Southern View: September 26, 2017

10 Tuesday September 26 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
SOUTHERN VIEW
SOUTHERN JAM
WELLBEING
FEAST DAY
Message from the Catholic Diocese
of Christchurch
Our Diocese is proud of Marian College. The school is
thriving at its inner-city campus location alongside the
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street.
Marian College shows us clearly that the heart of a
Catholic school lies not in its buildings, but in a strong,
supportive community built around faith.
Marian College belongs to the Catholic Kāhui Ako
Community of Learning, one of our 13 schools in
Christchurch. Each school has an affiliated parish and
networks contributing to the Diocese.
Alongside our Diocese earthquake rebuild and repair
programme, our parishes have been offered the chance to
focus on spiritual renewal as we wait for a new Bishop
to be appointed.
The process for the rebuild of Marian College’s campus
will be a priority for our new Bishop, who will ultimately
make the decision on Marian College’s permanent site.
This decision will not be made in isolation however,
there are many factors to consider and groups to consult
with, given the changes in our communities since
the earthquakes.
The Diocese looks forward to keeping the community
updated on progress. In the meantime, Marian College
continues to achieve excellent results and to thrive.
A special thank you goes to the Marian College
community – students, parents, staff and leadership, for
your ongoing patience, support and cooperation.
Fr Rick Loughnan
Catholic Diocese of Christchurch Administrator
The Marian College Principal
Marian College is very fortunate to have a small, friendly,
family atmosphere which comes from teachers and
students knowing each other well.
I am delighted to share that our students and teachers are
making the very best of our current site – opportunities
for collaboration are plenty and the benefits that come of
an inner-city location are taken up with enthusiasm.
At Marian College our special Catholic character is
built into everything we do. Our earthquake recovery
journey has taught us, that while brand new buildings and
facilities are an exciting proposition, it is our faith, our
community and our people that matter. I am excited about
the future of Marian College – we can all look forward to a
bright, sparkling new start. I hope you enjoy reading about
some of our recent happenings.
Mary-Lou Davidson,
Marian College Principal
Feast Day Festivities
One of the most anticipated events on the Marian
College calendar is Feast Day – recognised every year to
celebrate the Assumption of Mary. This year, Feast Day
began with a whole school Mass, which included the
blessing of the new music department, featuring practice
spaces and a multipurpose room.
Traditional Feast Day activities involve Marian College’s
house groups coming together in Xavier Hall to compete
in a talent quest and house group chant competition.
Rivalry between the four Marian College houses –
Brodie, Deans, Seymour and Takahe – is strong and
overwhelmingly positive. Students have been known to
rehearse their chants and performances for up to six weeks
in advance, polishing their acts ready for competition.
Each performance is judged and awarded house points
which are tallied throughout the year. The house with
the most points earned – for academic, sporting, cultural,
service and cultural achievements – is awarded the annual
Inter-House Shield at the end of year school prize giving.
Aiming for France
Football talent Rebecca Lake (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Irakehu)
could be heading to France next year to represent New
Zealand and play in the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup.
The Year 13 Marian college student helped captain
the New Zealand U19 Football team to victory in the
Oceania Football Confederation championships in
Auckland recently, securing the team’s spot in France,
2018. Rebecca captained the team twice over the five
game campaign which saw the team win all their games
convincingly. Rebecca is a member of the Football Ferns
development squad and has played with Mainland Pride
(the National Women’s regional team) for three years.
RIA KNEY
Judo medallist
Congratulations to Ria Kney (Ngāti Kahungunu) who
won a gold medal in the U52kg girls category at the New
Zealand Secondary Schools Judo Tournament last term.
She won all five of her fights in the one day tournament
held at Lincoln High School. Ria also won gold in two
categories at the Auckland International Judo Open
tournament held three weeks later at ASB Stadium in
Auckland. One of her fights lasted just ten seconds!
Wellbeing and service
A priority for Marian College this year has been student
and staff wellbeing. This year, Marian has introduced two
new courses: Kia Maia and Mana Wahine. Kia Maia is a
course for Year 9 students which focuses on wellbeing,
character strengths, use of money, cyber safety and
developing study and life skills.
The Mana Wahine course aims to promote strong Marian
women. Especially for year 12 students, the course
teaches wellbeing, study techniques, life skills, careers,
financial literacy and service.
Marian College has a strong commitment to providing
service to the community. Not only students, but staff
members are also actively involved.
Marian College staff members rolled up their sleeves
recently, to spend an afternoon participating in a range of
service activities including assisting at Christchurch City
Mission and St Vincent de Paul, cleaning up a beach,
gardening for the Beatitude sisters, making goods for
Christchurch Hospital’s neo-natal unit and other
children in need.
Southern Jam
Marian College’s Jazz Band travelled to the Southern
Jam Jazz Festival in Blenheim recently – taking part
in the showcase and celebration of the South Island’s
secondary school jazz bands. Marian College’s Jazz Band
performed at eight public venues and took home a bronze
award. Band director Frances Daly is a Marian old girl
currently studying at Ara Jazz School. Frances inspired
the Jazz Band to compose an original song ‘Dirty
Window’, which won Best Original Song at this year’s
Christchurch Jazz Festival.
Visit our website for further information:
www.mariancollege.school.nz
Ph: 03 385 8449 | E-mail: exec@mariancollege.school.nz | 122 Barbadoes Street, Christchurch 8640, New Zealand