the start of a War Gaming Club, run by Eli Clarkson, that has met in the library twice a week during Term 1. They have used miniatures and dice to reenact World War II battles, though often with different outcomes to history. It has brought together students from different year levels, and it has been incredible to hear the boys discuss the intricacies of various tanks or troop movements. Their love of history and knowledge have really shone. After giving the School House library a refresh last year, we have gone even further with the other boarding Houses this year. Flower’s House kicked it off by asking for library staff help with book selection before the Easter holidays, and after talking with library staff, it was decided to fully redevelop the library. I spent the Easter holidays scouring secondhand bookshops to find modern YA and children’s books to create the foundation of a new collection. Monique Ellis-Martin raised funds from several families so that the rest of the library could be filled with new releases, chosen by the boys. Richards House got their refresh during Terms 3 and 4, with students choosing the types of books they wanted on the shelf and me doing my best to find them. The Flower’s House library refresh was well timed to meet the needs of House Reading, and the students came incredibly close to winning this year. However, Richards took 1st place for the second year in a row, with both boarding Houses racing away from their rivals. House Reading was shortened to just Term 2 this year. We can expect more changes next year as we consider the best ways to inspire boys to read more. We also ran a Readers’ Raffle across Terms 3 and 4 to reward students who finished books. The other big competitions of the year were against other schools. Our Year 9 Reader’s Cup team of Tom Kerr, Felix Liu, Tom Eyre-Walker, and James Reed did respectably at the regional competition at Tuˉranga. The team was coached by Year 10 students Michael Rankin and
Tate Aikawa, who shouldered the responsibility admirably. The Year 10 Battle of the Bibliophiles team of Bill Cross, Marcello Ferguson, Oscar Stove, Eli Clarkson, Ericsson Ye, Max Durkin, and William Butler was unfortunately disadvantaged by technical problems on the day of their competition. We were proud to see that, despite the setbacks, they maintained morale and finished in the middle of the pack in the national competition. Our biggest change this year has been in our staff. Library Assistant Libby Stevens left us to return to full-time work, and while we were happy for her, it was still sad to lose the knowledge and drive she brought to the role. Fortunately, we were able to find a great replacement in Rose Calvert, who holds a Diploma in Library and Information Studies. Emma Stilwell HoD Library
In the intermediate division for Years 10–11 students, Sam Bennett, Jack Hastie, and Ericsson Ye were awarded High Distinction. In the senior division for Years 12–13 students, Sean Jang was awarded High Distinction. The following students gained Distinction awards, recognising their responses in the top 15% of results for Years 9–11 and top 20% of results for Years 12–13. Year 9 James Anderson, Alex Johnstone, Felix Liu, Luke Mostert, Lucas Zhang Years 10–11 Logan Ainsworth, Tomas Coberger, Bill Cross, Ryan Gu, Aaron Kwak, Paddy Newton, JJ Wada, David Wayne Years 12–13 Samuel Cross Australian Mathematics Competition The Australian Mathematics Competition is an annual fixture involving students from more than 30 countries. It is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ everyday lives. High Distinction is awarded to students whose results place them in the top 3% of results in the country. This was awarded to Ericsson Ye in Year 10 and Sean Jang in Year 13. The following students gained Distinction awards, recognising their responses in the top 20% of results for Years 9–11 and top 25% of results for Years 12–13. Year 9 Baxter Bretherton, William Coughlan, Hugh Davis, Tom Eyre- Walker, Angus Laing, Lucas Zhang Year 10 Bill Cross, Charlie de Costobadie, Jackson Douglas, Bill Li, Paddy Newton, Michael Rankin, JJ Wada, Yannis Zhang Year 11 Sam Bennett, Jack Hastie, Alex Johnston, Aaron Kwak, Mike Ma
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS Staffing matters
Staffing in the Mathematics & Statistics Department remained stable for the year. Department staff have had additional responsibilities across the school in both the pastoral and academic fields. This diversity will no doubt have a beneficial effect on the place of the department across the school in the years to come. Mathematics competitions College students have gained a pleasing array of results in our regular competitions again this year, competing locally, nationally, and internationally. Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) The KSF competition is inspired by the AMT’s Australian Mathematics Competition, and is now the largest maths competition in the world, with more than 6 million participants each year. A High Distinction certificate is awarded to a student who is in the top 3% of their year and region for juniors and top 5% for their year and region for seniors.
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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