WHS Newsletter | Issue 4.3 |01 November 2024

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the end of another stunning and action packed week at WHS. 

On Tuesday, we held our Year 11/12 end of year prizegiving in which more than 180 students were awarded subject prizes and a selection of other awards. Congratulations to all the students coming across the stage (see photos and full list of prizewinners below). A huge thanks to all the parents in attendance and to all the students who came to celebrate the achievements of their peers, even if they weren’t a prize winner. 

Later that afternoon, I had the privilege of attending the Central Lakes Trust (CLT) scholarship awards where 27 of our Year 13 students were awarded this scholarship for academic, STEM, vocational and all-round excellence. In addition to these 27 students (see below), Sara Warmington was awarded the Meyer-Cruden Engineering scholarship to Canterbury University. This is the first time a WHS student has gained this Scholarship since its inception in 2015. 

On Thursday, the Class Act award ceremony was held in Otago where our Head Students Jess Hudson and Mason Clarke were presented with this most prestigious award for their representation of WHS vision of a great all-round education. Have a read of their citations below (and the ODT article here) and you’ll see why they were WHS Class Act for 2024!

On Wednesday, the Whakatipu Rowing Club was named the winner of the ‘Impact 100’ prize and were granted $100,500 towards the upgrade of their rowing facilities on the shores of Lake Hayes. WHS has had 100’s of students row and develop through the rowing club and they are a truly valued club in our community and our school - congratulations to all those who have contributed to this grant and to those who support and are part of the Impact 100.

School continues to be a very busy and dynamic place, so be sure to keep an eye on key dates. The year 9 English exam and senior tutorial week continues on Monday, 4 November with senior end of year examinations commencing on Tuesday, 5 November. Senior students - be sure to check your exam slip and note the day and time of your exam. See below for more details including the exam timetable and other key information for your exams. End of year senior reports, including a summative comment from Kaiārahi, will be available to all parents/caregivers and students on the portal from Monday, 4  November.

A huge thank you to those who have paid their voluntary curriculum fees and school donations, it does make a huge difference to the opportunities that we can offer our students in our community. Invoices have just been sent out, and we thank you in advance for your support. 

Lastly, at the full-school assembly last Friday, our top academic student in Year 13, Harry Seeto, was named the 2024 Dux. If you didn’t have a chance to catch his remarkable speech, you can view below, along with his impressive citation. 

Another stunning newsletter follows including highlights from the Arts, shortlisted athletes for the Southland Sports Awards and much more. Be sure to have a read and we hope to see many of you at the Senior Visual Arts display running from 10 am - 6:30 pm in Pouākai on Monday, 4 November.

Ngā mihi nui,

Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki

Key Dates

Year 11 and 12 Prizegiving

Earlier this week, we held a prizegiving ceremony for our Year 11 and Year 12 students. Prize-givings are our most formal and significant events, designed to recognise and celebrate the academic excellence, leadership, service, and other achievements of our students. 

Congratulations to all the recipients! A complete list of prize winners is included in the link below.

Class Act Awards for 2024

Congratulations to Jess Hudson and Mason Clarke, our 2024 recipients of the prestigious ODT Class Act Awards! These awards recognise the outstanding achievements of young individuals in our region. The awards ceremony took place on Thursday where Prime Minister Christopher Luxon presented both recipients with their awards.

Jess Hudson 

Jess Hudson, 17, has a goal - to give back and help people. Head Student at Wakatipu High School, Jess ‘‘likes to make people happy by giving back’’. Jess has spent hours volunteering, for Queenstown Hospice, The Mental Health Foundation and The Salvation Army, to name a few.

Earlier this year, her passion for volunteering took her to Tanzania, where she completed humanitarian work at a primary school and medical centre. ‘‘I get my love of volunteering from my family - my mum volunteered in Africa when she was younger too.’’

Next year Jess is planning to study for a bachelor of laws degree and a bachelor of commerce, focusing on international diplomacy, so she can continue to help people. She was inspired to follow the career path after speaking at the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Conference, after hearing other speakers discuss how they help people.

Jess is also inspired by her parents, who say to her ‘‘when opportunity presents itself, do not be afraid to chase it’’. One opportunity she has chased and been successful in is adventure racing, winning two national titles in the past two years.

Achievements
Head girl (2024); co-chair of student executive (2024); Student Volunteer Army member (2024); Duke of Edinburgh silver and bronze award (2020 to 2024); 7th open section Summer Challenge Adventure Race (2024); 3rd New Zealand Secondary Schools National Hillary Challenge (2023); distinction in NCEA level 3 biology, chemistry, physics and calculus (2023); distinction English and physical education (2022-23); WHS award outstanding achievement in level 2 English (2023); Colliers Leadership Award (2024); Trophy best all-round year 12 student (2023); WHS award top academic achiever (2021-23); Torpedo ‘‘Get2Go’’ national champions (2022); 2nd e South Island Hillary Challenge (2022); WHS 3rd senior girl - Otago Southland cross-country relays (2022); Prize all-round effort and participation in year 11 (2022);  Scholarship excellence in science (2022); distinction design and visual communication, science, specialist science and NCEA level 2 mathematics with calculus (2022); Southland secondary school sports award finalist (2022); NCEA level 1 endorsed with excellence (2022). 

Role models
Parents Catherine and Ben Hudson.

Hopes for the future
To study a bachelor of law and commerce degree at the University of Otago.

Mason Clarke

At 17, Mason Clarke’s dream of playing for the Black Caps is within reach. Mason’s love for cricket started at a young age, playing in the backyard with his dad. Since he was 14, he has played in the Otago U17 and U19 teams.

A right-arm fast swing bowler, Mason started his year off playing for New Zealand in the U19 Cricket World Cup, held in South Africa. Aged 16 at the time, he was the youngest in the squad, and managed to take seven wickets against top teams like India and Pakistan. ‘‘It was the pinnacle of my cricket so far.’’

It’s been a busy year for Mason: in April he captained the Wakatipu High School First XI cricket team in Sri Lanka on a 12-day tour. Recently, Mason has been named in New Zealand Cricket men’s development squad, a step up from the New Zealand U19 team. Sport is a key part of Mason’s life and he attributes it to key life lessons he has learnt. ‘‘Cricket is a game of ups and downs — similar to life, it is not going to be a straight-forward, linear road. ‘‘It has taught me the importance of resilience, and you can't always control things. It’s important to step back from time to time.’’

Head Student of Wakatipu High School, Mason portrays this knowledge through his leadership. Mason enjoys being a leader, aiming to have positive input in people’s paths —— whether that’s through a speech to his peers in assembly, captaining his cricket team, or coaching juniors in cricket and rugby. Outside of cricket, Mason hopes to study a for a bachelor of commerce, as he enjoys learning about the impact of economics in the day-to-day world.

Achievements
Head boy (2024); New Zealand Cricket men’s development squad (2024); NZ U19 Men’s World Cup cricket team (2023 and 2024); 1st XI cricket team captain (2022 to 2024); co-chairperson of the student executive team (2024); Colliers Leadership Award (2024); Student Volunteer Army member (2024); Central Otago Young Sportsman of the Year finalist (2024); Otago U19 men’s cricket team (2023 and 2024); Otago U19 men’s bowler of the year (2024); Otago U17 men’s cricket team (2021 to 2023); 1st XV rugby (2023); Otago U17 men’s  bowler of the year (2022 and 23); Outstanding Blue Award cricket (2023); distinction in business studies and physical education (2023); commendation in economics and english (2023); NCEA Level 2 with excellence (2023).

Role models
Parents Bevan and Joanna Clarke.

Hopes for the future
Play for the Black Caps and study for a bachelor of commerce.

Central Lakes Trust Scholarships

This week, at the official awards function in Cromwell our Year 13 students received their scholarships from the Central Lakes Trust. For many years, the Trust has generously supported Central Otago youth by providing tertiary scholarships valued at $2,500 each, designed to assist students in their pursuit of further education after secondary school. 

Congratulations to Sara Warmington, who received the Meyer-Cruden Engineering Scholarship at Canterbury University during the ceremony. This marks the first time a WHS student has been awarded this scholarship since it was established in 2015.

Congratulations to:

Well done to all the recipients, and our sincere thanks to Central Lakes Trust for their generous support.

Year 11 to 13 - NCEA Exams and Tutorial Week

Tutorial Week has been taking place this week and continues until Monday 4th November. Tutorial Week provides an opportunity for senior students to attend revision sessions with their respective subject teachers as they turn their attention to preparation for NCEA External Examinations.  The external exams begin on Tuesday 5th November and the NZQA exam timetable can be found via the link below.

NCEA exam timetable : NZQA

Students have been advised that our expectation is that they are either in timetabled classes for tutorials, or offsite doing independent revision during tutorial week.  Students do not need to come to school in uniform.  Teachers will have indicated what topics or activities have been scheduled for each lesson so students can plan their revision schedule.

Most students will be enrolled in, and expected to attend multiple external NCEA exams.  Students will receive a copy of their exam admission slip next week and this will detail each exam they are entered in and when these exams take place.   At any time, students are able to log into their NZQA portal and view their exam admission slip to see exactly what exams they are doing and when. 

For a number of our students, performance in these upcoming examinations will determine whether or not they achieve a significant qualification. To that end, we strongly encourage students to use the resources below to prepare a comprehensive revision programme that covers the relevant course content for each subject.

NCEA Exam prep planner

NCEA help sheet info

Preparing for digital assessment as a student: NZQA

Study Like a Boss

Year 13 - Jump Start 2024

Hākitekura Sports and All Sorts!

Sports

Hākitekura enjoyed a game of Rounders and Football in the sun this week. We made use of the Queenstown public bus service and traveled to the QEC sports field. Charlotte Syme and Max Buehler were solid team captains, who led their teams well with a 7-4 win for Charlotte's team in Rounders and 10-3 win for Max's team in Football.  

All Sorts

Hākitekura are also using the local bus service for a variety of community activities every Friday. We recently went into Queenstown to window shop, have lunch and walk around the Botanical Gardens, before catching the bus back to school.  The students are developing their social skills and everyday living skills during these outings, and preparing themselves for work experience and life beyond school. 

Southland Secondary Sports Awards

We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes who have been recognised as finalists for their outstanding performance in sports at the Southland Secondary Sports Awards which will be held next week. Congratulations to the following students:

Top Performers:   
Athletics - Siena Mackley
Cricket - Mason Clarke
Golf - Noah Novacek
Mountain Biking - Lewis Laird
Rowing - Mia Pagan
Rowing - Seb Watson
Skiing - Cooper Breen
Surfing - Angus Roberts
Tennis - Dan Milburn

Southland Sports Person of the Year finalists:  
Senior Sportswoman - Siena Mackley
Senior Sportsman - Mason Clark
Junior Sportsman - Lewis Laird
Junior Sportsman - Cooper Breen
Senior Sportsman - Dan Milburn
Junior Sportsman - Noa Milburn

Team Finalists     
Coast to Coast Team - Siena Mackley, Pete Davis, Tom Schenk
U17 Coxed Quad Sculls - Charlie Manser, Seb Watson, Max Davis, Harry Lightfoot + Mia Pagan (cox)
U17 Double Sculls - Harry Lightfoot and Seb Watson

Sport and Active Recreation News

WHS Netball Prizegiving

On Wednesday night we held the annual WHS Netball Prizegiving to celebrate the 2024 season. This year we had an incredible 213 players across 23 netball teams. A massive thank you to all of the coaches, managers, umpires and volunteers who give up their time to support our players and make the season happen. We appreciate all of your mahi. It was great to see our teams performing well this year - with WHS winning the Premier, Senior A and B Grades of the Wakatipu Netball Centre Competition and our tournament teams achieving great results at their respective regional and South Island schools tournaments. At the Prizegiving, we also presented our major awards. Congratulations to the following students!

• Junior Player of the Year -  Nina Matulino 
• Senior Player of the Year - Izzy Burgess
• Official of the Year - Neive McLeod

Ice Hockey

A number of WHS students have been named in the New Zealand Under 18 Men's National Team. The team will compete in the IIHF Division 3, Group A tournament to be held in Mexico City, Mexico, from 2-8 March 2025 Congratulations to Blake Campbell, Liam Rasmussen, Jake Hutchins, Oliver Carian, Jack Walters and Jake Thompson, as well as reserves Ben Dixon, Charlie Gerard and Maddon Smith!

Dog Agility

Congratulations to Jessica Wilkinson who won Junior Dog Training handler of the year at the New Zealand Dog Agility Champs in Upper Hutt last week. Jess also went on to place 5th in the Champ of Champs, which was the top 50 dogs from all over the country. She was also the only junior handler to qualify for that class. Well done Jess.

Tennis

Congratulations to year 9 Justin-Li Moroney who was runner-up in the 14 & Under Boys event at the National Junior Masters Finals last weekend in Hamilton. Justin-Li was seeded #8 for the tournament, so fought hard to make it through to the final. Awesome work!

Volleyball

Volley South have named the representative squads for the 2025 season. Congratulations to the following WHS students on their selection!

• U19 Boys Squad: Micko Guanzon
• U19 Girls Squad: Ava Rona, Nalani Solomon and Ruby Lea
• U17 Boys Squad: Jaxon Lawton, Nhico Bigcas and Tai Te Paa
• U17 Girls Gold Squad: Sheana Solomon, Lily Jamieson, Aily Joll, Tila Peysner, Holly Coutts, Luana Kirchoff Pereira, Marian Navasca, Cerys Phillips and Chloe Guyot de La Pommeraye

Cricket

Congratulations to Abby Fookes who has been representing the Otago A Women’s Cricket team in their National Women's Provincial A Matches in Canterbury this week. The team has put on strong performances so far, with Abby taking a stumping and 4 catches in their match against Canterbury A Women on Thursday.

Climbing

The Southland Indoor Climbing Championships took place on Saturday 19th October at the Te Anau Community Centre. It was a great day with a number of competitors from around the region. WHS climbers performed well, winning all 4 individual categories! Congratulations to the following students for their top 3 placings.

• Oscar McCartney - 1st Senior Boys
• Tayah Vivian - 1st Senior Girls
• Alisha Messingham - 2nd Senior Girls
• Dylan Lelievre - 1st Junior Boys
• Max Johnstone - 3rd Junior Boys
• Lene Kurihara - 1st Junior Girls
• Sofia Sharpe - 3rd Junior Girls

Waka Ama

The Waka Ama season got underway with the Ki Uta Ki Tai Waka Ama Challenge held on Saturday in Te Anau, in very wet, cold conditions. A number of WHS students represented the Whakatipu Waka Ama Club - some in their first competition. Team Mako (Zara Kleindyk, Lorenza Jarvis, Bailey Tiananga, Tahlia Wheeler, Lexie-Ray Apolosi and Nina Matulino) and Team Whai (Isla Cox, Mollie Burgess, Freda Devereux, Dakota Green, Liyla Smith and Maddison Brady) raced in the 3km, with Team Mako finishing 1st overall in J16, also coming in ahead against J19 Boys and Mixed crews! Team Whai placed 2nd in the J16 Girls. Team Matariki (Alisha Messingham, Anja Dayman, Emily Messingham and Maddison Brady)  entered the 1.5km for their first ever race in a Waka for some paddlers - winning their division (and placing 1st overall against J19 Boys, J16 Girls and Mixed crews). A fantastic effort and achievement from all paddlers.

Whakatipu Youth Golf Development Fund

The WHS Sports Department would like to extend a massive thank you to Futures Whakatipu, the Whakatipu Junior Golf Club Charitable Trust and the Wombles Golfing Society for their support of our golfers through the Whakatipu Youth Golf Development Fund. So far the Fund has provided over $5000 towards Wakatipu High School golfers, including $1500 to support the WHS Golf team to attend the NZSS Finals in New Plymouth last term.

Rowing Club Champions Evening with Emma Twigg and Lucy Spoors

To help with fundraising for the Whakatipu Rowing Club’s Clubhouse Redevelopment Project, Olympic Champion rowers Emma Twigg and Lucy Spoors will be joining us for a Champions Evening at Cargo Brew Hall on 14 November! Fresh from Paris, Lucy and Emma will share their inspiring journeys, tips for success and a few good stories that will resonate with anyone who values success, community, growing strong girls! You can buy tickets to this one of a kind opportunity via the link below.

https://www.sporty.co.nz/.../cha.../champions-evening-2024-1

Referee Course

Central Lakes Basketball are putting on a referee course on Saturday 9th November from 11am to 3pm in Pouakai. If you are interested please see the poster attached and scan the QR Code. This is a great opportunity for players and referees to go through the rules and enhance your basketball knowledge!

Keep Us Informed

The Sports Department would love to hear from you if you know of any awesome sporting achievements from our students! Please send through details/results and photos to Sian at shorn@wakatipu.school.nz so we can share and celebrate these as a school.

Support Sport at WHS

Support the team by liking the Wakatipu High School Sports Facebook page. This is the best way to stay up to date with the successes of our athletes and teams and celebrate their great achievements!

https://www.facebook.com/WakatipuHighSchoolSports/ 

Sian Horn
Director of Sport

Arts Department News

Artists of the Week:  Sasha Winter, Neve Cruikshank and Tallulah Penetito 

In term 4 students in year 11 music have been working towards completing a composition for external assessment. Three of our song writers, Sasha Winter, Tallulah Penetito and Neve Cruickshank wrote the following composition, 'I Hope it's You' which they say was inspired by the music of Phoebe Brigers and Gracie Abrams. They've crafted a beautiful pop-folk song and we hope you enjoy listening to it.

Monday, November 4 from 10 AM to 6:30 PM in Pouākai.

We invite parents and families to come and appreciate the incredible artwork created by our senior students. The exhibition is open for everyone to enjoy, we look forward to seeing you there!

Central Soundwaves takes place at Yonder on Sunday Nov 3 at 6.00pm

The annual Central Soundwave competition is happening  on Sunday 3rd November at Yonder.  Huge thanks to Rockformation and Whakatipu Youth Trust for their support in creating this opportunity.

Yonder - 14 Church Street, Queenstown

Doors open at 5.00pm - Gig starts at 6.00pm sharp.

Now is the time to invite your families, your caregivers, your aunties, uncles, grandparents, friends to come along and enjoy an evening of epic music

Musical Auditions for Mamma Mia!

Kia Ora all, Please see the link below for the 2025 Musical Auditions. The Musical is a major commitment for Term 1 and involves; Weekly Sunday rehearsals starting from the 2nd of February (possibly a full weekend workshop 1st & 2nd TBC). Break-time rehearsals throughout the first term. After school rehearsals four weeks leading up to the Musical.

Mamma Mia! performances will be April 2-5 2025. 

Express your interest in participating via this link:  https://forms.gle/MKaR1J6x1dRQFfN17

Take a behind-the-scenes look into the production of the 2024 Wakatipu High School Musical, created by Felix Nicoll below.

Rodger Fox Workshops

It has been officially announced that the Rodger Fox Workshops are continuing the legacy of Rodger Fox’s association with Summer Jazz Workshops in Wellington.

The Rodger Fox Workshops will take place December 16–19 at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī in Wellington, co-ordinated by Lance Philip, Daniel Hayles, Dave Wilson, Eilish Wilson, and Chris Beernink in association with the Aotearoa Jazz Education and Performance Trust.

Musicians aged 19 and under with a minimum of one year experience on an instrument or in vocal training can participate. Students can choose trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, flute, bass, piano, guitar, drums, vibraphone, or voice.

More information and registration info can be found at the Rodger Fox Workshops registration site 

Follow the Rodger Fox Workshops on Instagram or Facebook for the latest updates.

Any questions – please email rodgerfoxworkshops@gmail.com.

Exciting visits in ART

Being able to access a visiting artist is an incredible opportunity for our students to get first hand input from established artists. We hope to welcome more artists and professionals in the arts space in the future. If you would like to share your experience and knowledge please get in touch with Arts Coordinator Stine Cooper scooper@wakatipu.school.nz.

Out and About

There are a number of Musicians in the school who are keen to play out and about in the Community, koha would be appreciated.  Please contact Alison Price for more information at aprice@wakatipu.school.nz

Extracurricular groups - Groups have restarted for the term and some have been adjusted, but students should be up to date with all updates as they are posted on the Performing Arts Classroom Group.  

• Jazz Combo - Monday 8 am / Wednesday 8 am
• Guitar - Monday Break 2
• Digital Music Production - Wednesday Break 2
• Junior Jazz - Thursday Break 2
• Jazz Full Band - Wednesday 3.20 pm
  
• Senior Singing - Thursday 3.15pm
  

Keep checking each of the  Classroom Groups for more details and updates

Upcoming for Term 4 -  Term 4 shaping up to be very busy start for the Performing Arts 

3 November - Central Sound Waves

4 November - Senior Art Folio Exhibition

29 November - Music Groups Primary Schools Visits

TBC - Jazz on the Green

Te Atamira - is a multi-purpose arts and cultural space at Remarkables Park Town Centre - check out what is happening at Te Atamira here

Te Wahi Toi - Nau mai, haere mai, Te Wāhi Toi is the meeting place and online directory for Queenstown and Wānaka’s creative community.  Find them here

Let us Know
The Arts department would like to know about any artistic achievements that students have attained outside of school be it in Drama, Dance, Music or Visual Arts. Please send details and photos to artscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz

Support the Arts
We are always looking for local professional performing and visual artists to visit our school and run workshops for our students. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Mrs Cooper the Arts Coordinator at artscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz

Instagram Page
Follow our school’s Instagram page for recent successes or news within the school’s Arts Department at whsartdepartment.

WHS Foundation

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