College – Issue 36

CHRIST’S COLLEGE MAGAZINE

ISSUE 36 SUMMER 2019

ISSUE 36 Contents

Prize-giving

Sport

College Dux

04 07 08 09 14

Success in summer sport

60 68 71

Proxime Accessit

Hamburgers, sightseeing – and football

2019 University Scholarships

Cricket festival and top scorer

Prize-giving 2018 Senior prize-giving

Virtues

Jesus was an Anglican and you can be too

74 75

Academic

Old Boy, parent, Warden, Bishop

Head and Deputy Head Prefects 2019 NZQA Scholarship Awards for 2018

17 20 21 22 24

Heritage

At their best

Maria founds the Somes Scholarships

Centre for Teaching Excellence & Research

New faces

News & Events

Boarding

Old Boy and teacher Peter Hewson retires

80 82 83

A warm welcome to...

Evolving boarding brotherhood

26 29

Grant Fowlds – Rhino Conservationist

2019 Head of Boarding

Development

Community & Service

An enchanting space A special bequest

84 85 86 87 88 89

Happy campers and life lessons 31 Serving the community – with muscles and humour 34 Greening the Red Zone and stopping the drafts 36

Jerry Rowberry Sports Scholarship Fund

A fine College pedigree

The finish line

Culture

“On the Couch” with our sponsors

Much Ado About Nothing Filmmakers in the spotlight

38 44 45 46

The Quadrangle

George and Bruce in tune at music competition

From the President Old Boys’ Posters

92 94 96 98 99

When music is centre stage

Leadership and innovation in agriculture Robbie rolls out experience and wisdom

Internationalism

College self-awareness under the spotlight

48 49 50 51 53

Reunion reports

Brother schools, firm friends

Branch & community events

103 107 108 108

Deutschland exchange a unique experience

A pioneering scientist

Trailblazer at Tonbridge

What's on – CCOBA 2019/2020 Calendar

More formality, growing independence

Deaths

Character, Wellbeing & Positive Education

Intergrating health, wellbeing, character and leadership

54 56

A journey of growth and discovery

GARTH WYNNE From our Executive Principal

This edition of College looks at the life of the school in the last six months, during which the terrible events of Friday 15 March took place. That date is now one of infamy and can never be forgotten. As we see all we achieve and celebrate in College , as a community we must ask ourselves the deep question of how, within the culture of this iconic New Zealand school, we can ensure the fundamental issues of racism, religious intolerance and bigotry are never a part of the College experience. As we experience the light we must use it to expose the dark and act. The answer lies in what we say and what we do. It lies in how we express ourselves, how we respond when we hear racist slurs or bullying remarks, or the mocking joke that supports a stereotype. It lies in whether we stand by or step up when we see something wrong, and whether we

accept as “acceptable” that which we know to be fundamentally against the core Christian virtues of College. Such obligations apply to everyone who sees themselves as part of the College community: students, parents, staff, Old Boys and friends of the school. If there was ever a time when Christ’s College as a community made a statement for who and how we are in our relationships and aspirations it is now, as it is for everyone in New Zealand. Please enjoy College ... a celebration of diversity as strength.

Garth Wynne Christ’s College Executive Principal

Christ’s College Magazine Issue 36, Summer 2019

Director of Admissions, Marketing & Communications: Claire Sparks +64 3 364 6803 csparks@christscollege.com

College Magazine Writers: Jocelyn Johnstone jcjohnstone@christscollege.com Catherine Hurley churley@christscollege.com Graphic Designer: Melissa Hogan +64 3 364 8655 mhogan@christscollege.com

Change of Address: Admissions Registrar

Sarah Fechney +64 3 364 6836 registrar@christscollege.com

Printing : Caxton

WILLIAM (WILLS) WYNN THOMAS College Dux 2018

Although being recognised as Dux was never Wills Wynn Thomas’s primary target or motivation, he always aimed as high as possible in his academic work, saying the award came as results of this effort. “It was never my explicit goal. My goal was simply to achieve the best result I could, so I always tried my hardest, whatever I was doing,” said the recipient of the Wacher Prize for Academic Head of School. With Mathematics his favourite subject, and a self-confessed love of all the sciences, Physics in particular, Wills was also well versed in English and possessed a formidable reputation as a debater, was a gifted chorister and musician, an impressive goalkeeper for the 2nd XI, and the school’s Academic Prefect. scholarships at Auckland University, the Australian National University in Canberra and at Cambridge University in England. Cambridge won out, with Wills learning in March 2019 that he has been awarded the Sir Douglas Myers Scholarship to study at Gonville and Caius College. He will be doing the Mathematical Tripos – the Cambridge Mathematics course – beginning in October. He credits Christ’s College with providing him with the platform and the impetus to succeed. His primary loves though saw him contemplating accepting

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“All my teachers have been amazing and have put in a huge amount of time to enable my success.” He takes some special memories of College with him on his tertiary adventures. “The first are the fun and endearing memories of good times with friends. The choir tours to Italy and

Spain in Year 9 and to Germany and Austria in Year 12 were absolutely fantastic. “But the less remarkable memories of everyday banter and solidarity with friends will probably stick with me the longest. “The other types of memories are the moments of pride – in an

“Most fundamentally College has given me opportunities – to learn, to compete, to prove myself and to experience new things. All schools provide opportunities for students, but what makes College special to me is its ability to do so in many different areas. So you can be an academic, but also a musician, a sportsperson, a debater and a leader.

Cambridge, here he comes

Old Boy and 2018 Dux Wills Wynn Thomas will start studying for the Mathematical Tripos course at Cambridge University, England, in October. He has won the prestigious Sir Douglas Myers Scholarship which provides tuition, college fees and a living allowance and is worth $60,000 per annum. The scholarship was established by the late Sir Douglas Myers 18 years ago for academically gifted students intending to return to New Zealand to become leaders in their chosen fields. Wills, 17, is keen to inspire other young people with a love for Science.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my mathematical and scientific education, but it saddens me to see that many students cannot say the same. I believe that students are repelled from science because, in many cases, it is taught in an unapproachable manner with a curriculum that often lacks the ability to engage young minds. “New Zealand needs to work on its education system if this is to improve – whether through returning to New Zealand with the experience required to advise on curriculum changes or by publicly promoting science and demonstrating its endless capacity to fascinate, inspire and enrich, I would like to make this improvement happen.”

College Issue 36 2019

individual sense, but more so in a collegial sense, such as at prize- givings where I’ve been able to look back at what I’ve achieved and also at what the school and my peers have achieved. I’ll look back on the mutual feeling of respect and camaraderie at these events fondly. Or after getting a good result as part of a team, like in a choir, debating team or sports team.” During his years at College, Wills was a chorister from Year 9, also singing in Schola Cantorum and playing oboe in the orchestra and for chamber groups. He was head of Orchestra as well as Deputy Head of Chapel Choir and Head of Schola Cantorum. He played tennis in summer and football in winter, winning the 2nd XI Footballers’ Footballer award in 2018. His passion for debating began in Year 9 and developed to see him competing in the regional competition which College won in 2017. He was twice selected for Canterbury representative teams and twice won the most notable speaker award. Wills has some simple advice for all College boys, not just those on an academic pathway. “Keep integrity in all that you do. Reflect what you say and believe in your actions. Successwill come as a pleasant by product of giving your all.” Wills Wynn Thomas

“Keep integrity in all that you do. Reflect what you say and believe in your actions. Success will come as a pleasant by product of giving your all. “Don’t give up, whatever it is you’re doing. Always try to look at things in a positive way. I think it’s easy to be cynical about bad results, but if you do this, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Give your genuine best effort and remember that different people have different talents.” He says his inspiration while at College was Stephen Hawking “for his incredible defiance in the face

of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the contributions he’s made to humanity and his character.” He also expressed gratitude to his teachers, Housemaster, coaches and other staff members for all they had done for him, and to his friends for being “amazing.” “Most significantly though, I’m grateful to my family for being an unfaltering source of support and love.”

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GEORGE MURRAY Proxime Accessit 2018

From classical to jazz to rock, music has played

a big role in George Murray’s enjoyment

of College life, and his academic pursuits over five years have provided the stimulus for his success. “I love my music, but I take my academic work seriously, and that balance between the two has worked well.” Add a liberal dash of sport – tennis, basketball and skiing – and George’s College life has been complete. From 2019 he will be studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and Science at the University of Canterbury, a new four-year conjoint degree which will allow him to major in finance and philosophy. His band mates from the award- winning College rock band Run77 will be there too, and he expects opportunities will continue to open for the group in that setting. A Chapel Prefect, George sang in the Chapel and College choirs and says although he started as a classical musician (he gained his ATCL in piano in 2018), jazz, rock and producing music on his laptop have been natural progressions. He says Director of Music Robert Aburn is great with the choirs, and he thanks rock band tutor Nolan Hungerford for his strengths in contemporary music and “for motivating so many young guys to create rock bands.” George believes his future career will be a combination of practical and theoretical, and doesn’t confine

himself to any single field. “I don’t know what will be out there, but as I learn there will be opportunities to explore, so my future will reveal itself.” He believes life is about taking all the opportunities that are handed to you. “At College you don’t realise all the opportunities you are given, so my advice to students is to take advantage of everything on offer, push yourself out of your comfort zone. You don’t lose anything by

discovering you don’t particularly enjoy it!” Highlights of 2018 were some of the gigs he played with Run77, and taking part in the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Challenge for Scholarship Economics. “I want to thank my teachers – the commitment they show is incredible. They have given me great support and backing. I was that person, particularly when I was younger, who asked as many questions as possible!”

College Issue 36 2019

CELEBRATING OUR 2019 University Scholarships

Congratulations to the Year 13 students who were offered university scholarships for tertiary study in 2019.

Jisu Kim University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship

Sam Darry University of Canterbury Emerging Leaders’ Scholarship Wills Wynn Thomas University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship Sam Howard University of Canterbury College of Business & Law Award for Excellence Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship (School Leavers Scholarship for Excellence) Thomas Walker Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship (School Leavers Scholarship for Excellence) Thomas Stewardson Victoria Tangiwai Scholarship (School Leavers Scholarship for Excellence) Mars Yang University of Canterbury Undergraduate Entrance Scholarship Frank Kim University of Otago Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship

Han-Young Kim Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship

Jayavi Premaratne University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship Alex Hlavac University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship Josh Ting University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship Fawzan Sugarwala University of Otago Academic Excellence Scholarship University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship Zac Cran University of Otago Performance Entrance Scholarship George Murray University of Canterbury College of Business & Law Award for Excellence University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Andreas Nicholaou University of Otago Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship Kurtis Weeks University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship Patrick Thacker Lincoln University Sports Scholarship

Dylan Heap Tennis Scholarship, University of Minnesota Amhlaoibh Porter Lincoln University Sports Scholarship Josh Murison University of Canterbury AIMS Scholarship

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MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS Prize-giving 2018

Citations from Deputy Principal Rob Donaldson

Sam Idiens

Junior Sportsman of the Year This year's recipient has had a very successful year at school, provincial and national level, in a number of sports. At College, Sam is captain of the Colts cricket team, a member of the U14 rugby team, and also in the U15 basketball team which won the Canterbury U15 title and finished 4th in the South Island. Sam is this year's College U14 athletics and cross country champion. He was 3rd in the school swimming sports for his age group. Regionally, he won the Canterbury U14 triathlon championship and two South Island athletics titles, breaking the 3000m record in the process. Sam is also a member of the Canterbury U15 cricket Metro squad. Nationally, at the schools’ triathlon championships, Sam was 3rd in the Year 9 road race, 2nd in the individual race, 1st in the U14 aquathon and 1st in the U16 tag team triathlon. This is an impressive sporting resume. Senior Sportsman of the Year The recipient of this award has significant achievements in rowing and rugby. Sam was a member of the College U18 eight which finished the season by winning the Maadi Cup. Prior to this, the squad had won medals at the Canterbury and South Island club championships and South Island schools’ finals. Sam then went on to captain the 1st XV. During the season he achieved 50 matches for the team, which is a rare feat at this level. The team succeeded in reaching the UC Championship final for the first time since 2002, as well as winning the Quadrangular Tournament. Outside school, Sam has been a member of the Crusaders Junior Knights, playing matches against the Chiefs and Hurricanes U18 sides, and was selected for the New Zealand secondary schools’ rugby side. He started the test match against Australia and was the on-field captain for a while against the Australian Barbarians. He was awarded the best all-round young sportsman who has achieved in more than one sporting code at the annual Zonta Sports Awards. Sam Darry

College Issue 36 2019

Sam Blake

Executive Principal’s Prize for Service Our first recipient of this prestigious service award is a young man who has given exceptional service to the school in the area of character and leadership. At the beginning of the year Sam displayed the perfect example of how to cope with disappointment when, having missed out on a prefect’s role, he showed initiative by volunteering to assist the development of the new Year 9 and 10 character and leadership programme. He provided ideas and feedback on this programme, and a valuable student's perspective. He also helped organise and run the Year 12 Emerging Leaders’ conference. His unselfish work throughout the year has contributed to the establishment of the new 2019 prefect role of Head of Character & Leadership. He has also clearly displayed the College graduate attributes of “confidence and humility” as well as “the capacity to lead and follow”. Executive Principal’s Prize for Service The role of the Deputy Head Prefect is challenging, insofar as he has to support the Head Prefect as well as develop his own leadership portfolio. This year, Toby has done all of this admirably. He played an important role in fostering student voice at College, especially in chairing the Student Senate and helping to run assemblies. He was the student in charge of the senior ball and handled this with great maturity, diligence and skill. He was an effective delegator in this role. He has been heavily involved in boarding, sport and culture at College and is a very capable scholar. For these reasons, he has been a fine role model to younger students. He has been a loyal servant to the school and has contributed above and beyond the scope of his leadership role. Toby Brooker-Haines

Junie Wee

Executive Principal’s Prize for Service Junie was the student in charge of the International & Round Square committee this year and he undertook this role with enormous dedication. His meticulous planning and skilful leadership led to a number of successful Round Square events, including the World Day for Diversity and the highly successful International Week. His other achievements included organising boarders’ activities with international themes, providing support for our international students, establishing contact with other Round Square schools, and taking part in the Harvard research project on global competence. His commitment to Round Square ideals has helped College to advance considerably on its journey towards the celebration of diversity in our interconnected world.

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Kurtis Weeks

Executive Principal’s Prize for Service Kurtis has been an outstanding Head of Boarding this year and has made a significant contribution to the enhancement of the boarding experience for our boys. He has handled this role with great maturity, as well as moral courage, and has not been afraid to make some tough decisions. He has been the captain of our 1st XI and vice-captain of the 1st XV, and has demonstrated outstanding sporting leadership. He is a very humble young man, with great integrity. He always seeks the best for the school, and for others. He is an excellent role model to our younger students and a fine example of the servant leader.

Sam Darry

HM Chrystall Prize for All-round Merit in Sport and Scholarship As you have heard in the Senior Sportsman citation, Sam Darry has an impressive list of sporting achievements. He has also been a diligent scholar, earning a Gold Badge for his NCEA Level 1 results and maintaining a strong academic performance in Levels 2 and 3. All of this has been achieved within the context of very demanding training regimes in rugby and rowing, as well as the leadership responsibilities Sam has had as Head of Flower’s House, school prefect and captain of the 1st XV. It is fitting that he has recently been awarded a University of Canterbury Emerging Leaders’ Scholarship.

Angus Mossman

Somes Prize for Outstanding Overall Contribution to the Arts and General Scholarship Angus has made a phenomenal contribution to the arts in his time at College. He was head of the Arts & Culture committee this year and ran an action- packed and highly successful Arts Week. He also promoted arts and culture energetically at school assemblies. His dedication to contemporary music has helped raise contemporary music to new heights at College, and we have been privileged to hear him perform on numerous occasions. He was also an influential member of our Big Band and Jazz Combo. He participated in four major productions at College and was a lead role in West Side Story this year. He has many more accolades, too numerous to list in this citation. Suffice it to say, Angus has shown great energy, talent and passion in his time at College and has been enormously influential in the arts, while maintaining strong academic results.

College Issue 36 2019

Sam Howard and Wills Wynn Thomas

Maling Memorial Prize for Outstanding Service to the School The very high calibre of the nominees for this prize has necessitated a joint award. Sam Howard was head of our Service committee this year and was instrumental in raising considerable funds for various charities, including a very successful head shave for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, as well as participating in hands-on service projects such as the trip to Samoa. He was an energetic and eloquent proponent of service to the community and ran his committee with great skill as well as humility. He has also been very active in five school productions, as well as writing, directing and acting in numerous films. Furthermore, he has used his skills to create and edit promotional material for the school. He was in the Chapel Choir, was involved in debating and even found time to be an assistant referee for 1st XI football. Sam has done all of this, and more, with great goodwill and in the spirit of selfless service to College and the community. Wills Wynn Thomas was head of our Academic committee this year and represented the student perspective eloquently at Head of Department meetings. He initiated a tutoring programme to benefit younger students and devoted many hours of his time to this service. He was a highly successful debater for College and helped other students to improve their debating, as well as adjudicating debates. He represented College at Synod and was influential in this role. He was in the Chapel Choir, was head of Schola Cantorum and was a member of the combined choir which attended the Big Sing Finale. He was a member of the orchestra for five years, head of orchestra in 2018, and participated in chamber groups. He contributed to other student activities, such as coding. He competed positively and energetically in tennis and football as well. All of this just scrapes the surface of Wills’ phenomenal service contribution to College. It is hard to believe these two young men achieved all of this while maintaining very high standards in their academic work. Their peers, and younger students, should look on their contribution with admiration and be inspired by their example. Runner up to the Wacher Prize for Academic Head of School In a year of outstanding Year 13 academic talent and scholasticism, the competition for Dux of the school was intense. Therefore, to be runner- up to the Wacher Prize is an achievement of which to be proud. George has received outstanding academic results this year. To his credit, he has managed this whilst being extensively involved in a very demanding music programme, both curricularly and co-curricularly. He was also a Chapel Prefect and a very effective governor of College’s Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Challenge team which qualified for the national finals in 2018. He has an impressive array of prizes and has recently been awarded a University of Canterbury College of Business & Law Award for Excellence as well as a University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Entrance Scholarship. George Murray

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Wills Wynn Thomas

Wacher Prize for Academic Head of the School As you have already heard, the 2018 Dux of Christ’s College has been heavily involved in many aspects of College life and has provided outstanding service and leadership. Wills is a remarkable young man who has achieved the highest standards of scholasticism at College, as well as committing himself to a holistic education. He was awarded Scholarships in Calculus as well as Statistics after tackling these demanding examinations in Year 12. He has even achieved excellent academic results outside of school, including an A+ for a university mathematics STAR course last year. This year he received the top mark in New Zealand for the Australian Invitational Informatics Olympiad and a High Distinction Excellence in the Australian Chemistry Competition, receiving full marks in the process. He has also recently received a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship. We thank him for showing what can be achieved through dedication and hard work, and for being a role model in all that he does. Head Prefect’s Prize and the Ormsby Medal Our talented and high-achieving cohort of Year 13s have shown excellent leadership in 2018, under the capable direction of their Head Prefect. Max has managed this demanding leadership role with great maturity and an apparently unflappable demeanour. He always exudes calm and confidence and is rarely without a smile on his face. Two of his top five character strengths are leadership and social intelligence, and these have been demonstrated admirably this year. He has always been true to himself, and has shown integrity as well as the courage to speak up on behalf of his peers, whilst managing the school’s expectations. He has been an excellent ambassador for College and has led by example in his commitment to our all-round education and aspirational standards in all aspects of College life. He can take great pride in what he and his peers have achieved and we thank him for his strong leadership this year. Max Goodwin

Josh Ting

Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award – Gold Award The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award is a programme for 14–25 year olds. It challenges its participants across a wide range of skills and tasks. The Gold Award is a very fine achievement and proof of years of dedication and commitment.

College Issue 36 2019

Senior prize-giving

Christ’s College Canterbury

Christ’s College Interhouse Competition Trophy The trophy goes to the House which has amassed the most points in interhouse competitions, both sporting and cultural. This was won in 2018 by Harper House. Somes House was second and Condell’s House was third.

College Issue 36 2019

Christ’s College Canterbury

LEADERSHIP Head and

Deputy Head Prefects 2019

Zach Gallagher – Head Prefect

themselves. The fact that this system is vertically structured means boys of all ages are able to interact with others, which fosters many mentoring relationships and creates opportunities for older students to develop leadership qualities. There are so many opportunities in the House, whether through sport, music or House plays. As with anything, the more you put in, the more you will get out of it – so I encourage you to put your hand up for anything that comes your way, especially if it puts you outside your comfort zone. Now is your opportunity to try that new sport, take on a role in a play or perform on stage when you otherwise wouldn’t have. While College is an Anglican school founded on Christian principles, through the teaching of Rev. Bosco Peters I have come to appreciate just how diverse a world we live in. Rev. Peters is much more than a religious educator. He has given us a much broader understanding of other cultures and beliefs and taught us the importance of acceptance and tolerance. This is critical as the world is increasingly a smaller place. Sport and cultural activities are another fundamental part of life at College. They build camaraderie and friendships among boys in all year groups and have the added benefit of teaching us many valuable life lessons.

Wha¯ ia te iti kahurangi ki te tu¯ ohu koe me he maunga teitei – Aim for the highest cloud so if you miss it, you will hit a lofty mountain I have been fortunate enough to have been given the role of Head Prefect for 2019. The last few years here have been an awesome experience. The school has given me so many opportunities, and now it is my time to give back. I look up to leaders who lead by their actions as well as their words. This year I hope I can do the same and set a good example for the younger boys. What has made my time here so enjoyable? An attribute unique to College is the House system. Right from the start this enables boys to have a sense of belonging and affiliation with something bigger than “ I encourage you to put your hand up for anything that comes your way, especially if it puts you outside your comfort zone .” Zach Gallagher

College Issue 36 2019

Through sport I have learned the importance of hard work, discipline and time management – all characteristics that can be applied in other areas of school and life in general. We are blessed to have amazing facilities and outstanding coaches, tutors and resources. Personally, I have found sport enables me to perform better in the classroom and balances other aspects of school life and wellbeing. My one piece of advice is that your time at College will pass incredibly quickly, but if you make the most of it, your memories of College will last a lifetime. Throw yourself into everything you can, make mistakes, set goals, achieve, make lots of friends but, most importantly, enjoy and have fun. Look, it feels a little surreal writing to you as Deputy Head Prefect. Sure, it’s just a title but I see it more than ever as a way to give back to a school which has given me so much. I came to College in 2015 with a fairly narrow mindset towards sport and only sport. In Year 9 one piece of advice from my Housemaster Neil Nicholson really stuck with me: “Take all the opportunities available, because you do not know how lucky you are here.” The rest is history. I have been involved in Round Square events including a conference in the Canadian capital, Ottawa. I’ve enjoyed a service trip to Sri Lanka coaching cricket, along with a trip to the United Kingdom playing cricket. Looking back, I remember these amazing trips and other moments where I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone in things such as speech and drama, House music and House plays, more than any academic result or sporting victory. Don’t get me wrong – take Max Heywood – Deputy Head Prefect

“ As we go into this new year, I can’t stress enough the importance of taking chances and trying something new .” Max Heywood

beg you to try something new and to push yourself a little bit further than usual. If you are a parent, give your boy some options and stress the importance of making the most of your time at College. I promise you, boys, if you can do this, you set yourself apart from the norm, and that’s when you will achieve greatness.

full advantage of the academic base that Christ’s Collge will give you, but don’t forget to remember the things that can’t be marked down on a scorecard, as these are the most important lessons you’ll take away from College. In my final year at College I now turn my attention to giving back. I see this role as a position where you can influence boys to push themselves in all aspects of school life, whether that be speaking in assembly about various issues or organising the school ball with a group of boys. These are examples of ways that will push me out of my comfort zone, but I hope are also going to help others. As we go into this new year, I can’t stress enough the importance of taking chances and trying something new. You have been “given a head start of sorts” going to Christ’s College, so if you are a boy reading this, I

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Give me knowledge and I can change the world.

At Christ’s College, every boy is encouraged to have an academic sense of purpose. This is what has motivated me to reach my potential. Our teachers encourage us to push ourselves further, providing us with opportunities to take part in a wide range of examinations. It’s helped many of us win scholarships at some of the world’s top universities. I think it’s all down to the way teachers work closely with each of us, working out how they can best help us as individuals strive to achieve our very best.

Each boy at his best.

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ACADEMIC AWARDS NZQA Scholarship Awards for 2018

Congratulations to those students who gained NZQA Scholarship in 2018.

2018 NCEA Results

In NCEA, Christ’s College boys consistently out-perform students in other decile 8–10 schools, with results that are well above national averages. All College students in each year group sit NCEA. Below is a comparison of combined Merit and Excellence endorsements for Christ’s College compared with other decile 8–10 schools.

Tobias Brooker-Haines History William Hadden Economics Alexander Hlavac English, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics Samuel Howard Drama (Outstanding), English Accounting (Outstanding), Economics (Outstanding), Chemistry, Statistics George Murray English, Music Andreas Nicolaou Chemistry (Outstanding), Biology Nicholas Pinckney Drama Jayavi Premaratne Chemistry, Physics, Statistics Jisu Kim Chemistry Joshua Murison

Alexander Rowe History Richard Seaton Biology Fawzan Sugarwala

Chemistry (Outstanding), Statistics (Outstanding), Biology, Physics, Design & Visual Communication Rhys Thatcher Health & Physical Education Josh Ting English (Outstanding), Physics (Outstanding), Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, Calculus Hyunjun (Junie) Wee Economics

EXCELLENCE ENDORSEMENT Christ’s College

LEVEL 1 42.1%

LEVEL 2 31.5%

LEVEL 3 26.6%

Decile 8–10 schools

William Wynn Thomas English (Outstanding), Chemistry (Outstanding), Statistics (Outstanding), Biology, Physics, Calculus

LEVEL 1 29.6%

LEVEL 2 24%

LEVEL 3 19.2%

MERIT ENDORSEMENT Christ’s College

LEVEL 1 39.7%

LEVEL 2 28.8%

LEVEL 3 37.6%

Decile 8–10 schools

LEVEL 1 41.1%

LEVEL 2 32.9%

LEVEL 3 35%

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NZQA SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS At their best

Curiosity, perseverance, self-regulation, love of learning and now – no doubt – gratitude, are some of the inherent character strengths of the recent Old Boys who excelled in NZQA Scholarship examinations in 2018. It was a stunning year for College, with a total of 42 Scholarships (including 11 Outstanding Scholarships) awarded to our students. Wills Wynn Thomas and Josh Murison were both Top Subject Scholarship Award winners, with Wills taking top place in New

Zealand in English and Chemistry, and Josh top in Economics. Wills was also a Premier Award winner, which places him among the very top students nationally, and Josh Murison, Fawzan Sugarwala and Josh Ting were all Outstanding Scholar Award winners. While he excels at English, Wills plans to head down the science route and, after being awarded the Sir Douglas Myers Scholarship, intends to take the Mathematical Tripos course at Cambridge University, England. “It’s important to be able to articulate your ideas. Scientists are probably not known as being great orators, but I think it’s important that scientists can express themselves and tell people why science is important.”

Josh Murison has decided to study Finance and Accounting at the University of Canterbury, Josh Ting is off to Griffith University on the Gold Coast with plans to pursue a career in medicine, and Fawzan also intends to study medicine. All scholarship recipients receive varying levels of financial reward, but the main incentive to do scholarship is the challenge, to have the opportunity to delve deeper and engage in a new way with a chosen subject. Scholarship is an extra, but complements and consolidates much of the work done at NCEA Level 3. To gain a scholarship is an outstanding achievement.

From left: Wills Wynn Thomas, Andreas Nicolaou, Josh Ting, Sam Howard, Alex Hlavac and Josh Murison

College Issue 36 2019

ACADEMIC Centre for Teaching Excellence & Research

On the move with Learning Walks Teachers being provided the opportunity to learn from other teachers through classroom observation, is critical for their professional learning. This year the Centre for Teaching Excellence & Research (CTER) has adapted a commonly-used model to facilitate this type of opportunity – Learning Walks. Eight teachers participated in our first Learning Walk, visiting eight classes over two class periods, observing how these classes cultivated and supported a vibrant learning environment. These observations were then followed by a discussion and a reflection on

Performance Development This year the CTER will be implementing a performance development process to support our teachers to be at their best. At College the process for performance development is aimed at improving the quality All staff involved in this exercise were very positive about their experiences and we are confident it will assist them in reflecting on, and improving, their own teaching. what they saw and what challenged them about their own teaching practice.

Christ’s College Canterbury

performance sport had drastically changed during his time as coach of the Crusaders, assistant coach of the All Blacks, coach of the Australian Wallabies and the Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. Robbie pointed out the roles are far more complex than they used to be because of bigger coaching teams, increasing stakeholder involvement and the high demands of the professional era. The big

Robbie shares his leadership experience The CTER in partnership with our colleagues at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, continues to organise Middle Leadership Seminars for teaching staff. This term we had the privilege of hosting Old Boy Robbie Deans who spoke to us about his perspectives on leadership and discussed some of the challenges he has faced during his illustrious coaching career. Robbie focused on the importance of developing a strong organisational culture characterised by continuous improvement and positive relationships. He stressed the importance of developing listening skills and building the capacity of others to be leaders in their own right, and discussed how the role of coaching and leadership in high into the Christ’s College Teaching Standards. Staff aspire to excel in these criteria with the support of the Heads of Teaching & Learning. of teaching and learning and, as a consequence, improving student outcomes. Performance development is the process of identifying, evaluating and developing teaching through coaching, so our goals and objectives are more effectively achieved, while at the same time benefiting staff in terms of recognition, receiving feedback, catering for professional needs and offering support. The aim of coaching is to challenge teachers in a constructive manner, to help them reflect critically on their practice, and to be responsive and responsible for their teaching and learning. Last year the Heads of Teaching & Learning adapted the Teaching Council’s six teaching criteria

challenge Robbie laid down to us, was to ensure we can utilise the collective capacity of the people around us. Given his experiences and the opportunities he has had, Robbie was able to share some fascinating and humorous stories about his life as a coach at the highest level of sport. We all are looking forward to the next leadership seminar.

College Issue 36 2019

ACADEMIC New faces

He taught at Hagley College before joining College in Term 1, 2019. “There is clarity of vision here that I really like – Each boy at his best – and I enjoy working in an environment that focuses on inspiring personal and academic excellence. The opportunities here are incredible for students and staff.” Zac enjoys playing cue sports, especially snooker; he keeps a small marine aquarium with lots of colourful corals and a clownfish; and his favourite book is 1984 by George Orwell.

British-born, Tom trained and worked as a scuba diving instructor in Australia and Southeast Asia on leaving school, developing a passion for marine science, and going on to complete an honours degree at Newcastle University. A Commonwealth Scholarship to study for a PhD in marine biochemistry at Victoria University, Wellington, brought him to New Zealand, and during his studies he discovered his passion for statistics. “I saw how fundamental concepts in probability and general mathematics could be applied to answer novel and important questions.” He mentored undergraduate and postgraduate students during his PhD studies and even more actively during a postdoctoral position in the USA. “I realised the teaching and mentoring opportunities were the highlights every week, and in 2017 I took the leap into full time teaching.” His introduction was in a private high school in Rarotonga and in 2018 he moved to Christchurch and enrolled at the New Zealand Graduate School of Education to complete his Graduate Diploma (secondary). Tom loves the outdoors and likes nothing better than escaping to the Alps to hike and climb. He and his wife belong to the Canterbury Mountaineering Club. In winter they snowboard and in summer they cycle and swim.

Zac Knight

Assistant HoD English

Zac Knight’s love for reading and writing wasn’t automatic. “It was a journey with plenty of ups and downs; in fact, it wasn’t until university that I chose to excel in the subject.” Those experiences prepared him beautifully to understand exactly what it feels like to find aspects of the subject challenging, “which means there is an acuteness to my practice that I really pride myself on.” Zac is English-born, emigrating to New Zealand 10 years ago, and completing his last year of secondary education at Rangiora High School. “The idea of working in education has always excited me, so I attended university with a clear goal to become a teacher.”

Dr Tom Hawkins

Mathematics and Statistics

Fifteen years of teaching in some form or other precede

Tom Hawkins foray into his first formalised school teaching career position at College.

Christ’s College Canterbury

OUR

VIRTUES H O N E S T Y

Sally Kersey

Biology Technician

Sally Kersey loves everything to do with science and strongly believes that practical experimental work encourages learning, and helps make science real. She delights in assisting with hands-on experiments because she knows “they help facts stick in the memory.” That mental consolidation of the theoretical is one of the reasons she finds science so compelling and why she has spent the past four years working part-time as a science technician at Cashmere High School. “It is very satisfying work and I see my role at College as supporting the teachers so that they can spend their time teaching.” Sally spent seven years at home bringing up her three daughters, now 12, 10 and 9. Before that she worked in Quality Assurance at Verkerks. “In my spare time I like spending time in the outdoors, walking, kayaking, biking and generally encouraging my girls to love being active and adventurous.”

LEARNING

S P I R I T U A L I T Y RESPECT STEWARDSH I P COMPAS S I ON JUST I CE

CANTERBURY Each boy at his best.

College Issue 36 2019

Christ’s College Canterbury

BOARDING Evolving boarding brotherhood

It’s a brotherhood and a unique part of College life.

Boarding has been part of Christ’s College from its earliest days. Its recent evolution has seen changes implemented and embedded – from discipline to leave – in a bid to continually improve the boarding experience for both boys and their parents. The positive attitude of all boarding staff in supporting these changes has been a vital component in the success of the process. “At the end of the day we’re trying to continually improve across all facets,” says Director of Boarding Darrell Thatcher. Over the past six months the duty of care for College staff was improved by restructuring staff duties plus the appointment of non- resident tutors, which Darrell calls,

“another set of eyes, another person for the boys to build a relationship with.” “It’s important too, that our staff also represents the same diversity as that of the boys in terms of their backgrounds and interests.” After a trial period in 2018, a new electronic leave system was introduced in Term 1. “It makes it easier for all, saves a lot of time and we’ve got to thank Richards Housemaster Kevin Harris who led the project, which offers a lot of potential for future changes.” Changes to the way prep is carried out were begun in 2018, with Year 9 students completing their prep in the library. From 2019 Year 9 and Year 10 boys are doing their prep in the library, from 6.30–8pm Mondays to Thursdays. With prep tutors on hand to help, this is designed to instil good study habits early.

All the boys who in 2019 call School, Flower’s or Richards Houses their homes, are receiving a standardised and consistent level of care, even while the three Houses maintain their distinctive characteristics and rivalries.

College Issue 36 2019

“ You cannot expect to be respected if you are not respectful yourself. Similarly, you cannot be a good leader if you

do not possess good character

attributes. ” Darrell Thatcher

A Friends of Boarding committee has been established, which will run in a similar manner to other such groups at College. Its key objective is to provide a communication, education and feedback forum for College and the boarding community. conjunction with Darrell, and led by Sarah and Ben Davidson, parents of Head of Boarding Tom Davidson. Watch this space for more action on the professional development of staff, on social media matters, on health and wellbeing and mental health. Friends of Boarding is run by a small group of parents in

Meanwhile the boarding programme continues to be organised by Scott Franklin and incorporates a wide range of appealing weekend activities. There are now two opportunities each term for boarders to do a weekend community service project, working with David Newton and the Environment Committee. “It’s a win-win situation, with us providing some manpower for College’s Red Zone activities.” Darrell says the brotherhood that is a boarding House calls on every boarder to be respectful and respected.

“You cannot expect to be respected if you are not respectful yourself. Similarly, you cannot be a good leader if you do not possess good character attributes.” He says the boarding Houses also provide a perfect setting for boys to work towards the graduate attribute of global and bicultural competence. The increase in numbers of international students means there is also a greater requirement for host families willing to welcome these young men into their homes during school holidays. Support and assistance is provided at all times, and a weekly fee will be paid.

Christ’s College Canterbury

TOM DAVIDSON 2019 Head of Boarding

I believe that Boarding is the heart of Christ’s College and this is reflected by how boarders contribute to all areas of College life.

9s as they transition into College boarding life. I’m from North Canterbury and although I was a dayboy in Flower’s House during Year 9, I was excited to become a boarder in Year 10 and have loved it ever since. I am into basketball and love being involved in College drama productions. What first struck me with College boarding and continues to even entering any of the three boarding Houses. There are moments and conversations that genuinely feel like you are with family, the clichéd “home away from home”. But nothing could be more true of College boarding. This homeliness is not forced or contrived, but rather comes naturally from the relationships between staff and boys. Often it is the simple and spontaneous things, like a House barbecue, a game of touch, or a trip to the pool after prep, that create the best memories. The bonds and friendships formed through boarding are unique and strong, connections we will have for life. I have found the most helpful support comes from the boys themselves and it is inspiring how the boarders will always come together and be there for each other when they need to. Personally, the people I have met have taught me so much and I hope that many will be in my life for years to come. now, is the friendly vibe and homeliness that is felt when

But boarding life definitely has its challenges. Living with 60 other boys makes sure of that! Forming relationships and working through differences provide some of the best learning Character is built and values are realised through such challenges. These learnings correspond with College values such as compassion and stewardship and important virtues such as tolerance, respect and empathy. All of which are key when it comes to living with others. Boarding also teaches you to appreciate diversity as College boarders come from many different backgrounds, countries and cultures. Everyone has a part to play in boarding life and this includes in the House routine, with everyone having jobs to do. Responsibility and freedom increase as boys move up in the school, which is motivating for younger students and rewarding for seniors. The boarding staff are always there to offer both pastoral care and academic support and their help makes school life a whole lot easier. The accessibility which boarding provides enables you to maximise the opportunities available at College, making things like early morning trainings and late night rehearsals easier to manage. and personal development opportunities in school life.

This includes all levels of involvement in arts and culture, sport at every grade, academia and service projects. Boarders are always at College, so this means that much of the culture around the school flows down from them. Constantly being immersed in College life means pride amongst boarders is strong and this is clear to see not only when boarders are representing College, but also in the support they provide with the collective boarding voice being instrumental in cheering on College teams. I would like to build on the good work that others have done before and make boarding the best that it can be. It is my privilege to be Head of Boarding for 2019 and I am really enjoying being part of such a great group of Year 13s, especially as we mentor the Year

College Issue 36 2019

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