PASTORAL CARE Somes House
Academic success Several boys deserve recognition for outstanding academic performance over the year. William Law (class of 2022) and Ethan Kepple (2023) were awarded NZQA Biology and English Scholarships, respectively, in 2022. Ethan deserves special recognition for gaining his Scholarship while in Year 12. James Drury’s performance in 2022 gained him his Gold Buttons, while Year 11 student Matthew Flint was awarded his Gold Christ’s College Diploma for 2022 with Academic Honours. This year, Matthew was joined by Ihaka Cate, Ryan Gu, Alex Johnston, and Gordon Wyness. Duke of Edinburgh The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award is growing in popularity at College, aided by the tireless work of Graeme Christey and David Newton, and the school’s partnership with the Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. This year, Morgan Clancy, Matthew Flint, Luka Legeay-Fisher, Manoj Solai, Tom Gardiner, Mikhail Huggins, Yannis Zhang, Eli Clarkson, Marcello Ferguson, and Liam Singer received their Bronze Awards. Ollie du Toit, Callum Gard, Ryan Gu, Samuel Belcher, and Gordon Wyness gained their Silver Awards, and James Drury earned a Gold Award – the highest non-academic award a young person can receive. Culture and music Many boys continued to perform at the highest levels in the cultural and musical spaces in 2023. The growth and embedding of biculturalism in the Christ’s College community allowed some students to develop their leadership skills within their own cultural identities. Armani Lemalu and Ihaka Cate were both recognised for service and leadership
in the kapa haka group, and these two were supported all year by fellow Somes boys Hoani Ifopo-Togia, Tawhiri Cate, and new student Alfie McLean. Andrew Welsh and Eric Kuo were awarded Honours Ties for their outstanding contributions to choral music, and James Burt and Finlay Sharpe continued to perform excellently in the College Big Band. Finlay was announced as Big Band leader for 2024, while James won the Somes House Prize for Culture and, alongside Blake McCarthy and Alex Johnston, received his Drama Honours Tie. Impressively, two Somes boys also won 1st and 2nd place honours in the annual Sedley Wells senior instrumental competition for 2023: Ryan Gu took 1st place (piano), with James Drury 2nd (French horn). Sport Several students received their Christ’s College Colours in recognition
Housemaster: Dr Tom Hawkins Deputy Housemaster/Mentor: Erin Rutherford Mentors: Kate Belton, Nikki Bleyendaal, Emma Bracken, Kerry Brockelbank, Steve Everingham Head of House: George Howard Deputy Head of House: Duncan Fletcher This year, there were some big changes for Somes House. Dr Tom Hawkins took over the role of Housemaster from Dr Craig Aitken and Erin Rutherford stepped into the position of Deputy Housemaster. Tom has been Deputy for the previous four years and, in that sense, knows the boys and House systems well, while Erin brings her experience with community service and a proven ability to mentor boys to become the best young men they can be. Somes also welcomed Claire Sparks and Kerry Brockelbank into the mentor community. Despite the changes in personnel, the warm, convivial atmosphere of Somes was maintained, with the boys being encouraged and supported to challenge themselves. This was particularly true for the 18 new students who joined the House in 2023. They are now an integral part of the Somes community, and many have experienced the joy of success in the blue jersey.
of exceptional and/or sustained sporting performance. Armani
Lemalu received Colours for athletics, Alex Stead for hockey, and Ihaka Cate and Hoani Ifopo-Togia for basketball. It is rare for a student to receive their Colours in Year 11, so Ihaka and Hoani deserve special applause. Outside school, Sam Nicholl continued to compete at a high level on the New Zealand freeride skiing circuit, Mikhail Huggins performed strongly in national
mountain-biking competitions, and Callum Gard maintained his
impressive performance as a flat-water kayaker and surf lifesaver at various competitions around the country. All of this goes to show the depth and breadth of sporting talent there is within the House, not all of which is recognised at school assemblies. Well done to all the Somes athletes and sportsmen this year.
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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