The Lion August 2021 by MAGS Communications

AUGUST 2021

Winning

Legacy

SOFTBALL BOYS’ EIGHT STRAIGHT NZ TITLES SCHOLARSHIPS

SOAR

Best results ever for academics

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RELAY FOR LIFE All-time total tops $500k

OARSOME DUO First Maadi Cup Gold in 50 years

22/07/21 9:49 AM

Mount Albert Grammar School Alberton Avenue Mount Albert Auckland 1025 Ph 09 846 2044 www.mags.school.nz The Lion is the official magazine of Mount Albert Grammar School

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Editorial and advertising inquiries to editor Graham Hepburn communications@mags.school.nz ph 09 846 2044, x 8236 Cover photo: Year 13s in the NZSS Championship-winning Premier Boys Softball Team are, at front, from left: Ryan Earley (captain), Brendan Kopu-Lowerson. Back: Caden Cloete, Maclain Roberts, Kinah George-Koteka, Cole Joyce. Photo: Martin Sykes

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Contents 4-5

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6-18

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19-23

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From the Headmaster School News Academic News

Community Performing Arts Sport

MAGS Foundation Corridors – Albertian News Key Dates

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A MAGS Sporting

DYNASTY!

The 2013 NZ champion team, who started MAGS’ winning run.

This winter edition of The Lion comes to you as we progress through our 100th year as a school. 2021 began as the ‘Year of the Rebound’ and despite the brief Covid-related closure of Auckland schools in March, it has been fantastic to have enjoyed school as normal for the majority of the year. A key part of our success to date has centred around the return to a full complement of co-curricular activities for students. The abandonment last year of so much of school life outside of the classroom feels like a distant memory. Many hundreds of MAGS students are once again able to enjoy full sporting, arts, cultural and service programmes. The strength of a school like MAGS is underpinned by all four of these pillars operating at full capacity. Academic success inside the classroom is closely coupled with engagement in the co-curricular life of the school. Whether our 4

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Coach Stu Kinghorn, who helped start the Softball dynasty back in 2013.

FROM THE HEADMASTER The 2021 NZ Champion team.

students are part of elite programmes or involved in participatory roles, those that embrace the breadth of MAGS’ offerings more often than not emerge as more successful and more rounded young people. And however we measure success, a common thread must be the need to ensure succession planning for the generations of students who will follow in the time ahead. Indeed, our planning for Centennial Celebrations next year is adopting this theme. 2022 will be a time of looking back with immense pride across the 100-year journey of our school. The Albertian giants – students of the past who have left their mark in varied walks of life throughout the last century (along with the rest of us mere mortals) – will be recognised and celebrated. But equally, and maybe more importantly, we will have an eye on the current and future students of MAGS. That wonderful theme from our 75th Jubilee – ‘Tradition and Change’ – remains more relevant than ever 25 years on! The Year 13 students on our front cover exemplify the dynamic nature of success at MAGS. Our current Premier Boys Softballers have continued an unbeaten nine-year dynasty as National Champions (broken only by the cancellation of the tournament last year due to Covid-19). This winning streak is unparalleled in

MAGS sport. Importantly, none of the students shown were part of this team (or even students at MAGS) when that first of eight straight titles was won in 2013. Yet the foundations of this legacy were already being laid almost a decade ago. Most of the older members of the senior boys’ squad were part of the MAGS premier softball programme as This year’s Sotball Boys Premiers captain Ryan early, centre, watches on junior students. All of the at the NZSS Softball Final as a Year 9 in 2017, when he won the first of his four national titles. boys on the cover have multiple national titles to their names! This blueprint for what success can look like in all culture of tuakana-teina (older mentoring areas of life at Mount Albert Grammar School. younger) has continued this year with four Congratulations and thank you for investing Year 9 and Year 10 boys being part of the in our young people. champion premier squad. As we move into the second half of the Engagement with our wider community year, the countdown to our Centennial has also been a major driver of success. A celebrations in May next year has begun. strong and long-standing relationship with I encourage all alumni and friends of MAGS the local Ramblers Softball Club continues to register through the centenary website, through to today. Family names reflecting as we look forward to marking 100 years of MAGS softball royalty – Kinghorn, Evans, walking with our community … 100 years of Munro, Earley and Roberts, to name a few, tradition and excellence! have been ever-present in this journey. Our students have enjoyed incredible Per Angusta Ad Augusta support and expertise from parents (and grandparents). Patrick Drumm Our MAGS softball community provides a Headmaster THE LION

WINNING

RUNS IN THE FAMILY Family bonds run deep through the Softball Boys Premiers and are one of the big reasons that MAGS has won eight straight national titles. That legacy of winning began when Rhys Evans arrived at MAGS in 2008 with the aim of progressing his Football but when he started showing an interest in Softball as well, his grandfather Stu Kinghorn began coaching Softball at MAGS. Mr Kinghorn, a former Softball international, was already coaching at Auckland club side Ramblers, and that is a connection that a lot of MAGS players share, turning out for the club when they are not playing for the school. MAGS’ national supremacy began in the 2012/2013 season, just after Rhys left school but his brothers Cole (now Black Sox captain) and Brock enjoyed the side’s success in the following years. In fact, Cole was still at MAGS when he won a 2015 world championships silver medal as a 17-year-old with the Black Sox. This year’s team captain, Year 13 student Ryan Earley, started playing softball after his older brother Max, who won four national titles, needed a catcher while he was practising. Their mother Megan Earley has served as team manager while current coach Kelvin Roberts, who is also part of the Ramblers set-up, took over when Stu Kinghorn retired the role and has son Maclain in the Premiers. 6

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Former Head Boy and Victor Ludorum Isaac Munro enjoyed national Softball success and followed his brother into the Premiers, having watched Eric win national titles. Their mother Janette was manager of the team before Mrs Earley. Other brothers who have been part of champion teams over the years include Seth and Toby Bourgeois, Marshall and Harley Maynard, Cole and Blake Wardrope, Andrew and Cameron Sutton, Luke and Kyle Roberts (nephews of coach Kelvin Roberts), Cooper and Cohen Taylor, Ethan and Oscar Clark, and David, Ethan and Liam Jardine-Ngauamo. Ryan has played for the Premiers since Year 9 and that sort of succession planning – bringing youngsters through and giving them a taste of top competition – is also a key part of the team’s winning run. This year was no different, with Year 9s and 10s featuring in the NZSS squad. Many of the members of those title-winning teams over the years play or have played for Ramblers and have built up strong bonds. As Ryan says, “A lot of us have grown up playing together since we were little so that builds a brotherhood, and we end up playing against men for Ramblers so that toughens you up.” Ryan, who has won four national titles, says this year the team went through the national tournament unbeaten but that was

Captain Ryan Earley accepts the national trophy.

SCHOOL NEWS

in part because some schools were unwilling to send their teams to Auckland in March due to Covid-19. “Everyone thinks it’s easy because we have won the title so many years in a row but before this year there’s hardly been a year that we’ve won it that we have gone through undefeated. We’ve always had our battles getting into the final.” That was never more true than in the 2017/18 tournament in Christchurch when MAGS lost twice to Rongotai College in pool play but scraped into the final and got up to beat Rongotai 5-0. Ryan says, “Christchurch was one of those ones we shouldn’t have won but once we got into the final, we knew we had a chance. “One of our beliefs as a team is that it is not how good everyone is in the team but how good the team plays as a whole. And one of the things that Stu and Kelvin have taught us over the years is that it is never easy but they have also taught us how to be tough and how important it is to win.” Although the Premiers won the national title pretty comfortably this year – 11-4 over Rosehill College at Papakura’s Prince Edward Park – Ryan says he was feeling the pressure as he didn’t want to be the captain that lost the winning streak. “I was feeling pretty nervous going into the tournament because I would never have been allowed to forget that if we had lost but we did it pretty easy in the end.” He now hands the winning mantle on to the next captain.

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OUR SCHOOL LEADERS

Head Boy Marcus Savelio and Head Girl Hana Hilson, at front, with Mr Drumm. Their deputies, from left, are, Edie Ancell, Maria Boow, William Bell-Purchas and Tali Afele.

Following the postponement of the Leadership Assembly earlier in the year due to the last lockdown in Auckland, our 2021 Prefects were finally recognised and congratulated at March 17’s Headmaster’s Assembly for Year 13s. Whaea Tui Gallagher, our Board of Trustees Deputy Chair, fitted Head Boy Marcus Savelio and Head Girl Hana Hilson with their korowai, which have been donated to the school by the Gallagher-Sullivan whanau and are a symbol of leadership. Marcus and Hana then read out their fellow Prefects’ names as they took to the stage to be congratulated by Headmaster Patrick Drumm.

Right: Whaea Tui Gallagher with Head Boy Marcus Savelio and Head Girl Hana Hilson after presenting them with their korowai.

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SCHOOL NEWS MAGS’ Kōmiti Māori for 2021 is (at rear, from left to right): Charlotte Mann, Isaiah Nin, Char’lee Jones, Lorielle Cowley. Front, left to right: Georgia Penjueli, Breanna Waka, Madison Cross, Bree Tipene. Absent: Sunny Davies.

International Prefects Anna Kozawa and Mingi Cho.

Pasifika Leaders for 2021 are (back row): Boston Tofa, Nofolisi Hala, Tali Afele, Stanley Iongi, Marcus Savelio, Ullrich Von Reiche, Morgan Aiono, Justin Hemara. Front Row: Jovis Meredith, Melenaite Tuamoheloa, Emeline Bloomfield, Sylvia Brunt, Genevieve Taua, Leilani Ginnen, Pasilika Ulugia-Pua.

Pictured with Deputy Principals Mr Powell and Ms Hayes are Year 9 Level Representatives, from left, Brendan Akeli, Scarlet Connor, Khalen Quensell and Lucas Bindon.

Pictured with Deputy Principals Ms Hayes and Mr Powell are Year 10 Level Representatives, from left, Rohan Sharma, Lily Curnow, Grace Moon and Ryan Antia.

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OUR TOP scholars

Last year’s Girls Dux Caitlin Mitchell and Boys Dux Matthew Somerville, who both had amazing Scholarship results.

Three MAGS students were named Outstanding Scholars and one named a Top Subject Scholar as part of a record 121 Scholarships gained in the 2020 exams. Bethany Fletcher was the top Dance student in the country, while Alex Pullen, Eric Shen and Matthew Somerville were named Outstanding Scholars. Bethany was officially recognised as the top Dance student in NZ in 2020 at the annual Top Scholar Awards Ceremony hosted at Parliament. Matthew, the first Year 12 student to be named Dux, gained five Scholarships in English, Biology (Outstanding), Earth & Space Science, Statistics (O), and Calculus; Eric amassed an incredible seven Scholarships in English, Biology, Physics, Earth & Space Science, Statistics, Health and Physical Education, and Technology (O); and Alex gained six Scholarships in English, Chemistry, Physics, Earth & Space Science, Statistics (O), and Calculus. Top Subject Scholars receive $2000 a year for three years towards tertiary studies. To qualify for consideration as an Outstanding Scholar, students must achieve three Scholarships including at least two at Outstanding 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 towards tertiary studies. Another standout was our 2020 Girls Dux, Caitlin Mitchell, who gained four Scholarships in Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, and Calculus (O). She will have her name inscribed on the Honours Board

Eric Shen

Alex Pullen

Bethany Fletcher with HOD Dance Samantha French and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

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SCHOOL NEWS Matthew Batcheler, pictured above with Mr Drumm and Board of Trustees Chair Greg Moyle, as a Year 12 last year, gained three Scholarships and will have his name inscribed on the Honours Board.

along with the following students: Frances Belt ‒ English, Art History, Media Studies Finnian Montgomery ‒ Chemistry, Physics, Calculus Thomas Rich ‒ English, Classical Studies, Religious Studies (Outstanding) Juliana Zhu ‒ English, Statistics, Accounting At assemblies in early April, our Year 12s and Year 13s were recognised for their outstanding academic achievements in 2020. Among the terrific results, Matthew Batcheler, as a Year 12 last year, gained three Scholarships (Calculus, Physics and Statistics) and will have his name inscribed on the Honours Board. As a Year 11 in 2020, Deboprana Mallick gained an Outstanding Scholarship in Calculus and attained Level 3 Endorsed with Excellence. Year 11s in 2020, Eva Wadsworth and Josh D’Arth were Endorsed with Excellence at Level 2. A number of Year 12s in 2020 gained Scholarships: Cole Hickey (Statistics and Calculus), Rosa Jack (Statistics and Geography), Nicole Muir (Calculus and Geography), George Allen (Statistics), Angus Edwards (Statistics), Harding Gong (Statistics), Abigail Miller (Statistics), Alexander Pritchard (Calculus), Victor Qui (Health and Physical Education), Ella Vuetilovoni (Statistics) and Jennifer Zhang (Statistics).

As Year 11s in 2020, Deboprana Mallick (left) gained an Outstanding Scholarship in Calculus and attained Level 3 Endorsed with Excellence, and Eva Wadsworth (right) was Endorsed with Excellence at Level 2.

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ANZAC Services MAGS’ 201 fallen Albertians were remembered on April 15 at a stirring ceremony that began with a karanga and piper Andrew Wilkie escorting guests and cadets into the FW Gamble Hall. Hokioramai Dunn performed the whaikōrero at this year’s Anzac Service Assembly, before The Boys Choir, conducted by Deputy Head Prefect Tali Afele, sang Sons of Gallipoli, and Year 13 History students Henri Blakely and Sophie Grimes spoke about our fallen Albertians. This year’s service was attended by Year 9 students, Headmaster Patrick Drumm, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Greg Moyle, Major John Liddell and Pt Chev RSA representative Bill Ashdown, with guests on the mezzanine floor. As at every ANZAC Service, the names of fallen Albertians were read aloud, the Ode of Remembrance was read, 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 raised. MAGS’ Prefects and Cadets were to the fore at the Anzac Day Service at the Mount Albert War Memorial Hall on April 25. Prefects paraded, sold poppies, helped set up, served Anzac cookies and cups of tea, and laid wreaths (Deputy Head Prefects Tali Afele and Maria Boow).

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SCHOOL NEWS At the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall service, from left, are: Col. Esther Harrop, Cadets Henri Blakely and Ben Hume, and the Rt. Hon. Jacinda Ardern.

Air Cadet Ben Hume was Parade Commander on the day, while Air Cadet Rohan Patel raised and lowered the flag during the service. Cadet (and Prefect) Henri Blakeley, who spoke at MAGS’ Anzac Service, was one of the guest speakers on the day along with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Col. Esther Harrop, MNZM Logistics Commander. Henri spoke about the loss of life during World War I, and particularly the NZ 6th Field Brigade that fought to the death in Egypt. Col. Harrop spoke about her grandfather Andy Kronfeld, an Albertian who flew a Spitfire in Britain during World War II. The plane was bought with money raised by Western Samoa via contributions for every crate of bananas sold.

Cadets Rohan Patel (left) and Henri Blakely performing ceremonial duties at the service.

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GL WEIR SPORTS CENTRE

OPENING

MAGS officially unveiled the GL Weir Sports Centre, our stunning, state-of-the-art indoor sports training facility on February 12 with an evening function for invited guests. Guests enjoyed light refreshments and browsed memorabilia before proceedings got underway. In his opening remarks, Headmaster Patrick Drumm said naming the centre after Gordon Lindsay Weir was a fitting tribute to a man who had made a massive contribution to the school and his country. GL Weir was a foundation pupil (1922-26) and Head Prefect at MAGS, who came back as a teacher for 41 years (interrupted by war service) from 1938-78, and was MAGS’ first Test cricketer, who represented New Zealand at cricket from 1930-37. A highlight of the event was former White Fern cricketer and Albertian Georgia Guy (2007-11) bowling a commemorative ball to First XI Cricket captains Keertivaasan Prakash and Shivani Unka. The trio then signed the ball and Director of Cricket Tony Sail presented it to GL Weir’s daughter-in-law Jane Weir. Mrs Weir thanked the school for honouring her father-in-law then declared the centre officially opened, saying that, as a keen sportsperson while at school, she couldn’t believe how lucky MAGS’ students were to have such a facility. Inside, the all-weather facility has curtained nets that can be reconfigured to allow for different sports to train, including cricket, football, hockey, netball and tennis. Money from the MAGS Foundation helped to build this 800sqm facility, which is being primarily used for cricket and PE.

MAGS’ First XI Cricket captains Keertivaasan Prakash and Shivani Unka with Albertian and former White Fern cricketer Georgia Guy.

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Gordon Lindsay Weir

Director of Cricket Tony Sail presents Jane Weir with the commemorative cricket ball at the official opening of the GL Weir Sports Centre.

SCHOOL NEWS

ROBOTICS MAGS’ Robotics Team came back from VEX Robotics Nationals in early April with two special awards. Team captain Matthew Batcheler said, “We entered four robots, each designed, built, and programmed by teams of around four students since April last year. Out of 52 teams in the competition, two of ours achieved high enough in the qualification matches to enter the elimination rounds.” One team – Matthew Batcheler, Arnav Bhatiani, Agam Aharon and Max Davison – won the Create award, which is presented to a robot which “incorporates the most creative engineering design solution to the challenges of this season’s game”. Year 9 student Darcy Clark won the Judges Award, for “special attributes, exemplary effort and perseverance” after his team-mates abandoned him due to other commitments. Matthew said, “He therefore persevered in building an entire robot mostly by himself, and performed admirably at the competition.” This year’s robotics game involved two competing alliances (red and blue) of two robots each placing different coloured balls in goals arranged in a grid.

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FEM GROUP hosts Green MP

MAGS’ FEM Group hosted Green MP Chloe Swarbrick on June 25 for a lively Q&A session at lunchtime in the hall. Ms Swarbrick, who won the Auckland Central seat at the last election, was asked how she got into politics and recalled that it was in 2016 when she was interviewing politicians for a radio show. She became frustrated when she couldn’t get satisfactory answers out of them or get them to address issues beyond the superficial.

That saw her eventually contest the Auckland mayoralty and, although she lost to Phil Goff, the profile she gained helped her to become a list MP for the Greens in 2017. During the session, she fielded a range of questions from students about issues such as housing, drug law reform, sexual identity, conformity and activism.

SCIENCE BOWL WINNERS

MAGS sent four teams to compete in the annual Science Bowl competition held between Epsom Girls Grammar, Auckland Grammar and Mount Albert Grammar schools. There are junior and senior competition sections with teams of four competing in a round-robin format answering questions based on Science and Maths and buzzing in with the right answer as the question is read. On the night, the Junior Boys team came in third and the Senior Boys, after an appeal and a repeated semifinal, made it through to the final and won it. 16

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Our Te Puna o Wairaka students scored some top results at the regional Ngā Manu Kōrero speech competition even though they were up against students from full immersion schools. MAGS co-hosted the Ngā Manu Kōrero ki te Waitematā Māori speech competition, which was held at Ngā Puna o Waiōrea (Western Springs College) in June. Our speakers were: Isaiah Nin, 12PNPAL (Korimako – Senior English section) Sasha Tobin, 9PNWAL (Tā Turi Kara – Junior English section) Awanui Hope, 9PNWAL (Rāwhiti Ihaka – Junior Māori section)

HoF Te Puna O Wairaka Waimirirangi Paul said, “They each stood with such confidence and made our school proud!” Sasha placed 2nd-equal in her section with a student from Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae. They both also placed 1stequal for best female speaker in their section. Isaiah placed 5th overall (for prepared and impromptu speeches combined, despite a five-point time penalty), and Awanui placed 4th, having only missed out on 3rd place by five points, with the top three speakers all from Kura Kaupapa Māori (full immersion schools).

SCHOOL NEWS

MĀORI SPEECH AWARDS

Pat Hanly Award Winners Congratulations to two of our talented Visual Arts students, Chloe Innes (right) and Lucy Woodall (left), who were named Pat Hanly Creativity Award winners at a gala evening at the Auckland Art Gallery on June 24. Chloe won for her photograph ‘Chloroform’ (below right) and Lucy for her painting ‘Breaking Point’ (below left) For the Pat Hanly awards, secondary schools are asked to nominate two Year 13s that show exceptional creativity, imagination and commitment to the Visual Arts. Chloe’s work is a photographic triptych featuring her mother, while Lucy’s is a mixed media self-portrait, mainly in acrylic paint with string. The pair, who won art supplies for their efforts, also had to submit an artist’s statement to support their entries

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YOUNG ENTERPRISE Challenge Sixty five students from Year 10 Business Studies completed the Young Enterprise BP Challenge over three days (June 30 to July 2). The students attended workshops to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and in groups had to develop a product idea and prepare a business plan. The students came up with a diverse range of ideas, including a unique ice-cream cone that minimises sticky hands, a health food box with customised menus, and job-finding website. On the last day, the groups presented their concepts to a selection of judges from the business community in a Dragon’s Den-type format. After viewing 10 amazing presentations, the judges decided the three winning groups were: 1st place: Green Guys 2nd place: My Menu (pictured left) 3rd place: Snack Attack Business Studies teacher Mr Avis said, “Thanks to all the students for being so involved over the last three days and producing 10 great business ideas.”

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ACADEMIC NEWS

BUSINESS MARKET

EVENING

The annual Board Show and Business Market Evening gives Business Studies students a valuable real-world opportunity to test their entrepreneurial flair and marketing skills. On June 17, the evening saw these students set up stalls and offer a huge range of food, drinks and other specialist products in and around E Block. Business Studies students can take advantage of the fact that staff, students and family members flock to the evening to enjoy the displays of Visual Art, as well as Music, Dance and Drama pieces centred around E Block.

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OUTDOOR

EDUCATION

In late March, the two 12OE classes took part in a diving trip to Goat Island. This was the culmination of six hours work in the pool, learning some of the necessary scuba skills required to dive safely. They were instructed by Epic Scuba, who have been working with the school for the past six years. Pool sessions included mask removal and empty, regulator recovery, safe use of equipment and emergency practices. Students were being assessed for AS 2.4 but can now carry on to complete their full dive ticket if they choose. Outdoor Education Teacher Mr Belson said, “The days provided good conditions for diving and all the students did very well and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They all showed good levels of personal and social responsibility around all aspects of the activity day.” Also in late March, the Year 13 Outdoor Education class travelled south to canoe the Whanganui River. Highlights included the stunning scenery and fine weather, visiting the Bridge to Nowhere, unexpected capsizes and developing friendships. This trip provided students with a real life event to focus on safety management. 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. With very little rainfall, the river was low but clear. The students enjoyed organising everything, including the timings, their equipment and their menu. In late May, the Year 13 Outdoor Education class tramped the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk in Te Urewera. Before leaving on the trip, each student had to extensively plan a range of strategies that would help them tramp the 46km safely, cook together in small groups and sleep in a hut or camp under a fly. With heavy rain and strong wind on day one, slips on the long road to the lake delayed their arrival time, meaning groups arrived at the first hut on dark. However, across the trip the weather steadily improved with the class enjoying a stunning sunrise and clear views over the lake on the last day. This was a great reward for all the hard work that they put in before and during the trip.

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ACADEMIC NEWS

Pasifika Initiatives

Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language Week) was a highlight of Term 2 and saw the Samoan flag flying proudly on the school flagpole and a variety of activities over May 31 to June 4. There was a cultural dress day and performances, volleyball games involving staff and students, and a Pasifika Assembly with Victor Kalolo as guest speaker. Mr Kalolo, who is a Dean at Massey High School, shared his life journey and a Spoken Word performance at the assembly. He reinforced the importance of students listening to their mentors (teachers included), choosing a good peer group while at school, and making the most of the opportunities at MAGS before making their way in the outside world, where life could be a lot tougher than school.

Victor Kalolo was guest speaker at the Pasifika Assembly.

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The ‘Dreaming Big’ mural after it was completed and before the unveiling at Wesley Primary School.

visual ART Over Term 1 and during the holidays MAGS students collaborated with artist Evan Woodruffe on a mural project – Colour Community. Visual Arts Leaders worked to collect and seal hundreds of colourful perspex squares made by all of the Visual Arts classes. More than 100 students collaborated to create an original, abstract work; while all of the Visual Arts Leaders helped to arrange the composition. Visual Arts Leader Lucy Woodall said, “We drilled them into big, painted wooden boards and carried them up from E Block to be placed just outside the entrance to the mezzanine floor of the hall.” Over a few months early in the year, Ullrich Von Reiche, Dasha Leonhartsberger, Elka Aitchison and Lucy Woodall worked collaboratively on a mural to highlight the different areas of science taught at MAGS. The group planned and painted using their different styles, creating a work that will be displayed in CS Block. The brief for the painting was to show how science helps to demystify the world around us and to show the tension between what we see, what we have discovered and what we have yet to discover. Some of the top senior art students had the chance to learn traditional henna tattoos with tutor Asia Rehman on March 16. Polly Tse, the Visual Art Leader for Painting and Sculpture, assisted her. This activity was sponsored by SPiCE (Sandringham Project in Community Empowerment) as part of their Floral Carpet Festival. Asia has been doing henna since childhood, and brought in some patterns and henna cones for the students to learn and practise the techniques. February 12 saw the unveiling of a mural that was the product of a collaboration between students from MAGS and Wesley Primary School. ‘Dreaming Big’ was unveiled at Wesley Primary as part of the Welcome to Wesley Whanau Day. The mural was made to celebrate creativity across the Kahui Ako, our school community of learning group. Visual Art teacher Ms Leonard, who did a tremendous job coordinating the project, said, “The mural was designed to represent the Wesley Primary School Values of being respectful, responsible, empowered and supportive. We wanted to show the growth of the students into confident life-long learners.” “The three birds were painted by MAGS students and the border was designed and painted by Wesley students. It was great for the students to meet and learn from each other.”

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

The Science mural for CS Block.

Polly Tse shows off her henna tattoo.

Evan Woodruffe and students with their perspex squares.

ACADEMIC NEWS

On June 24, the Board Show and Business Market Evening gave Visual Art students a chance to show off their artistic skills to the MAGS Community. Staff, Albertians, students and their families descended on E Block to view the vibrant displays of Visual Art – Painting, Design and Photography – as well as enjoy a huge variety of food, drinks and other products being sold by Business students from their stalls. The classrooms and hallways of E Block were opened up to display art for an event that is a highlight of the school calendar.

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RELAY

for life

Relay for Life on March 27 and 28 was a huge success with 264 students taking part and raising $80,000 after completing 17,839 laps of the Lovelock Track during the 14-hour event. Since MAGS began taking part in the event in 2014, our school has raised more than $500,000 for the Cancer Society. That is an incredible effort, helped in no small part by the tireless organisation of TIC Ms Pulham, who has been involved in the event since 2014. Ms Pulham said there were some very sore and tired students at school after they covered 7700km between them from 6pm Saturday to 8am Sunday. Forty five groups of students brought tents along this year so there was a small tent city in the MAGS area. Ms Pulham said, “The security guy at the gate was surprised by the number of MAGS students; he said he ended up just asking each kid walking past if they were MAGS and pointing them to our spot.” She added, “Students had the chance to reflect and

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remember family and friends who they have lost to cancer during our lap in silence. It really showed the support the students gave to each other during a difficult lap seeing students support one another. Many students created a candle bag which they personalised to people who they had lost. These bags lit up the track as we walked throughout the night around the track.” There were also 25 teachers who came out to support the students and help out over the course of the night. Many of the teachers had zero sleep and ran some significant amounts of laps alongside the students. Students also enjoyed the silent disco from 1am to 3am that kept them awake and also avoided disrupting the neighbours Ms Pulham said, “There were lots of students keen to help the teachers pack down and tidy up our area despite a sleepless night and 14 hours of walking. The tired teachers really appreciated the support and yet again reminded us of what a great school we work at.”

COMMUNITY Relay for Life TIC Ms Pulham joins students on the track.

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Duke of Edinburgh’s

Award

In early March, while the fine weather was still with us, 17 students completed their Silver adventurous journey, which for many of them is almost the final aspect towards completion of their Silver award. They had several trips postponed due to Covid-19 but were finally able to get away. The students tramped 38km up and down the rugged Hunua Ranges, carrying food, tents, clothing and cooking gear. The weather being so hot made for some testing times while carrying a heavy pack (not helped in one case by 2.5kg of pre-cooked pasta!), in addition to some of the steep uphills and downhills. Students were self-sufficient, cooked some interesting meals, worked together as a team and often displayed good interpersonal skills. These students were motivated and enthusiastic, making for an enjoyable three days. On March 20, 17 students headed to the Karangahake Gorge to complete their Bronze journey with Mr Belson and Miss Mackinnon. The weather was extremely warm and sunny; perfect for tramping up and down the Gorge and enjoying the view from Karangahake Mountain. Mr Belson said that 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, themselves and be safe in the outdoors as well as realising the importance of pitching their tents correctly. Mr Belson said, “All students were enthusiastic and tackled their respective journeys in an energetic and enthusiastic manner. They were a great bunch of students who were a credit to both themselves and the school. Hopefully this is the final part of their Bronze award and they will now continue onto Silver.” 26

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COMMUNITY

Helping Yemen

Throughout Weeks 7 and 8 of Term 1, Interact partnered with Unicef to fundraise to provide aid for those suffering in the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Interact fundraised by going around form classes selling lolly bags and raffle tickets, exchanging stickers for donations, and holding a barbecue and a bake sale. Over 100 students participated in these efforts on behalf of Interact and many more donated generously. The total raised is in excess of $2000, over double what the group raised for Unicef in 2020. TIC Ms Barlow said, “It was really awesome to see how generous and caring our students are. So many were willing to get involved wherever they could and it made the whole two weeks run really smoothly.”

PINK

SHIRT DAY

Students and staff got behind Pink Shirt Day on May 21, encouraging inclusivity and standing up against bullies. Student leaders handed out stickers and pink ribbons, spread the anti-bullying message at assembly, and encouraged students to sign their names in pink shirts chalked on to the Albertian Quad by Poppy Morris. The theme for the day was ‘Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying’. Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness. It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected. Donations on the day help to fund activities and spread information about inclusivity.

THE LION

Blood Donor Day

Health Committee members, from left, Misha Simpson, Husnia Ebrahim and Hannah Adye.

On July 1, MAGS held its annual Blood Donor Day, and it was great to see the NZ Blood Service back after missing last year due to lockdown. Nurse Claire Brown said, “On the day, we had a fantastic turnout with 128 people attending and 93 donations made – our highest number of donations in five years. “To put these numbers into perspective: one unit of blood can save up to three lives, meaning that with our donations MAGS students and staff will save up to 279 lives.

She added, “The NZ Blood service have commended the students and staff for their generosity in donating, and the impeccable behaviour observed on the day. “They passed on that the students were a pleasure to work with and made the day thoroughly enjoyable. The tireless work from the Health Committee with spreading the word, recruitment of donors leading up to the day and organisation on the day itself contributed immensely to the success of the day – thank you for all your hard work.”

SHINE Fundraiser

In mid-June, Interact raised an amazing $1000 for antiviolence charity Shine with bucket collections from form classes during the week and a bake sale on Friday at lunchtime. Shine was founded in 1990, and has been working since then to make NZ homes violence-free.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

COMMUNITY

QUIZ Night

On June 25, members of the Academic Council hosted the annual Quiz Night – a fun night filled with a variety of quizzes and challenges. This year, the Academic Council fundraised for KidsCan, and raised about $3000 for the charity dedicated to helping Kiwi kids affected by poverty. There were more than 25 teams consisting of teachers, MAGS students, family members and friends of MAGS. There were several rounds of questions, and prizes for the best-dressed team, as well as spot prizes. This year the night was taken out by another teachers team, The Science Department, who in the end won with an 8-point gap. The Best Dressed Team went to The Ghostbusters, and Year 13 Dylan Singh was awarded the Best Dressed Individual (Daddy’s Money). Humeera Imran, of the Academic Council, said, “It was once again a fantastic night, which would not have been possible without the help of fantastic teachers, students and sponsors who helped make the night enjoyable for all involved.”

Above: Year 13 Dylan Singh, at centre, was awarded the Best Dressed Individual.

The Ghostbusters were named the Best Dressed Team.

THE LION

Recollections The 2021 dance concert Recollections held at Centennial Theatre AGS on April 13 and 14 featured all 220 dance students. The evening opened with a taster of the MAGS Megacrew set performed at the HHI NZ Mega School competition held on April 23 at Vodafone Events Centre. The concert showcased a very diverse collection of students, including nearly 50 boys, dancing with their classes for performance assessment in a huge variety of cultural, popular and contemporary dance styles. All classes performed with commitment and joy and the dances were all enthusiastically

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

received by the audiences. Director of Arts Co-Curricular Ms Cesan said, “These group performances were interspersed with some engaging and beautifully crafted choreographic pieces by senior students. “Clearly, the students were all excited to have the opportunity to perform again after a messy 2020, and the support that all dancers demonstrated for their peers was great to see.” Photos: Louis Fagan and Sanskriti Roy

THE LION

PERFORMING ARTS

YouDance

Thirty senior MAGS Dance students performed at the YouDance festival, which was held at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre on June 22. MAGS performed two works: one was Bethany Fletcher’s top scholarship piece from last year and the other was a Year 13 ensemble work choreographed by HoD Dance Miss French. She said, “Our students had a fantastic day representing the school and all performed to an excellent standard.”

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

PERFORMING ARTS

THE BIG

SING

For the first time in our history, MAGS has had a choir invited to perform at The Big Sing Finale, this year being held at the Christchurch Town Hall from August 26-28. The invitation is also unprecedented for a first-time entry. Our Centennial Choir – directed by Terence Maskell – will perform alongside the top school choirs from around the country at the event, and this follows the boys choir picking up four awards at The Big Sing regionals held at the Auckland Town Hall on June 24. The boys choir won the Gala Performance Award (for the choir which impressed, delighted and captivated the audience), the Best Performance of a New Zealand or Pasifika Composition or Arrangement (by a choir that has not participated in the national finale for the last 2 years) and the Best Performance of a Choral Art Music Composition (by a choir that has not

Mr Drumm is pictured with Centennial Choir leaders, from left, Tali Afele, Isaiah Nin and Henri Blakely, who are holding the three major awards they won.

participated in the national finale for the last 2 years) as well as being runners-up for Best Performance of a Work Using Māori Text. Our Gloriana Girls Choir also performed at the Auckland regionals and were among 60 choirs from across Auckland competing over three days at the Auckland Town Hall, and about 300 choirs nationwide – all singing three pieces selected from prescribed choral music categories. The Centennial Choir performed Zion hört die Wächter singen – a piece in German by 17th century composer Dietrich Buxtehude, May God Bless You – an attractive blessing written by Aucklander Chris Artley, and Wairua Tapu – a prayer in Māori by the Wehi whanau and arranged by Terence Maskell – with Matua Pete (Mr Walters) and student Marco Betham-Copisarow accompanying on guitar. Mr Maskell said, “Eric Shen, last year’s Head Boy, accompanied the first two pieces

beautifully on the piano.” He added, “Our very warm congratulations go to all our singers – we are enormously proud of them all. Huge thanks to Headmaster Patrick Drumm for his clear and abundant support, to Arts Coordinator Jacqui Cesan for her thorough organisation and to all the staff and parents who so willingly support the work of choral music at MAGS. Onwards!” During the day, Gloriana performed Sea Song by David Hamilton, Canticle of the Turning by Rory Cooney, and Gloria Festiva by Emily Crocker. At the Gala Performance they sang Canticle of the Turning by Rory Cooney accompanied by Dr Atchison on guitar and Year 12 student Nishera Gnanendra on violin, with Anouk Blackburn (Year 10) performing the soprano solo. Catherine Oxenham is the accompanist and a co-director with Dr Atchison.

CHAMBER MUSIC For the fifth year in a row, chamber music group Moon Stars have won the award for the best performance of an original work at the Auckland round of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest on June 11. Mekal Covic composed the work called Two Worlds. The first movement is Forlorn, Forgotten World, and the second movement is War-Torn, Malicious World. Moon Stars are (pictured from left): Kayla Manders – Harp, Daniel Zhang – Violin, Grace Duan – Violin, Jessica Niko Tuifao – Viola, Mekal Covic – Cello, Mariella Bowman – Double Bass, Fairuz Khairunnisa – Percussion, and Alexander Moon – Concert Bass Drum/ Percussion.

HOD Music Milica Zjajic-Moon said, “We have had another two groups that have played the best they have ever played, and they are Triplicity (Helen Wen – Violin, Mekal Covic –

Cello, Karen Zheng – Piano), a classical trio, who performed Piano Trio in G major, IV movement by Claude Debussy, so perfectly that you could hear a pin drop. And XII Strings

(Bella Houghton, Daniel Zhang, Celestine Howard), a violin trio, who performed Capriccio No 1 for 3 Violins, Opus 2 by Friedrich Hermann, and sustained the virtuosity to the very end.” THE LION

UNITY CONCERT The MAGS Unity concert was held at the Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls Grammar on Friday, July 9 before a packed and enthusiastic audience. More than 220 students from various cultural groups performed with passion and commitment to the delight of an audience that showed their appreciation for the skill and authenticity of each of the groups. The evening was opened by the Kapa Haka group, who performed a selection of items from their stellar Polyfest bracket finishing with the new MAGS Haka, Takatū, especially written for the school by Whaea Waimaringi Paul and Matua Peter Walters. Then the Chinese group performed giving a display of Chinese culture at its finest. After that, the Cook Island girls, exquisitely dressed in an array of colour and flowers, performed with delicate grace and style. Following this, Year 12 dance performed a contemporary Fijian dance full of rhythm with constantly changing formations, taught to them by Albertian Nathan Waqalevu. Next up was the Indian group, who delighted the audience with the sheer colour and spectacle of the costuming and Bollywood movement in a dance that took the audience through the highlights of the many festivals of India. The Niuean group, also beautifully costumed and prepared, performed traditional dances, clearly showing their love for the Niuean culture. The huge Tongan group performed a traditional Lakalaka and then the Year 13 performers gave a passionate performance in their final dance for the school, with parents joining them onstage at the end. The final group was the Samoan group. Director of Arts Co-Curricular Jacqui Cesan said, “The choreography, synchronicity and performance by this huge group was a wonderful way to end an evening that was simply outstanding and clearly showed the joy that the students felt in sharing their different cultures with the MAGS community. “Huge thanks must go to the leaders, Albertians, tutors and students of the groups for such a wonderful display.”

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THE LION

PERFORMING ARTS

Year 9 student KyraLeigh Masina received the ‘Top Female Dancer’ award at the ‘Light it Up’ National School Dance Competition.

MAGS MEGACREW

On April 23, our MAGS Megacrew came third at the Te Kaha O Te Rangatahi ‘Light it Up’ National School Dance Competition at Vodafone Events Centre. HOD Dance Samantha French said, “After receiving first place in 2018 and 2019, we were thrilled to be placed in the top three once again. Our Megacrew ranges from Year 9s to Year 13s. This year we had the largest amount of Juniors who successfully made it onto the team. “Brilliantly led by Head Boy Marcus Savelio and mentored by Albertian Moanekah Va’ai, the team did an excellent job and gave an outstanding performance on the night. They had been training during Term 1, including late nights, weekends and early mornings – as well as every day in the first week of the holidays.” Ms French added, “Special mention must go to our talented Year 9 student Kyra-Leigh Masina, who received ‘Top Female Dancer’ – the first time MAGS has received a special award for a stand-out dancer.”

THE PRIDE Eleven of our MAGS Megacrew members formed a smaller varsity team called ‘The Pride’, and took out their division at the Project Dance competition in Tauranga over Queen’s Birthday Weekend. Dance teachers Miss French and Mr Grace travelled down to the competition with The Pride, who competed in and topped the secondary aged division against 13 other teams from around NZ. Miss French said, “We had a fantastic day down in Tauranga – the students were exemplary. What’s really awesome about this group is how they all work so well together despite being from different year levels. We are also so proud of the leader of this group, Marcus Savelio.” The Pride members are Romi Ropati – Year 9, Jacob Cameron – Year 11, Esme Lloyd – Year 12, Esta Lightbourn – Year 12, Komai Waqualevu – Year 12, Dayannara Pati – Year 12, Daisy Purdon – Year 13, Samara Sebastien – Year 13, Samara Brain – Year 13, Marcus Savelio – Year 13, Charlie Pellett – Year 13.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

PERFORMING ARTS

KAPA HAKA MAGS’ Kapa Haka placed eighth on the Maori Stage at Polyfest on April 17. HOD Te Puna o Wairaka Ms Paul said, “Overall, the weekend went well and the kapa produced a really good performance given the circumstances (the really early wake-up time and the weather on the day – it poured down!), and stood with much ihi, wehi and wana. “In summary, we placed eighth overall out of 14 kapa in Division 1 and had some close aggregate placings that would have seen us place 3rd in some disciplines had it not been for one or two points. “Looking ahead, we plan to have a debrief to go through the results and judges’ comments in more detail, and to discuss how we can better prepare ourselves next year in the aim to improve our overall competitive results and campaign in general.”

SCHOOL HAKA

Class Kaea (Leaders) were announced at assembly at the end of May and took part in a Haka Master Class, conducted by Whaea Waimirirangi Paul and Matua Peter Walters in the hall. The Year 9 and Year 10 Kaea will help their mentor classes learn the school haka, Takatū. Whaea Miri and Matua Peter conducted practice sessions and talked the students through and demonstrated the finer points of creating a powerful haka so they could promote and model Takatū to their classmates, who will take part in an interform haka

competition later in the year. In April, our U14 Rugby Boys (above left) were the first to perform Takatū at an away fixture when they went on a rugby-playing tour of Northland over a weekend. The boys performed the haka again for their peers at the Year 9 Assembly in the Albertian Quad. The Rugby Boys 1st XV (above right) not only debuted their Centenary strip but also performed Takatū for the first time before kickoff in their game against Sacred Heart College. THE LION

THE CRUCIBLE Level 2 Drama students played to full houses over four nights in mid-May with their production of The Crucible. Two different casts alternated for the staging of the Arthur Miller play, a historical drama about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693. Drama teacher Miss Hughes said, “We finished show week with a packed-out season. “It was an incredible effort on all fronts, to get costumes, set, and performances ready. Some truly remarkable and stand-out performances cast true emotional impact on our audiences. “A truly special week for some extremely proud students, many of whom were taking to the stage for the first time.” Photos: Miss Hughes, Sanskriti Roy and Aleisha Roulston

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Shakespeare

PERFORMING ARTS

SHEILAH WINN

Dress rehearsal photos by Tess Gough Stalker

MAGS’ Drama students came away with two awards from their performances on April 10 at the Auckland Central Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival at Diocesan School. Molly Cavanagh and Imogen King were recognised for their acting skills and received Rising Star Awards. MAGS also received the prize for Most Unexpected Use of Props for Camille Peterson’s post-apocalyptic Gravedigger scene from Hamlet. Drama students were excited by the chance to perform the 15-minute and 5-minute scenes from Shakespeare’s canon. It was an excellent opportunity for them to develop their skills both onstage and backstage as well as express themselves creatively. This year there were three studentdirected scenes alongside the teacher-directed scene. Jasper Cameron directed Act 1 Scene 3 from The Merchant of Venice. The scene takes place in a restaurant that is a front for a criminal network during Prohibition Era New York. He had authentic costuming and a live band to create the seedy atmosphere. Camille Peterson’s Gravedigger scene examined the status of the characters through the return to feudalism. Ruby Wilson and Nikitha Chinthalacheruvu co-directed a collection of scenes from King Lear. It had a traditional setting but they had dual-cast the titular character to emphasise his descent into madness. Finally, HOD Drama Mr Urquhart directed Act 1 Scene 1 from Much Ado About Nothing. Soldiers are welcomed back from the front. Love blossoms and rivalries resume. Mr Urquhart said, “A huge thank you to the people who came to watch. Also, I have immense gratitude for the organisation by Student Leaders Molly Cavanagh and Reet Kamra.” THE LION

Night of the CLASSICS

The second of our music concerts – Night of the Classics – was held on July 2 at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre. The evening opened with the Radetzky March by Strauss performed by the Concert Orchestra conducted by Mrs Moon. The orchestra also featured a number of Albertians and former staff. This was followed by the girls and then boys choirs, who, to the audience’s delight, performed some of the repertoire from The Big Sing. Following this, the Chamber orchestras under the baton of Ms Jenny Shih played some of their repertoire from the Chamber Contest, including the performance of the award winning piece composed by MAGS student Mekal Covic. A highlight of the Chamber pieces was the stunning violin solo by student Daniel Zhang. Next upon stage was the Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Ms Moon, and then proceedings crossed to the Jazz Band and Mr Watson. The final performance of the night was the Concert Orchestra featuring Tali Afele on vocals who gave a rousing performance of the classic Quando Quando Quando. Director of Arts Co-Curricular Ms Cesan said, “The audience enjoyed the concert and were generous in their appreciation at the end.” Photos / Arnav Bhatiani and Fatima Usman

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

PERFORMING ARTS

SLAM

the Jams

The Slam the Jams contemporary music concert on July 1 featured some fantastic performances, with the impressive number of junior singers and musicians involved boding well for the future of Music at MAGS. The show, which was MC’ed by Tali Afele and Reet Kamra, featured 10 acts and literally started with a bang with the drumoff of Drummer Drama. The MAGS Ball Band gave a preview of what to expect at the School Ball with their take on L.A.B.’s In the Air. And the night was rounded off with three items from the Jazz Band. Photos / Aleisha Roulston and Pipiana Coventon

THE LION

Summer

TOURNAMENT

A highlight of Summer Tournament Week (March 22-28) was MAGSROW winning its first Gold medal at the Maadi Cup since 1961, with Nick Bryan and Cam MacGillivray winning the A Final Boys U17 Coxless Pair Oars at Lake Karapiro. The MAGSROW squad also secured two Bronze medals with Ava Paynter and Kate Grubi coming third in the A Final Girls U17 Coxless Pair Oars, and the novice boys crew – Max Jarvie, Luke Sanders, Fraser MacGillivray, Charlie Heath and cox Max Murphy – placing third in the A Final of the Boys U15 Coxed Four. Overall, the crews successfully qualified for eight A Finals and nine B Finals – breaking the previous MAGSROW record. Securing a place in these finals shows these crews are among the top secondary school rowers in the country. Director of Rowing Alice Denyer said,“Our coaches are so proud of what the squad achieved. Over the past few years we’ve seen our MAGSROW crews getting stronger each year and this year saw another big step up in our performance.” The Cricket Girls 1st XI came third – their highest-ever placing – at the Auckland regional round of the Venus Cup. MAGS had wins against Mt Roskill and Takapuna but lost to St Kent’s (MAGS 154/2 St Kent’s 156) before returning to winning ways against Westlake in another closely fought game. MAGS lost the semifinal to EGGS (perennial favourites and eventual champions) but won the third/fourth playoff against Westlake. Three Futsal teams – Junior Girls, Junior Boys and Senior Boys – went to Wellington to contest the NZSS Futsal Championships, with the Junior Girls having a great tournament to come away with the Bronze medal. This was the first year a full MAGS team attended the NZSS Waka Ama Nationals held in Rotorua. Previously individuals had entered and done well but this year nine students attended and gained some great results. Eternity Williams was 5th in the championship semifinal, Marlin Toloa was sixth in the championship final, Serenity Nansen-Smith seventh in the championship final, and Rhys Tagi seventh in the championship final. The U19 W6 boys finished seventh in the championship semifinal 500m. The Auckland Wrestling Championships took place on March

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

SPORT 26 at Dilworth School with three MAGS students competing. Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemalie won the Senior Girls Under 75kg division, Max Shallard took out the Junior Boys, Under 42kg division, and Alex Reddy was second in the Senior Boys, Under 76kg division. Our Volleyball Senior A Boys and Senior A Girls competed at the NZSS Volleyball Champs in Palmerston North. Although the Boys had some close and disappointing losses, they came away with a huge amount of experience. Their overall placing was 11th in Division 3, while the Girls finished 14th in Division 4 For the first time, MAGS entered 11 teams into the 3x3 Basketball Secondary School National Championships. Six Boys and five girls teams played in the Elite Boys and Girls, Senior Boys and Girls, and Junior Boys and Girls grades. This year, the aim was to include as many players as possible and not focus on results. The tournament was dominated by schools that had focused on this form of the game. All of the MAGS players enjoyed the experience. Our Senior A Girls Water Polo finished 3rd in Division 2 at NISS played at various Auckland schools, whereas the Senior A Boys Water Polo finished third in their Dvision1 NISS competition in Wellington. THE LION

Athletics

With this year’s scheduled MAGS Athletics Championships Day at Mt Smart Stadium being cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation, the Sports Department held events over a week or so at MAGS and other venues to ensure students took part in some athletic events. There was a strong turnout especially from our Year 9 students. Highlights included a high standard of competitive racing across all age groups in the 200m and 100m races. Due to the number of events not being held in competitive conditions, the announcement of the School Athletics Champions was delayed until after the Auckland Central/West/East Zone meet. Right: The 2021 Athletics Champions are (back row, from left): Benjie Fairclough (Junior Boys), Luke Clements (Senior Boys), Elliot Kitchener (Intermediate Boys). Front row: Sylvia Brunt (Senior Girls), Gezreyal Maiu’u (Junior Girls), Anika Todd (Intermediate Girls).

The 4 x 100m Junior Girls relay team won Gold at the AKSS meet.

CENTRAL/WEST/EAST SECONDARY SCHOOL ZONE ATHLETICS MOUNT SMART STADIUM, MARCH 17 Close to 50 students represented MAGS and a large number gained top four places, qualifying for the Auckland Secondary School Championships. There were also two school records broken at this meet. The Junior Girls 4 x 100m relay set a new time of 54.09 seconds, 44

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surpassing the record set in 2017 of 54.19 seconds. Luke Clements broke the long-standing Senior Boys school record for the 3000m with a time of 8:58.39, surpassing a record that was set in 1986. Gezreyal Maiu’u won the Junior Girls 200m, Junior Girls 300m, Junior Girls Triple Jump, and Junior Girls 70m Hurdles, as well as being a member of the winning Junior Girls 4 x 100m Relay (along with Tommee Paeu, Nina Chalmers and Ella De Coek) Troy Middleton won the Senior Boys 200m and Senior Boys 400m.

SPORT

AUCKLAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS, MT SMART STADIUM, MARCH 30 Twenty nine students represented MAGS and performed exceptionally well in wet and windy conditions for the first part of the day. Overall, MAGS students won 18 medals at the meet. A pleasing sign was seeing a number of junior students excelling at this level of competition and a number of more experienced athletes continuing to representing MAGS at a high level. Gezreyal Maiu’u won three events – Junior Girls 200m, Junior Girls 70 Hurdles, Junior Girls 300m Hurdles – and came second in the Junior Girls Triple Jump. In the process, she set two school records. She set a MAGS record in the Junior Girls 300m Hurdles with a time of 42.76 seconds. She eclipsed the record of 48.12 seconds set by Amelia Caltaux in 2018. She also broke the Junior Girls Triple Jump record by 30cm with a jump of 10.10m. The previous record had been standing since 2008, and was set by Natalie Booth. A special mention goes to Benjie Fairclough, who broke an Auckland Secondary Schools Championship meet record with a time of 45.44 seconds in winning the Junior Boys 300m Hurdles. The 4 x 100m Junior Girls relay team won Gold and beat the record they set at the zone meet two weeks ago with a time of 53.20 seconds. The Senior Boys 4 x 400m relay team of Shay Russek, Luke Clements, Eamon Buick and Troy Middleton also won – in a close race – and surpassed a record set in 2016 by 10 seconds with a time of 3:34.26. Sylvia Brunt threw 12.72m in coming second in the Senior Girls Shot Put to beat a record set by Yoko Tsukushi last year by 28cm. Tommee Paeu won the Junior Girls Long Jump, Troy Middleton won the Senior Boys 200m and was second in the Senior Boys 400m, and Luke Clements won the Steeplechase Senior Boys 2000 and came third in the Senior Boys 3000m.

THE LION

ARCHERY MAGS archers competing in the College Sport Archery competitions have had a very successful season. In the weekly round robin competition, the MAGS team won two of the five recurve divisions. MAGS A – Lily Brislen (Captain), Sylvie Morrison, Nick Lees and Ronan John – were convincing winners in their division. MAGS B (Hannah Jordan, Louise Clarke, Samuel Holmes and Siena Pound) had to wait for the results of the final night before they were crowned the outright winners of their division.

In the fiercely competitive recurve individual competition, awards are presented to the top 15 archers. MAGS had three archers who won awards here as well: Sylvie Morrison (6th), Nick Lees (9th) and Lily Brislen (13th). Sylvie, in particular, finished right alongside a number of NZ representative archers. To finish the season, there was a One Day College Sport Match Play Championships held at One Tree Hill Domain. In the individual competition, Sylvie Morrison made the quarter-finals. To finish off the

The MAGS A team of (from left) Lily Brislen (Captain), Sylvie Morrison, Nick Lees and Ronan John.

season in style, MAGS A fought their way through to the Gold Medal match before finally being beaten by Baradene A. Three MAGS Archers were later named ‘Most Improved’ by

Archery NZ. Congratulations to Nick Lees (Recurve Men), Sylvie Morrison (Recurve Women) and Tyler Gomes-Luis (Barebow Men) for their awards.

CRICKET

In the AKSS Boys Cricket T20 Final held at MAGS on April 7, MAGS won the toss and elected to bat and were seemingly too cautious against a good King’s College attack. The run rate seldom rose above 4 but wickets were not being lost either – apart from an unlucky decision against opener Zac Lorimer. Solid work from Ohm Patel and Priyam Mistry saw a launchpad developed but only 14 runs in the final 5 overs equated to a disappointing final score of 90/6. Runs on the board are always good in a final though, and two wickets in the second over of King’s’ innings from Maaz Zeb breathed some life into the game. The bowling plan continued to bear fruit, along with excellent fielding, and with four overs to go King’s required 20 but with only two wickets in hand. They held their nerve better and got over the line to win their second T20 championship in two years.

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SPORT

Lacrosse

A week after defeating Mount Roskill Grammar 10-8 in a hard fought semifinal, the MAGS Senior Boys Lacrosse team faced off against Rosmini in the final of the AKSS Premier Boys Lacrosse Competition on April 15. The hard-fought encounter was a tough workout for the MAGS defence, but despite eventually being defeated 6-16 there were excellent transitional and attacking moments for our boys.

The entire MAGS squad grafted tirelessly with positive spirits and their heads held high for the duration. The boys can be incredibly proud of their achievements this season, ending 2nd overall in the competition. Special mentions go to Benji Norris and Sam Nash, who each had massive seasons in the midfield, and William Couldrey who topped the score chart for MAGS with 20 goals this season.

ORIENTEERING The NISS Champion Boys team.

Oscar Vink

Tom Aish

In late April, MAGS’ Boys Teams won the North Island Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships and the Girls Team narrowly missed out on the title. MAGS Captain Angus Edwards received the Champion Boys Team award – the 5th year in a row that MAGS has won it. The Boys had a runaway victory, securing 479 points in beating Havelock North (2nd with 332 points) and Westlake Boys in 3rd. There were podium places for Tom Aish (2nd) and Matthew Greenwood (3rd) in the Sprint, and a Relay win for the Intermediate Boys (Sam Carryer, Justin Brendolise and Matthew Greenwood). MAGS Intermediate Boys Team took out the top three places on the podium, while the Senior Boys Team (Tom Aish, Angus Edwards, Callum Wishart) finished 3rd as did the Junior Boys team (Thomas Alsweiler, Victor Coen, James Milne). In the Girls competition, MAGS finished in 3rd place on 407 pts, narrowly behind St Cuths (431 pts) and Baradene (416 pts). The highlight of the event was a win in the Intermediate Girls Relay, with Ella Edwards, Ella Graves and Eve Thompson beating very strong competition. In early April, two of MAGS Orienteers won Gold medals at the Orienteering National Championships. Tom Aish won the highly competitive Men’s 18 title in the Long event and Oscar Vink won the Men’s 16 Middle event. Other MAGS Orienteers also won medals – Matthew Greenwood came 2nd in the Middle event and 2nd in the Relay, Daniel Wood came 3rd in the Middle event and was part of the winning Relay team, and Ami McGowan finished 3rd in the Relay. MAGS coach Kieran Woods also finished 3rd in the Elite Relay team. THE LION

Cross Country The School Cross Country was run in perfect conditions when the Year 9 and 10 Boys ran on April 13 but the weather turned rough for the Year 9 and 10 Girls on April 14. The event, which starts and finishes in the school grounds but is mostly run on the ASB MAGS Farm, is compulsory for Junior students with Seniors and staff also joining in. The cross country winners were: Year 9 Boys – Mack Devine 1st, Ben Hori-Elliott 2nd, Azahim Abdul Razack 3rd Year 9 Girls – Nina Chalmers 1st, Eternity Williams 2nd, Piper O’Neil 3rd Year 10 Boys – Oscar Vink 1st, Luke Sanders 2nd, Vegas Hermansson-Scott 3rd Year 10 Girls – Maia Lythe 1st, Sophie Rednall 2nd, Lily Curnow 3rd-equal, Amelie Kelly 3rd-equal Intermediate Boys Champion – Daniel Wood Senior Boys Champion – Luke Clements Intermediate Girls Champion – Emily Rednall Senior Girls Champion – Kirsty Gage

six-person teams categories based on where the top three and six students from each school finished in each race. The Intermediate Girls won both these categories and MAGS gained placings in a number of the other team races. A special mention goes to Year 9 student Ben Hori-Elliot, who assisted an unwell runner from Westlake Boys during his On May 18, 40 students represented MAGS race. In a great display of sportsmanship, at the Central/West Zone Cross Country meet Ben made sure the student was okay and in variable conditions throughout the day. sacrificed finishing higher in the race. The highlight was seeing three girls finish in The Auckland Secondary School Cross the top 10 in the Intermediate Girls category. Country Championships was held at Saint The meet also had three-person and Kentigern College on June 3, with nine 48

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

students representing MAGS across the various age categories. The highlight was Maia Lythe finishing 8th in the Intermediate Girls, continuing her strong form shown at the North/West Zone meet two weeks ago. Apart from Maia, the following students gained top 20 placings: Nina Chalmers – 14th (Junior Girls), Emily Rednall – 19th, Bella Houghton – 20th (Intermediate Girls), Luke Clements – 10th (Senior Boys) Our top three Intermediate Girls were placed 4th in the combined three-person team category based on where they finished individually.

SPORT THE LION

Rowing MAGSROW secured its first Gold medal at the Maadi Cup since 1961, when Nick Bryan and Cam MacGillivray won the A Final Boys U17 Coxless Pair Oars with a flawless row at Lake Karapiro. The MAGSROW squad also secured two Bronze medals with Ava Paynter and Kate Grubi coming third in the A Final Girls U17 Coxless Pair Oars, and the novice boys crew – Max Jarvie, Luke Sanders, Fraser MacGillivray, Charlie Heath and cox Max Murphy – placing third in the A Final of the Boys U15 Coxed Four. Overall, the crews successfully qualified for eight A Finals and nine B Finals – breaking the previous MAGSROW record. Securing a place in these finals shows these crews are among the top secondary school rowers in the country. The 2021 Aon Maadi Cup, held in late March, attracted more than 2000 competitors from 120 New Zealand schools. Director of Rowing Alice Denyer says the Maadi Cup squad of 51 rowers (Year 10 – Year 13) worked incredibly hard over the season and were well-prepared going into this national event. “Our coaches are so proud of what the squad achieved. Over the past few years we’ve seen our MAGSROW crews getting stronger each year and this year saw another big step up in our performance,” she said. Following their Maadi Cup Gold medals, Nick Bryan and Cam MacGillivray were selected for higher honours. Cam was selected for the Rowing New Zealand U18 North Islands team, specifically the eight and the coxed four, which raced against the South Island team during the middle weekend of the April school holidays at Lake Karapiro. Nick was selected for the Rowing New Zealand U19 squad in the Men’s Eight. Earlier in the year, 76 of the MAGS Rowing squad competed at the North Island Rowing Championships over the Auckland Anniversary Weekend. The squad had one if its most successful regattas of recent times, making 33 finals, of which, 24 were A Finals. Further to this, the squad medalled in the following events: Gold (BU17 2-), Silver (GU15 2x, WInt 4+), Bronze (BU18 4+, BU18 4x+, GU15 4+, MNov 4+). 50

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Bronze medallists Kate Grubi (left) and Ava Painter rowing back to the boat park at Lake Karapiro after receiving their medals for their fast finish in the A Final Girls U17 Coxless Pair Oars.

The novice boys crew of Max Jarvie, Luke Sanders, Fraser MacGillivray, Charlie Heath and cox Max Murphy, who placed third in the A Final of the Boys U15 Coxed Four.

Maadi Cup Gold medallists Cam MacGillivray (right) and Nick Bryan.

RUGBY

THE LION

SPORT

Our Rugby Boys 1st XV reclaimed the Jubilee Cup with a 25-22 victory over St Kentigern College in a see-sawing match at Eden Park on June12. In a game that was a curtain-raiser to the Blues v Force Super Rugby match, St Kentigern got out to a 15-6 lead before MAGS hit back with an unconverted try before halftime. MAGS took the lead in the second half when Kyan Alo scored on the wing, with captain Tama Anderson converting a wide kick. That lead was extended to 25-15 before St Kent’s countered with a late converted try. After that MAGS held strong in defence to take the Jubilee Cup, which is up every year in the game against St Kent’s. This year, the Rugby Boys 1st XV has been wearing a modern day replica of the original MAGS 1st XV uniform worn in 1923. 1922 was the year the school opened but the timing did not allow for a new uniform to be made. They wore the Grammar uniform with a Cambridge Blue sash sewn on for that first year. The Cambridge Blue with the white collar is still worn today by all our junior teams and it wasn’t until the 90s that the shorts and the collar changed to blue and gold respectively. The hoops known today were introduced in the mid-2000s and were reminiscent of the top of the original socks. The 1st XV is again proudly sponsored by Jean Smith of Barfoot and Thompson Mt Albert, and is led this year by Captain Tama Anderson with the help of Vice Captain Riki Reuben.

Skiing Three students represented MAGS at the Auckland Secondary Schools Ski Champs held at Snowplanet on June 24. Year 13 Mena Ren-Fritzke (pictured) competed in the slalom, dual slalom and slopestyle events, earning a combined total of 57 points and placing MAGS 13th of 22 girls’ schools. The highlight of the day was Mena’s

slopestyle run in which she placed 3rd. Reuben Adye (Year 9) and Nate Lawson (Year 9) both competed in the giant slalom event, placing 24th and 55th of 99 competitors. This was a particularly good result considering they were competing against senior students in this category. Reuben went on to race in the dual slalom event where he made it to the third round

SQUASH Our Squash Boys Premiers successfully defended their Auckland title in late June, beating a very competitive Auckland Grammar School team 3-2 in the final. The annual Auckland Secondary Schools team championships took place on the North Shore for Division 1 teams and at Unitec for Division 2 teams. With the tournament cancelled last year and the MAGS Boys Premiers taking the title in 2019, expectations were high for retaining the shield. Two teams were also entered into the Division 2 competition and, for the first time in the last five years, a Division 1 Girls team was entered to give players an opportunity to develop for the future. The Boys Premiers, playing in Division 1, came through the round robin winning all three matches with a close, must-win match against Westlake going their way 3-2. Against Auckland Grammar School in the final, it was 2-2 going into the last game, with MAGS coming out eventual winners 3-2 and retaining the shield for 2021.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

before being knocked out by the eventual 3rd placegetter. Their combined performance placed MAGS 11th of 21 boys’ schools on the day. All three students are excited for the snow season ahead and looking forward to competing again in the North Island Secondary Schools Championships in September.

SPORT

Sports

Exchange

WBHS Head Boy Leo Palmer handing over the inter-school shield to MAGS 1st XV Captain Tama Anderson.

On April 15, MAGS and Whangarei Boys High School (WBHS) revived a sports exchange that had gone into hibernation about 20 years ago. MAGS travelled to Whangarei with the Rugby Boys 1st XV, Premier Boys Basketball, Premier Boys Squash, Boys Hockey and the Chess team to compete for a new Shield gifted by WBHS. In the Rugby, MAGS won 17-7; in Basketball, MAGS won 93-66; in Hockey, WBHS took the game 3-1, and also won the Squash 4-1, while our Chess team triumphed 11-5 to help MAGS win the Shield Exchange. Next year, the games will be at MAGS in the first week of Term 2.

THE LION

Our overall Swimming champions for 2021 are, front row, from left: Edie Ancell (Senior Girls Champion), Khalen Quensell (Junior Girls Champion), Amber George (Intermediate Girls Champion). Back Row: Hunter Dobson (Intermediate Boys Champion), Thomas Murray (Senior Boys Champion), Palepua Afoa (Junior Boys Champion).

SWIMMING There were some great performances at MAGS’ Swimming Sports Championships, held on February 11, with 14 school records being broken.

MAGS’ RECORD-BREAKERS: Junior Boys Palepua Afoa Palepua Afoa Palepua Afoa

26.34 1:08.16 28.82

Intermediate Boys Tito Tipi 25.36 Hunter Dobson 1:03.80 Tito Tipi 13.15 Hunter Dobson 1:01.50

50m Freestyle 100m Medley 25m Backstroke 100m Backstroke

Senior Boys Thomas Murray Quin Walden Thomas Murray Bowen Crawford Quin Walden Bowen Crawford

200m Freestyle 100m Butterfly 50m Backstroke 100m Breaststroke 100m Backstroke 50m Breaststroke

1:59.03 1:00.29 27.31 1:07.03 1:01.60 30.09

Intermediate Girls Amber George 1:07.34 54

50m Freestyle 100m Medley 50m Butterfly

100m Backstroke

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

SPORT

MAGS’ SWIMMING CHAMPIONS: Junior Girls Champion: Khalen Quensell Intermediate Girls Champion: Amber George Senior Girls Champion: Edie Ancell Junior Boys Champion: Palepua Afoa Intermediate Boys Champion: Hunter Dobson Senior Boys Champion: Thomas Murray

NORTH ISLAND SECONDARY SCHOOL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS JUNE 12-13, WELLINGTON MAGS’ Swim Team was named top co-ed school at the 2021 NISS Championships. The team did an outstanding job, wining the overall points competition and taking out top co-ed school. Among the huge medal haul, there were Golds for Amber George (100m Individual Medley and 50m Backstroke – 16Yrs), in the Open Mixed 6x50m Relay, 100m Free Kick Relay & 100m Water Polo Relay (13-18Yrs).

THE LION

TRIATHLON / DUATHLON MAGS sent a team of 11 students – three teams and two students who raced as individuals – to the Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships on March 16 at Point England Reserve. The event is ever-growing, and the standard of racing was high. The highlight of the day was Year 13 student Ward Hope finishing 3rd in the hotly contested Senior Boys individual section. This a great reward for a hard-working athlete who finished 6th in this category last year. A special mention goes to Year 9 student Palepua Afoa, who challenged himself and competed in the Intermediate section against students two years older than him. He finished 14th in that category.

Placings: Ward Hope: 3rd Senior Boys; Palepua Afoa: 14th Intermediate Boys; Intermediate Boys Team: 5th; Intermediate Girls Team: 4th; Senior Boys Team: 4th. On June 9, nine students competed at the Auckland Secondary Schools Duathlon, held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway in drizzly conditions. Three students competed as individuals and six students formed three teams across the various age and bicycle categories. The open bike category was for competitors who did not have a suitable road bike. All of our students competed well in a field that had strong athletes across both the running and cycle legs of the event. A number of our students were competing in a multi-sport event for the first time. Placings: Mike Prince: 1st Junior Boys Open Bike, Luke Sanders: 13th Intermediate Boys, Ward Hope: 6th Senior Boys. Emily Rednall/Lizzy Robins: 1st Intermediate Girls Open Bike, Bella Houghton/Bianca Power: 4th Intermediate Girls, Amelie Kelly/Ella Somerville: 5th Intermediate Girls.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

HOCKEY

MAGS sent two teams to Tauranga at the end of June for the Northern Region Senior Underwater Hockey tournament, one in the Senior Open grade and one in the Senior Girls grade. Both teams had very busy tournaments, playing around five games a day on both days of the weekend. The teams conducted themselves excellently and improved throughout all games in the tournament.

The Girls team especially had some very close and tense games. Both teams ended up playing off for fifth and sixth with the open team managing to have a convincing win but the girls’ team fell a little short. Both teams are still relatively young for their grades and will use this as a good learning experience going forward. Congratulations to team MVPs Daniel Neeley and Elise Sharp. MAGS also had eight members named in their respective Northern Under-18 squads to trial for the representative side. These were Paul Beyer, Chris Sykes, Jacob Howarth, Daniel Neeley, Nico Stroud and Dylan Drever from the Open team and Maya Azam and Paige Tyson-Taylor from the Girls team.

WRESTLING

The Auckland Wrestling Championships took place on March 26 at Dilworth School. MAGS had three students competing. The results were as follows: Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemaile: 1st Senior Girls, Under 75 kg division Max Shallard: 1st Junior Boys, Under 42 kg division Alex Reddy, 2nd Senior Boys, Under 76 kg division Following that, the New Zealand Secondary School Wrestling Nationals were held on April 10 at Katikati College. Mount Albert Grammar had the same three students represent the school with great success. In the overall placings we were 4th in New Zealand. Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemaile: 1st Senior Girls, Under 75 kg division Max Shallard: 1st Junior Boys, Under 42 kg division Alex Reddy, 2nd Senior Boys, Under 76 kg division

TOP OF THE CLASS

IN SCHOOL MAINTENANCE & MANAGEMENT Services we offer Maintenance and Management

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Drainage and irrigation –

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Line-marking

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Goal post installation and removal

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Fertilisation and spraying

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Building and asset maintenance

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Cricket wicket maintenance and

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After school hours maintenance

renovations

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Full time grounds people

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Design and development

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Gardening and landscape services

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Sports field construction and

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Park furniture design and build

renovation

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Playground builds and maintenance

visit us at: www.rs.kiwi.nz

installation and repairs •

Mowing of surrounds and school grounds

contact:

0800 265 000 info@rs.kiwi.nz

SPORT

UNDERWATER

A WEEKEND OF ART & ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE 13th – 15th August 2021

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 info. Thanks to our primary sponsors

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

@magsartshow

Showcasing hundreds of fresh works by established and emerging artists, the MAGS Art Show brings together artists from around New Zealand, and top art students from MAGS.

MAGS FOUNDATION

JOIN US FOR THE ICONIC MT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL ART SHOW AND ENJOY AN EXCITING COLLECTION OF PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, & CERAMIC ARTWORKS

All pieces are available for sale, and with so much to choose from, we know you'll find something new and original you'll want to take home. A commission from every sale goes to the MAGS Foundation, with profits going to our Artist in Residence programme and to the newly formed MAGS Lion Fund. You’ll want to include this impressive event on your social calendar!

GALA EVENING

ART WEEKEND

Always a fantastic night out with friends, support the MAGS community and these important causes, while enjoying world-class artworks. Secure your ticket to the Gala Evening to be the first to view - and purchase - artworks from this beautifully curated show.

If you can't make it to the Gala Evening - don't panic, because this fantastic show is on all weekend - and it's FREE!

Tickets are only $60 and include beverages, delicious canapes, and entertainment from talented MAGS musicians and artists. But be quick - this is always a sell-out event. Due to alcohol service and venue capacity, please note the Gala Evening is adults only.

This is a fun event for all the family to soak up great art in a relaxed atmosphere, while taking advantage of the on-site cafe and enjoying performances from MAGS music and performing arts students. Here's your chance to witness the diverse and exciting art departments at MAGS while supporting students, local artists, and our community-focused MAGS Lion Fund.

Tickets on sale from July at www.iticket.co.nz WHEN WHEN

FRIDAY 13TH AUGUST 6PM – 9:30PM

WHERE

FW GAMBLE HALL MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

SATURDAY 14TH AUGUST 10AM – 4PM SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST 10AM – 2PM

WHERE

FW GAMBLE HALL MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL THE LION

ASB MAGS Farm The first half of the year has been full noise on the ASB MAGS Farm. The farm itself is coming into its 90th year of existence, which is amazing to have such a large privately owned block of land in central Auckland. Amazing, firstly, for the fact it is not in houses, but, secondly, that we are contributing to the food and fibre sectors now more than ever.

LANDED

Richard Fullerton working on the kiwifruit orchard.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Landed has been a pilot project created in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries to attract unemployed professionals into the Food and Fibre sectors. This is to demonstrate that the ASB MAGS Farm team can contribute outside of secondary school leavers, leveraging our premier location in Central Auckland along with our brand. Landed was run as a two-day programme allowing top businesses in the Food and Fibre sector to present to participants about their contribution and what employment with them might look like. Major NZ brands such as Zespri, Sandford, Plant and Food Research, Gallagher, T & G Global plus others were all represented in a great showcase for our industry. We also held CV workshops with recruitment agency Rural Directions; had KPMG describe the opportunities for Maori in agribusiness; and had finance and real estate presentations to remove barriers for relocation. Overall, the three two-day programmes were oversubscribed and we are looking at hosting one-day workshops in the future.

On a wet Monday in May we hosted the Practical competition for the NZDIA Trainee of the Year. This was part of the finalists’ education tour involving some of the best farm trainees in NZ. They got to test their skills and knowledge of dairy farming in tasks such as fencing, animal health challenges and a challenge involving silage recommendations. Competitors came from the deep south and the far north to compete, with a young farmer from Canterbury winning the practical competition. Dairy trainee Ruth Connolly took home the supreme award and competed very well on the practical day. The NZDIA is a great way for young farmers to meet others, test themselves and gain valuable recognition for their hard work. It would be great to one day see an ex-MAGS student competing and I am sure that will happen soon.

FARM EXPERIENCE A later than normal mating meant our dairy cows were a bit slower to calve this year. Eventually we began milking, and currently have 16 calves on the farm that students have helped to raise. We

aim to have 48 calves sold from the property this year, which will be a record and we are well on the way. This provides great learnings in young stock management and allows students to have a hands-on farming experience. Our Gold Kiwifruit orchard structure was completed in the autumn and is a true reflection of what might be seen on a commercial kiwifruit orchard. This will give students experience with vine training, grafting, crop protection and hygiene. Next season we will have our first crop, which will be small but very exciting for our students. The last of our native trees have been planted around our stream. This has been carried out by Year 10 Agriculture students finishing up the first half of the year. Students planted 500 trees and only managed to cut the water line two times! All in all, a good day on the farm organised by Richard Fullerton with help from Trees for Survival staff and MAGS staff. Richard has been an asset to the Horticulture unit at MAGS and has now resigned but still helps when needed. His generosity with his time over the years is unrivalled.

MAGS FOUNDATION

NZ DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

Peter Brice Farm Manager

THE LION

ALBERTIAN GAMES

Some ageing bodies were put to the test as Albertians returned to MAGS on March 31 to take on our Premier teams across a range of sports for the Albertian Games. The school motto – Per Angusta Ad Augusta – was invoked as the Old Boys registered wins in the Basketball, Football and Hockey, while the Netball was won by the Premier Girls. There were also friendlies played across Cricket and Touch. Director of Sport Allie Wright said, “The Albertian Games was a great success despite the weather. Despite being shy on numbers in some sports, past and present students played well and the school enjoyed seeing some parents playing alongside their kids. “We look forward to next year’s Centenary Albertian Games.” The games were followed by an after-match function in the FW Gamble Hall, with a cash bar and savouries supplied by Westie Pies. This was the first of many events planned as we lead up to our Centenary Celebrations next year from May 9-14.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Last year, at the Albertians Association AGM (preceding the Christmas luncheon), Lisa Oakden was voted in as president. Out-going Albertians Association President Alan Holmes is pictured congratulating Lisa, who is also the Albertians’ representative on the Board of Trustees, and is the first woman to head the Association. Lisa is one of MAGS’ Foundation Girls, a Year 9 when girls were first admitted to MAGS in 2000. She is serving as president during MAGS’ 100th year as a school. Lisa said, “The Albertians Association strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, tradition and change beyond our school years. “Albertians represent a diverse network with different backgrounds, careers and life experiences – and the role Albertians can play in promoting our culture, fostering relationships and providing service to the community is of huge value. “We hope that Albertians will take their knowledge and experience and apply this in assisting the community and the School in later life.”

CORRIDORS

FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

ALBERTIANS

luncheon Following the Anzac Service Assembly at MAGS on April 15, Albertians adjourned for lunch, hosted at School House, where they were treated to another rendition of Sons of Gallipoli by the Boys Choir. At the function, Mr Drumm spoke about the academic success that MAGS had enjoyed this past year, and introduced our medal-winning rowers from the Maadi Cup and thanked Alice Denyer, our Director of Rowing. He also spoke about the ongoing development and refurbishment of the school to cope with its growth and to improve its facilities. Centenary Committee chair Dale Griffiths briefed Albertians about the upcoming Centenary Celebrations and preparations for informing them about Centenary events and helping them to connect with each other. He also reminded attendees that the photos of fallen Albertians that lined the walls of the FW Gamble Hall during the service had been donated by their families – a huge privilege for the school as they were sometimes the only photos that the families had of their servicemen in uniform, and so were a taonga that MAGS should cherish and protect. THE LION

CLAYTON (RU) BENNETT:

WORLD CLASS INDUSTRIAL CHEMIST both Auckland Grammar and King’s College, which was something MAGS seldom did.

STUDENT DAYS IN THE 60S

Go Ru! Go Ru! And he did; he crashed through tackle after tackle to score under the posts. It was all so unexpected from such a modest, friendly schoolboy. Just a hint of the fierce determination he would show later as an industrial chemist dealing with seemingly insurmountable problems. Clayton Ross Bennett was born in 1941 and grew up on a dairy farm at Ruawai, near Dargaville. He did well at school, so it was decided to send him to Mount Albert Grammar School. This was facilitated by his being able to board with his grandmother in Point Chevalier. He specialised in Science along with Mathematics and was promptly nicknamed Ru, after Ruawai. He was a conscientious student but unexpectedly failed School Certificate (the major exam taken in the 5th Form/Year 11) and had to repeat the year. This was a significant moment in his life, he drastically revised the way he studied and made sure he never failed again, no matter how great the challenge. As a teenager he grew to be a huge man: tall, barrel-chested, and with powerful legs and arms – an ideal rugby prop. He had reddish hair, and a shy modesty along with an infectious grin. A gentle giant, except when playing rugby; even then he had to be encouraged to be aggressive. In 1960 Ru was in the MAGS 1st XV Rugby team and his great friend, Barry Stevens, was the captain. The two of them developed a game winning tactic. Late in the game Barry would grab the ball in a loose ruck and break through a couple of tackles and then he would pass the ball to Ru who was right on his shoulder. Ru would put his head down and batter his way through the rest of the opposing team to score. They were the Auckland Secondary School Rugby Champions that year, beating 64

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

At the University of Auckland, Ru Bennett took a BSc in Chemistry followed by a MSc in Organic Chemistry with Professor Con Cambie. He was awarded a Duffus Lubecki Prize in 1965. He continued to work with Cambie on the chemistry of podocarpic acid and related compounds from New Zealand’s Podocarpacea trees (totara, rimu, kahikatea) for his PhD. As well as rugby, he enjoyed tramping and later exploring the wild caves around Waitomo. In those days, most students could only manage to get to university if they stayed home with their parents. Student flats were rare, always overcrowded, chaotic and typically nearderelict old villas in the slums of Ponsonby or Herne Bay. Consequently, Ru’s place in Point Chev was a welcome haven where we could gather to discuss what was wrong with world and play loud music. Rock and roll was raving and couples danced in the aisles in cinemas. Ru’s grandmother was a very special person for her grandson. Unlike Ru, she was tiny, barely 1.5m tall and thin to the point of being scrawny. Conveniently, she was stone deaf once she took out her hearing aids. However, when a student party was at its height she would feel the floorboards moving and at about 1am she would emerge from her bedroom in her night dress and announce: “Clayton turn the music down, the whole house is shaking. What will the neighbours say!” Clayton was very contrite, as we all were. We didn’t turn the sound down, but we stopped dancing until she got back to sleep.

POSTDOC FOLLOWED BY SEASICKNESS DRUG A Postdoctoral Fellowship with Professor A. Ian Scott at Sussex University, at Brighton, UK (1967 – 1968) followed. Prof. Ian Scott gained world renown later for elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of vitamin B12. In 1969 Prof Scott moved to Yale University and Clayton went with him as an Assistant Professor in Chemistry. From 1971 to 1972, Clayton worked at the CNRS Laboratory at Gif-sur-Yvette, funded by a French Government Scholarship. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was the exciting new technique then and Clayton used it to study natural products. Scopolamine was synthesised. It is an anti-nausea drug; the patch behind the ear to prevent seasickness.

MANUFACTURE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DRUGS From 1973 to 1980 Bennett worked for Bristol Myers SQUIBB, New Jersey, USA as Manager of Technical Operations.

CORRIDORS

Bennett took up this challenge, which had defeated some of the most experienced industrial chemists in the world, and he succeeded. Johnson & Johnson were delighted (sucralose sales were worth US$3.9 billion in 2018) and rewarded Bennett in 1986 with their first “Entrepreneurial Award” in recognition of “highest achievements and outstanding service”. By 1987 he was in such demand that he was crossing the Atlantic almost once a week and was a frequent flyer on the Concorde.

PHARMACEUTICALS He was Corporate Vice President for Alliance Pharmaceutical Co, California, from 1987 to 1990, overseeing the manufacture of sterile pharmaceutical products, which included design and construction of facilities and pilot plant operations. Clayton met Mary O’Brien, a nurse, while working in Dublin and they married in 1987 and had three children. From 1990 to 1991: Kinerton Ltd, Dublin, a subsidiary of the French multinational, IPSEN INTERNATIONAL. As General Manager he was responsible for the production and development of peptide active pharmaceutical ingredients including Somatuline, an octapeptide and Decapeptyl, a decapeptide. Both drugs are used in cancer therapy including prostate cancer.

IRISH ENTREPRENEUR

He was responsible for the development of the complete process from discovery through pilot plant operation to bulk manufacture of the cardiovascular drugs. Corgard is used to treat high blood pressure, heart pain, and atrial fibrillation. It has also been used to prevent migraine headaches and complications of cirrhosis. Capoten is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, used for the treatment of hypertension and some types of congestive heart failure. Their combined sales in the following years were in excess of US$2 billion pa. He was the recipient of several substantial awards from E.R. Squibb & Sons in recognition of excellent work. He continued to publish scientific papers and found time to complete an MBA.

MANUFACTURE OF THE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER, SUCRALOSE From 1980 to 1987 Bennett was Director of Process Development for Johnson and Johnson, New Jersey, USA and Dublin, Ireland. He was responsible for processing optimisation of new food products, including the successful manufacture of the artificial sweetener, sucralose. In 1976 Leslie Hough, Shashikani Phadnis and Riaz Khan at Queen Elizabeth College, London, synthesised a trichloro-derivative of sucrose, which was to become known as sucralose (Splenda). Phadnis was told to “test” the chlorinated sugar. Phadnis thought Hough asked him to “taste” it, so he did and discovered it was intensely sweet, being 400 to 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar)! It is probably the most successful of all artificial sweeteners because it has a clean, sugar-like taste and is stable under most food processing conditions. Khan was unable to convert the synthesis to an industrial process and nor could anyone at Tate and Lyle so they sold the patent to the huge American drug company Johnson & Johnson, whose people also failed to commercialise the process.

From 1991 to 1998: Executive Chairman of Claymon Labs, Dublin, a clinical lab specialising in analysis of biological specimens. At that time in Ireland there were no clinical labs operating to Good Laboratory Practice. Companies were sending health screen samples to the UK for analysis to ensure that the results were beyond reproach. Claymon Labs became the first medical laboratory to receive accreditation by the Irish National Accreditation Board. In 1998 he was nominated for “Entrepreneur of the Year for Ireland”. During this time he gave lectures and published articles on drug abuse. As well as spending most of his career in the USA and Ireland he was a consultant in Bahrain on food products for the Ministry of Science and Technology and in Jordan on pharmaceuticals and health care products for ACTIMA.

BENNETTS OF MANGAWHAI CHOCOLATES In 1998, Mary and Clayton and their children came back to NZ and settled in Mangawhai, a small community next to the surging Pacific Ocean. They started making fine chocolates, calling their business Bennetts of Mangawhai. With Clayton and Mary’s experience of setting up and running businesses and Clayton’s experience as an industrial chemist, they were bound to succeed. They used only authentic fillings, such as boysenberry and feijoa, with the best Belgian coverture. The company continues to this day to make some of New Zealand’s finest chocolates. Clayton Bennett was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was treated at The Cancer Research Centre of Marseille by some of France’s finest oncologists. It was not to be. He died in France on Bastille Day, 2012, as the rockets burst overhead. One of the best industrial chemists in the world. New Zealand’s finest chocolatier. His steadfast determination to overcome any challenge, his modesty and good humour continue to inspire all who knew him. – Professor Laurence Melton THE LION

KEY DATES 2021 TERM 3 26 July Monday Start of Term 3 28-29 July Wednesday - Thursday Three-way Conferences 3 August Tuesday Future Pathways Expo 4-6 August Wednesday - Friday Year 13 Drama Production 13-15 August Friday - Sunday MAGS Art Show 19-20 August Thursday - Friday Arts and Culture Photos 30 August - 5 September Thursday - Friday Winter Tournament Week

4 November Friday Senior Prizegiving 5 November Friday School Leavers Ball 8 November Monday NCEA Exams commence 1-2 December Wednesday - Thursday Junior School Interform Competition 2 December Thursday NCEA Exams end 6 December Monday Year 10 Prizegiving 7 December Tuesday Year 9 Prizegiving

29 September Thursday Last day of classes for students

8 December Wednesday Staff Only Day End of Term 4

30 September Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 3

2022 TERM DATES

TERM 4 18 October Monday Start of Term 4 22 October Friday Pasifika Dinner Arts Lions Assembly 25 October Monday Labour Day 27 October Wednesday Service Lions Assembly 28 October Thursday Sports Awards Evening 29 October Friday Arts Dinner

27 January Thursday Senior Leadership Team meeting New Staff Induction

7 February Monday Waitangi Day Holiday observed 14 April Thursday Last day of classes for Term 1 15 April Friday Good Friday End of Term 1 18 April Monday Easter Monday

24 October Monday Labour Day 6 December Monday Junior Prizegiving (Year 10) 7 December Wednesday Junior Prizegiving (Year 9) Last day of classes for Term 4 8 December Thursday Staff Only Administration Day

25 April Monday Anzac Day Holiday

9 December Friday Staff Only Administration Day End of Term 4

2 May Monday Start of Term 2

2022 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

6 June Monday Queen’s Birthday Holiday

31 January Monday Auckland Anniversary Day

9-14 May Monday - Saturday MAGS’ Centenary Celebrations

7 February Monday Waitangi Day

24 June Friday Matariki Holiday 7 July Thursday Last day of classes for Term 2

28 January Friday Senior re-enrolment

8 July Friday End of Term 2 Staff Only Administration Day

31 January Monday Auckland Anniversary Day

25 July Monday Start of Term 3

2 February Wednesday Year 9 students only start school

29 September Thursday Last day of classes for Term 3

3 February Thursday Full school in

30 September Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 3

6 February Sunday Waitangi Day

17 October Monday Start of Term 4

15 April Friday Good Friday 18 April Monday Easter Monday 26 April Monday Anzac Day holiday observed 6 June Monday Queen’s Birthday 24 June Friday Matariki 24 October Monday Labour Day

Please refer to our website www.mags.school.nz for the full Calendar, including all sporting events.

MOUNT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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Centenary

CELEBRATIONS MAGS is excited to announce that its Centenary website is up and running, with a schedule of events available for our Centenary Celebrations across May 9-14, 2022. There will be more details to come about these events, and more events added as we move towards the Centenary Celebrations. These events will bring together current and former students and staff, parents and supporters of MAGS as we celebrate our tradition of excellence. The site will also allow you to buy tickets – when they are released – to our premier ticketed events such as the Centennial Gala Dinner and Albertian Reunion ‘Pub Night’. There will also be free arts, cultural and sporting events, culminating in a festival at MAGS on May 14. For more information and updates on events and other opportunities, please visit:

mags100.ptly.com

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