The Lion August 2022

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

Editorial and advertising inquiries to editor Graham Hepburn communications@mags.school.nz ph 09 846 2044, x 8236

Cover photo: Academic Dean Warwick Gibbs stands in the W.O.H. Gibbs Room in front of a photo of him when he started at MAGS 50 years ago.

Photo: Martin Sykes

CentenaryCELEBRATIONS

Mount Albert Grammar School has a long tradition of excellence, and our aim is to celebrate that during our Centenary Week in September 2022.

We want to showcase our current students and welcome our alumni ‘home’ to see the progress of the school, to seek out old friends and staff, and celebrate our MAGS community as a whole. We will be hosting a range of events (including School Tours) across the week of September 24 to October 1, as well as other special events across 2022

You can find out about our Centennial Celebrations via https:// mags100.ptly.com/

If you’re an Albertian, please register your details, so the school can keep in touch with you and you can be the first to know about our events this year and into the future.

KEY EVENTS

Thanksgiving Service Sunday, September 25, 10am in the FW Gamble Hall.

Pasifika Centennial Dinner Tuesday, September 27, 6pm at Manhattan.

Alumni Wednesday Wednesday, September 28, featuring School Tour, Centennial Tree Planting, Special Assembly with guest speaker, Albertians Luncheon.

Centenary Golf Day Thursday, September 29, 11am at Muriwai Golf Club.

Centenary Reunion Drinks Friday, September 30, 6pm in the FW Gamble Hall.

Centenary Dinner Saturday, October 1, 6.30pm at the Grand Millennium Hotel.

MAGS prides itself on providing our young people with a breadth of opportunity second to none.

Most of our students have the resources to fully access the MAGS experience, but this is not the case for every student. And this is where our Lion Fund comes in.

For our families suffering financial hardship, the basic costs of schooling can be overwhelming. Often their sons and daughters are unable to enjoy the opportunities more readily available to so many of their peers.

Every donation to the Lion Fund, no matter the amount, will make a difference to the education and future success of our students.

Donate at: mags100.ptly.com/nz/mags/#donatenow

A Golden Jubilee within a CENTENARY!

I am delighted to present the 2022 Winter Centennial Edition of The Lion – a publication marking the return to ‘business as usual‘ for our MAGS community after two years of disruption.

As we come to the end of Term 2, it is significant to note that we have completed two consecutive unbroken school terms for the first time since 2019. The pages that follow will confirm that MAGS is well and truly back up and running – even if a few of us are still regaining our match fitness along the way.

The return to ‘normal’ school life is a triumph for the breadth of education offered at MAGS. Students understand that to become the best they can be, they need to embrace all of the Four Pillars on offer – Academia, Sports, Arts and Service. The skills and attitudes for success are generic across the pillars – organisation, practice, determination, resilience – these provide a blueprint for excellence! The MAGS students featured on the pages that follow are, more often than not, seamlessly transferring these skills between the classroom, the stage, the sports field and their own home environment. The energy with which our young people have re-engaged in school has been inspiring!

But there is another critical factor in this formula. One cannot overstate the work of our teachers in producing the all-round excellent education on which our reputation is built. The speed with which the MAGS machine has returned to top gear is a credit to the adults in our school and their relentless expectations and aspirations for our students.

The expert teacher phenomenon is not new to MAGS. Just as

Tēnā koutou, e te whānau o Mount Albert Grammar School.

Mr Gibbs speaks at the official opening of the W.O.H. Gibbs Room.

On the Year 9s’ first day in 2020, Mr Gibbs starts another mentor class cycle as he leads students in 09GIB to his classroom for the first time.

In the hallway outside of my office hang photos of 36 staff who have served MAGS for at least 25 years. This group stretches back to the foundation staff of 1922. Furthermore, within that photo wall is a select group who have exceeded 50 years of service to Mount Albert Grammar – an astounding achievement! These ‘lifers’ (in the kindest meaning of the word) have walked the educational journey alongside generation after generation of MAGS students. The influence on the lives of these youngsters is immeasurable.

And recently we celebrated a newcomer to this club. Warwick Gibbs was appointed to MAGS in 1972 as a first year teacher by then Headmaster Maurice Hall. His reputation as an outstanding teacher of English and French grew quickly. It didn’t take long for

those students of the ‘70s to work out that to be taught by Warwick meant you were guaranteed to be successful. And 50 years later the demand to be a ‘Gibbs Student’ remains as strong as ever. Today it is his reputation as Academic Dean and teacher of German that is the current drawcard.

Not satisfied alone with excellence inside his classroom, those early days saw Warwick set about involving himself in every corner of school life. He had an innate understanding of the MAGS Pillars before the term became part of the everyday school lexicon.

His MAGS journey has seen him manage and coach a range of sports - rugby, cricket, golf and chess. As our school pianist since the 1970s, Warwick’s musicianship continues to be enjoyed by all on a weekly basis at assemblies. The students even refer to him as ‘the piano man’!

And throughout these 50 years, it has been an ethos of service that has underpinned everything Warwick has done. This was so well recognised by the Albertians Association, who named Warwick as the 2021 Albertian of the Year – only the second non MAGS alumnus to receive this award.

Now (as shown on these pages) the legacy that is Warwick will remain in perpetuity with the dedication of our new staff room –the ‘W.O.H. Gibbs Room’ – in his honour.

What a wonderful golden celebration to complement our Centennial festivities.

Thank you Warwick. Ad Multos Annos

Patrick Drumm Headmaster

Former Headmaster Maurice Hall (pictured left), who appointed Mr Gibbs 50 years ago, declared the W.O.H. Gibbs Room officially open.

FROM

with students, pedagogical expertise is something that is crafted over time. Throughout our 100 years, MAGS has been blessed with so many outstanding practitioners, many of whom have provided long periods of service to the school.

CENTENNIAL WALKWAY BLESSING

The new Centennial Walkway was blessed on February 1, with Matua Hare Paniora and Matua Peter Walters leading the ceremony and guiding invited guests from the entranceway up to the cenotaph and flagpole.

The ceremonial opening of the walkway – in time for Year 9s’ first day at school the next day – kicked off our year of Centenary Celebrations.

As well as providing greater and safer access to the school, the walkway and its cenotaph will be the focus of future Anzac celebrations, with the names of fallen Albertians inscribed

on the walls surrounding the flagpole.

Among the invited guests were member of the Board of Trustees and the MAGS Foundation, as well as former Headmasters Dale Burden, Greg Taylor and Maurice Hall.

There was a ceremonial raising of the flag followed by a speech from Headmaster Mr Drumm, who welcomed guests and talked about the upcoming academic year and the year of Centenary Celebrations that would go ahead despite the trying times we are living in.

From left: Mr Burden, Mr Taylor, Mr Hall and Mr Drumm.

YEAR 9S’ first day

There are exciting times ahead for our Year 9s who started at MAGS in the year of our Centenary Celebrations.

On their first day on February 2 they were greeted with a powhiri and entered MAGS using the new Centennial Walkway.

Matua Peter Walters and Headmaster Mr Drumm welcomed our new students while Mr Whitehead, who has a daughter in Year 9, responded on their behalf. Mr Whitehead is one of several MAGS teachers who had a Year 9 child starting this year.

Mr Drumm talked to the Year 9s about the school motto – ‘Per Angusta Ad Augusta (Through Hardship to Glory)’ – and how it meant that you had to challenge yourself to gain great results whatever area you were focusing on: whether it be Academia, Arts, Service or Sport.

Students were then organised into Mentor Classes before beginning their orientation with the help of our Peer Support team.

E BLOCK RENAMED IN Greg Taylor’s honour

At a ceremony on March 25, E Block was rededicated as the Greg Taylor Building, with former Prime Minister Helen Clark as guest speaker.

Mr Taylor was MAGS’ fifth Headmaster and the first Albertian to be appointed Headmaster in 1988 and held the position until 2006.

He presided over the introduction of girls to MAGS in 2000, and they were largely based in E Block before being slowly integrated into the wider school.

Ms Clark, whose father was an Albertian before she became MP for Mt Albert, visited the school in 2000 as PM and presented a foundation badge to each girl in that foundation year.

At the ceremony, she spoke about Mr Taylor’s impressive vision for the school and how he saw it as an integral part ot the community, welcoming girls and accommodating the aquatic centre being among the major achievements during his tenure.

Mr Taylor said it was fortuitous that plans were underway for E Block before the decision to admit girls was made, and that it was ready in time for their arrival.

He said being recognised in such a way was an emotional moment for him, and he thanked Ms Clark for her kind words and for being his “greatest supporter” in his time as headmaster. He said he would never forget Ms Clark referring to MAGS as “my school” during a royal visit.

He also thanked all the guests – family, friends and former colleagues – for coming along in such trying times.

Before the unveiling of the plaque, the girls choir Gloriana performed, and students performed a haka in honour of Mr Taylor following the unveiling.

Mr Taylor, Ms Clark and Mr Drumm after the plaque was unveiled.

CENTENNIAL HOUSE OFFICIAL OPENING

Another major milestone was marked at MAGS, with the official opening of Centennial House – our girls boarding facility – in our Centenary Year.

Associate Principal Jo Williams spoke at the event on July 8 about the history of boarding at MAGS, and the long journey to opening a girls facility after the building was first purchased in 2017.

Foundation Centennial House Girl Jorja Fruean (pictured bottom left), a Year 12, spoke about why she took up boarding and the opportunities that opened up for her, particularly in sport.

Lemaunga Lydia Sosene – a long-serving MAGS Board of Trustees member, parent and Member of Parliament – officially opened the building, which will house up to 30 MAGS girls in the future.

She thanked the Board of Trustees and MAGS staff, particularly the Senior Management team, for helping to realise the long-held vision of girls being able to board at MAGS.

There was also a performance of Hine e Hine by Gloriana, our girls choir, before Board of Trustees Chair Greg Moyle wrapped up proceedings, saying the opening of Centennial House, which accepted girls at the beginning of this term, meant that girls now had equity at MAGS – something the board was pleased to achieve.

Lemaunga Lydia Sosene with BOT colleagues Simon Mitchell, Whaea Tui Gallagher and Major John Liddell.

Board of Trustees Chair Greg Moyle and Lemaunga Lydia Sosene unveil the Centennial House plaque.

CENTENARY SPORTS WEEK

On Monday, May 9 our Rugby Girls 1st XV kicked off Centenary Sports Week with a tough game against One Tree Hill College on the Sir BG Williams Field.

The Girls held off a strong challenge from One Tree Hill College to win 27-22.

On the Wednesday, our Rugby League 1st XIII played Kelston Boys, and held the halftime lead but KBHS came back to win 1614.

The same day, the Football Girls 1st XI rallied from 0-2 down to draw 2-2 against EGGS. Playing away, the Hockey Boys 1st XI had a 4-0 win over Auckland Grammar.

On the Thursday, the Lacrosse Girls Premiers had a big win over EGGS, and the Hockey Girls 1st XI drew with St Cuthbert’s.

Super Sport Saturday (May 14) saw a huge turnout of teams and supporters in a wonderful finale to our Centenary Sports Week celebrations.

There were home games across various codes and grades but the first of our three big Premier showdowns got underway with

our Football Boys 1st XI up against Auckland Grammar.

The visitors scored the only goal of the game and defended that lead with huge determination.

Our Netball Premiers were next up, playing EGGS in a packedout gym, coming out on top 26-24 in a fast-paced game.

Finally, our Rugby Boys 1st XV successfully defended the Jubilee Cup against Auckland Grammar as part of Centenary Sports Week.

While MAGS scored an early try, the first half was a tight tussle with MAGS leading 12-10 going into the break.

The second half saw MAGS start to dominate, eventually running out comfortable winners, 37-10.

At the after-match, held in the W.O.H. Gibbs Room (aka the new staffroom), Albertian Paul Butler (a former Head Prefect and member of the 1972 1st XV) congratulated the 1st XV on their win and presented the Jubilee Cup to MAGS captain Riki Ruben.

Sir Bryan Williams had the responsibility of picking Player of the Day, and presented that award (the Eddie Wilson Cup) to lock Ben Skelton, who scored two tries in a great all-round performance.

CENTENARY CRICKET MATCH

MAGS and Auckland Grammar Boys Cricket 1st XIs celebrated 100 years of cricket between the schools on March 12.

Before the Centenary Cricket Match, Grammar presented MAGS with one of their cricket caps and this, along with the MAGS cap, will be preserved in a perspex case with the team cards for the match.

The umpires were also presented with commemorative medals to mark the day.

MAGS batted first, making 226/8 then bowled AGS out for 173, with Wesley Donald bowling the last over and taking three wickets.

Albertian Paul Butler presents the Jubilee Cup to MAGS captain Riki Ruben.

Sir Bryan Williams picked the Player of the Day award (the Eddie Wilson Cup) and presented it to MAGS lock Ben Skelton.

CENTENNIAL ANZAC Service

The MAGS community came together on April 14 for the Centennial ANZAC Commemoration, a moving service held at the cenotaph on the new Centennial Walkway.

There were special contributions from across the school as MAGS honoured its 202 fallen Albertians. Piper Andrew Wilkie escorted staff, students, guests and military cadets up the Centennial Walkway as Te Puna o Wairaka performed a haka.

Puna students also performed waiata, while our Centennial Choir performed Sons of Gallipoli (accompanied by their Director Mr Terence Maskell) and, in collaboration with the Gloriana Choir (directed by Ms Catherine Oxenham), led the singing of the School Hymn and The National Anthem (accompanied by Year 12 student Kaloni Tovo).

country across the last century.

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 – this year by Board of Trustees Chair Mr Moyle and Head Prefects Lucy Taylor and Wesley Donald. Wreaths were laid at the cenotaph, which is now inscribed with the names of fallen Albertians.

Student Pele Meredith-Melhuish played The Last Post and Reveille as the school flag was lowered and raised.

Following the service, guests were served morning tea.

Year 13 History student Emma Cook spoke poignantly about what Anzac Day meant to her, with past and present family serving their

Our Prefects represented MAGS at the Mt Albert Anzac Service on April 25, presenting poems and laying wreaths. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also spoke at the service and referenced the sacrifice of Albertians, especially during World War II.

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REMEMBERING SOREN WISLANG

MAGS started the year mourning the loss of Mathematics teacher Soren Wislang, who died suddenly during the summer holidays.

Soren had been with us for four years and made a huge impact during that

Headmaster Mr Drumm, who spoke at Soren’s memorial service along with Soren’s colleague Mr Walden, said: “As we know, the culture of our school rests upon our four pillars – Academic, The Arts, Sport and Service. And Soren was one of our very special colleagues who invested in students through every one of those MAGS Pillars.

“First and foremost, Soren was unquestionably an outstanding teacher – an expert in the teaching of Mathematics and particularly Statistics. His reputation went way beyond his own students. They loved being in his class because they knew they were going to be well looked after, the expectations were going to be high – and that Mr Wislang would make sure they were successful!

“And the best possible accolade we can ever get in our profession... students referred to him as a great teacher!

“And then there was Soren the mentor.

“He loved our burgeoning choral programme and supported the Centennial Choir as a double bass player. He helped with our orchestras and travelled to Melbourne with them in those good old days when that was possible. And he played electric bass in MAGnitude – our staff band.

“Being an expert teacher and then supporting our Performing Arts programmes wasn’t enough for Soren. He somehow found time to coach and manage both winter and summer sports – Tennis, Table Tennis and Football.”

“Soren’s legacy is one of generosity and service to the people of MAGS. And especially to the many hundreds of students who were lucky enough to be taught, mentored or coached by him – both at MAGS and at Rangitoto

“We thank Soren’s wife Diana, his daughters Hannah and Kate for loaning their husband and your Dad to us – for too short a time.”

BIO OLYMPIAD REPRESENTATIVE

Year 11 student Jacob Miller, has been picked as one of the four students to represent NZ in the International Bio Olympiad (NZIBO) in Armenia.

Last year, Jacob passed the NZIBO Entrance Exam and was awarded a Bronze Certificate. Early in March this year he was awarded a Silver certificate in the Practical Camp Selection Exam as one of the top 25 students in the country. This entitled him to participate in the Practical Camp in the April holidays where he was one of the top four candidates and was selected to represent New Zealand.

He will be competing against the top four Biology students from more than 75 countries at this prestigious international event.

Biology teacher Mrs Nisha said, “In my last 10 years of running this programme at MAGS, this is the first time ever we have had a student from MAGS who has been selected to represent NZ. This is huge. We know Jacob will represent New Zealand with pride and we wish him all the best.

“He has put in a tremendous amount of time and effort towards this since August last year and all the credit goes to him.”

NZIBO fosters interest, participation, and excellence in biology through participation of secondary school students in the New Zealand Biology Olympiad Programme.

The programme provides University level education in Biology to those students selected to participate in the online tutorial programme.

YOUTH HEALTH adviser

Year 12 student Leila Belt is one of four new members added to ProCare’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG).

She will be among 11 young people in the YAG who provide guidance to ProCare, based on lived experience, to help improve health outcomes for children and young people across Tāmaki Makaurau. The group also helps guide implementation of ProCare’s Population Health Strategy.

The ProCare YAG initially started in 2020 as a pilot and has since been implemented permanently.

The group will act as ambassadors for young Aucklanders by meeting regularly to provide insight into how young people think and feel about life in New Zealand, with a particular focus on how they like to interact with primary care and mental health services.

Board of Trustees

Congratulations to Year 13 Prefect Jack Millar, who has been elected as the new student representative on our Board of Trustees.

Here is his statement to his fellow students in support of his election:

“I believe that this role is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with the school community and I would be very grateful to represent all students at Mount Albert Grammar.

I’m confident I would be able to fulfil the responsibilities of this

role to the best of my abilities for the benefit of all students. I believe that it is vital for students to have input and a voice to decisions that impact the students.

I am able to see a diverse range of perspectives and want only the best for all students at MAGS.

I believe my prior leadership and community experience as the Year Level Representative in Years 9 & 10, being previously a part of the SPiCE School community group, being a current committee member at the North Harbour Radio Controlled Car Club and also helping to lead the Academic Council gives me the confidence to advocate and represent the student body on the Board of Trustees.

I would be humbled to be trusted by the student body with this position and would love to contribute to the school and community again through the Board of Trustees.”

CHESS TEAM SECOND AT NATIONALS

The MAGS Chess team finished second in the National Chess tournament last December, after school closed for the holidays.

The MAGS team consisting of Victor Coen, Devendra Johnston, Alan Li, Jacob Miller and Sam Taylor-Sinclair narrowly missed out on the top spot. Hamilton Boys came first with 28 points and MAGS had 25.5 points.

Victor Coen ended up with the second-highest individual points. He was awarded the title of Junior Chess Master. (The first placed player is already a chess master).

The students also took part as individuals for the Champions Trophy, which is open to the best players in New Zealand.

Victor Coen came seventh out of about 80 students.

Tania Dalton SCHOLARSHIP

Softballer Ocearn Matthews has been awarded a Tania Dalton Foundation scholarship in the class of 2022.

Ocearn has been a regular selection for the Junior White Sox (JWSX) softball team, which could have an overseas tour this year, with an eye to the Oceania Qualifier (if required) in 2023, being the first qualifier in the JWSX’s bid to make the World Cup in 2025.

The Tania Dalton Foundation was created in honour of the Silver Fern netballer, who died in 2017.

The Foundation exists to inspire young women to be the best they can be through sport, by coordinating a range of programmes aimed at making a positive and measurable impact.

The three-year scholarship provides financial support ($5000 per year), pastoral support, one-on-one mentoring and personal development workshops.

Previous recipients of the Tania Dalton Foundation scholarship at MAGS include Sylvia Brunt, Princess Elliott and Sharne Pupuke-Robati.

BRAIN BEE2022

On June 29, MAGS had its largest team in recent history at the North Island Finals of the Australia NZ Brain Bee Challenge and took out top place and fourth.

Fourteen Year 11 students – Sophia De Pledge, Samuel Reeves, Ava Siakimotu, Jacob Miller, Subhash Thirunahari, Ciara Anand, Chelsea Wijntjes, Eddie Yang, Rosa Fox, Ryan Shen, Lily Cameron, Jonathon Yu, Gemma McKinney and Sophia Brooker – were selected to attend the competition, held at the University of Auckland.

In preparation, students spent countless hours of their own time learning about a range of neuroscience topics, including anatomy, physiology and neurological disorders. And as a direct result of their hard work and dedication, they have earned MAGS our best results to-date.

Working both individually and in teams of four, students were quizzed extensively on these topics. In the final round of the team competition, MAGS was the only school to be represented by two teams. Team A (Sophia D, Samuel, Ava and Jacob) were crowned

Cultural Dress Day

On June 20, MAGS students embraced their culture and heritage with a Cultural Dress Day when they could wear clothing that was special to them instead of school uniform.

There was an optional gold coin donation on the day, with all money raised going towards the Unity Concert on June 23.

Science teacher Miss Yang said, “As part of the competition, students were also offered a glimpse into life as a research scientist: examining tissue specimens, visiting labs, seeing a human brain imaged in real-time and speaking with scientists about their work. These experiences have hopefully inspired some budding scientists of tomorrow.

“Special thanks to Mr Huang for promoting Brain Bee, his ongoing encouragement and support of the students, and accompanying them to the competition.”

REFUGEES EXPERIENCE NZ school life

Our English Language Department welcomed 11 students and two staff members from the Refugee Resettlement Centre in Mangere to MAGS on July 1.

This was the first opportunity these recent arrivals to New Zealand had to experience school life in their new country.

Mrs Wright, of the English Language Department, said, “Big thanks go to Peter Smith and Rudy Mozr from the PE Department for organising some footballers and coaches from Manukau United to join us in a game of football. The Year 9 Girls Football Academy also joined in. Everyone had a lot of fun until rain stopped play.”

She added, “Some of our MAGS students were involved as buddies to the visitors and were able to show them many subjects across our school. Thanks to the teachers who kindly opened their classrooms today.”

North Island Champions and Team B (Subhash, Ciara, Chelsea and Eddie) placed fourth overall.

OUR SCHOOL Leaders

Service through leadership is part of the MAGS culture and helps the many moving parts of our school to run smoothly.

That leadership starts with our 57 Prefects, who had a camp at the end of January that put them through an intensive but fun-filled three days and nights based at School House.

Prefects engaged in workshops and physical activities aimed at stretching and challenging them so they could build a highly supportive team that could lead with a vision. They were also tasked with understanding leadership styles, dealing with difficult scenarios, looking after mental health, and presenting solutions to problems thrown up by the pandemic.

Supported by staff and ex-Head Prefects, the group undertook 20 activities as well as self-reviews.

At the start of the camp, our Prefects knew only about half of their group but by the end they were a tight-knit unit.

From that camp, our Prefect Executive emerged, with Wesley Donald and Lucy Taylor named Head Prefects, and their deputies being Lorielle Cowley, Greeshma Kasuganti, Eva Wadsworth, Ben Skelton, Manas Chigurukota, and Isaiah Nin.

2022 Prefects

Mr Drumm is flanked by Head Prefects Wesley Donald and Lucy Taylor, who are joined by deputies Eva Wadsworth (front left), Greeshma Kasuganti (front right), and, at rear, from left, Lorielle Cowley, Manas Chigurukota, Ben Skelton and Isaiah Nin. Below: Our Prefects during their camp.

Jackson Absolum-Leuluso’o, Dani Ah Chee-Wilson, Kaemon Ah Kuoi-Simich, Vincent Ah Soon, Sonia Airehrour, Hannah Brook, Natalie Brook, Nick Bryan, Ruby Burge, Molly Cavanagh, Manas Chigurukota, Isaac Chisholm, Pipiana Coventon, Lorielle Cowley, Max Cumberpatch, Max Davison, Wesley Donald, Alexander Fitzpatrick, Alonso Fitzpatrick, Nishera Gnanendra, Lily Gracie, Lara Grozev, Ben Hellriegel, Devendra Johnston, Nyra Kanwar, Greeshma Kasuganti,

Bella Krikorian, Jessica Lal, Tabea Leonhardt, Nicholas Levy, Josh Li, Chengyi Bill Liu, Cam MacGillivray, Lucy Makinson Jack Millar, Soana Musie, Isaiah Nin, Hope Nomani, Zahnia Papali’I, Anh Minh Pam Pham, Calvin Pooley, Aleisha Roulston, Riki Ruben, Misha Simpson, Ben Skelton, Ella Sutton, Lukasz Swain, Al Tahir, Danae Tait, Lucy Taylor, Bree Tipene, Sharon Tomokino, Eva Wadsworth, Harrison Wills, Taine Wilson, Callum Wishart, Vivienne Hei Man Wong, Catalina Young.

Our 2022 Pasifika Prefects are, back row: Nicholas Levy, Vincent Ah-Soon, Alonso Fitz patrick, Alexander Fitzpatrick, Isaiah Nin, Jackson Absolum-Leuluso’o, Kaemon Ah-Kuoi -Simich. Front row: Soana Musie, Hope Nomani, Zahnia Papali’i, and Lorielle Cowley.

Our 2022 International Prefects are Anh Minh ‘Pam’ Pham and Chengyi ‘Bill’ Liu, pictured with new Director of International Clare Leon-Brown and Mr Drumm.

Our Arts Prefects for 2022 are, back row: Josh LI (Music), Jackson Absolum Leuluso’o (Cultural), Isaiah Nin (Exec and Boys Choir), Manas Chigurukota (Exec), Lorielle Cowley (Exec), Lucy Taylor (Head Prefect). Middle row: Isaac Chisolm (Dance), Jessica Lal (Music), Chengyi Bill Liu (Arts Tech), Pipiana Coventon (Visual Art), Lara Grosev (Girls Choir), Soana Musie (Cultural) Front Row: Mr Drumm, Ella Sutton (Centenary Arts rep), Sonia Airehrour (Spoken Word), Nyra Kanwar (Arts Management), Molly Cavanagh (Drama), Aleisha Roulston (Visual Art), Bella Krikorian (Media).

Our 2022 Sports Captains are front row: Ruby Burge (Rowing), Harrison Wills (Squash), Greeshma Kasuganti (Lacrosse), Wesley Donald (Hockey), Hope Nomani (Rugby). Second Row: Dhruv Patel (Cricket), Sharon Tomok ino (Football), Headmaster Patrick Drumm, Misha Simpson (Hockey), Roy Tatupu (Volleyball), Liam Baber (Softball). Third Row: Caitlyn Mossman (Water Polo), Maya Azam (Under Water Hockey), Natalie Brook (Cricket), Danae Tait (Basketball), Lily Brislen (Archery), Catalina Young (Netball), Isaiah Fale (Rugby League), Molly McGowan (Orienteering). Back Row: Callum Wishart (Orienteering), Victor Keil (Basketball), Amber George (Swimming), Riki Ruben (Rugby), Taine Wilson (Football), Ben Skelton (Athletics), Marylynn Penn (Volleyball).

Year 10 Level Representatives (from left) Brendan Akeli, Shannon Hughes, Nina Chalmers and Harshavardhan Tammina.

Year 9 Level Representatives (from left) Sofaia Fualalo, Yash Patel, Tehya McDade and Johnny Gilmore

Watershed

OUR TOP Academics

In

The announcement and recognition of our top academics, which would normally have taken place towards the end of 2021, was postponed because no formal assembly could be held. The hope was that they could be acknowledged at our annual Scholars Assembly in February but that also had to be scrapped due to the pandemic.

Rosa and Matthew, who both received C.P. Liddell Scholarships last year, also both gained six scholarships in the 2021 Scholarship exams.

Our Proxime Accessits for 2021 have been named as Harding Gong and Nicole Muir, who each gained four scholarships in the 2021 exams. Nicole was also the first female recipient of the Jim Greatbanks Engineering Scholarship.

Also in March, we acknowledged our Year 13 and Year 12 students, who (as Year 12s and Year 11s respectively) achieved Excellence last year in their NCEA exams and also those who gained Scholarships.

While we are unable to hold our traditional Scholars Assembly

when Year 13 Leavers join Seniors in the FW Gamble Hall, and this year’s event was scaled back, it was still important to recognise the achievements of our top scholars in a tough year for learning.

Certificates and Scholar Lions were presented to students, who gathered outdoors and then had their names read out before being acknowledged by their peers as they stood in front of the grandstand.

Special mention was made of Deboprana Mallick, who not only achieved Level 3 Excellence as a Year 12 but also gained three scholarships (Calculus [Outstanding], Statistics [Outstanding] and Physics) and was among an elite group in NZ when she was named an Outstanding Scholar.

At the assembly, Academic Dean Warwick Gibbs said Deboprana was a talented mathematician, and had presumably returned as a Year 13 to improve upon her 2021 results.

Level 3 Excellence was also achieved by 2021 Year 12s Nishera Gnanendra, Eva Wadsworth and Jennifer Zhou.

Year 12s who gained Scholarships last year were also recognised. They were: Hannah Brook, Molly Cavanagh, Wesley Donald (2 Scholarships), Alonso Fitzpatrick, Nishera Gnanendra, Greeshma Kasuganti, Yasmin Lakeman (2), Aleisha Roulston, Eva Wadsworth, Vivienne Hei Man Wong and Yujia Zheng.

Over the two assemblies, 433 Excellence Level Scholar Lions were awarded or reawarded. There were 166 Level 1 Excellence awards, 192 Level 2 Excellence, and 131 Level 3 Excellence.

March, Rosa Jack and Matthew Batcheler were named our Girls and Boys Dux respectively for 2021.

Rosa Jack and Matthew Batcheler were named our Girls and Boys Dux.

Proxime Accessit Harding Gong.

Proxime Accessit Nicole Muir.

Deboprana Mallick is acknowledged for her academic achievements.

Year 12s who achieved Level 3 Excellence were Jennifer Zhou, Eva Wadsworth, Deboprana Mallick and Nishera Gnanendra.

Outstanding SCHOLARSHIP RESULTS

and Statistics.

Matthew was also named a Top Scholar in NZ (in Technology) as was Marcus Savelio in Dance. It is the second year in a row that MAGS has had the Top Scholar in Dance in NZ after Bethany Fletcher won that award in the 2020 exams.

These were fantastic achievements in a challenging year, when MAGS students gained some incredible academic results, with 104 Scholarships, including 11 at Outstanding level, in the 2021 NZ Scholarship exams.

These results placed MAGS fifth overall in schools in the country.

Nine students gained three or more scholarships and will have their names inscribed on our Honours Board.

Among the nine students whose names will go up on the Honour Boards there were some standouts, such as Deboprana, who, as a Year 12, gained three scholarships (Calculus [O], Statistics [O] and Physics), and was named among an elite group as an Outstanding Scholar along with Matthew Batcheler, who gained six scholarships (Technology [O], Calculus, Chemistry, Earth & Space Science, Physics

Rosa Jack also gained six scholarships (Biology, Calculus, Earth & Space Science, English, Geography and Statistics); Harding Gong gained four scholarships (Statistics [O], Biology, Chemistry and English); Cole Hickey gained four scholarships (Calculus, Chemistry, Earth & Space Science and Physics), and also with four scholarships was Nicole Muir (Earth & Space Science, Physics, Statistics and Calculus).

The other students who gained three or more scholarships, and will have their names inscribed on our Honours Board, are Angus Edwards (Calculus, History, Statistics), Rahul Hendriksen (English, History, Media Studies) and Ella Vuetilovoni (Biology, Media Studies, Statistics).

Outstanding Scholar Awards are worth $5000 per year for up to three years for tertiary study, Scholarship Awards (three or more Scholarships in the same year) and Top Scholar Awards are worth $2000 a year for up to three years for tertiary study.

Outstanding Scholarships were also gained by Melissa Barnes (Biology), Samara Brain (Dance), Chloe Innes (Photography), Felicity Marsh (Media Studies), Abigail Miller (Statistics) and Vivienne Hei Man Wong (Statistics).

Deboprana Mallick and Matthew Batcheler were named Outstanding Scholars when the awards from the 2021 NZ Scholarship exams were announced.

Marcus Savelio (Dance) and Matthew Batcheler (Technology), who are pictured with Mr Drumm and their families, were the top students in the country in their subjects in the 2021 NZQA Scholarship exams.

Ella Vuetilovoni

Nicole Muir

Rosa Jack

Angus Edwards

Rahul Hendriksen

As a Year 12 student, Deboprana Mallick was named an Outstanding Scholar.

Cole Hickey

Harding Gong

JUNIOR Prizegiving 2021

Junior Prizegiving Assemblies over two days – February 22 and 23 – saw our special prizes finally awarded to our top Year 9 and 10 students for 2021, with Ciara Anand being named Junior Girls Dux and Jonathon Yu named Junior Boys Dux.

Rosa Fox and Ryan Shen were named BestAll Round Year 10 Girl and Boy respectively, while the Year 9 Best All-Round honours went to Khalen Quensell and Jarom Rowell. Rosa and Ryan had won the Year 9 Best All-Round awards in 2020.

Ryan Antia was again named Junior Boys Dux Artium, after becoming the first Year 9 to win the award in 2020. It was a great day for Ryan, who was also the Boys’ recipient of the Paul Gardner Cup for Service, while Nishka Arora won that award for Girls.

The Junior Victor Ludorum was Fraser MacGillivray and the Junior Victrix Ludorum was Anika Todd.

The awards for the Top Academics in Year 9 went to Ava Poynter and Felix Knight. These prizegiving assemblies typically

wrap up the school year for Juniors but were postponed last December because of Covid restrictions in the hope that a formal assembly in the hall could be held this year.

With red light restrictions in place, these assemblies were held outdoors in the CS Quad with just the special prizes presented. Normally, the prizegiving would see the announcement and awarding of top subject prizes, certificates and diplomas, with students walking across the stage of the FW Gamble Hall.

Headmaster Mr Patrick Drumm with the 2021 Junior Girls Dux Ciara Anand and Junior Boys Dux Jonathon Yu.

Ryan Antia was again named Junior Boys Dux Artium, after becoming the first Year 9 to win the award in 2020.

Junior Victrix Ludorum Anika Todd and Junior Victor Ludorum Fraser MacGillivray.

Rosa Fox and Ryan Shen were named Best-All Round Year 10 Girl and Boy respectively.

JUNIOR ARTS AWARDS

Below

Nishka Arora and Ryan Antia were the Girls and Boys recipients respectively of the Paul Gardner Cup for Service.

Khalen Quensell, left, won the Mrs GE Phillips Memorial Prize for the Best All-Round Girl in Year 9 and Jarom Rowell won the Hutton Cup for Best All-Round Boy in Year 9.

Our Top Year 9 Academics Felix Knight and Ava Poynter.

Junior Arts Badges and trophies for 2021 were presented at assemblies in early March to recognise students’ excellence in the Arts last year.

Above Right: Pictured from left: Alysha Dodampegam age (Best All-round Year 9 Drama Student), Leila Brain (Most Promising Female Dancer), Kyra-leigh Masina (Best All-round Year 9 Dance Student) and Delcie Pomfrett (Most Promising Visual Arts Creative).

Right: Pictured with Associate Principal Ms Williams, are, back row from left: Pranz Cortez (Most Promising Classical Musician), Eved Ah Soon (Most Promising Male Dancer, Tali Meav ale Trophy for Commitment to Cultural Initiatives) and Ryan Antia(Excellence in Junior Drama – Boys). Front row from left: Zoe Burnett (Most Promising Contempo rary Musician), Stella Hardwick (Excellence in Junior Drama – Girls), Rosa Fox (Excellence in Academic Dance), Emma Newland (Most Promising Actor), Sofia Hart (Excellence In Dance Performance). Absent: Misaki Nakamura (Excellence in Visual Arts).

BUSINESS STUDIES

Business Studies students learned valuable lessons about selling to the public during the Board Show and Business Market Evening on June 9.

Family members and friends enjoyed being able to come out in the evening and support the students, while enjoying the festive atmosphere created with art, food, music, dance and drama.

Most students focused on selling food or handmade gifts, and in the process forming businesses, taking leadership roles and developing business plans.

Geography

Just over 100 Year 13 Geography students braved the torrentially wet and windy conditions at Muriwai and Pt Chevalier beaches on May 19.

They were conducting field research as part of their internal assessment requirements.

Specifically, students investigated how interacting natural processes operate differently between the west and east coasts.

Despite the very challenging work conditions and being drenched and windblown, it was a learning experience that was very productive and will not be forgotten.

On June 15, Year 11 Geography students studying ram raids got some valuable insights from the NZ Police.

Albertian and Senior Sergeant Ryan Lileby (2001-2004) and Jonathan Lee, from the NZ Police Communications Team, came to speak to the students on Wednesday afternoon about ram raids.

Students are inquiring into the geography of ram raid crime in New Zealand, analysing different viewpoints and proposing a range of solutions for the issue.

Sergeant Lileby spoke about the pattern of ram raids and other youth offending in Auckland, and then discussed the sort of crime prevention strategies that are being undertaken.

HOD Geography Mr Haines said, “It was a very engaging talk and the students benefited from gaining some first-hand knowledge that will help them with writing their assignments.”

INITIATIVES Pasifika

In early June, MAGS celebrated Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa/Samoan Language Week with cultural dress, performances and a Staff v Students netball game.

On June 1, the MAGS Samoan Centennial Group were invited by Mr and Mrs Afoa of the Aiga Aukilani Golf to perform at Redwood Park Golf Club in Swanson, West Auckland, to celebrate the Samoan Independence Day 60th Anniversary.

The Consul-General of Samoa, Faaolotoi Reupena Pogi, and the Hon. Faualo Harry Schuster, Minister for Police, were in attendance. It was a privilege for our MAGS Pasifika students to be part of this significant celebration.

They performed four items, including Pese Viiga, Pese Faatalofa, Mauluulu, and Taualuga. The Taupou for this Year, Meyuti Poutu was fully dressed in cultural attire as she performed her solo.

The group rounded out the week with another vibrant performance for staff, students and family members in the Lower Gym.

Languages

Ruby Wilson, a 2021 Year 13 French student at MAGS, has headed off for a year in Paris as a language assistant at Sainte-Croix school, with which MAGS also shares an exchange programme.

Ruby, pictured centre in the Paris Metro during an exchange, is our sixth pupil to get the job as English language assistant for a year, sharing a small apartment at the top of the school this year with an Australian and a German assistant. She will help in English classes plus give private lessons for the final year pupils who need extra coaching.

Our HOD Languages Helen Selaries said, “This assistant opportunity has been a very important reason for the exchange with Sainte-Croix, and I hope it will be sustained in future. There are very few schools in France which offer such an opportunity, with live-in board and most meals. And, of course, Ruby lived for five weeks with her French host family so she has direct contact with people who will help and support her if necessary.”

Two senior MAGS French teams entered the Auckland Interschool Senior French Quiz for the first time, with our Year 12 team, Les Cinq Filles, winning the top prize.

Held at St Mary’s College on June 16, it’s the first time the event has been held since 2018 and the first time MAGS has entered.

Les Cinq Filles, from Ms Thomson’s class, pictured above, from left, are Heather Smith, Kaden Nguyen, Stella Roberts, Natasha Armstrong and Emily Russell, and they won out over other top Auckland schools.

Our Year 13 team placed fifth.

Outdoor Education

YEAR 12 SURF CAMP

Year 12 Outdoor Education students demonstrated a high level of personal responsibility at a two-day surf camp on Auckland’s West Coast.

HOD Outdoor Ed Mr Whitehead said, “Each student worked individually or with a partner to plan and prepare their equipment and food. They were then instructed by Rapu Adventures on surf awareness and technique.

“The classes left Piha to camp over at McCreadies Paddock Campsite in Karekare, where they set up their tent, participated in problem solving, communication and teamwork activities and cooked dinner.

“After dinner, a visit to the Opal Pools was enjoyed. On day two, we headed back to Piha to continue developing our surfing ability and practise being personally responsible.”

YEAR 13 WHANGANUI RIVER JOURNEY

Our Year 13 Outdoor Education class travelled south to canoe the Whanganui River over four days in late March.

Highlights included the stunning scenery and beautiful 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 issues and strategies. Within this unit, each student was required to complete a Risk Assessment and Management Strategies (RAMS) form from which they could monitor their identified risks while on the trip and implement the strategies that they had devised.

With very little rainfall, the river was low but clear. The students enjoyed the extra responsibility of organising everything including the timings, their equipment and their menu.

Mr Whitehead said, “A massive ‘thank you’ to Miss Chelsea Ripley for her help this term, and she now leaves us to undertake many overseas adventures.”

VISUAL ART

WHALE TALES

Several of our Art leaders, including Lara Grozev, who is the Art for the Planet leader, completed a magnificent entry on behalf of MAGS in the Whale Tales sculpture trail.

The other students involved were Pipiana Coventon, Aleisha Roulston, Sanskriti Roy, Jorja Stevens, Nico Stroud and Christopher Sykes.

The tail is a fibreglass mould provided by the World Wildlife Fund, and students began working on the design at the beginning of term before embarking on painting the tail. The paint was provided by Resene in Takanini.

Whale Tales is a free, family-friendly public art trail for all to enjoy. Featuring 80 Big Broos (large tail sculptures) and 80 Pēpi (mini sculptures) that have been turned into bespoke pieces of art by well-known and emerging Kiwi artists and schools.

The tails – inspired by the endangered Bryde’s whale – tell the tales of our moana and how we all have a part to play in maintaining a healthy ocean.

BOARD SHOW AND MARKET EVENING

YEAR 11 EXHIBITION

At the end of Term 1, an exciting new show went on display in The Small Gallery, located in lower GT block.

This exhibition is a striking display of a diverse range of Year 11 painting students’ work.

Each student selected their favourite piece for the exhibition. The works range across drawing, collages and paintings. Many thanks to Pipiana Coventon, one of our Visual Art Prefects, who curated this show.

LOGO COMPETITION WINNER

Congratulations to Zoe Whaley for winning the Mount Albert Bowling Club 125 Year Logo Design Competition.

The club says it was the beautiful simplicity of Zoe’s entry that secured her the top spot.

There were also two Highly Commended entries from MAGS, by Chris Sykes and Sumaya Abrahams.

Zoe receives a $400 voucher to spend at The French Art Shop, while Chris and Sumaya will each get a $100 voucher, and MAGS receives a $200 voucher.

The June 9 Centenary Board Show and Business Market Evening showcased diverse and impressive displays of Senior Visual Art – Painting, Design and Photography – in the classrooms and hallways of the GT Block.

Mount Albert Bowling Club representative Jhanna Savov with the MABC logo design winner Zoe Whaley and runner-up Chris Sykes.

DUKE OF ED

Thirty nine students went to the Karangahake Gorge, camping down at Dickeys Flat for their Bronze journey in March.

Outdoor Ed Teacher Mr Belson said, “There was beautiful weather for three days whilst walking in and around the Karangahake Mountain area.

“Students were trying to be independent in terms of their camping, cooking, map

reading and navigation. And at the end of the day they enjoyed a nice swim in the river.

“Students all worked well together and got on with each other and showed good perseverance and determination throughout the trip. And thanks to Mr Ploeg, Mr Murray and Mr Naylor for helping to make this a successful trip.”

In June, 16 students completed their

Mr Belson said, “Tracks were extremely wet and muddy and the rain was on and off. It was a good trip in varied conditions for the time of year.”

Also in June, Albertian Norah Anderson (2016-2020), was presented with her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award by Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at a special ceremony.

SHINE fundraiser

Interact members were busy raising money for local charity Shine in March, and will have at least $1100 to give towards its work combating domestic abuse.

The fundraiser began with Carol Herbert from Shine speaking to students about domestic abuse. Then Interact members collected money and sold jewellery at form time. They finished up the fundraiser by holding a jewellery stall in CS Quad, having coin collectors in bright orange vests out and about, and a photographer taking photos with an orange frame.

Interact President Lucy Makinson said, “It was a super successful first fundraiser for Interact and we can’t wait to see what more we can achieve this year.

“We’re thankful for everyone who gave a little something or bought jewellery.”

The money will help Shine (Safer Homes In New Zealand Every Day) with its work raising awareness of domestic abuse, offering non-violence programs, and supporting victims in many ways here in Aotearoa.

Duke of Edinburgh Silver qualifying expedition in the Hunua Ranges.

Pink Shirt DAY

The weather wasn’t kind on Friday, May 20 but Prefects and Health Committee members were out spreading the anti-bullying message in their pink shirts.

The theme for Pink Shirt Day was ‘Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!’

Celebrated annually around the globe, Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, after a peer was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.

In Aotearoa, Pink Shirt Day works to create schools, workplaces, communities and whānau where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

PEER MEDIATOR ROLE MODELS

Peer mediators Mandy Zhang, Jude

Rishita

and

Singh spent May 12 filming a training video for the Peace Foundation.

Rishita reports: “We had a lovely filming crew from Wellington called Core Education, who filmed us doing a mediation role play in the counselling offices. The film created will be used nationally and internationally to promote mediation and how the process works. This puts MAGS on the map as a school leading the charge with Peer Mediation practices!

ENVIRONMENT GROUP

The Sandringham Moth Plant Competition 2022 was a huge success, with 19,561 moth plant pods and small vines being removed from the Auckland community in April.

Moth Plants are a pest species that suffocate desirable plants and kill monarch butterflies.

The competition was funded by Sandringham Project in Community Empowerment (SPICE), organised by Joanne Harland and co-organised with Mount Albert Grammar School Environment Group leaders Greeshma Kasuganti and Eva Wadsworth.

In the High School category, 1st prize worth $500 was awarded to “NMM” Maren, Momoka and Nicola, with a total of 3027 pods, from Marist College.

From Mount Albert Grammar School, team “Clippy the Paper Clip” placed second with a total of 2518 pods! Incredibly impressive work by Year 9 boys Bennet Cullen and Matthias Hendry, which won

“It was such an amazing experience and learning curve for us; we are all filled with gratitude to work with The Peace Foundation and the MAGS Counselling team and are so stoked to see the finished film.”

“Mediation is a process which helps resolve internal and external conflict through communication and closure, which are key to positive relationships.”

“The peer mediation process has taught me how to be a good listener while being presently empathetic and understanding towards resolving any conflict.”

them a prize of $300.

The thickest vine prize, valued at $100, was awarded to team “Haricots Éblouissants” – MAGS Year 13 students Alex Barker, Aleisha Roulston, Paris Campbell and Greeshma Kasuganti.

In total, MAGS students removed 6838 moth pods and seedlings over the competition period of only two months.

Greeshma said, “The incredible efforts of the Sandringham community are appreciated, and especially the hard work of our Mount Albert Grammar school students in battling the Moth Plant pest species, and contributing to the preservation of the local environment!”

Sheehan,

Bharani

Aditya

Matthias Hendry with his team’s collection of pods.

Joanne Harland with Mount Albert Grammar School Environment Group leaders Eva Wadsworth and Greeshma Kasuganti

NIGHT QUIZ

Quiz Night 2022 was a huge success with staff, students and families coming together on June 17 to support a great cause in the NZ Red Cross, as well as having some fun dressing up.

Quizmaster Mr Barrett, ably supported by Miss Hobbs and our student leaders, put on a great night that featured games, pizza and prizes, and a lot of fun among the serious business of seeing which team came out on top. The night raised $3702 for the NZ Red Cross.

Our Social Sciences team now has bragging rights for the next year, and they were followed by the 11GIB team, and then the Science team.

Best dressed individual was Aquila Pullen, and best dressed team was the motorsport table.

40 hour

FAMINE

At the time of publication, Interact has been driving fundraising for World Vision’s 40 Hour famine and, so far, including their bake sale ($464.30), have raised more than $4200.

Their goal is $5000, and students continue to fundraise.

Over July 1-3, for 40 Hours, students did without things such as their phones or food as part of the fundraiser.

Miss Barlow and Mrs Pearson also took part and both did 40 hours without their phones.

One of the Interact leaders, Rishita Bharani, said: “I participated in the 2022 World Vision 40 Hour Famine. My challenge was to live on fluids for 40 Hours.

“I decided to give up food because it’s something important in my life that I rely on. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the weekend as it was quite fun not to eat anything, but I also realised how fortunate we are to have food on our tables every day. It really made me feel grateful for the food we eat.

“Throughout the fundraising process, I realised that it is important to encourage people to donate money, but it is more important to raise awareness about what and why you’re fundraising. If we don’t make the effort to create changes, then who will?”

Unity Concert

The Unity Concert was held at the Dorothy Winstone Theatre at AGGS on June 23.

The packed house was treated to a night of cultural excellence, skillfully MC’ed by Mr Luliu Afoa and Albertian Tali Meavale.

The MAGS Kapa Haka group opened the evening with a skillful and passionate display, clearly showing why they are widely regarded for their expertise.

This was followed by the beautifully costumed Chinese group. They performed items that ranged from a lyrical piece to a fan dance.

The large Tongan group performed two items: a traditional Ma’ulu’ulu, with the whole group, and then a spirited item from the Year 13 students as a thanks to the school for their five years at MAGS.

For the first time in 10 years, a Latin dance group performed. This was a very elegant Tango-Milonga, and featured use of a full skirt and contra-body movement.

Always a favourite, the Cook Island group featured a lyrical item by the girls and then traditional drum dances.

The Samoan group performed a powerful repertoire of items choreographed and led by Tali Meavale. Their commitment to their rehearsal process showed in the polish and precision of their performance.

The evening closed with a vibrant and joyous performance by the Indian group. This was a fantastic end to a wonderful night.

Director Arts Co-Curricular Ms Cesan said, “Performers and their families left happy after a night of pride and passion, celebrating our different cultures at MAGS.”

Photos: QiQi Deng

Taking FLIGHT

The Taking Flight Dance Concert was held at Raye Freedman Arts Centre over two nights: July 1 and 2.

Over 180 Dance students from all years performed group dances for performance assessment and a talented group of Year 12 students presented their choreographies based on ideas around popular games. As well, Year 13 Ella Sutton also presented her very moving scholarship choreography Ebullience.

The evening opened with the Year 13 and scholarship group Birds of a Feather – a stunning item that was selected to be performed at YouDance Festival. This was followed by a remake of a MAGS classic in Autele.

One of the Year 9 classes presented Centennial Swing as part of their journey into the history of Jazz, and the other class explored the use of isolation and syncopation in their contemporary Jazz.

Year 10 students were both lucky enough to have Albertian guest teachers Marcus Savelio and Issie Cassidy work with students in the development of their dances, which were about growing up and the Four Pillars of MAGS respectively.

Year 11 students gave two diverse performances – one group exploring the movement dynamics of Hip Hop dance and the other giving a very spirited performance of African Gumboot dance.

Year 12 students also showed diversity between classes with one a moving contemporary dance about support and the other a technically challenging and wonderfully performed adaption of Bob Fosse’s Sing, Sing, Sing.

Our Megacrew gave a taste of their performance for the Blueprint competition, and the evening finished with a powerful dance from the Year 13 students about embracing and accepting cultural differences.

Director of Arts Co-curricular Ms Cesan said, “All students performed with commitment and the atmosphere backstage was wonderful.

“Both nights had almost full houses who enthusiastically cheered until the final bows. This is a great testament to the support for Dance at MAGS.”

Photos: QiQi Deng

HIP HOP

Six MAGS Dance students will represent New Zealand at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Phoenix, Arizona in August.

Five – Ally Taylor, Hailey Martin, Alecia Campbell, Jacob Cameron and Billie Twigden – are members of the Identity Dance Company teams which, two weeks ago, won all three sections of the NZ Hip Hop Championships they entered.

Those five are also members of the two-times-NZ champion YUNG ID Megacrew, with Jacob and Hailey also part of Varsity Division crews the Swagganauts and Masque respectively.

The sixth student is Year 9 Brooklyn Smith-Boyd, who is competing in the adult division with MOZIAK. Brooklyn is one of two school students in the crew, with the rest all adults.

From left to right: Ally Taylor, Hailey Martin, Alecia Campbell, Jacob Cameron and Billie Twigden.

YOU DANCE

In late June, MAGS Dance participated in the YouDance festival hosted by the Northern Dance Network at the Mangere Arts Centre.

Our Year 13 dancers performed three creative and unique pieces.

Ella Sutton’s moving Scholarship piece was selected to be performed on Tuesday and Wednesday night, while the two Year 13 ensemble works, choreographed by Dance teachers Miss French and Mr Grace respectively, were performed on Tuesday night.

It was also a wonderful opportunity for students to view pieces that were created and performed by other schools.

MAGS dancers had a fantastic day representing the school and all performed to an excellent standard.

Sheilah Winn SHAKESPEARE

Every year, Mount Albert Grammar School students participate in the Otago University Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition.

This is a nationwide competition for secondary schools, and winners receive the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to London and perform on the stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

This year, MAGS presented four scenes from Shakespeare’s works. Molly Cavanagh directed a scene from Othello, Max Cumberpatch directed a scene from Taming of the Shrew, and both Jorja Stevens and Drama teacher Miss Augustine presented scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the teams were unable to perform live this year, and instead filmed their scenes in late March.

Miss Augustine said, “A massive congratulations to all the directors and actors who did such a great job at producing heartfelt and entertaining performances, and special thanks to Jaiden Patel and his team for creating beautiful lighting for the scenes.”

SPOKEN word

Team

“Both

Team 1 will represent MAGS in the fierce competition of the semis, which will take place around late August-early September.

Congratulations to MAGS Spoken Word Team 1 for making it to the semi-finals of WORD! The Frontline 2022.

1 consists of Spoken Word Leader Sonia Airehrour, Ryan Shen, Nishera Gnanendra, Alata Culpan and Mehak Sehgal. While Team 2 (Toby Forster, Kiho Chloe Irie, Ryan Antia, Mehak Sehgal and Vanishka Das) didn’t make it through to the semis, Team 1 is now busy preparing for the semis with rehearsals, writing workshops and practices.

teams in this year’s competition have worked so hard preparing their poems and did impressively well, smashing their trio, solo and duo pieces at the auditions,” said TIC Becky Woodall.

Rosie

During early April the Drama Department held its Level 1 Production Rosie to full houses across four nights.

The show was a testament to the passion and dedication of the students to the Drama whānau, as Year 10 and senior students stepped in to fill roles of students who were isolating or unwell.

HOD Drama Ms Hughes said, “A special mention of praise must be given to the individuals for whom this was their debut performance. The students performed with energy, enthusiasm and excellent performance skills.

“The feedback from the audiences was heart-warming, specifically from those who felt a personal connection to those who lived through WWII in Aotearoa.”

The play centres around Rosie, who is navigating her fourteenth year alive as her family of five, living in Dunedin during the peak of World War II, is rocked by the circumstances of wartime.

Ms Hughes added, “This show will be remembered as a feat of perseverance for everyone involved.”

Photos: Carmela Hughes

NOUGHTS CROSSES &

On May 18 and 19, Level 2 Drama staged Noughts and Crosses to another sold-out season.

HOD Drama Carmela Hughes, who co-directed with Drama teacher Grace Augustine, said, “The students have been working toward this production for three months and absolutely rose to the occasion in presenting such an emotional story. Responses from the audiences were overwhelmingly positive,

with special mention of how powerful the performances were.

“A special commendation must be made to two Level 3 Drama students who graciously filled in due to Covid-19related absences.

“Lastly, it has to be noted that this was a bittersweet ending to an era in the old Dance and Drama rooms as we move into the new Performing Arts spaces.”

Photos: Carmela Hughes

KAPA HAKA

Te Puna o Wairaka put on their greatest ever performance at Polyfest to finish third in Division 1 – their best result on the Māori stage.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s competition – held on March 25 – had moved online, with each group performing on stage to the judges and a small handful of supporters and backstage workers, while the performance was live-streamed on the Māori Television website.

For the non-aggregate (non-competition) items, Te Puna placed 3rd for ‘Kākahu wahine’ (Female costumes), 1st for ‘Kākahu tāne’ (Male costumes), 3rd for Co-Ed Mau rākau (use of the rākau weaponry), 2nd equal for Manukura wahine (female leader), 3rd equal for Manukura tāne (male leader).

For the aggregate (competitive) items, Te Puna placed 3rd for the ‘Poi’, 3rd for the ‘Whakawātea’ (exit item), 3rd equal for ‘Mita o te reo’ (the command/use of te reo Māori’ including clarity and diction –accurate/fluent pronunciation).

Whaea Waimirirangi Paul said, “This year’s campaign was particularly challenging with students and one of our head tutors, Matua Peter Walters, going in and out of isolation.

“As a result, only 38 students took to the stage, where normally we would produce a 50-strong team. Further, normally there are three divisions, with a total of 42 teams across all divisions. However, this year only 18 schools participated on the Māori stage.

“Despite these challenges, the students persevered and worked incredibly hard for seven weeks to produce an outstanding performance on stage. In the end, the performance was dedicated to te hunga whetūrangi (those who’ve passed on in recent times), including our Albertians who fell during World War II, in celebration of our Centenary this year. We are very humbled by these achievements and look forward to what the future has in store as this is only the beginning!”

SING The Big

Terrific performances by MAGS Boys and Girls choirs – The Centennial Choir and Gloriana – saw them both pick up major awards at the NZCF The Big Sing on June 15 at the Auckland Town Hall.

Gloriana sang before an appreciative crowd and was the proud recipient of the Spirit of the Festival – Youth Ambassadors Award. This $500 award is sponsored by the Ministry of Youth Development.

Choir Director Catherine Oxenham said, “Since its launch in 2021, Gloriana has given its members individual purpose, a shared goal and the experience of the collective power of authentic choral music.”

She said that she and Associate Choir Director Ruth Pearson couldn’t be more proud of the choir’s achievement, and its renditions of Hine e Hine and I Sing Because I’m Happy.

“This particular award recognises the special character of this group and its student leaders Lara Grozev and Sanskriti Roy (pictured below left with

Mrs Oxenham).

Receiving this award will allow Gloriana to continue to develop technical choral skills and purchase new, exciting repertoire.

The 35-strong Centennial Choir, directed by Terence Maskell, sang Linstead Market and Te Aroha as part of their repertoire.

Linstead Market was a crowd favourite and many enjoyed the upbeat sound from the boys.

Te Aroha was also well-received, with audience members being moved by the wairua and mana from the boys, and it had the biggest standing ovation of the night. This performance won the choir the Te Tohu Waiata Award (as held by Lead Chorister Isaiah Nin, at left) for An Excellent Performance of a Work Using Maori Text.

Following their Town Hall performance, The Centennial Choir was picked to go on to the Big Sing’s Upper North Island Cadenza in Rotorua in August.

MOON STARS WIN SIX IN A ROW

Our Moon Stars chamber music group won the Best Performance of an Original Composition for the sixth year in a row at the NZCT Chamber Music Contest in June.

The group – comprising Bella Houghton (Violin), Helen Wen (Violin), Celestine Howard (Violin), Ally Qiu (Viola), Karen Zheng (Cello), Chingya Hu (Double Bass), Violani Afoa (Percussion) and Alex Moon (Percussion) performed Moon Dance, composed by senior Music student Vedant Sheth.

This year, MAGS had two groups competing at the contest, the other one being a piano quartet – Torschlusspanik – who performed well, and judges complimented them for playing the hardest piece of the competition.

Slam the JAMZ

The third annual MAGS Contemporary Music Concert was held at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre on June 18.

Slam the Jamz 2022 was MC’ed by Molly Cavanagh and Isaac Chisholm (pictured centre right) and featured eight acts as well as a performance from the MAGS Jazz Band to close the evening.

The eclectic range of performances included: acoustic pop duos Jessica Lal and Elaine Chapple covering a song by Rihanna, while Brandon Joseph and Daniel Lees chose to cover the Tracy Chapman classic Fast Car.

The slick and well-seasoned band Edamame Pouch kicked off the evening with two covers: A Night Out With and Mixed Up and Confused.

Representing the after school co-curricular urban music programme run by Mr Grace was Tyrenzo Tuitama, demonstrating his rapping and beats production prowess, while Alex Horst presented a selection of his original electronic trap music compositions under the name of V3VOX.

Along with the three Jazz Band items, there was also a solo performance of the jazz standard Fly Me To the Moon played by Kairo Ah Kuoi-Simich, along with a funky rendition of Beastly by Vulfpeck featuring the guitar talents of Chengyi Bill Liu.

The audience was also treated to a stellar performance of the original track Painless Nightmare by the melodic death metal band In Shade.

Music teacher Mr Watson said, “All of the performances were incredibly honed and executed, and it was a great opportunity for the talented students of MAGS to strut their stuff with professional, staging, lighting and sound.

“Special mention goes to our MCs and the backstage crew, the students behind the scenes who helped make the show run so smoothly.”

Photos: Sanskriti Roy

ATHLETICS

MAGS ATHLETICS DAY

The Mount Albert Grammar School Athletics day took place on February 17 on the school fields.

Assistant Director of Sport Carlin Crossan said, “The day was an enjoyable day with close to 300 students taking part. It was pleasing to see many students in the junior and intermediate age categories take part. The day was streamlined, and we held the 100m, 200m, High Jump, Javelin and Shot Put at school.”

There were many highlights during the day, which included a competitive Junior Boys High Jump, with Hawaiki Goodwin (Year 9) winning with a jump of 1.63m.

In the Senior Girls category, Milly Clegg (Year 12) performed consistently well across the various events, including doing the High Jump in front of a big crowd during interval.

The Intermediate Boys 100m final was a close finish with only 0.02s separating 1st and 3rd. This was won by Kayne Rapana (Year 12). Elliot Kitchener won both the Senior Boys 100m and 200m. Ben Skelton (Year 13) continued his success in field events, winning the Senior Boys Shot Put.

Other events (400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, Long Jump and Triple Jump) took place in the days leading up to February 17. Once again, these were well attended by students in the junior and intermediate categories.

Highlights included a competitive Junior Girls 400m and Long Jump, which saw many girls make the qualifying mark for Auckland zones. A special mention goes to Nina Chalmers, who broke the Junior Girls 3000m school record by 26 seconds, and she also won the 800m.

AKSS ATHLETICS

The Auckland Athletics Championships finished on March 22 after three days of competition to ensure the full meet was able to take place under the existing Covid-19 rules.

Thirty four students took part, winning 15 medals.

In track events, Kendra Scally-Tui (Year 9) impressed in the Junior Girls 100m and 200m, finishing 3rd and 2nd respectively. Ty Gonzales (Year 9) had a successful day on Tuesday, winning the Junior Boys 80m Hurdles and finishing 2nd in the Junior Boys Triple Jump. Elliot Kitchener continues to show why he is one of the most promising sprinters in Auckland with a third in the Senior Boys 200m and a first in the Senior Boys 100m. His 100m time was an impressive 11.67.

Nina Chalmers, after surpassing the Junior Girls 3000m record at our school athletics, beat the school records in the 800m and 1500m. She topped off the meet with a 3rd place in the Junior Girls Long Jump.

In field events, Tommee Paeu (Year 11), in her first year competing in the Intermediate age group, finished 2nd in a competitive Intermediate Girls Long Jump.

Milly Clegg (Year 12) continued her good form from school athletics and finished 2nd in the Senior Girls High Jump. Taya Lewis (Year 12) finished 2nd in the Senior Girls Discus with a personal best throw of 33.15m. Kingston Pupuke-Robati (Year 10) finished 2nd in the Junior Boys Discus. Ben Skelton (Year 13) showed great consistency with his throwing events, finishing 4th and 3rd in the Senior Boys Shotput and Discus respectively.

ARCHERY

All the MAGS archers were on the podium at the CollegeSport prizegiving on March 30.

A very proud Coach Jan Lees said, “MAGS A White finished third in the supertough Division One competition. MAGS B Black finished second in Division 2 behind Grammar A – that division is getting harder every year, with the teams wanting to make Division One. And my young archers in MAGS C Blue won the award for the Most Improved Team across the whole competition.”

MAGS also had three archers finish in the Top 15 of the Individual Recurve competition: Lily Brislen 5th, Sylvie Morrison 9th and Samuel Holmes 11th.

Our 2022 Athletics Champions are, back row: Ben Skelton (Senior Boys Champion), Ryan Shen (Intermediate Boys Cham pion). Front row: Myles Kelly (Junior Boys Champion), Inara Dutta (Intermediate Girls Champion), Aria Gardiner (Junior Girls Champion). Absent: Milly Clegg (Senior Girls Champion).

Our 2022 Athletics Category Champions are, back row: Ben Skelton (Open Field Events Champion & Senior Shot and Discus Champion), Elliot Kitchener (Open Sprints Champion & Open 400m Champion), Jirah Esekia (Intermediate Boys Shot and Discus Champion). Front row: Ben Mitchell (Open 1500m Champion & Open Distance Champion), Aria Gardiner (Junior Girls Throws Champion). Absent: Milly Clegg (Girls Sprint Champion), Kingston Pupuke-Robati (Junior Boys Throws Champion).

MAGS C Blue, from left, are Cormac Fell, Oscar Holmes, Ollie Stevenson and Kathy Mitchell) with their Most Improved award.

Orienteering

Over two weeks in late May, MAGS orienteers competed at the Auckland Schools Orienteering Sprint and Long events.

At the Sprint event, which was two events on the same day at Pukekohe High and Strathallan College, Callum Wishart took out the win in the Senior Boys events.

MAGS had second places for Tom Aish, Molly McGowan, Sam Carryer and William Wood. There were third places for Daniel Wood, Oscar Vink and a highly impressive showing from our new Junior Girls, Izzy Spreitzer (third) and Maddy Earley (fourth) in their first ever event.

At the long event in Waiuku North Forest, MAGS performed exceptionally well in the Individual events and the overall Top School competition. In the Boys we took out Top School with 27 points, with second-placed Auckland Grammar way back on six points. In the girls we finished third behind Baradene and St Cuths.

There were wins for Molly McGowan, Luka Johnson, Sam Carryer and William Wood. Daniel Wood took second place, Tom Aish and Matthew Greenwood finishing third.

There were top five finishes for Ella Edwards, Callum Wishart, Oscar Vink and Izzy Spreitzer.

On June 16, in Riverhead Forest, the MAGS Orienteering team won the Top

Schools award for Girls and Boys in the Auckland Schools Relay Champs, winning 5 out of the 6 events and finishing second in the other.

MAGS had wins in the Senior Boys, Senior Girls, Intermediate Boys, Intermediate Girls and Junior Boys, with the Junior Girls finishing second. Our second Intermediate Boys team finished third.

Team manager Neill McGowan said, “This is the first time the Girls have overpowered the dominance of St Cuths, Baradene and

AQUATHON

The Auckland Secondary Schools Aquathon took place on February 16 at Saint Kentigern College.

Sixteen students (six teams of two and four individuals) represented MAGS. Nine students were taking part in their first multi-sport event for the school. The weather played its part, being a fine day and the water conditions for the swim leg were calm.

Our students represented MAGS proudly and all had a positive attitude towards the event despite the demanding nature of the aquathon.

A special mention goes to two of our senior teams who finished in the top 10.

Bella Houghton and Emily Rednall finished seventh and were the third-placed girls team to finish.

Callum Wishart and Ben

Mitchell finished 8th and were the second boys team to finish.

Diocesan and is a fantastic result.

“There were amazing performances all around. The Senior Boys winning by 46 minutes and the Senior Girls taking the win in the last few controls over Baradene. Special mention goes to Antony Wood, who filled in at the last minute for a late illness withdrawal on his first ever Orienteering event, taking the win in the Junior Boys.”

Later in the month, seven MAGS students were selected by Orienteering New Zealand for the Southern Cross team to represent New Zealand at the Trans-Tasman Australian Schools Challenge in Victoria in September.

Mr McGowan said, “This is an outstanding result, based on performances at the recent Queens Birthday event.”

They are: Callum Wishart, Molly McGowan, Daniel Wood, Sam Carryer, Matthew Greenwood, James Milne, Oscar Vink – and Tom Aish (Reserve) and William Wood (Reserve).

After a high quality Girls Cricket Premier grade season, it was with great excitement that eight of the top teams in Auckland met at the end of March to decide who would represent the area in the National Championship later in the year.

The first two days were given over to pool play, and first up for MAGS was Diocesan. While Dio managed to bat through their 20 overs, making 95/9, MAGS passed that total after 14.3 overs. Next was Takapuna – the team who had beaten MAGS in the regular season by just 1 run. Takapuna set a tough target with 143/4 from their innings and while both Anika Todd and Georgia Nansett hit impressive 41s, it was not quite enough,

with MAGS finishing on 133/5, 10 runs short.

Day two morning session was St Kents. After bowling them out for 89 with three balls to go, a solid team performance saw MAGS reach 90/3 in just 12.4 overs.

For the final game, MAGS faced St Cuthbert’s, one of the favourites to take the whole tournament. What followed was one of the best performances of the season. Holding St Cuthbert’s to 126/3, the chase was on. Despite a couple of wickets falling, a fourth wicket partnership from Anika Todd (47 not out) and captain Natalie Brook (22 not out) saw MAGS steal victory in the 17th over and march into the semifinals for the second year in a row. Our opposition there, as it was

last year, would be defending champions EGGS.

With MAGS bowling first, another great whole team performance saw EGGS finish on 128/6.

But EGGS’ clinical finishing meant MAGS were bowled out, beaten but very proud of their performance. EGGS then went on to win the final in emphatic fashion.

Team Manager Miss Hobbs said, “The tournament was a fitting swansong for our departing Year 13 players, in particular Isabella Cain, Hannah Brook (who sadly could not take the field because of injury) and captain Natalie Brook, who have all played for the 1st XI for all five years of their time at MAGS, and who have been exceptional role models to our younger players both on and off the field.”

DISTANCE running

SCHOOL CROSS-COUNTRY

The annual School Cross-Country took place on April 11 (Year 9 Girls, Year 10 Girls, Year 11 PE Classes and Senior students) and April 12 (Year 9 and Year 10 Boys).

The distance is slightly over 3km for the junior students, and the seniors do one extra lap.

With pleasant running conditions over both days, the standard of running was high with interform points on offer for Year 9 and 10 students. Year 11 PE students do the run as part of their course assessment.

Highlights over the two days included Nina Chalmers winning the Year 10 Girls race by over a minute with a time of 12:11. Peggy Taylor won the Year 9 Girls race by 36 seconds and completed the course in 12:09.

Ben Hori-Elliot won a competitive Year 10 Boys race, finishing in a time of 10:48.

Myles Kelly continues to show he is a promising distance runner, winning the Year 9 Boys race in a time of 11 minutes flat.

In the Year 11 races, last year’s Year 10 champion Maia Lythe continued her strong showing in the school cross country, winning the Year 11 Girls section by a comfortable margin. Jesse Burge ran strongly to finish first in the Year 11 Boys category.

The Senior Girls section was won by Emily Rednall, completing the Senior Girls 5.3 km course in a time of 23:46.

The Senior Boys category was won by Ben Mitchell completing the 5.6km course in 23:11 and winning by 51 seconds. Ben has won the Senior Boys 1500m, 3000m and Cross- Country this year.

NORTH/WEST CROSS-COUNTRY ZONE

On May 17, MAGS had 34 students competing at the North/West Cross-Country Zone.

In the Junior Girls category, MAGS students put on a strong showing with Nina Chalmers (Year 10) finishing 2nd and Peggy Taylor (Year 9) coming 4th.

In the Junior Girls Three-Person Category, Nina and Peggy combined with Macy Hains (Year 9, 13th overall) to win the category.

In the Six-Person category, these three girls were joined by Anna Batcheler, Isabel Spreitzer and Maddie Earley to finish 2nd.

EQUESTRIAN

Myles Kelly (Year 9) continued his strong showing from athletics and school cross-country to finish 6th in the Junior Boys section. His placing helped Mount Albert Grammar finish 3rd in the Junior Six-Person category, which included Ty Gonzales, Blake Climo, William Wood, Jamie White and Duke Gilbert (all Year 9).

Bella Houghton (Year 12) finished a credible 6th in a small but strong Senior Girls section.

AKSS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Six students competed at the Auckland Secondary School Cross-Country Championships on June 2, held at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga.

They competed well against a strong field of runners from the greater Auckland region. Two students finished in the top 10 of their age group.

Year 10 student Nina Chalmers finished 9th in a high-quality Junior Girls section, while Maia Lythe (Year 11) finished 10th in the Intermediate Girls section. Maia also made the top 10 in this event in 2021.

Myles Kelly (Year 9) competed well in a large Junior Boys field of 95 runners to finish a credible 23rd. Emily Rednall (Year 12) competed strongly in her first distance running event of the year to finish 15th in a competitive Senior Girls category.

Our MAGS equestrian team made up of Grace Taku, Maddy Cameron, and Mia, Fleur, and Ruby Cato travelled to Taupo for the North Island Secondary Schools Two Day Event on May 21-22 at the National Equestrian Centre.

It was a huge gain this year to have a group of five riders when last year we just had one representing MAGS.

On the Saturday we saw an outstanding dressage score from Grace of 71.75% that left her in third and only 8 jump faults between the team during the show jumping phase in the afternoon.

On the Sunday, the cross country started out with the 95cm riders (Maddy, Grace, and Mia) and they proceeded to go all clear with no jump faults, and just a few time faults between them. Following them, the 80cm riders (Ruby and Fleur) went clear and inside the time for two lovely cross country rounds.

The MAGS Gold team placed ninth in the combined class of 80cm and 95cm riders, and Maddy’s composite team placed fourth in the full 95cm class.

ROWING

Nick Bryan and Cam MacGillivray repeated their success of last year in the Coxless Pair Oars by claiming gold again at the Maadi Cup on April 1.

They then teamed up later in the day with Theo Bown, James Brown and cox Kaelin Reinsfield-Bree to take gold in the Boys U18 Coxed Four A Final and claim the Springbok Shield (pictured below).

Secondary School Championships (NISSC) at Lake Karapiro, MAGSROW put in their best performance since the rowing programme was reestablished at MAGS in 2008.

MAGSROW achieved eight podium placings across the boys and girls NISSC events, vying against 1440 competitors from North Island secondary schools.

The squad won five golds, finishing first in the Boys U18 Coxed Four, Boys U18 Coxless Pair Oars, Girls U17 Coxless Pair Oars, Boys U17 Coxless Pair Oars and the Boys U16 Coxed Four.

MAGSROW also won silver in the Boys U18 Coxed Eight and bronze in the Girls U18 Coxed Eight and Boys U18 Coxless Pair Oars.

MAGS was fourth overall (for boys and girls events) on the medal table and earned 30 points. At the last NISS event – held in 2020 – MAGS was 25th overall and earned six points.

Last year, Nick and Cam won MAGSROW its first gold medal at the Maadi Cup since 1961 by winning the A Final of the Boys U17 Coxless Pair Oars.

They backed that up at Twizel’s Lake Ruataniwha by winning the A Final of the Boys U18 Coxless Pair and claiming the Dunstan Trophy.

And there was bronze in the A Final of the Boys U16 Coxed Four for Max Jarvie, Luke Sanders, Fraser MacGillivray, Charlie Heath and cox Guy Pinfold.

Following their sensational doublegold success at the Maadi Cup, Cam MacGillivray and Nick Bryan were picked to represent NZ.

They were included in the Coxless Four at the 2022 World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Varese, Italy, scheduled for the end of July.

In March, at the North Island

MAGSROW also put in an impressive performance at the Head of Harbour regatta held at Lake Pupuke on March 19, earning seven gold, four silver and five bronze medals.

It was almost a clean sweep in the coxed eight events, with the U18 Boys, U16 Girls and U16 Boys all winning gold, and the U18 Girls winning silver.

The squad also took out gold in the Boys U18 Coxless Pair, Boys U16 Coxed Four and the Girls U15 Double Sculls.

Silver medal finishes were awarded to MAGSROW in the Boys U18 Coxless Pair, and the Girls U18 and U17 Coxed Four events.

The squad secured bronze medals in the Girls U18 Coxless Pair, Boys U17 Double Sculls, Girls U17 Coxed Quadruple Sculls and the Boys U16 Double Sculls.

CENTENARY ROWING APPEALS

MAGSROW is seeking donations for two funds: The Centenary Eight Fund and The Centennial Rowing Scholarship Fund.

The main thrust of the appeal is to raise funds to purchase a New Zealand-made skiff for our women’s eight.

And in honour of the late Kerry Ashby, the first MAGSROW Patron, The Centennial Rowing Scholarship Fund will cover part or all of the rowing fees for students who show promise, but whose families struggle to meet the cost. There are various levels of donations available for each fund and they are tax-deductible.

Email magsrowevents@gmail.com for more information.

Maadi Cup double gold medallists Cam MacGillivray (right) and Nick Bryan with MAGS Director of Rowing Alice Denyer.

Softball

Our Premier Boys and Girls Softball teams almost completed a clean sweep of Auckland competitions this year.

The Premier Boys won the AKSS competition and One Day Tournament, while the Premier Girls came second in the AKSS competition and won the One Day Tournament.

It was a diluted AKSS season thanks to Covid.

In the Auckland Central Zone Boys Division 1 competition, only four games were played and the Premier Boys won all four games to win the competition.

At the Auckland One Day Tournament held at Rosedale Park on March 11, the Premier Boys dominated the pool round and due to this they had two byes, which took them to the final against Rutherford College, where they emerged victorious with a final score of 9–0.

The Premier Girls also had a disrupted AKSS season, with the deciding factor being close losses to One Tree Hill College in their first and last games of the season meaning they finished runners-up.

They were able to turn the tables on One Tree Hill College in the One Day Tournament, beating them 3-0 in the final after conceding only three runs during the whole tournament.

WBHS SPORTS EXCHANGE

MAGS retained the Inter-School Challenge Shield after the sports exchange with Whangārei Boys High School on April 6.

This year, WBHS visited MAGS and there were teams involved in Tennis, Squash, Football, Rugby, Hockey, Basketball and Climbing. WBHS were the better at the racquet sports but the others were won by MAGS, meaning MAGS retained the shield.

The sports exchange between the two schools had gone into hibernation about 20 years ago but was revived last year, with MAGS travelling to Whangārei.

MAGS Football Boys 1st XI captain Taine Wilson and Rugby Boys 1st XV captain Riki Ruben (at centre) with the shield after the prizegiving.

SWIMMING

MAGS SWIMMING SPORTS DAY

The Mount Albert Grammar School Swimming Sports Day on February 15 was a great success considering the complications of Covid-19 at the time and the restrictions around swimming events.

Five MAGS School records were broken in the water, and participation rates were great considering Omicron.

Hunter Dobson set two records, swimming the Senior Boys 100m Individual Medley in 59.50 and the Senior Boys 100m Backstroke in 59.21. Bowen Crawford also set two new benchmarks in the Senior Boys: completing the 100m Breaststroke in 1:05.50 and the 50m Breaststroke in 29.57. The fifth record was also in the Senior Boys, with Carwin Li recording 59.28 in the 100m Butterfly.

MAGS Swimming Champions for 2022 are, back row, from left, Palepua Afoa (Intermediate Boys Champion), Hiro Tau (Junior Boys Champion). Front row, from left, Khalen Quensell (Intermediate Girls Champion), Zoriah Wong-See (Junior Girls Champion). Absent: Amber George (Open Girls Champion), Hunter Dobson (Open Boys Champion).

TOUCH

The Premier Mixed Touch team had another successful season, winning the competition and therefore qualifying for NZ secondary schools to be held at the end of the year.

The side included a range of students from years 9-13, and while injuries and Covid proved problematic, it was still able to win all but one game over the season.

The final night of games saw MAGS play Orewa College in the semi-finals, winning 11-5, and then, in the final, the only side to beat them in Botany Downs College.

The team worked hard and had an exciting 5-4 win in the final.

Our Senior Boys and Senior Girls Tag teams finished 1st and 3rd respectively at the Central/ North/West Tournament at Moire Park in Massey on March 28.

TagThe girls team had two wins, one draw and a loss in their section. After a loss in their first game to Avondale College they showed signs of improvement and finished the day with a

convincing 14-2 win over Epsom Girls Grammar.

The boys team went through the tournament undefeated, playing some attractive Tag football, including scoring 34 points and only conceding 11 points.

There were two impressive wins against Mount Roskill Grammar and Westlake Boys High, racking up double digit scores.

VOLLEYBALL

MAGS Volleyball has been going from strength to strength over the last couple of years.

This year, both MAGS teams were top qualifiers from the Central/West Zone, which meant they gained automatic entry into Division 1 (out of 4) at Auckland champs.

This is the first time both the Boys and Girls teams have been in Division 1 for over 10 years, which is a huge achievement.

A highlight of the Boys’ season was going through the zone competition winning all but two games. And then moving into AKSS and finishing 9th. That now gives them entry into next year’s Premier competition, which includes the top nine Boys volleyball teams across Auckland and the North Shore.

The Girls had a fantastic zone competition, winning all but one game. They narrowly missed out on their first crossover game, ending up 11th.

A highlight of the girls season was Marylynn Penn being named in the Auckland Champs Tournament Team.

Wrestling

Over two weeks in late May/early June, MAGS had three students compete at various wrestling competitions.

The Auckland Secondary Schools Novice Champs were held on May 26, and the Auckland Secondary Schools Open Champs were held on June 9. Both these competitions took place at Rutherford College.

Sam Patchett (Year 12) competed in the Novice competition, winning two of his four bouts.

At the Open Champs, MAGS had a successful day, with two students gaining first place in

their weight/age category.

They were Max Shallard (Year 11) and Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemalie (Year 13), both showing that they are highly rated wrestlers.

Tiger-Lily has been selected to represent Tonga at the upcoming Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham at the end of July.

A special mention goes to Sean Harding (Year 11), who was not able to compete at the Auckland Champs due to illness. Sean has recently returned from Australia, where he finished with a silver medal at the Australia Nationals in his category.

THE MT ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL CENTENARY ART SHOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO DELIGHT IN A STUNNING ARRAY OF CONTEMPORARY PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, SCULPTURE AND CERAMIC ARTWORKS.

Exhibiting almost 1000 original artworks by established and emerging artists, the MAGS Centenary Art Show presents artists from around New Zealand, and top art students from MAGS.

With a plentiful variety of New Zealand art treasures on offer, you are bound to find a piece you love. A commission from every sale goes to the MAGS Foundation, with profits going to our Art Department and to the MAGS Lion Fund.

GALA EVENING

Enjoy a wonderful evening with friends, and be the first to view and purchase artworks from this professionally curated show.

Tickets are only $70 and include beverages, delicious canapes, and entertainment from talented MAGS musicians and artists. This is one of Auckland’s iconic art events and sells out quickly. We are embracing the theme of 1922 for this Centenary Art Show; think the Roaring Twenties, Flappers, Great Gatsby, and Art Deco. Feel free to dress in theme!

Due to alcohol service and venue capacity, please note the Gala Evening is adults only.

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

WHEN Friday 5th August, 6.00 - 9.30pm

WHERE FW Gamble Hall, Mount Albert Grammar School

DRESS CODE Roaring Twenties (Optional)

ART WEEKEND

The Art Show continues on Saturday and Sunday and is FREE!

Bring the whole family and wander through the Show at your leisure. There are performances from MAGS music and performing arts students for you to enjoy, and a Food Truck offering delicious morsels and great coffee.

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.

WHEN Saturday 6th August 10 - 4pm & Sunday 7th August 10 - 2pm

WHERE FW Gamble Hall, Mount Albert Grammar School

ASB MAGS FARM

The ASB MAGS Farm has had another successful start to the year.

There has been plenty of students on the farm, which is a contrast from the second half of last year. We have also seen new calves born and brought in to raise into weaner cattle, the first gold kiwifruit harvest, the NZ Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final and plenty more right in the heart of Auckland.

The dairy cows and calves are the cornerstone of the farm, with milking and feeding calves occurring daily.

Our cows are coming up to mating where Chad the Hereford bull will be back for his annual holiday from Auckland Council’s Ambury Farm for six weeks. It is important the cows are in good condition for this part of the season and the warm, wet autumn has allowed for lots of pasture to be grown to keep the animals well-fed. Chad will head home once the cows have been mated and off to some of the council breeding blocks.

The farm held the NZ Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final in April, which was a first and showcased some of the best young agricultural farmers from the northern part of NZ.

Tim Dangen, a beef farmer from Muriwai, was the winner, closely followed by impressive young mum Lisa Kendall from Karaka. It was a great day, and fingers crossed at some stage the farm will host the National final. Watch this space.

The farm has been undersown again

with higher performing rye grass to ensure our animals don’t go hungry this winter. On top of this, some new pasture species in two other paddocks will help with our spring feed requirement. This is significant as, without it, our farm relies on the pesky kikuyu and imported feed to keep our animals fat.

As always, the tractors were timed to come onto the farm the day after hosting cross-country to get the job done.

Other significant upgrades on the farm include drainage and more new fencing. Blocked clay tiles drains were finally removed, and new drainage coil installed to help shift the water from the paddocks. The pasture can now breathe, which should result in healthy plants, more grass growth, happier animals and less mud around the farm. Not ideal for the Outdoor Ed Department’s mud run but great for our property!

Lastly, we had a guest appearance from Albertian Josh Baker, who helped show students how to crutch sheep and he gave a shearing demonstration also. He is honing his farming skills at Smedley cadet farm in Hawkes Bay with aspirations to head to university next and eventually onto a large sheep and beef farm. This is one example of the passion that the ASB MAGS farm can create.

Peter Brice Farm Manager

Albertian GAMES

The second instalment of the Albertian Games was completed on April 8 with some friendly but fierce competition in Football, Basketball and Rugby Union/ Rugby League Touch games.

The previous Friday, April 1, saw Girls and Boys Hockey and Boys Cricket playing against Albertians.

WARWICK GIBBS: Albertian of the Year 2021

On May 5, our Academic Dean Mr Gibbs was honoured as Albertian of the Year 2021 for his 50 years of outstanding service to MAGS across its Four Pillars.

At a ceremony hosted by the Albertians Association in the FW Gamble Hall, tributes flowed for Mr Gibbs, who has taught fulltime for all those 50 years as well as making an immense contribution in all areas of school life.

Mr Gibbs’ long-time colleague Mr Cave had the tough task of summarising Mr Gibb’s achievements and contributions over that time.

He spoke of Mr Gibbs’ huge influence across Academia, Arts, Service and Sport.

Mr Gibbs, who began as an English and Junior French teacher when he was appointed by then-Headmaster Maurice Hall in 1972, has been a driving force in the Languages Department – establishing German for Juniors as well as overseeing the introduction of Te Reo, Chinese and Japanese in his 30 years as HOD Languages. He still teaches German to this day.

In the sporting realm, Mr Gibbs has coached or managed cricket, rugby and golf

(as well as chess) over the years.

He has been the school pianist (“the piano man” as some students know him) since the 70s, playing at assemblies and supporting musical productions.

Mr Cave said, “For as long as I have known him, Warwick has been prepared to give his own time to his students, and to the students of others as well. He is still often found before and after school, giving extra lessons to students to improve their grades and to help students who started German late to catch up.”

He added, “Warwick’s whole time here has been one of service but most of you probably don’t know that he was the staff rep on the board in the 90s when the decision was made to admit girls. He did the donkey work on the community survey that showed the degree of support for admitting girls and he regularly kept the staff informed on progress.

“I’m not sure that he has ever been thanked for this work. The few of us left from last century when we were a single sex school certainly appreciate what a positive change was made in 2000.”

In his speech, Mr Gibbs said it was the relationships he had built with his students that had kept him in the classroom at MAGS for 50 years. He had no desire to chase promotion, and didn’t even have a CV.

“I owe Mr Hall a profound debt because he gave me the opportunity to teach German in my second year, made me deputy HOD languages in my fifth year and HOD five years after that.

“I stayed HOD for 30 years during which time we also introduced Te Reo, Chinese and Japanese. In addition, he appointed me Dean of Year 9 in 1986 and I followed this group through to Year 13 in 1990 (the first to do so).

“Mr Taylor wanted me to stay as the Senior Dean, which I did until 2003 when I told him I didn’t really want to keep hunting down truants and miscreants. He came back to me with a new offer: to be Academic Dean and have the task of being someone who was, across the school, acting in the interests of the top-stream students.

“I owe Greg Taylor a debt in creating what was quite an unusual position in a school at the time. As he said, those with problems

Mr Gibbs is presented with the Albertian of the Year plate by Albertians Association President Lisa Oakden.

get attended to by Deans and Guidance, no-one specifically looks after the top academic kids.”

Mr Gibbs’ philosophy about teaching was summed up when he won a 2018 ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award: “Time with the young is never wasted. In a world where adults (including teachers) are so busy with their jobs and paperwork, one-on-one communication across the generations is reducing.

“I spend every interval and lunch with the students. At least the students take some time off and they are ever ready for discussion. My office is full of students wanting to share new things, discuss current affairs or talk about history, sport or anything they fancy. It becomes a place where they are out of the elements and also safe. You realise what it means when they and/or their parents write to you to say how much they appreciate it.”

Fittingly, Mr Gibbs rounded out the evening by playing piano accompaniment as guests sang the School Hymn.

THE W.O.H. GIBBS ROOM

Mr Gibbs was honoured on May 27 for his 50 years of service to MAGS by having the new staffroom named after him.

Colleagues packed out the staffroom and heard speeches from Headmaster Mr Drumm, long-time colleague Mr Cave, and former students (now Deputy Principal and English/German teacher respectively) Mr Stradwick and Mr Ploeg before Mr Gibbs entertained his audience with reminiscences and insights from his 50 years of teaching.

Mr Drumm explained that the plaque had been crafted by Technology teacher Mr Bailey using demolition timber from the wing of A Block that has been rebuilt to accommodate the new staffroom and Performing Arts spaces.

Mr Gibbs and long-time colleague Mr Cave (who is coming up to his 50th year at MAGS) at the official opening of the W.O.H. Gibbs Room.

Former Headmaster Maurice Hall, who appointed Mr Gibbs 50 years ago, presented him with the plaque bearing his name that will be placed over the doors to the staffroom, and declared the W.O.H. Gibbs Room officially open.

Award-winning debut

Albertian Rebecca K Reilly won the Hubert Church prize for best first book of fiction for Greta & Valdin at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

She was also one of the four finalists for the overall fiction award at the May event.

Greta & Valdin – published by Victoria University Press – is set in

Auckland and focuses on the complex relationships in a Russian-MaoriCatalonian family.

At MAGS (2005-2009), Rebecca was a top Drama student and a key member of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare and Theatresports teams.

Photo: Ebony Lamb

Art prize WINNER

Congratulations to Albertian Jessica Gurnsey, who, at 18 years of age, has become the youngest person to ever win the prestigious $20,000 Adam Portraiture Award.

Jessica (a Year 13 at MAGS last year), won for her self-portrait Lady Day at the awards announced in May. The acrylic on canvas is based off a photograph her friend Wilhelmina Heeringa (also a Year 13 at MAGS last year) took of her.

Back in February, Jessica also won first prize for her age group and overall in the 2021 National Youth Art competition for another painting, Can I Say Something...?. She picked up ($2000) for her age group win and $1500 for the Overall Categories Award.

In both instances she entered the competitions after being prompted to submit work by one of her Visual Art teachers at MAGS, Ms Gauntlett.

At MAGS, Jessica was a Visual Art Leader for Ceramics and Painting. She won the People’s Choice Award at the MAGS Art Show and the Trophy for Excellence in Painting when she was at MAGS.

Jessica is now studying a conjoint Commerce/Fine Arts degree through the University of Auckland.

Our Archivist Mr Murphy said, “Dick was forever the most beloved GP in Te Aroha.”

Dick, who was a House Boy at MAGS, was inducted into MAGS’ Hall of Distinction

‘Services to School House and the Community’.

At MAGS, Dick proved himself a fine athlete as well as a good student. He was the Senior Steeplechase champion (194447) and Distance Champion (1946-47), and held the Mile Record (1947).

He was a Prefect in 1947, and when he left MAGS he studied Medicine at Otago University (1948-53). By 1957, he was in practice as a GP in Te Aroha.

In Te Aroha, he was heavily involved with many community groups, including the primary school, football club, tennis and squash club, the Rotary Club and Waihi Surf Lifesaving Club.

He was honorary surgeon to St John Ambulance, the Te Aroha Jockey Club and the Fire Brigade.

He also gave back to MAGS.

Mr Murphy said, “Dick poured a bucket of money into getting the squash courts at MAGS started, which he saw as a facility for House Boys.”

He also donated the following trophies to MAGS: Captain 1st XV Rugby in 1974, the

In April 2007, Dick organised a reunion of 1947 Prefects at MAGS.

Albertian (1942-47) Dr Richard George (Dick) Lawrence MNZM, MBChB, FRACP, MRNZCGP died at home in Te Aroha on April 29 at the age of 92.

in 2002 for

Dick Lawrence Cup for Best Senior Squash Player (Girls) in 2006, and Best Junior Squash Player (Girls) in 2003.

KEY DATES 2022

TERM 3

25 July Monday Start of Term 3 3 August Wednesday Future Pathways Expo 5-7 August Friday - Sunday MAGS Art Show 18-19 August Thursday - Friday Arts and Culture Photos 29 August-4 September Monday - Sunday Winter Tournament Week 26 September Monday

Beginning of Centenary Celebrations Week 29 September Thursday Last day of classes for students 30 September Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 3 Centenary Reunion Drinks 1 October Saturday Centenary Dinner

TERM 4 17 October Monday Start of Term 4 21 October Friday Service Lions Assembly 24 October Monday Labour Day

27 October Thursday Sports Awards Evening 28 October Friday Pasifika Dinner 1 November Tuesday Senior Prizegiving 4 November Friday Arts Dinner 5 November Saturday School Leavers Ball 7 November Monday NCEA Exams commence 2 December Friday NCEA Exams end 6 December Monday Year 10 Prizegiving 7 December Tuesday Year 9 Prizegiving Last day of classes for Term 4

2023 TERM DATES

27 January Friday Senior Course Confirmation 30 January Monday Auckland Anniversary Day 1 February Wednesday Year 9 students only start school

2 February Thursday Full school in 6 February Monday Waitangi Day 6 April Thursday Last day of classes for Term 1 7 April Friday Good Friday End of Term 1 10 April Monday Easter Monday 24 April Monday School closed 25 April Tuesday Anzac Day Holiday 26 April Wednesday Start of Term 2 5 June Monday Queen’s Birthday Holiday 29 June Thursday Last day of classes for Term 2 30 June Friday Staff Only Administration Day End of Term 2 14 July Friday Matariki Holiday 17 July Monday Start of Term 3 21 September Thursday Last day of classes for Term 3

22 September Friday Staff Only Day End of Term 3 9 October Monday Start of Term 4 23 October Monday Labour Day 5 December Tuesday Junior Prizegiving (Year 10) Junior Prizegiving (Year 9) Last day of classes for Term 4

2023 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

30 January Monday Auckland Anniversary Day 6 February Monday Waitangi Day 7 April Friday Good Friday 10 April Monday Easter Monday 25 April Tuesday Anzac Day 5 June Monday Queen’s Birthday 14 July Friday Matariki 23 October Monday Labour Day

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