Kristin takes the Crown at AMI Showdown Awards

An ecstatic contingent of almost 100 Kristin School supporters cheered on the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar as they accepted the supreme award for Best Overall Auckland School Production at the 2011 AMI Showdown Awards, held at the Bruce Mason Centre in October.

In recognition of their fantastic performances, two Kristin students also took away major individual awards. Joel Granger was awarded Best Leading Male in a Musical for his performance as Jesus of Nazareth in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Madison Cooper was awarded Best Leading Female in a Play for her role in The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (Abridged).

Kristin performers were invited to take part in the opening number of the awards evening along with students from other nominated schools. The second half of the evening was opened by the cast members of Jesus Christ Superstar who did Kristin proud with their performance of the Herod number.
A total of 31 productions from 22 schools across Auckland received nominations for the annual awards. The two Kristin productions, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (Abridged), received nominations in a total of 18 categories.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Set Design    Jeanette Verster
Best Male Soloist     Taylor Callaghan as Herod/Annas
Best Supporting Male in a Musical     Hamish Mouat as Judas
Best Leading Male in a Musical    Joel Granger as Jesus of Nazareth
Best Leading Female in a Musical    Madison Cooper as Mary Magdalene
Best Costume Design    Jeanette Verster
Best Vocal Chorus Performance     Cast of Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Male Soloist     Matthew Burrows as Pontius Pilate
Best Musical Director    Nicholas Richardson
Best Choreographer    Teresa Lauago
Best Director     Lorna Rood
Outstanding Musical     Jesus Christ Superstar

The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (Abridged)
Best Leading Male in a Play     Hamish Mouat
Best Leading Female in a Play    Madison Cooper
Best Supporting Male in a Play    Jared Pickstock
Best Supporting Female in a Play    Carla Boniolo as Juliet
Outstanding Play     The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (Abridged)
Best Sound Design     Ian Robinson

Kristin School is one of New Zealand’s leading, independent, co-educational schools. Established in 1973, Kristin has approximately 1650 students from Years K to 13. Kristin is non-denominational and welcomes students from all cultures and backgrounds. The school is owned by the Kristin School Charitable Trust and set in park-like grounds on a 20 hectare site in Albany on Auckland’s North Shore. Visit their website www.kristin.school.nz

Futures@Kristin

By 2021, Kristin School could be sporting eco-friendly rooftop gardens and check-in classrooms says Year 10 student, Christian Silver, the driving force behind Kristin School’s recent Futures@Kristin conference.

Over a recent weekend in September, Christian brought together more than 40 Kristin students from Year 7 – 11 for a think-tank workshop which asked “What could Kristin School be like in 2021?”. The idea originated at the ‘StrategyNZ – Mapping Our Future’ conference which was held in Wellington in March. Christian attended this conference along with his Kristin Robotics team and was so inspired by the event that - in consultation with Middle School Principal, Mr Heath - he decided to apply the concept to Kristin.

“My goal is to take the ideas of students from all over the school and put them down on paper”, said Christian as he set about organising several weeks of ‘working lunches’ leading up to the main event. Inspirational speakers from the school community were invited to talk to students about the key factors they should consider when developing a school strategy.

When the main event arrived, Futures@Kristin was opened by guest speaker Wendy McGuiness of Wellington’s Sustainable Futures Institute, the organisation behind the original StrategyNZ conference. Wendy delivered and inspirational presentation on ways to plan for the future, before the 40 eager students were assembled into groups and set out on their two day task.

Each group followed four steps as they developed their strategies, starting with determining their vision in a group brainstorming session. They then formalised their ideas and outlined the requirements to reach their vision and a strategy map was created to determine the specific steps required. The groups then transformed their work into a presentation of what Kristin could look like in 2021.

From these presentations, the guest judges selected two groups who will go on to present their vision to Kristin’s Principals and Board of Governors later this year.

It is an amazing accomplishment for one student to bring together an event such as this, and it is no wonder that the conference left him full of pride in his fellow students. “The atmosphere at the conference was a constant buzz of excitement and the students who took part left feeling very fulfilled.

There is even word of the concept being applied to other schools through the Sustainable Futures Institute.”

Elspeth leads the way at the RWC 2011

Elspeth Carroll, a Year 10 student at Kristin School, won the opportunity to be a part of one of the most exciting moments of New Zealand rugby – the opening of the Rugby World Cup at Eden Park. Carrying the Tongan flag onto the field for the first match against the mighty All Blacks, Elspeth was seen by more than 1.6 million people who tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the match.

Elspeth won the privilege when she answered “Why do you have what it takes to be a Rugby World Cup 2011 Flag-bearer?” in a competition run by Emirates. She had an amazing day behind the scenes, sharing the exciting moment in the tunnel with the teams before leading them out for the National Anthems. She had the chance to hold the coin which was used for the official toss and stood right next to the Webb Ellis Cup.

Elspeth also won tickets for her parents to watch the opening ceremony and match, and thanks to Emirates was able to keep her full strip and boots. It was an unforgettable experience for the Kristin teenager.

Champagne High Tea at Kristin School

Over 120 parents and friends of Kristin School celebrated the launch of the latest ‘kristin kitchen’ Cookbook in high style at a Champagne High Tea in September. Kristin’s Learning Information Centre Foyer was abuzz with the chatter of guests, and tables were laden with delicious treats straight from the pages of the cookbook and brought to life by the dedicated Cookbook Committee.

This second edition of Kristin’s trend-setting publication represents months of hard work by the Committee and contains an array of proven recipes from throughout the school community. Each recipe is accompanied by a photo of the family who contributed it, and comes with helpful tips to ensure each recipe is a success.

“The Kristin Kitchen Cookbook represents a snapshot in time and is a keepsake for every member of the Kristin family,” said Pamela Peryman, Director of School Relations.

The guests at the Champagne High Tea spent a wonderful afternoon perusing the recipes and sampling the delights on offer and everyone agreed it was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. Executive Principal, Peter Clague and Chairman of the Board, Philippa Fee expressed their thanks to the sponsors and supporters of this project, the professionals who have produced such a fabulous publication and of course the committee members who have spent so much time on this project.

For those who were unable to attend the launch event, a series of High Teas will be held during November for Kristin families and the wider community. These are being run in conjunction with ‘the kristin kitchen’ Giftstore, and bookings can be made by contacting the school.

‘The Kristin Kitchen’ Cookbook $39
order by email Trudi Petrie tpetrie@kristin.school.nz

High Tea at ‘the kristin kitchen’ $35
2, 9, 16, 23, 30 November, bookings can be made by contacting Trudi Petrie tpetrie@kristin.school.nz