Model United Nations Assembly 2015
Both of the Lynfield College teams acquitted themselves well at MUNA, with Nicholas Dobbie, Brecon Rose and Erica D'Souza leading well-received presentations for the glorious Land-Of-My-Fathers (Ireland).
Team Croatia (Gauri Prabhakar, Sarah Tribble and Liam Bateman) combined impressive research, a finely-honed strategic use of United Nations' points of order and passionate oratory (Liam received two standing ovations and the comment from the Secretary General that he is clearly a politician in the making) to great effect. They were the deserving winners of the 'The Most Impressive Eastern European Nation' award.
Dancers for Pop Stars
| The college is lucky to have a group of talented dancers and choreographers on hand as it prepares for the production of Pop Stars. Fifteen dancers are learning routines for Genie in a Bottle and Bye, Bye, Bye among others. The routines have been choreographed by teacher Sarah Jordan, and Year 13 students Kelsey Murray and Rosanna Kelly Nair. The routines are not just popping and locking in 90s style; students are also performing in commercial jazz, jazz funk, contemporary, hip hop and Latin fusion. As well as the separate dance troupe, all cast members are learning routines for the big numbers. Ms Jordan says she enjoys the energy of the full cast and developing routines to showcase all the students’ talents. |
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2015 Tennis Champions
The Tennis Championships have been held over several weeks and the results are detailed below. Fine weather for the first day of the event meant many matches were completed, but unreliable weather over the next few weeks resulted in the finals being stretched over several days.
Congratulations to all the division winners, as well as to all competitors, for their exemplary sportsmanship.
| SINGLES | CHAMPION | RUNNER UP |
| SENIOR BOYS | Callum Magee | Jerome Schischka |
| SENIOR GIRLS | Vanessa Pimenta | Diana Lim |
| YEAR 11 BOYS | Casey Newbrook | Andrew Isdale |
| YEAR 11 GIRLS | Casey Scott | Neve Stanimiroff |
| YEAR 10 BOYS | Final still to play | |
| YEAR 10 GIRLS | Emily Liston | Caitlin Schischka |
| YEAR 9 BOYS | Duncan Poland | Ishaan Bhide |
| YEAR 9 GIRLS | Anjali Hira | Rachel Ling |
| DOUBLES | CHAMPIONS | RUNNERS UP |
| SENIOR BOYS | Callum Magee & Jerome Schischka | Simon Stanimiroff & Jae Young Heo |
| SENIOR GIRLS | Vanessa Pimenta & Diana Lim | Did not complete |
| YEAR 11 BOYS | Felix Barrett & Casey Newbrook | Andrew Isdale & Daniel Adams |
| YEAR 11 GIRLS | Casey Scott & Neve Stanimiroff | Kitty Sun & Phoebe Liu |
| YEAR 10 BOYS | Josh Boasman & Josh Moraes | Aaron Zhang & Jimmy Zhang |
| YEAR 10 GIRLS | Caitlin Schischka & Amy Cui | Did not complete |
| YEAR 9 BOYS | Duncan Poland & Jason Moraes | Ishaan Bhide & Joshua Lobo |
| YEAR 9 GIRLS | Rachel Ling & Brianna Magee | Anjali Hira & Sameera Reddy |
Top Row (Left to Right): Felix Barrett; Vanessa Pimenta; Jae Young Heo;
Middle Row: Diana Lim; Duncan Poland; Rachel Ling;
Bottom Row: Larissa Naismith; Thomas Yang; Casey Newbrook.
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A Trip of a Lifetime to Germany
by Alice Purdie, Year 13
On the 28th of April 2015, 18 students and two teachers met at Auckland International airport ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime to Germany. Many of us were nervous as this was the first time we would be away from our families and friends for such a long period of time.
After more than 30 hours of travelling including a 12 hour stopover in Frankfurt we arrived in Berlin and met our host families that we would be staying with for the time we were in Germany. Our exchange partners all attend our partner school Ernst Haeckel Gymnasium in Werder, which is a small town half an hour's train ride from Berlin. We were to spend the next 3 and a half weeks living with our families learning about and immersing ourselves into their culture and families.
Every morning our group would meet in the foyer of the school and walk to the train station and catch a train to what the day's activities were. We spent most of our time in Berlin exploring the landmarks the city has, such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Berlin Wall, the East Side gallery and plenty more. We also had free time nearly every day where we could wander the streets or a mall in small groups and shop or eat.
 Berlin Bear |
 Black Forest |
 East Side Gallery |
We also attended some classes with our students, which was very different because they have 1.5 hour classes four times a day and 12+ different subjects. School in Germany is much harder than school in New Zealand (the teachers read your marks out in front of the entire class).
Our weekends were spent with our families, so everyone in the group did different things, for example going to the Baltic Sea or Poland. Our group spent five days in the Black Forest in the south of Germany, which was a 12 hour bus ride from Werder to there. For many of us it was the first time seeing proper snow, even though they told us it would be warmer in the South. We spent the 5 days at a youth hostel that was over 300 years old. We spent a day in Freiburg, a city close to where we were staying and we went to an open air museum and the longest luge in Europe (which was more like a one person rollercoaster).
 Berlin Cathedral |
 Madame Tussauds |
 Parliament |
We also drove to France and spent the day in a city called Colmar (where some people ate snails). We all found it strange being able to drive from one country to another and spend the day there. Colmar was very similar to Germany apart from the fact that everyone spoke French. The extend of our French was extremely limited (2 sentences max.) and so we all struggled through asking directions in a mix of English and German , thankfully some people spoke German so we didn’t get too lost. At the youth hostel we sang the New Zealand national anthem for the family that ran it, in practice for our upcoming performance at the farewell dinner. Thankfully it went well, compared to our practices back home.
 France Border |
 Luge |
 Olympic Stadium Berlin |
When we got home from our five days in the Black Forest we had another week and a half with our families before it was time to go home. By this point we were pretty used to everyone around us speaking German, and our language skills were improving because of the constant use of German around us. Though sometimes it still caught us off guard. I was asked if I wanted a receipt at the Supermarket and had no idea what the guy was asking so I just awkwardly said nein hoping it wasn’t something important.
We spent another week travelling to and from Berlin seeing the sights and bonding with the group and our host families before the time came of the farewell party. We had all prepared a speech for our families to thank them for taking care of us which most of us got through without crying. We had pictures of our time in Germany playing on a screen and we all danced the Anna Marie dance. It was a sad night because we knew we would be leaving soon and that we wouldn’t see our partners for a year, if at all.
 Treuenbrietzen |
 Werder |
 Wind Turbines |
On the last day we went to the Zoo and a 2km shopping street (where we spent too much money). And then it was time to leave. We all woke up in time to get to the airport at 5am. There was a sombre mood over the group as everyone would have liked to stay and not go back to school. After lots of tears and hugs we walked through the gate and boarded our plane. It was such a fantastic experience for all of us and we all learnt so much about German life and their culture and customs. We all look forward to seeing our German brothers and sisters next year when they come to New Zealand.
Things That Go Bump In The Night
- Year 12 Geography Ruapehu Trip
While we slept, unaware, in our lodge at National Park, a series of earthquakes under nearby Mt Ngauruhoe indicated ‘minor volcanic unrest’. By the time breakfast was served, GNS Science had raised the volcanic alert level. None of this was a surprise, as our study area is the most volcanically active in New Zealand.
The dramatic landscape of the Tongariro National Park provides ideal field conditions for our Research internal assessment. By comparing two locations on Ruapehu, we study differences in slopes, velocity of streams and types of vegetation, all the result of volcanism.
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A visit to Whakapapa skifield showed a harsh, fractured rock environment. We rode two chairlifts to New Zealands highest café, examples of the tourism infrastructure that is unusual in what is both a National Park and United Nations World Heritage site. A study of these developments is the theme of another internal assessment.
During the return trip to Auckland, we stopped for a hot swim at the thermal springs in Tokaanu. This was great medicine for our muscles made tired by our earlier hike to Silica Rapids.
Rehearsing for Pop Stars
The sound of music from the Nineties is echoing around the school, as over 60 students prepare for the upcoming musical Pop Stars which will open on Wednesday 24 June.
The musical tells the story of teenagers striving to make their way in the cut throat world of pop music. Who will they walk over to get to the top?
Hit songs like Baby One More Time and Hero, and artists such as MC Hammer, the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys are sure to delight the audience, even if some of the students couldn’t believe the popularity of Achy Breaky Heart.
With over ten rehearsal groups every week, the singers, dancers, actors and musicians are working hard to perfect their routines.
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China Trip 2016 - a letter of invitation
Dear Parents and students,
An opportunity has arisen for Lynfield College students to go on a trip to China in April 2016. Our students will travel around Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. In Hangzhou they will visit our “Friendship School”, Greentown School. Greentown School is very supportive of this excellent opportunity for our students to gain an international experience and they offer free accommodation, food and activities during the week our students are in Hangzhou.
The trip will take place from the last week of Term One through to the end of the first week of the school holidays (16 days). We will travel around Shanghai for 4 days before going to Hangzhou City to visit Greentown School where we will be hosted by Greentown students and teachers for a week. From Hangzhou we will take an overnight train to Beijing and spend 5 days there. We have many exciting activities planned. Itinerary available here.
The total cost to each student will be around $3750. This includes return airfare, taxes, meals, hotels, transport (including overnight train), entrance tickets for all historical sites and parks and travel expenses in the areas around Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. This represents very good value.
Please contact Ms Fang at jfang@lynfield.school.nz or Mr. Aitken at aaitken@lynfield.school.nz to indicate your interest.
Te Reo Students Weave with Blockhouse Bay Primary
| On Monday 11 May Mrs Leauga took 6 senior Te Reo Maori students (and 1 junior Kapa Haka student) to Blockhouse Bay Primary, where they taught children how to weave. Our students enjoyed their time with the primary school students and the latter had a great time too. A letter from a Blockhouse Bay Primary staff member says.. "Thank you so much for arranging for your students to come. They were excellent. Our children learnt a lot from them and your students had a lovely mix of manners, social skills and knowledge that they shared with the children so well. We are trying to enhance our Maori curriculum here and this experience was definitely part of that. I think it's great to make links with your college and I hope the girls got a lot from the experience too. I hope we can continue these links into the future." He mihi mo to koutou mahi! Well done girls! Sabrina Subritzky-Cowen, Chadeney Mcmanus, Olivia Riggs, Charlotte Cowie, Jordan Tamatea, Amaia Kiripatea-Gage and Shanaia Panapa-Ruri. |
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SPEC Excellence Award
Lynfield College has once again attained the SPEC Excellence Award for 2015 as well as being named the Top School in New Zealand. The school continues to deliver SPEC courses successfully by providing the students a wide range of opportunities to demonstrate and develop their Key Competencies.
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12/13 SPEC Students
Students visited the Auckland Museum WOW Exhibition (above right) to gain inspiration for their Task on designing a piece of Wearable Art fashion accessory. The focus for smarter targets has been to be creative, utilise waste material and incorporate cultural ideas.
| Changing the Landscape Year 13 SPEC student, Tea Cedric designed and made eye catching greeting cards for her task. Her smarter target focus was to develop her photography skills and use Photoshop to change the landscape. |
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Lynfield ANZAC Parade Year 11 SPEC student, Logan Collings organised a Lynfield ANZAC Parade which was held on Friday, April 24. Logan played his bagpipes and an invite was sent to all classes as well as staff. Learning Support students supported the parade with the poppies they had made. The flag bearer was Matthew Lewis and Andrew Zhang read out the ANZAC poem. This was a highly successful event enjoyed by all staff and students who attended. |
High Energy Physics
Many students are deciding on their future careers which await them after their time at Lynfield College. This year one focus for the Academic Council is to provide a year round programme of guest speakers to give students careers guidance and an insight into their chosen fields of study.
The programme started this term with a visit by Dr David Krofcheck, a physicist who met Pyong and Raynil, two of our Academic Captains, at the Young Physicists' Competition. He shared an insight into some of his work with experimental and theoretical physics and this inspired the physics and science students who attended.
Further into the guest speaker programme, Academic Captains Raynil, Sachi, Pyong and Meryl will be organizing more meetings with inspirational speakers from finance, bio-medical science, humanities and many other areas which students are interested in.
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2015 College Ball is in July
The social highlight of the school year for senior students and staff is our Lynfield College Ball.
2015 Ball : Friday 17 July
Time: 7pm - 12
Venue: Ellerslie Convention Centre (Newmarket Room)
The Ball Committee is chaired by the Head Girl and Boy and their Deputies. With a tradition of highly successful occasions having been established over many years their challenge is always to ensure that a well-organised, highly enjoyable evening is achieved. Preparations, including the choice of venue and theme, begin early in the year with the Ball being held at the end of Term 2.
The Lynfield College Ball has developed an excellent reputation for being well run and trouble-free. We feel it is important for students and parents to be well aware of some aspects of our organisation, so that high standards are maintained.
- Ticket purchase is conditional on the student having met all outstanding obligations to the School (eg financial, sporting, library), having no more than 5% ‘unexplained’ absences and presenting the signed and completed permission form.
To be quite clear on expectations and procedures on the night..
- Entry is by numbered ticket only and doors close at 7.30pm.
- Pupils or partners/guests attempting to bring cigarettes, alcohol, herbal party pills, drugs (or equipment for their use) into the venue will have these confiscated and disposed of. Entry may be refused. Pupils or partners/guests showing evidence of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be admitted. Parents will be contacted.
- The School’s jurisdiction ends with the closing of the Ball at midnight. Students are expected to leave the venue promptly.
- We are aware that after-ball functions may be arranged and attended by some pupils, but we neither organise nor encourage such functions. It is the parents’/caregivers’ responsibility to ensure that they are aware of and satisfied with the plans made by their son/daughter for the conclusion of the Ball.
Adherence to these quite simple expectations ensures a wonderful night for everyone. The photos and memories stay with the students for many years.
Race Unity Speech Finals
Gauri Prabhakar (Year 13) has won the Auckland sector of the Race Unity Speech awards and now advances to the national semi-finals.
| You are warmly invited to attend the national final of the Race Unity Speech awards on the theme Big Change Starts Small Saturday 16 May, 2015 Te Mahurehure Marae, 73 Premier Avenue, Pt. Chevalier, Auckland 9.30 am Arrivals, registration, tea, coffee, juice10.00 am Welcome 10.15 am The Story of Auckland from Ngati Whatua’s perspective. The unique history of a city built on the good will of the tangata whenua for the benefit of all - as envisaged by the Treaty of Waitangi. Presented by Margaret Kawharu from the Ngati Whatua Orakei Trust 11.00 am Bus trip to Takaparawhau (formerly Bastion Point) - out of the ashes has come the Whenua Rangatira - a place of peace. (Don’t be late ‘cos we can’t wait!) 12.15 pm Bus returns to Te Mahurehure Marae 12.30 pm Lunch 1.30 pm “Talking about Multiculturalism” – a workshop presented by former Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres 2.45 pm “This is your life, Racism!” - an interactive, drama-based workshop facilitated by Julie Watson, educator, Human Rights Commission 4.00 pm Afternoon tea 4.30 pm Presentation of speeches by the finalists in the 2015 Race Unity Speech Awards 6.30 pm Dinner 7.30 pm Prize-giving 8.30 pm Supper/dessert There is no charge but koha is invited to help cover refreshments Please register by Thursday 14th May (for catering purposes) by contacting Bev Watson bev.watson@bahai.org.nz Phone/text: 021 257 6526 Maxine Chan maxine.chan@bahai.org.nz Phone/text: 022 362 0660 Please indicate: your name and a contact phone number or email address; whether you will be present for lunch and/or dinner; and any special dietary requirements. |
Gallipoli Murals Transform Hall
The College Hall walls have been transformed by the addition of some outstanding mural work completed by our Visual Arts students.
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University Campus Experience
Sarai McKay, Deputy Head Girl, was a successful applicant for the University of Otago On Campus Experience, enabling Year 13 Maori students to travel to the University of Otago to experience what it is like to live and learn in Dunedin from 27-30th April.
“ I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to go on this ‘On Campus Experience’. I went with the intention of grasping a better understanding of University life and to solidify my desire to study Law. The trip far exceeded my expectations. Through the people I met and the activities I took part in, I received a surge of inspiration, developed a greater sense of self and became overwhelmingly excited for University and my future, which I hope will be a great one!”
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