FUTURE GENERATION
Kayla-Jackson Shaw and Husna Nazari, AGGS Head Girls 2022
AUCKLAND GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL’S 2022 DYNAMIC DUO Auckland Girls’ Grammar School’s 2022 Dynamic Duo is encouraging Ponsonby parents to take a new look at Auckland’s oldest girls’ school. AGGS has two Head Girls this year, Kayla-Jackson Shaw and Husna Nazari sharing the duties. Both feel they have blossomed exponentially through their five years at Auckland Girls’ and are encouraging local parents and teens to explore AGGS as a real option for an education “just around the corner”. Many students travel from all over Auckland for an AGGS education – and both Husna and Kayla say that’s to the school’s advantage with the melting pot of cultures, views and backgrounds greatly benefiting the school’s students. “We all come from different parts of Auckland and from different socio-economic levels, yet we are literally unified in one big sisterhood, explains Husna. “It’s something I love so much. Starting year nine was terrifying for me. I was the only one from my intermediate school and it was my first day of high school. It was also my first time wearing a hijab so I didn’t know what to expect. But I automatically knew that these girls had me - they were so kind and welcoming.” Husna says that’s a theme which has continued throughout her five years at AGGS, and Kayla agrees the Auckland Girls’ student bond is a unique one. “The best thing about AGGS is the culture and the diversity here, and how through those differences we can really bond and come together, not to mention the sisterhood everyone talks about! It’s nice knowing that you can go to your sisters but also your tuakana - your elders or your senior students – and know that they have your back.” Kayla started at AGGS with a fractured connection to her culture and heritage but says that totally changed with her immersion in the school’s Nga Tumanako o Kahurangi programme – the whanau unit which caters for more than 100 girls at the school. “Kahurangi has really helped me evolve as a person. I can truly say that being in Kahurangi has helped me connect back
to where I’m from, and I feel that every girl who goes through Kahurangi feels the same way.” Whether it’s culture, sport, drama, art or extra-curricular academic activities, both 2022 Head Girls believe there’s literally something for every student who walks through the school’s ornate and historic gates. Says Husna: “There are a lot of choices. Whatever you’re interested in there is something for you at AGGS - sports, sustainability, drama, reading books. Every single thing, we have something on offer. It’s amazing. “And the education is molded to you. I feel like every teacher works their hardest for the students and for their grades. Teachers really care about our education, which I think is lovely.” Kayla’s also a fan of how passionate the AGGS staff are as they nurture their students through their five years at the school. “The teachers here are all amazing. It’s really cool to see how over time you also connect with them – and not just the girls you’re in class with,” says Kayla. “I’ve gotten really close with some of the teachers here and I just know I can go to them for anything. “I was brought up to ask a lot of questions and to not be scared to do so. I’ve challenged a lot here and that inclusion is always welcomed.” With Auckland’s “Open Day Season” fast approaching, Husna agrees. She says while it’s fantastic that AGGS has such a great cross section of students from wider-Auckland, families who live close to Ponsonby and the city should also realise what a valuable education asset they have right on their doorstep. “High school is a time when we discover our identity,” she explains. “And it’s really important to be at a school where you feel safe to do so. I think AGGS is that perfect environment, where girls during their teenage years can figure out who they are and who and where they want to be.” www.aggs.school.nz
56 PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2022
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