At the beginning of the July school holidays, 17 students, four parent helpers and I flew to Queenstown and then travelled on to Wanaka for fun and training on the snow at Cardrona Alpine Resort. The students participated in a variety of different training programmes. Some chose ski racing, some freestyle training, while others opted for ski school lessons and experiencing the mountain in general. We were blessed with fresh snow while we were down there and the two-week trip saw students on the snow for 10 days, with a two day break away from the mountain in the middle.
The first rest day was a day trip to Queenstown with three of the students doing the Kawarau bungee and another 10 doing the zip line. The trip was busy for all involved with early starts and two lessons a day on the snow. Everyone had a great time and really improved their skills on skis or snowboards. A huge thanks to the parents who helped out and made the trip a great success!
Brent Goldsworthy - Teacher in Charge - Snowsports
Seniors Technology Day
The Senior School Service Committee hosted its annual Seniors Technology Day in partnership with Age Concern in late June. Students helped to teach seniors how to successfully use iPhones, iPads and laptops and solve technology related issues or problems.
Twenty-seven people attended the event with students available to help with any questions. There was a 1-to-1 ratio of students to seniors which meant every senior got undivided attention from the technology-savvy students. An afternoon tea was provided to break up all the hard work and have time to chat together. The event was a great success with everyone who attended thrilled with the guidance they had been given.
Max Osborne, Year 13
Senior Service Committee Chair
International Peace Night Concert
Kristin’s International Peace Night is an annual student performance showcase celebrating the rich cultural diversity and inclusivity in our school community. The shows in June included Scottish bagpipes, Chinese folk music, Japanese drums, Spanish guitar, Russian singing, the Korean Fan Dance and more, and cultural food was available during the intermission breaks.
Kristin’s UNESCO Club and International Students Committee are responsible for organising the event and this year’s shows recognised the victims of the Christchurch terror attack and their families with all proceeds being donated to the Christchurch Muslim community.
“Many of us have come from other places ourselves or have parents who chose Aotearoa as their own. We viewed this year’s International Peace Night as an expression of cross-cultural solidarity as well as of our diversity, and through it we hope to help foster growth in both our school community and country as we move forward as a nation,” said Year 13 student Elinor Graham, UNESCO Club and International Students Committee.
Kristin Excels at Auckland History Bee & Bowl!
This year was the first time Kristin competed in the internationally accredited Auckland History Bee & Bowl and in true Kristin fashion our students came away decorated with silverware. In the History Bowl, all our teams placed highly with our two junior division teams placing first and third while our senior division team competed in the semi-finals. Our winning team comprised Muka Thompson, Kevin Wei, Jason Yang, Haochen Wang, and Eric Zhang. In the individual History Bee, Benji Bramah won thirdplace in the senior division and Muka Thompson won first place in the junior division. Congratulations to Benji and Muka and all of our competing students.
We would also like to thank our wonderful supervising teacher Ms Moses who made it all happen, as well as the parent helpers who did a fantastic job scoring and cheering our students on. Go Kristin!
Kevin Wei, Year 11
Yes, we can sing!
Congratulations to our two Year 9-13 choirs, Euphony and Boystrous! Both choirs were recognised with prizes in June for excellence at the NZCF Big Sing Auckland regional competition. From 72 choirs entered, Euphony was awarded trophies for Best A Cappella Performance, Best Recital by a Female Choir, and Most Outstanding Performance of a Single Work (out of 219 songs at the festival). And the amazing Boystrous won a Performance Prize for most captivating performance. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Hockey Successes
Kristin Hockey continues to punch above its weight with the selection of Connor Greentree (class of 2017) into the NZ U21 squad which will attend the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia later in the year. Connor was an outstanding player here at Kristin, being the top goal scorer at the Rankin Cup in 2017.
Congratulations to our Girls 1st XI which has qualified for the tenth year in a row in the top Auckland citywide competition following the initial North Harbour Schools round, meaning the team now plays the top Auckland schools in the next part of the season. This followed two hard-fought wins over Carmel College and Takapuna Grammar School.
New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge
On Wednesday 3rd July, a group of four Year 11 students attended the New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge North Island Final at the University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research. The New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge is a competition for Year 11 students to learn about the brain and its functions, discover the latest discoveries in neuroscience research, dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses and find out about the exciting career opportunities brain research has to offer.
To get invited to attend the North Island final, our students had to study for and pass a neuroscience test in Term One. At the finals, students enjoyed a mixture of independent and group neuroscience quizzes, as well as a visit to the anatomy specimens lab, a talk about future study and careers in neuroscience, and lab work learning about DNA and Huntington's Disease.
