Cultural catch up
The St Andrew's Pipe Band.
Ballet The new Ballet subject option is now in its second year and proving very popular. The first group of Year 9 students who started in 2015 have moved into the new Year 10 programme and can achieve NCEA Dance Level 1 credits within the course. This year’s ballet students have been fortunate to enjoy tutoring from guests including Pagan Dorgan (Royal New Zealand Ballet), Sandy Gray (Chant et Danse), Katie Hurst-Saxon (Victoria State Ballet) and Old Collegian Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson (2013) when he was home on spring break from Juilliard (New York). While the courses concentrate on ballet (with a strong technique and artistic focus under the direction of Dr Cairns) other
2015 Year 9 Ballet class with Royal New Zealand Ballet guest tutor Pagan Dorgan.
genres such as lyrical, national, contemporary, and jazz are introduced to extend the range of knowledge and broaden the dancers’ abilities. Choir Joshua Pike (Year 13) was selected as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, which will tour Canada and attend the International Kathaumixw Choral Festival in June/ July. The choir programme includes a performance in Parliament, CD recording and public concert, as well as a performance at the nationally televised ANZAC Day service at the Pukeahu National War Memorial. Dance Kate Holmes (Year 9, Ballet subject option) has been accepted into the prestigious New Zealand School of Dance 'Scholar' programme for 2016. Selection is via a highly competitive audition process – held right across New Zealand. Chosen as potential future classical ballerinas, the dancers travel to Wellington to attend masterclasses over a series of weekends. Each year they must re-apply to continue with this elite group. Meg Stuthridge (Year 12) is also part of this programme, as an 'Associate' in Contemporary Ballet Debating Our talented StAC team continued its impressive form over the last five years in the Canterbury Regional
Debating competition, finishing runners up for 2016. Congratulations to Harrison Smith (Year 13) who was named captain of the Canterbury Regional Squad and will go on to compete at a national level, Isabella Garbett (Year 13) who was named as a reserve for this team, and April Oakley (Year 13) who was awarded Highly Commended for her debating. Pipe Band St Andrew’s College had 57 students competing at the nationals in Feilding. After two days of competition it was thrilling for both Bands to be named as winners of their respective grades – B Band in Grade 4B (first time ever) and A Band in Grade 2 (for the third successive year). The A band were also winners of the Juvenile section (tenth year in a row). It was simply an outstanding success and we are so proud of our Pipe Band students. Special thanks and congratulations to all our tutors and staff members involved. The Canterbury Caledonian Band, of which Richard Hawke is Pipe Major and includes our tutors and many Old Collegians, were named as winners of Grade 1 for the fifth year in a row. Of the 41 in the Caledonian Band, 22 are StAC Old Cols or StAC Band tutors. Included in these numbers are eight former StAC Pipe Majors.
