Manurewa High School News Archive

 

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Students buzzing about community scheme

Manurewa High School and the Manurewa-based Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust are working together on a honey of a scheme, which could see live beehives introduced to local schools. Ohu (which means Working Bee in Te Reo Maori) is a company run by a group of Manurewa High School students whose business idea saw them reach the regional ‘Dragon’s Den’ final, part of the Lion Foundation’s Young Enterprise Scheme. After the competition ended the students were so passionate about their idea that they decided to continue running their business within the local community. Ohu’s business objective is to educate the community about the importance of bees. The idea arose after the students visited an environmental education event called ‘Eye On Nature’ run by the Manukau Beautification Trust earlier this year. At the event, students learned that bees are vital to our society and economy, and that their numbers are in decline. The students decided to start up a business which would educate people about bees, encourage communities to plant more bee friendly flowers and to lose their fear of bees. Ohu’s focus is on helping healthy bees. At Eye On Nature the students learned that bees are in decline due to sickness, hunger and chemical poisoning. They decided that one area they could make a difference was in bee nutrition. This had a spin-off benefit of improving community nutrition - honey is a good natural substitute for sugar. As a tool to connect with their community, the students are selling raw, multi-floral "BeeSweet Honey". Ohu plans to supply a free sachet of seeds with every purchase to encourage people to plant more flowers to help feed hungry bees. A free educational pamphlet will also come with each jar of honey sold. The students presented their ideas to the Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust, who were so impressed by the student’s passion and business acumen that they have given the business a financial start-up grant and donated 15kgs of their own honey. Together the Trust and Ohu hope to implement a scheme which will see beehives installed in local schools, starting with Manurewa High School. The hives will be situated within an enclosed area to ensure the safety of both bees and students. Ohu will also run community flower planting events later this year. Ohu will be selling their honey at upcoming community events, at the Auckland Food Show 1-4 August, and the Sylvia Park Trade Fair on 7 September. If you would like to become involved, you can find them here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OHUNZ Email: [email protected] Pinterest: Ohunz Twitter: Ohu_Ohunz

Students design winning app

This week a team of three Manurewa High School students took part in the Otago University Information Technology Challenge, and emerged the winners. The challenge was held at University of Otago House in Queen Street, Auckland. Teams were lectured on the latest IT innovations and advances. From this material they had to select one technology and find an innovative way to use it to solve a real world problem or address a need. Year 12 students Garion Gleeson, Daniel Blakeborough and Aimee Scott designed an eDemocracy app which they named citEvote. citEvote is a mobile application whereby Aucklanders can receive automatic notifications as they go past areas and sites which have council or development plans in for permits. After the alert, smartphone users can view the site through the camera lens and the image of the proposed building (as lodged by the architects in computer 3D) will be superimposed over the view by augmented reality. The person then has the option to give instant feedback by way of a yes/no vote. They are also linked to Facebook forums to discuss the issue with others. The council and business developers can access this data for continual rate-payer feedback. This will help them make more informed decisions, avoid financial wastage on projects with poor uptake etc. It would also be a type of data mining for the business owners wanting to enter the newly developed area, with the capacity for target audience demographics to be used to make decisions - especially if profiling is done via Facebook. The team competed against other secondary school teams including St Peter's and Westlake Girls' High School. The judges were so impressed with our team that they spoke to them afterwards and offered them the chance to continue to develop their app with the help of the University of Otago. Our students plan to take them up on this option.

Maori Language Month

Manurewa High School is leading the nation as one of the first schools to initiate M?ori Language Month, not Week… but MONTH! The school has many exciting events to encourage all students, staff and wh?nau to use and get involved with one of the three official languages of our country Aotearoa, New Zealand. The theme for the month is Ng? Ingoa M?ori – M?ori Names. It asks communities to consider important matters such as correct pronunciation, understanding the meaning of place-names and using M?ori names more often. Here are some ways to get involved in Te Marama o Te Reo M?ori: 1) Mihi Challenge Get evidence of you sharing your mihi with someone to gain wh?nau points for your wh?nau! 2) M?ori Carving Opportunity Mr Luzak is running a M?ori Carving course for senior students after school workshops Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Technology department throughout the duration of M?ori Language Month for those who may be keen to learn more. See Mr Luzak or Miss McCall to sign up and be a part of it. 3) Piki Atu Haka Workshops Do you want to learn the official school Haka? The Piki Atu Haka was first unveiled when the First XV Rugby Team toured Australia last year. Open to all staff and students, run by Mr Adlam in I3 every Period 5 on a Friday throughout M?ori Language Month. See Mr Adlam or Miss McCall for more details. 4) It’s cool to k?rero M?ori Get amongst Te Marama o Te Reo M?ori by trying to use this phrase this week: Ka mau te wehi to mahi! – Awesome work! (Car mow teh weh-he tore mah-he) 5) Patai o Te Wiki – Question of the Week In what year did the M?ori Language become an official language in Aotearoa? Put your name, tutor class and answer on a piece of paper and place in the box outside the business centre for prizes and wh?nau points. 6) Senior M?ori Achievement Dinner This event is happening again in Week 9 of M?ori Language Month for Year 11 – 13 students. The idea is to share a dinner with our Senior M?ori Students and their wh?nau to celebrate their achievements so far. Performances and Guest Speaker on the night. If you would like to be part of it here are the details: Date: Thursday 4th July Powhiri: 6pm Cost: $10 per person – limit 4 wh?nau members per student Letters are out this week – please see Miss McCall if you didn’t get a letter or have any queries. If you have any questions or suggestions about Maori Language Month, please email Miss McCall [email protected].

Students master first stage of a new youth development initiative

Nine at-risk students have returned to school with a greater sense of possibility and pride, after completing the first stage of a new youth development programme. The six-month programme is being piloted by the Ministry of Education and involved Year 11 students from across Auckland schools. It commenced with a three-week residential course at Hobsonville base where the students learnt about themselves through the rigour and routine of military training. Rising each day at 5.30 and retiring at 10.30, they established healthier life habits they seem determined to keep. There were rules that if broken by an individual, attracted consequences that all of them had to suffer. This included maintaining high standards of personal hygiene and dress. As well as intense physical training, there were courses in drug and alcohol management, anger management, and group dynamics. At the end of the first stage, whanau joined in a graduation celebration and staff welcomed them home with mihi and waiata. A followup workshop at Hobsonville takes place in a month. Meanwhile at school, the students must continue to perform, with milestones set in attendance and academic achievement. Though their progress will be supported by the school’s Youth Worker team, the spirit of the programme is for self-motivation and monitoring. Andrewana Wilson is physically stronger from the training that she says was the same for both boys and girls. “Consequences were the worst part - like running a course through mangroves, 2000 times.” Youth Team leader Harold Soe says the life-changing potential for the students is obvious, but it’s just the start. “As a community, we need to support them.”

Concert Band trip to Hawaii

Manurewa High School's Concert Band has just returned from a concert tour to Hawaii. The trip is the result of 18 months of fundraising work including cake stalls, sausage sizzles, garage sales and car washes - all scheduled amidst rehearsals and concerts, lessons and meetings. The concert band visited Hawaii for just over a week. Excellent planning meant not a minute was wasted! The band played four concerts including special performances at Pearl Harbour and the Polynesian Cultural Centre. The students also got to attend a workshop at the University of Hawaii. It wasn’t all about the music though - the students were fortunate enough to enjoy some of Hawaii’s leisure pursuits such as catamaran sailing, a submarine tour, snorkelling and surfing. Music teacher Tim Randle described the trip as “An amazing experience, with tremendous educational benefits.” Manurewa High School’s music department wishes to convey their thanks to all those who made the trip possible, including our special 'club of 100' members: Salvi Gargiulo Daniel Wilson Liz Dixon Tim Randle Marree & Chigong Wu Nadia Rolleston Andrew and Bronwyn Leech ABI Music Wayne and Jill Randle Artisan Joe Steve Clark Richard Thornton Bruce and Judy Harhow Papakura Brass Band Barry Walker Barry Walker Electrical Pat Kemp Darryl Smith Darryl Smith Stainless Fabrications Tania Siteine Gurpreet Kaur John Morgan Digital Signage Solutions Peter Cleave John Walton Owen Colbert Aida Faaeteete Robin Henley Raghunath Singh Russell Preston Counties Manukau Sport Gordon Stewart Faculty of Law Lousia Wall Member of Parliament Sue McLellan Sharon Mitford-Burgess James Cook High School Wayne Kevey Steve Smith Darren Pennington Mainline Construction David & Judy Weston Steve Perks Simon Hocking House of Travel TTS Services Clive Francis John & Leonie Hynds Hynds Ltd Steve Holtham and Leanne Rothville Myra Smith Clive Bish KGAL Ltd Daniel Kinross Fastcom Ltd Michael Haliday Vector NZ Ltd Nolan Mackie Fuji Xerox Ltd Cam Calder Manurewa School of Music Clark Family Clayton Family

SHOT!

SHOT!2013 is off to a great start for 15-year-old student Freedom Nathan. The talented para-shotput athlete enjoyed a day of personal coaching with Valerie Adams yesterday. The world shot-put champion is back in Auckland this week for the 50h Westpac Halberg Awards, and visited Manurewa High School in support of the Halberg Trust’s work with disabled athletes. Freedom Nathan is determined to reach her goal of competing at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the visit from Adams was a real boost. And it seems the learning went both ways – Adams admitted Nathan’s visual impairment gave her a new respect for coaches of disabled athletes. “ You have to really get Freedom to feel the throw, the starts and the push, as opposed to trying to show her which is obviously a lot easier. The training session was a huge success for Nathan, who managed to double the 2.5 metre Paralympic qualifying mark with a throw of 5.24m at the end of the day. “She’s my sporting hero and an amazing role model too,” said Nathan, who described Adams as “awesome” to work with. During her visit to Manurewa High School, Adams pulled no punches when she took part in a game of Goalball – a paralympic sport for visually impaired athletes. Competitors listen for a bell inside the ball to figure out where it is in the court, and use their entire bodies to block shots from entering their goal area. “When I first heard about it I was really nervous, and when I played it, I sweat more concentrating on listening for the ball than actually playing it!” Valerie grins. “But I really enjoyed it. It was pretty brutal, it’s a lot harder than it looks,” she says, gesturing to a bruised knee. See TV3’s interview with Adams and Nathan here: http://www.3news.co.nz/Valerie-Adams-turns-coach-to-support-para-shot-putter/tabid/415/articleID/286413/Default.aspx

Waka Ama Auckland Champs

Waka Ama Auckland Champs Manurewa High School paddled with heart and soul at last weekend’s Waka Ama Auckland champs and caused a few surprise upsets. Sports Coordinator Melina Martene says the Auckland Champs were a gauge for the teams, to see how they compared to top schools such as Western Springs, De La Salle and Auckland Girls Grammar. Unlike the teams from Manurewa High School, most of these competitors are club paddlers in addition to representing their schools, so have the advantage of considerably more time training both in and out of the water. Ms Martene says that despite the vast difference in experience, water time and paddle fitness, Manurewa High School held their own and were able to raise a few eyebrows with their performances. Our J16 boys team (who only have three paddlers back from 2012 s Nationals team and two who have only paddled for a total of 10 weeks) proved they have genuine potential, placing second to De La Salle College. The team missed the start and came out of the line last, yes managed to finish a very respectable second place. Ms Martene says that once the team have spent more time working on the ‘small things’ like starts, it will make them serious contenders at the nationals. The J19 girls team (made up of one year 10 and three year 11s) is rated by Ms Martene as another exciting prospect for the nationals in two week’s time, saying “It is by far the most competitive girls team I have coached here at Rewa, and it really comes down to them responding to the trainings and taking ownership of their team.” At the Auckland Champs this team placed second to Auckland Girls Grammar whom all paddle club and have represented NZ. “The second placing is just huge for them. This team is small in size but huge in heart,” says Ms Martene. The J19 boys have only had two weeks together after a slow start to the season. In the Auckland champs they placed an encouraging fourth against the likes of De La Salle and Western Springs. Ms Martene says the teams are all happy with the results, especially considering a chaotic term which only allowed for four weeks training. But she says the students still know they have a long way to go, and a lot of work to do, to improve on their results from the Auckland champs as they look forward to the nationals in two weeks. “We must train to race and train to beat whomever is currently the best in NZ. If we do that collectively we may create some upsets.” The teams and results are as follows: J16 Boys: Silver in the W6 250m Dan Maireroa Vaopuka Tefono Seve Paeniu Cedric Wiremu Niko Moala Bailey Hoera J16 Mixed: Gold in the W12 250m Dan Maireroa Vaopuka Tefono Seve Paeniu Cedric Wiremu Niko Moala Bailey Hoera Taharangi Kingi Drew Ofanoa Lina Crichton Pearl Rhind Jocelyn Waddell Jade Hoera J19 Boys: 4th in the W6 250m Jordan Cama Montel Ageli Mosese Teuhema Jaymee Sweeney Wright Joyita Taito Soolefai Reece Smith J19 Girls: 4th in the W6 250m Taharangi Kingi Jessica Asi Lina Crichton Drew Ofanoa Pearl Rhind Cullen Edwards Novice Girls: Gold in the W6 250m Leilani Egan Jade Hoera Losa Tefono Rachel Daoe Jocelyn Waddell

NZ Culinary Fare

The NZ Culinary Fare is organized by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand. Top chefs from around the country compete, and secondary schools are invited to participate in four events. The students combined efforts earned Manurewa High School the Secondary Schools Excellence Award 2012 - given to the school with the highest aggregate marks during the competition. Marks for the competition are awarded as follows: Gold 90 -99 Silver 80-89 Bronze 70-79 Less than 70% receives no medal Individually, the students were outstanding, with the following achievements: Cafe Breakfast section In the Cafe Breakfast section, students must prepare and present a cafe style hot cooked breakfast for two. The breakfast must include bacon, sausages, tomato and eggs. Kajal Sharma was awarded Bronze in this section. College Challenge Aygnin Ing won Bronze in this challenge, where students had to prepare and present two portions of a specific recipe provided by competition organizers. High Tea Students had to prepare high tea including sandwiches, petit scones and elegant cakes served on a three-tiered stand. Elizabeth Filimoemaka received first prize with her silver mark of 84%. She was closely followed by Mariah McGregor who also achieved silver with 83%. Table Setting Manutu ufanga Kaitapu won Gold in this challenge with a mark of 90%. Joseph Liugalua won silver with 84%. They had to complete a full table restaurant setting for four people. Well done to all students who took part - a fabulous achievement which upholds Manurewa s tradition of excellence in the hospitality sector.

Humanitarian Leadership Trip

Twenty three staff and students recently returned from the 18-day expedition to Cambodia and Vietnam more worldly and empowered to lead change. The group carried out a huge range of activities and travelled right across both countries - from Siem Reap in the north west of Cambodia to Saigon in the South of Vietnam right up to the north - Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. For both staff and students it was an amazing expedition. Highlights of the trip were spending a day with the school s World Vision sponsored children and the rural community in northern Cambodia, painting and entertaining the orphans at the Centre for Children s Happiness in Phnom Penh, where they rescue the orphans from the huge rubbish dumps, spending time with the Lifestart Foundation doing workshops in Hoi An, visiting the Killing Fields and torture museum, markets, Friends restaurant where homeless street-kids have been trained to work. Going out to the rural communities with the CCH roadshow was deemed ‘very cool’ and a great way to interact with people who have very little. The group experienced boat trips, bus trips, overnight train trips, local and international flights, world heritage temples of Angkor Wat, elephant rides and the amazing 3000 limestone islands of Ha Long Bay - sea kayaks, overnight junks. The Mekong Delta, Tonle Sap lake and river - Vietcong tunnels from the war. The Imperial City of Hue, cultural dances. The demilitarized zone in Vietnam - Mines Advisory Group. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. And of course incredible food... Trip organizer Mr Phil Muir described it as “An amazing trip which will change the lives of many, many people. We saw people who have been through civil war, famine, genocide, years of poverty and disease. Our eyes and minds are now open to how we can change others and make a difference - and just how lucky we truly are. And what a fantastic group of students and teachers.” Well done to all involved and a huge thanks to those people who worked hard to support the group. And of course not to mention travelling buddy Manu the Kiwi and his little friends, who are staying in South East Asia until Manurewa High School returns. A trip is planned for September 2013 to Cambodia (8 days) and a longer trip to Cambodia, Vietnam and maybe Laos for 2014.

First XV trip to Australia

The team made the final in the Chiefs Cup, then won the Counties Manukau Championship beating Wesley for the second year in a row. On 26 September the boys boarded a plane for a seven day rugby trip to Australia. St Edmunds toured earlier in the year to New Zealand, and were keen for us to come and play them in Australia so Manurewa High took up the challenge and headed over. It was a tough ask for the team - 3 games in 4 days, which raised slight concerns if any players were injured. On Friday 28 th the team had their first game against Daramalan College, a co-ed private school. The game was played in good spirit but in awful weather conditions with thunder, lightning and heavy rain. After Daramalan College scored first and gained a 7-0 lead, our boys stepped into gear and won the game 52-7. Saturday was a huge game against the ACT Brumbies u17 side as a warm up for their tournament in Brisbane. It was the game Management and players wanted to win. The weather was cold, with snow falling on the hills and hail falling at the game. It was a tough game and both sides were even, with some great rugby played and friendships formed. Manurewa won the game 30-20. On their day off the boys went to the AIS for a tour, and then enjoyed shopping in Canberra City. The management were just relieved the team had escaped serious injury in the two previous days. On Monday 1 Oct the team played St Edmunds (Eddies) and once again played in good spirits – with the game more ‘mate against mate’, which showed in the rugby from our boys. But despite the mateship, Manurewa once again prevailed and won 30-12. A great time was had by all, the team came away with 3 wins out of 3 games, and friendships were developed which will last a lifetime. Manager Nigel Lowe reported the boys were a hit with the girls and their host families! Special thanks to all who supported the boys financially, and also to family and friends for their support.

Hospitality department best in country

Manurewa High School was announced winner of the Schools category at the Excellence in Training Awards 2012. The awards are organised by the Hospitality Standards Institute (hsi.co.nz), the industry training organization for hospitality. The awards recognise the country s top players in hospitality training. The awards were held at Auckland s Langham Hotel this week and were hosted by entertainer Jackie Clarke. New Zealand schools provided tough competition in the schools category. Nearly twenty thousand students study hospitality at secondary schools around New Zealand, with many students entering careers as chefs or service professionals. Four schools made it to the finals and Manurewa High School came out on top, winning the Excellence in Training (Schools) award. To be eligible for the awards, schools had to demonstrate outstanding achievement in all areas of hospitality, including investment in resources, teacher upskilling, employment/exam/competition success, pathways into tertiary programs, student demand for courses and innovative delivery or assessment methods. Schools also had to demonstrate evidence of industry relationships both within the classroom and in work experience situations. Daisy Chandra, head of Manurewa High School s hospitality and catering department, is delighted with the win. Our students always do well in hospitality competitions, and as a department we focus on providing the best hospitality training we possibly can. It s fabulous to be acknowledged as New Zealand s top provider of secondary school hospitality training.

Waka Ama Champs

Forty Manurewa High School students made up 16 teams who took part in the Auckland Secondary Schools Waka Ama Champs on Saturday at Orakei Basin. The teams were: 4 x Boys W6 3 x Girls W6 7 x Mixed W6 2 x Mixed W12 Under the guidance of Head of Sport, Mel Martene, the students had trained intensively for six weeks in preparation for the champs, twice a week at Pakuranga s Outrigger Canoe club and twice a week during school lunch breaks focusing on core strength and conditioning. Ms Martene knew Manurewa had to train particularly hard to compete with other experienced teams who enjoy much more time training on the water. The students understood the challenge ahead, and rose to the high expectations of the demanding, intense training schedule. Their efforts paid off with the following results: 1st place getters: Division 2 W6 mixed Champ Final Division 2 W12 mixed Champ Final Division 2 W6 boys Champ Final Division 2 W6 girls Champ Final Division 1 W6 mixed Plate Final 2nd place getters: Division 2 W6 mixed Champ Final Division 2 W12 mixed Champ Final Division 2 W6 boys Champ Final Division 1 W6 boys Champ Final (a big step up, after placing 2nd in Division 2 last year!) Division 2 W6 mixed Plate Final 3rd place getters: Division 2 W6 mixed Champ Final Division 2 W6 boys Plate Final Ms Martene said It s a great result and I think everyone was happy with what they achieved at the end of the day - but by no means are they satisfied, they all want to place first which is great to see. They re an excellent group of ambitious, motivated and determined students. Ms Martene noted some standout performances from: Division 1 boys, 2nd Champ Final Dan Maireroa – yr 10 Vaopuka Tefono – yr 10 Cedric Wiremu – yr 10 (first year paddling) Sione Mateialona – yr 10 Niko Moala – yr 9 (first year paddling) Bailey Hoear – yr 10 (first year steering) Division 2 boys, 1st Champ Final Josh Palupe – yr 10 Lex Pohahau – yr 10 (first year paddling) Joseph ligaliga – yr 10 (first year paddling) Mosese Teuhema – Yr 9 (first year paddling) Duane Malupo – Yr 9 (first year paddling) Division 2 girls, 1st Champ Final Taharangi Kingi – yr 10 Pearl Rhind – yr 10 Jocelyn Waddell – yr 10 Drew Ofanoa – yr 10 Rosiah Telelina Crichton – yr 9 (first year paddling) The squad was: · Dan Maireroa – yr 10 · Vaopuka Tefono – yr 10 · Cedric Wiremu – yr 10 · Sione Mateialona – yr 10 · Bailey Hoera – yr 10 · Josh Palupe – yr 10 · Lex Pohahau – yr 10 · Joseph ligaliga – yr 10 · Jioji Tuilovoni – yr 10 · Tamehana Subritzki – yr 10 · John Crawley – yr 10 · Mosese Teuhema – yr 9 · Duane Malupo – yr 9 · Uati Aso – yr 9 · Tupu Tupu – yr 9 · Niko Moala – yr 9 · Pele Motuga – yr 9 · Paul Turia – yr 9 · Trisjon Vikita – yr 9 · Petaia Papali’I – yr 9 · Vaililo Anaua Talaileva – yr 9 · Abraham Sovea – yr 9 · Charles Samuelu – yr 9 · Fatai Tuitavuki – yr9 · Taharangi Kingi – yr 10 · Pearl Rhind – yr 10 · Jocelyn Waddell – yr 10 · Drew Ofanoa – yr 10 · Tyroszhae Toby Marsters – yr 10 · Rosiah Telelina Crichton – yr 9 · Jade Hoera – yr 9 · Leilani Collins – yr 9 · Huia Upward Simeon – yr 9 · Losa Pakau Tefono – yr 9 · Bre’e Toby – yr 9 · Chelcee Tautuhi Bishop – yr 9 · Lavenia Latu – yr 9 The teams will start training again in February.