Keiran Walker Second Row: Miss K Hobson, Niamh Guy, Harry Douglas, Angus McPherson, Jack Kennedy, Cortan Mitchell, James Wright, Jacob Blaber-Hunt Front Row: Leif McGuinniety, Matthew Ashworth, Devon Buck, Lily Cameron, Rowan Hickey, Isabella Kennedy, Emily Waters, James Stewart, Callum Watson

7CS Back Row: William Brown, Emily Cullen, Rebecca Geekie, Emma Daniel-Wilson, Ariana Bennett Third Row: Ria Kelly, James Baylis, Zane Benbow, Zack Johnstone, Kohen Earl, Danielle Bates Second Row: Mr C Singh, Arial Galbraith, Tomas Norris, Luke Henderson, Aidan Brackmann, Heath Currie-Moore, Cade Hinman Front Row: Carwyn Chaffey, Jake Searle, Olivia Manning, Hayley Phelps, Kristanna Bonner, Breanna Scott, Lucas de Burger, Vincent Mandapat, Arthur Oakley

7SJ Back Row: Qwin Billings, Zane Scobie, Georgie Sarginson, Jonathon Matiaha, Elijah Cullen-Reid, Mitchell Calcott, Harry Cookson, Sam Chaffey Third Row: Mr S Jermyn, Tyler TapaWither, Campbell Barrett, Sophie Kingi, Bae McNicholl, Ben Bampton, Reuben Davis, Mr S Gerritsen Second Row: Buddhika Ekanayake, Katie Molloy, Teresa Barnhill, Kayla Rosel, Reece Carney, Asia-Leigh Machirus, Isaac Earl, Harley Gray Front Row: Casey Cooper, Maddison Whyte, Georgie Hamilton, Hannah King, Ben Knowles, Caleb Steele, Caleb Blackler, Jordan Frew, Isaac Lovelock

92 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

7CC Back Row: Anika Ponga, Zoe Van De Pol, Hunter Jones, Jordan Atuolu, Gareth Lomas Third Row: Cora Palmer, Angelo Barrimond, Lucy Mitchell, Zahara Sutton, Jessica McKenzie, Lachlan Adams, Aoraki Kihi, Mrs C Cartman Second Row: Harry Robertson, Ethan Rose, William Davidson, Ruby Marshall, Tamzin Brunton, Paris-Lee Adamson, Quintin Middleton Front Row: Nathan Gunn, Janette Chetham, Daniel Jackson, Maia Adams, Jessica Bassett, Bailey Crawford, Jayden Crawford, Cassidy Wells, Aidan Strowger Absent: Olivia Cridge, Brooke Winter-Reid

8ES Back Row: Mitchell Harker, Annalise Selfe, Harry Smith, Sophie Davis, George McIntosh Third Row: George Thorne, Callum Jones, Darren Burrows-Thornley, Monique St ClairNewman, Blake Hubbard, Matthew Young Second Row: Mr E Stott, Jessica Galletly, Rebecca Inch, Mika Wealleans, Alexandra Walker, Caitlin Warrington, SeanKelly Galler Front Row: Kegan Pitkethley, Jonathon Sims, Devon Read, Jamie Walker, Georgia Walker, Joseph Feltell, Matthew Ryan, Keegan Burrows Absent: Daniel Baxter, Ella Roessink, Jennifer Walter

8KH Back Row: Cameron Murdoch, Caitlin Gibb, Oliver Sutherland, Daniel Baxter, Sebastian Middleton, Claudia Cullen, Jacob Thomason Third Row: George Hamilton, Hamish Hamilton, Kaleb Riley, James Learned, Jesse Sutherland, Sam Bruce-Banks, Mr K Hoy Second Row: Ethan Spence, Johnathan Hart, Hayley Murray, Annie Campbell, Hannah Booth, Lachlan Woolley Front Row: Andre Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Court, Rhys Hawkins, Isaiah Barr, Angus Whitaker, Callum Whyte, Sophie Palmer, Claire Langlands, Caitlin Hool Absent: Emily White

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 93

8JS Back Row: Jesse Gray, Taylor Barnes, Cameron Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell, George Ridgen, Harry Williamson, Scott McKay, Michael Bruce-Sheppard Third Row: Josh May, Dylan Pooke, Zara Woodward, Stefanie McKenzie, Rozlyn Doherty, Caleb Curtin, Harrison Buck, Nathan Carter Second Row: Ms J Stark, Alex Gerritsen, Sophie McLeish, Juliet Summerfield, Cameron Mills, Rosa Buist-Brown, Mrs B Seaward Front Row: Jake Benny, Ben Francis, Katherine Hadler, Caitlin Paul, Minori Onishi, Katie Griffiths, Kate Caldwell, Brayden Middleton, Casey Roessink

8HP Back Row: Alex Jones, Sylvia Dempsey, Ellie Knights, Brianna Longdin, Emily Bitmead Middle Row: Mrs G Galletly, Crystal Van Duinen, Tatiana Little, Sam Ross, Walter Lafleur, Isabel Simcox Front Row: Samuel Cunningham, Tomlin Summers, Troy Benbow, Lewis Morrison, Kau-Tawhai Kihi, Jordan Rugg, Jayden Fraser

8GF Back Row: Grace Moana, Shanitta Carroll, Benjamin Sharp, Jacob Hardaker Third Row: Matthew Cooper, Harrison Irving, Darcey Edwards, Oliver Plunkett, Thomas Keating, Natalia Little Second Row: Mr G Fee, Annabelle Jones, Harriet Cottrell, Rebecca Manifold, Jayden Dysart, Charlotte Boyd, Jordan Russell Front Row: Bena Pearson, Paige Hunter, Star Chalmers, Ethan White, Nik Hodgman, Sophie Townsend, Mequa Strowger, Caitlin Rayne Absent: Brienna Edwards, Alexia Inch

94 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

9CH Back Row: Piper Heenan, Jackson Proud, Dylan Bamford, Rachel McLean, Mitchell Longdin, Lachlan Summerfield, Aaliyah Van der Heyden Middle Row: Lily Gamble, James Grafton, Thomas Grafton, Mykelti Beale, Ryan Hughes, Shayden Monk, Alicia Duncan, Ms C Curtin Front Row: Will Spinks, Benjamin Williams, Jesse Smith, Cameron Smart, James Kempthorne, Brodie Champion, Benjamin Kimber Absent: Alice Massie, Brooke Neville, Nicholas Walker

9GC Back Row: Jack Chillingworth, Logan Seaward, Rhys Clatworthy, Ashleigh Cridge, Edward Manson, Harrison de Rooy Third Row: Lexie Purvis, Emma Pennells, Emily Klaassens, Jesse Frew, Sara Dorsey, Cassandra Hart, Cassandra Aubrey Second Row: Mr G Chalk, Brodie Wanhalla, Andrea Pateman, Brooklyn Scott, Sarah Kellock, Michelle Bruce, Cameron Hendriks, Laura Gough Front Row: Hunter White, Chantelle Rod, Abigail Tuhill, Olliver Sims, Zoe Spinks, Ethan Blackler, Aleisha Knowles, Kate Morris, Cleo Searle Absent: Ellsie Coles, Reilly Neal

9GO Back Row: Terry Robertson, Denis Smith, Ethan Taylor, Jackson Smith, Samuel Ridgen, Ewen Lalor, Shay Gerrard-Smith Middle Row: Amber Hammond, Erin Worling, Eboni Lawrence, Jack Curle, Jessica St Clair-Newman, Mikayla Jarvis-Bell, Olivia Sherlock, Mr S Gough Front Row: Karen Baquita, Kyle Horn, Rachel Barton, Eli Gunn, Ethan Coles, Nathan Quinn, Jennifer Bell, Jenna Pont, Sean Stewart Absent: Mereana Gilmour

YOURS | DHS YEARBOOK | 95

9GR Back Row: Antonia Sutherland, Daniel Conway, Hannah Forrester-Rolton, Callum Murdoch, Blake Stevenson, James Geekie Middle Row: Mr G Gracie, Oliver Hamilton, Lucy Glassey, Ryan Spargo, Nathan Bennett, Isabella Cattermole, Harrison Barton Front Row: Samuel Rowlands, James Roulston, Thomas Welch, Maddison Beardsmore, Christal Dudley, Kelsey Parsons Absent: Tiaan Johns, Caleb Longdin, Augusta Thompson

9SW Back Row: Chanelle Inch-Reed, Madi Harris-Cowles, Beowulf Scott, James Bitmead, Bridget Freer Third Row: Penelope Mitchell, Abby Thornley, Hanako Wilson, Saskia Kremers, Benjamin Millar, Brooke Robinson Second Row: Kieran McKay, Sam Clarke, Oliver Moody, Jemma Dalley, Kear Billings, Savarnnah Taylor, Miss S Waters Front Row: Brooke Steele, Alex McGregor, Ariana McLaren, Caleb Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donoghue, Jak Phillipson, Nicole Grigg, Laura Ashworth, Georgia Allison Absent: Ellouise Day, Jack Hedley, Alexander Stiles

10HA Back Row: Joshua Gordon, Isaac Newbigging, Michael Dempsey, Alex Warrington, Jordan Lawrence Third Row: Alexa Lalor, Campbell Bryant, Claudia Lassiter, Taylor Parker, Lauren Hawkins, Jayden Henderson, Lucy Harwood Second Row: Aidan Thistoll, Caitlin Chambers, Jessica Lima, Amelia Williams, Julia Trushin, Michael Wells, Mitchell Baird, Mrs J Turner Front Row: Emma Boyes, Camille Malincon, Toni Forsythe-Walton, Jonathan Paxton, Joshua Hendriks, Matthew Bell, Emma Anderson, Amber Karst-Smith, Kerryn Tomlinson Absent: Travis Barron

96 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

10LG Back Row: Toby Gross, Samuel Inch-Reed, Luke Beadle, Dylan Osgood, Matthew Barton, Thomas Williamson Third Row: Matthew Gibbons, Toby Kars, Renee Cullen, Cole Spinks, Grace Coleman, Grace Manera, Samantha Gordon Second Row: Ms L Gallacher, Jade Gerrard-Smith, Jaylee Stephens, Nakaree Detsri, Adriana Cornelissen, Laura Wong, Ryan Hammersley, Thomas Neal Front Row: Caleb Chartres, Holly Gibson, Thomas Davis, Katelyn McKay, Rosaleen Fourie, Grace Earle, Samantha Begbie, Ged Roessink, Katherine Buck Absent: Kosuke Ito, Georgia Thompson

10NF Back Row: Jack McConnell, Remington Evans, Adrian Nolan, Esther Blain, Olivia Lemon, Taylor Cleland, William Carter Third Row: Emma Kellock, Natasha Young, Elyse Kerr, Olivia Woods-Tyacke, Samuel Marsh, Katie Sharp Second Row: Jayden Hann, Cameron Brunton, Harry Bampton, Sam Francis, Xavier Holland, Lucy Learned, Mrs N Ferguson-Brown Front Row: Teagan Mills, Laura Brown, Imogen Groom, Ella Reeves, Teri Jackson, Poppy Lloyd, Aeryn McMillan-Da Via, Jaymee Burrows Absent: Brittney Blackburn

10RS Back Row: Jacob Spence, Jehosua Muiznieks, Caleb Banks, Andrew Coppard, Simon Seelen Third Row: George Gibb, Micaela Curtin, George Brown, Hunter Benbow, Jeroen Breunisse, James Muckle Second Row: Shae Read, Abbey-Lee Dunlop, Dylan Freller, McKenzie Alfeld, Niamh Rayne, Daniel Felipe, Mr R Smith Front Row: Courtney Newell, Bridget Leach, Mark Wilson, Kyla Benbow, Bronte Thomas, Brittany Hewitt, Chloe McCaughan, Samuel King, Yui Morishita Absent: Samuel Manson, Jodie Rollings

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10MM Back Row: James Thornley, Dale Winter, Fergus Thomas, Anthony Searle, Sydney Riley, Jacob Riddle Third Row: Harriet Watson, Kylie Schnell, Wei Jingyan, Isaac Proud, Taylor Strowger, Regan Redmond, Chelsea Wilson, Taylor Wakelin Second Row: Thomas Wilson, Georgia Watson, Haydn Rose, Caitlin Soal, Bailey Quirke, Rachael Phillipson, Ben Watts, Mr M Maude Front Row: Adam Walker, Sean Pennells, Sacha Smith, Iva Vukovic, Leigh Walters, Georgia Shinn, Eileen Pateman, Maddison Payne, Momo Kawakami Absent: Samuel Roper, Hibiki Shimizu, McKenzie Watson, Josiah Wilson

11JW Back Row: Tom Gullery, Jayden Hill-Inch, Matthew Grigg, Jack Green, Hannah Glassey, Morgan Heselwood, Hamish Evans, Cameron Ellis Third Row: Caitlin Frazer, Aleisha Hawke, Gareth Kirton, Courtney James, Edward Harris, Matthew Hadler, Pippa Foster Second Row: Hayley Fraser, Shantallia Gerrard-Smith, Billie Jo Greening, Michael Hughes, Georgia Johnson, Cassidy Judd, Shanya Johnston-Kroll, Miss J Watherston Front Row: Jordan Hay, Grace Hodgman, Holly Kimber, Joseph Gunn, Kaycee Jones, Anna Hefferon, Akalanka Ekanayake, Anahera Hotu-Billington, Caitlin Fraser Absent: MacKenzie Gray, Mitchell Hedley, Shania Karaitiana

11RB Back Row: Georgi Pander, Timothy Mathers, Joseph Manifold, James Moffat, Vincent Li Creagh, Tane Nikora, Jack Millar, Brett Langlands Third Row: Kelly Leonard, Courtney O’Callaghan, Finn McGregor, Kotaro Saiga, Christopher Moffat, Yusaku Matsumoto, Hibiki Ohashi, Jack Lingard, Emma May Second Row: Jessica Osborne, Ethan Marriott, Madison O’Callaghan, Tessa Mitchell, Rosa Millar, Laura McLean, Matthew Lane, Mr R Baars Front Row: Stephanee Lomas, Niamh Marriott, Maddison McMillan-Da Via, Georgia Meyerhoff, Roy McCaughan, Hannah Marchant, Heather McConchie, Dayna Maxted, Henry Oakley Absent: Cheyenne McJarrow 98 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

11KW Back Row: Chaedyn Bellam, Nathaniel Dysart, Cameron Cook, William Benbow, Matthew Blain, Robert Bampton, Dylan Cagney, Findlay Davidson Third Row: Jacob Buck, Amy Bruce, Olivia Brackmann, James Doherty, Marcus Anderson, Molly BuistBrown, Charlie Anderson Second Row: Caitlin Aubrey, Georgia Burrows, Kayla Croy, Devon Crequer, Devin Benbow, Brogan Baldwin, Danielle Cooper, Mr C Quinn Front Row: Emma Ashworth, Alyssa Cruickshank, Emma-Jane Bary, Abigail Cider, Eloise Dance, Georgia Cottrell, Jade Collier, Hayley Barton, Sophie Bucknell Absent: Lily Barrett-Power, Jessica Coleman

12MC Back Row: Kellen Patfield, Taylor McNeill, Sean Emms, Bailey Campbell, Matthew Caldwell, Benjamin Gameson, Owen Murray, Cameron Lingard Third Row: Aiden Champion, Samara Crosby, Edward Searle, Lucy Harrington, Brittany Muiznieks, Grace Lemon, Samuel Dalley, Charlotte Carter, Ellen Walters Second Row: Jack Manera, Madeleine Tasker, Jasmine Nash, Emma Harding, Breanna Hale, Georgia Sutherland, Alice Bradley, Mr J MacDonald Front Row: Emma Grigg, Ashleigh Haugh, Mikayla Mills, Mariah Glasson, Kaitlin Feast, Courtney Townsend, Olivia McEwan, Samantha Bevan, Rebecca Fickling Absent: Eamon McKay, Maddison Thompson

12MK Back Row: Malte Ortmanns, James Baldwin, Aidan Tuhill, Michael Ridgen, Juan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan, Finn Leonard, Shannon Cumming Third Row: Lucy Wilson, Matthew Cescon, Chontelle Radford, Alexis Sutherland, Robert Wright, Benjamin Millar, Luke McKay, Benjamin Weatherley Second Row: Selina Dixon, Emily de Rooy, Daniel Roberts, Karta Hewitt, Mereana Spence, Lilian Stott, Dr G McKenzie Front Row: Koharu Iwai, Hitomi Kaneko, Chloe Fraser, Abbey Scannell, Sheree Tomlinson, Kathryn Barnhill, Kristen BlaberHunt, Caitlin Thistoll, Ryo Nishimura Absent: Harry Barrett-Power, Harry Cart, Celine Didham, Jodie Fulcher, Kyla Higgins

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12MP Back Row: Michael Campbell, Eric Maxted, Anthony King, Regan Cornelissen, Callum Freer, Alex Shortus, Andrew Hennessy Third Row: Ben Fraser, Samuel Dorsey, Liam Hindle, Jordan Ryan, Cameron Carter, Jayden Ball, Jackson Pitkethley, Marmikkumar Patel Second Row: Chloe Walker, Wade Slater, Cody Palmer-Parker, Kyle Paterson, Hillary Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor, Brad Horn, Ms M Puru Front Row: Celine Jenkins, Bailey Hoare, Jessica Lane, Jessica Barton, Anna Hurst, Nicole Feltell, Olivia Shinn, Fern Stuart, Ria Leimer Absent: Harriet Evans, Stephanie Hubbard, Paige Karst, Jessica Neville

13JL Back Row: Matthew King, Aaron Gunn, Stefan Breunisse, Brock Hatton, Kieran Heath, Jonathan Anderson Middle Row: Miss J Ling, Changgwon Kim, Georgia Cridge, Lois Freemantle, Takaaki Kuwashiro, Thomas Rowlands, Renee Curtin Front Row: Hanako Nakagawa, Madison Coleman, Chisano Tsugehara, Honoka Ishida, Ella Pearce, Annabelle Johnston, Savannah Sayer, Amber Pont Absent: Emma Forbes, Blair Manson, Joseph Marychurch

13NK Back Row: William Gross, Oliver Thomas, Scott Taege, Michael Millar, Jake Burgess, Joshua Cook, Ciara Rayne Middle Row: Mrs A Walker, Seth Groom, James Butler, Julia Anderson, Caidyn Dixon, James Cider, Tristan Lancaster, Sarah Baker Front Row: Shannon Griffiths, Brittany Hodgman, Lara Stevens, Leigh McConchie, Cherry Dudley, Ruby Foster, Brie Gullery Absent: Joshua Jones, Rosie Marchant

100 | DARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | 2015

13SH Back Row: Liam Bragan, Yusaku Kimura, John Jebson, Jordan Watson, James McMillan, Harry Pringle, Timothy Logan Middle Row: Mrs S Hayakawa-Buist, Tayla James, Georgia Wilson, Nicole Frazer, Nicole Hamilton-Cross, Angus Wilson Front Row: Francesca Dela Cruz, Gemma Waters, Paige Heselwood, Amanda Schnell, Caitlin Baylis, Georgina Brown, Emelia Todd-Lister Absent: Chloe Chalmers, Monica Falconer, Lauren Stickings, George Watson

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k o lo

autographs

FRIENDS: treasure the tears and laughter

but most importantlyâ&#x20AC;Ś

the

memories

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