Ashburton Courier: November 10, 2022

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Ashburton College Individual Excellence in aSupportive Learning Environment News Issue 37 10 November 2022 Message From ThePrincipal NCEA Exams Underway Our NCEA exams are underway. For all secondary schools there isaremarkable change of emphasis regarding the importance attached to external exams. When Iwas in Year 11, School Certificate exams were very much ‘all or nothing’, which placedhuge pressureonstudents. Now students can achieve apass in NCEA with a healthy diet of internal assessments. This means that, for the students who are satisfied with passing, there isadistinct lack of enthusiasm for serious study orspending three hours in an exam. This is anation-wide trendand the studentsattempting the exams areeither aimingfor Merit or Excellence Endorsement; or they have‘lefttheir runlate’and they need someextra credits to passthe year. Interestingly, the changes to NCEA Level 1which apply from 2024 will, by design, force students tocomplete external assessments in arange of subjects. NetsafeWebinar My thanks toall whānau members who took the opportunity to access the NetsafeWebinar that was organised and advertised for last Tuesday evening. As mostofuswillappreciate,the misuse of social media has the abilitytocause serious harm. In my experiencemanyparents/caregivers areaware thattheir child has received potentially harmful messaging via some form ofsocial media. However, it is alsoveryclear that many parents/caregivers areunaware of the potentially harmful messaging their child maybecreating orsharing. We work very hard toensure the well-being of our students but, of course, wecannot control the messaging and content that happens outside of school. 2023 College Cellphone Policy Ashburton College is working to develop learners who are engaged in learning forlife, collaborative, connectedand creative.Wewanttoensure that Ashburton Collegeisprovidinganenvironmentwherestudents are encouraged to develop these skills,attitudes and attributes. Ouraim istoenhanceboth the social and academiccurriculum. We have gathered evidence over the past year which shows the impact ofcell phones on studentlearning and ability to relate to others. Strengtheningskill sets such as oral languagerequires timespenttalking to other people.This is developedthrough formal and informal situations, bothinclass timeand during interval andlunchtimes.Conversationsare requiredinorder to work together,toconnectand collaborate. Theability to relate and engage positively with others also plays animportant role in enhancingthe cultureofour school. Afterdue consideration, our BoardofTrusteeshas made thefollowing decision, effectivefromthe startofthe 2023 school year: 1. From the beginning of the school day until the end, the phone isto be turned off andkeptinabag (notinapocket). This includes interval and lunchtimes. 2. If aphone is seen by astaff memberitwill be confiscated. 3. Refusal to hand over the phonewill become apastoral matter. 4. Year 13 students will bealloweddiscreetuse of cell phones. 5. College management will provide more detail onthe day-to-day management of this policyindue course. Thereare three drivers behind this decision: Firstly-cell phones aredesigned to be addictiveand distracting,and not having them around will improve our learners’ focus and ability to stay on task;thusimproving results and achievement. Secondly -some students arecreating or sharing content thatisharmful or incites others to do somethinginappropriate,which causes disruption to aschool environment. Thirdly -the lack of phone accessibility will encourage students to interact with others orbeactive atbreak times. Currently, wesee large numbersofstudents sitting at breaks andstaring at their screens. This decision has been under consideration for ayear. Our Board of Trustees wantedassurancethatstudentswouldn’t miss out on access to learning devices. If you need to get amessage toyour child during the day, then the College Office willbeabletodeliver anyessential messages. We thank youfor your supportinthismatter. Ross Preece Principal •Tumuaki Information College Closed forInstruction for ACCORD Teacher Only Days Mondayand Tuesday21and 22 November TheACCORD Teacher Only Days areMinistry of Education nation-wide granteddays allocatedtosupportthe implementation of forthcomingchangestoNCEA. Four days have beenallocatedfor 2022. Theabove datesare the final twodaysfor 2022. Teaching staff willbeworking in differentways on these days, on-siteand/orsomemay be with staff from other schools. Therefore, thereisnoschool forstudents on this day. We thank youfor your co-operationand support. Congratulations Year 13 Graduation Ceremony It wasavery real pleasure,after twoyears ofrestrictedceremonies,to be returning toafull Graduation Ceremony; with afull audience, live music performances, andaguest speaker. It wasalso apleasure to returntothe Ashburton EventCentrewith its greaterseating capacityand pleasant environment. This formalfarewell evening acknowledgingsignificantsuccessesand farewelling Year 13 students washeldonMonday31October. Phoenix Chorus Music from thePhoenixChorus, under the batonofskilled andexperienced Musical Director Angie Cresswell and accompanied superbly, as always, by HeadofMusicStephen Diedricks,enhanced the evening’s programme. The Chorus performed ‘Sisi ni Moja’byJacob Narverud for the Processional; ‘Bring Me Little Water, Silvy’ by Huddie Ledbetter as aperformance number; and the Recession was, fittingly, ‘And Wherever YouGo’byDouglasWagner. (Pictured above): Musical Director Angie Cresswell and members of the PhoenixChorus performing the Processional. National Anthem and Performance Following the Processional we were led in the National Anthem by Year 13 student Ngahuia Maeva who sang it beautifully, as did Year 13 vocalist Imogene Felton who sang ‘La Vie enRose’ by Edith Piaf, following the presentation of the Achievement,Service, Sports and Arts Awards. (Pictured right): Ngahuia Maeva leading the National Anthem. (Pictured left): Imogene Felton performing ‘LaVie en Rose’ Principal’s Address Following the welcome by Deputy Principal and MC for the evening, Jono Hay, Principal Ross Preece welcomed and addressed attendees. Acknowledged was the celebratory purpose of the evening, andthe opportunityfor the AshColl community to celebrate the achievements. Ross noted that senior students had had three years of disruption and challenges as they navigated the interruptions of COVID, time out of school, illness or that of family members, teacher absences and online learning. The out-ofclassroom activities which often provide lasting school memories had certainly been disrupted over the past three years. COVID,Ross said,had providedaunique world-wide shared experiencewith everyone on the planet facing the same health and communitychallenges at the same time. Looking to the future Ross reminded students that certain skills and dispositions will be required for success, and especially for future employment. Included in this are the skills of flexibility and adaptability, creativityand co-operation, plus working with digital tools in their entirety. Ross suggestedthatthe students’experiences over the last three years had equipped them well for acquiring these skills, through learning outside of anormal classroom setting, and becoming creative problem-solvers and working collaboratively with others,inmanycases via online or social media. Ross acknowledged the challenges for teachers, and their hard work over the challenging COVID years working with and for students, online and in the classroom and, attimes, managing both learning options at the same time,while also supporting catch-up learning. Thanked were the Board ofTrustees who continued to provide oversight and wisdom during the challenging time. Ross thanked them for their governance on behalf of our students and staff. Ross wished students all the best as they leave College, saying they had every reason to be excited about their future prospects with career opportunities availableand the returnofinternational travel. Students were remindedthatthe AshColl WayValues of striving to Achieve Quality, Show Pride, and be Respectful to others would always stand them in good stead. His one piece ofadvice for students into the future was to find something that challenges and brings asense of fulfilment, saying a workingcareer is toolong to be doing something youdon’t enjoyorwhich doesn’t bring satisfaction. He concluded with the advice that students are in charge of theirown destinyand should look to have afuturewhich feeds their soul. Traditionally,Ross looks back eighteen years to inventions that arrivedinthe worldatabout the same time as the Year 13 students. In 2004 thecool newthing to do wasblogging! Theother notable invention was the creation of Facebook which now regularly connects two billion people around the world, albeit the social media platforms often provide amixed blessing. Ross concluded by congratulating the students on their successes, and wishing them well fortheir futures. Head and DeputyHead Students 2022 DeputyHeadStudentsTCTrusler-Clark andMillarNewlands announced the Academic and Subject Awardees, which were presented byGuest SpeakerHayleyWhiting; whileHeadStudents JorjaRoulston and Jack Brownspoke. Head Student Speech – Jorja Roulston Jorja noted that Year 13 students never thought this day would come; saying they wished for its quick delivery, crossed days off calendars, counted hours, minutes and seconds and now that it’s here she said ‘I’m sorry it is, because it means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who’ve been my mentors,somanypeople who’ve shaped my life, and my fellow students’ lives impermeably and forever. It is abitter-sweet feeling, with afamiliar chapterclosing and another unknownone opening’. Jorja said that their College journey had been full of inconsistency and change; unexpected, unrelenting,unusual,uncertainand unprecedented. However, Jorja linked the word ‘unprecedented’ with all of the Year 13 students, emphasising they areunprecedented,theyare asecondaryschool class thathas donesomething never knownbefore. Jorja said that, as ayear group, all had grown and overcome so much during the last year three years, and the fact they were sitting at the Year 13 Graduation Ceremony showed their strength and resilience. They had formed relationships with the people they love, people they care about, people who went on this crazyjourney along with them, the journey without aconsistent school week, yet still being stressed out over internal assessment deadlines! Students were challenged to continue to encourage and inspire themselves and the people aroundthem, adding thatmanyhad inspired her. Looking ahead wasafuturefast approaching,moving away from our friends and families for many, and leaving behind the familiar. Itwould beafirst time venturing into the ‘big wide world’ whether tertiary, apprenticeships, jobs or agap year. Acknowledged were parents and family members who had brought students tothis point, believing in their children, with Jorja specifically thanking her family for all of their support, including when the challenges of being overwhelmed set in. Appreciatedwerethe dedicatedteachers at Ashburton College,notingtheir commitment tostudents’education and ability tomake College both fun andasafeplacefor acquiring knowledge. Jorja thanked staff and the Year 13 Leavers for entrusting her with the role of Head Student, one ofher most challenging yet rewarding experiences. Jorja said she would be forever indebted to the number of opportunities which had arisenduring her timeinthe ‘red stripes’. Supportand help from the HeadStudentteam andfellowStudent Leaders wasacknowledged with appreciation, including from all students. In conclusion Jorja had one sentiment she wanted students to take away from her speech, saying ‘you are all capable of taking on any obstacle that maylie in your life’. Allhad faced achallenging high school experiencethathad never happened before,had overcome it andmade it worthwhile. Thestudents were challenged to grasp everyopportunitythatcomes their way. Having shown immense grit and determinationthey were encouraged to embracethisresilienceinfuturegoals,jobs and aspirations. Jorja signed off with the wise words of Harry Styles –‘Treat People With Kindness’–as this will get youwhereyou want to be in life’.
Ashburton College Individual Excellence in aSupportive Learning Environment News Issue 37 10 November 2022 Congratulations Head StudentSpeech –Jack Brown Jack opened by also thanking his parents, staff, students, Year 13 students and fellow Head Students and StudentLeaders. Jack advised that hewanted tomake his last speech fun and to the point, so he startedwith agame‘put afinger down’ifstudents had – • more than one fire alarm gooffat school in aday. • forgotten to wear sunscreen and got sunburnt on asummer day at school • achange of Akoteacher at least onceduring their time at AshColl • forgotten to bring acoin on non-uniformday. • forgotten what aprevious Head Student had said in their prize-giving speech. Jack then said he knew the above was‘cringeworthy’but he wantedtoget the point across that everything is temporary, with all of the above having happened in the past while students are now moving forward into the future. He suggested that students may have thought they would be Year 9 students forever, but nowthey are‘big,scary Year 13 students’. He said that, yes, he is aHead Student now, but next year all Year 13s move out oftheir AshCollnest into the big, wide worldand anew set of students will fill that space. However, no matter whereeach Year 13 studentisheaded,thirteen years of schooling has been aride for all, and Jack noted they had make it through and are ready for the sequel; all on their own paths –whether university, apprenticeship,orfull-time work. Forall thatmay be forgotten, Jack reminded students thatnow is ‘our time, keep going’. Jack concluded withsome wordsfromhis‘best friend Taylor Swift’!’So make the friendship bracelets,take themomentand tasteit. You’ve no reason to be afraid.You’reonyour own, kid. Yeah, youcan facethis.’ Guest Speaker –HayleyWhiting It was our very real pleasure to introduceHayley Whiting as our guest speaker forthis evening. Hayley is a former College student who, this year, represented New Zealand at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in her chosen sportofweightlifting. Hayley’s story included what is required to achieve highly, rather than just achieving well, and what it takes to respond to pressure. Hayley introduced herself as a proud Mid Canterbury and former AshburtonCollege wahine,feeling greathonour at being asked to speakto those who sit whereshe oncesat. Hayley did ask what she had to add, what value did she bring, and determined her value as being in sharing her story. Thestory of having big goals,following her heart, being sensible,taking risks,being brave,ensuring she had strong supporters and working hard toprove to herself that she could be great. Hayley outlined her history inAshburton through to graduating with a Bachelor of Physiotherapyin2014,being based in Christchurch in 2019 when she relocated toher current home in MtMaunganui where she has been a self-employed physiotherapist for the last two years. Hayley highlighted her AshburtonCollege experienceasone she will alwaystreasure, saying it prepared her academically for progressing through university and into her chosen career, taught her many resilience and hard work lessons through both academic and sporting pathways. Abreak from sport ensued while at university asshe chose to focus on studies and enjoying the university experience. From 2013 she began somecasual training and cross-fit exercise.Moving to Christchurch in 2014 was when the love for weightlifting really took hold, despiteitbeing abrutal sport. Training forapproximately 15 hours per week, all year, year after year, leads into two ormaybe three big competitions a year –amaximum of six minutes on stage, and three chances only at each discipline: the Snatch, Clean and Jerk. Hayley then outlined her various selections,the firstfor aNew Zealandteam being at the end of2016, having ‘hit’AGrade and being eligible for New Zealand team qualification, competing forNew Zealand forthe first time in March2017 inMelbourne. Significantly,competitors had to fully fund their uniformand travel.Hayley tellingly noted –‘enter here the endless support ofher parents, family and community’. However, success is seldom linear, and Hayley outlined very honestly the times of under-performing and what this requires from an athlete. Her first telling event was at her second New Zealand national championships in September 2017 where she missed all her snatches and was out of the competition. Devastation wasdescribed as an ‘understatement’. Events were to follow, with some misses and some close outcomes on a thirdattempt,and some placings; and being ruledineligible forthe Oceania Championships in New Caledonia due to her log whereabouts not being updated. Drug testers can and do turnuptoanathletes house to bloodand urine test at 5:00am. However, with family support, it was decided to attend this trip as part of the team and with qualification standards within weightlifting New Zealand increasing, Hayley saw this as maybe alast chance tobeapart ofthe high performanceenvironment. This trip changed the trajectory of her weightlifting career due to sitting on the plane beside Ray, who was to become her coach. He asked many searching questions of her during the flight, all related togoals, standards andreasons fornot aiming higher. From this arose lessons we can all learn from. Hayley realised since, that it seemed easier and safer to set the success ceiling low and touch it easily, rather than set it high and risk never touching it. Essentially, she said, she had limited herself by setting the ceiling low. 2018 and 2019 broughtdevelopment, both in strength and belief gains,and SilverMedal in the Snatchatthe Pacific games,but missing her three Clean and Jerks. Nationals thatyear broughtawin, but Rayand Hayley reviewed and decided that getting to the Commonwealth Games was going to requiresomechanges. Here came the reminder quote from Albert Einstein, being ‘the definition of insanity isdoing the same thing over and over and expecting different results’. Courageously, Hayley made some huge changes professionally and personally and movedtoMtMaunganui forJanuary2020 to anew city, new lifestyle and in-personcoaching.Despite some wobbles,inMay 2021 Hayley had personal best numbers and in July 2021 broke her first New Zealand record. COVID also impactedhowever, on competitions with February2022 bringing one competition only for lifters to qualify for the Commonwealth Games. At 29, she beat her arch-rival for the first time in her career, broke the New Zealand Clean and Jerkrecordagain,and the New Zealand record total and qualified forthe Commonwealth Games with 98/125 and 1kg morethan her key competitor.She said ‘I did it.Wedid it.Itwas worthit’. Again, Hayley givesussome valuable advice, highlighting –‘so manytimes in thatprocess it would have beeneasier to stop,playitsafe, pretend Ihad givenitmyall’. Idobelievethatthe saying ‘everything youeverwantedisonthe other side of fear’,isabsolutely on the money. Again, at the Commonwealth Games,lifeofferedanother lesson. Hayley said she learned youactually have to go and get up on thatreally big stage! Her summary was that she ‘placed 5th at the Commonwealth Games with aperformancewell under my best. Iamnot satisfied,but Iamproud of my determination, bravery andstaying powerwhich nowstands me foreveras aCommonwealth Games athlete’. Publicly she has said she is still not done. Her internal drivetopush formore than whatisperceived is huge,with the 2026 Commonwealth Games and a medal being the goal. As sheconcluded, she observedthat, throughout theselast few years of her life acouple of thingshavesat with her and pushed her toward her purpose,being: • It’sonlywhen yourisk failurethatyou discoveryour fullest potential,and - • Bewho youwerecreated to be and youwill set the world on fire To students she recommended –‘As you navigate your life post-high school, Iurgeyou to choose the path thatreally lights youonfire, apaththattruly fulfils you. If youdonot know,thatisoktoo -take your time,have fun, give yourself permission to figure it out’. Hayley covered many options thatthe future could be,orwhatthe priorities could be, but over-riding all of it should always be about prioritising happiness and seeking growth, while also knowing it takes some hardwork. Hayley said that‘Istand here tonight and Iamapartner, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, Commonwealth Games athlete, and agirl proudly from the mighty Ash Vegas. Iget up every day and choose to follow my passion, Ichoose to work hard, to not settle and to be great. Isincerely look forward towhat greatness evolves as you all take the next step in your lives’. (Pictured right): Caendal Harriswith the Duncan NorrieFarrier Equestrian Trophyand her AshColl WayAward. (Pictured left): Ma Apoldo having received her Level3 and AshColl Way Awards from Principal Ross Preece. Awards The awards presented indicated commitment, hard work, focus and contributions from each student, and support from families and staff. Each recipient is commendedfor all thattheyhaveachieved. It is also with very grateful appreciationthatthe College recognises the significantcommunity supportofmanyofthese awards. Special Congratulations aregiven to – DUX of AshburtonCollege2022 Ella Skinner and therefore recipientofthe RotaryClub of AshburtonTrust Scholarship Award and the Ashburton High SchoolCentennialTrustPlaque Ella’s pathwaytothis achievement came via General Mathematics (General Mathematics Cup) Business Studies Accounting (GabitesLtd Prize) Level3ExcellenceAward Ella also attainedthe AshColl WayAward Proxime Accessit (Runner-Up to the Dux) Georgia Blundell Andrecipientofthe RotaryClub of Ashburton Scholarship Award Georgia’s pathwaytothis achievement came via – English (Maria Jarman Prize andCup) History(John Stewart Memorial Prize and DigbyProsser Cup) Lawand Society(Argyle Welsh Finnigan Prize andMarkGleason Cup) Designand VisualCommunication TopSenior StudentinDesignand Visual Communication (Studio 4Architects’ Prizeand A W Thomson Trophy) Level3ExcellenceAward Georgia wasalso presented with the – AshColl WayAward RakiruaTrophyfor theTop All-Round Achievement by aMāori studentinYear 13 Ngahuia Maeva Ngahuia also received the awards of – Te ReoMāori Level3MeritAward AshColl WayAward Senior Speech Trophy AshburtonMusical Club Trophyfor TheBestPerformanceStudent Please see next week’s Newsletter forthe CommunityContributed Awards and additional photos from the Year 13 Graduation Ceremony. We will also publish successes and photos from the Year 11 and 12 Prize-giving.
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Ashburton Courier: November 10, 2022

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