Maths Winners Hillcrests teams (Year 9 and Year 11) won their sections of the Waimaths Competition and the Year 10 team came fourth. The annual event, organised by the Waikato Mathematics Association, was held on August 14 and was open to teams of three representing Year 9-11 from all regional secondary schools. The teams are given 20 questions to answer within a 45 minute timeframe. Hillcrest’s Year 11 team gained 56 points from a possible 60. The Year 9 tgeam caused their tutor, Mrs Goundar, a little stress by falling behind but coming through in a last minute burst to answer 49 questions correctly. The students have now been provided with questions to complete which will be sent Year 9 team: Gabriel Pan, Brodie Maxwell and John Voss. to the organisers of the New Zealand team Year 11 team: Eleazar Coronado, Ella George and Daniel Yeong for the 2015 International Mathematical Olympiad. From this 24 students will be selected to go into training camp in January from which six will be selected to compete in Thailand in July 2015. Theatresports - Waikato Champions Science Fair Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Science Fair this year. 2014 participants – Sukriti Sharma, Jenny Kweon, Cynthia Li, Antonia Chen, Meleena Redcliffe, Aimee Su, Benjamin Flynn, Kasper Jones and Jerry Li Students who have been awarded with prizes in the Regional Science Fair are as follows: Meleena Redcliffe – 1st prize for production of a video on the theme – The Effects of Human on Waikato River. (Open Category) Sukriti Sharma and Jenny Kweon – McGowan Special Judges Award. (Senior Sciences) Mrs Thakur, Science Fair Co-ordinator Back: Calum Hughes, Te Waiarangi Ratana, Tycho Smith and Joseph Simblett Middle: Michael Hockey and Richard Hart Front: Georgia Strang and Zara Olifent Hillcrest’s top two theatresports teams competed in the regional final of the Waikato Secondary School Competition. Our first team won the competition. Well done to ‘Keeping up with the Hillcrestians’ for winning this title and also to ‘King of the Hill…crest’ for securing fourth place. 2 Showing off their prizes are from L-R Sukriti Sharma, Jenny Kweon and Meleena Redcliffe Principal Points Dear Parents and Caregivers • Hamilton appeals because it is small in population and is safe, but we do compete with Auckland as a large vibrant city. Unfortunately little is known of Hamilton and the Waikato compared to other centres in New Zealand. • Parents send their children overseas to get good qualifications (either at school or University or both) and to learn English. At the end of their schooling students either go to a New Zealand University or they return home to attend University. University graduates are highly sought after in the workforce. • As a result of the trip we will be looking at our marketing strategies which could include more promotion and information through our website and overseas media networks, future overseas trips including International Education Fairs and visiting countries on a more regular basis in conjunction with other schools in our region. • The possibilities of short term stays for overseas students is becoming increasingly popular, while the quality of homestay families and the communication between home and school and parents is very important. The focus for the Board of Trustees throughout this term has been consultation with the school and community over our strategic plan. To date consultation and feedback has included a number of stakeholder meetings with the following groups: • • • • • • Parent Group Parents, staff and community involved in our extensive extra-curricular programme Maori parents and whanau Pasifika parents School staff Senior leadership Team Specific questionnaires have been designed and distributed to school staff, students and parents. Board Chairperson, Mrs Bernadette Simblett would like to thank all those involved in the consultation process for their valuable feedback. It is hoped that the feedback received from this process will assist in designing a strategic plan that will pave the way for the future direction and vision for Hillcrest High School for the next five years. We anticipate the draft will be ready for consultation in term 4. During the second week of the last term holidays and the first week of term 3, Mrs Selby, Director of Internatinal Students, Mrs Whiting and I travelled to Asia on an international student marketing trip. This was the first overseas marketing trip that had been undertaken by the school and it presented a good opportunity to meet with agents, prospective parents and students, and also meet with the parents of some of our current students. The trip would also be a good opportunity to see the type of environment and lifestyle that some of our current international students come from. Our international and ESOL students are an important aspect of our school and contribute to the rich multicultural nature of our school community. Our first destination was Shanghai in China. Shanghai has a population of 23 million people, is very busy and becoming increasingly westernised. Huge buildings tower into the sky, with many of the population living in massive apartment blocks. Next we visited Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City has a population of 10 million and like Shanghai is very busy and crowded. We visited during the rainy season so daily downpours were common with very high humid temperatures in the early 30’s. Bangkok (Thailand) was our final destination, again a large city of 6 million people and very busy and humid. We were lucky to have Ray Subhabhundu who is the mother of Phum Siritip (last year’s Hillcrest High School Cultural Captain) and Palm Siritip (2010 HHS Cultural Captain) help us out and show us the sights of Bangkok. She also joined us when we visited the agents. At Hillcrest we currently have approximately 40 International Foreign Fee Paying Students and we would like to increase this to 45 to 50. However in doing so we need to ensure we preserve the personalised care and attention we provide for our IS and constantly be mindful of our overall school roll and the pressure this places on our resources. When students return after the holidays it will only be a short amount of time before the seniors leave on November 4th for their NCEA examinations. All Year 11 to 13 students should be firmly focussed on finishing their year successfully and productively – completing internal assessments and reassessments and preparing for their NCEA external examinations. Staff are providing numerous opportunities for extra revision and tutorials outside normal classroom time and in the coming holiday break. We encourage students to make the very most of these opportunities. Term 4 is very short, but a busy term. Particularly for our seniors. All important dates and upcoming events are listed in this newsletter. I urge parents and caregivers to support our students, your sons and daughters, in celebrating their achievements and success at Hillcrest High School. Kelvin S Whiting Principal The trip was highly successful with some significant information learnt • New Zealand is a favoured destination for International Students (IS) because it is viewed as clean and green, has a very good education system and students can learn English, study and gain a school and University qualification • The IS market is very competitive, both within New Zealand and competing with other countries such as Australia, USA, Canada and the UK. Addressing a group of prospective parents at our hotel in Bangkok 3 National Spanish Speech Competition Addressing the theme of “Recycle, Reuse and Reduce”, Richard Hart competed in the National Spanish Speech Competition for Year 13 students run annually be the Spanish Teachers Association of New Zealand. Richard took third place scoring 96 out of 100 possible points. Only two points separated the top 3 winners. The judge was extremely impressed with the high calibre of presenters at this level and stated: It was a pleasure to hear the high quality of most of the speeches made, to see how well the students have prepared … including the selection of appropriate vocabulary and good grammar knowledge to express their ideas with conviction and precision. While (this year’s theme) is a hot topic now and generally the community is informed about it, the ability to express their views in Spanish was something worthwhile. If this is a reflection of the work of teachers in the classroom and over the last 3 or more years of study, I believe that they also deserve an award. No doubt the teaching and learning of language mature year after year. Not only the scores for these three winners demonstrated that point which is consolidated by the fact that this year the challenge and difficulty increased. Richard Hart “Felicitaciones” to Richard for his consistent hard work and dedication over the several years to mastering the Spanish language! MUNA - Model United Nations Assembly A group of 12 students participated in the Waikato Model United Nations assembly representing 3 different countries – Pakistan (Ryan Bones, Sneha Chatterjee, Akanksha MunshiKurian, Ryan Nadakkavukaran, and Minzhe Zhang), Italy (Ben Hansen, Mitchell Klein, Nathan McLeay, Jonah Franke-Bowell), and Ethiopia (Olivia Maxwell, Leina Tucker-Masters, and Emily Scrimgeour). The teams were asked to come dressed in the ‘traditional’ clothes of their chosen country, and to debate their country’s stand on the issue of the global population reaching 10 billion people by 2050. A number of schools from across Hamilton participated in the event. Hillcrest High School has an excellent reputation at this event, having taken out many of the awards in the past. This year each group presented their arguments with pride and confidence, and this resulted in Ethiopia taking out the top prize for “Best Team”. Their debating and communication skills were so impressive that they were even invited to participate in the Free FM show “Cosmopolitan News and Views” the following day. Mitchell Klein, Jonah Franke-Bowell, Ben Hansen and Nathan McLeay 4 Leina Tucker-Masters, Emily Scrimgeour and Olivia Maxswell Akanksha Munshi-Kurian, Sneha Chatterjee, Ryan Nadakkavukaran, Ryan Bones and Minshe Zhang Health Clinic The health clinic has two school nurses who job share; they are here to see the students who are sick or injured at school. Students can be seen at interval and lunch and during class time if urgent, all students are expected to see their class teacher for pass to come to the clinic if it’s necessary during class time. The clinic has a Doctor who comes in on a Thursday morning from 9-12 to also see students who are unable to access a doctor outside of school hours. The clinic also has a physiotherapist who runs two clinics a week on Tuesday and Thursday from 1-3pm. Our school policy is to advise parents/ care givers of any major illness or injury that has happened at school, a head injury is considered serious and in this case the nurse will phone the Parent / care giver. We will not bother you for something we consider to be minor; however we expect that your child would advise you if they have been to see the school nurse. When students are unwell and need to go home the nurse will always contact a parent /caregiver to get permission for your child to go home. We want to provide a good service here at the health clinic, so if your child develops any medical conditions that we should be aware off, can you please let us know so we can keep the records up to date. If there are changes in contact details can the school please be updated as we often have incorrect phone numbers, making it extremely difficult to contact parents/ care givers. If you have a child who has been vomiting within 24 hours of school or is generally unwell, please keep them home as these bugs travel quickly. If students have on going medical conditions or who are sick for long periods of time we would expect that they are seen outside of school by the family GP. Head lice – please check children’s hair regularly and treat if these are present as they do spread quickly. VISION TESTING for YEAR 10’s – year 10’s will have their vision tested in term 4. It you eat well, (plenty of fruit and vegetable) drink water and get plenty of sleep your bodies will love you for it. Thanks Megan King - Registered Nurse Marion Horton – Registered nurse Angela Fairweather - Doctor Paul Head – Physiotherapist IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS Student Portal TERM FOUR Parents and caregivers can access the student portal using their child’s ID number and their own password. Please phone or email the office (notify@hillcrest-high. school.nz) if you do not have your password. October 13 Term commences 16 ILC Concert The portal is accessed from the very top menu of the school’s website. 24 Arts Awards Supper What you can see on the portal: Labour Day • 28 Group and Team Photos 30 Sports Awards Dinner • • • 27 • • November 3 5 Senior Prizegiving Year 13 Dinner 7 NCEA Exams commence 17-21 Junior Exams 27 Year 8 Orientation Day December 2 NCEA Exams finish 11 Junior Prizegiving • • • Details - check your personal details and use the Change Details function to email us with updates Timetable – your child’s current timetable Attendance – up to date attendance data NCEA Summary – a comprehensive NCEA summary for senior students Groups – any groups your child belongs to Reports – a copy of all your child’s reports (since 2009) Awards – previous year’s awards Fees – shows current fees owing and the facility to pay online (including NCEA fees) Careers – any careers information (if applicable) E-mail address: Please ensure we have your correct email address. We have been, and will be, emailing account invoices and some school reports. End of Term 5 Digital Technologies NZ Programming Competition This year we entered five teams in the national Programming Competition held at Waikato University on August 9th. The year 13 team of George Huang, Chris Wang and Daniel Schipper came fourth in New Zealand in the secondary schools category of the competition. The year 11 team comprising Richard Melchert, Daniel Jeong and Luke Schwarz came fifth. ICPC South Pacific Programming Contest After having competed in the NZ programming competition in early August, we were invited to join University Students to battle it out (coding-wise) at the South Pacific regional in Auckland. As the same team of 3, we were confident to do reasonably well--but this was a completely different league. At first we felt a bit apprehensive but we settled in well, even meeting past Hillcrest High students there. During the competition we commonly took breaks to refuel our brains. We would congregate around the snack area talking about how close we are to solving the impossible problems. It was a difficult 5 hours, but we managed to solve 2 of the problems, only 1 less than the university students, whose average number solved was 3. Chris Wang, Year 13 ICAS Computing Competition George Huiang, Daniel Schipper and Chris Wang Jackson Blewden and Gabriel Pan in year 9 were awarded High Distinction certificates in the ICAS Computing competition this year. They were in the top 1 % in NZ. Rex Pan achieved the top score in Year 10 for NZ & the Pacific in the ICAS Computing competition and will receive a University of New South Wales medal. Robocop Competition For the first time Hillcrest High entered teams in the RoboCup Regional Competition. Twelve year 10 students travelled to Tauranga on Friday 15th August. It was only a small competition, compared to other regions, but a fantastic opportunity for our students to mix with like-minded young people. Our teams were entered in either the Theatre or Rescue Category. In the Theatre category, teams program their robots to move in time to a soundtrack for up to 2 minutes. Nikita Chand, Michelle Hommel and Sophie Zheng did a great job and gained extra points for dancing alongside their robots and having matching outfits. They came a close second. We had 3 teams enter the Rescue category, where the students had to build and program their robots to follow a lane and negotiate their way to a chemical spill (the green area), and push a coke can out of the area. Logan Cook, Victor Peresson and Frederick Au won this category by getting the most points. They have now qualified to go to the National competition in Dunedin in September. Logan about to start his team’s robot for the rescue 6 Sophie and Nikita dancing alongside their robot NZSO - National Youth Orchestra members Violinists Linbei Ke and Emily Kim succeeded in auditions for the orchestra’s development arm this year and last year. The Year 10 students are now the two youngest members of the NZSO’s National Youth Orchestra (NYO). An NYO audition involved recording required pieces and sending the recordings to the orchestra’s Wellington assessors to judge. All NYO members attend an eight-hour-a-day, four week training programme in Wellington in July including two concerts. The orchestra is also to perform in Wellington and Christchurch next year. HOD of Music, Mr Ellery said Emily and Linbei demonstrated the strength of the school’s string orchestra and their inclusion in the NYO will provide a great opportunity to gain entry to leading academies and tutors if they chose to continue in music at performance level. Three former Hillcrest students, now studying at tertiary level, have also been selected to perform with the NYO this year. They are Yotam Levy (cello), Alexander Arai-Swale (double bass) and Ephraim Wilson (organ). INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HOMESTAY ACCOMMODATION REQUIRED We need patient, friendly and caring families who live in the Hillcrest area to host International Students attending Hillcrest High School Family must be fluent English speakers. Board paid weekly For an application pack please contact: Rae Selby [email protected] 857 0297 ext 839 Language Perfect World Championships Emily Kim and Linbei Ke Interschool Debating Final The Hillcrest High School senior debating team of Emily Scrimgeour, Calum Hughes and Olivia Maxwell reached the finals of the Waikato Interschool Debating Competition, held at HBHS Pavilion on 28 August. They debated against Waikato Diocesan affirming the moot that voting in national and local elections should be compulsory. They debated passionately and eloquently but lost by one mark in a split decision. They are to be congratulated for the consistently high standard of their debating and the contribution they have made to Hillcrest. Junior Extension and Enrichment Programme Congratulations to Amy Harrison (Year 12) who was presented with her Bronze Medal, and an iTunes Voucher, for her third place in Spanish in the Language Perfect World Championships. The year 10 JEEP group outside the Britomart train Station on their way to visit the 2014 World Press Association photos. 7 School Ball The 2014 ball was an amazing night. The theme ‘Utopia - the Forgotten Empire’ was reflected in the decorations with students entering through an ivy walkway to be confronted by Greek slaves handing out voting forms. Everywhere you looked there was ivy. Ivy growing over the statues, the walls, the fountains and the floor. The ball committee and various staff members worked hard so that everyone was able to have a fantastic night in a relaxed atmosphere. Ball King was Neil Rudman, Ball Queen was Leilani Baker. Year 12 Beau was Michael Hockey, Year 12 Belle Sophia Newton, Best dressed male Alexander Nebesky and Taylor Lyons. Thank you to everyone who helped organise the ball and for the mad clean up at the end. Thank you to everyone that came and made the evening so memorable. Senior Council This year, Senior Council has been made up of a fantastic group of 34 students who have given up their Friday lunchtimes every week to discuss how best we can improve school life for our student body. Highlights this year included the awesome ‘Black Out Dance Party’ organised by the year 11 representatives – a great evening filled with music, glow-sticks and fun – and the much anticipated Cabaret. This year’s Cabaret, organised by the year 12 representatives, was a fantastic event, and saw many fascinating interpretations on the theme ‘Turn Back Time’. Senior Council has also sought to start several new projects this year, including the first ‘Expo Day’ – an event which took place in term one to showcase all the various clubs and extracurricular activities on offer for the year – and the introduction of weekly peer tutoring and study sessions to help students prepare for exams. Everyone in Senior Council this year has put in a huge amount of time, effort and creativity this year to make all these things happen – and we look forward to seeing this continue next year! Olivia Maxwell, Year 13 Chairperson of Senior Council 8 Cabaret - Turn Back Time Departments Art News Art Matters is a fun place to be. I personally, find it a great place to work on interesting art projects without the stress of deadlines that come with class work. It’s great working with other people from school who love art and having that opportunity to discuss various art related matters is terrific.” - Amina Drury, Year 11 Year 10 As part of the curriculum students are required to study an artist model. This year we were focusing on Frida Kahlo and her story of survival. These three girls got that interested in her story that they decided to play a role of dressing up like her while they did their presentation. It was a great success and they had all their audience deeply interested. Pah Homestead Art Trip August 20th saw thirty Art and Art History students travel north to the TSB Wallace Arts Cente located in the Pah Homestead in Auckland. Built in 1879, the somewhat quaint Homestead’s elaborate ceiling roses, parquet floors and marble fireplaces contrast starkly to the edge of such contemporary works. Inspiring thought, laughter and a bit of confusion, students were encouraged to analyse, question and debate the various meanings and merits of the contemporary pieces that they encountered, some embraced and needless to say some refused the often polarising world of contemporary Art. A big thank you to our guide at the Homestead, Zoe, and the Art Department for making this trip happen! Year 13 In the art room a beautiful creature has been created by Sarah Willis. She is called Eve and will be fired. However currently the artist, Sarah, is just making the final changes. The clay is white stoneware so when she comes out of the kiln will be lovely. Well done Sarah it amazing. i i t s 9 Once again, Hillcrest’s annual Arts Week was a great success. The festival was jam packed with events every single day. The week began on Sunday 24th with the Music Department Concert, featuring the school Orchestra, Jazz Band and many other solo and group performances. All throughout the week during lunchtimes there were classical cello, brass and woodwind concerts held in the library and rock concerts at the music quad. There were many art exhibitions including the beautiful ‘walking figures’ that were displayed through the corridors as well as the ‘camouflage’ photography competition entries. There were pottery workshops and photography, painting and print folios displayed in the art rooms. On the Thursday evening our debating team competed in the regional finals, only losing by a few points in a very close debate. Well done to the team for making it this far! The much anticipated Students vs Teachers Theatresports game was a thoroughly entertaining and hilarious event, with the Students winning the game by just one point! The famous, Alexander Nebesky was storytelling in the courtyard and Buskers Festival at Friday lunchtime had some wonderful musicians performing, as well as poetry writing, portrait drawing and juggling workshops. The comedic Yr12 production of ‘From Morning to Midnight’ ran its season from Tuesday to Friday and was sold out every single night! Thanks to Ms Cash for directing such a thoroughly entertaining performance. On Sunday the 31st, Scat performed their annual ‘Sing’ concert which was themed ‘Sinatra and the 70s’. It was a great event with hilarious subtitles to everyone’s favourite disco songs and followed by a delicious Korean meal in the staffroom. Finally, to complete the extended Arts Week, we had our top two theatresports teams compete in the regional final on the Monday evening, with our first team coming out on top. Well done to ‘Keeping up with the Hillcrestians’ for winning this title and also to ‘King of the Hill…crest’ for securing fourth place. Arts Festival was a lot of fun for all, boosted school spirit and the love of the arts overall. Miriam May, Year 13 Arts Captain Year 13 Earlier this term, the Year 13 Drama class brought a stunningly spooky interpretation of Euripides’ ‘Medea’ to Te Kore Theatre. The play was set in a modern-day New York style and full of haunting blood and gore that left the audience speechless. The use of projections and lighting created an undeniable tension that kept the audience continually captured by the action. By final night the shows had sold out and it has been said to be one of the best shows that Hillcrest has ever done. Well done to the talented director, Mrs Binks and the rest of the cast for putting on such a professional performance. There are more photos on the ‘Hillcrest High School Arts’ page on Facebook. Miriam May, Year 13 10 Drama News Annual SCAT Sing Concert The final concert of Arts Week was the every popular Sing Concert. This year the theme for the concert was Sinatra and the Seventies and the programme included everything from “Come Fly with Me’ to ‘Knock Three Times’. The Jazz Band also performed ‘When You Wish Upon a Star” with Sarah Lewis as a soloist. Other soloists included Alex Nebesky and Caleb Hapuku singing Fleetwood Mack, Leina Tucker Masters and Olivia Maxwell singing’ Leaving on a Jet Plane ‘with Leina on ukulele Miriam May sing “all the Way’ and Amelia singing “Lullaby of Birdland. It was fantastic to see so many new faces amongst our parents but very sad to think this was the last concert for the wonderful Year 13 group. Many thanks also to Jae Yu Lee and his parents Don –Suk Son and Min-Hyoung Lee who catered a wonderful Korean meal for families afterwards. Annual Music Department Concert Thank you On August 24 the Music Department held their annual concert. This year’s concert was one of our shorter in length but greater in variety. I must say there is still a problem with filling the auditorium and this is particularly sad as the quality of the performances was so high. Lunchtime Concerts in the Library We began with an unaccompanied version of “Seven Bridges Road” decided to use The Eagles video when they performed the song on their “Live” album and it worked perfectly. The three girls: Sophie Willis, Sarah Endres and Eva Bonning sang of moss on the bridge and there it was on screen for all to see!! A big thank you to Linda Maxwell, Tracey Hockey and Nona Morris for all the time they put into organising the drama costume room in Term 2. Their help has been greatly appreciated by the drama teachers and students! There were two or three items that were a new genre for us. In a previous year we performed two movements from John McLaughlin’s “Apocalypse” album fusing classical and jazz. This year Nicola Paul sang the solo to “Be My Baby” the Phil Spector classic, and Shania MacMillan Tawny Vooght and Emme Smith sang the backing harmony. Our own Mr Shin did a perfect job of putting Jack Nietzche’s string arrangement on paper for the strings. This song also featured our special Year 9 rock group. I would like to mention two more items. One or two years ago I e-mailed Whirimako Black and asked if we could sing “Love is here to stay” in her Maori translation. She graciously agreed and Kaleb Hapuku duly sang the last song the two Gershwin brothers wrote. The accompaniment we used was a string arrangement written by Hollywood arranger Russ Garcia for saxophonist Johnny Hodges. We played two of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. The depth our string players can be heard when four different soloists played a movement each from the concertos- the students being Emily Kim, Linbei Ke, Celia Griffiths and Lisa Zhang. If you would like to watch the concert go to http://youtu. be/-0KljkSzgYo My thanks go to Ms Corilin Steel for her work with the vocalists, Mr Isaac Crandell-Tanner for preparing and conducting the jazz band Mr Daniel Shin for his arranging and conducting and Mr Mervyn Cook and son Logan for the sound. 11 International Department Visit to China, Vietnam and Thailand During the Term Two holidays the Principal Mr Whiting, Mrs Whiting and the International Director Raelyne Selby visited Shanghai, China, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand. We were very fortunate to meet up with the parents of some of our students and very appreciative of their kindness and hospitality.It was also very pleasing to meet alumni from the University of Waikato such as Felix Fang, shown with Pei Jin. Pei’s daughter Kelley is currently in Year 11. We also visted a UNESCO World Heritage Garden in Suzhou with Wei Wang. Wei’s son Owen is in Year 9. This was our first major visit to China, Vietnam and Thailand and was an opportunity to become more familiar with the wonderful culture and the different environment of many of our students. It was also a great opportunity to meet with family and friends of students. We also enjoyed the opportunity of meeting Education Recruitment Agents in each city and hope to make contact with more Agents in the future. We met students intending to enrol at Hillcrest High School next year, and their families, and look forward to their arrival in Hamilton. We appreciated the assistance given to us by Ray Subhabhundu in organizing the guests and the venue for the presentation. We were very fortunate to have the assistance of past Hillcrest High School pupils Mae Teosakul and Phum Siritip (pictured) along with Min Teosakul. All three students are attending University in Bangkok although Mae is currently studying in the Netherlands for three months. We also met up with Palm Siritip, a past Cultural Captain at Hillcrest High School. Palm is currently studying for three months in Norway. This term Hillcrest High School Students have been involved in local community activities. Kelley Jin and Teresa Dong recently represented the school at a meeting of the Hamilton Branch of the NZ Chinese Friendship Society. Lucy Choi recently won the national Secondary school essay competition, organised by the New Zealand Republic of Korea Friendship Society. With the start of Term Three we welcomed new students from China, Germany, Thailand and Chile. We hope they will enjoy their experiences in New Zealand and have a rewarding and successful time at Hillcrest High School. 2015 Applications are now being accepted for 2015 International Student enrolments. The first day for Year 9, 10 and all new students is Monday 2nd February 2015. Year 9 and 10 students attend 3rd February 2015. Year 11, 12 and 13 start 4th February 2015 In Ho Chi Minh City we met Tony Martin, the New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul General. In Bangkok we gave a presentation to parents interested in sending their sons or daughters to Hamilton in the future. 12 If you have any questions please contact: Raelyne Selby International Director [email protected] Language Department International Languages Week Week 5 was International Languages Week – a chance to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken at Hillcrest High School. Activities included: tongue twister competitions, interactive quizzes, chalk writing, crêpe making, piñatas, kimono trials, origami and Languages 101, where students became the teachers and shared their knowledge. Japanese students also went to Berkley Normal Middle School to help with calligraphy and origami at their Japanese day. The week was a great success, and we would like to say a big thank you, merci, gracias and arigatou to all those involved, especially our involved, especially our Cultural Captains, Leina and Mote. Spanish Immersion Weekend At the end of June 35 Hillcrest High’s Spanish Students, together with two teachers, travelled to Rotorua to participate in the NZALT Immersion Camp. Over 160 students and 30 teachers from fourteen schools attended the weekend, which was designed to speak Spanish and learn more about the Hispanic culture and history. Upon arrival at Tui Ridge, the students were expected to only speak in Spanish from sunrise to sunset (with only one hour of amnesty provided). Professors from the University of Auckland and Massey University, teachers from NZ schools and language assistants from Spain presented workshops, film sessions, and dance instruction for the students throughout the weekend, based on the year level of each group and the theme selected. All instruction was designed to be interactive. Year 13 students addressed topics of the role of the state in people’s lives; Year 12 students looked at the themes of poverty and stereotypes; and Year 11 students considered the roles of family and friends in their daily lives. The Big Fiesta Saturday evening with students dressing up in Hispanic cultural attire and dancing for two hours to Latino music was a big hit for all the students. Hillcrest came in second in the school category for cultural dress and a young man dressed as “Sr. Taco” won the “unique” category (he was literally dressed as a taco). Other highlights for the students included learning how to Salsa dance, cooking Spanish tortillas and churros, the Cluedo challenge and the film studies. The weekend was a huge success and students made great advancements with their Spanish speaking and pronunciation. The weekend was organised by Sra Danzeisen (HHS) and Sra. Robertson (Waikato Dio) on behalf of the New Zealand Association of Language Teachers –Waikato and supported by the Spanish Teachers Association of New Zealand. 13 YOU’RE STARS IN OUR EYES! Well done to our girls’ Danisha Fourie & Savanna Gonsalves who completed their Red Shirts customer services award through the Warehouse. The feedback received by all involved about Danisha & Savanna has made us proud! You are dedicated hard working young ladies and will go far in life with your amazing attitudes! Janice Clough, Red Shirts Schools Co-ordinator said that it was great getting to know you and that you bought a tear to her eye with your speech on the last day. This programme is available next year and a great way to achieve your Customer Services award worth 27 credits which can be used towards the National Certificate in Retail (Level 2). If this interests you and you’d like to sign up for next year please call into the Career Centre (T2) and see Tracy Palmer. LEARNING TO FLY Hillcrest High School student Sasha-Lee Smit, with teacher Jamahl Khan. In the background, Waikato Aero Club chief executive Richard Small with students Mitchell McCabe-Shaw and Luc Wesson. Going to school usually means solving a string of maths problems, succeeding at spelling tests and practising the periodic table. But not for six Hillcrest High School students who are learning to fly. Social science teacher Jamahl Khan started the school’s flying club earlier this year, giving students keen on an aviation career experience in the field. ‘’Flying’s been a passion of mine since I was young,’’ said Khan, who trained as a pilot in the air force. ‘’It’s really great to be able to share my passion with the kids.’’ The group, comprising year nine to year 13 students, meet weekly for theory sessions, flight simulation nights and flying experience at the Waikato Aero Club. ‘’They get to gain experience controlling the aircraft, which is quite a buzz for them,’’ he said. Four of the members are participating as part of the school’s Gateway programme, an initiative to give students industry experience while receiving NCEA credits. Mr Khan said many of the students were interested in careers with the air force, with some in the Waikato Air Training Corps. Waikato Aero Club chief executive Richard Small said the group were a bunch of ‘’really keen kids’’. He said the group learn about aircraft maintenance operations, airport security and baggage handling, as well as getting behind the wheel of the plane with a qualified instructor. ‘’It can be really expensive to get into aviation as a commercial environment,’’ he said. ‘’This opportunity gives them a taste of flying - a chance to give it a try without spending a whole lot of money.’’ FACEBOOK Our Facebook page is proving to be very useful with loads of information which we update daily. If you are interested in info on University, Tertiary study, Scholarships, Jobs, Gateway opportunities etc please like our Facebook page which you’ll find under HILLCREST HIGH SCHOOL CAREERS CENTRE. We are here to help you with your decisions for the future! 14 ESOL Department Junior Shared Lunch The shared lunch this year was the best Shared Lunch I have ever had. It was on the 21st of August. Before the Shared Lunch come, we had many work to do! First, we had to decide the teacher we were going to invite to the Shared Lunch so I invited Miss Bailey – my science teacher to company with me for lunchtime. Then, we made an invitation card to send to the teacher. This year, I brought Vietnamese spring rolls to the Shared Lunch. Normally, we just make spring rolls for special occasions like New Year or birthday because it’s very hard to make and it takes a lot of time. The Shared Lunch is a special occasions for me so I made spring rolls. The day before the Shared Lunch was Wednesday and it was P day so I could go home early to prepare the spring rolls. I made the flower from carrot to decorate the spring rolls. Me and my mom were so tired when we finish making the spring rolls. It took us whole afternoon to make it but I was still happy to make spring rolls because everybody would try my country food, the taste of Vietnamese food. In the morning, on the day of the Shared Lunch, I brought my food to the International Centre so the teacher would heat it up before lunchtime. I was so excited, I just kept wishing the time going fast so I could have the Shared Lunch. After period four, I ran as fast as I can to the International Centre. All the year 9 and 10 ESOL students waited outside the Centre until the teacher they had invited arrived. The students greeted them and lead the way to the table which was full of food from different countries. It was like a buffet restaurant! We ate the food and chat with our teachers. The food tasted so nice, from main till’ dessert, everything was perfect. Some food was spicy, some others was sweet and savory. It was wonderful. I enjoyed it very much. I wish that we would have Shared Lunch every week. Linh Phung, Year 10 House Relay The annual House Relay was held on a course around the school grounds on Friday, 1 August. Following the House Relay the house results are as follows: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 15 Economics Department On September 12 at lunchtime we enjoyed a successful Market Day arranged by the Year 10 Enterprise Studies classes. The school community was given a chance to buy a range of products. This was able to happen after several weeks of learning how to set up a business, run it, produce a product and successfully market it. There were approximately 15 stalls selling products including; cupcakes, crepes, samosas, milk shakes, sherbet, corn fritters, sushi, drinks fudge and chocolate. Beautiful Lengths On Tuesday 9 September, 48 Hillcrest High students participated in the first ever Pantene Beautiful Lengths event at school. This involved cutting 20cm off their ponytails to be donated to the charity Look Good, Feel Better, who, with the help of Pantene, processes the hair into real-hair wigs. These wigs are distributed throughout New Zealand to be given to women going through cancer treatment. This was a huge deal for many of the donors and took a lot of courage. The atmosphere on the day was amazing and a huge crowd gathered to see the ponytails being cut. We had 11 hairdressers from various salons around Hamilton arrive to help us with styling afterwards. Their support was amazing and they were all so pleased to see the students get behind a fantastic cause. We would like to thank Mr Johl, the Service Captains and the Service Council for helping the event run smoothly. Caitlin Weren (Year 11) and Emma Wardle (Year 12) Service Council Though there was a hint of rain lots of customers braved the crowds to add to an electric and exciting atmosphere. Much to their delight many businesses made profits. A mention has to be made about the popularity of fresh popcorn, samosas, henna and the professionalism of the delicious cupcakes. History Department On Sunday 14 September, five Year 13 History Students (Alexander Nebesky, Nathan McLeay, Jack Mahonney-Marsh, Nik Harpur and Mitchell Klien) participated in the Auckland Regional Competition of the New Zealand Division of the International History Bee and Bowl. This is an international History quiz competition that had it’s first run in New Zealand this year. Going in as outsiders, the team used their wealth of general knowledge to compete against some of Auckland’s top schools including St Peters, Auckland Grammar and Auckland International College. All five participated in the individual Bee competition, with 3 placing in the top 10. Alexander Nebesky made it into the final of this section and finished in 5th place. The Bowl Competition is the team event made up of 4 rounds of random history questions. After the round-robin event, Hillcrest was placed in 4th and had to compete against Auckland Grammar in the semi-finals to make it into the finals. Victory saw the team go up against Auckland International College. It was a tense final with the lead switching between the two teams on multiple occasions. However, the final round saw Hillcrest take a commanding lead with several correct answers in a short space of time to come out as champions. Great work guys! 16 History students hard at work. BEFORE AFTER Sport Archery Cycling Michelle Hommel (Year 10) competed in the Archery New Zealand National Indoor Championships held in Palmerston North. After two days of tough competition Michelle came through the Matchplay to win Bronze in her category. (Intermediate Women’s Recurve). This was a great achievement as it was her first major competition. Michelle was calm and composed under pressure and shot really well. We look forward to seeing some more great results from her in the future. With the opening of the new Avantidrome in Cambridge this year track cycling has become more popular. From Term 2 we have had training on the track which is great fun and we have seen a number of riders now accredited to race there. North Island Secondary Schools competition this year was on a challenging new course out of Leamington and also included a track carnival. After having to retire injured in the road race Tom Medland (Year 11) recovered to come 6th in the U17 scratch race and 7th in the points race. The Wai/BOP road race was our best result of the year with Tom finishing 2nd. New Zealand Secondary Schools Individual Cycling Champs saw Nicole Emslie (Year 12) join Tom to race at Mt Wellington to race individual time trial, hill climb and points race. They both competed well despite early morning starts, with Tom finishing with a GC ranking of 21st and Nicole 33rd in her first road cycling competition against some very tough competition. Michelle Hommel Basketball After captaining NZ U16 in the Oceania Champs in January, Logan Vugler (Year 11) has been named in a National Development squad. From here a team will be selected to compete in the 2015 World Cup. Tom Medland Logan Vugler Bowls - Indoor Amber McNally and Melita Bargh won the Waikato Secondary Schools Pairs competition. Hannah White and Isobel van Staden won the Waikato Secondary Schools Bowl final. BMX Worlds Taylor Smith (Year 12), Lewis Smith (Year 11) and Jessie Smith (Year 9) represented NZ at the World UCI BMX Champs in Rotterdam. Jessie Smith was placed 2nd in the 13 years 20” and 4th in 16 years cruiser class – amazing! Jessie is also in our 1st XI hockey team and was placed 2nd in the Year 9 Nicole Emslie Jessie Smith 17 Cross Country On 28 July the school cross country was held over the university grounds. Resutls were as follows: Senior Boys 1st Richard Hart 2nd Ronish Kumar 3rd Cameron McRobie 18:02 18:25 19:07 Intermediate Boys 1st EJ Bai 2nd Josh Henderson 3rd Isaac Boyce 12:11 12:21 12:27 Junior Boys 1st Crae Kinzett-Rolfe 2nd Aaron Imperial 3rd John Flood 13:07 13:36 13:42 Senior Girls 1st Shani Oed 2nd Phoebe Bardoul 3rd Claudia Hurford 13:31 13:44 13:50 Intermediate Girls 1st Jessica Phillips 2nd Rachael Aird 3rd Briar Leith 14:51 15:11 15:17 Junior Girls 1st Kendra Peart-Anderson 2nd Lily Patterson 3rd Megan Henderson 13:37 13:52 14:04 Waikato Secondary Schools competition Our Waikato Secondary Schools Junior Girls team of Megan Henderson (Year 9), Lily Patterson (Year 10) and Kendra PeartAnderson (Year 9) were placed 2nd. Duathlon This was held on 26 August. The course was shortened this year to a 2k run/11.5k bike/2k run with over 90 students competing. While the lead see-sawed in the Senior Boys race between Tom Medland a nd Cameron McRobie, Phoebe Bardoul won the Senior Girls race with ease. Junior Boys 1st Cameron Harcourt 41min 14sec 2nd Hamish Keighley 42min 19sec 3rd William Kingsbury 43min 30sec Junior Girls 1st Briar Leith 2nd Ella Young 3rd Megan Henderson 43min 51sec 44min 49sec 45min 40sec Senior Boys 1st Cameron McRobie 2nd Tom Medland 3rd Richard Hart 36min 14sec 37min 4sec 38min 9sec Senior Girls 1st Phoebe Bardoul 2nd Sascha Arai-Swale 3rd Braidy Lidington 41min 5sec 43min 49sec 44min 10sec Nicole Emslie was placed 3rd in NZSecondary Schools U19 and Waikato/Bay of Plenty U19 competition. Nicole is also going to Australia to compete in the International Triathlon Union under coach, Sam Warriner who won the ITU World Cup series in 2008 and is a legend in the sport. 18 Football Representatives Congratulations to Kira Frank (Year 10) and Chelsi Rys (Year 9) for selection in the U14 Waikato team. Also Anina Peresson (Year 9) for selection in the U13 Waikato team. Kira Frank Chelsi Rys Anina Peresson Golf Emma Walton (Year 10) continues to achieve. In the St Andrews Junior Open she won net girls. Gym Sports NZ Secondary Schools Trampolining EJ Bai (Year 11) competed against 9 athletes in the “Men’s Elite Division” gaining Bronze in his first year in this sport. The winner of this competition is representing NZ at the Junior Olympics and the second place getter competing at the “Worlds”. EJ will now attempt to qualify for the national team. Karate Hockey National Representative The co-captain and goalie of our Girls 1st X1, Hazel Burroughs (Year 13), has been selected in the NZ U18 training squad. Joshua Martinsen (Year 9) competed in the NZS Secondary Schools Champs and won bronze in the U15. He also competed in the NZ champs in the 12/13 years over 45 Kgs where he won gold. On top of this he has also been selected for the NZ Karate team which is heading to Fiji for the Oceania Champs. This success is immense, you should be very proud of yourself! Joshua Martinsen Netball Representatives Hazel Burroughs - Goalie The following students have been named in Representative teams for 2014: Open A competed over 3 weeks in the Wintec WBOP SS Netball Champs. For the first 2 Sundays they played 4 games which were a real test of stamina. Over to the Mount for the 3rd day where they scraped into the finals defeating Trident by 1 goal. They were then defeated by nemesis, Sacred Heart, in the final game to come R/U. 3 Girls were named in the 8 man Tournament Team:Lyanne Eukaliti (Year 10) – Defender of the Tournament Zeana Mansell (Year 13) & Fiesola Puamau.(Year 11) – Shooter of the Tournament Wiakato U18 Girls – Maia Peart-Anderson (Year 12) Acacia Kelson (Year 11) Waikato U15A – Kendra Peart–Anderson (Year 9) Olivia Yung (Year 10) Waikato U15 Development – Briar Wharry (Year 10) Thames Valley Girls’ - Tara Newman (Year 11) Shanelle Reeve (Year 10) The team displayed some outstanding skill and team-work. Team Results Final placing’s for teams this year in the Midlands Secondary schools competition and Waikato competitions: Girls 1st XI (Midlands Division 1) – 5th Place Boys 1st XI (Midlands Division 2) – 8th Place Boys 2nd XI (Waikato D Grade) – 5th Place Girls 2nd XI (Waikato B Grade) – 9th Place Girls 3rd XI (Waikato D Grade) – 6th Place Thank you to all the coaches and managers who have supported the teams this year. The Hillcrest High Hockey Club and players really appreciate your time and effort. Howick Exchange The annual sports exchange with Howick College took place on 23 July at Hillcrest. A variety of sports were played and the following table shows the results. Activity Hillcrest Howick Win Badminton 8 0 W Badminton 8 0 W Basketball Boys 79 62 W Football Boys 0 2 Loss L Football Girls 6 0 W Hockey Boys 3 1 W Hockey Girls 15 0 W W Netball 73 45 Rugby 6 7 L Touch Mixed 0 3 L 7 3 Hillcrest won the exchange by 7 games to 3, and have won the exchange for the last 3 years. 19 Road Race These races are held annually over a circuit set around the school neighbour. the Year 9 races were held on 27 June. Year 11 Races held on the 22 August Year 9 Girls 1. Kendra Peart-Anderson 17min 32sec 2. Jessie Smith 18min 33sec 3. Megan Henderson 18min 56sec 4. Jana Kivel 19min 5. Anja Kuys 19min 26sec 6. Anina Peresson 19min 47sec 7. Claudia Leitgeb 20min 41sec 8. Eilidh Huggan 21min 1sec 9. Alex Win 21min 9sec 10. Cassie Oughton 21min 10sec Year 11 Boys - 104 runners 1st Sam Dickson 16.06 2nd Fabio Waksman 16.07 3rd Lewis Smith 16.26 4th Sasha Wallbank 16.35 5th Hanbin Jeong 16.40 6th Luke Schwarz 16.48 7th CJ Smith 16.58 8th Jordan Bird17.03 9th Joshua Murphy 17.06 10th Zed Smith 17.13 Year 9 Boys 1. Crae Kinzett-Rolfe 2. Abdul Suleiman 3. Jet Lim 4. Ben Pizzini 5. Kayel Neagle 6. Harrison MacKenzie 7. Jaxon Wright 8. Jack Phillips 9. A Brendon McCutchan 10. Matyas Volf Year 11 Girls - 105 runners (only 88 in 2013) 1st Juliet Johnson 16.06 2nd Paige Hallam 16.07 3rd Hannah McWhannell 16.26 4th Sascha Arai-Swale 16.35 5th Rebecca Pickering 16.40 6th Acacia Kelsen 16.48 7th Madison Wright 16.58 8th Aliesha McKillop 17.03 9th Michelle Orchard 17.06 10th Tara Newman 17.13 16min 16min 16min 17min 17min 17min 17min 18min 18min 18min 24sec 49sec 51sec 14sec 15sec 52sec 59sec 2sec 6sec 53sec Waikato Secondary School Ski and Snowboard Champs The Waikato Secondary School Ski and Snowboard Champs were held at Turoa recently and Hillcrest sent down one of the largest teams with 18 competitors across the two disciplines. The weather gods turned on a spectacular day so snow conditions were great for both the slope style (jumps, rails etc) and the slalom (racing through gates) events. All of the Hillcrest competitors represented the school by giving their best effort however two stood out from the other. In the ski slope style Jay Orman came back to defend the title he won last year and managed to gain a silver medal. Alistair McLeay had a fantastic day winning silver medals in both the snowboard slope style and slalom events. He was genuinely unlucky not to win gold in the slalom as he recorded the fastest individual time but a slight fall in his second run meant he dropped slightly behind the eventual winner. Jay Orman - right Both the ski and snowboard teams now turn their focus to their respective North Island competitions to be held at the same venue in mid-September, good luck to all! Jay Orman Alistair McLeay - right 20 Alistair McLeay Swimming Braidy Lidington (Year 12) has just competed at the 2014 National Spring Age Groups Champs. Braidy had two 10th placings, a 12th and 15th place including two personal best times. Well done Braidy. Rugby Rugby has once again had another successful year at Hillcrest High School. We fielded 5 teams and for the first time in a long time we fielded a Girls 1st XV. Volleyball Montana Catering Hillcrest High School 1st XV finished 3rd in the Warren Gatland Division of the Waikato Secondary Schools 1st XV Competition. The team set some high goals for 2014 and lost their semi-final play off in a nail biter vs Forest View 20 – 14 meaning the team missed out on the final. The boys have put huge amounts of effort into this season and should proud of the culture they have created and the way way they have influenced their peers within Hillcrest High School. Boys: Albert Chen, Dylan Gonano, Kyle Masters, Natch Sadindum, Jacky Sek and Josh Sprosen. Girls: Girls A - Rebecca Endres, Ciara Fee, Xanthe Garahy, Kristina Emson and Tyler Hurn Girls B - Kacey Bennet, Hillcrest High School 2nd XV had an up and down season. Losing several games by just a few points meant that they missed out on semi final spots. The team had wins of Hamilton Christian School and Te Awamutu throughout the season. There is some promising players coming through from this team who will push for 1st XV spots in 2015. Target Shooting Kacey McCabe-Shaw (Year 11) made the North Island Junior target shooting team and was a reserve for the ladies team competing in Blenheim. Congratulations Kacey. There have been trials for the Waikato U17 Volleyball team and we have had 12 students selected from Hillcrest! These teams will play in the Inter-Provincial Champs in Auckland on the 6-7th of October. It’s amazing to have 12 players from Hillcrest being selected!!! Congratulations and good luck for the IPC competition. Water Polo Brogan Houghton and Holly Jonson were selected for the NZ Youth Women’s Water Polo Team. They travelled to Europe to represent New Zealand at a tournament in Hungary and then on to the World Women’s Youth Champs in Madrid (Spain)where they played against very experienced teams. This squad will work towards the Olympics in 2018. What a wonderful experience! Hillcrest High School U15 finished the season strongly and put in a real team effort vs Hamilton Boys High School. Although they began to hit their peak in the last few rounds they had numerous close losses and suffered from injuries and players withdrawing throughout the year. Credit must go to coach Steve Harcourt and his team for their commitment throughout a tough season. Hillcrest High School U14’s showed a lot of promise during 2014 and the future of Hillcrest High School Rugby looks in good hands. They finished round robin in 5th spot narrowly missing the top 4. The team showed huge determination when missing key players who were away on the Great Barrier Experience. Well done to all players involved. Rugby Representatives The girls XV showed huge courage and determination in which for many was their first year of rugby. Coming up against National Champions Hamilton Girls’ High School was a highlight for many. Coach and Black Fern Teresa Te Tamaki has indicated her willingness to continue in 2015 and continue to build on their experiences in 2015. Rugby Prizegiving Huge thanks must go to all coaches and managers for the 2014 season. Without their contribution rugby at Hillcrest High School would not be in such a good position. Four Hillcrest 1st XV players were selected and played for the Hamilton U18 team this year. Congratulations to Tim Amai, Jono Cook, Kauruki and Adam Ratcliffe. 1st XV Player of the Year 2nd XV Player of the Year U15 Player of the Year U14 Player of the Year Girls Rugby Player of the Year Tim Amai Ethan Joblin Edward Harrison Durrell Fatupaito Erin Parker Ethan Joblin & Ben Tameifuna Team haka for Tim Amai Thanks to the following sponsors for their support of Rugby at Hillcrest High School Edward Harrison & Joe Walsh Durrell Fatupaito & Brian Alainu’uese Erin Parker & Ben Tameifuna HILLCREST 21 Tournament Week - Monday 1 to Friday 5 September Congratulations to Boys and Girls Hockey, Boys and Girls Football - Girls Football, Boys Basketball and Netball who participated in the annual winter tournament week from 1st to 5th August. For many of our students winter tournament week is the highlight of their sporting experience as our students compete against some of the top sports teams and schools from throughout New Zealand. Thank you to staff, parents and members of the community who coached, managed and supported our teams during the week. During the week I visited the Girls Football, Boys Basketball and Boys Hockey, while Mr Johl (Deputy Principal) visited the Boys Football and Netball. Kelvin Whiting Principal Basketball - Boys Zone 2 Tournament - Tauranga Four Days of Basketball, 24 Teams all fighting for the top 6 places to qualify for Nationals. A tournament with everything you can ask in a great Movie coming to the fore. Full of thrills, skills, action, comedy and an emotional roller coaster with a thrilling close loss of 3 games out of 8 and as a result finishing in 12th place. Hillcrest were the talk of the tournament making a name with one of the most outstanding displays of shooting that players, coaches, managers, referees and spectator have ever seen. Lotima Vaioleti, who had to step up after injuries and sickness hit 3 of our tall players, performed outstandingly. A thrilling display by all players and an excellent example of those who represent Hillcrest High School with real pride. Tal Iuli - Coach Football - Boys Rex Dawkins Tournament - New Plymouth After a challenging year of transition, following the majority of the experienced 2013 side departing Hillcrest High School, the 1st XI Football Boys managed an outstanding 13th place – one of the best results in the last 10 years. Led by inspirational captain, Jacob Rotton, the team showed spirit and determination recording four wins against top opposition. Nick Houghton played every minute at centre back which provided a foundation for the great results. Natch Sadindum was named team MVP by our opponents after fantastic performances and Sasha Wallbank finished Hillcrest’s top goal scorer with six. The team showed great belief throughout the week, winning afternoon matches after suffering defeats in morning encounters. The stand-out result was the penultimate pool play match against Rotorua Lakes when Hillcrest scored the winning goal with two minutes remaining to win 3-2. The performances from mostly year 11 and 12 students provide for a bright future for the 1st XI at Hillcrest High School in 2015. Josh Groom - Coach 22 Premier National Tournament - Taupo Our first game saw us start strongly against St Marys with a 3-0 win, followed by a nail biting 2-3 loss to last years runners up - Rangitoto. Having just missed out of the top 16 we fought on to gain a respectable placing. Struck with injuries our younger players had to step up which enabled them to gain valuable experience at this level. Great saves were made by our goalkeeper Georgia Williams who was named MVP of the team. A huge thank you to coaches, Emma Baker and Dominic Smith Hodgson, as well as manager, Cynthia Pfeffer. For the second year running we won the Fair Play Award for the tournament which reflects our sportsmanship. Overall a week of ups and downs, great fun and experience for 2015. Claudia Hurford - Captain Hockey - Boys Olympic Stick Tournament - Whakatane The 1st XI’s final placing of fourth also carried the highly sought after automatic promotion place to the Tier 3 tournament in 2015. Ably led by Estian Hattingh, the team went through pool play unbeaten and won the quarter final on a sudden death penalty shootout. The last two games were a bridge too far but the team fought on admirably as injury and fatigue set in. Lewis Smith finished as joint top scorer in the tournament with seven goals, while Giles Lusty made some outstanding saves in goal. The boys have been well looked after in terms of coaching staff this year with Ryan Brewer as head coach assisted by Ben Coxhead during the regular season and Richard Baggs stepping in to the lead role during tournament week. Many thanks go to Karen Floyd for her work as Manager this season. Hockey - Girls Netball After having placed 2nd at the tier 3 Chic Gilmour Tournament in 2013, we were promoted to 15th in the draw and heading into a very competitive week. Open A Netball girls travelled to Henderson in Auckland to compete in the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Tournament. All the Girls stepped up to the challenge with some tough pool play, pulling 2 good wins to start the week! The highlight for us all would have to be our 1- 0 win over Tauranga Girls High School who had won our local Midlands Secondary School Intercity Competition the week before. Having won our pool, we secured our position in the top 8 and entry to the 2015 combined tier 1 tournament! We had an awesome start to our week, being undefeated in the first three games. However, in our cross-overs we faced Sacred Heart and St Kentigans - two very talented teams who were eventually placed 2nd and 3rd - and unfortunately couldn’t conquer them despite a valiant effort. Tier 2 Marie Fry Tournament - Whangarei We were up against Whangarei Girls High School in the crossover, a tough game, where we put up an admirable challenge, against a team who would go on to win the tournament. We finished the week in 8th position. Special thanks must go to our Coach Matt Rees Gibbs, Assistant Coach Kate Kernaghan and Manager Lynette Burroughs for guiding us through another successful Season. Best wishes to our four yr 13’s who depart this year, Hazel Burroughs, Simone Deverson, Ashleigh Frandi and Sarah Mackie. Thank you for your significant contributions to our Hillcrest Girls Hockey Team. Upper North Island Tournament - Auckland This left us with one last chance to make our goal of coming in the top 10. With much determination we were able to achieve this by winning our last two games convincingly 41-19 & 43-20. Over-all we had an amazing week only losing three games out of 10 and coming a respectable 9th out of the 120 teams there! We were unlucky to have missed out on top 8 and were only three places off making nationals. This is the best Hillcrest has done in a number of years. All the girls played a very high level of netball especially Zeana Mansell with her awesome deception, Fiesola Puamau our top goal shooter, with her shooting statistics peaking at 100% accuracy and lastly Phoebe Bardoul who played outstandingly all week and was our player of the tournament. UNISS this year was an awesome way for myself and the other 5 year 13’s to finish off a great netball season. So huge thanks to our dedicated coach Mrs Priscott, our manager Dianne and Miss Pollard for putting up with our crazy antics. Lastly, HUGE thank you to the girls for an unforgettable season, I am honoured to say I had the chance to captain you all and wish you all the best for next year. Leilani Baker – Captain and the player whose punch through was awesome 32 Trips / Camps Mud Run Challenge On August 15 the Year 10 and 11 Sports Development classes ventured to Rotorua where they took on the Tough Guy/Gal Mud Run Challenge. The bus trip had an air of apprehension and nerves but once the bright uniforms went on the excitement built up. The music at the startline helped pump everyone up ready for the challenge. The students all had an awesome time and conquered the challenging course. There was lots of fun and laughter and hard work. Special thanks to Mr Kennedy, Mr Eynon, Mr Richardson, Ms Weiss (who competed!) and Mr T for their help in making it happen. Geography Trip Geographers went to Waitomo to study Tourism Development as pzart of their Level 3 programme. There was a tour of the Glow-worm Cave that attracts around half a million people each year and a visit to Woodlyn Park for the Billy Black show which is a mixture of education, technology and comedy. The highlight of the trip - Black Water Rafting. This combination of caving, canyoning and rafting down an underground stream is unique to Waitomo and one of the most enjoyable adventure activities in the country. Billy Black Show Making the eel Hannah Dunn Hillcrest High School would like to thank Fuji Xerox for assistance with the production of this newsletter 24
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