December 2013
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THE BulletinDecember 2013 The Magazine of the Nelson College Community 1 From the Headmaster Kia ora As Headmaster it is with a great deal of pride that I can report that 2013 has been another exceptional year in almost every area of College life. Our hosting of the QUAD tournament saw a large number of Old Boys visit the College and over 120 enjoyed an excellent dinner in the College Hall, catered by our Year 12 Food & Hospitality class. It was heartening to see a 40 years on reunion group as well as three separate 1st XV groups gathered to share memories and to celebrate their time at the College. The following are extracts from my Senior Prizegiving address which elaborate on some highlights:- SENIOR PRIZEGIVING ADDRESS 2013 has seen over 40 Boys honoured with BOT medallions and will take their place on the Honours Board recognizing their achievements of being selected for a NZ representative team, event, or winning a NZ title. They have achieved this level of distinction in a diverse and varied selection of academic areas, sporting codes or co-curricula activities. The Arts have continued to flourish. In music a multitude of outstanding performances both at College events and in the Community have occurred and we are fortunate to have Ms McDowell as the driving force as music remains at the centre of College life. In Drama, the highlight of the year was a quite stunning and innovative interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet written and directed by our Head of Drama Mr Walton, outstanding results were also recorded in Theatre sports and in the Shakespeare Festival, where once again a boy was selected as a NZ Shakespeare scholar and he will travel to London next year. In Maori Performing Arts Matua Wayne Hippolite's expertise ensured that Kapa Haka & Manu Korero groups continued to excel and finally in Visual Arts, NCEA results in the internal folios submitted were outstanding with close to a 100% pass rate with significant numbers of excellences. Academically overall our results in 2012 were perhaps our strongest in the past 30 years, particularly when we are compared regionally and nationally to schools of our type and decile. I believe our results for this year will be at a similar level if not higher. Academic highlights from 2012 include- a) Our pass rate at NCEA Level 3 being 80% which was over 20% + higher than that achieved by any other educators of boys in the Top of the South and an improvement of 25% on our own results at this level in 2006. b) Our 24 Scholarship passes exceeded the number of Scholarships attained by boys at such prestigious schools as St Andrews, Scots College, Wanganui Collegiate, CHCH Boys High, Otago Boys High and Kings College in Auckland. c) and finally in Trades education 317 boys working in courses such as Building and Construction, automotive engineering and electronics had an overall pass rate of 85% with Maori and Pasifika boys achieving a pass rate of 87%. It is often stated by high performing schools that "they can't be everything to everybody", schools achieving highly in Scholarship often in high decile areas shy away from investing in Trades or special needs education in a misguided belief that providing for the needs of one cohort of boys somehow will mean another cohort misses out. This is inexcusable and bereft of any vision for what a school can and should be. I am proud that we continue to do our very best for every boy who walks our corridors. I wish you all a joyous family Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Nga mihi nui Gary O'Shea MEd(Admin) – Headmaster Nelson College 2013 Headmaster Gary O'Shea Board of Trustees 2013 Deputy Head Chair Mr Dennis Christian and Acting Head T1 2013 Tim Tucker Deputy Chair Mr Jo Rainey Assistant Principal Ron Kelly Members Mr Tom Levien Assistant Principal (on leave Terms 2-4) Ms Gaye Evans (Boarding and International) Annette Taylor Mrs Pamela Ewan Assistant Principal John Prestidge Co-opted Mrs Janis de Thierry Assistant Principal Brian Hore Mr Max Spence Head Boy 2013 Jacob Bignell Staff Rep Mr Harvey Proctor Maori Head Boy 2013 Maru Kenny Student Rep Costa Simpson/Hugo Lawrence International Head Boy 2013 Tissanin Nipattasat Headmaster Mr Gary O'Shea Secretary Mrs Sandra Gargiulo College Roll: 1111 students including 177 boarders, 54 international students from 12 countries and 106 in Preparatory School. 2 From the Headmaster 13 Nelson College Trust Foundation Report on the year at Nelson College 14 School Days – The Way We Were 3-5 Nelson College Stories and photos on the year at 15 2012/13 Obituaries Nelson College Rest in Peace to all those that 6 Old Boys News have passed on. 7 Good Sports 16 Tournament News and photos on Old Boys achieving in a variety of sports Cover image: Charlie Norton (2009- 8-13 Old Boys' News 13) with Sir Ernest Rutherford CONTENTS Out and about with news from (1887-89). Charlie was one of only five NZ students selected by the Old Boys, visitors, books, honours > Royal Society of NZ to attend the prestigious London International To notify a change of address, to contact The Bulletin or to submit a story idea email [email protected] or phone 03 548 3099 Youth Science Forum. Photo courtesy of Martin de Ruyter, Fairfax. Editor: Gina Fletcher A sad farewell this year to two major contributors to the Bulletin magazine over the past 10 years – Sue Moir and Mark Dunstan. Thank you both for all your ideas, advice, willingness, expertise and fun in putting this Bulletin together – we will miss you both immensely. 2 The Bulletin is published by Anchor Print, Nelson College News NElSON COLLEGE PTA COllege Dux 2013 The Nelson College PTA is a committee of enthusiastic and interested parents and college staff who meet monthly. Deputy Principal, Tim Tucker, provides a management report at each meeting inviting questions and discussion. Our purpose is to have a positive influence on the College and the students. The majority of the funding available to the PTA comes from the Uniform Shop with the Annual Quiz Fundraiser also providing income to support the boys both in and out of the classroom. This year the quiz funds of $11500 have been earmarked for laptops, digital cameras and timber for new fives courts. The PTA is keen to assist as many students as we can when Oliver Coleman with Headmaster Gary O'Shea they represent Nelson College in their chosen field and consider all applications for assistance with Oliver Coleman was announced Dux at this years' Senior Prizegiving. Humble about his haul funding. We have a page on the Nelson College of achievements, he quietly gave credit to his mother Sandra Heney for most of his many website under the 'Our School' tab and 'PTA'. successes. "It was a busy year. I had something on most days after school," the 18-year-old Pam Ewan – PTA Chairperson 2013 said. But his mother was "ready to help at any time" throughout the year. The high achiever described himself as an academic first and foremost, but his love for music, which he said took up most of his little spare time, has also seen him succeed nationally. Oliver earned five College Cricket Fundraising Event academic awards for being the top student in five subjects: chemistry, physics, biology, calculus Friday 3 January 2014 and English. He also won five trophy awards for academic excellence and a medal from the board Nelson College's Cricket committee is of trustees for representing New Zealand in the pleased to announce Chris and Lance school's national title-winning brass band. Next Cairns (ex Black Caps) as guest speakers year he is off to live at Carrington Hall in Dunedin at a college cricket fundraising evening on where he will take on the highly competitive first- Friday, 3 January 2014 starting at 6pm. This year health science course, with goals of becoming event will be held at Nelson College, the a medical doctor. Excited about taking the next night prior to the one day international at step forward with his life, and toward a career, Saxton Oval – Black Caps v West Indies. Oliver said it was still strange to be leaving. "I've Tickets will be $25.00 per person and really enjoyed my time at Nelson College, it's a a BBQ with home-style burgers with really good school. The whole culture of school, salad plus beer, wine and non alcoholic the teachers, the students, everybody is really drinks will be available for purchase. friendly and nice. And yeah, it's just really cool. I For further information and ticket feel kind of sad to be leaving, all the people, my sales you can go to www.itson.co.nz or friends. But I'm also excited about moving on. I'm email to [email protected] keen to get out there and experience new things." or call 021-0795155. We wish him all the best. Senior prizegiving guest speaker Professor Article and photos courtesy of The Nelson Mail. Peter Lamb (1960-64) NZ RuGBY SECONDARY SCHOOlS Tasman Secondary School Tom Hill is a Yr13 student who was recently selected for the New Sports Awards Zealand Rugby Secondary Schools' team "It was an amazing NMIT Overall Sportsman of the Year experience to pull on a black jersey. The team were together for Mitchell Hunt for his contributions in nearly three weeks in Christchurch and Sydney, in late September/ rugby, rugby sevens and also touch rugby, early October.