Mind, Body & Spirit in Balance
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NOVEMBER 2019 NOVEMBER OwAN EYE ON THE ST PETER’S COMMUNITYl Mind, Body & Spirit in Balance OwAN EYE ON THE ST PETER’S COMMUNITYl The Owl Magazine is published two times a year by the St Peter’s Communications Office. The school crest was chosen by Broadhurst and Beaufort. ACTING EDITOR Beaufort, a clergyman, suggested the idea of the St Peter’s Ruth Crampton key to heaven and hell. Broadhurst came up with the suggestion of an owl, symbolic of Minerva the Goddess DESIGN & LAYOUT of Wisdom. It seemed quite logical for the owl to hold the Kath Carmody keys in its beak and this image would be emblazoned on a red shield. St Matthew’s Gospel is the inspiration for ADVERTISING [email protected] the school’s motto, Structa Saxo, meaning ‘Founded on a Rock’. ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my ENROLMENTS church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ [email protected] ALUMNI RELATIONS [email protected] PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION [email protected] NEXT ISSUE May 2020 CONNECT WITH US 2020 CALENDAR + 64 7 827 9899 30 January Term 1 commences [email protected] 21 February Athletics Day www.stpeters.school.nz 24 February Leave Day 23 March Leave Day STPETERSschNZ 27 March Open Day 9 April Term 1 concludes 28 April Term 2 commences 1-7 May Senior Production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 2 June Leave Day 12 June Fieldays 19 June Open Day 26 June Term 2 concludes COVER IMAGE Annabel Chapman and Bronwen Rees-Jones, both Year 7s, represent ST PETER'S l CAMBRIDGE St Peter's at AIMS Games Years 7–13 l Co-educational l Day & Boarding l NCEA and IB Diploma Pathways Contents 4 4 Mind, Body & Spirit 12 International in Balance Baccalaureate 7 Looking out for 15 School House Number One Upgrade 9 Farewell to St Peter’s 15 Flexible Boarding from Head Boy and Head Girl 16 Science Successes 10 Te Whare Tapa Wha A Holistic Approach 17 YES Inspires Students 18 Flag Day 20 The Pied Piper of St Peter’s 10 21 Kataraina Ormsby receives Te Arawa Honour 2 22 National Youth Art Awards Success 24 Once Upon a Time lived an ogre named Shrek. 30 26 Speaking Your Language 28 Aspiring to Dance 42 AIMS Games 30 Giving the Gift of Education 43 Year 7 and 8 School Exchanges 33 A Bonnie Set Of Awards 44 Girls Premier Basketball Brilliance 33 Rocking into the Regional Finals 46 Tournament Week Action 34 Tu Maia Makes her Directing Debut 48 1st XI Boys Hockey 37 Life Is A Highway 49 Clay Races Into New 38 New Director of Sport Zealand History Appointed 50 Sporting Codes Raise 39 Netball News $40,000 52 ISNZ Acknowledge 40 1st XI Setting and 44 Smashing Goals Staff 41 An Interview with 54 US Scholarship Jamie Searle Recipient Amy Butler 56 Alumna Combats Longest Horse Race in the World 58 2019 Graduands 34 www.stpeters.school.nz 3 Mind, Body & Spirit in Balance 4 The importance of a genuine holistic experience is one of the many features of a St Peter’s education. In previous OWLs I have addressed the importance that the arts, academia, wellbeing, leadership and our special Christian character plays in the nurturing of each student. Sport is also part of that holistic experience, not only for the life skills learnt through dedication and competition, but for the fun and camaraderie of the game. Elite secondary school sport is Sport New Zealand recently known that involvement in sport something that we hear so much released some findings that showed assists academic performance, about that some would say that children were being driven away encourages students into too much is made of top-end from sport and suggested some leadership positions, encourages secondary school sport and strategies to keep them in it. competition and keep students, that the emphasis on it is out of particularly boys, out of trouble. Having fun in sport is really proportion with what it actually is - important. Parents play a major One of the key life skills taught teenage sport. part in this and the recent Sport NZ by sport is discipline. The need to Coverage of secondary school report does not place enough of a follow rules and structures, show sport in the media reflects the priority on the influence of parents. respect to other people, the need gender and traditional sport bias Many kids stop playing sport when to be on time, wear the correct that adult sport does. That is, they stop enjoying it. For some equipment, prepare properly and major coverage of male sports and reason, many parents and coaches recover properly, are all skills that rugby. There seems to be a lack of I have seen over the years, seem will stand students in good stead willingness to make a concerted convinced that sport can either be throughout their lives. effort to give women and girls competitive or fun but not both. The quality of the adults who their fair share of coverage. Living Anyone who thinks fun is not part coach, manage and mentor is in New Zealand during the Rugby of competing does not understand very important. These are the World Cup, you could be excused children or sport. people who make sure that the for thinking that all other sport Sports teams are full of children attitudes and values of the school had come to a standstill while this that want to play well and have are maintained. In this sense competition was on. fun. Sometimes as parents we do school sport is an extension of the The desire to become a things to take the enjoyment out classroom. While some would argue professional sportsperson is an of sport for our children. Some that top teenage players need to be admirable goal, but only realistic of these things include coaching coached at a higher level at a club, for a fraction of those that seek it. It from the side-line - even when we I strongly believe that students are is important for those athletes that are not the coach, - disrespecting best nurtured in a school sporting school provides a balance where officials, questioning the coach, environment by those who know education of the whole person is commenting on other children’s and understand the school context a priority, and where they are able efforts, and making the ride in the and, most importantly, the young to grow and learn by trying new car to and from the game a pre or people in their care. things. post-game team talk. If we want Our founder established this school our children to stay in sport then Over the years there has been with a focus on a holistic education we must remember that, first and increasing pressure for students that included sport. I am sure he foremost, it is about having fun with to specialise earlier in one sport. looks down on us, very pleased with their friends. There is research that points to the offering at St Peters in 2019 - a the benefits of children playing Secondary school sport needs to full programme of sport that caters more than one sport in their early be accessible for all students of all for all abilities. Where life’s lessons years. However, one size does not abilities as it plays a broader role are learned, where girls have the fit all. There are plenty of children in our schools. It is a vehicle for same opportunities as boys and that just like playing one type of us to make students better young where, at its core, is a competitive game and I don’t think that it does people. The important processes approach that involves having fun any harm to them. I think it’s the that occur in training, on the field, with your mates. intensity and pressure put on them on the court or, on and in the water Dale Burden from rep coaches, parents and make a difference to a teenager’s Principal others that causes the problems, development. Apart from the not how many sports they play. obvious physical benefits, it is well www.stpeters.school.nz 5 6 Looking out for Number One won’t deliver on its promises Last year the New Zealand Herald published an article, “Losing faith: Why fewer New Zealanders are attending church”. This, of course, is of no great surprise. There is, however, an interesting question that comes from this decline - ‘From a community perspective, is this good or bad?’ Putting aside the church’s good, bad and ugly past, most people would agree that the teaching of Christianity’s central figure, Jesus Christ, has heavily influenced the culture of western civilisation – “Love your neighbour”, “Love your enemy”, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and the ANZAC service favourite “There is no greater love than this: to lay down your life for another”. Throughout Jesus’ ministry he, placed other people’s best interests at the heart of what he was trying to achieve. He called on his followers to do the same. Since the 1980s, self-esteem gurus Upon the dawn of creation, God ourselves. This teaching naturally such as Robert Ringer, who wrote said: ‘It is not good for man to be confronts our egos, as well as Looking out for No.1, have argued alone.’ (Genesis 2:18). As we reflect many of the self-help books that that success, wealth and pleasure upon Jesus’ guiding comments focus solely on developing self.