classroom. We just have to hope that our trend of getting poor weather on our junior field trips comes to an end soon! Dr Graeme Swanson HoD Biology CHEMISTRY Our year started with continued success in 2020 NCEA examinations, yielding results which yet again exceeded the national statistics. From our 2020 cohort, Tom Tothill, John-Paul Lay, Matthew Gibb, Andrew Kwak, and Henry Eglinton all proved their aptitude with success in the 2020 Scholarship Chemistry Examination. John- Paul had special recognition as the highest achieving Chemistry student in New Zealand, earning the coveted Top Scholar Award for 2020. As we moved through the year our programme of learning remained largely unchanged, with only one Covid-19 related lockdown occurring in the middle of Term 3. One Year 11 assessment was cut from that programme as a result, but other classes continued unaffected. Scholarship Chemistry breakfasts proved popular, with a larger- than-normal group of 17 Year 13 students turning up for regular 7am Wednesday morning sessions to prepare for the next examination under the tutelage of Scott Franklin. Planning began for the new College Diploma courses, making this the last year of our NCEA Level 1 programme and the assessment of student learning against NCEA achievement standards at this level. Further preparations are underway for updated classroom technology and resources for the new year. Staffing remained largely unchanged with the continuation of Head of Department Scott Franklin, teachers Dr Craig Aitken and Dr Briar Wait, and Vicki Bennie, our greatly cherished technician. Dr Anna Johnston joined the department to assist with teaching a Year 10 class, and we appreciated her support. The year ended with success in the International Chemistry Quiz (ICQ). High Distinction awards
were presented to Sam Bennett, Richard Brown, Charlie Doutch, Ryan Gu, and Aaron Kwak in Year 9, James Burt, Jake Hayes, Lester Lai, Benjamin Murphy, Harry Vaughan, and Raziel Zhao in Year 10, Jonathan Barnes and Oliver Glossip in Year 11, Bruno Vaughan in Year 12, and Jack Belcher, James Currie, Hanjun Kim, Kosei Oikawa, and Janindu Pahalawatta in Year 13. Year 9 student Jack Hastie received a High Distinction Excellence award for placing in the top few students in New Zealand.
place in this year’s Space for Planet Earth Challenge. Using satellite interferometry images, the group looked at coral bleaching around Pacific Island atolls. The department continues to have stable staffing and we have plans in place preparing for the disruptions of Covid-19 next year. David Newton HoD Physics TECHNOLOGY Despite another year of disruption, the College boys continued to demonstrate growth, creativity and engagement across the Technology curriculum. Although the lockdown created an obstacle for boys to gain access to our popular workshops, it did allow for genuine exploration and a deeper dive into personal creativity and development, which served our design process-focused courses well. All Year 9 students were exposed to our junior Technology course with trimester rotations through Workshop Technology, Digital Technology and DVC. In Years 10 to 13 students were able to opt into their preferred path of study with these courses as well as Mechanical Engineering at Years 12 and 13. WORKSHOP TECHNOLOGY At College, workshop technology students learn a wide range of skills and processes. The broad approach to their learning is perceived to be of value both academically and practically. This is reflected in the continued growth in numbers in the College workshop classes this year taught by Sam Leary, Carey Prebble, Gavin Love and Kevin Harris. The focus of teaching and learning programmes in Materials Technology, Years 9–11, is to encourage student- led design balanced with the core workshop-based skills required to produce quality outcomes. Principally, students will by the end of Year 11 know how to navigate their way through the design cycle that necessitates the solving of unforeseen design issues, construction problems and user preferences. The result
Scott Franklin HoD Chemistry
PHYSICS Physics students continued to earn very good pass rates at Excellence and Merit levels, comparable with previous years, despite the impact that four weeks of Covid-19 lockdown had on their course delivery in 2020. The course was front ended in 2021 with internally assessed practical courses for that reason and this paid dividends when we were put in lockdown again and had to teach and learn remotely via Googlemeets for four weeks. By that stage we were doing the externally assessed standards and all our texts and Learning Workbooks were online. To further support the students, the department had also researched and published a full set of video resources gleaned from YouTube, that showed the types of practicals and learning we would have done in the classroom with the students. Upon return, we were generally pleased with the learning that had taken place despite the challenges and lack of practical activities that would normally support our programme. The continuing rise in student numbers opting into and continuing in the subject reflects the increasing requirement for technologically competent logical Science thinkers in our increasingly technology-rich workplaces. Despite the cancellation of nearly all competitions due to the ongoing international pandemic Dr Andrew Taylor has mentored a group of students who have won a
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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