Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing
Our Year 9 class came to the rescue of Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child today (02/12/2011) by going to their warehouse in Henderson for the day and checking and repacking hundreds of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that have been donated by children and families from all over New Zealand. Mr Craig Scott, the NZ Samaritan's Purse CEO said the Hebron students were the best team that he had ever had working on the premises. One Hebron student was overheard to say, "We should do this every Friday!"
Market Day
18/11/2011
A big thanks to all the parents of Year 9 and 10 students for bank rolling our emerging entrepreneurs and also helping out with the organisation and support given behind the scenes that helped make Market Day the fun, successful event that it was. As you can see in the photo, the hall was absolutely buzzing at lunchtime selling good wholesome food (not!) along with a range of other activities, until most of the stalls eventually sold out. It was very interesting observing some students swing into action so naturally around their business ventures and the day was a great confidence builder for all who participated.
Ice Skating Champ
Jason Clague (Y10) took part in the 2011 Australian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championships. He competed in the Sub Junior Men's grade, 12 - 14 years of age. He was placed 5th overall in his grade, and set some new personal bests with his times. His individual races were: 333m, 500m, 777m and 1000m. He also raced in a Sub Junior 3000m Relay with other members of the Auckland club. Jason trains with Hauraki Ice Racing Club which is based at Paradice Ice Rink, Avondale.
Goethe Society German Examination Results
We have received the results of the Auckland Goethe Society Examinations that some of our German students wrote earlier in the year, and are very proud of the number of our students who once again achieved very well in these examinations. All the students who sat the exams passed and the following have been invited to the prize giving ceremony at Auckland University later in the month:
| Dawn Chen and Emily Painter
Division A (Year 13) Award of Excellence i.e. in the top 8 |
Emily-Anne Muli
Division B (Year 12) Diploma i.e. in the top 20 |
Rachel Paton-Simpson
Division C (Year 11) 3rd= Prize Well done, Rachel! |
Cara Allen and Ruth Turner
Division C (Year 11) Diploma i.e. in the top 16 |
Amy Calder and Sang Jin Park
Division D (Beginners) Diploma i.e. in the top 5! |
Year 9 leading the Charge of the Phone Brigade
The "Phones for Rewards" programme, that enables students to play a valuable role in a nationwide fundraising campaign for Starship Hospital's Air Ambulance Service, has been whole-heartedly embraced by the current Year 9's who have used an amazing array of techniques and, in some cases, sheer door knocking determination, to amass to date a class total of 255 phones (an average of 14 per pupil). And there are more to come as each pupil strives to reach the personal target of phones they have committed themselves to collecting and realise a class objective of 305 old phones, a third of the 915 required for the smart board reward. Thanks must go to all those parents who have joined in the fray and assisted their children with the collection of phones. The exercise has been invaluable in terms of developing skills that will be required two years from now when the class comes to raise funds for their overseas mission trip to Tanzania.
Senior Secondary School Ball
We've all read about the terrible events surrounding many school balls this year... binge drinking, drug taking, suicides, etc. Some schools are now considering banning the event because of the mayhem surrounding these events. The Hebron School Ball I attended with my wife and other staff was the complete opposite! No alcohol, no drugs... but happy, mature and confident young teenagers having a great time! The whole event was organized by our Year 13 students and they did a marvellous job finding a venue, organizing the menu, booking the photographer, hiring a DJ and even decorating the hall with toadstools andprops to support their fairyland theme. Well done students - we honour your maturity and responsibility!
Ice Speed Skater Winner
We congratulate Jason Clague (Y10) who competed in the NZ Short Track Ice Skating Championships and in the NZ Winter Games. He placed first in both competitions in his age grade, and placed second in the grade above (15-16 YO) in the Winter Games. In about 3 weeks he is heading to Australia to compete in the Australian National Short Track Championships. Well done Jason. Now show those Aussies how zippy we Kiwis are on the ice!
Daffodil Day
Our Year 10, 12 and 13 secondary students assisted the Cancer Society in collecting donations at the May Rd New World Supermarket, The Stoddard Rd Shopping Centre and the Stoddard Rd industrial estate today (26/08/2011).
Year 12 Biology Trip and Year 13 Biology Trip
As a part of a NCEA Internal Examination, our Year 12 Biology students went to Blockhouse Bay to collect primary data on a chosen organism in relation to abiotic factors. The method used was quadrate sampling. This whole process is carried out during the low tide period. The students were well behaved and very co-operative at all times.
As part of a NCEA Internal Examination, our Year 13 Biology students went to the marshy area of the Luckens Point to study the Mangrove pneumatophores. The students were collecting data on the distribution of the Mangrove pneumatophores in the upper inter-tidal zone. The method used was quadrate sampling and the whole process was carried out during the low tide period.
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Year 13 Geography Quiz
On Wednesday night (17/8/2011) a team of four Year 13 Geography students, Leah Bennett, Abhijit Gottipalli, Luke Waitohi and Scott Jones, competed against 30 other schools in the Auckland Geography Quiz. The expectations were high and the students did not disappoint. When the points were counted, the Hebron team ended up in 7th= position, just 3 points off a place in the final four. Mrs Finn says she is so pleased with their effort against the top schools in Auckland. Well done!
Year 11 History Movie Evening and a Chocolate Fondue Hot Chilli Challenge
The Year 11 History class has been studying the Black Civil Rights Movement in the USA and they came together for an evening showing (27/06/2011) of "Mississippi Burning", a film based on the true events surrounding the disappearance of 3 young human rights activists in the Deep South while taking part in a voter education programme. The film brought home the truly evil face of prejudice and discrimination and the terrible cost those who opposed such things often had to pay. The class then partook in a traditional chocolate fondue that included the challenge to eat a very hot chilli dipped in chocolate!
A new look at Dr. Seuss
As part of their studies the class had a new look at Dr Seuss, the pen name of Theodor Geisel, who was a leading political cartoonist and human rights activist and who campaigned for Black civil rights in the USA, long before he became popular as a writer of children's books. The class discovered that "Green Eggs and Ham" was more than just a rhyming tale, but an attempt to persuade people to accept differences in others and overcome their prejudices towards them.
Hebron's Indoor Cricket team are semi-finalists
After a gruelling 13-game league season, the Hebron Indoor Cricket Team qualified for the knock-out semi-final stage of the Auckland Central zone championship. As a team of essentially part-timers the side had to contend with and has acquitted itself well against some grammar school heavy weights, whose teams were mainly composed of regular First XI players. Two of the squad were selected for the 15 and under Auckland Indoor Cricket Team that became the only Auckland side to win their age group in the national championship held in Wellington. Some notable performances were recorded during the season with our best partnership scoring 74 runs off 24 balls, while our top score off a 6 ball over was 31 runs, and, not to be left out, our top bowler took a stunning 8 wickets for 2 runs from 12 balls! All players are to be commended for their commitment to the team.
Year 10 Social Studies trip to Eden Park
On Wednesday (29/6/2011) the Year 10 Social Studies class visited Eden Park to gather information for a Classical Studies NCEA Level 1 internal assessment. This achievement standard, worth 6 NCEA credits, is about analysing the links between a Classical culture and a modern culture. In this case, the students were comparing and contrasting Eden Park with the Colosseum in Rome, in terms of the venue, the sport and the spectators. Students have learned about the Colosseum in class and were collecting primary and secondary evidence to support their arguments. The tour of Eden Park was a great opportunity for students to gather primary evidence about Eden Park. And it was a lot of fun! We sat in the seats at the top of the south stand, beside the new clear plastic walls. We also went into the players' dressing room and the coaches' box, and ran out of the players' tunnel onto the field!
Year 11 Maatangi Whenua Geography Competition
On Wednesday night (22/06/2011) a team of three Year 11 Geography students competed against 15 other teams in the Auckland round of Maatangi Whenua, the National Year 11 Geography competition. There were 8 rounds, including Geography in the news, naming all the island states in the Pacific, working with maps, and constructing Geographic features and concepts out of playdough. Hebron was ably represented by Catherine Marshall, Rithwik Danthala and Ben Taylor. From the early rounds, Hebron was among the leaders so it was a nail-biting three hours of competition. We came third, beaten by Mt Albert Grammar in second and Auckland Grammar in first. Well done to Catherine, Rithwik and Ben!
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Making the Holocaust real
As part of the Year 10 English programme, the class has been studying the theme of power through literature, notably the Diary of Anne Frank. We were indeed fortunate to be able to host Bob and Freda Narev, both Holocaust survivors, for a question and answer session with the class (14/06/2011). Mr Narev survived a concentration camp as a child in Czechoslovakia, while Mrs Narev was hidden by a Catholic family in Poland throughout the war. Tragically for both, very few of their immediate families survived the Holocaust. Some very leading questions were asked by the Year 10s such as: "If you could speak to one of your persecutors today what would you say to them?", "Did any of the camp guards ever show any compassion towards those in the camp?", "Was there ever a time when you lost hope?" and "Do you believe such thing could ever happen again and, if so, what must we, as young people, do to prevent it?" The gracious manner with which they fielded all the questions, along with their openness, honesty and generous spirits created a deep impression on all those who heard them speak. They brought home to the class the personal cost of the Holocaust and gave them deep and valuable insights into what Anne Frank, herself, must have experienced. Without doubt this was one of those genuine heart-touching moments.
Classical Studies film evening
The Year 13 Classical Studies students enjoyed a film and pizza evening at the Pollock's home on Tuesday (10/04/2011). After studying Alexander the Great this term, they watched the recent film on his life. It was good to hear the students noticing many of the inaccuracies in it - an indication of how well they have learnt the topic. In preparation for our study of Virgil's Aeneid, they watched the tragic story of the destruction of Troy by the Greeks, by using the Trojan Horse. We agreed it was a better production than Alexander. Both films presented debatable and interesting interpretations of these ancient individuals and events and made them more real for us. It was a good evening.
German movie evening
On Monday evening (09/04/2011) the Year 11, 12 and 13 German students gathered at Mrs Greybe's house for a German cultural evening. The students enjoyed a traditional meal of German sausages, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut (cabbage), bread rolls and some yummy German biscuits baked by Kirsten for dessert. They watched two award-winning German movies. The tragic but inspiring story of Sophie Scholl tells how she, her brother and a group of young university students from Munich University set up a group called the "White Roses". They became an underground resistance movement against Hitler and Nazi Germany. The artistic movie Lola Rennt (translation: Run, Lola, Run) is an entertaining and unusual look at the different consequences that our decisions can have on us and those around us. A special thanks to the parents who transported students home afterwards.
Year 13 Geography field trip
On a sunny but windy Tuesday (05/04/2011), seven Year 13 students headed out to Muriwai to conduct their Geographic Research. This year's class chose to research the dunes and how they change in different locations and over time. Auckland Council provided historical measurements and photographic evidence, so the trip to Muriwai focussed on collecting current data at two locations. After a long day measuring, observing and photographing, all that remained was the hard slog of writing it all up. Thank you very much to Mrs Bennett for driving and spending the whole day with us.
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English trip to Richard III
On Monday evening (14/03/2011), the Year 12 and 13 students and teachers attended the University of Auckland Summer Shakespeare production of Shakespeare's Richard III. It was excellently produced and Richard's "subtle, false and treacherous" character was well portrayed. The combination of modern technology (lighting, PowerPoints, sound effects) supported the great acting. The students were particularly impressed with the actors who had learnt all those lines of Shakespearean English by heart and who performed them with so much emotion and conviction. The minimalistic and symbolic use of costumes and props has helped the Year 13 students appreciate the alienation techniques used in this year's drama study, "A Man For All Seasons".
2011 CAMP
[written by the Principal, Geoff Matthews]
The teachers and students at the secondary camp at Karakariki (between Hamilton and Raglan) had just emerged from underground caves when I arrived and were all quite excited about squirming through muddy caverns and wading through underground streams, seeing glow worms, etc. None seemed to suffer from claustrophobia and all spoke positively about the experience.
