OGHS Mid Year Report 2014 - Otago Girls` High School

Otago Girls’ High School mid year report 2014
Principal’s report
Looking back over the first six months of the year,
it is gratifying to see how much has been achieved.
We started the year with excellent NCEA results and
an almost record Year 9 intake. Through analysis of
results, anecdotal evidence and educational research
literature we decided on three focus areas for the
year; excellence, wellbeing and future focus and
these areas have been embedded in departmental
and professional development work throughout the
school.
Week one saw our prefects announced with Lucy
Adams and Maddy Scoles confirmed as Head Prefect
and Deputy Head respectively. Their desire to leave
a legacy in the school resulted in “Spirit Week” being
celebrated in Term Two; a series of events that were
well supported by the students. Three new prefect
roles were included this year; two Positive Behaviour
for Learning (PB4L) prefects and a House prefect,
reflecting two of the initiatives planned for 2014.
Information on the PB4L initiative is included in this
report and our launch occurred in the first week of
Term One. At the launch students were introduced to
the three core values that underpin our behavioural
expectations at Otago Girls’ High School; Respect,
Positivity and Integrity and became acquainted with
the concept of becoming a “Bucket-filler”. A whole
school event was held that provided opportunities for
students to develop their understanding of what these
values ‘look like’ and the reward system, the Shelly
Card, was introduced. Although behavioural incidents
have been relatively low in the past the introduction
of the PB4L programme has seen discipline referrals
drop by over 80% between February and May this
year; an outstanding result. Maddy Dixon, in Year 11,
has just become our first student to be awarded a
PB4L blazer badge for receiving 10 Shelly cards and
we look forward to rewarding many more girls in this
way over the remainder of the year.
When I began at Otago Girls’ in 2012 I was very
surprised to learn that there was no House System
in place. Research shows that a house system can
increase interaction between students and teachers,
and between students at different year levels, increase
the sense of belonging students feel for their school
and foster healthy competition. In Term One Lily
Purdon, our House Prefect, conducted a survey of
staff, students and alumni members to determine the
shape of our house system. Four houses, named after
famous ex-girls were decided on, with House Captains
and Deputies appointed as leaders. Information
about each house is provided in this report. At the
end of Term Two the Otago Girls’ High School House
System was launched and the fun and rivalry has
begun. If the passion and enthusiasm of the girls is
any indication I believe
that the House System
will be an enduring
aspect of the culture of
Otago Girls’.
Academic
excellence
continues to be the
primary focus of work
both inside and outside
the classroom with many,
many groups and individuals achieving outstanding results
and enjoying experiences, both ordinary and extraordinary.
These students are acknowledged in the achievements
section of this report with the breadth of achievements
indicative of the range of opportunities available to
them. Preparations for Scholarship examinations are well
underway with the Big Sister Programme, an initiative of
the Alumni Association, supporting students.
In line with the Ministry of Education’s focus on raising the
achievement of students of Pacific Island descent, Otago
Girls’ is part of the Pasifika Success Talanoa Project. As a
school we have decided to focus on more detailed tracking
and mentoring of our Pasifika students to better engage
with them and their families and to support them in their
studies and transition to further education and training.
The first half of 2014 has gone by incredibly quickly. As
a school we continue to encourage our students to
become confident, resilient, independent and responsible
young women who achieve success. Their success is the
result of the hard work of our entire school community.
In particular I would like to thank the Board of Trustees,
Parent, Teacher and Student Association, staff and families
who are dedicated to ensuring our girls become the
best they can be and who support the school in so many
different ways.
I look forward to the second half of the year and the many
accomplishments we will achieve by year’s end.
Linda Miller
Principal
Ms Miller with Tamara Te Ata (left) and Emily Finnie at the
Year 9 Victorian Garden Party held in Week 1 this year.
Board of Trustees
On behalf of the Board of Trustees it is my pleasure to
present the Otago Girls’ High School Mid-Year Report for
2014. This provides an opportunity to reflect on the first
half of 2014 and review the school achievements against
our targets set in the school charter.
2014 has seen an extremely exciting and positive start
to the year. We have seen the launch of the Positive
Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) initiative reflecting our core
values of Respect (Kia Whakaute), Positivity (Kia Hihiri)
and Integrity (Kia Pono) and the introduction of ‘Shelly’
cards to reward these behaviours. In addition this year
the school has decided on three focus areas: excellence,
wellbeing and future focus with particular emphasis on
improved rates of NCEA endorsements and Scholarships.
The board would also like to acknowledge Lucy Adams as
Head Prefect for 2014 and Madeleine Scoles as Deputy
Head and know they will represent the school with pride
and integrity.
We commenced the year with a warm welcome to the
students of Otago Girls’ High School and in particular
our large cohort of 194 Year 9 students. I am sure they
have settled into their new surroundings with outstanding
assistance from our Year 9 form teachers, Deans and
Year 13 Peer Support leaders. 2014 has also seen the
introduction of new staff to our school, all of whom
provide expertise across the curriculum. We extend a
warm welcome and trust they will have a long, rewarding
and enjoyable tenure at Otago Girls’ High School.
It is important to begin 2014 by celebrating the academic
results achieved by our senior students of 2013 with
Otago Girls’ continuing to excel in NCEA results across
all levels. The overall NCEA results for 2013 were very
pleasing and historically OGHS has consistently compared
and exceeded the national average results across similar
schools within New Zealand.
our students across the
curriculum. The Music Suite
design brief has now been
extended to incorporate an
entrance tower and lift which
will provide much improved
access to the Siedeberg
Block and Performing Arts
area. Design is advancing
with construction due to
commence in late 2014.
Also, the $23,000 in proceeds
from the biennial PTSA fair
held in March 2013 was dedicated to an upgrade of the
school canteen which was undertaken during the end of
term one school holidays. With the canteen re-opening in
time for the start of Term Two many thanks must go to
the PTSA and school community for their hard work and
contribution.
We had over forty international students enrolled in
2013 from numerous countries including China, Japan and
Germany and earlier this year our Principal Ms Linda Miller
was overseas marketing our school to these countries.
Their contribution to all aspects of school life is highly
regarded by staff and students.
In closing I want to acknowledge our Principal Ms Linda
Miller and staff for their professional management and
inspiration, the Board of Trustee members and the PTSA
for their continued support and our school community
for their endearing spirit of co-operation and assistance
so far throughout the year. It takes a huge team effort to
continue the great traditions of Otago Girls’ High School
and provide the modern learning environment of which
we are all so proud.
Peter Hogan
Chairperson
Our students compete and enjoy success at local,
regional, national and international levels across numerous
academic, cultural and sporting fields. Education Outside
the Classroom (EOTC) shows the diversity of activities in
which our students are involved, plays a key part in student
development and compliments our Positive Behaviour
for Learning (PB4L) initiative. This first half of this year
has been busy and typical EOTC activities have included
Year 9 camps and Toitu Museum visits, Year 10 Marae
trips, Year 11 Geography trip to Aoraki/Mt Cook, Borland
Lodge and Sidey Lodge camps, Athletics, Cross Country
and Swimming champs, Rowing Champs, International
student exchange, Manu Korero speech competition,
World Challenge, Art Portfolio Exhibition, Back to the
80’s musical production (joint OGHS and OBHS) and the 2014 Board of Trustees
Standing L-R: Moira Young (Staff Rep), Nicki Paterson,
Big Sing to name a few.
The Board and PTSA continue to invest in providing the
best modern learning environment and resources for
Rangi Clark-Grant, Rowena Monson, Jade Johnston (Student
Rep), Lyn Hurring
Front: Linda Miller (Principal), Peter Hogan (Chairperson)
Positive Behaviour for Learning: School Wide (PB4L:SW)
In 2012 Otago Girls’ became involved in Positive Behaviour for Learning: School Wide (PB4L:SW) which is a framework used
by schools to develop initiatives that “support students to improve their behaviour, resilience and wellbeing”. The initiatives
help to create more positive home and school environments and deter bullying. It was felt that although expectations were
high and behaviour generally very good at Otago Girls’, we would benefit from a united approach and from having a focus
on teaching and rewarding desired behaviour rather than on punishing
unwanted behaviour.
During 2013 a PB4L team was established and work began. One of the
key tasks for the team was to establish a vision for the initiative and decide
on the core values that would underpin all other work. This was achieved
by consulting with parents, staff, students and board. The vision adopted
was: To contribute to developing confident, resilient, independent and
responsible young women who achieve success. The core values adopted
were Respect, Positivity and Integrity.
The team also developed a matrix of behaviours that we expect students
to demonstrate wherever they are learning; classrooms, playground,
sports fields, field trips. A reward system was developed to acknowledge
students who demonstrate these values and consequences were established for those who don’t.
For the first time two students have been named PB4L Prefects, Bianca Tio and Martine Matapo. Their role is to promote the
initiative among students and to provide the PB4L team with student perspectives.
At the beginning of 2014 we launched PB4L to the
students with a full school assembly and a subsequent
afternoon spent carrying out activities designed to help
students understand the three core values. Staff have been
rewarding positive behaviour with “Shelly” cards. Once
a student receives five rewards she deposits the card
into Mr Pickard’s fabulous machine, named Michelle, from
which a prize draw is made each week. Blazer badges will
be awarded for receiving 10, 30 and 100 Shelly cards.
Our first badge for obtaining 10 Shelly cards was presented
to Maddison Dixon in Year 11 in June this year.
At each PB4L meeting referral data is analysed to identify
areas in which specific teaching of positive behaviour needs
to occur.
Parent Teacher Student
Association (PTSA)
The PTSA began 2014 with our AGM where
a new secretary (Annette Lee) and treasurer
(Linda Marsh) were elected to the committee.
We were very happy to meet our new student
representatives (April O’Leary and Katie
Borich), and welcome some Year 9 parents to
the committee, and we also heard an interesting
talk by Dr David Murray on Dunedin’s historic
buildings. The school canteen was successfully
refurbished by the PTSA – this was a significant
project that was funded with the proceeds of
last year’s fair, and grants from the Bendigo
Valley Sports and Charity Foundation and
Alexander McMillan Trust. Thanks goes to
Colin Williamson, the project manager, who did
a great job of getting everything completed in
time for the beginning of the second term. He
was ably assisted by a great team of volunteers
and the canteen sub-committee.
The PTSA endeavours to hold only one large
fundraising project per year, and this year we
are holding an art and craft auction on Friday
19 September. We welcome any donations of
work and offers of help. Tickets went on sale
in mid-July and are available from the school
office and several outlets around town. The
committee enjoyed dessert and coffee at a
social meeting at Luna Restaurant in April.
The PTSA has assisted the school by providing
helpers with the Year 9 meet the teachers
evening, and the Year 12 formal.
The PTSA would like to thank all parents for
their PTSA donations. These funds are used to
provide grants to both individual students and
student groups in a variety of sporting, academic
and cultural endeavours. Almost $4000 has
been distributed in the first five months of
2014. The PTSA has also given $1500 to the
school library on Library Day.
PTSA meetings are held once a month and are
open to all parents and caregivers. Please see
the school website for dates. They are a great
way to meet other parents, and chat informally
with staff representatives, and be involved with
school activities.
Katherine Milburn
President
PTSA Executive L-R: Annette Lee (Secretary), Katherine
Milburn (President) and Linda Marsh (Treasurer).
The interior of the canteen recently renovated by the
PTSA.
School Council
Council has been off to an
awesome start for 2014.
We have run a few creative
initiatives around the school
and there are more to come
which are sure to add some fun
and colour to the school year!
We are focusing on developing
the school grounds and bringing
the OGHS community together.
Our annual Entertainment
Freya Duvall Smith
Book and Hot Cross Bun
fundraisers were very successful
thanks to the students. With those funds we are able to set
a lot of projects in motion. Soap dispensers will be installed
in the K Block bathrooms during the Term 2 holidays,
and plans are in motion for the VPA and S Block. Along
with redesigning the mural outside our freshly renovated
canteen, we plan on completely remodelling the area
outside the textiles room into a fun, colourful seating space
for the students. As well as fundraising for school projects,
we will be holding a mufti day in September to fundraise for
the KidsCan Charitable Trust. Council has also organised
a Blood Drive donation day, with a full turn out from the
registrants. Continuing the Unsung Heroes award from last
year, we aim to celebrate students whose contributions
to our school and community go unrecognised. We look
forward to an exciting rest of the year.
Freya Duval-Smith, Head of School Council
Five minutes with Head Girl
Lucy Adams
What
are
five words to
describe
you?
I guess you could
say I’m a dedicated,
honest, motivated,
enthusiastic
and
organised
sort
of person. And I
know
‘organised’
can be backed
up by my peers!
What is it like to be Head Girl?
Being Head Girl has put a lot of pressure on me
and it is stressful at times, however it has been an
incredibly rewarding experience so far. I’ve been
able to do things I wouldn’t normally do such as
going to the Anzac dawn service and participating
in the relay for life in the Prefects team back in
March. I also helped organise a school-wide spirit
week which was a great success. Being Head Girl
has allowed me to hold my head a little higher with
a new sense of confidence I never used to have,
something I never could have gained otherwise.
What are your best memories of Otago
Girls’ so far?
The school trips have definitely been a highlight
of my time at Otago Girls’; geography trips to Mt
Cook and Borland, the Year 10 tramp and last year’s
ski trip. I’m looking forward to the ski trip this year
too and regret not going all five years I have been at
OGHS. This is definitely a trip I can recommend to
all year levels! Many of my best memories are also
with my friends, at sports days and even speaking at
the end of year celebration service at Knox Church!
I look forward to making more memories with the
Year 13s as we finish our last year of high school.
What are you planning on doing next year?
Next year I plan to study Engineering at Canterbury
University. I’ve had a pretty clear picture on what
I want to do since I was quite young. I was always
building things from lego, knocking them down and
building something else. I have taken subjects this
year to ensure I’ll be somewhat ready for Engineering
next year and I’m looking forward to moving
somewhere different where I don’t know anyone
and there are plenty of job prospects for engineers.
What is your message to younger students?
I don’t really want to repeat what the teachers
are always saying, but I can’t stress enough how
important it is to get involved with activities around
the school. Sometimes that can be the key to finding
what you’re good at and what you want to do when
you leave school. I know that I’ve found through
the subjects I’ve taken and through the sports and
cultural activities I’ve participated in, what I want
to do next year. Taking every opportunity as it
comes is so important, as these are to be the best
years of your life, so take and do what you can!
Prefects and “Dorothy” (Principal Ms Miller) on Library Day
Ann Babbage celebrates
40 years at OGHS
On 1 July this year
we marked Ann
Babbage’s 40 years
teaching service at
Otago Girls’ High
School. Ann arrived
in Dunedin in 1974
after three years
teaching PE in the
United Kingdom. On
1 July that same year,
she was appointed as
assistant PE teacher
at Otago Girls’ and when Mary McConnell, the PE
teacher left, Ann became PE Head of Department.
Her first job was to get rid of the PE rompers,
closely followed by introducing the dress ups
for sports day. Ann soon became the 4th Form
Dean and in the late 1970s and early 1980s she
also taught Human Biology. She was also a School
Certificate marker for 13 years. Ann had a period
as Year 11 Dean and since 2003 she has been the
Year 12 Dean.
Ann also went on to teach typing which became
word processing and is now Office Management.
She retrained to teach Accounting first by doing
6th form certificate Accounting and then a
Diploma in Business through Massey, over four
years, finishing by getting a PPTA scholarship
enabling her to teach part-time while she
completed her diploma. Ann also obtained a
BOT scholarhip to go to a business conference
in Tasmania and she has had three stints as acting
HOD commerce.
Under Ann’s direction Young Enterprise moved
from being a co-curricular subject to being on
the school timetable as Business Studies. She has
guided two Young Enterprise teams to National
finals and one National top award (2008).
Ann has also been involved in numerous cocurricular activities over her 40 years of service,
including tennis, badminton, gymnastics, athletics,
and hockey. She was involved in school netball for
around 15 years, including coaching the senior A
team which won the Otago Secondary Schools’
tournament. Ann has been on numerous camps
to Tautuku and Mount Cook and she also travelled
to Hawaii with the choir as their manageress,
where they won gold.
Ann has served on the Staff Social Committee
and was the staff representative on the Board of
Trustees for nine years. She has been the Branch
PPTA secretary and treasurer for the last five
years and had a period as Branch Chair in the
1990s. In 2012 Ann was recognised by the PPTA
for her over thirty years of teaching and in 2013
she received the Sir James Fletcher award for
excellence in teaching Enterprise.
Ann is a valued and respected teacher and colleague
who brings much wisdom and particularly wit to
the lives of those around her. Congratulations Ann
- what a great achievement!
Sports Council
The Otago Girls’ High School Sports Council is
made up of staff, parents and students.
The decision was made earlier in the year that
the Sports Council would establish a financial arm
supported by funds from fundraising and students’
sports fees. In turn scholarships have been
established to assist students that are struggling to
pay for tournaments, sports gear, sports fees and
anything else that may hinder them playing sport.
Earlier in the year a contract was signed with NZ
Uniforms. This saw the new physical education
uniform being introduced at Year 9, and after a long
consultation period with designers, uniforms for
hockey, netball, rugby and football will be available in
Term 3. Along with the contract with NZ Uniforms
a $15,000.00 product and scholarship arrangement
was made with them ($10,000 on product and
$5,000 on student scholarships). A finances subcommittee has been formed to oversee the
scholarship applications.
On Saturday 12 April the Sports Council ran a
Coaching Seminar. Key speakers were invited to
attend the morning session which included Brent
Ward,Tony Gilbert, Jodi Brown and Suzie Bates. The
afternoon session included sessions on technology,
warm-up techniques, taking a training session
and nutrition. The seminar was well attended by
students, staff and volunteer coaches and managers.
As part of the Sports Council’s fundraising ventures
they are holding a golf tournament on Friday 17
October and organisation by the sub-committee is
well underway for this.
Colleen Hokianga
Sports Co-ordinator and Sports Council Member
2013 NCEA and UE results
(OGHS/National comparison)
2013 NCEA pass rates - % Achieved, Merit & Excellence
(OGHS/National comparison)
2013 Scholarships were attained in:
Rebecca Anderson Lydia Bowers
Awhina Clark Tahana
Beth Chapman
Freya Griffith
Eleanor Hay
- History
- Painting
- History
- English
- English
- Biology
Shirley Zhang
Kiriana Wong
Winner of the Trust Power Youth Community Award
Winner of Scholarship to Kun-ei Girls’ High
School in Osaka, Japan
Earlier this year Shirley Zhang was announced as the
Trust Power Youth
Community
Award
winner. This award
recognised a Year 13
students’ service to
school and community
in the Dunedin district.
Shirley is a young
woman who is going
places, and who has a
real heart for service
at local, national and
Global level. She has
enormous
potential
for future public service and is already demonstrating her
awareness of social justice and women’s issues.
Shirley is a talented academic having achieved Levels 1 and 2
with Excellence. Last year she was a member of the Otago
winning year 12 O’Mathlon team. In 2013 she also won the
Otaru (Sister City) Japanese speech competition and won
a trip to Japan. She has competed with distinction in the
Australasian Maths and English competitions. She was also
selected for a place at the Rotary Science and Technology
Forum in Auckland.
Shirley takes a full part in the school community. She is the
Academic Prefect and here she is an amazing role model.
She has assisted other students with peer tutoring and
has made a valuable contribution to the Staff Professional
Learning Group with her insight on “Excellence in school
activities”. Shirley is a Trained Peer Support Leader working
with Year 9 students and she holds a current first aid
certificate. She is a valuable member of the OGHS Student
Council. She has completed her Bronze and Silver Duke
of Edinburgh Hillary Awards and will complete her Gold
Award this year.
For the past few months I have been attending a private
girls’ school in Osaka, Japan. My first month here was
pretty crazy. It has taken a little while to settle into this
new culture and lifestyle but a routine begins to form
around school (which is six days a week!) There are
two of us scholar girls’ at Kun-ei Girls’ High this year.
It is really nice to have another girl from New Zealand
here with me as we are both going through the same
experience and so we can relate to each other a lot.
The majority of our time is spent at school where we
study Japanese language, Calligraphy, Economics, Music,
Japanese culture, and participate in homeroom classes
such as English, Biology and History. All of the girls here
at Kun-ei are incredibly kind and supportive. Outside
of school I have had some really great opportunities
to travel around Osaka and neighbouring cities such as
Kyoto and Nara with my host family. In my opinion living
with a host family is one of the best aspects about being
on an exchange. You really get to live like a local and
have an insider’s view on the culture, which is such a
great and special experience.
This exchange has further fuelled my curiosity and
passion to learn about other cultures. Also being
immersed in such a different culture, such as the one
found in Japan has really helped me understand my own
culture.
I have met so many new people since I have been here.
I feel as though going overseas really helps you become
a more open-minded person, and you do learn so much
about yourself. Being away from all of your friends and
family makes you really appreciate what you have, but
also having a completely fresh start is truly an amazing
experience. I strongly encourage anyone who has the
opportunity to study abroad or go on an overseas
exchange. You will learn so much, not only about the
culture, but also things you never knew about yourself.
Her leadership skills also extend well out into the wider
community and in addition to winning the Trust Power
Youth Community Award she also won the Otago Zonta
Young Woman in Public Affairs Award. Shirley is on the
Save the Children Child and Youth Council and is also the
High Schools’ Ambassador for United Nations Youth. Last
year she attended the Model United Nations Assembly
and the New Zealand Youth Declaration Conference, both
held in Auckland. Shirley was also was a member of the P3
Foundation Social Enterprise Competition National Finalist
team in 2012.
Kiriana Wong (right) at Kun-ei Girls’ School
Student achievements 2014
Academic
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Moira Thomson gained a Bronze Award in the entrance
examination for the NZ Chemistry Olympiad team.
Bokyong Mun was one of 60 students (and two New
Zealanders) worldwide selected to attend a week
long Millenium Youth Camp in Finland in June, hosted
by the Technology Academy Finland.
Our top two Level 2 NCEA Pasifika students, Martine
Matapo and Alexandra Lesa, were acknowledged at
the first Pasifika Education Family Church Service.
Claudia Muldrew received a Certificate of Merit for her
essay in the Rodney Walshe Irish Essay competition.
Emily McConnachie won first prize in the DunedinOtaru Japanese Speech Competition.
Year 11 students Eddie Benny, Amelia Meredith
Vaughan and Anna Brookes won the 2014 Otago
Regional Maatangi Whenua: Year 11 Inter-school
Geography Competition.
Fourteen students obtained gold awards in the
Language Perfect World Challenge.
Two students obtained gold awards in the Social
Sciences Education Perfect World Challenge.
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Sport
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Ilana Goosens was selected for the Otago Tennis
Squad.
Eliza Booth, Amelia King and Brooke Miller were
selected as members of the Otago age group tennis
teams.
Karley Wilden-Palms gained a gold medal in the
Women’s club single and a silver medal in the
Under 17 girls' singles at the South Island Rowing
Championships. She also achieved a fifth place in the
girls under 17 coxed quad sculls A final along with
Georgia de Raad, Juliett Alm-Lequeux, Ellie Murphy
and cox, Daniela Lemow.
Shayla Rowley was selected for the International
softball academy Under 15 girls’ development team to
compete in Australia in April.
Tayla MacDonald was selected for the Otago
Secondary Schools' Cricket team.
Kiana Pelasio was selected for the New Zealand Under
17 girls’ touch team for the second year running.
Lucy Matehaere (St Clair Surf Lifesaving Club)
competed at the National Lifesaving Championships
and was 8th in the Under 14 Flags.
The Senior A Touch Team qualified for the South Island
Touch Tournament held in Christchurch.
The Senior Girls' Multisport team of Melanie Paddon,
Juliette McMullan and Juliette Lequeux won their
section of the Otago/Southland Multisport/Triathlon
Championships. Natasha Whyte won the Senior Girls'
Multisports Individual Section.
In Equestrian events Erin Milner won the South Island
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(Jan-July)
Foxhunter Championship and was also the Southland
Stakes 1.5m Champion.
The Equestrian team of Tyla Clearwater, Erin Milner,
Samara McKay, Tamsyn Lawrence and Chanelle
Huggins were second in the Southland Pony Club one
day event in Tapanui.
Mikayla Garforth was 9th out of 101 in the ski race
at the National surf lifesaving chapionships at Ohope
Beach.
The Onyx marching team including OGHS students
Georgia Berry-Dodd, Jasmine Simonsen-Hogg, Olivia
Churchman, Hannah Blagdon, Charmaine SimonsenHogg and Safire Stenersen, won first place in the
technical drill section (and first overall) at the New
Zealand Marching Championships in Wellington held
in March.
Juliette Lequeux and Anika Fraser each came first in
their age group singles at the Head of Harbour rowing
regatta.
The following girls gained places at the Otago
Southland Athletics Championships held in Invercargill
in March: Leah Billyard, 4th U15 Discus, Sydney Evans
Tobata, 2nd U16 200m, 3rd U16 400m, Esmae Knox,
3rd Senior Hammer, Hannah King, 2nd U14 100m
3rd U14 200m, Storm Maole, 3rd U14 Shot Put, 4th
U14 Discus, Lucy Matehaere, 4th U14 80m Hurdles,
Gemma Millar, 1st U14 Hammer , Larissa Peyroux, 4th
800m Senior, Jenna Thorne, 4th U14 High Jump, 4th
U14 3000m, Taylor Thorne, 1st U14 High Jump, 5th
U14 3000m, Emma Ward, 5th U16 200m, Taylor East,
2nd AWD 100m, AWD 200m and AWD long jump,
Senior relay– 3rd.
Natasha Whyte was third in the senior girls’ race at
the New Zealand Schools’ multisport championship
at Cromwell
Holly Johnstone, Jade Middleditch, Sophie Dijkstra,
Tabitha Seaton and Jessie Clark Grant were members
of the Dunedin Technical Football Club Under 17
football team that travelled to Auckland where they
won the Auckland City Under 17 club tournament.
Jade Middleditch, Sophie Dijkstra and Morgan
Whitson were chosen for the National Talent Centre
for Football.
Sydney Evans-Tobata was part of the Otago team
which won the Under 18 Women's 4x100 Metre
Relay at the National Track and Field Championships.
Grace Moreton in Year 9 was first in SWID 50m Open
Backstroke at the Otago Secondary School Swimming
Champs.
The Equestrian team were second overall in a
competition at Outram. McKenzie Clearwater was
2nd in 65cm, Jaylah Kennedy 6th in 65cm, Erin Milner
1st in 75cm, Chrisanna Hancock 3rd in 75cm, Tyla
Clearwater 4th in 95cm, Lily Dorking 5th in 75cm
At South Island Athletics in Timaru, Gemma Millar 2nd U14 hammer throw, Esmae Knox - 5th U19 girls
Student achievements 2014
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hammer throw, Storm Maole - 6th U14 girls shot put,
U14 girls discus, Hannah King - 5th U14 girls 200m,
Sydney Evans-Tobata - 4th U16 girls 200m, Jenna
Thorne -U14 girls 3000m, Taylor Thorne - U14 girls
3000m.
Maddy Dixon and Holly Paterson were selected
for the South Island Secondary Schools' Under 17
Volleyball team.
The Junior A team Futsal team won the Year 9 and 10
division of the Futsal South High School Tournament
The Senior A team came 3rd in the Year 11-13 grade.
In May Nicole Kellet won the Southland U19 mixed
doubles badminton title and paired with Maddy Doran
to win the doubles. Karmilla Jaafar won the singles
plate.
The Senior A Soccer team defeated Craighead 9-0
in the Southern region playoff qualifying them for
Nationals in Taupo.
At the Twizel Rock Climbing Competition:16-17 years
1st: Rosie Craven, 2nd: Mhairi Duncan, 3rd: Juliette
McMullan. 14-15years, 1st: Millie Bray, 3rd: Sian Meffen
Under 14 girls were second in the Otago Secondary
Schools' Cross Country at Kaikorai Valley.
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Brooke Dawson was selected for New Zealand Youth
Pipe Band to perform in Canada and Disneyland.
Ashlee Young was runner up in the Under 18 New
Zealand Song Section at the Nelson Sun City Music
Award.
Lucy Adams won the Dunedin Rotary Club's Four
Way Test speech competition and was second in the
Dunedin final.
Isabelle Jenkins and Sia Caldwell came first and second
respectively in the Race Unity Speech competition.
At the Otago Regional SGCNZ Otago University
Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival OGHS got a special
recognition award for the best dance assemble (in
The Tempest) and Olivia Pattinson and Georgia Ryder
received acting commendations for their roles as
Dogberry and Stephano respectively.
In the Speech New Zealand exams Jenny Kim
passed Grade 6 module 1 with credit plus, Charlotte
Becconsall Ryan and Rebecca McNaughton passed
Grade 7 Module 1 (with Honours), Isabelle Jenkins
pass Grade 7 Module 1 (with Merit Plus). Madeline
Schwass, Georgia Ryder, and Toni Kennedy, passed
Grade 8 Module 1 (with Honours Plus), and Katie
Borich passed Grade 8 Module 1 (with Honours).
Choirs Southern Hesperides and Barock were both
highly commended at the Regional Big Sing and
Southern Hesperides was also awarded the John
Leslie Trophy for the best performance in Category
Three, Other Styles. The Barock choir was selected
for the National final of the Big Sing.
Anna Takahashi was selected for the Dunedin Youth
Orchestra for the third year in a row.
Dallas Bowler-Scott won the Junior English section
of the Manu Kōrero Speech Competition. Te Anahera
Parata was 3rd in the Junior Maori section and
Matariki Wehi was 2nd in the impromptu speech and
2nd overall in the Senior Maori category.
Other
Cultural
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Juliette McMullan was one of three Otago Secondary
School Environmental leaders selected to attend
the 11th annual Sir Peter Blake Youth Enviroleaders'
Forum in Wellington.
Kiriana Wong won a scholarship to the value of
$26,000 to live and study at Kun-ei Girls' High School
in Osaka, Japan.
Shirley Zhang won a place in the National final of
Zonta Young Women of the Community Affairs Award.
Shirley Zhang won the Trust Power Youth Community
Award.
Alana Donkin and Edie Benny were two of eight
students selected Nationwide to participate in the
Thai/NZ Language and Cultural Students Exchange
Programme.
Hannah Dockerty gained third place in the final of
the Bernina Shakespeare Globe costume design
competition.
Rose Fallow was first in the Senior Theatre section of
the Dunedin Robocup Competition.
Tyla Clearwater was awarded the PTSA Margaret
Glue Scholarship of $1000 to assist her to attend her
Spirit of New Zealand voyage.
Maddison Dixon was the first student to be awarded
a shelly badge under the OGHS Positive Behaviour for
Learning initiative.
Emily McConnachie - winner
Dunedin-Otaru Japanese
Speech Competition
Rose Fallow - winner of Senior
Theatre Robocup
It was a pleasure for our cast and crew to have such well attended
performances this year for our OGHS/OBHS production “Back to the
80s”. Participation in the annual production is open to all students
from Years 9 to 13 and this year 71 girls participated as actors, singers,
dancers and musicians.
“Back to the 80’s” told the story of the 1989 graduating class of William
Ocean High as seen through the eyes of the narrator, Corey Palmer
Sr., who is now living in the year 2001. The story is from an era that
brought the world The Rubik’s Cube, Max Headroom and The Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles and songs such as “Wake me up before you go
go”, “Love Shack”and “Man in the Mirror”. It was a production that
appealed to a wide range of ages which resulted in near full houses for
the four performances and was able to generate a profit for the school.
The performances gave all involved a real opportunity to showcase
their talents and skills to the wider Dunedin community.
Eugene Shields
Production Manager
Barock Choir off to Big Sing Nationals
In June three of our choirs Cultural Chords, Southern Hesperides and Barock (the combined OGHS/OBHS choir) competed
in Otago/South Canterbury Regional Big Sing at the Dunedin Town Hall. All the choirs were a credit to the school. The Barock
and Southern Hesperides choirs both received a highly commended award and Southern Hesperides were awarded the John
Leslie Trophy for the best performance in Category Three, Other Styles.
A week after the event the Barock Choir found out that they were one of 24 choirs nationwide selected to perform at the
National Big Sing in Auckland in August.
Grounds/buildings
Over the last six months we have seen the Performing Arts
building repainted and also the South wall of Dalrymple
block has been cleaned and windows repainted. The
seating area wall by the courts has also been painted.
Internally the Year 13 Common Room had its ceiling and
windows repainted in the Christmas holidays.The next
area to have a facelift is Mary King Block entrance. This
area has been sprayed and the stonework will be cleaned
in the spring and the windows repainted.
The PTSA project of the refurbishment of the canteen
was completed in the April holidays. This has been a major
project for the PTSA and the school is immensely grateful
for the work that has been put in by PTSA members to
see this project through.
Tigerturf from Auckland have, over the April holidays
scraped, swept and sprayed the artificial turf. It has been
some time since this has been done, so it was badly in
need of professional maintenance.
View looking down on to K Block. This photograph was
taken during a Fire Department exercise.
Trees overlooking the BBQ area by the garage have been
removed and this has opened the area up to more sun and
making it a nicer lunch spot for the girls.
Further afield but still part of Otago Girls’ High School
is the Caretaker’s house. Over the past year this has
been repainted, a new kitchen installed, wall and fireplace
removed and new carpet throughout.
Finally our plans are well underway for the music suite
extension and redevelopment and the access tower.
We should be going out to tender soon for the main
Contractor and it is hoped that construction will be
underway early in December.
Mrs E McDonald
Business Manager
First sign of developments on the Music Suite with a
10m core sample being taken in June.
Alumni
Leila Gilchrist (70)
(nee Stewart)
OGHS 1957-59
Hip Hop Star
I started at OGHS in 1957
and I can’t say I achieved
a great deal compared to
other rising stars, like my
good friend from High St
School, Dame Silvia (Poulter)
Cartwright.
However,
I worked as a medical
receptionist and found that
very rewarding. If I had lived in another age maybe I
would have gone to University and studied to become
a Doctor or at least a nurse. Growing up my mother
declared very firmly - “It is a waste of time girls going
to University, they only get married and have babies!”
I knew better than to go against her, so it was off my
agenda!
I did meet and marry Roger and went onto having two
lovely children. After Roger’s death, I moved to Waiheke
Island in 2009 to be closer to my daughter Christine
and her family.
In 2012 I was walking home from the village one day. A
car stopped, a lady got out and ran over the road and
she put a flyer into my hand. It was about starting up a
Flash mob and the requirements were to be 65 and over
and have a pulse.Well, I was a candidate. I had recovered
from a big heart operation and a mini stroke and I had
a pulse and thought I might as well go along for a look
along with about 70 other contenders. Billie Jordan is a
bright go ahead entrepreneur, and after she explained
what was required, I thought, well why not have a go!
This was the start of our journey. What fun we had
doing flash mobs. Billie is a great PR person and through
her efforts the media were there to film us and it went
viral on Facebook. However in the new year Billie had
another plan. She called a meeting and announced that
we would now learn Hip Hop!
“Hip Hop!” I thought! “You gotta be kidding- isn’t that
for young folk and spinning on your head and doing
flips?” She told us we would be going to the World Hip
Hop Championships in Las Vegas in August. May as well
fly to the moon I thought. But upon reflection somehow
we believed it would happen. Off we started on the
new dance routine - all very different to doing a Flash
mob. We had to learn a new language - with terms like
wacking, locking, popping, funk, electric boogaloo, old
school, and new wave.
Baggie black oversize board shorts, black T shirts
and pink, orange and green florescent leg warmers,
helped us look a bit funky and more like a Hip Hop
group. A chain and a peace sign necklace finished our
make over.
If we were to go to Las Vegas we needed to learn a
new routine which we enjoyed. It is much more
“staunch.” During this period, we had visits from
various TV stations, from NZ, Australia, and Europe
(including the BBC). Billie and some of our older
members did radio and TV interviews and interest
took root and flourished. A photo of mine appeared
on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
A film crew was to follow our progress for some
months, terminating at Las Vegas. This was to produce
a full length documentary type film of 95 mins which
will be released in November 2014 worldwide. They
interviewed some of our interesting seniors and
apparently it will be a film where you will laugh and
cry. The New Zealand Film Commission has given it
the thumbs up and some footage has been sent to
Cannes.
In August 2013, 27 of us, calling ourselves “HipOperation” made it to the world stage in Las Vegas
performing in the World Hip Hop championships.
What an exciting time for us to perform in front
of 9,000 people. The crowd went wild and even the
judges were standing on their seats cheering. There
were standing ovations every time we performed.
The film crew had been following our progress
and they were there to film our grand finale. What
fun we all had there. We felt like movie stars as we
walked through to our “chill out “ room as young folk
were cheering us and wanted photos taken with us.
Despite our ages and concerns of people wondering
if someone would not make it back from Las Vegas,
we all were totally fit and well there. We all have had
a new lease on life!
We were on the “New Zealand’s Got Talent” show
and in November this year we are off to Taiwan.
All performers will be senior citizens in a show
called “Seniors on Broadway”. We will be the only
westerners in the show and it will naturally all be in
Chinese Mandarin. We have been awarded the Oldest
Dance group in the world by the Guinness Book of
Records, which is a great accolade for us .The average
age is 79. Presently the eldest is 95 and the youngest
is 67.
What a journey we have been on and I am so thankful
that in my latter years I am having so much fun. Getting
fitter too! I wonder what my old Headmistress Miss
Fitzgerald would think of all this?
If interested you can follow us on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehipoperationcrew
Website: www.hipop-eration.com
Leila Gilchrist (aged 70)
Florence Clutha
OGHS 2011-2013
In the space of
six months I will
have spent time in
Hong Kong, France,
Belgium, Germany,
Scotland and Spain.
Two days after
the formal I was
saying goodbye to
Mum, Dad, Nan
and the boyfriend,
and heading off
to London, on
the other side of
the world. Being
reluctant to part
with money as a
child paid off, as
I had saved a few
grand which was
enough for a one
way plane ticket, and to set up bed at my sisters for
two months until I started earning. I am working as an
Online Retail Merchandising Assistant for a fancy online
department store and I now have the questionably useful
knowledge of carafes, decanters, Santoku knives etc.
After one month my six month contract was turned
permanent and a month later I got my first pay rise.
Obviously I had the spirit, determination and was willing
to do ANYTHING which was what they were after. I
knew nothing about online retail which goes to show if
you have the spirit you can fit in anywhere. Travelling has
been the best part for sure. I cannot emphasise enough
how worthwhile it was welcoming exchange students
into my own country because I will tell you first hand
that they will be more than happy to do exactly the same
for you. In five of the six countries mentioned above I
was staying with Dunedin/OGs exchange students. This
is the best way to see the true culture of a country and
get a rich experience that normal tourists wouldn’t.
I was the girl that danced. So at work I was going to
make the most of this because I wanted to get myself
known and show leadership in my workplace. I offered
to take part in an office ritual where someone teaches
the entire office something they are good at. I called
my class “Dancing with the Kiwi”, and although so many
were hoping I’d teach them the haka I taught them the
cha cha cha. It was a brilliant experience and they all had
loads of fun.
Chie Shimizu
OGHS 2005-2007
Chie Shimizu (centre) with current International Students
on her recent visit back to Otago Girls’ High School.
Students from L-R: Aya Ehara,Yuka Fukuzaki (rear), Maho
Watanabe (rear) Kaede Nasu,Yu Ikegami.
Staff and International students were delighted by a
recent visit from ex-girl Chie Shimizu who was an
international student from Japan from 2005 to 2007. In
2007 she was the Otago Girls’ International Prefect.
Chie spoke to our current international students and
explained how when she first arrived at Otago Girls’
her “friend” was the dictionary. She stresses how
international students needed to try hard to make new
“Kiwi” friends and they shouldn’t be afraid to talk to the
teachers. She recalled how she was very homesick when
she first arrived in New Zealand and called home many
times. But without a doubt it was a wonderful period of
her life and everything about her time at Otago Girls’
was special. She recalled fondly that her favourite “Kiwi”
food was nachos.
Chie returned to Japan after her time at Otago Girls’
and spent two years at Polytech intending to become
a cabin attendent. However she went to Canada and
spent three months in Vancouver obtaining a TESOL
qualifiction in English as a second language. Chie has
spent the last two years working for ANA Airlines as a
ground hosteess at Tokyo International Airport. During
her time with our current international students Chie
stressed how much easier it was to get a job if you
spoke good English and how glad she was that she had
graduated from Otago Girls’.
To sum it up, make friends with anyone and everyone
and save your pennies so that you too can one day see
the world!
Florence Clutha
Chie Shimizu at Otago Girls’ in 2006
House system introduced at OGHS
Benjamin
Allan
Cruickshank
Williams
At a special assembly on the last day of Term 2 the House System at Otago Girls’ High School was launched. Apart
from a very short lived house system in operation for part of 1979 this appears to be the first time in the history of
the school that houses have been established. After consultation with the students, staff and alumni it was decided that
the houses would be named after ex-students. Siedeberg would have been an obvious choice but as we already have a
building named after Emily Siedeberg this name was not considered. The final four names selected were:
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Allan (Orange) after Flora Allan, Dux of Otago Girls’ High School in 1879 and Principal of the School from 19121921. Flora attended OGHS from 1876 to 1879.
Benjamin (Blue) after Ethel Benjamin, New Zealand’s first woman law graduate (1897). Ethel started at OGHS in
1883 when she was eight years old and was a pupil at the school until 1892.
Cruickshank (Red) after Dr Margaret Cruickshank, New Zealand’s first woman medical graduate to practise.
Margaret was a pupil at the school from 1888 to 1891 and Dux in her final year.
Williams (Green) after Yvette Williams (now Corlett), the first New Zealand woman to win a gold Olympic
medal. She won gold in the long jump at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.Yvettte attended OGHS from 1942 to 1945.
The four House Captains for 2014 gave a presentation on their house namesake at the special assembly, where they
were presented with House Leader and Prefect Badges. The leaders Melanie Paddon, Alex Lesa, Katie Borich, and
Phoebe Morrison are ably supported by their deputy leaders: Sam Trevathan, Alix Fraser and Tabitha Seaton (Allan),
Melissa Thomson, Isabel Jenkins, Holly Johnstone (Benjamin), Ruby Heyward, Sydney Evans-Tobata, Ala Ghandour
(Cruickshank) and Abby Zonneveld, Losaline Ikahihifo, Karley Wilden-Palms (Williams).
All students and staff have been allocated to a house with sisters being placed in the same house, hopefully enabling
future generations to continue House links.
House Captains 2014
Melanie Paddon
Alex Lesa
Katie Borich
Phoebe Morrison
From the archives
Earlier this year the photograph below was sent to Otago Girls’ by a woman in England who wanted to identify if a girl in
the photograph was her family member. She asked for help in identifying if the GHS on the panama hat related to Otago
Girls’. It could be confirmed that the girls were indeed wearing our hat badge and further investigation confirmed that
the students were representing the school and taking part in a street collection for the Hospital Saturday Association in
December 1912. The site of the collection was outside the chemist on corner of the Octagon and George Street.
The student on the left of the photograph is Charlotte Alma Nissen who attended Otago Girls’ in 1912.
Generous donation from 1954
reunion group
In February this year Otago Girls’ were pleased to host a
reunion of students who had started at this school in 1954.
It was a delight to meet with these ex-students and hear
them reminisce about their days here. They were delighted
to be joined for part of the celebrations by one of their
teachers Eileen Robson (later Wallis).
Recently one of their committee members Mary Browne
(nee Keedwell) returned to present the school with a
number of gifts on their behalf. These included $1407 for
the Alumni Association, to go towards two historic display
panels and for some items for the recently refurbished
canteen. They also gave us a framed print by Mary’s sister,
well known water colour artist Nancy Tichborne.
Other gifts from them included DVD’s and books produced
by the three Keedwell sisters, Mary, Nancy and Helen
(Leach) and a book by their committee chairperson Win
Parkes.
Mary Browne (at right) with her sister Nancy Tichborne’s print
which she presented to Alumni Secretary and school Librarian Jane
Smallfield. Jane is holding some of the other items presented to the
Library.
International Students
This year we have ELLs (English Language Learners) from several countries: Japan, Thailand,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India,Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea,Taiwan, Korea, Germany and
Syria. They all make valuable contributions to our school community. These students display
our school’s values of Positivity, Integrity and Respect as they work incredibly hard to succeed
at school here, facing extra hurdles such as a new country, new environment and studying in
another language.
We are immensely proud of how well they do academically. In 2013, the following students
received NCEA endorsements:
Level 3: Excellence: Sap Srisomnuk, Merit: Ye Ji Hwang,Ye Jin Park, Lusa Liang and Yifan Yin
Level 2: Merit: Earn Patrathiranond and Anna Takahashi
Level 1: Merit: Michelle Bong and Amy Patrathiranond
The students who completed Year 13 last year are studying at universities
in New Zealand and overseas. Their studies range from fashion design to
commerce to engineering. Having a wide range of subjects available at
OGHS has allowed the students to discover areas of interest and talent then
pursue their dreams.
Our 2014 students have taken on new challenges offered at school and been
rewarded with fantastic experiences and accomplishments. They have joined
the Year 12 Borland and Sidey camps, the Year 11 Mount Cook camp, the
International and Year 10 marae trips, the chamber music group, the choir
and several played in the orchestra that performed in the senior production.
The valuable skills and rewards gained from these opportunities provide our
ELL students with the confidence and ability to build their own futures.
Katherine Boomer, International Dean
Yuka Akitomo, Bow Benjakul and Fly Cheung at Mt Cook
Mãori Achievement
Strategic Goal 2 : To maximise the retention and achievement of Māori students.
Achievement rates for NCEA continue to indicate good progress towards our aspirational goal of all students achieving success
as Māori. Our results are considerably higher than the national Māori statistics. 87% Māori students (21) achieved Level 1
(70.8% nationally), 100% Māori students (16) achieved Level 2 (68.2% nationally), 81% Māori students (19) achieved Level 3
(80% nationally) and 75% of Māori students achieved University Entrance (54% nationally)
Another whānau NCEA night and a student lunch inviting them to be part of a focus group have been held this year. Māori
students have been encouraged to join our kapa haka group, which had a noho wānanga early in Term One.We have also stayed
at Puketeraki Marae and at Te Rau Aroha marae in Bluff. Students have had the opportunity to attend the Science Wananga
based on marine research, visited Māori art exhibitions, worked with Māori students from Te Tumu (Māori Department) of
the University of Otago and have taken part in a noho marae along with associated events to celebrate Puaka Matariki. Senior
students have supported our Social Studies classes’ visits to Puketeraki. A large group attended the Otago Southland regional
speech competitions for Ngā Manu Kōrero, where we fielded four competitiors, three of whom were placed. Dallas BowlerScott achieved a top placing for her section and so we will be attending the national competition in Napier later this year.
We were particularly pleased when a New Zealand Qualifications Authority panel reviewed a performance at Hautonga, the
regional Otago/ Southland Kapa Haka competitions, and judged our students as meeting attributes of a number of performing
arts standards at Level Three.
In 2015 we propose to continue to increase the ourse options which reflect Māori concepts and understanding.
Joe Hunter, Dean of Māori Students
Pasifika achievements
2013 NCEA Achievement Data:
87.5% of our Level 1 Pasifika students gained Level 1
NCEA. 100% of Level 2 students gained Level 2 NCEA,
while 66.7% of our Level 3 students attained Level 3
NCEA. 83.3% of our Pasifika students gained University
Entrance. All percentages are above the national
average with the exception of Level 3 NCEA where
the national average was 79.6%.
Pasifika Success Talanoa Project:
This year OGHS has joined a cluster of Dunedin
schools through the Pasifika Success Talanoa Project
(PSTP). PSTP provides teachers and leaders with the
opportunity to build confidence and to become more
competent in the development and implementation of
culturally responsive practices to raise achievement.
Pasifika Proud Fono:
In May the Otago Girls’ Pasifika Cultural Group
performed for the Ministry of Social Development
through the Pasifika Proud Fono. The organisation
kindly donated $300 to the group to assist with the
cost of this year’s regional Polyfest. Senior students had
the opportunity to meet with Minister Tariana Turia.
Dare to Succeed Camp and Homework Groups:
The Pacific Islands Centre, of University of Otago, has
provided our Pasifika students with University Tutors
to assist with school homework. Currently we meet
on Wednesdays at Otago Boys’ High School. The plan
for Term Three is to establish our own after school
programme with the Pacific Island Centre on Tuesdays.
Cultural Chords:
Our Pasifika Choir has a new director, Metitilani
Alo. He is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at
the University of Otago. Metitilani is also one of our
homework tutors provided by Pacific Island Centre.
Dunedin Polyfest:
Students are working hard on performances for the
Pasifika Festival in September.
Auckland Polyfest:
Senior Pasifika students are in the process of drafting a
proposal to Ms Linda Miller and the Board of Trustees
to attend next year’s Polynesian Festival in Auckland.
Eugene Shields
Pasifika Dean, HOD Visual and Performing Arts,
Alexzandria Matagi Stevenson
Cultural Chords performing at Big Sing.
Cadyne Geary in Mamma Mia
Photo by: Chris Sullivan - Seen in Dunedin.
www.seenindunedin.co.nz
In October 2013, I found the courage to take a big step in my
life. I auditioned for ‘Mamma Mia’ (the Taieri Musical Society’s
2014 production) and to my absolute surprise I was given the
opportunity to perform. Being in a musical suddenly became a
wonderful reality (from a dream I had had since I was a young
girl). I was thrown into the thespian world of singing rehearsals,
choreographic setting, promotional acts and even early morning
boot camps. All of these things, so incredibly new and challenging
were exactly what I needed in my final year of schooling. Not only
did I get to sing and dance on the stage of the Regent Theatre
(alongside a cast of extremely talented people) I received an
experience in maturity that I would never have gained if I didn’t take
the chance to audition. I was introduced to some exceptionally
amazing people (who I know I will be dear friends with forever)
and had to take some extreme responsibilities in organising my
time and prioritising things. I had gained the knowledge of how to
deal with these responsibilities through Otago Girls’ and for that
I am truly thankful. I now know what parts of the world I want
to explore in my future and that is because I took that chance to
audition almost a year ago. ‘Mamma Mia’ was the most beautiful
experience I could have ever asked for and I can’t wait to be in
more musicals for years to come.
Cadyne Geary
Year 13
Students meetJane Goodall
In June four of our students Phoebe Morrison, Kelsey Mee, Nadya Keniya and
Bokyong Mun were super lucky to have the opportunity to meet Jane Goodall,
world renowned biologist and environmental activist. She made significant
discoveries regarding chimpanzees and the way they are related to humans. She is
also a big promoter of environmental sustainability and animal rights.
Meeting Jane Goodall was a surreal experience. It was a once in a life time
opportunity. While we were with her, we planted trees at Orokanui ecosanctuary,
braving the cold and then shared with her what environmental projects we have
achieved so far, and hope to do in the future. She then spoke to us about her work
in Africa, and the work ‘Roots and Shoots’ does, an environmental youth group
she founded. Listening to her speak was truly inspirational and further encouraged
us to take action to protect our natural environment. Jane is a strong believer in
everybody being environmentally conscious and the fact that every little action
counts.
With Jane’s visit, she officially started the Otago group of ‘Roots and Shoots’, and
we are all excited and rearing to get going, and make a difference environmentally
and socially in our community.
Bokyong Mun and Phoebe Morrison
Year 13
Otago Girls’ High School, 41 Tennyson Street, Dunedin 9016
03 474 0496
[email protected]
www.otagogirls.school.nz