finale of this competition, as always it was very special to be able to perform together in a competitive setting. Carols on the Quad on 1 December was a huge success, and it was great to be back on the Quad with a live audience after our Covid-19-restricted indoor live-streamed service in 2021. As well as performing all the usual much-loved carols, with Marcello Ferguson taking the solo for Once in Royal David’s City , the choir also performed Sing Lullaby, with a solo from Ollie Jones and string and percussion accompaniment, Behold That Star with Oscar Gosling, Tom Whittaker, and Oscar Stove having solos, and A Maiden Most Gentle . Additionally, after performing it in 2021, this year we again sang Hodie utilising brass players from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra to accompany the choir, along with percussion and organ to produce a very powerful and enjoyable performance. I will take this time to say a massive thank you to Director of Music Robert Aburn the undoubted glue of the Chapel Choir, as well as Assistant Director and Organist Nicholas Sutcliffe. No amount of thanks can show my appreciation to these incredible people and the time, energy and resources they invest into the Chapel Choir. It is no easy feat coordinating 85-odd teenage boys, and it has been a pleasure working alongside them this year to scale this challenge. I place my full trust in next year’s Head of Choir Alex Law, his deputies Ed Nye and Tom Foster, and the entire Year 13 cohort to lead the Chapel Choir in 2023 and continue to build on the progress made in 2022. I look forward to seeing what the choir achieves in the years to come. James Griffin Head of Chapel Choir ENVIRONMENT It has been another successful year for the Environment committee. Following on from the successes of the previous year, the committee has done well to further advance College’s
strategic theme of sustainability. Our most marked achievement has been the new carbon reporting system. This gives students information on how much carbon dioxide is being produced by the school, and where this is occurring. A key theme for the committee this year has been about raising awareness of environmental issues in the world around us. This included speeches from me, Oscar Compton-Moen and Thomas Currie about our local environment, the school’s carbon output and the current palm oil crisis in south-east Asia. A highlight was the school-wide Kahoot! hosted during assembly, testing everyone’s knowledge on the environment. As part of our work to raise awareness for the school’s carbon footprint, the committee helped advocate for the employment of a “carbon emissions officer”. This year, we have laid the groundwork for identifying which areas of the school are the most problematic, and where there is the most room for improvement. However, the committee lacks the ability to efficiently create tangible change at an executive level, hence the need for an emissions officer. We firmly believe that the appointment of an emissions officer would positively impact on College’s effect on the environment. This report would be incomplete without mentioning Eco-Action and the work it has done this year.
Over my time at College, Eco-Action has flourished from a small start- up into a large network of dozens of schools, all working together to grow trees for our local community. There have been multiple Sunday plantings in the red zone this year. Many different schools participate in these plantings, and it was great to see so many College students getting amongst it and putting in the mahi. The trees we have planted this year will help rebuild habitat for native flora and fauna, and act as a carbon sink. The high turnout rate of College students this year is, in part, due to the new College Diploma, which includes specific components encompassing environmentalism and service. This has been our best year yet, with more than 18,000 trees planted, and the groundwork being laid for more than 30,000 trees in 2023. I would like to thank David Newton for his tireless work on this project. His drive and work ethic have been inspirations for me and many others in the community. I would like to thank the committee for their good work this year and, in particular, Thomas Currie. Thomas has been instrumental in achieving our goals this year, and his passion and commitment will be sorely missed in the future. Lastly, I would like to wish Ben Donaldson all the best as the new leader of the committee. I know he has the drive and the ability to get things done, and I look forward to
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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