Sustainability is valued at Kristin and recently our students and staff were given the opportunity to reflect on the many ways we pursue sustainable practices in an Enviroschools reflection – a formal step in the process to become a Bronze Enviroschool.
Enviroschools is a facilitated Education for Sustainability programme, offered through Auckland Council, which is implemented through a whole-school approach to benefit the school and wider community. Students develop skills, understanding, knowledge and confidence through planning, designing and working towards creating a sustainable school.
In October, a group of Middle and Senior School students spent an entire morning showing Ms Morag Vasilaki, a Sustainable Schools representative, all the different ways Kristin aligns to the key Enviroschools principles. We were joined by Mr Tim Oughton, Board member Mr Geoff Walker and Kristin parent Mr Rodd Eddy as part of this event.
Ms Vasilaki commented on the vast array of actions, projects and systems that promote a healthy and well-cared-for community and environment that are in place here at Kristin. The Middle and Senior Schools have now been awarded the Bronze level, joining the Junior School which had already achieved this accreditation. Five students have now been selected to attend the Auckland Sustainable Schools event in December, where our award will formally be presented.
The Enviroschools principles require Kristin to focus on five key areas. These include carrying out sustainable practices, learning for sustainability in the curriculum, empowering students, embracing Māori perspectives and respecting diversity. Highlights of the Bronze reflection included a new student-led waste minimisation team; increased recycling of plastic, soft plastic and batteries; water quality testing in our local stormwater pond; the $80,000 raised in 2016 for charity groups and communities in need; a large number of student leadership teams and clubs – including a new political club – and much, much more.
Promoting the values of an Enviroschool and working our way to becoming a Green/Gold school (the highest accreditation within the programme) are key goals that many of our students, staff and families are striving for. The school is encouraged to include the whole community in this journey and we cannot reach a Green/Gold level without all members of our Kristin Community making a contribution and promoting best practices in sustainability. In 2018, our students and staff will be working towards meeting the standards of a Silver school, which will involve more recycling, adopting our local stream, promoting increased cultural connections and sharing more of what we do to inspire others.
Based on the classical tale by J M Barrie, the National Youth Theatre Company is proud to present a brand-new musical version of Peter Pan by writer-composer duo Jonathan Alver and James Doy, on stage at the Aotea Centre from 7 – 9 December. Alver (New Zealand Opera/West End) and Doy (New Zealand Musician of the Year 2014) have completely modernised the classic story. Wendy is now the hero of Neverland, and the show features 19 new original songs, the revival of forgotten Barrie characters such as Never Bird and the Mermaid, and a cast of 220 on stage.
This cast includes a number of Kristin students, and four were successful in securing lead roles amidst very strong competition in the auditions. All four students are passionate actors and thrive
on stage.
Alice Hanson, who recently won the iTicket Showdown award for the ‘Best Female Actress in a Musical’ for Kristin’s production of Westside Story, will play Wendy. Involved in NYTC since she was seven, Alice has played a number of lead roles with NYTC and has performed in over 15 shows at Kristin.
Mitchell Stable will play Smee – Captain Hook’s right-hand man. Mitchell has been acting at Kristin throughout all of his school years playing various lead roles. Peter Pan will be his first NYTC show.
Alisa D’Mello will play the role of Tootles, Peter Pan’s second-in-command. Like Alice, Alisa has been involved with NYTC for many years and has enjoyed playing various lead roles. Alisa also played Susan Parks, the funny ballet girl in the Auckland Theatre Company’s 2016 9-week season of Billy Elliot the Musical.
William Abel will play Lost Boy ‘Slightly’. Peter Pan will be William’s second NYTC show. Earlier this year he also performed in the New Zealand Opera’s Carmen as one of the urchins.
The concept of a self-sufficient canoe expedition for 21 days in the wilderness of the Whanganui National park is one of intrepid exploration, adventure and intrigue. And, over three weeks at the end of Term 3, 24 brave Year 9 students embraced the challenge wholeheartedly as they embarked on Odyssey 21 2017; a three-week adventure in self-sufficiency, bush craft and survival along the length of the Whanganui River.
Split into two groups of twelve and accompanied by two instructors per group, the students worked with the Department of Conservation, local iwi and private landowners on service and conservation projects. They weathered wild spring storms and icy blasts, hunted and gathered their own food, trapped pests, met locals and designed their own journey to the Whanganui River mouth.
Their vessel of choice was a traditional two-man 16-17ft open canoe; its versatility when carrying large loads, stability, and manoeuvrability made it the perfect option for the novice paddlers. The Kristin Base Camp was manned throughout the journey, with the teams checking in daily via mountain radio with updates on their plans for the coming days and supply requests. While the teams had the same overarching objectives, there was little interaction between the two. Independent river and land excursions meant that both groups followed their own path, embarking on adventures as they came upon them in the wilderness.
Resilience and self-management played a significant part in their adventures and it was great to see the students stepping up when faced with challenging situations unlike anything they’d experienced before. In the early days of the trip the groups took part in firearms training and a bout of target shooting. Hunting and gathering was a big part of the intrepid experience and over the course of the three weeks, the students became adept at brewing up goat curry and many came home bearing the fruits of their labour in the form of their very own goat and possum pelts.
Throughout the trip the students were challenged socially, intellectually, physically, emotionally and creatively by both the natural consequences of the wilderness environment and the requirements of their activities. Ultimately, the journey was a success thanks to the way the students embraced the unknown with an open mind and invested their efforts in developing a comprehensive new skill set. Increased self-awareness, both as individuals and as a group, was a natural consequence of the adventure and the students who disembarked from the bus on their return to Auckland were markedly different from those who set out three weeks earlier.
E rere kau mai te awanui, mai i te kahui maunga ki tangaroa. Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
The river flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the river and the river is me.
Jono Taylor
Teacher-in-Charge, Odyssey 21 2017
