High school year winds down
The Golden Bay High School is looking back at a successful few weeks of term four, with students gaining recognition for their achievements, going on outings and trips, and year nine classes looking forward to the "Day Out" mentoring programme.
After a busy year, with exams approaching fast, it was time to slowly wind down activities, said principal Roger File, who is already contemplating new projects for 2009.
"The senior closing ceremony is on 13 November. This year we are introducing a new award, the kia kaha award, for students who excel in a range of fields, cultural or sports, and not just academic achievements. The award recognises students who achieve at a really high level also outside of school," Mr File said. "We had a really successful year with our students achieving in many different areas. Our GB Biz team has won the regional competition in Wellington with the garden buddy idea and this is the fifth time Justine Butler had a group going to the national finals."
Four students also won bronze awards in the recent Regional Science Fair for Nelson and Tasman secondary schools. Megan Wintour and Holly Johnson investigated the flame-retardant properties of various materials in their "Flame Busters" project, entered in the category for students in years 9 to 11, despite only being in year 8.
In their "WhatSerFace" project, Jasmine Wintour and Katelyn Whitaker checked out the brain's capacity to remember names. For the past three years, they have been investigating how children learn and this time looked at how children associate faces and names. Both projects were praised for showing good understanding of scientific research principles, and Mr File said all four students could be proud of their work.
Furthermore, Lucien Schroder-Gay has been awarded a McKee Trust Scholarship for tertiary study in 2009. Only four of these scholarships are awarded across the whole Nelson/Tasman region.
For some of the younger students, the time to prove themselves is still coming up, as the largest group ever of year nine students is being released into the community this year during the "Day Out" programme. Every Friday in November, students will be paired up with adults who are able and willing to share their knowledge, skills and time with the young people.
"It was quite a task this year to find enough mentors, but we have enough people now who are taking students. It is a very popular programme and we always had very positive feedback from both students and mentors," said Mr File.
For the coming year, new projects are on the horizon. A major new addition to the school will be the long-awaited adventure playground. As funding for schools remains to be cause for major headaches, the principal is pleased to announce the receipt of a $35,000 grant from the Canterbury-based Community Trust.
"This is half of what we needed for the playground; the rest will come from our five-year property funds, and we hope to get it going at the beginning of next year. We already have the plans drawn up and have a provider for the equipment. The playground will fulfil two functions: it will give the junior students something to do and will provide a fitness area for PE classes."
The gymnasium is also being renovated and upgraded, and a new environmentally friendly boiler will provide heating for the next cold winter.
Ina Holst
