JULY 2019
Diversity ON DISPLAY RELAY FOR LIFE Raises an amazing $110K
PREMIER SCHOLARS Honoured at Parliament
CHAMPIONS
Archer Lauren Emirali rules the world MAGS Megacrew defend Hip Hop title Boys Softball win seven straight national crowns Brearna Crawford smashes swim records
Mount Albert Grammar School Alberton Avenue Mount Albert Auckland 1025
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Ph 09 846 2044 www.mags.school.nz The Lion is the official magazine of Mount Albert Grammar School Editorial and advertising inquiries to editor Graham Hepburn communications@mags.school.nz ph 09 846 2044, x 8236 Cover photo: From left: Year 13s in 2018 Cleo Chambers and Felila Matafeo with Visual Art students Jaime Spencer and Luke Davoren in front of the TÄ ne Mural they helped to create.
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Photo: Martin Sykes
Designed & printed by ICG
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Contents 4-5
22-27
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6-13
28-41
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From the Acting Headmaster School News Academic News
Community
Performing Arts Sport
MAGS Foundation Corridors – Albertian News Key Dates
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Arts: Some of the key players behind the TÄ ne Mural were, from left, Visual Art teacher Ainsley Leonard, Cleo Chambers, Felila Matafeo, Te Puna o Wairaka’s Peter Walters, Jaime Spencer and Luke Davoren.
Sport: The Premier Boys Softball team showed grit to win seven straight national titles.
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Academia: The Scholars Assembly celebrates outstanding achievement.
FROM THE ACTING HEADMASTER
Service: Remembering Christchurch
COMMITMENT & COLLABORATION It is my privilege to write for the first edition of The Lion for 2019, with a metaphorically lofty view from the Headmaster’s chair, offering a perspective tightly focussed on all things MAGS. A year ago, the newly developed strategic plan was referenced identifying the key priorities for our school, together with our collective ambition to achieve personal excellence for each of our students. Since then, much emphasis and focus has also been firmly placed on what we identify as our four pillars – academia, arts, service and sport – the pillars that underpin and offer overall representation of our successful MAGS school culture. The achievements acknowledged in this issue of The Lion serve to remind us of the unfailing ability of our young people to excel and astound with the breadth of their talents. It remains true however, that for this to happen the right conditions must exist, opportunity and encouragement must be given, and self-belief must grow. Academic success is an expectation and a given at any school. But it is the level of scholastic achievement attained by our students that is both acknowledged and celebrated: A Premier Scholar, a Top Scholarship mark, numerous Honours Board qualifiers, outstanding scholarships plus many, many Excellence endorsements across each level of NCEA. As a school we are proud of our students’ achievements, recognising not only the significance of individual commitment to individual success, but also the many contributions made by so many individual teachers. Individual artistic talent, whether in performance or visual arts, is the envy of many, but in this publication it is the recognition of collaborative artistic effort that stands out. The success of the Tāne Mural comes not only from its visual impact and story but also in that it was such a student-led project both in design and
creation, and then in completion. Our Megacrew, too, reclaimed their national title with a studentled, student-devised and student-driven performance. It is the maturity of the leadership and resilience demonstrated by both these, and other student groups, that continues to impress. Whether in the pool, on the field or on court, participation in sport fosters self-discipline, resilience and empathy as our young people experience, and then learn from, the highs and lows of winning and losing. Our MAGS young sportsmen and sportswomen endure focussed training sessions, and regularly put themselves to the test, both physically and emotionally, as they strive for their next personal best. Once again, they have impressed with the level of their successes across a breadth of sporting codes. They are fully deserving of their titles, records and medal haul. Finally, with all that has happened across this year to date, it seems fitting that our service pillar is mentioned last. Our students have done us proud when respectfully acknowledging and paying tribute to the fallen and when showing compassion by fundraising for others, in record breaking style. But it is perhaps the warmth, sincerity and optimism of our students’ response to March 15 that is the true evidence that the wounds inflicted on our nation that day will indeed heal. Gandhi said, ‘Be the change in the world you wish to see’. The commitment of our young people to being this change, their commitment to the fostering of a greater understanding and acceptance of difference is indeed the change we not only wish to see but the change that we need to see. PER ANGUSTA AD AUGUSTA. Jo Williams THE LION
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Farewell to Geoff Moon School House Director and First XV Rugby Coach Geoff Moon was farewelled on January 21 by family, friends, colleagues and students past and present. Mount Albert Grammar School’s F.W. Gamble Hall was packed out for the funeral service, with Geoff’s life celebrated by his family, friends and colleagues. Celebrant Grant Hobbs conducted proceedings that saw some often hilarious anecdotes told about Geoff, who started at MAGS in 2013 as Director of Rugby. In 2016, he spearheaded a triumphant year for MAGS’ First XV, who won the Auckland and New Zealand titles. Tributes were paid to Geoff by his brother Keith, Headmaster Patrick Drumm, All Blacks Keven Mealamu and Eroni Clarke, and former colleague at Aorere College Gary Peach. Mr Drumm said Geoff was an outstanding leader and educator with his own way of doing things, a sentiment echoed by others. He was remembered as a man who married high school sweetheart Angela and loved the children they raised, spending lots of fun times with Jessica, Sean and Dylan. Family was all-important to Geoff, and he transferred those values to his players, from
whom he expected commitment, loyalty and discipline. He was renowned for his high standards but owned a mischievous sense of humour. Born and bred in Otāhuhu, Geoff was always proud to call South Auckland home and instilled that same pride in many of his students and the rugby players he coached. One of his protégés was former All Black hooker Keven Mealamu, who Geoff coached at Aorere College in the 1990s. Mr Mealamu said Geoff was instrumental in getting him to play in the front row, and made him a better player by challenging him to do things outside his comfort zone. Geoff was a leading figure in New Zealand schools rugby, coaching Aorere College and De La Salle College before coming to MAGS. He also coached at senior level, steering Otāhuhu Rugby to win the Gallaher Shield in 2000, and coached Papatoetoe Rugby. He was an assistant coach to the Auckland provincial team in 2016 and 2017, and for many years he had been involved with
coaching Blues development sides. At the funeral service, there was a moving performance by the Former Aorere College Choristers before his family members took time to remember him. A video tribute highlighted Geoff’s love of family, rugby and having fun. At the conclusion of the service, School House boys performed a passionate haka in honour of Geoff as his casket, draped in a korowai, left the hall. Geoff passed away aged 52 on January 8 after a sudden illness while in Italy during a rugby coaching stint. Geoff is survived by wife Angela and children Jessica, Sean and Dylan.
NEW SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM A new Senior Leadership Team came together at a full staff administration day at Unitec on January 24 when Headmaster Patrick Drumm unveiled the strategy for the coming year, which has a strong focus on improving Pasifika achievement.
MAGS’ new Senior Leadership Team, from left to right, Deputy Principal Sarah Hayes, Associate Principal Jo Williams, new Deputy Principal Corey Todd, new Deputy Principal Tanya Rose, Deputy Principal John Stradwick, Headmaster Patrick Drumm, Deputy Principal Tom Murdoch, Deputy Principal Shameen Hayat.
MAGS welcomed new Deputy Principals Tanya Rose and Corey Todd to the ranks of the Senior Leadership Team. Ms Rose joined MAGS in 2018, having worked in education for 19 years. She started her career as a primary teacher, having trained in New Zealand, and then moved to London where she spent 17 years working in secondary schools. Ms Rose has the 6
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responsibility of Exams Co-ordination at MAGS, and was made Head of Mathematics before assuming the Deputy Principal role. She also oversees academic tracking and data analysis. Mr Todd joined MAGS this year from Massey High School, where he was Assistant Principal, overseeing Behaviour, Attendance and the Pastoral System. He is a Physical Education and Health teacher, and completed his Masters in Education through the University of Auckland. He previously taught at Onehunga High School where he was HOD of Physical Education & Health. He has coached school basketball and cricket teams. Mr Todd and his wife have two children. His responsibilities include Pasifika, attendance, Technology and enrolment. When Mark Rivalland retired as a Deputy Principal last year, MAGS welcomed him back in a part-time role as the Principal’s Nominee for Ministry of Education and NZQA matters. He started teaching in 1974 and joined MAGS in 2007. Mr Rivalland has held a number of management positions during his career.
SCHOOL NEWS MAGS’ Board of Trustees is (at back from left) Deputy Chair Tui Gallagher, student representative Hugo Young, Catherine Murphy, Neil Waka and staff representative Malcolm Nuttall. At front from left: Paul Moon, Raj Bhikha, Chairperson Greg Moyle and Simon Mitchell.
NEW BOARD OF TRUSTEES MAGS’ new Board of Trustees met for the first time on June 26, with Greg Moyle re-elected as Chairperson and Tui Gallagher elected as Deputy Chair. The seven elected parent representatives for the next three-year term are Raj Bhikha, Tui Gallagher, Simon Mitchell, Paul Moon, and Greg Moyle, who were all returned, and new members Catherine Murphy and Neil Waka. Malcolm Nuttall was re-elected as MAGS’ staff representative, and Hugo Young is the student representative. Catherine Murphy is the NZ manager and director of a large global business and has
recently joined the NZ Institute of Directors. Her eldest son left MAGS last year, she has a son and daughter at MAGS now, and another son starting next year. She has previously been involved with the MAGS Art Show. Former TV news presenter Neil Waka is now the Head of Corporate Affairs with CocaCola Amatil NZ and Fiji. He has a daughter at MAGS and another starting next year. Raj Bhikha was co-opted onto the Board in 2016 and has since been active as the Property Chairperson. Tui Gallagher has been on the Board for eight of the 13 years she has been involved with the school. She has served as a
member of the Education Sub Committee, Property Sub Committee, Disciplinary Sub Committee, and when required the Personnel Sub Committee. Simon Mitchell was also co-opted for the previous term and served as the Deputy Chair of the Board. Paul Moon has served as a parent representative on the Board since 2004, and has been Chairman of the Board’s Discipline Committee for the past 11 years. Greg Moyle was the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees in the previous term and has been a member of the Board for the past 21 years.
Word gets around Moon Stars win again For the third year in a row, the Moon Stars have won the same award at the Auckland round of the NZ Chamber Music Contest. The octet won Best Performance of an Original Composition for Gone by group member Mathew Somerville. Matthew had originally written Gone as a rock song but later arranged it for the chamber group. Group members (left to right) are: Helen Wen and Daniel Zhang (1st violins), Grace Duan (2nd violin), Kate Ploeg (viola), Mekal Covic (cello), Lars Landicho (double bass), Matthew Somerville (percussion) and Stefan Moon (percussion).
Head Girl Takunda Muzondiwa’s powerful words at the Race Unity Speech Awards have reverberated around the world. British newspaper The Guardian has reported that the video of her speech has gone viral, and Takunda has had interview requests from media at home and abroad. Takunda made great use of her drama and spoken word skills as she spoke about her Zimbabwean heritage, colonisation and overt, institutionalised and casual racism. Since then she has been profiled by media outlets and appeared on TV shows such as The Project and Breakfast, where she was interviewed by John Campbell. Last month, she was invited to Parliament during National Volunteer Week to share her powerful speech. And she has been formally invited to speak at TEDxYouth@Christchurch. Long-term, Takunda says she would like to return to Zimbabwe to lead the country out of corruption and poverty. THE LION
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Senior Leadership Assembly At the Senior Leadership Assembly on February 8, the school’s leaders for 2019 were recognised and introduced to their peers. Our Prefects, Arts Leaders, Cultural Leaders and Summer Sports Leaders for 2019 were called to the stage and presented with their leadership badges and certificates. Headmaster Patrick Drumm said this was recognition of their potential but the year ahead was where they would prove themselves through their own success but, more importantly, by helping others to succeed. After the School Hymn, which began the ceremony, Head Boy Germain Hellriegel-White read the school prayer, and
Head Girl Takunda Muzondiwa gave the concluding remarks, echoing Mr Drumm’s sentiments by saying all the leaders would be measured by the success of those around them and their ability to create a new generation of leaders. During the ceremony, Lo Ta Nu’u, a traditional Samoan song was performed by Tali Afele, Samuela Gabriel and Sina Gabriel. Senior Te Puna students also performed a haka for their peers. At the conclusion of the ceremony, parents were invited to join their children and staff for afternoon tea in the Albertian Quad.
The 2019 Prefect team
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SCHOOL NEWS Summer Sports Leaders for 2019
Arts and Cultural Leaders for 2019
Head Girl Takunda Muzondiwa with Head Boy Germain Hellriegel-White and their deputies India Bulman, Alyssa Houma, Oscar Graham and Darhys Simone.
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Visual Art teacher Ainsley Leonard and Visual Art Leader Cleo Chambers celebrate finishing the mural.
DIVERSITY
on display
MAGS’ award-winning ‘Tāne Mural’ tells a tale of creation and knowledge but there is also a story behind it of cooperation across the school and a desire to embrace diversity. The mural, unveiled and blessed early last year, went on to win Best School Mural – Senior in Resene’s Mural Masterpieces National Competition. Felila Matafeo, a Year 13 Māori Committee member last year, explained how the committee came up with the idea for a colourful and culturally responsive mural in a visible spot opposite the Tuck Shop. “At MAGS we have so much pride in our school but because we have so much sporting and academic success that sometime overshadows the cultural side,” said Felila. “So we wanted to make the cultural side more visible every day in the school and that is why we chose a big space in the middle of the school.” After the idea was approved by Senior Leadership, students were recruited from Te Puna o Wairaka and Visual Art to work on the project. The Art students learned about the history of the area, Māori mythology and symbolism while the Puna students developed artistic skills and techniques. Both groups learned from each other and brought their skills to bear. Visual Art Leader Cleo Chambers, also in Year 13 last year, helped to drive the project 10
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and pull together a team of students to execute the mural, while Te Puna o Wairaka teacher Peter Walters and Visual Art teacher Ainsley Leonard helped to advise the students and oversee the design. The team had key members such as Visual Art students Luke Davoren, who helped to design the mural, and Jaime Spencer, who painted some of the key parts. The mural was sketched out as a whole then broken down into panels for students to work on. Cleo, who received a Gold Lion* last year, worked on the themes with the guidance of Matua Peter, and helped to work out what elements would be portrayed in the mural and how it would be laid out. Matua Peter said that most people imagining a depiction of the creation myth would see Rangi (the Sky Father) and Papatu-a-nuku (the Earth Mother) as top and bottom respectively with Tāne (God of the Forest) standing between them to push them apart but the mural worked better laid out horizontally. He said there had been a big focus on making sure the colours and references were respectful to Māori culture but symbols from
other cultures at MAGS were also woven into the mural to represent the school’s diversity. Cleo said the mural involved about 30 students and took about three weeks to complete around the time of NCEA exams. “In that time there was two weeks of solid effort, working 9-5 every day,” she said. “Just things like trying to get the lines to match up on the panels or the colours the same meant sometimes we did things three or four times.” Matua Peter said the mural was just one initiative along with others such as Māori Language Week that would help to normalise Māori culture and the use of te reo around the school. Felila said the Ma-ori Student Council was a recent initiative and she was pleased its proposals, such as the mural and putting signs around the school in te reo, were being listened to. Winning the mural competition meant $1000 worth of art supplies from Resene, which have been used to create the latest mural on the wall of E Block with the help of artist Askew One. * The MAGS Gold Lion is awarded to those few students who earn all four other Lions: Academic, Sport, Arts and Service.
SCHOOL NEWS Matua Peter Walters explains the meaning of the mural at its unveiling and blessing.
The mural team and Visual Art teacher Ainsley Leonard at the unveiling.
The Mural Explained Te Ara Poutama o Tāane – The Mystical Stairway of Tāa ā ne The stories depicted in this mural pertain to the Māori god of the forest, Tāne (the head figure in the centre). Tāne had many achievements. He was the one out of 70 gods who had the strength to separate his parents, Rangi – Sky Father (blue figure on the left), from Papa – Earth Mother (female figure on the right). This brought us into the world of light as depicted in the red and yellow beams stretching out from the darkness. Tāne also climbed Te Ara Poutama – the mystical stairway to the 12th heaven, where he retrieved the three baskets of knowledge which are also depicted. Finally, the stairway in this mural is adorned with symbols and patterns taken from some of the other different cultures of our school. Basically, indicating that our knowledge is uplifted by the foundation of our culture.
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ANZAC SERVICE
Daniel Fraser and Hugo Young spoke about the effect war had on Albertians and their school.
Year 13 History students Daniel Fraser and Hugo Young provided different but equally moving takes on the meaning of Anzac Day in their speeches at Mount Albert Grammar School’s Anzac Service Assembly on April 11. Daniel spoke of the fallen Albertians and the assemblies held to remember them but focused on the most recent Albertian to make the ultimate sacrifice: Lance Corporal Rory Malone, who died in Afghanistan in 2012. In his speech, Daniel outlined something of Rory Malone’s life and his bravery in a firefight with rebels in which he was fatally wounded. Hugo also spoke about the assemblies during World War II, when Headmaster F.W. Gamble would read out the names of Albertians killed, wounded or missing in action. In his speech, Hugo focused on the Maadi Roll, which had been framed and was on display. It originated when a group of more than 100 Albertians attended a reunion dinner held in 1943 in the El Maadi Casino, Egypt after the African campaign. Each attendee signed the roll, which was then sent back to MAGS. This year’s service was attended by Year 9 students, Headmaster Mr Patrick Drumm, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr Greg Moyle, Major John Liddell, and Albertians Association representative Ms Lisa Oakden. Albertian bagpiper Mr Andrew Wilkie piped dignitaries and Air Training Corps cadets into and from the hall. Te Puna o Wairaka performed a welcome haka to dignitaries and sung a waiata, and there was also a speech in te reo by student Niua Pomare-Khanna. As at every Anzac Service, the names of fallen Albertians were read aloud, the Ode of Remembrance was read in both English and Ma- ori, and a laying of wreaths was performed during the Last Post and Reveille, played by student Oliver Bulman from the mezzanine floor, as the school flag was lowered and then raised. The service was followed by an Albertians Luncheon at School House. 12
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SCHOOL NEWS
Academic Dean Warwick Gibbs reads Miriam Leonhardt’s citation after she was presented with her Premier Scholar certificate by Headmaster Patrick Drumm.
Scholars
ASSEMBLY Miriam Leonhardt was congratulated as being the top female secondary school scholar in the country at the annual Scholars Assembly on February 13. June Gray Charitable Trust Tertiary Education Scholarship winner Fatima Imran with BoT chairman Greg Moyle.
2018 Boys Dux Gary He was named an Outstanding Scholar.
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Miriam’s success was part of a record 116 Scholarships achieved by MAGS’ top academic students in the 2018 NCEA exams. Miriam, the Girls Dux of 2018, is one of only 11 Premier Scholars in the country, with the other 10 all being male. She achieved Scholarships in seven subjects: Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science (Outstanding), German, Physics (Outstanding) and Statistics (Outstanding). Premier Scholars – those who achieve at least three Scholarships at Outstanding level – receive $10,000 per year for three years towards their studies. The last time MAGS had a Premier Scholar was in 2006. Miriam will have her name inscribed on the school Honours Board along with 13 other students who achieved three or more Scholarships in the 2018 NCEA exams. Also one of the top scholars in the country
is Jonathan De Pledge, who had the best mark in Physics and was only one mark shy of being the top scholar in Calculus as well. Jonathan, who was Boys Proxime Accessit in 2018, was named an Outstanding Scholar, along with our 2018 Boys Dux Gary He. To be an Outstanding Scholar, students must achieve three Scholarships including at least two at Outstanding (O) level, or more than three Scholarships including at least one at Outstanding level in the same year. These students gain $5000 per year for three years. Jonathan achieved Scholarships in Calculus (O), Chemistry (O), Earth and Space Science, Physics (O) and Statistics. Gary achieved Scholarships in Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Statistics (O). The other names to go up on the Honours Board (three or more Scholarships) are Anton Aish – Chemistry,
ACADEMIC NEWS Headmaster Patrick Drumm and Academic Dean Warwick Gibbs with Premier Scholar Miriam Leonhardt and her proud parents Beatrix and Rainer.
Economics, Physics, Statistics; Henry An – Chemistry, Physics, Statistics; Hannah Houghton – Biology, Calculus, Health and Physical Education (O); Anvilly Huang – Calculus, Earth and Space Science, Statistics; Annie Li – Calculus, Japanese, Statistics; Josh Lim – Calculus, Chemistry, Physics; Liam Milbank – Calculus, English, Statistics; Liam Thompson – English (O), Physics, Statistics; Amber Yang –Classical Studies (O), English, History; James You – Calculus, Physics, Statistics; Lucy Zhang – Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, English, Physics. These students gain $2000 per year for three years. The assembly also saw the awarding of Scholar Lions to students who were Endorsed with Excellence in NCEA. At Level 1, there were 139 recipients, at Level 2 there were 120, and at Level 3 there were 58.
Headmaster Patrick Drumm with Outstanding Scholar Jonathan De Pledge, his mother Heather, and Mathematics teacher Michael Walden.
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Top Scholars Miriam Leonhardt and Jonathan De Pledge were officially recognised as being among the country’s most gifted academic students at the 2018 New Zealand Scholarship Top Scholar Awards held at Parliament on May 1. At the Wellington ceremony, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in attendance, Miriam was congratulated on being a Premier Scholar and the top female secondary school scholar in the country. Miriam, the Girls Dux of 2018, is one of only 11 Premier Scholars in the country, with the other 10 all being male. Miriam was also awarded the University of Auckland’s Top Achiever Scholarship, given to a student who demonstrates exceptional academic excellence, all-around ability and leadership. She has received her Silver
Jonathan De Pledge and Miriam Leonhardt, at centre, with their proud parents alongside – Stephen and Heather, and Beatrix and Rainer, respectively – and Headmaster Patrick Drumm at the Top Scholar Awards in Wellington.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and is working towards her Gold Award. Jonathan, who was Boys Proxime Accessit in 2018, was named a Top Subject Scholar at the awards with the best mark in Physics in the country.
Miriam is enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Auckland, while Jonathan is also studying a BSc at Auckland in Physics and Mathematics.
ALBERTIAN SCHOLARS INSPIRE next generation
Liam Thompson, Jonathan De Pledge, Paul McKinney and Miriam Leonhardt.
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Jonathan De Pledge, Miriam Leonhardt and Liam Thompson returned to MAGS on March 15 to share their experiences sitting NZQA Scholarship in 2018. Addressing a large group of aspiring Scholars from Years 9 to 13, the three Albertians spoke about the keys to success in these examinations; the highest possible qualification available to New Zealand secondary students. Given they gained a total of 15 Scholarships between them, including seven Outstanding scholarships, this trio knew their topic well. Mr Paul McKinney also shared his vast experience preparing students for scholarship and advised students about routines and habits that support successful scholarship candidates. As a Mathematics teacher, Mr McKinney helped 21 students gain Calculus scholarships in 2018, including two Outstanding scholarships, so he too brought his vast experience to the conversation. The passion that all speakers have for learning was clearly evident, and students planning to sit scholarship in 2019 and beyond left the hall with a clear sense of the dedication needed to be successful in this pursuit.
ACADEMIC NEWS
SCHOLARSHIP SUCCESS
International representative Touch player Princess Elliott has been awarded a Tania Dalton Foundation Scholarship in recognition of her talent and potential. Princess was one of 12 recipients nationwide of the Scholarship, which is for three years and provides financial, mentorship and personal development support to young women and helps them to fulfil their potential. Princess, who also plays Sevens and Netball for MAGS, starred for the NZ Open Women's team at the Touch World Cup in Malaysia in April. Last year, MAGS basketballer and netballer Sharne Pupuke-Robati was one of the inaugural recipients of the Scholarship, set up to honour former Silver Fern and netball commentator Tania Dalton, who passed away in 2017. The idea of the scholarships is that the recipients return and help to mentor the next generation of up and coming talent.
Deputy Prefects Darhys Simone and Alyssa Houma are the recipients of the Hi Well Charity Scholarships for 2019. The NZ Korean Association kindly awards these $700 scholarships to worthy Year 13 students who demonstrate significant leadership skills and balance to their academic studies. The scholarships were presented to the students by National Party MP Melissa Lee (pictured with the pair) at Takapuna Grammar in February. Last year, the scholarships were awarded to MAGS’ Deputy Head Girl Rosarina Pillissi and fellow Year 13 student Elijah Manu.
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AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE Students continue to enjoy a wide range of opportunities – from leadership seminars to hands-on farm work.
Across 21-24 January, Will Newton, Campbell Barclay and Aidan Bright joined about 22 other Year 11 and 12 Agriculture students from Waikato and Auckland schools on the 2019 Rabobank Agricultural Leadership Programme. This programme has been running for several years and is designed to encourage more students to consider primary industries as a career. The four-day course consists of numerous activities, industry visits and speakers. Starting with learning how to paddle an enormous waka ama (teamwork) on the mighty Waikato River at Turangawaewae Marae, the programme included visits to Zespri, Tatua and their dairy goats, Zealong Tea, New Zealand Honey, deer farming, and exploring the use of drones in farming. An 11-strong group of Year 12 Agribusiness students travelled to Palmerston North in mid-March to take part in events such as the Future Feeders forum during New Zealand Agrifood Week. Head of Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Esther Hancock, said the trip was a great success. The students also surveyed attendees at Field Days, enjoyed a walking tour of the creative arts available in the city, and soaked up the inspiring research on display at Massey University. On March 16, four of the students on the Palmerston North trip, along with two other students, gave up their day to compete in a regional Junior Young Farmers competition in Warkworth. Claudia Woods, Mackenzie Brabant, Rose Young, Kaitlyn Sanders, Campbell Barclay and Joshua Baker took part in the event. 18
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"The Staggs” team of Campbell Barclay and Joshua Baker, ably and vigorously supported by the girls, came second and qualified to compete in the Junior Young Farmer competition held in Hawkes Bay. They had to answer questions about soils, macroinvertebrates, financial calculations, digestive systems and had a super modern tractor to drive. Year 13 Agriculture students Aidan Bright and Madi Douglas-Bell attended a threeday leadership programme in Rotorua that opened their eyes to opportunities in the rural sector. They joined 13 other TeenAg members for Raising the Standards, which was run by NZ Young Farmers and funded by DairyNZ, during the first week of the April school holidays. Students were taught how to set goals, communicate confidently, manage their time and create compelling CVs. Madi and Aidan learned about different graduate programmes, the wide range of agri-related scholarships on offer and how some agri-businesses encourage secondments overseas. Guest speakers included agri-business bankers, consultants, a dairy farmer, Te Awamutu vet Emma Dangen and local PGG Wrightson forage agronomist Sophia Clark. Madi and Aidan, who have yet to make up their minds what direction to take after school, said the programme showed them that there was a vast range of opportunities in agriculture. They both found a visit to a Fonterra factory fascinating because of the technology involved, the products it made and its high production standards.
In May, Ms Hancock took thirteen Year 12 Agriculture students on an optional trip to Sunset, a sheep and beef farm near Port Waikato. Sunset is owed by Rimanui Farms, the largest landowner in the North Island. Students were able to meet farm staff, including Katie, who is working as a shepherd only two years out of Taratahi College. The staff were excellent and enthusiastic teachers and the students learned many aspects of sheep and beef farming. They also learned more about fencing and were able to watch the shearing gang who were finishing off the season’s shear. All the students reported it was a worthwhile and enjoyable visit and many are going to prepare CVs during their TeenAg meetings with a view to securing holiday work experience on a farm.
ACADEMIC NEWS
Business Studies Business Studies classes have been getting some real world experience running stalls at the school.
Year 10 Business students put lessons into practice when they opened food stalls at lunchtime on May 16 & 17. Students flocked to the stalls to purchase drinks and food such as sushi, burgers, kebabs and fudge brownie. As part of Market Day, the Year 10 Business students formulate, carry out and review a business activity that involves selling food and/ or drinks. It also tests their marketing and presentation skills. Groups fund their own start-up costs and share profits among business owners. After Market Day, students are encouraged to reflect on where their businesses had succeeded or failed. Market Day is a taster for business activities to follow in years 11, 12 and 13 when business students build on earlier skills to develop more sophisticated products and services.
On May 21, Year 11 Business Studies students were swamped by hungry crowds during the Board Show and Business Market Evening. For these students, selling to parents was a new challenge after selling solely to their peers or staff as Year 10s at last year’s Market Day. This project also sees businesses formed, leadership roles taken and business plans developed. It was also a good chance for parents to come out in the evening and support their children, while enjoying the festive atmosphere created with art, food and music.
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Health A Health Expo across three days drew hundreds of students into the school hall to learn about a range of issues at stalls set up by Year 12 Health students. The expo was run across lunchtimes on May 21-23 to align with Youth Week, with topics covered including coping with stress; ensuring good nutrition; creating positive relationships; dealing with sexuality, body image or depression; and awareness of the effects of drugs and alcohol. As well as providing information, some of the stalls offered sweets, snacks or drinks – always a crowd-pleaser. The Year 12s are working towards an achievement standard, which is a health promotion assignment. Students had to identify a health issue in the MAGS community, research the topic, develop resources, present their expo and then evaluate the effectiveness of it. This is giving the students first-hand experience of how health promotion works. Some groups also had external organisations in to run workshops during the week.
Totara Health Building, New Lynn 20
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www.turnerlim.co.nz
09 827 1478
ACADEMIC NEWS
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Water-based activities were a focus of the beginning of the year with tramping and mountain biking featuring in later months. YEAR 13 MT TARANAKI TRAMP
In May, the Year 13 Outdoor Education class tramped the Around the Mountain Circuit in Taranaki/Egmont National Park over three days. Students had to plan their routes, find out about the significance of the place they were visiting, create a gear list, consider the environment they were entering and how they could care for it, plan their menu, and identify the likely risks and how to mitigate them. The Around the Mountain Circuit goes through forest, across rivers and has spectacular alpine scenery.
YEAR 13 SURF CAMP
Perfect conditions greeted the Year 13 Outdoor Education class when they went to Piha Beach for an overnight Surf camp on February 7 & 8. Students were really able to extend their surfing ability across the two days as well as continue to develop their personal and social responsibility through group camping and adventure based learning activities. They will use this experience to continue to evaluate the role outdoor pursuits play in influencing well-being.
YEAR 13 WHANGANUI RIVER JOURNEY
From March 12-15, this trip provided students with an event that they could use to focus on safety management issues and strategies. Within this unit, each student was required to complete a Risk Assessment and Management Strategies (RAMS) form from which they could monitor their identified risks while on the trip and implement the strategies that they had devised. Despite heavy rain on day one causing the river to rise and turn brown, the weather thankfully cleared on day two and three. Students enjoyed the extra responsibility of organising everything, including the timings, their equipment and their menu.
YEAR 12 SCUBA DIVING TRIP
On March 21 & 22, two 12OE classes took part in a diving trip to Goat Island. This was the culmination of four weeks' work in the pool, learning some of the necessary scuba skills required to dive safely. The days provided good conditions for diving and all the students did very well and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
YEAR 11 WERO WHITEWATER PARK TRIP
In late March, these classes visited Wero Whitewater Park in Manukau to experience whitewater kayaking with an emphasis on self-management and complying with instructions. Students practised their paddling and eddy skills before going up the conveyor belt and into the Grade 2 Tamariki river. The moving water pushed all students outside their comfort zone as they rode the rapids and tried to stay upright.
YEAR 11 MOUNTAIN BIKING
In May, as part of the ‘Discovery 101’ and ‘Getting Stuck In’ units for Year 11 Outdoor Education, students went mountain biking at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park. This allowed students to further develop an understanding of how the body functions, specific to mountain biking, to assist them with their upcoming biomechanics assessment and identify factors that influence their own participation in physical activities. They progressed from learner’s trails to more technical ones, including a downhill track.
YEAR 10 SURFING TRIP
In Term 1, our Year 10 students were educated on how to be safe in a beach environment. They learnt about what causes surf and how to reduce risks at the beach. Pool and classroom learning culminated in a visit to Piha Beach to learn to surf. THE LION
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In early April, MAGS was fortunate to have secured the services of mural artist Askew One (aka Elliot O'Donnell) to help to bring some colour to E Block. With the help of the school's Visual Arts Leaders, Askew One created a mural (pictured above) modelled on six Prefects to go between E1 & E2. On May 21, the Board Show and Market Evening gave Senior Visual Art students a chance to display their work to the school community. E Block came alive with exhibitions of painting, photography and design for friends, family and staff to view. As well as the classrooms and hallways of E Block being opened up to display art, stalls were set up inside and outside as Business Studies students refined skills they had learned previously to market their products to the public. A variety of lively performances from Music students kept the crowds entertained. Askew One and Visual Art Leaders start to sketch out the mural.
In February, Expressions of Self, a Year 9 Art Exhibition was available for viewing in E Block. As Year 13 student Isabel Morley, the Visual Art and Curatorial Leader, said, "Year 9 students have been introduced to the Visual Arts at MAGS, having created identity posters, which reflect on students' interests, hobbies and a background on family history, religion and cultures. "Being able to express oneself through Visual Art is something we encourage at MAGS, which also allows students to learn and find common interests between themselves."
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COMMUNITY
Remembering Christchurch As part of a range of activities on March 22 to remember the victims of the Christchurch shootings the week before, students drew chalk messages of peace and support in the Albertian Quad. The activity was organised and overseen by Prefects and Peer Support Leaders. Interact Club members collected donations for those affected, and students were also encouraged to write words of hope or compassion on coloured slips of paper. These slips were arranged by Prefects as a mosaic in the windows of classrooms facing the Albertian Quad. MAGS also took part in the National 2 Minutes of Silence at 1.32pm. Some female members of staff participated in Headscarf for Harmony, wearing headscarfs for the day. Normally, proceeds from Mufti Day go to the Relay For Life, which supports the Cancer Society. But, this year, Relay for Life organisers at MAGS decided to give money raised from Mufti Day on March 29 to the victims of the Christchurch shootings. A total of $5960.70 was raised by the MAGS students and teachers to go towards the survivors and victims’ families.
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From left to right: Alayna Pulham, Sue Beuvink, Charlotte Wilson, Logan Allomes, Associate Principal Jo Williams, and Alistair Burry.
Relay for Life tops
$110K
At a Special Assembly on May 3, MAGS Relay for Life participants were recognised and a cheque for $114,305 was presented to the Cancer Society. Relay for Life student leaders Charlotte Wilson and Logan Allomes spoke about the massive fundraising effort involving 302 students, and presented the cheque to Sue Beuvink and Alistair Burry, of the Cancer Society. Mr Burry summed up the student effort when he said, “Wow!”. And he went on to thank everyone involved for their contribution, which will fund cancer treatment, education and research. He and Mrs Beuvink thanked MAGS’
Relay for Life organiser Alayna Pulham for her commitment and presented her with a Significant Contribution Award and some daffodils, the Cancer Society emblem. This is the sixth year MAGS has taken part in the Relay for Life, setting a record for fundraising after topping last year’s $100,000 raised. This year’s Auckland Central Relay for Life was held at Mount Roskill’s Lovelock Track on April 6-7, with students and staff walking and running laps from 3pm on Saturday to 8am on Sunday (18 hours, with the clocks going back at the end of Daylight Saving).
Ms Pulham said, “The students did MAGS so proud”. The MAGS team completed 27331 laps of the 400m track, with the top runner being Ben Hellriegel with 220 laps. Other top runners were Izzy Smith (214 laps), Nofolisi Hala (210), Theo Brown (210), Josiah Murphy (206) Liam Baber (200), Lukasz Swain (200) and Nico Stroud (200). The top fundraisers were Hope Tuitama ($3005), Eva Williams ($2080), William BellPurchas ($2065), Sarah Brinck ($1538) and Ella Sutton ($1391). There were 13 students who raised over $1000 and more than 220 students reached their $200 goal.
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Painting Mt Albert green. 24
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COMMUNITY Alayna Pulham & William Bell-Purchas with the top fundraising team shield.
Barfoot & Thompson Mt Albert P 09 846 9197 | mtalbert@barfoot.co.nz | 871 New North Road, Mt Albert
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Quiz Night The MAGS Quiz Night on June 21 was a night of bright colour, sharp wits and lots of laughs as 33 teams competed for the title of champion and raised approximately $3000 for the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation. Around 300 people – staff, students and families – packed the school hall for an amazing night organised by the studentled Academic Council with Science teacher Pat Barrett as quizmaster. Social Sciences teacher Donna Hobbs kept score with the help of her son Riley. The eventual winners were ‘The Suits’ from the Science department. Best costume prizes went to Milly Bayfield and Devendra Johnston, while the best dressed team was ‘The Campers’ and their extravagantly decorated table. There were generous donations of prizes, products and vouchers from Ruapehu ski fields, Auckland Zoo, Maten Floral Design, Warehouse Stationery, Rotorua Luge, Paradice Ice Skating, Look Sharp Store and Resene Paint.
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COMMUNITY
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD In early December last year, five then-Year 12 MAGS students went to Abel Tasman National Park to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh qualifying adventurous journey. One of them, Claudia Sanders, said, “We began planning the tramp in August 2018 and had to organise travel, flights, accommodation and food as well as route our entire trip with bearings, distances and times. “Lydia Finch, Georgia Sinclair, Lauren Zwalue, Zoe Stevens and myself, shadowed by Emma ThomsonHensman, set out on the 5th of December 2018 and flew to Nelson where we stayed a night at a backpackers before starting our tramp the following morning. “We had beautiful weather throughout the five days, and swimming each day once we got to the huts was a definite highlight after a day full of steep ups and downs. By the end of the five days we were exhausted and ready for hot showers and real beds, but it was an amazing experience that none of us will forget. Most of us are close to completing our Gold Awards in full, after already having completed the Bronze and Silver awards.”
The weekend of March 9 & 10 saw 28 students go out to the Karangahake Gorge to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze journey with Mr Belson, Ms Mackinnon and Mr Fullerton. Once again, the weather was extremely variable, ranging from rain to hot, sunny conditions later on, as the adventurers tramped up and down through the gorge and enjoyed the view from Karangahake Mountain. The campsite at Dickey’s Flat is the perfect place to learn about living in the outdoors and cooking with limited facilities, although some of the meals were almost gourmet cuisine. The students learned how to navigate, pack their packs, manage their team and themselves, and be safe in the outdoors as well as realising the importance of pitching their tents correctly.
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RHYTHM & RITUAL The annual MAGS dance concert was held on April 9 & 10 at the Centennial Theatre at Auckland Grammar.
Over 200 dance students performed at Rhythm & Ritual, with all items being for assessment either for performance or choreography credits. The evening opened with a teaser from the MAGS Megacrew, who went on to successfully defend their national title at the HHINZ Megaschools competition on April 17 at the Vodafone Events Centre. All dancers in the concerts were inspired by a ritual or celebration, and the variety of styles, cultural influences and themes were broad and clearly appreciated by the near-capacity audiences on both evenings. HOD Dance Samantha French was extremely proud of the standard achieved by all students and particularly referenced the amount of hard work that had been put in by them all, with many students giving up time on evenings and weekends to ensure they achieved their personal best.
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PERFORMING ARTS
Dance News Dancers Willow Goff, Esta Lightbourn and Sofija Milic were all members of the Mt Eden Ballet Academy teams that competed at the World Dance competitions in Florida, USA. The girls were placed in the top six in all their dances, finishing fourth overall. However, it was their second placing in the Nations Cup that was really exciting as this was against teams from 40-plus other countries. At the Auckland Combined Dance Association competitions, Faolan Okan won the senior Tap championship and a special trophy for most memorable performance, and Sofija Milic won the
New Zealand School of Dance Contemporary Award. Isaac Chisholm won the senior Tap Scholarship. As well, the Mt Eden Ballet academy dancers (as mentioned above) won the Jazz group awards and the nomination to compete in the PACANZ national Young Performer of the Year competition to be held in October. Ella Gillooly recently competed in the 2019 Kiwi Classic international dance championships held over two days, with over 500 dancers competing. Ella competed in the Latin and ballroom, achieving first in all events and second in one of her junior categories.
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HIP HOP CHAMPIONS AGAIN MAGS Megacrew successfully defended their national title in April and are the 2019 Hip Hop International NZ Megaschool Champions.
Director Arts Co-curricular Jacqui Cesan said, “Huge congratulations to TIC Sam French and the leaders Ally Mayerhofler and Moanekah Vai’i for their fantastic leadership and commitment, and to the 45 students who have worked so hard to prove that they are champions. “There were 18 schools in the competition this year, and although there were some strong performances, I have to say I have never gone into the awards ceremony so confident of the win – they were that good!” MAGS Megacrew broke through last year to claim the title for the first time after years of being close to the top. They also performed their winning routine on finals night at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau in front of an audience of 2000.
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PERFORMING ARTS
YouDance
MAGS dancers shone at the 9th annual YouDance youth dance festival concerts, held over three nights last month at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre in Epsom. Forty two of our Dance students were involved in this year’s concerts. Representing MAGS this year were two group choreographies by HOD Dance Sam French. The first, Year 12 Dance Famili, a Pasifika fusion piece, was a fantastic opening to the Thursday show and was enthusiastically received by the audience. The Year 13 dance Zigadi was based on the idea of gypsies and brought colour and joy to the programme. This was a featured dance on both Wednesday and Thursday. Three student choreographies were also chosen to represent MAGS and each was outstanding and received excellent reviews from the invited professionals who were present to offer feedback to the students. The first was Day In Day Out choreographed and performed by Year 12 student Eden Matthews. This and the Year 12 boys piece Journeys Around the Sun – choreographed and performed by Marcus Savelio, Jahvarn Islam and Woody Sabanhdit – were featured in all three shows. Another choreography – Align by Christelle Ridon – was featured in the Wednesday programme. And four MAGS dancers – Charlotte Barrand, Bethany Fletcher, Jahvarn Islam and Faith Pillissi – were selected to perform as part of the Trip The Light youth company, which closed the show each night with a compelling dance about HOPE.
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In possibly their best ever performance, MAGS’ Kapa Haka group placed sixth in Division 1 this year. After the cancellation of the last day of Polyfest due to the Christchurch shootings, the rescheduled competition was renamed Te Pou Herenga o Kia Aroha and held on April 6. Due to the postponement, this year’s campaign consisted of nine weeks’ worth of training, including Tuesday and Wednesday practices from 3.45pm-9pm, all-day Waitangi Day and six live-ins from 6.30pm Friday through to 1pm on Sunday. Seventy two students trialled for the group; 50 made the performing team and 15 were reserves. HoF Te Puna o Wairaka Waimirirangi Paul said, “Overall, we placed sixth out of 13 groups in Division 1, and roughly 52 groups across all three divisions at the competition. We were only five points away from fifth place. This is the best overall aggregate placing MAGS has received, to my knowledge. “Overall, the comments received from the judges were very positive and some even implied that they thought we would qualify for nationals. However, such is the fate of a competition this tight! The students, wider whānau and us, the tutors, were all extremely proud and happy with the outcome and look forward to next year’s campaign.” Earlier in the year, MAGS’ teachers and Kapa Haka instructors Waimirirangi Paul and Peter Walters became national champions themselves. Whaea Miri and Matua Peter not only teach Kapa Haka but also take part themselves with their West Aucklandbased team, Ngā Tūmanako. At Te Matatini (the biennial national kapa haka championships) in Wellington in late February, Ngā Tūmanako were crowned Toa Whakaihuwaka (champions) after competing against 46 other teams from all over the country over four days. Their winning performance focused on the revitalisation of te reo.
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MOCKINGBIRD
PERFORMING ARTS
TO KILL A Over four nights in early April, Year 12 Drama students performed to sold-out audiences with their production of To Kill a Mockingbird by Christopher Sergel. Head of Drama Gerald Urquhart said, “It was a challenging and timely exploration of ideas around racism and civic duty. The students did a fantastic job of breathing life into this play, based on the classic novel by Harper Lee. “They took direction well from both of their teachers, Miss Hughes and Ms Rigold. They were also ably supported by the growing student backstage crew. The overall effect was four nights of entertaining and thought-provoking drama. All of the hard work was rewarded with sold-out audiences for every performance. A big thank you to everyone involved.”
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DRAMA
UNFOLDS AT ALBERTON Historic homestead Alberton was the backdrop for Year 11 Drama and Year 10 Academy Drama students as they performed short plays set in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The performances on May 15 were part of their Level 1 Drama Devising unit, which challenges them to create a scenario that might have happened in the time of the Kerr-Taylors, the original owners of Alberton. The works focused on issues such as women’s suffrage, arranged marriages, army conscription, and dysfunctional families – and were staged in the ballroom apart from one set in the kitchen. Students visit Alberton early on in the unit to learn about the house and family and to scout sets. Victorian/Edwardian costumes are sourced to evoke the feel of the era.
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PERFORMING ARTS
Sheilah Winn Shakespeare At the Auckland Central Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition in April, Takunda Muzondiwa won the top individual award and earned direct entry into the National Shakespeare Schools Production. These workshops are held in Wellington during the September/ October holidays, and from these 20 students are chosen to go to the Globe Theatre in England for two weeks. Two MAGS groups performed at Sheilah Winn. There was a 15-minute scene directed by Logan Allomes from Merchant of Venice (pictured right) with Germain Hellriegel-White as The Duke, Takunda as Shylock, Ella Brislan as Portia, Lara Chuo as Gratiano, and Giles Paton-Simpson as Antonio. Drama teacher Jessica Rigold said, “This was a strong piece with everyone handling the text very confidently, which is one of the key skills the judges are looking for. I was sitting close to one of the judges and he was nodding in agreement every time Takunda and Ella spoke.” The second piece was a five-minute scene from Romeo and Juliet (pictured below right) directed by Sarah Norman and Ruby Taylor Sinclair. It was a comedic physical theatre piece aimed at showing the pointlessness of the classic battle between the Capulets and the Montagues. Ms Rigold said, “It was a brilliant comic scene with everyone handling the timing perfectly and being fully committed to the physical theatre. I overheard one of the judges saying he had not seen anything that original for a long time. I had hope for the most original interpretation prize but possibly because it was a comedic take on a serious tragic scene it did not win.” The cast was Maddison Bencich, Kareena Naran, Max Cumberpatch, Imogen King, Cade Stevens, David Laxon, Jorjia Stevens, Finn de Lange and Ella Brislen as the stage manager (on stage throughout).
TAKUNDA MUZONDIWA
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THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN On June 18 and 19, Year 13 Drama students performed The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht in the Drama Room. Drama teacher Jessica Rigold said, “The class worked as a committed ensemble to tackle this challenging play. There were many standout performances with several students producing their best work of the year. “I would like to thank the students for their dedication and the class thanks everyone who supported us in the backstage, technical, and front of house departments. Above all, we would like to thank friends, family and staff for coming to the show and supporting Drama at MAGS.”
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PERFORMING ARTS
OPHELIA THINKS HARDER
On June 20 and 21, Year 13 Drama students performed Ophelia Thinks Harder in the Drama Room for friends and family who came along to see the students in an entirely new light. The play is a reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that examines attitudes about sex, sexuality and society. Drama teacher Carmela Hughes said, “We had two excellent performances from our Level 3 students who had to rise to what has been, for many of them, their most challenging work yet. There were some absolutely stellar performances. We thank everyone who came along and supported our students and for their continued support of the Drama Department.”
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Albertians in the Arts
HIP HOP
SUCCESS Leadership opportunities inspire achievement
The Dance programme at MAGS has embraced Hip Hop for student engagement since its introduction as a curriculum subject. Not only is Hip Hop a popular dance form, but also the physical demands that embrace gymnastic movement and the opportunity for team competition has seen the numbers of boys in particular engaged in classes or vying to be part of school teams increase year upon year. MAGS started entering a school team in competition in 2006 and quickly became one of the top competing schools, always being represented in the finals of the competitions they entered. Over the last 12 years MAGS has had a number of talented students that have led the school team or Megacrew. In school competition,
ANDREW CESAN
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JOSH CESAN
it is a requirement for these events that the set is led by students who choreograph and teach the material, work on all the formations and transitions for 40 students and then ensure that all members are performing to the highest standard. Leading a school team has been a great opportunity to learn valuable all-round management skills as well as providing an opportunity for talented choreographers to practise their craft. It is no surprise then that many of these “leaders” have also enjoyed personal success both in New Zealand and internationally. We celebrate some of these below.
Andrew Cesan and Josh Cesan Andrew (Dux Artium 2008) was Megacrew leader from 2006-2008. Andrew actively encouraged more boys to be part of the school team and will be remembered for the “flip” training he encouraged on the school fields. Josh was Megacrew leader in 2009 and 2010. Both brothers completed degrees in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, while also competing and touring nationally and internationally with Identity Dance company (IDCO). IDCO have an international reputation and are the holders of nine NZ titles, and their teams have represented NZ at the World Hip Hop championships every year since 2013, always making the finals and gaining six international medals in the process. Josh now runs the company and trains dancers of all ages for competition and events as well as touring internationally as a choreographer for corporate projects and as part of the Jam Republic group of Hip Hop artists. Andrew is now co-director (with partner Kayla) of Momentum Productions, who work in the NZ corporate and entertainment industry choreographing for shows such as NZ X Factor and Pleasuredome and producing and directing successful Dance festival shows, often in collaboration with his brother. Both boys provide many performance and employment opportunities for NZ dancers.
PERFORMING ARTS
Nathan Kara, Riley Bourne, Gabriel Sutton and Jackson Tuarae Nathan, Riley, Gabriel and Jackson were Megacrew leaders in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. These four boys were friends at school and also part of IDCO. In 2014 they travelled to Las Vegas with the Megacrew who won the Silver medal. The following year along with two other company dancers they formed an adult six-man team The Bradas (pictured above), made a commitment to personal and collective excellence and, with their eye on the prize, won the NZ national adult title and went on to become the 2015 and 2016 back to back world champions. They then formed their own company and in 2017 were invited to compete in the Jennifer Lopez international competition World of Dance where they made it through three rounds – a first for a NZ team. Since then they have continued to excel and perform in the industry as in-demand entertainers and choreographers, regularly travelling internationally to perform. While these boys have all enjoyed national and international success, it would be wrong also not to mention the many other MEGACREW leaders who made a huge contribution to MAGS and also excelled personally. Paul Wilson (leader 2011) and Alyana Mayerhofler (leader 2018 and 2019) also enjoyed international success with the Royal Family Megacrew. Jaimee McLaughlan (leader 2017) was part of the 2017 NZ champion IDCO Megacrew who also made world finals in 2017. Louis Dan Tyrell (leader 2017) was part of the NZ champion team Yung ID who were NZ champions and world finalists in 2018, and Moanekah Va’ai (leader 2018, 2019) has enjoyed national and international success as part of the SaintzUp Performing Arts Trust teams every year. Special mention must also go to Janelle and Holly Kara, who led the MAGS Megacrew to their first national title in 2018 among their many achievements at school.
World Championship contenders In addition to the school Megacrew, a number of MAGS students competed successfully in the HHI New Zealand Championship finals as part of community companies IDCO and SUPA. Their success means they will represent New Zealand at the HHI World Championships to be held in Phoenix, Arizona next month. Faolan Okan was part of the IDCO team Swagganauts that won the Varsity division title and was also a member of YUNG ID that was placed second in the Megacrew division along with Amelia Worsley, Manasseh Grace and Maia Hemana. Moanekah Va’ai and Chekyna Tongalea are part of the SUPA Megacrew, which also qualified in the Megacrew division. These students have a gruelling training schedule until August 1, when they leave, and we wish them every success.
Pictured from left are: Chekyna Tongalea, Amelia Worsley, Faolan Okan, Maia Hemana, Moanekah Va’ai. Absent: Mannasseh Grace.
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Albertians in the Arts
Artists making an impact Balamohan Shingade Balamohan Shingade attended MAGS from 2004-2008 and was awarded the Arts Dux in 2007 for his outstanding talents in both Performing Arts and Fine Arts. He was also head of the Arts Prefects in 2008. Balamohan is a writer/art curator and an occasional performer of Indian classical music. He is a Masters graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts, where he was employed as a Professional Teaching Fellow from 2012–15 in the Critical Studies department. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Indian Classical Music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai, and a Certificate in Contemporary Māori Performing Arts from AUT. As the current Assistant Director of ST PAUL St Gallery at AUT, he contributes directly to advance the research aims of the University. Balamohan maintains an active curatorial research practice that feeds into the development and delivery of exhibitions, events, symposia, publications, residences and reading groups. He was recruited in late 2014 to design and implement the strategic direction for Malcolm Smith Gallery, coinciding with the $6.4 million redevelopment of Uxbridge Arts and Culture. Malcolm Smith Gallery’s opening in June 2016 marked the transformation
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Twenty years ago, an increasing amount of educational research started expounding the value of the Arts in education, and the importance for all students of having an opportunity for arts education in school. It had become evident that in many schools those who excelled in the Arts were often unrecognised because their education was outside the school, something which was not available to all students. There was also an unspoken belief, particularly in boys’ schools, that somehow artistic excellence was not of the same value or status as doing well in core subjects or on the sporting field. With the acknowledgement of the increasing multiculturalism in school and the value of the Arts in establishing the link between a school and its community, the Ministry of Education introduced an Arts curriculum that allowed all students to pursue Arts. The inclusion of all Arts strands as bona fide University Entrance subjects, with students also being able also to sit scholarship in all Art forms, coincided with an increase in tertiary programmes in the Arts and the success of a number of New Zealanders on the world stage. In the last 14 years at MAGS, thanks to a robust Arts programme and passionate and experienced teachers, we have seen an increasing number of our students choosing to continue their studies or work in the Arts on graduation, and many have gone on to forge meaningful careers.
of a small-scale community exhibition venue within Uxbridge to a public contemporary art gallery for East Auckland. Balamohan is also a member of the Independent Curators International, Museums Aotearoa, New Zealand India Research Institute, Pacific Spaces, University Without Conditions, Sargam School of Indian Music, and Rhythm School of Indian Music. He is also part of the McCahon House Artists’ Residency Selection Panel, and he is an external examiner for Masters candidates in Fine Arts at University of Auckland and Visual Arts at AUT. His research and recently published essays focus on theories of community, artistic and curatorial practices with a special interest in South Asia, and the philosophico-religious traditions of Asia. As a writer, he has contributed to numerous art magazines and academic journals, including the Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture, Art News New Zealand, Artlink, The Pantograph Punch, and Christchurch Art Gallery’s Bulletin. Recently he curated exhibitions including Field Recordings (2018) and Alex Monteith: Coastal Flows/Coastal Incursions (2017) at ST PAUL St Gallery, Isobel Thom: ILK (2016) and Soft Architecture (2016) at Malcolm Smith Gallery, Joyce Campbell: Te Taniwha and the Thread (2015) at Uxbridge Arts and Culture, and Thirty-six Views of Mount Taranaki (2013) for the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery’s Open Window. As an occasional Indian classical musician, he has performed in Hyderabad, Pune, Sydney, Wellington, and Auckland. Last year, Balamohan was invited back to his old school as a judge for the MAGS Art Show, an event showcasing some of the country’s finest painting, photography and sculpture. This gave him an opportunity to view more than 1000 artworks from emerging and established New Zealand artists and also MAGS art students.
Lucy was a student at Mount Albert Grammar School from 2004-2008. After leaving school, Lucy completed her three-year, fulltime dance training at UNITEC, graduating with a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts, majoring in Contemporary Dance. Straight out of graduation in 2011, Lucy was offered an internship with The New Zealand Dance Company and was appointed one of eight professional dancers in 2013. She was one of the founding members of the company and has now danced with them for seven years. Within the company she has collaborated with a vast number of choreographers from New Zealand and across the globe, and frequently tours shows around New Zealand and to Australia, Germany, Holland, and, just recently, Belgium and Luxembourg. Lucy has also performed at the World of Wearable Arts Awards, WOMAD, Splore, Tempo Dance Festival, and The New Zealand Body Arts Awards. She also performs at various events in the corporate sector. Lucy said: “Mount Albert Grammar School gave me many opportunities within the arts. There were endless opportunities to perform, choreograph and further my knowledge of dance. If it weren’t for the guidance and knowledge of the dance teacher, I would probably have gone down a very different path – and I am super grateful.”
PERFORMING ARTS
Lucy Lynch
Ben Sinclair Ben attended Mount Albert Grammar School from 2002-2005 and excelled in playing a number of instruments, including clarinet, bass and flute, as well as being an accomplished singer. During his time at MAGS, he was taught by itinerant teacher Bernie Allen QSM and discovered a passion for jazz. Ben went on to study Jazz at The University of Auckland and got his Honours in 2010. In 2011 he completed teacher training and did his practicum at MAGS. At that stage Bernie Allen started reducing his hours teaching jazz, while Ben’s old clarinet teacher Mr Francis decided to retire. HoD Music Mrs Moon immediately offered the teaching position to Ben and he has been a vital member of the Music team since. Ben has been the Jazz band tutor and leader for the past five years, leading them to several successes in Jazz competitions and at KBB Music Festival. However, alongside his itinerant teacher position, Ben had always been busy playing in bands. And it is with the indie band The Beths that he has enjoyed national and international recognition and has taken time off from his teaching to tour internationally with the band. Rolling Stone magazine is slightly obsessed with these four Aucklanders. The past year, it has published at least five highly complimentary reviews of The Beths. What makes their plentiful praise even more impressive is that The Beths have released just one album.
It’s called Future Me Hates Me and Rolling Stone said it was “a power-pop monument”, “excellent summery-pop punk”, and “the hallmark of an alt-rock hero”. The track Happy Unhappy was the magazine’s “Song of the Summer”. High praise, indeed. Ben has just finished a headline tour of the UK and playing in European festivals, and is now in the US for an East Coast tour. The Beths are then back to Europe next month for another run of festivals and a few headline dates as well. While Ben will be back home in September to begin recording the next album, he will be dashing away for an Australian tour in October, as well as a couple of dates in Japan/Korea.
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The 2019 Athletics Champions are (left to right): Liam Webby (joint Junior Boys), Luke Clements (Intermediate Boys), Latonya Lole (Senior Girls), Dylan Moon (Senior Boys), Te Waaka Popata-Henare (joint Junior Boys), and Zayyaan Smith (Junior Girls). Absent: Amelia Caltaux (Intermediate Girls).
ATHLETICS
Two records were broken at the 2019 MAGS Athletics Championships held at Mt Smart Stadium on February 20. Amelia Caltaux set a new record in the Intermediate Girls 1500m on her way to becoming Intermediate Girls Champion, while Latonya Lole pushed the Senior Girls Shot Put mark out to 11.50m as she claimed the Senior Girls athletics title.
CENTRAL/WEST ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAGS students broke four school records at the Central West Zone Athletics held at Trusts Stadium on February 27. The school was represented by 63 students, with records being broken by Ruby Pengelly (Junior Girls 1500m – 5:16.72), Zayyaan Smith (Junior Girls 200m – 25.54), Sylvia Brunt (Intermediate Girls Shot Put – 12.41m) and Hokioramai Dunn (Junior Boys Discus – 37.49m).
AKSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Zayyaan Smith
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MAGS athletes brought back five Gold medals from the Auckland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships held at Mt Smart Stadium on March 20. Two of those Golds were won by Zayyaan Smith, who was victorious in the Junior Girls Long Jump and the Junior Girls 200m (in which she broke the school record), as well as winning Silver in the Junior Girls 100m. Luke Clements won the 2000m Steeplechase and was also awarded College Sport Auckland Best Performance from the meet.
SPORT Latonya Lole
Luke Clements (in front)
Amelia Caltaux
Gold medals were also won by Te Waaka Popata-Henare in the Junior Boys Javelin and Hannah Adye in the Open Girls Pole Vault. There were also strong performances by Latonya Lole, who won Silver in the Intermediate Girls Long Jump, and Dylan Moon, who won Bronze in the Senior Boys 300m Hurdles. Tama Anderson also won Bronze – in the Intermediate Boys 100m – and teamed up with Eamon Buick, Troy Middleton and Shaun Harden for Bronze in the Intermediate Boys 4 x 100m relay. A total of 34 students took part in the meet, with school records set by Ruby Pengelly in the Junior Girls 1500m, and by Latonya Lole, Princess Elliot, Lorna Faalogo and Kalisi Longopoa in the Senior Girls 4 x 100m Relay.
NISS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Two athletes from Mount Albert Grammar were selected to represent Auckland at the championships in Tauranga on April 6 & 7 based on their performances at the Central West Zones and the Auckland Championships. Zayyaan Smith was first in the Junior Girls Long Jump with 5.05m, second in the 100m in a time of 12.69s, second in the 200m with 25.64s and part of the Auckland team in the Junior Girls 4x100m relay that finished second. Luke Clements placed second in the Intermediate Boys 2000m Steeplechase in a time of 6:13.81 (a school record) and fourth in the Intermediate Boys 3000m in a time of 9:03.12 (also a school record).
Hannah Adye
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Lauren Emirali won Gold at the World Indoor Archery Championships in the Junior Recurve Freestyle.
ARCHERY
In a great year for MAGS’ archers, Year 11 student Lauren Emirali won Gold at the World Indoor Archery Championships held in Wellington in April. The event saw more than 200 entrants from across 12 countries compete in their respective bow types/age groups. Lauren finished top of her group (Junior Recurve Freestyle) to take the Gold medal and World Champion title. Although not an official result, she also shot the highest score of all women of that bow type regardless of age – no small feat. Following on from that performance, Lauren was named in the Archery NZ Trans Tasman Team in the Intermediate Women’s Recurve division. Also in April, Lizzy Robins won Bronze at the Australian National Junior Championships in Armidale, New South Wales in a tough individual league. She also stepped up to the next age grade with her shooting partner and took out the Silver Medal in the team’s matchplay event. Through March and April, Lizzy and Lauren also took part in the Auckland Secondary Schools competition against 44
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more than 100 students across five rounds. Lauren won Bronze in the Individual league – the first time a female has won a medal in this category since the event started in 2015. Lauren also achieved the Bronze in matchplay, and Lizzy finished well to be 8th on the league table. Earlier in the year, Lizzy won Gold at the New Zealand National Archery Championships in the Intermediate Girls Recurve division. Lauren, who is Lizzy’s clubmate at Mountain Green Archery Club, won silver in the Target category and bronze in Matchplay at the championships held at Flat Bush. Lauren is the current national indoor champion. At the Youth North Island Championships in Palmerston North, Lauren won Gold in the Target, and Silver in Individual Match Play, while Lizzy won Silver in Target, and Bronze in Match Play. The pair also won Bronze together in the Teams Match Play.
Lauren and Lizzy brought home three medals each from the Youth North Island Championships.
Lizzy Robbins won Gold at the New Zealand National Archery Championships in the Intermediate Girls Recurve division.
AQUATHON
MAGS Aquathon teams brought back three Golds and a Bronze from the Auckland Championships held at St Kentigern College on February 26. Gold medals were won by the Intermediate Mixed Team of Jess Wanden Hannay and Aidan Price, the Intermediate Boys Team of Michael Chapman and Luke Clements, and the Senior Mixed Team of Eva Williams and Thomas Brendolise. The Senior Girls Team of Ella Speight and Jen Blakeley claimed bronze.
SPORT
Aquathon / Triathlon
TRIATHLON
The AKSS Triathlon series this year was held at Pt England Reserve in early March and again MAGS was well represented with seven teams. The Junior Girls team of Bella Houghton (swim), Maya Vince (cycle) and Bianca Power (run) finished second. The Intermediate Boys team (pictured above) of Michael Chapman (swim), Tyrone Stubbs (cycle) and Luke Clements (run) claimed Gold. The Senior Girls team finished second, with team members being Ella Speight (swim), Jen Blakeley (bike) and Holly Bannister (run). The Senior Mixed team of Eva Williams (swim), Ethan Blanchard (bike) and Thomas Brendolise (run) were also announced as finishing first, and MAGS came home fourth in the Senior Boys team race.
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CROSS COUNTRY
The Cross Country Championships were held at school using the bottom fields and the ASB MAGS Farm on April 9 & 10 in fine and dry conditions. Races were held for Year 9 Boys and Girls, Year 10 Boys and Girls, and Senior Boys and Girls, with a number of staff taking part. Results are then split into Junior, Intermediate and Senior. These grades are worked out based on the students’ age on 1 January, 2019. The Championship trophies were won by Molly McGowan (Junior Girls), Baxter Hilson (Junior Boys), Eva Wadsworth (Intermediate Girls), Luke Clements (Intermediate Boys and Senior Boys), and Holly Bannister (Senior Girls).
NORTH AND CENTRAL WEST ZONES
The North and Central West Zones was held at Moire Park on May 14. There were 39 MAGS runners in an event that featured 30 schools and over 400 students. Luke Clements won the Intermediate Boys, while in the three-person teams races MAGS came second in the Junior Boys and Intermediate Boys, and third in the Junior Girls and Senior Boys.
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In the six-person teams, MAGS was second in the Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Intermediate Girls and Intermediate Boys.
AUCKLAND CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The College Sport Auckland Cross Country Championships were held on May 23 at St Kentigern College. The Championships involved over 60 schools and 600 students, with MAGS fielding 28 runners. Luke Clements came third in the Intermediate Boys, and all four of MAGS three-person teams finished in the top 10. The Junior Boys and Intermediate Girls finished 6th and 7th respectively in the six-person teams race.
NEW ZEALAND SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Luke Clements finished third in the Junior Boys 4000m at the championships held in Timaru last month, a great result against tough competition. The event consisted of two laps around Ashbury Park including a couple of hill climbs and hurdles.
SPORT Luke Clements finished third at the NZSS Cross Country Championships.
MAGS’ Girls raced strongly at the Auckland Cross Country Championships.
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CRICKET MAGS 1st XI Cricket Captain Adithya Ashok has been selected for the NZ U19 Squad to tour Australia. The team was to play four 50-over matches against Australia U19 in Brisbane this month. Legspinning all-rounder, Adithya, has put himself in the frame for the NZ U19 squad to play in the World Cup in South Africa early next year. Adithya was supposed to tour Bangladesh in April with the NZ U19s but that trip was cancelled. Former test spinner Paul Wiseman, the programme leader for the U19s, told Stuff: “He [Adithya] is an exciting prospect. ‘He spins it both ways and he’s a little guy, only 16, and if he was to make this [U19] World Cup, he’ll end up playing two. He’s got a great work ethic and can hold a bat. He’ll end up a genuine allrounder.” Adithya continues a fine tradition of MAGS players being selected for the U19 team. In the last three U19 World Cups, MAGS has had representation from Brett Randell, Aniket Parikh and most recently Katene Clarke.
ADITHYA ASHOK
After winning the 1A Division for the second year in a row and remaining undefeated in the competition this season, MAGS Girls Cricket 1st XI will be playing Premier Grade in 2020. The team, pictured below with coach Joe Kerrigan, was crowned 1A Cricket Auckland Champions after beating Westlake Girls in the final. One of the best performances in a great season was by Emily Thurman (pictured left), who claimed a hat-trick with her offspinners and returned the amazing bowling figures of seven wickets for six runs when the First XI skittled Lynfield College for 28 all out. MAGS went on to win that game by eight wickets.
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SPORT
FENCING Charlie Bioletti and Lucy Henshaw won the Boys and Girls events respectively at the Fencing North U17 Championships in March. Year 13 student Charlie beat Tom Saran from St Kentigern College in a close and hard-fought final, while Lucy (in Year 10) overcame a shaky start against Margaret Black from Green Bay to win in quick time. Fencing coach Kyle Macdonald said, “This was an excellent start to the season for our younger MAGS fencers, and we look forward to hosting the National Secondary School Fencing Championship at the Winter Tournament weekend.” And later in March, Charlie Bioletti won a Silver medal at the NZ U20 Fencing Championships held in Christchurch. Charlie’s only loss was to Australian Tim Davis in the Men’s Epee Final. James Butler finished third-equal in the same event, losing only to Charlie in the semi-final.
Charlie Bioletti, at left, won Silver at the NZ U20 Fencing Championships, while James Butler, second from right, won Bronze.
GYM SPORT James Dougal bounced back from injury, winning two Junior International Men’s trampolining events on successive weekends in March.
ALBE NT
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In February, James sustained an injury and had a month off training. He won the North Island ITRACCS Competition in his division and the weekend before he travelled to Christchurch, where he was victorious at the Superbounce Championships. He was also part of the four-person team to win the International Team Trophy. This was the first trial event for the 2019 World Championships in Japan in December. James was the only male of his age to hit the qualification score for the World Championships and has been selected for the NZ Squad.
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AR SCH
Football
On February 14, MAGS hosted a training run for the Melbourne Victory, the most successful football side in A-League history. Football Academy members watched the squad train and prepare for that night’s match against the Wellington Phoenix at Eden Park. Some of the Academy members got a closer look at the team’s set-up when they travelled to Australia to play the Victory’s Youth side at Easter. Victory coach, Kevin Muscat, (pictured presenting Director of Football Peter Smith with a team shirt) said the visit by the MAGS Football Academy team – Year 9 and 10 Boys from last year – was the first time they had hosted a NZ school side. He said the Victory had just started its Youth development, with players from about age 15 being brought into the club’s system, and they were looking to expand that to even younger players who showed promise. Mr Smith said observing the training run was a great opportunity for young players to see how professionals prepared for a game, and should inspire them to work harder and aim higher. MAGS Footballer Genevieve Ryan took to the stage at the Halberg Awards in February as part of the Junior Football Ferns who were nominated for Team of the Year. Genevieve and her teammates appeared at NZ’s premier sports awards ceremony because of their historic Bronze medal at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay late last year. It was the first time any New Zealand football team had made it into the World Cup finals, and the side emphasised their class by beating Canada 2-1 in the 3rd/4th playoff. Despite their heroics, the Junior Football Ferns were beaten to the Team of the Year honours by the Black Ferns Sevens, who won the Sevens Rugby World Cup and Gold at the Commonwealth Games.
HOCKEY
MAGS Hockey coach Mark Dempster was honoured with a Gold Service Award at the Annual Hockey Awards Dinner during the April school holidays. Mr Dempster, Assistant HoF PE, was recognised by Hockey New Zealand for playing and coaching hockey for 25-plus years. He played for North Harbour for 10 years, and coached or assisted 27 representative teams who won 10 national titles. He has also coached hockey at MAGS for more than 25 years. Mr Dempster is pictured with Albertians and Black Sticks players, Jared and Arun Panchia, who were both recognised at the dinner for milestones in their careers. Arun was celebrated for reaching 250 international matches and has now played 269 games for the Black Sticks, while Jared was honoured for playing his 100th game and has now played 113 games for the Black Sticks.
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SPORT
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Harriet Neradt ( pictured top left) started off the Auckland XC MTB Champs in strong fashion by winning the first race at Riverhead in March. She won the Girls U17 race by more than four minutes, then later in the day teamed up with some girls from another school to win the U20 Girls Relay. In the Boys U17 race, Jackson Meecham finished 26th despite a big crash in the opening lap, and Jackson Kirk finished just behind him. William Lulham also enjoyed his ride in the U17s. Grace Meecham (pictured bottom left) came in 6th in the U15 Girls race, and Jacob Bannister competed well in the large field of Boys U15 to finish in 17th, followed not far behind by Nico Stroud in 25th. In May, Harriet followed up with a third place in the second race of the Girls U17 series at Hunua. The five-race series finishes in September.
NETBALL MAGS had six teams compete at the North Harbour Secondary Schools Tournament, with the Premier 1 and the two Year 10 teams winning their sections.
The tournament on Tuesday, May 21 was contested by schools from Auckland, the North Shore and Kerikeri. There were some big wins, tough losses and close games throughout the day for each of the MAGS teams. Our Premier 1 team (pictured with coaching staff) had a tough loss first-up by one point against a hungry Rangitoto team. The team re-grouped after this loss to find the motivation for the rest of the day, winning the next games to make the final against Epsom Girls Grammar. The final was a close battle against a strong EGGS side. The MAGS girls played some great netball and came away with the win 18-16. Premier 2 had a great day and built some very good connections on the court. They won all their games and earned a spot in the finals. The final was a tough game, going goal-for-goal against Westlake 2. After a good fight, our Premier 2 team went down by one goal.
Our Year 10, 1 and Year 10, 2 teams had a very successful day winning their sections. Year 10 Firebirds had some big wins and also close games, drawing with Westlake in the last game of the day. However, they won the section by goal percentage. Year 10 Giants developed teamwork on and off the court, which resulted in winning their section. The Year 9 competition was a very competitive one with some close games amongst Westlake, Epsom and MAGS. Our Year 9 Mystics and Year 9 Stars both improved throughout the court and especially in their teamwork.
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Orienteering
MAGS’ team at the Auckland Schools Relay Championships.
MAGS’ Orienteering teams delivered outstanding performances at the World Schools Championships with the Junior Boys winning a Bronze medal and the Senior Boys taking ninth. Over three races in Estonia in early May, the boys showed their mettle in a competition featuring 23 nations and 595 athletes. The MAGS teams qualified to represent New Zealand after winning their National Championships in Christchurch. Before the World Champs, the boys spent two weeks training in Finland and Helsinki and this training proved its worth with great results. Congratulations to Albertians Kieran Woods and Liam Thompson for their coaching and to Tony Cooper, the Head of Delegation. Adam Bateman, as MAGS captain, was selected to read the Orienteering Sportsmanship Pledge at the Opening Ceremony; Luke Clements finished fifth in the Middle Distance event; in the Long Distance event, Tom Aish finished 13th, Sam Taylor Sinclair finished 16th and Daniel Wood finished 20th; all five Junior Boys finished in the Top 22 in the Middle Event (76 competitors), with Mitchell Cooper finishing
26th and 13th in his two races; and Thomas Brendolise and Aidan Skinner finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Friendship Relay. Later in May, MAGS Boys Orienteers won the Auckland Schools Relay Championships, while the Girls team finished fourth in their highest ever showing in a very competitive environment. The boys won the Championships with 27 points, finishing far ahead of Pukekohe High School with 13 points and Rosmini in third with 5 points. In the Senior Boys race, Thomas Brendolise, Adam Bateman (capt) and Mitchell Cooper won the title, finishing a massive 16 minutes ahead of second place. The Intermediate Boys finished first and second with Tom Aish, Daniel Wood, Luke Clements, Sam Taylor-Sinclair, Angus Edwards and Callum Wishart all having excellent runs, fresh from their Estonia World Schools bronze medals. The Junior Boys finished second with
The Junior Boys won Bronze at the Orienteering World Schools Championships in Estonia.
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Nelson Mitchell, Tiaho MurupaengaHutchings and Jay McElwee. Also a strong run from Justin Brendolise in the team that finished fifth. The Senior Girls had an outstanding finish of third place with Isla Thompson (capt), Ayleigh Loomes and Jydee Leonard all running exceptionally well. In the Intermediate Girls, MAGS showed great depth, with two teams placing 6th and 9th – with an excellent run from Eva Wadsworth. The Junior Girls finished an excellent 6th place out of 20 teams with good runs from Evie Thompson, Eva Persson and Ella Edwards. The highlight of the event was Callum Wishart out-sprinting Westlake Boys leading orienteer in the finishing control to take second place. Overall, these are outstanding results that show great depth and are a good build-up to the North Island Championships.
MAGS captain Adam Bateman was selected to read the Orienteering Sportsmanship Pledge at the Opening Ceremony of the World Champs.
SPORT
ROWING
Holly Chaafe
Two Silver medals and seven A Finals capped a successful Maadi Cup Rowing Regatta at Lake Karapiro in late March, with MAGSROW continuing to grow stronger. Particularly impressive was the spread of finalists with the Novice Boys, Novice Girls and U17 Girls groups each in two A finals (top 8) as well as the U18 Boys Eight finishing seventh in the pinnacle event of the Maadi Cup. Silver medals went to the Boys Under 15 Coxed Four of Xavier Scarlett, Nicholas Bryan, Dylan Cottingham, Cam MacGillivray and cox Ben Campbell. Coach John Cook said, “What was really impressive was that they were racing against other school crews who had second year rowers in their boats. Being first year rowers, this crew got better and better as the season went on, winning their heat impressively on the Tuesday and culminating in a strong race in the Saturday final to finish second in the country. They also combined with four other boys to finish seventh in the Novice Boys Eight final.” The Novice Girls, after a strong season, had some injuries and performed very credibly in A finals in both the Eight and the Four. Mr Cook said, “These results, combined with a strong academy class, look good for the future of rowing and suggest strong squads are coming through at MAGS.” The other Silver medal went to Holly Chaafe in the Girls U17 Single Scull. She had to fight extremely hard to beat very
tough competition from 72 other girls from schools across the country. Holly also combined with Marieke Richards to finish fourth in the U17 Girls Double Sculls. MAGS rowers won five medals at the North Island Secondary Schools Rowing Championships in early March. This placed MAGS again in the top 10 rowing schools. At NISS there were 1891 students from 105 schools entered in 4548 seats in 1308 crews. Holly Chaafe continued her winning ways, taking the U17 Singles title and combining with Marieke Richards for Silver in the U17 Double Sculls. The girls novice crews took Silver in both the Coxed Eight and Four events. A strong race by the Boys U15 Coxed Four saw them continuing their upward momentum and finally beat Westlake this season, taking the Bronze medal. The Senior Boys made the A final of the U18 eight and were 4th in the U18 Quad Sculls. At Lake Karapiro during the Aon Junior Regatta in late February, our rowers returned great results, securing 19 places in A finals. Holly Chaafe won the Girls U17 Single Sculls, the Girls U18 Novice Coxed Eight also won Gold, and the Boys U16 Coxed Quad Sculls and Boys U15 Coxed Four claimed Silver.
Boys U15 Coxed Four.
Boys U15 Coxed Four and coaching team.
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SOFTBALL Congratulations to the Softball Boys Premiers, who have continued their domination of the code with the team being crowned National Champions for the seventh year in a row on March 29. It was a tough battle for the team in Christchurch, with a new generation of players and new coaching and management (pictured above) but they delivered when it mattered, beating Rongotai College 5-0 in the final. The Boys showed big-game nerves by downing Rongotai, who they had lost to twice during pool play. They had to scrap to get into the final but once there, they made the title theirs with a clinical display. In the AKSS Champs, the Premier Boys went through undefeated, beating One Tree Hill College 9-0 in the final. MAGS also dominated the Division One, One Day Softball Tournament at Rosedale Park, Albany in late February. The two Premier Boys teams played each other in the final, with Mt Albert Blue claiming Gold and Mt Albert Gold claiming Silver; while the Premier Girls played well but had to settle for Silver in the final with a 2-3 loss to One Tree Hill College.
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SPORT
SWIMMING Fifteen school records were broken at the Swim Sports competition at the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre on February 14. Swimming Captain Vasilina Shipilova and Cook Island swimming representative Bede Aitu led the way in fantastic fashion in their final year at MAGS by breaking three longstanding Senior records. Bowen Crawford broke the oldest record on the day: the Intermediate Boys 100m Breaststroke record set by former MAGS Head Boy Malcom Richardson back in 2006. Brearna Crawford starred in the pool as she was unbeaten in claiming seven from seven MAGS Intermediate school swimming records. Year 9 School House boy Hunter Dobson swam a superb race to break the Junior 100m Backstroke record set last year by Tony Tua-Tagaloa.
CENTRAL ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Vasilina Shipilova (2 Golds) and World Junior Qualifying swimmer Brearna Crawford (4 Golds) led the way at the highly competitive Central Zone Swimming Championships held at Diocesan School for Girls on February 28. Each team member dug deep and demonstrated MAGS resilience to produce a very strong team performance, bringing home 11 Gold, eight Silver and five Bronze medals. There were Relay wins in the Open Girls Fly and Back, the Intermediate Girls Free, and the Junior Girls and Senior Girls Individual Medley.
Pictured at back (from left to right): Intermediate Swimming Co-Champions (Boys) Michael Chapman and Justin Hemara, Junior Swimming Champion (Boys) Hunter Dobson. At front: Intermediate Swimming Champion (Girls) Brearna Crawford, Open Swimming Champion (Boys) Bede Aitu, Open Swimming Champion (Girls) Vasilina Shipilova, Junior Swimming Champion (Girls) Amber George.
AUCKLAND AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAGS swimmers achieved outstanding results at the Auckland Age Group Championships held at West Wave Aquatic Centre on March 9 & 10. Brearna Crawford was outstanding in her nine-Gold medal haul. Brearna rewrote the record book and broke five Auckland 16yrs Girls records, two of which had stood for 27 years. Brearna swam under the World Junior Championship Qualifying time in the 200m Breaststroke. Auckland Age Group Champions from the MAGS Aquatic Academy program are as follows: Hunter Dobson, Lucy Woodall, Bowen Crawford, Edie Ancell, Vasilina Shipilova, Lara Grozev and Brearna Crawford.
Auckland Age Group Championships medallists pictured (at back from left to right): Bowen Crawford, Bede Aitu, Michael Chapman, Amber George. At middle: Edie Ancell, Vasilina Shipilova, Brearna Crawford, Ella Speight. At front: Isla Marsh, Hunter Dobson, Lucy Woodall.
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CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
MAGS swimmers put in a strong team performance at the College Sport Champion of Champions sprint and relay event held at West Wave Aquatic Centre on April 3. Brearna Crawford posted the fastest overall female times on her way to winning all four individual Gold medals. Vasilina Shipilova (Silver) and Eva Williams (Bronze) were also individual medallists at these championships. The 16-18yrs Girls 4x50m IM Relay team also won Gold.
AGE GROUP NATIONALS
MAGS swimmers returned some outstanding results at the NZ Age Group Nationals in Wellington during the April school holidays. Brearna Crawford won five Gold medals and in the process swam four FINA World Junior Swimming Championships qualifying times, broke five NZ Age Records, five Auckland Open Records, and seven Auckland Age Records. She was selected into the NZ Gold Squad, chosen for the NZ team to the FINA World Junior Champs in August, and selected to swim for NZ at the Australian State Teams Championships.
Brearna was also the top overall female swimmer at the meet. Brearna won her 16yrs Golds in Breaststroke (50m, 100m & 200m), the 50m Butterfly and the 200m Individual Medley. Her younger brother Bowen (14yrs) also brought home two Golds (100m & 200m Breaststroke) and a Silver (50m Breaststroke). Hunter Dobson also won Silver (200m Backstroke 13yrs) and Bronze (100m Backstroke 13yrs), and Edie Ancell picked up another Bronze (50m Freestyle 14yrs). Top 8 finalists included Lucy Woodall (15yrs 50m & 100m Back), (Edie Ancell 14yrs 100m Free & 200m IM) and James Bilton (16yrs 50m & 200m Fly). Swim Coach Paul Kent was also selected as one of three coaches to travel to the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary next month.
VICTORIAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAGS swimmers Brearna Crawford and Edie Ancell enjoyed success as part of the Auckland team that competed at the Victorian State Championships over the summer holidays.
Bede Aitu with his four Gold medals from the Arafura Games.
Brearna broke two 15yrs NZ records, two Auckland Open records, four Auckland 15yrs records, and won three Gold (100m and 200m Breaststroke, 100m Fly), two Silver (50m Free, 4 x50m IM Relay) and three Bronze (200m and 400m IM, 4 x 100m IM Relay) medals. Edie won a Silver (4 x50m IM Relay) and a Bronze (4 x 100m IM Relay). Both girls swam all personal best times at the age group meet.
BEDE AITU HONOURED
Swim Coach Paul Kent with Edie Ancell and Brearna Crawford, who were selected for the Auckland team that competed at the Victorian State Championships.
WATER POLO
Congratulations to MAGS students Caitlyn Mossman and Jamie Eickhoff, who have been named in the Water Polo NZ Girls and Boys cadet squads. They were selected after a trial camp was held in February in Auckland. And last month, Josh Eickhoff (pictured) was selected for the New Zealand U18 Men’s Water Polo team. The NZ U18 Men and Women competed in the 2019 Australian Interstate Championships in Sydney.
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Open swimming champion Bede Aitu has been named the 2018 Cook Islands Junior Sportsman of the Year at the National Sports Awards held in Rarotonga. He has also been selected to represent the Cook Islands at the 2019 South Pacific Games in Samoa. Bede also did well recently in Darwin at the 2019 Arafura Games, winning four Gold medals and setting a new Games record in the 200m Backstroke.
SPORT
Waka Ama MAGS entered the College Sport Waka Ama Champs for the first time and returned some great results in early March. The U19 Boys team came 5th in the Championship, and the Mixed Team and Boys Novice were 3rd in their respective events. That was followed up by a terrific effort from MAGS paddlers, who all recorded great times in their heats, semis and finals at the NZSS Waka Ama Championships at Blue Lake (Tikitapu), Rotorua in late March. Serenity Smith was 3rd in the J16 Women’s Plate 250m final; Taonui Henry came 6th in the J16 Men’s Championship 250m final; and Joel Tamati was 6th in the J19 Men’s Plate 250m final.
WEIGHTLIFTING Liam Leef entered and won his first competition in the 81kg category at the first round of the 2019 OWA Secondary Schools weightlifting competition. Lifting through injury, Liam managed an easy 55kg snatch and a 88kg clean and jerk, which gave him 1st place, beating Auckland Grammar School.
Wrestling Year 11 wrestler Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemalie won both her matches at the AKSS Novice Wrestling Champs in preparation for the Auckland Champs. Her feat was even more impressive, given that one of her defeated opponents was 10kg heavier. She then went on to win her division in the Auckland Secondary Schools Wrestling Competition in late March. Another Year 11 student, William Grace, also won his division. Tiger-Lily won the Junior Girls weight division and William won the Senior Boys division. THE LION
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Year 9 students Coco-Sabine Meikle and Madeleine Shaw presented Ms Ardern with some gifts for her baby daughter Neve.
PRIME MINISTER’S
Breakfast
MAGS was privileged to have Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as guest speaker at the Prime Minister’s Breakfast held on April 4 in the F.W. Gamble Hall. After Year 9 & 13 students and their parents enjoyed a buffet breakfast, Ms Ardern shared memories of her school days – the struggles, failures and successes. She recalled that she wasn’t the greatest student and had some real battles trying to pass exams but she found success in other areas of school life such as debating and service, being a student representative on her school’s Board of Trustees. She encouraged students to explore those sorts of avenues and to be good citizens as well as achieving academically or on the sporting field. She said the demands of being Prime Minister were nothing compared to her time at school, where she had to pull out all the stops to pass Maths but enjoyed Metalwork and Social Studies. Ms Ardern also told students they had to find some middle ground in their school lives – neither to overburden themselves with impossible expectations nor to impose limits on themselves. She said being open to opportunities was 58
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important: she had never imagined going into politics; in her twenties she was still planning to be a police officer like her father. She ended by telling the students that she was often asked who were the important mentors or role models in her life, and she always answered that it was her parents. Despite a long career in the police force, her father Ross still saw the good in people and her mother Laurell was the kindest person she knew. At the conclusion of her speech, Ms Ardern was thanked by Headmaster Patrick Drumm and presented with gifts by Year 9 students Coco-Sabine Meikle and Madeleine Shaw, who gave her a MAGS Lion complete with Prefect badge, and some socks for her baby daughter Neve. The breakfasts have become a popular annual event – last year’s guest speakers were entertainer Pio Terei and former Silver Fern Bernice Mene – and are aimed at providing an opportunity for our Year 9s and parents to feel more connected by attending events at our school.
MAGS FOUNDATION
ASB MAGS FARM UPDATE Experience Centre Development Manager Peter Brice provides an update on progress at the farm. Being based at the school for 12 months now has been an incredibly interesting ride. MAGS is hugely busy, and the amount of effort that the staff put in to go above and beyond the call of duty is inspiring. Over the last year, between dealing with industry partners and canvassing for more input from these businesses, the farm has seen some tangible developments. Being in the middle of a city, it is hard to attract contractors to renew our pasture or complete small jobs. We managed to have some cultivation work done and seeding our new grass which has been kindly donated by Ravensdown. This is a huge step to modernising the farm as the existing Kikuyu grass makes it hard to raise young stock, or produce a decent amount of milk. With a quarter of the farm now having a new rye grass and clover mix, we should be able to grow stronger lambs and calves. A quick note on Ravensdown. This business is owned by farmers across New Zealand and contributes a massive amount to our country’s food production. Not only do they provide products to produce food, but they are conscious of doing this sustainably and have New Zealand’s largest environmental consultancy. This ensures the land and ecology where our food is grown will flourish and thrive into the future. Some of the community may have seen or heard about the project to rehabilitate the stream on the farm. We were lucky enough to have great involvement from Watercare and the community on a sunny Sunday in the middle of June, to help us plant native trees on the edge of the stream. This is the start of a native tree corridor running the length of the stream that will provide a place of learning and habitat for birds and fish. The native trees planted around the stream have been grown on farm from seeds or seedlings in our native tree nursery. The nursery has proven to be a great resource and will continue to be in the future. Together with earlier planting work by Year 10 Agriculture students, there were almost 2000 trees planted over the week.
The enhancement of the ASB MAGS Farm took a big step forward when staff, students, community groups, businesses and neighbours came together to plant natives along the stream.
The area has the potential for at least that again next year as the southern end becomes developed. We will keep the community posted and with the success of this planting day, we may see Watercare back to help fuel the volunteers with food and coffee again! In the short term, we should see some new stock arrive on the farm. This again helps to bring the resource up to scratch as a true model farm. We have a long way to go with fundraising for the ultimate goal of building an Experience Centre, but as the farm is brought into the 21st century it becomes a more attractive prospect for support. I am busy talking to the various potential stakeholders so hope to have more good news to report in the next Lion.
Year 10 Agriculture students pitched in with their own day of planting.
A delegation of National Party MPs visited the ASB MAGS Farm as part of developing the party’s policies around education and primary industries. The group included local list MP Melissa Lee, Spokesperson for Primary Industries and Biosecurity Nathan Guy, New Lynn list MP Paulo Garcia, and MP for Helensville Chris Penk.
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Image: Ananas, wall pendant, John Ecuyer. Art Show Photography: Bryn Corkery.
A WEEKEND OF ART & ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE 16th – 18th August 2019 Gala Evening ticket sales from July at www.iticket.co.nz For exhibiting artists’ work visit www.magsartshow.co.nz and follow us for all the latest show posts.
Thanks to our primary sponsors:
Over the past five years the MAGS Art Show has developed a reputation as a well-curated art event showcasing some of the country’s finest painting, photography, ceramics and glass. This year you’ll have the opportunity to view hundreds of artworks from emerging and established New Zealand artists and from our top MAGS art students. All the artworks featured in the MAGS Art Show are available for purchase so if you see something you love, you’re invited to buy it and take it home at the end of the show. A commission from every artwork sold goes to the MAGS Foundation with the profits used to fund new school resources and equipment, and an Artist in Residence programme. Finding a piece of art you love - big or small - can bring you years of pleasure. We hope you’ll join us for one of the highlights of the MAGS calendar.
GALA EVENING
ART WEEKEND
Enjoy a great night out with friends, exhibiting artists and the MAGS community. Secure your ticket to the Gala Evening to be first to view - and purchase artworks from this beautifully curated art show.
Art is for everyone and the MAGS Art Show offers a wonderful, free introduction to a wide variety of art and artists in a relaxed atmosphere.
Tickets are $50 and include beverages, delicious canapés and entertainment from talented MAGS musicians and artists. Ticket sales from July at www.iticket.co.nz Numbers are limited so be quick! Due to alcohol service and venue capacity, please note that the Gala evening is adults only. WHEN
FRIDAY 16TH AUGUST 6.30PM – 10PM
WHERE
FW GAMBLE HALL MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Take a look at the art at your own pace, visit the onsite pop-up café and enjoy a series of performances from MAGS music and performing arts students throughout the weekend. Bring the whole family and show your support for the school and our community of artists. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite student artwork to help us find the winner of this year’s People’s Choice Award. WHEN
SATURDAY 17TH AUGUST 10AM – 6PM SUNDAY 18TH AUGUST 10AM - 2PM
WHERE
FW GAMBLE HALL MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL
MAGS FOUNDATION
JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOUNDATION ART SHOW – SEE A STUNNING SELECTION OF ARTWORKS AND SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL.
OVERSEAS SUCCESS
While on his Woolf Fisher Fellowship, Headmaster Patrick Drumm was hosted at the White House by Albertian Chris Liddell, who is serving in the Trump Administration as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination. Mr Liddell (1971-1975) was named Albertian of the Year in 2011, and with his brother John started the Liddell Scholarships for MAGS students in 2008. The Liddell Scholarships are each worth $5000 per year for three years and are granted to students who show strong academic potential and are also good all-rounders. The Liddells also made a $1 million commitment to the MAGS Foundation, which is raising money for the school’s centenary in 2022. Mr Liddell joined the White House staff in 2017 after a successful career in business, including serving as Chief Financial Officer at General Motors, and, prior to that, as a senior vice president and CFO of Microsoft.
During a stopover in Dubai in May, while heading off on his Fellowship, Mr Drumm caught up with Albertian Shane O'Brien. Mr O'Brien (1974-78) is on the school's Honours Boards for various achievements. Most notably, he won a Gold medal in rowing as part of the Coxless Fours at the 1984 Olympic Games as well as a Silver medal in the Coxless Four and a Bronze medal in the Eight at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. He was a Prefect in 1978, played for the First XV from 1977 to 1978, was the Rowing Eight captain in 1978, and an Auckland Secondary Schools’ rugby representative. Mr O'Brien also returned to MAGS for a short time to teach. He has just been appointed Director of Jumeira English Speaking School in Dubai – regarded as the top International School in Dubai. He had been Head of the Senior School at JESS for the past eight years.
Black Cap for Isaiah Papali’i
Headmaster Patrick Drumm congratulates Isaiah Papali’i on his Black Cap.
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Talented rugby league player Isaiah Papali’i was presented with his MAGS Black Cap on April 8 following his debut for the Kiwis Rugby League side last year. Isaiah started at MAGS in 2012 as a Year 9 student. He was a member of the Rugby Academy and U14 rugby team and in Year 10 was in the Colts team that won the National U15 tournament. By 2014 he was a member of the 1st XV and had won two Gold medals at the Oceania Power Lifting Championships in New Caledonia. In 2015 Isaiah went on to sign with the Warriors and was a member of the NZ U18 Kiwis team, all while still at school and playing 1st XV. In 2016 he was a member of the successful MAGS 1st XV that won the Auckland title and then went on to win the National Secondary Schools Rugby title. He also played for the Junior Warriors in the NRL U20s competition that same year and played for the Junior Kiwis. Isaiah re-signed with the Warriors and has become familiar to us all as a Warriors second rower who has had a major impact on the game. Isaiah has had a total of three years in the Junior Kiwis, captaining the side in 2018. He also represented Samoa in rugby league in 2018. Isaiah debuted for the Kiwis league team last November, featuring in a resounding 34-0 win against England, including kicking the final conversion.
CORRIDORS
Albertians in Sport SOFTBALL Cole Evans (2011-15) travelled to the Czech Republic as part of the defending World Champion Black Sox at the Softball World Cup last month. The Black Sox fell short at the World Champs, with two close losses condemning them to fourth spot. While at MAGS, Cole won a 2015 World Championship Silver medal as a 17-year-old in the Black Sox, and backed that up two years later with a World Championship Gold Medal with the Black Sox. Cole, who plays short stop, also dabbled with baseball last year, turning out for Canadian youth-league side the North Delta Blue Jays.
LACROSSE Reese Jacques (2013-17) has been selected to represent New Zealand at the U19 Women’s Lacrosse World Championship in Canada next month. Reese helps coach the MAGS Premier Lacrosse team and is also at Auckland University studying Marine Science. From late this month, she will join the team to travel to California for warm-up games before heading to Canada for the World Championship from August 1-10. Georgia Carter (2012-16) and Rachel Adams (2012-16) helped the Auckland Women's Premier Lacrosse team win the National Tournament in Cambridge in April. They were joined in the winning team by current students Isabel Morley and Emily Grindley. Auckland beat the Waikato A team REESE 8-7 in the final. JACQUES
ROWING Three MAGSROW old boys enjoyed success in February. Jesse Homer-Pilcher (2014-18), Nathan Smith (2014-18) and Mark Lawrence (2013-17) earned Gold medals in the NZ Rowing Championships at Lake Ruataniwha. All three MAGS old boys won Gold in both the Mens Club Coxed Eight as well as the Mens Club Coxed Four along with fellow West End rowers. Jesse and Nathan also won bronze in the Mens Club Pair.
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From the Archives
VISITS BY PRIME MINISTERS From 1956 to the present, the school has been visited by six Prime Ministers while each was in office.
The first was Sidney Holland, who was here in 1956 to open the War Memorial Pavilion (now more commonly called ‘The Grandstand’). (1) In this image, Mr Holland is accompanied by Selwyn Andrews, President of the Old Boys’ Association. Behind them are the Headmaster Murray Nairn and Mrs Holland. The Headmaster’s wife, Nancy, is at the back. There is a guard of honour of boys of the school’s Cadet Corps with .303 rifles with fixed bayonets. Albertian Prime Minister Robert Muldoon returned to his old school to open the new library in 1976. He is accompanied by the Headmaster Maurice Hall. (2) He came back again in 1980 to open a gymnasium. New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, was here to open the then Philips Aquatic Centre (now Mount Albert Aquatic Centre) in 1998. She is accompanied by Headmaster Greg Taylor. (3) The Mayor of Auckland, Les Mills, is obscured behind the Prime Minister. The official party is leaving the ceremony and the door is being held open by Paul Harrop, chairman of the Mount
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Albert Grammar School Community Swimming Pool Trust, the owner of the complex. In 2000, the first year of girls at MAGS, Prime Minister Helen Clark presented a Girls’ Foundation Year Badge to both Hayley Holm, the first girl to enrol, and to Rachel Moyle, daughter of Greg Moyle. (4) The ceremony was in the Headmaster’s office. The painting in the background is by Chris Roy, art teacher. The fifth Prime Minister to visit was John Key, who was here to open the new gymnasium in 2011. (5) He’s seen here with the unveiled plaque and Headmaster Dale Burden and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Greg Moyle. The 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, visited the school last year to see how students were using a resource pack produced by the Ministry of Education that tied in with the commemoration of 100 years since Armistice. (6) Ms Ardern is pictured with Social Sciences teacher Toby Powell during a visit to his Year 10 History class as she talked to students about how they had used the ‘Walking with an Anzac’ resource.
Denis Astley Harding
Denis (1949-53) was born in Dargaville in 1935, the third and youngest son of highly decorated and twice-wounded Brigadier Ralph Harding. Denis spent his childhood on the family farm at Tangiteroria, fished for enungas in the local creek and attended the tiny Kirikopuni School, sometimes riding the nine miles to school on horseback. He enjoyed every sport available. In 1949 he followed his oldest brother Hal as a pupil of MAGS and border at School House. In the lower 6th form (Year 12) Denis was a school Prefect and House Prefect, he was in the Cricket 1st XI, the Rugby 1st XV and in the school boxing team. In his final year (6A – Year 13) he was Head Prefect of the school and Head Prefect of School House, he was in the school boxing team and awarded the prize for most scientific boxer, he was in the 1st XV and he was captain of the Cricket 1st XI, which won the inter-secondary school championship. He was the school’s Victor Ludorum. Denis then studied medicine at Otago University and boarded at Knox College where he became president. Denis earned his Otago University blues playing rugby for Otago University and his University of New Zealand blues playing rugby against the provinces in a team
made up of the best players from all the universities. He was selected for All Black trials. At university he met physical education student Adrienne McKenzie and they married during the first of Denis’ two years as a house surgeon at Waikato Hospital. In 1963 & 1964, Denis worked at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where he developed his commitment to a career as an ear nose & throat surgeon. The older two sons Geoff and James were born in Melbourne. The family then moved to Oxford where Denis had landed a prestigious ENT training post at the Radcliffe Infirmary. After two years in Oxford and Denis having obtained his English Fellowship, the Harding family returned to Auckland in 1967 and two younger sons Peter and Cameron were born soon after. Denis spent the rest of his professional career in private practice and as a part-time surgeon at Greenlane Hospital. From the moment he arrived home he played a major role in tutoring younger colleagues; increasingly so as advanced training in New Zealand was introduced. Retirement meant more travel for Denis and Adrienne, often together, but frequently apart. Denis lost Adrienne in 2008 after a short battle with cancer. Later, he began a friendship with Julia McDowell and her welcoming family. Marriage followed but then Denis developed cancer. He retained his sense of humour until he finally drifted into a coma and died peacefully late on 7 March, 2019. Denis Harding was a talented and innovative ENT surgeon, a dedicated teacher, an outstanding sportsman, a natural leader, a warm and supportive friend, a real family man, granddad to eight grandchildren and a great bloke. Family, friends and colleagues have all benefitted from his influence and shall continue to do so.
CORRIDORS
In Memoriam
Eulogy courtesy of Ron Goodey
Mike Blamires
Mike (1951-56) was a Prefect at MAGS in 1956 and played for the Cricket 1st XI and Football 1st XI. After gaining a BA in Geography he came back to MAGS to teach in 1961, following in the footsteps of his father who had also taught at MAGS. Mike was a Junior Housemaster from 1961-62. He coached Junior Cricket and the Football 1st XI. His Football team won the Auckland championship five times. Mike then taught at Suva Grammar School from 1966-68 before returning to MAGS as a Career Adviser. In 1970 he was made HoD Geography, and in that year his Football 1st XI was the first to win the NZSS Championship. Mike moved to Onehunga High School in 1971 as HoD Social Studies before a move to Lynfield College, where he worked for 27 years. After retiring from teaching in 2002, Mike became a celebrant and touched even more lives. Jim Sinclair, who delivered a eulogy at Mike’s funeral, said that in 1985, when he took over the role of Lynfield College Principal, he promoted Mike to Deputy Principal soon after. “I was struck by his top shelf personal and professional standards, especially how he connected with people and what he offered as a role model. Jim, who visited Mike shortly before his death at age 80 in January this year, said that when he encountered past students, they always had fond memories of Mike and his caring and empathetic nature.
A proud Mike Blamires with daughter Rebecca when his granddaughter Amelia Jack was named a MAGS Prefect.
“Through his personal qualities and actions, he provided an example of how to live with optimism, helpfulness, graciousness and modesty. He made people laugh and involved them. “He was an understated, positive influence. His kindness and support touched hundreds of others. And this extended to his work as a mentor for trainee teachers and as a celebrant. Mike leaves behind wife Pauline, daughters Rebecca and Lisa, and son Matthew as well as six grandchildren, two of whom have been through MAGS and two of whom are still at MAGS. THE LION
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Albertians
ANZAC LUNCH
School House hosted Albertians at a lunch following the school’s Anzac Service on Thursday April 11. Guests were entertained with music from a string quartet, and Acting Director of School House Daryl Cartwright introduced himself and welcomed the attendees. Headmaster Patrick Drumm gave the main speech, beginning with the many achievements of students during the term but also focusing on the threat to MAGS’ special character posed by the Tomorrow’s School Review. Mr Drumm also thanked Year 13 History students Daniel Fraser and Hugo Young, who gave the main addresses at the Anzac Service, and called them up to give the guests some background into their well-researched speeches.
Daniel Fraser and Hugo Young, who delivered the main addresses at the Anzac Service, talk to Albertians about the inspiration and research that went into their speeches.
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KEY DATES 2019 TERM 3 22 July Monday Start of Term 3 24 July Wednesday Winter Sports Photos – Girls 25 July Thursday Winter Sports Photos – Boys 29 July Monday Information Evening for Intermediates 30 July Tuesday Information Evening for Intermediates 1 August Thursday Unity Cultural Concert 6 August Tuesday MAGS Future Pathways – careers and course planning evening
24 September Tuesday Sports Lions Ceremony Arts Alive 27 September Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 3
TERM 4 14 October Monday Start of Term 4 17 October Thursday Media Studies Film Night 18 October Friday Service Lions Ceremony 23 October Wednesday Annual Sports Dinner 25 October Friday Annual Pasifika Dinner
12 August Monday KBB Music Festival starts
28 October Monday Labour Day
16-18 August Friday - Sunday MAGS Art Show
30 October Wednesday Annual Arts Dinner
21 August Wednesday Cultural Photos 21-22 August Wednesday - Thursday Year 11 Drama Production 2-7 September Monday - Saturday Winter Tournament Week
8 November Friday NCEA commences
13 April Monday Easter Monday
15 November Friday Summer Sports Photos
27 April Monday Anzac Day
3 December Tuesday Leavers Dinner
1 June Monday Queen’s Birthday
5 December Thursday Year 9 Prizegiving Year 10 Prizegiving
26 October Monday Labour Day
6 December Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 4
2020 TERM DATES
2020 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Term 1 Tuesday 28 January (Year 9 only start) Wednesday 29 January (Full school in) to Friday 10 April
27 January Monday Auckland Anniversary Day
Term 2 Tuesday 28 April to Friday 3 July
6 February Thursday Waitangi Day
Term 3 Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September
10 April Friday Good Friday
Term 4 Monday 12 October to Tuesday 8 December
31 October Thursday Senior Prizegiving 5 November Tuesday Year 8 Girls Academic Testing & Sports Academy Trials
11-13 September Wednesday - Friday Senior Examinations
6 November Wednesday Year 8 Boys Academic Testing & Sports Academy Trials
16-20 September Monday - Friday Senior Examinations
4-8 November Monday - Friday Junior Examinations
Please refer to our website www.mags.school.nz for the full Calendar, including all sporting events
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