Gibson and Science Centres Open | 125th Celebrations | Maadi Cup

Rangi NewsAPRIL 2014

Cover info:The opening of the Gibson Centre and Science Centre, 4 April 2014.

3 Leadership

3 Building openings

5 News from the Principal

8 Board Report

10 Chaplain’s Column

13 2014 Heads of School

16 Curriculum Matters

16 Project Blue Sky

17 Around Rangi

17 Boarding House News

18 GATE Coordinators Desk

26 From the Director of Theatre Arts

27 From the Director of Music

28 Sport

28 Athletics, Triathlon

29 Swimming Sports 30 Athletic Sports

32 Cricket / Dragon Boating / Rowing

33 Sailing

34 Touch /Volleyball / Waterpolo

36 Community

36 From the Community Relations Coordinator

38 Celebrating Past Students

40 Early Childhood College

41 Preschool News

42 Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association

CONTENTS

18 24

30 42

Gibson and Science Centres Open | 125th Celebrations | Maadi

Rangi NewsAPRIL 2014

www.rangiruru.school.nz

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www.rangiruru.school.nz Rangi. For Life.

3www.rangiruru.school.nz

Building openingsThe words “knowledge and innovation”

were repeated often as the Rangi Family

came together for the official opening of

the Gibson Centre and Science Centre on

Friday 4 April. In the words of Stephen

Joyce, the opening of these buildings

was a “significant milestone for Rangi

Ruru and for Christchurch.”

As over 400 people including invited

guests, staff and girls gathered in Science

Centre, the sense of wonder could be

heard above the sound of bagpipes being

played from below the bridge that will

link the Science Centre with the yet to be

completed Student Services and Social

Sciences building.

As guests took their seats the Kapa

Haka group performed from the stairwell.

The crowd revelled in the unexpected

acoustics of the building and for some,

thoughts turned to future opportunities

for the building beyond the teaching and

learning of science.

Board Chairman, Stuart Nattrass,

began proceedings by reading a letter

from the Honourable Stephen Joyce,

Minister of Science and Innovation.

Minister Joyce commended the

school for its long support of science

and technology, and credited the

commitment to creating innovative

programmes and opportunities for the

community.

The grand living wall which greeted

guests at the main entrance of the

Science Centre is just one aspect of this

building that has been described by

architect, Craig Brown from McIldowie

Partners, as “a living, breathing giant

science experiment.” Mr Brown praised

the bravery of the Board in making the

decision to redevelop the whole school

campus rather than simply put buildings

up where they fell down. He spoke of

the importance of these buildings as

part of the overall vision and detailed

the innovative aspects of the design as

environmentally responsive buildings.

Principal, Julie Moor, took this

opportunity to speak of the significance

of these two buildings for the girls’

learning. The flexibility of the spaces and

the positive social interaction that will

take place in the collaboration areas have

always been central to the brief to the

architects. So, too, has the connection

to the Canterbury landscape and we are

particularly proud of the interior design

which reflects this.

Before officially opening the two

buildings, CEO of CERA, Roger Sutton,

spoke of the significance of these

buildings to the Canterbury rebuild and

reflected on the school’s own journey.

He explained that he is sometimes

asked to quantify the severity of the

earthquakes and he responds by saying

that the force experienced is equal to

30 billion people being dropped on the

earth. For some, the enormity of that

figure still took some processing.

Georgie Staples, Head of School,

concluded the formal proceedings and

invited Roger Sutton to officially open the

buildings by cutting the ribbon that hung

between the two. This was followed by

a blessing of the buildings by Reverend

Kirstie McDonald and a waiata performed

by the staff and students.

In celebration of the importance

of these buildings to the whole Rangi

community, the preschool, together with

senior leaders, concluded the opening

ceremony by releasing gold and blue

balloons into the sky – some with a little

hesitation.

Roger Sutton speaks at the opening of the Gibson Centre and Science Centre

CEO of CERA, Roger Sutton, officially opens the buildings by cutting the ribbon.

4

Pipers welcome in the guests

Following the official ceremony afternoon tea was served in the Gibson Centre

400 people including invited guests, staff and girls fill the lower floor of the new Science Centre for the official ceremony

Student Fun Day launches 125th anniversary celebrations

125th anniversary poem Rangi, The Gibson’s wide sky shelter1889

Helen’s vision

Family tradition

The Gibson’s wide sky shelter.

1903

A grand 63

Of day girls and

18 boarders alike

1923

School and students shifted.

Rhodes’ abandoned house was

Home

1946

Presbytery reigned.

A Governor’s board

stands to this day

2014

A century and a quarter still

Seek the heavenly things

For a century more

Megan Blackwood Year 9

Year 13 students sing waiata

The girls enjoyed good old fashion fun

such as tug’o’war

and 3 legged races as

they celebrated the

launch of the school’s

125th anniversary

celebrations in

February this year.

5www.rangiruru.school.nz

Student Fun Day launches 125th anniversary celebrations

The best part of this journey…

This edition of Rangi News will reach

you shortly after we have officially

opened the Gibson Centre and the

Science Centre, and shortly before we

open the building housing Student

Services and Social Sciences in mid May.

These buildings change the face of Rangi

Ruru and mark an extremely important

milestone in the school’s history.

Early in 2011, just three years ago, we

could not have imagined the changes

that have taken place. We could not have

imagined the events and the challenges,

and we could not have imagined the

impact. Yet here we are, like so much of

Christchurch, looking ahead and starting

to see the vision being realised.

This has been a journey that began

before the earthquakes, when we were

looking at new schools and researching

what kind of development would be

best to take Rangi Ruru strongly into

the future. The decision to completely

revision the entire campus was one

taken after much discussion, and now

we can see the beginning of the new

Rangi Ruru. When the next building is

opened (name still to be decided!) it will

be the first of four buildings that form

the ‘colonnade’ around the church. The

second, the Performing Arts building, will

be completed at the end of this year.

The first three buildings have been

built almost simultaneously and have

been an extraordinary example of

organisation, teamwork and, in the case

of Science, an all out effort by everyone

to get it ready for the opening. A huge

number of people have been involved in

this build, and their commitment to the

school and to ensuring that excellence

is the outcome has been overwhelming.

As Rangi News has a wide readership

I think this is the fitting place to record

and acknowledge these companies and

people. I know that when I do this I run

the awful risk of leaving someone out,

but I would rather ensure that people are

acknowledged and run that risk. I have

endeavoured not to miss anyone, but if, in

the mass of information, you have been

overlooked, I do apologise!

Thank you toArchitects: McIldowie Partners; Craig

Brown, Terry Mason, Ellen-Mary Terrill,

Ronan Reid, Tom Crocker, Graham

Upton, Nayan Puri

The amazing Leighs team: Andrew

Clucas, Nigel Bannan, Kyle Docherty,

Graeme Earl, Emma Williamson, Tim

Clark and all the onsite workers. These

people not only delivered us wonderful

buildings but in the case of Science,

pulled out all the stops to get it ready

in time.

Engineering: Engenium; Grant Coombes

Project Managers: Octa; William

Cockerill, Lauren McKay, Mike Davies

Quantity surveyors: Rawlinsons; Andrew

Milliard, Alan Hewitt

Service engineers: Aurecon; Tim White,

Peter Rickard-Green, Heath Turnbull,

Adrian Muir, David Hughes

Planning: Planz

Furniture and fittings: John Cochrane –

John and Annmaree Cochrane, Distinction

(Mata chairs and stools) – Dorothy Pearce,

Class furniture – Craig Vigis

nEwS FROm ThE PRinCiPAl

Principal Julie moor speaks of the significance of the new Science and Gibson Centres for girls’ learning during the official opening

6

Floor coverings: Dominion Flooring

Joinery: Hooper Joinery – Arron Hooper

Library shelving: Hydestor – Sharon Blair

and Andrew Moore

Lockers: Stevenson and Williams

Vision Strips, Signage: Action Signs – Bill

McKnight

Concrete: Leigh’s Construction/Bradford

Precast Concrete Ltd

Steel: Pegasus Engineering – Simon

Williamson

Piling: Piletech Ltd

Plumbing: Peter Diver

Electrical: Frank Millar – Kerry O’Neil

Windows: Thermosash – Dave Rooker

and team

Drainage: K+T Drainage – Gordon

Kenning

Roofing: Wayman Roofing Services –

Dave and Paul Wayman

Mechanical: AMT Mechanical – Martin

Abercrombie

Tiling: Ambience Tiling ltd

Fire engineer: FFP, Shanon Saxon

Acoustics: AE Services – Tracey Hilliker

Data: CableCraft Christchurch Ltd

Security: Security Specialists

Maori carving: Riki Manual

Landscaping Designer: Caroline Ferraby

assisted by her husband Joe

Water feature: Zansteel and Cresta –

Gordon Harper (and lots of input from

William Cockerill from Octa.

Huge thanks to: the PTA for sponsoring

the water feature, the landscaping and

seating.

Fuji Xerox for the generous gift of the

living wall, supplied by Greenair.

In addition, there has been much

in-house work. The Library team has had

to move books several times now and

the World Challenge girls and librarians

provided the girl power for the movement

of the library from its temporary site. It

was only the night before the opening

that the final shelving arrived, so the staff

put in a marathon effort to have all the

fiction properly and finally shelved. The

IT Team not only had to move themselves

into the Gibson Centre but have also had

a key role to play in all the new buildings.

Stephanie Barnett took on the

unenviable task of managing the furniture

installation (including lockers) with flair

and even better, under budget. She gets to

keep this job for the rest of the buildings!

Neil Templeton’s touch is everywhere and

it would take too long to list all the things

he had a hand in – and I’m not at all sure

that I know them all! Mr Rex our caretaker

and Jim, our maintenance man, have, as

always, been invaluable.

The Science, Student Services and

Social Sciences teams have spent a great

deal of time discussing their spaces, what

they need, amending plans and looking

to the future. They have been very

tolerant with uncertainty of completion

and shifting dates for moving. There

are other areas that, as a result of new

facilities, are also moving in Term 2 –

Maths, Languages and Years 7 and 8.

Juliet Collins has overseen various

things artistic and in particular, the

reassembling of the Chris Booth

Sculpture, and Andrea Innes has overseen

all the signage, with assistance from Nicki

Tipa and Anton Mogridge.

And of course Stewart Barnett, as

Project Director, has held it all together

and liaised between school and everyone

else.

While Rome certainly wasn’t built in

a day it is amazing to see just what can

be done in three short years, particularly

if we include the wonderful restoration

nEwS FROm ThE PRinCiPAl

Year 13 student Amy lee, in the Gibson Centre playing the grand piano that is on long term loan from a Rangi Old Girl

7www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

of Te Koraha, when you have the right

team and when you have a shared vision.

A huge thank you to all of the people

mentioned, but also, and especially, to the

girls, who through it all just kept on doing

what they do, with hardly a grumble. This

has always been about the students and

the excitement as they saw, firstly the

Gibson Centre early this year and then on

Friday 4 April the Science Centre, was the

very best part of this journey.

Julie MoorPrincipal

The impact you’ll have and the lessons you’ll learn will be with you for life. At Rangi Ruru we want you to be the very best you can. We’ll push you, we’ll help you break barriers, we’ll be there for you when it gets tough - but most of all we’ll give you the tools and skills you need to become the woman you want to be. Join us at our Open Day or for a personal tour call us on 03 983 3700.

McC

arth

y R

R/P

S/1

4

The impact you’ll have

rangiruru.school.nz rangi125.co.nzRangi. For Life.

Open Day / 12 May

125 House PartySaturday 22 November 2014The 125 House Party will be a very special event to conclude our anniversary year involving the whole Rangi Family. Further details will be released in the coming weeks.

To receive our e-news be sure to update your contact details at rangi125.co.nz

St John’s Ambulance Challenge This year, along with other CEOs, i am taking part in St John’s Ambulance Challenge. i am going out on a 12 hour night shift with paramedics and ambulance officers in a ‘behind the scenes’ experience taking place on Friday 2 may.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my St John Ambulance Challenge thus far. if you check out the links below you will see my progress and that of others. my shift is one of the last of the group and i am hoping for a surge of donations around that time! St John will be raising the awareness of what they do and how they are funded at assembly in the first week

of next term, but i have not pushed this appeal at school as the Community Service Council has its own fundraising plan and i do not want to push my project on top of that. nevertheless, some of the girls are looking at ways to support this, which is lovely.

This is a wonderful community effort and if you haven’t donated yet, every dollar helps St John.

www.everydayhero.co.nz/julie_moor

www.everydayhero.co.nz/ st_john_ambulance_appeal_ challenge_2014

8

In my report of 2012 I spoke at length

about Project Blue Sky, the redesign

of the school. 2013 has seen the first

tangible signs of that vision with the

commencement of the first three

buildings.

One of the many highlights of the

year was taking possession at the end of

the year of the new Gibson Centre, the

library and IT hub of the school. This was

just in time for the 2013 year leavers to

experience the building as part of their

pre ball function at Rangi.

Early in 2014 the new Science

Centre has been completed and

General Academic buildings will soon

follow to complete the transformation

from school, to demolition site, to

construction site, and back to school for

that part of the campus.

The Board has again spent a lot of

time discussing the development and

the financing thereof. The Board has set

prudent limits for funding debt and is

well aware of its responsibilities to both

the current families and future families of

the school.

It was exciting to announce the

appointment of an executive responsible

for fundraising at the end of the year.

This is with the aim of launching a

capital campaign as part of the 125th

celebrations in 2014, to provide the

funding for those aspirational parts

of the site development plan that

are outside the insurance and debt

funding available to the Board. With that

statement in mind, the board has made

a strategic commitment to resourcing

marketing and funding. We wish to

engage potential new students, and past

students, more deeply than we have

been able in the past.

Operationally, the school is in good

heart and despite a role that was at

recent low levels, it was able to generate

an operating surplus for the year.

The level of forward enquiry for 2015

enrolment is well ahead of the same time

last year.

The balance sheet is characterised by

a recycling of current assets (cash and

short term investments) into long term

assets that will serve the school well for

many years to come.

Our students’ NCEA results for 2013

were again outstanding and a credit

to the girls and their teachers. Value

added reports that the school receives

consistently show that we outperform

the national averages in what our

students achieve. This is in large part due

to the commitment of the teaching staff

and the support mechanisms behind

them. The Board’s theme for 2013 was

“Holistic Wellness”, recognising that we

have a responsibility of care to families

of young women with a wide variety of

abilities and interests, and to provide the

best possible learning environment to

encourage and enable them to exceed

their own expectations.

A vision unfoldsBoard Chair Stuart nattrass (second from left) welcomes guests into the Science Centre alongside Roger Sutton (far left), Craig Brown (right) and Julie moor (far right)

BOARd REPORT

9www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

Early in the year at one of the first

Board meetings, we had a presentation

from Jean Brouwer, Head of Student

Services, and her team. They outlined

how they fulfil the important role they

play in supporting our students.

I would like to congratulate my Board

on their commitment and enthusiasm

this year. The Board and school continue

to face challenges going forward, there is

continued pressure on roll numbers and

in 2014 we move from being a depositor

to a borrower, as stages one and two of

the redevelopment are completed. 2014

is also a special year for the school as it

celebrates its 125th. These are interesting

times for any Board.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge

the departure of Yvonne Smith the

School Chaplain. Yvonne had a key role

in promoting the values so important at

Rangi. She has moved to Dunedin and

we wish her well.

68th AGM

At the 68th Annual General Meeting, held

on the 26 March, we reported on another

successful year for Rangi Ruru.

It was very pleasing to report another

profitable year for the school. Details

of our accounts and the status of our

business plan have been well explained

by the convenor of the Finance and Audit

Committee, Paul Bryden.

The Board has established a

‘dashboard’ of criteria that it believes

help indicate the health, or otherwise, of

the school. Some that I wish to highlight

in this annual report are as follows:

• Pupil retention, this was recorded at

the highest rate both in percentage

terms and in absolute terms for the

past ten year period.

• Scholarships, Rangi Ruru provided

scholarships to a wide range of

students over a wide range of

disciplines to an equivalent value

of $290,260. In addition Blue Sky

Scholarships totalled a further

$397,530.

Whilst we had no Governors who

were up for re-appointment this

year, Helen Tait has tendered her

resignation from the Board. Helen’s work

commitments outside her Rangi Ruru

commitments have grown over the two

year period since she first joined the

board. Helen feels she can now no longer

provide the time and energy that she

believes are required to fulfil governance

duty with the school. My colleagues and

I thank her for her contribution over the

past two years and wish her well with her

ever expanding portfolio of activities.

A replacement for Helen is now being

sought by the Board.

A governance theme of “Putting

Policies into Practice” has been agreed to

by the Board for the 2014 year.

We go into 2014 confident that the

significant decisions made in the last

couple of years have set the school up for

an exciting future.

StuartNattrassBoard Chair

Senior leaders and preschoolers at the Gibson Centre and Science Centre Opening

10

Challenge worth embracing

Ko Maukatere te mauka ki runga

Ko Tawera te awa

Ko Takitimu te waka

Ko Tuahuriri te tangata

Ko Kai Tahu toku iwi

Ko Ngai Tuahuriri toku hapu

Ko Kirstie McDonald toku ingoa.

Ko Tuahiwi toku kaianga tuturu.

Mount Grey is my mountain

Tawera is my river.

Takitimu is my canoe

Tuahuriri is the man (my eponymous

ancestor)

Kai Tahu are my tribe

Ngai Tuahuriri is my sub tribe

My name is Kirstie McDonald

Tuahiwi is my true home.

As you can see from my mihimihi my

name is Kirstie McDonald, I whakapapa

back to my tribal roots of Kai Tahu

and I am very proud to be a McDonald

from Sleat. The combination of Maori

tribal whakapapa and Scots Highland

connections means that I bring a rich

heritage to my role as Chaplain at Rangi

Ruru.

I was born in Fiji, in Lautoka; my

Father was seconded there and served in

the 1st Fijian Infantry Regiment during

the Malayan Emergency. I’m a fifties baby

so that will give you a hint as to my age

and I am blessed to be the parent of a

relatively large extended family; there

are six children ranging in age from 37

down to 10. My eldest daughter Bronwyn

is married runs her own company and

has two beautiful girls Sophie and Jessie,

my gorgeous grand-daughters! My son

David is a ballet dancer, musician and

actor and resides in Melbourne. The rest

of the family are all attending school here

in Christchurch; one at St Thomas of

Canterbury College, one at Christchurch

Girls’ High School and one at Cathedral

Grammar School.

I simply love music! I possess eclectic

tastes... I enjoy Pink Floyd, Neil Young,

Chicago, Bob Dylan, Bread, but I have

a passionate love of classical music,

especially the Church Choral tradition.

The perfect radio station for me is the

concert programme 89.7! I play the

flute and various recorders; I am also

a passionate bagpiper, snare drummer

and competing member of the Scottish

Society of NZ Pipe Band.

I wasn’t ever an outstanding scholar,

by dint of hard work I got there; my

parents were heard to comment that

they thought I went to school to eat my

lunch, sing in the choir and to play sport.

I played cricket for Canterbury from

the age of thirteen and for Otago when

I moved south to teach. I also played

Hockey, Badminton and Basketball at

what we called in those days ‘senior

level’. Today I live for the Christmas

holidays and the five dayers, I watch

every ball... naturally there are some

in my family who think I’m somewhat

crazed as they believe it is like pulling

teeth!

I have been a teacher for almost

thirty years; it is without a doubt one of

the most rewarding and yet most testing

occupations out there, and yes, I still

love it! I am a returned serviceperson

having been deployed on operations

overseas; in total I served in the NZ Army

for twenty years as a territorial soldier,

officer and as a Regular Force Chaplain.

My service in the NZ Defence Force

taught me many things; how to remain

calm in a crisis, how to be a servant

leader, how to inspire, how to be a team

player, and most of all, how to put God’s

commandment to do to others as I would

have them do to me, first... ‘to love my

neighbour as myself.’ Not an easy task,

but a challenge worth embracing, worth

struggling with.

ChAPlAin’S COlUmn

Rev Kirstie mcdonald

11www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

During this Easter season we are

challenged yet again to listen to the story

of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

In Jesus we see a man of strength and

courage, of honesty and openness,

of integrity...this is a man both fully

human and divine who chose us rather

than himself; he chose to love us, his

neighbour.

In Jesus’ sacrifice there is a challenge

for us and it is a daunting challenge; how

can we live out our lives as ‘Christ’ today,

following his teachings two thousand

years on, in a global world, broken,

morally corrupt, technologically savvy

and so different in context?

I believe we must strive to live as

children of God, as people of faith; some

and none and all faiths, inclusive and

loving. We must struggle with what

this means today in 2014, because

struggle is part of journey and growth

and discovery. If we embrace God’s

unconditional love, a love which gave us

freedom of choice, then I believe that as

a community, Rangi Ruru will flourish as

people of Easter hope and love.

No reira

Te rangimarie o te Atua ki a koutou.

God’s peace be with you.

Kirstie McDonald (Rev)Chaplain

Take 125 years homeSupport Rangi Ruru’s Project Blue Sky by purchasing our 125th Anniversary merchandise online at www.rangi125.co.nz/shop

Limited edition. Sold only in 2014.

125th Anniversary Limited Edition Print Edition of 500

125th Anniversary Tote Bag Edition of 400

125th Anniversary Tea Towel

125th Anniversary

Mug

Te Koraha Replica Charm

Te Koraha Post Card 5 Pack

$15

$20

$25

$45

Rangi Ruru Girls’ School

1889 –– 2014

$85

125th Anniversary

Pin

$15

$15

Rangi Ruru Pin

$10

Girls prepare to deliver Easter eggs to retirement homes in merivale

12

This year the school has the unique opportunity to reflect on

its proud history while at the same time looking to the future of

girls’ education with Project Blue Sky.

With this in mind we have rebranded the school’s

advertising with a campaign “Rangi. For Life.” The objective

of the campaign is to celebrate our past and future with the

entire Rangi Family and to promote the school to a whole new

generation of Rangi girls and their families.

Thinking behind the campaignFeaturing current Rangi girls from Years 9 to 12, together

with past students, the campaign incorporates television,

newspaper, magazine, billboard and online advertising together

with social media. Launched in March, the television ad is a first

for the school, and in fact, a first for any South Island school.

Central to the message is the recognition that Rangi

provides girls with the tools and skills they need to be the very

best they can be at whatever you choose to do. This means

giving girls the opportunity to be involved in activities they

might not get elsewhere and to tailor their learning needs to

suit them and their goals.

Personalisation and pastoral care are cornerstones of

the Rangi Ruru philosophy. This focus sets girls up for life

and those who return to the school this year to celebrate our

anniversary will tell you that this has always been the case at

Rangi.

Rangi Ruru is an innovative school and it was important for

us to move away from the conventional advertising style that

most schools follow and make a bold statement.

You can find a link to the television ads as well as the

programme schedule of when the ad will be played on the

Special Notices page on Ultranet.

As part of the campaign we are also encouraging Rangi

girls, staff and parents (past and present) to get involved with

the school as part of our 125th anniversary celebrations, to

share their stories and help us continue this incredible legacy.

To become part of the 125th celebrations and to share your

stories, visit:

www.rangi125.co.nz

www.facebook.com/Rangi125

www.twitter.com/rangi_ruru

www.instagram.com/rangiruru

Don’t forget to use the hashtags #rangiruru, #rangi125 or

#rangiforlife on your photos.

Celebrating our past and future

Rangi. For Life.

13www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

2014 Heads of School

Georgie StaplesHead of School

Rangi. For. Life. 125

years, we have been,

we are and we will

be remembered. I am

very proud to have

the privilege of being

Head Girl at Rangi

Ruru for 2014. This is a uniquely special

year with our 125th Anniversary and the

opening of the first of our new buildings.

From the first day I stepped foot into

Rangi, I felt the encouraging, positive and

caring atmosphere. The students and staff

were so welcoming and friendly, and the

connections in the Rangi Community

truly felt to me like a family.

When thinking about what we aspire

to achieve this year, the schools’ student

leaders all agreed that we wanted to

end the year knowing that we have left

a mark on the history of our school. We

decided on the theme ‘Live your Legacy’

following the tragic loss of our Rangi sister

Courtenay Rushton, and to also connect

with our exciting 125th celebrations. We

believe that this theme will encourage

the girls to think about how they want to

be remembered both inside and outside

our Rangi Community. My time at Rangi

has offered me many challenges and

opportunities. I hope this year my team

and I will lead our girls through ‘Living our

Legacies’ together to enjoy school and

grasp on to all of the unique activities and

opportunities Rangi has to offer.

The strong sense of school spirit

has always stood out for me. It appears

through the connections we make with

our peers, between the staff and students

and the wider Rangi Community, this

spirit is present in all aspects of school life.

My personal goal for 2014 is to make

sure every girl at Rangi looks forward

to each school day. I want them to feel

positive, welcome and to have a sense

of belonging. I would like to encourage

relationships between different year

groups so that the older and younger girls

get to know each other so we are united

through the Legacy of 2014.

Rangi to me has been something very

special. I encourage all students to strive

to be the best they can be, follow their

passions and to grasp every opportunity

made available at Rangi.

Kristy HavillHead of House

It sounds cliché, I know, but the

Boarding House is

regarded as a second

home to 100 girls

in 2014, our 125th

anniversary year.

Some would argue

with this, but how many other ‘homes’ do

you spend 37 out of the 52 weeks in the

year at? What is being a “Rangi Boarder”?

Surely we are not just renowned as the

stranded souls who make up over one

sixth of our school’s population. We

are the ones who celebrate extensively

when a food parcel arrives from Mum,

or eagerly anticipate or dread Dad’s

response when asked to pay for a ticket to

the latest Boys’ High Dance.

In the Boarding House, many different

things can represent a girl living her

legacy. Encouraging the girls to “Live

Your Legacy” has allowed myself and

Deputy Head of House, Abby Pedersen,

ample opportunity to continue striving

to strengthen relationships between year

groups. This is an ongoing process every

year, because there are always new ways

in which we can unite our boarders. Being

remembered as a girl who interacted with

other boarders from all year groups, is a

valuable legacy to leave behind, because

in life, we are not always going to be

making friends with people the same age

as us. Boarding is a perfect representation

of this, because there are friends to be

made in Year 12 when we are Year 10, or

in Year 13 when we are Year 9.

For some, living their legacy is leading

the boarders home to victory over the

day girls in the sack race or umbrella race

at Athletics Sports and Swimming Sports

respectively. It could be that a girl wishes

to be remembered for making the most of

the activities the Boarding House offers,

such as the Crusaders’ home games that

we have begun attending.

What makes the world, our Rangi

community and in particular the

Boarding House special places is that

many different legacies are lived by each

person. No two legacies are the same.

Although we may not be aware of it, we

are forging our own legacy each and

every day. What makes our individual

legacy so special is that we don’t even

realise that we are creating one.

Holly SmithHead of Community

Service

Throughout my years so far, I have

noticed that the

happiest people

in life are the ones

who give the most.

We have something

pretty special at Rangi Ruru, with the

ample amount of encouragement

provided to us to get involved with

community service.

This year the Community Service

Council and I are aiming to broaden the

school’s involvement so that the junior

girls are able to participate just as much

as the senior girls do. We have looked at

last year’s junior global student feedback

to get an idea of how and where the girls

want to aim their efforts. That way, we

can see how they want to live their legacy

and encourage them to push their input

with community service in a way that

they would like to be remembered.

We started the year with Harvest

Festival and this year’s effort was

incredible, with an astonishing total of

1422 food items donated by the girls. This

was a new school record and the City

Mission was exceedingly grateful to be

able to provide families in need with food

for their tables.

Currently, we are in the middle of our

Easter egg collection. In the last week of

term the Community Service Council,

along with some intermediate girls, will

make a trip to the local rest homes in

order to hand over the marshmallow

Easter egg collections.

We have many events coming

up, such as the 40 Hour Famine and

continuing with the school’s Weekly

Offering charity donations, which this

term is going to the newly erected

Christchurch Women’s Night Shelter.

Something new that the council has come

up with is a themed week, titled as “The

Week of Giving”, which will take place

in Term 3. This will be packed with fun

activities and fundraisers to take part in.

This year is full of many exciting

opportunities in the area of community

service and I am looking forward to see

what the rest of the year has in store for

us all. Thank you to all of the girls and

their parents who have participated and

supported us in our endeavours.

14

Amy LeeHead of Culture

“No culture can live

if it attempts to be

exclusive.” – Gandhi

This is exactly

how I feel about

cultural activities

at Rangi. The rush

you receive from

standing on stage, blinded by the lights;

the rush you receive from dancing until

you feel your legs may give way; the rush

you receive from putting on a whole

new persona. The rush, the enjoyment,

the adrenaline, the laughter, the

happiness and the memories that you will

remember from that moment. Who ever

said all these are only exclusive for some

and not for others?

As Head of Culture for 2014, I would

like to encourage the girls to have the

courage to get involved, to try new

things culturally and find fun and

enjoyment together with their friends. I

have seen many girls with the common

misconception that culture is exclusive,

and have wished for a long time to show

just how much happiness you feel from

simply letting yourself be involved not

just for success, but to have a great time.

This is my biggest goal for this year as

I also encourage the girls to embrace

the Senior Leaders’ theme, to “Live your

Legacy” with a particular focus on having

the courage to be involved in the cultural

life at Rangi.

2014 is a special year for both the

school and the cultural team at Rangi. As

part of the 125th celebration, many new

exciting events have been planned for the

year, from Rangi’s Got Talent in Term 1 to

the 125th Gala Concert in Term 4, for the

girls at school as well as the whole Rangi

community. The Cultural Council and I

are looking forward to finding innovative

ways to involve girls at school, by

showcasing remarkable talents as well as

opening up opportunities for girls to just

have some fun. We are incredibly excited

and optimistic to ensure that 2014 will be

a year to remember.

I feel so privileged to have this

opportunity to serve the school. I hope to

bring a busy and fun-filled year, full of all

kinds of different cultural opportunities

for all the girls.

Millie GledhillHead of Environment

Can we, as a school,

make a worthwhile

difference to the

environment?

How much effect

will this really

have? Questions like these can often

pop into our mind when it comes to

‘saving the environment’. As we toss up

whether it’s worth the extra effort to go

to the recycling bin, or we wonder if

we should bother signing a petition, it

can be tempting to choose the easier,

convenient option. A big focus for me

this year, as Head of Environment, is to

promote to the girls that every small,

environmental act does have an impact.

Already this year, the Environment

Council has put together a very

successful Sea Week during which

we collected signatures for petitions

against oil drilling in the Arctic, and

hosted a mufti day in aid of the critically

endangered Maui dolphins. The small

acts of donating a dollar or signing your

name can seem so inconsequential, but

when they are all put together, the result

is substantial. It was so rewarding to see

the hundreds of signatures collected and

all the money raised.

Other environmental initiatives

organised by the Environment Council

this year include Sustainable Transport

Days, Red Sock Day (in memory of

Sir Peter Blake) and the continuation

of Rangi’s little veggie garden, from

which we will give the produce to the

Christchurch City Mission.

Another exciting initiative this year at

Rangi is the formulation of the school’s

Environmental Policy. This policy

will cover all aspects of Rangi Ruru’s

environment, aiming to build on the

sustainability of the school. I feel very

lucky to have the opportunity to give

my input to something that will be used

at Rangi for years to come, shaping the

learning environment for generations of

girls. I can’t wait for all the exciting things

to come this year and watch as my fellow

students Live their Legacy!

Maria WalkerHead of Form

Activities

You can be child-

like without being

childish. A child

always wants to

have fun. So ask

yourself, “Am I having fun”? My aim this

year, as the students’ social planner, is to

have all the girls answering this question

with an enthusiastic nod of their head or

a loud cheer in agreement. However, a

fist pump would be great too.

As we begin to grow up we are

often so excited about what is around

the corner that we forget to live in

the moment. We are too quick to call

ourselves adults when being a kid isn’t

actually something we should try to

escape from – we need to embrace it.

Our childhoods are a time of freedom,

spontaneity. As a kid we do not need to

worry about the future and what it holds;

just what is happening that day. So in a

year of internals and externals or essays

and projects, we need to remember

to have some “fun, fun, fun!” – in the

classroom or out.

Looking back at my five years at

Rangi, I want to be the girl who said ‘yes’

to entering the jelly-eating competition

or dunking the famous Israel Dagg. I want

to be the girl who said ‘yes’ and joined

the Year 7 girls in their hunt for treasure,

or even the girl who said ‘yes’ to the one

dollar bag of sherbet.

To sum it up nicely, we all need to “Live

our Legacy”. This is the senior leaders’

mantra this year as we try to make

2014 worthy of the history books, and

the even more personal, scrapbooks.

Living my legacy, for me, means when

my senior year is finished, I want the

mention of Valentine’s Day, Love Week

or the Senior Dance to put a light in the

girls’ eyes and plant smiles on their faces.

After experiencing one whole week

of glee, lollies, competitions, Dunk-A-

Hunk and balloons, I feel as if I could be

fuelled for the rest of my senior year just

from one girl saying she had “the best

day ever”! My motto this year, as Head

of Form Activities, has become “fun,

fun, fun” – once it left my mouth it just

seemed to stick. It is simple, and yet it

never fails to bring a smile to people’s

faces; and that makes me happy.

2014 hEAdS OF SChOOl

15www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

Alice RountreeHead of Health

When a lot of

people hear the

term “healthy”,

they automatically

presume that it

applies to someone

who works out every day and only eats

salad. To me, health is not only about the

body but more importantly, the mind.

“The mind is everything. What you

think, you become”, is a quote from

Buddha which I think suitably fits what

my aim as Head of Health is. Positivity.

I am a firm believer in the fact that a

negative mind will never lead to a positive

life, and this year, the Health Council is

encouraging positive thinking with the

hope that every girl will be able to have

an optimistic outlook on life. We have a

vision for the school to continue to be a

comfortable and supportive environment,

ensuring that girls feel as though they

belong and can be themselves, and not

worry about what others will think.

The Health Council introduced this

idea through celebrating the International

Day of Happiness on 20 March. This

day was started by the United Nations

in 2012 to recognise that happiness

is a fundamental goal of humankind.

At Rangi, girls were encouraged to

acknowledge the things in their lives

which bring them joy, as well as helping

to bring happiness to others.

Included on the calendar for Health

this year is the National Youth Week in

May, where the theme is “Be the Change”.

This week will have the key messages of

leading the way to create a movement

of change, and how small changes can

make big changes in the world. We

will also be promoting other aspects of

Health in the school. On Athletics Day,

we encouraged girls to be sun-safe, and

as Rangi has done for a number of years,

we will be continuing to support SADD

(Students Against Driving Drunk).

The Senior Leaders’ theme of ‘Live

Your Legacy’ fits in well with the Health

Council’s aspirations for this year as we

hope to make a lasting impression on

the mentality of girls in the school. I am

excited to be working with other Senior

Leaders and the Health Council, and I feel

very privileged to be in this position of

leadership. I am looking forward to the

fun and challenges that 2014 will bring.

Lucy HutchinsonHead of Sport

I have fond

memories of

beginning Rangi

nearly seven years

ago and going to

sign up for a summer

sport. I simply

couldn’t believe how many options were

available to every single girl. It is great

that involvement in sport at Rangi is high,

so as Head of Sport this year, I want to

focus on getting girls supporting each

other across sporting codes to increase

school spirit.

The Supporters Squad (Rangi Army)

is back up and running and the Rangi

School Spirit can be seen featuring at

more tournaments and games than in

previous years. This doesn’t necessarily

need to be only at top events, but

the Rangi Army focus is more about

encouraging girls of all levels and getting

those who aren’t competing involved in

the success of the teams.

As a school, we have already hosted a

great Quad Tournament and competed in

Summer Tournament week. Athletics Day

may have been dowsed in rain, but clan

spirit prevailed and the girls all embraced

the weather with the usual competitive

attitude. Swimming Sports was another

great success with records broken and day

girls and boarders fighting for the top spot

in the umbrella races and the haka off.

Winter sport starts soon and teams

are beginning to prepare and train in

their respective fields. As Rangi News

goes to print the Cross-Country will have

just been run and followed by many

more events in this important year in the

schools’ history.

The Sports Council and I look forward

to Sports Week in Term 3 following the

Commonwealth Games, and several

Teacher vs Council games to try and

reclaim the trophy from the teachers.

Rangi has had sportswomen who

have left legacies which all can aspire to.

Some have become national champions,

or been selected for competitions

overseas; some have even been to the

Olympics. With our theme of ‘Live your

Legacy’ I want to encourage girls to find

their niche in sport whether it be reaching

for regional/national titles, beating a rival

school, or becoming the biggest and best

supporter the school has ever seen.

Open Day12.30pm, Monday 12 MayOpen Day is a chance for prospective students and their families to see the school in action and have a look around our facilities.

Celebrate with us at our 125th events

Major Production ‘Cats’7.30pm, 19-24 May Christ’s College AuditoriumRangi Ruru together with Christ’s College will present the Broadway sensation ‘Cats’ in May 2014.

An Evening with Bryony6.00pm, Friday 30 May Gibson Centre, Rangi RuruRangi Ruru Old Girl, Bryony Gibson-Cornish is returning home to perform in the new Gibson Centre in May.

Community Day1.30-4.30pm, Wednesday 4 JuneOur Community Open Day in June is an opportunity for the neighbourhood and wider Rangi Ruru family to visit the school.

+3 Leavers Event6.00pm, Thursday 3 JulyStudents who left Rangi Ruru in 2011 will gather together in Te Koraha with their families to catch up with each other.

Founder’s DayFriday 1 AugustFounders Day in 2014 will be a day to pause and remember the Gibson sisters and to reflect on the legacy they have inspired.

PTA Gala Event7.00pm, Friday 29 AugustJoin the Rangi Ruru PTA for their annual Gala event.

Grandparents DayFriday 19 SeptemberA biannual event that provides a special opportunity for grandparents to spend time at school with their granddaughters.

Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association Reunions 24-26 OctoberIn 2014 past students from 1944, 1954, 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994 will gather to celebrate their Reunions.

Under a Wide Sky Gala Concert Celebrating 125 years of Rangi Ruru Saturday 25 OctoberFounded in 1889, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School celebrates its 125th Anniversary in 2014 with a Gala Concert at the newly restored Isaac Theatre Royal.

Reunion Morning Tea & School Tours9am, Sunday 26 OctoberChurch service at St Andrew’s Chapel at Rangi Ruru followed by tours of the school and morning tea.

Market DaySunday 2 NovemberRangi Ruru will again open up the school to the Community and share with you the amazing arts and crafts from our wider family with a Market Day.

The Rangi 125 House PartySaturday 22 November Te KoharaDetails to come shortly!

Prize Giving6.30pm, Wednesday 3 December, CBS ArenaRangi Ruru puts on a Prize Giving unlike any you will have seen before.

16

The Gibson Centre in foreground with General Academic nearing completion in the background

Curriculum MattersScholarship Results from 2013

Juliet CollinsCurriculum Manager

99.2 98.3

95.496.697.3 97.6

96.1

79.9

91.9 92.490

69.8

60

70.3

57.6

50.4

0

20

40

60

80

100

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 UE

Achieved

 %

Level of Achievement

Rangi Ruru Girls' School 2013 NCEA ResultsRangi Ruru Decile 10 Girls Schools Girls in Decile 10 co‐ed Schools National

We join with these wonderful students

and their families to celebrate their

successes and congratulate them on

their performance.

27 Scholarships, including three at

Outstanding Performance level, were

achieved in 14 subjects by 22 students.

HighlightsOutstanding Performance scholarships

(highest level) were achieved in:

English, (Madison Hughes Year 12),

Music (Amy Lee Year 12),

Painting (Catherine Marshall).

Two students received a ‘Scholarship

Award’. These are for candidates who

achieve Scholarship in three or more

subjects. ($2000 per year for three years).

Rosa Cross gained four Scholarships in

Accounting, Economics, English and

Statistics.

Lucy McSweeney gained four

Scholarships in Chemistry, Classics,

Physics and Statistics.

Individual SuccessesTwo scholarships, each worth $500, were

gained by two girls

Catherine Marshall Biology and Painting

(with Outstanding Performance)

Lynne Ando Japanese and Music

Sixteen girls gained single scholarships

worth $500 each

Sophie Copplestone Accounting

Hanseul Nam (Year 12) Calculus

Jessica

Minehan Fitzgerald Classical Studies

Waverley Gee English

Katherine Glasson English

Lucy McPherson Painting

Madeleine Tapley Painting

Tayla Wood Painting

Sarah Donald Photography

Gabrielle Mulder Photography

Kitty Eglinton Photography

Julia Johnston Printmaking

Sophie Petersen Printmaking

Rebecca Ball Statistics

Dilshi Gunasekera Statistics

Geena Loke Statistics

With the opening of the Science and Gibson Centres, focus is now on the General Academic and Music and Drama buildings

General Academic is in the final

construction stage with hand over to the

school at the end of April. This building has

progressed very well and the design allows

the building to sit very comfortably in its

surroundings.

The site works and hard landscaping

around these buildings have been

completed. The soft landscaping, involving

the planting of shrubs and installation of

a water feature and sculptures were also

completed for opening day.

Piling has been completed for the Music

and Drama building, with foundations due to

be poured over the next two weeks. Progress

on this building is proceeding well.

Stewart BarnettProject Manager

Project Blue Sky

17www.rangiruru.school.nz

Around Rangi

Boarding House NewsOur year began on a very sombre

note following the death of Courtenay

Rushton during the holidays. Courtenay

would have been in Year 12 this year.

Many of her friends and their parents,

along with Boarding House staff were

shocked by this tragedy, attended

Courtenay’s funeral service at Ashburton

in early January.

On returning to the House, we

were amazed at the shared support for

one another as the grieving process

continued and we see this continuing

today. A Memorial Service attended by

many more family and friends was held

in the St Andrew’s at Rangi Ruru Chapel

on 10 February. The boarders were very

honoured to be asked to perform their

haka for Courtenay and did so with

passion as the service ended.

We offer Claire, Gerard and

Courtenay’s brothers Josh, Cory and

Terry, our most sincere condolences at

this very sad time. We thank them for

Courtenay’s artwork which hangs in the

Boarding House foyer as a lasting tribute.

Courtenay is sorely missed - go well our

dear friend.

This term we have enjoyed having

two Year 11 girls from Yokohama

Jogakuin in the Boarding House. Fuka

and Ayane have enjoyed their time

with us having many Kiwi experiences:

supporting the Crusaders Rugby Team,

shopping at Cookie Time, visiting Akaroa

and the animals at Willowbank.

“It was only one term, but we had

many valuable experiences, made many

friends, and spent a wonderful time

at Rangi Ruru! We’ve never stayed at a

boarding house before, so we were a

little worried, but it was really fun. Thank

you so much”! – Ayane and Fuka

Ayane and Fuka join a growing group

of international students in the House.

The cultural diversity girls from Thailand,

Korea, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar bring to

the lives of our New Zealand boarders is

enriching.

Our younger girls, along with a few

senior girls, have enjoyed their weekend

activities, with trips to the Sandcastle

Competition at New Brighton Beach,

rugby games at AMI Stadium, ice skating,

walks in the city and a trip to Willowbank

Wildlife Park.

We have had themed dinners - an

indoor picnic to celebrate Valentine’s

Day, a green themed St Patrick’s Day and

two dinners to celebrate girls who have

had birthdays this term.

Head of House, Kristy Havill, her

deputy, Abby Pedersen and their House

Council are relishing the responsibility of

their roles - St Patrick’s dinner this year

was a real buzz with Irish music and a

bar serving ginger ale! We look forward

to them introducing some new ideas to

the House as the year goes on.

Jude ConnochieDirector of

Boarding

A trip to the Sandcastle Competition at new Brighton Beach

18

Across the GATE Coordinator’s DeskIt is hard to believe that the first term of

2014 is at an end already and that the

holidays are upon us. It has been a great

pleasure for me to get to know the girls

on my GATE list, especially the girls who

are new to Rangi. It has been wonderful

to interact with the girls and to see

how they enjoy the enrichment and

extension activities offered. Recently, I

took two groups of girls to the University

of Canterbury’s Outreach Programme

to participate in a Nanotechnology and

Smart Materials workshop with Mrs Joan

Gladwyn. It gave me great pleasure to

see the students so excited and inspired

by this area of science. In no time, the

students had their smart phones and

iPads out, filming the experiments and

taking photos of the results. They were

in awe of the exciting and radical new

scientific materials being developed for

use in their lifetimes.

Two girls in particular had some

exciting experiences over the last

holidays. Hanseul Nam (Year 13) went

to Nanocamp in Wellington and Grace

Collett went to The Hague. Grace

had a truly remarkable and inspiring

experience at The International Model

United Nations, including a visit to spend

time with our very own Helen Clark, and

came back to inspire the school with

a speech about her travels. Grace has

since decided to go to university a year

early and has been accepted at Victoria

University to study Law.

At the time of writing this, two girls,

Francesca Logan and Amy Huang have

just been to a talk by Sir Richard Taylor

from Weta Workshop fame. During

his talk, Sir Richard Taylor encouraged

young people who have creative ideas

to try and get people together and make

them happen. Francesca and Amy have

since set up a Facebook page for young

creators like themselves in Christchurch.

A new initiative for me this year has

been to enrol teams in the UNYouth

online Model United Nations Forum. We

have two teams engaged in this activity

and they have just finished their first

submission. Watch this space!

Petra DyerGate Coordinator

University of Canterbury Nanotechnology Workshop

On Wednesday 5 March, ten Year 9 and

10 girls headed off to the University

of Canterbury for a workshop on

nanotechnology and smart materials.

We learnt how scientists are trying

to find new smart materials, such as

memory wire, to create new, easier

and safer ways to live. Memory wire

is a wire that even when bent out of

shape when it is put in hot water it will

instantly return to its original shape

whether that be a straight wire or a

shape that people have taught it to

be, such as a circle or a square. Then

we learnt about hydrophobic material

which is a type of fabric that can never

get wet. We placed a piece of the

material in water and when we took it

out, the water just dripped off instead

of being absorbed by the material. We

also learnt about a few other different

smart materials. Overall the talk was

very interesting and I really enjoyed it.

Jocelyn Bradley Year 10

AROUND RANGI

intrigued students watching an experiment at University of Canterbury’s nanotechnology and Smart materials workshop

From left: Gabi newman, Sophie lee, Rebecca willis, maisie nattrass, Francesca logan, megan liddell, Amy huang, harmony Zhou.

19www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Nanocamp

This year, I found my summer holidays suddenly

interrupted by education - but of the good kind. I was

very fortunate to have been able to attend Nanocamp, an

annual, all-expenses paid camp run by the MacDiarmid

institute in Wellington, that brought together 15 high-

schoolers from all over New Zealand. Running on the

legacy left behind by one of New Zealand’s best scientists

and Nobel prize winner, Alan MacDiarmid, the institute is

all about exploring the new frontiers of nanotechnology.

Through an intensive one-week course, we began to

explore and understand the science behind the incredible

technological breakthroughs of today’s scientists, and

the way these impact on almost every aspect of our lives

- from our smartphones to the clothes on our backs. All

of this, of course, on the nanoscale, something so tiny it

is difficult for us to comprehend: the average human hair

is 75,000 nanometers thick, and yet we were creating

20nm microchips. We were immersed in a dazzling and

mind-boggling array of new words and ideas, covering

topics like spintronics, superconductors, magnetic

resonance, Raman spectroscopy, ultrafast lasers, liquid

crystals, superhydrophobics, electron microscopes, and

nanoelectronics; even taking our first baby steps into

theoretical quantum mechanics.

Our week wasn’t just about science however, as the 15

of us formed very tight friendships and became incredibly

close as we ate, slept, lived and generally did everything

together. I know that these connections will stay with me in

the future, and that I will never look back on that lost week

of holiday relaxation with the slightest regret. Nanocamp

was an incredible learning journey; the only complaint I

would have is that my time there was far too short.

Hanseul Nam Year 13

Canterbury Model United Nations 11 and 12 March 2014

Early March saw

ten Rangi girls

attending the annual

Canterbury Model

United Nations

conference alongside

almost 200 other

secondary school

students from

around the region.

This was a chance

to don our best

business attire and

take to the podium

to emulate the

formal proceedings of United Nations’ divisions, such as the

Security Council and the General Assembly. The theme for this

year’s conference was ‘Security’ and we discussed topics such as

Information Security, Military Security and Human Security. MUN

is an unparalleled chance to really broaden our understanding of

current issues in the world that are affecting an incredibly diverse

range of nations - each with their own policies and beliefs.

As delegates, each of us represented an ambassador for an

allocated country for the duration of the two-day event. From

Syria and Yemen, to Romania and Costa Rica, and several in

between, we would be basing our debate on the viewpoints

and policies of our respective nations. Often our own beliefs

were at odds with those that we had to portray, but although

challenging, this was hugely rewarding. A large part of the

conference was lobbying and negotiating with nations that held

similar viewpoints to our own country, and debating stances

on resolutions. The first session of General Assembly debate

focussed on international cyber and information security and

a largely debated aspect was the potential implementation of

an internationally governed cyberspace, funded by all member

states. This caused quite a fuss amongst developing countries,

who argued that as Western nations would be contributing more

money, they would therefore want more power over the system.

There was strong contention from myself (Syria) and Saskia

Graham-Bone (Kenya), that this system would allow Western

imperialism to encroach on our Eastern sovereignty and thus

should not be passed. The afternoon debates were based on

Military Security, particularly the idea of conscription, and to

finish the day off, Food Security was debated. All girls represented

their nation with passion and vehement commitment, whether it

be through strong lobbying or persuasive speaking.

Perhaps the greatest value that comes from the conference

is the opportunity to work alongside like-minded people who

are genuinely concerned with what is happening in the world

today. I strongly urge anyone interested in broadening their

understanding of current events, diplomacy and public speaking

to get involved.

A huge congratulations must go to Hanseul Nam (Yemen),

for receiving a well-deserved ‘Contribution to Debate’ award,

and many thanks to Mrs Dyer for her help in organising our

attendance, and being there to support as well. We now look

forward to taking our interest one step further, by attending

NZMUN in Wellington at the beginning of July!

Madison Hughes Year 13

l to R: hanseul nam, devanshi Gandhi, Emma humphrey, Pauline ward, Saskia Graham-Bone, Komal Singh, madison hughes and Emma Strack. Absent: molly mclennan, millie Osbourne

hanseul nam at nanocamp (third from the left in back row)

20

AROUND RANGI

Café PhilosophyThe first Café Philosophy

meeting of 2014 was held

on Tuesday 18 March at

Hagley Community College.

Café Philosophy is an

inter-school philosophy

conference, organised

by Unlimited Philosophy

teacher, Brent Sily, in

which students discuss

philosophical topics in a

relaxed atmosphere over

afternoon tea. This session’s

topic was centred on

pop artist Robin Thicke’s

music video, Blurred Lines.

From this came multiple

questions about the media’s

influence on society,

misogyny and freedom

of expression, which we

expressed our opinions on

in a continuum line activity.

We then went into a room

of small café style tables,

each providing thought

provoking questions that

we were encouraged

to discuss amongst

ourselves. This time,

most of them were about

Aesthetics - the branch of

philosophy questioning

art itself. It was fantastic

to have such a broad

range of interpretations

from students of different

schools, offering insights

into their own definitions

of art and opinions of

censorship, amongst many

others. We hope to continue

to be a part of the future

Café Philosophy session and

look forward to continuing

our involvement in inter-

school activities.

Eddy Brooks and Pauline Ward - Philosophy Club leaders Year 12

Banksy Exhibition

On Friday 14 March a group from the Philosophy Club walked

to the Canterbury Museum to see the street art exhibition,

Oi You! featuring many well known artists, including the

British artist known as Banksy. This was a great experience

and it was eye-opening to see and think about the political

and social content of the work. I especially liked how Banksy

makes his artwork very relevant to the younger generation,

by representing world issues and concerns of young people

living today. I also really enjoyed looking around at the other

artists at the museum and seeing how they started from a pre-

existing painting, like Rita Angus’ Cass Station, and developed

it into a slightly different, but equally meaningful work. We

were all impressed with the idea that street art allows people

to express themselves, and their personal visions, directly to

the public at the same level as official messages. We found

this an empowering idea, in that the stencil is an inexpensive

and effective way for someone to put their ideas in front of the

public.

Devanshi Gandhi Year 12

Back: Koto Akiyoshi, devanshi Gandhi, Francesa logan, Pauline wardFront: Amy huang, Sabine Boston, Pippa macfarlane

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21www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

News from Years 7 & 8The year has started with a rush for the

Years 7 and 8.

The girls were all involved in a three

day orientation which proved to be very

successful. All the new students were

integrated with the other new arrivals for

school tours but we also had three lovely

days together to build some great new

friendships and supportive class climates.

We went off to camp in those first

weeks to build on these new relationships

and to focus on stretching ourselves in

a variety of ways. This provided some

excellent opportunities for the girls to

learn a great deal about themselves and

to be able to connect this self- discovery

to their learning back in the classroom.

Developing the seven characteristics of

life-long learners, (perseverance, taking

risks, self-motivation, asking questions,

making connections and setting goals

and plans) is a key component to our

faculty. We pose the questions “How did

I do in these areas at camp?” “How can I

learn from this now and apply this to my

approach to learning?” Building these

qualities as a learner is central to the

success the Rangi girls experience as they

move through our school.

Back to class to set those goals and

make those plans!

PDP interviews have taken place and

with the parents and staff working closely

alongside the girls, they are well on their

way to some great new learning.

Our Inquiry Learning unit in Social

Science this term has been linked to the

125th celebrations. The focus has been on

educcation in New Zealand 125 years ago,

Rangi history and an overview of how we

came about. Then we will link this learning

globally and research around the question,

“Why are so many girls in the world still

not being educated?” Our hope is to

broaden the students understandings and

to develop a great sense of gratitude rather

than entitlement for the education they are

able to receive. Finally, as with all authentic

learning, we want to finish with making a

difference (M.A.D as we say) in the world

for someone else.

We are fast approaching the end

of Term 1 with some tired girls, all well

deserving of a break. Well done on a very

settled, focused start to the year everyone.

Chris CampbellLead Teacher Years 7 & 8

Year 7 Camp

The wooden stairs creaked as I

stumbled up. Oh no, I started hovering

down. My mind shut. I was so scared of

the height. 10m was a long way.

If I fell I could die I thought to

myself as I looked down the side on

the abseiling wall. What if the rope

snapped? What if the pole broke?

I was only thinking about the bad

things that could happen.

Finally my feet slipped past the

red line and on my way hike down

the abseiling wall. Not looking down

not looking down I said to myself. I

was almost half way down and I was

gripping on as tight as I could, still

scared what if I let go. I did still not

trust the safety rope considering it

was only held up with a hollow pipe

that could easily crack or snap straight

down the middle. Almost at the bottom

and Rosie who was standing at the

bottom was shouting almost there.

I was safe relived and so glad that I

went down. What felt like 10 hours was

finally over thank goodness for that.

I came back about 10 minutes later

and walker up the stairs again when

I got to the top I thought I am out of

my mind what am I doing to my self

again of coarse my feet slipped past

line again and I was on my way down

for the second time. But this time my

hands were very sweaty and I let go I

almost screamed I was so scared. I got

my rope back and continued going

down the wall. Every one around me

were going yay go go!

Wow I was so glad I did go down

that creaking standing thing that

reminded me of that standing horror

house in Disneyland. I would have

been really angry with myself if I

didn’t go down.

Molly Robinson Year 7

Year 8 Camp

2014’s Year 8 camp was a huge success.

Packed with exciting activities and new

opportunities, it gave many Year 8 girls a

chance to try new things and gain new

skills. The bus left for Wainui on Monday

12 February, and we began the long and

relaxing journey to the YMCA camp. After

two hours driving, in which there was

the occasional brief stop for morning

tea or a toilet break, we reached our final

destination. Jumping out of the bus, and

dumping our bags on the grass outside the

camp, we headed back down the road for

a quick lunch break on the rocky beach.

Now sufficiently satiated, we strolled back

up the road to where our bags awaited, the

singing of cicadas ringing in our ears as

we passed the lush forests. Back at camp,

we moved into our rooms and made

ourselves at home. Soon it was announced

we were heading off to our first activity.

While at Wainui, we were lowered from

towering trees at abseiling, built huts and

improved our knowledge of plants during

outdoor living, made a successful Tyrolean

traverse across a flowing river, flew across

high ropes, were

launched out to

sea in home-made

rafts made at raft

building (some

more successful

than others),

played games on

and jumped from

kayaks, and had a blast crab hunting and

mud-sliding at coasteering (a highlight for

most of us). On the last night the legendary

camp concert was held featuring some

truly hilarious (yet slightly messy) acts from

the Year 8s. The concert and bunkroom

winners were announced and rewarded

for their efforts. Before we knew it, our bags

were packed and the bus waited for us

down the hill. We thanked and farewelled

the instructors who had helped to give such

a special opportunity.

Soon Christchurch neared and we

prepared to depart from the bus. We were

sad that this trip was now over. Now, off

home for a relaxing weekend.

Alice Nixon Year 8

22

AROUND RANGI

Love Week“Fun, fun, fun”! is my motto for 2014 and

wow, did the girls have a lot of it during

Love Week this year! The mention of

Valentine’s Day often inspires giggles,

blushes, pink, chocolate and random

acts of kindness, so the Form Activities

Council used this as their inspiration

during Rangi’s week of celebrating

love during February. To kick off the

celebrations, the Year 13 students

surprised the rest of the school by

starting a week early; on Valentine’s

Day itself. Around school girls found

pink and red balloons which they had

to pop to get the wee treats inside. The

balloons were decorated with phrases

such as “You caramelt my heart” for the

ones with Cadbury Caramellos or “You

and Me Were Mint To Be” for those with

the Cadbury Mint Bubblies. By the time

Monday finally came the girls’ rising

excitement was lifted once again by

the arrival of Mr Whippy and Gelato at

lunchtime. While waiting in line for their

double scoop of mango sorbet or the

classic chocolate dipped cone, they were

decorated with pink-and-red face paint

to get them into the spirit.

The girls arrived on Tuesday making

gloriously wacky fashion statements

for the Pink and Red Mufti Day and

their creations were showcased as they

ran around doing the treasure hunt at

lunchtime; with candyfloss and lollies in

hand.

Wednesday stole the show from the

other days when the very popular All

Black, Israel Dagg, graced our grounds

with his presence and kindly offered

to be the main, and only, attraction

for Dunk-A-Hunk – for the WHOLE

lunchtime. Even the wet weather during

that lunchtime couldn’t cool down

the girls excitement as the rugby star

continued to be thrown by students into

a pool of water; but the pink lemonade

may have helped. Anyone who was

victim to a dunking chair, as well as the

Rangi girls’ great aim, and can still leave

the school with a smile on their face is

one in a million.

Thursday was the lucky last

day of Love Week and we finished

off our celebrations by letting the

girls go a bit crazy in the Free Jelly

Eating Competition. There was pink

everywhere; either on the competitors’

jelly-covered faces or the spectators’

tongues as they finished off their bags

of sherbet – an all-time favourite. One

girl was even lucky enough to win a

voucher to Strawberry Fare; whether

it was for an afternoon-pick-me-up or

a special someone, it was her choice.

The Form Activities Council played the

role of Cupid as they inspired laughter,

spontaneity and smiles in all of the girls.

When Rangi asked for a week of sweet,

pink fun there was nothing our council

could do but, as Wesley said in my

all-time favourite romance movie, The

Princess Bride, “As you wish”.

Maria WalkerHead of Form Activities

23www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Sea WeekThe annual and ever-popular Sea Week

came around again in Week 7 of this term

and it was a hit! We kicked things off on

Monday with some all week competitions;

this year, we raised the stakes. On offer

for the winner of the ‘guess the bells’ and

colouring competition were Gary, Gabby

and Gale, three live goldfish to take home.

Grace Sandstone was the winner of the

fish, while Madeline Berry won a jar of

lollies for correctly guessing how many

lollies in the jar. On Monday lunch, there

were fun games and activities to do on

Te Koraha lawn, such as face painting,

chalk drawing, pin the tail on the whale

and a chocolate fish game. Tuesday was

Athletics Day, where we sold delicious

jelly cups, with more food on offer on

Wednesday when the “Excuse my French”

crêpe van came to school. Blue and green

beach clothes took over on Thursday for

Under the Sea mufti day and lunchtime

was a blast with a sea themed obstacle

course and lolly kebabs for sale! We

wrapped things up on Friday with the

classic whale spout hair day and a fun

filled treasure hunt! While all this was

happening, we were supporting two very

worthy causes. All the money raised on

mufti day has gone towards protecting the

critically endangered Maui dolphins, and

the hundreds of petition signatures we

collected have been posted to Greenpeace

as they work to stop oil giants from drilling

for oil in the Arctic. Sea Week successfully

raised awareness and money for these

excellent causes and was packed with fun

and laughter!

Millie GledhillHead of Environment

Harvest FestivalThis year’s effort for the annual Harvest

Festival collection was outstanding. The

school collected a total of 1422 food

items, breaking the previous record and

delivering all the food to a very thankful

City Mission. With girls focussed on

breaking last years’ record and collecting

clan points, they really got into the spirit

of giving and realised that it wasn’t that

hard to give a little, or a lot, with many

girls making mass donations.

Holly SmithHead of Community Service

24

AROUND RANGI

Year 9 Camp

DebatingOur debaters have excelled themselves

in Term 1, with successes at both the

interschool and regional levels. At

the Canterbury Regional Debating

Championships, our stunning senior

team of Madison Hughes, Hanseul

Nam and Penelope Mander won three

debates in the qualifying rounds of the

tournament. The team successfully

negated moots about televising criminal

trials, discontinuing the public funding

of the America’s cup, and offering

amnesty to dictators in return for their

disappearance from positions of power.

They suffered a close loss in the first

round on the topic of requiring teenage

parents to adopt out their children.

After two days of debating at the newly

opened Gibson Centre, the team came

fifth, very narrowly missing out on a

spot in the semi finals. The girls’ overall

success did not go unrecognised,

with Hanseul Nam being selected for

the Canterbury Regional Debating

team and Madison Hughes named as

reserve, as well as receiving a Highly

Commended award. Hanseul will travel

with the Canterbury team to the Russell

McVeagh National Schools’ Debating

Championships in Wellington later in the

year.

Junior debating has also started with

similar success, with Lily Barnett (Year

9), Amy Chen and Isabella Gregory (both

Year 10) winning their first interschool

debate for the year. In a limited

preparation round, the team overcame

their fears of speaking with little written

material, to win against St Bede’s College.

They successfully defeated the motion,

“This house would allow employees

access to private social media sites in

order to conduct reference checks.” In a

closely fought debate, the girls showed

an astute awareness of the importance

of cybersafety, as well as a recognition of

the rights of individuals to privacy. Our

junior debating club similarly held its first

debate this week, hearing the motion,

“This house would close all zoos.” Senior

debating club has been meeting weekly,

debating both serious topics as well as

debating about important matters of fan

fiction. Nicola AllelyTeacher in Charge

hanseul nam, madison hughes and Penelope mander

25www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Science SuccessesCongratulations to Madison Hughes

and Hanseul Nam. Both girls are part

of a select group of 24 students in New

Zealand to be chosen to attend the

‘finals’ of the New Zealand International

Biology Olympiad competition at a fully

residential camp in Auckland in the April

holidays. The International Olympiads

are unique, worldwide competitions that

aim to increase international information

exchange, education and engagement in

the sciences.

Each year the Olympiad

programmes run a lengthy selection

process to find the top four students

to represent New Zealand at the

international competitions. They begin

with nationwide exams in different

science disciplines and the top 10% of

students then continue with a training

programme. After these selection exams

last year Madison and Hanseul began

their ‘online classroom tutorials’ over

the summer break. Hanseul had proved

herself to be an outstanding scholar in

both Biology and Chemistry, so worked

on both training programmes.

Hanseul says ‘The online tutorials,

which introduce you to many new

ideas and concepts through videos and

activities, have taught me so much. I

already know that it will help me a lot,

in both the short and long-term’. In late

February, I sat another set of very nerve-

wracking exams in both Chemistry and

Biology and was hugely excited to make

the ‘final 24’ for both. Unfortunately

the two camps ‘overlap’ and I cannot

attend both. I have accepted a place in

the Biology camp where the final four

students will be chosen to compete in

Indonesia in July, but for me, my next

adventure in Auckland is excitement

enough’. Lorna van den EndeLeader of Faculty, Science

madison hughes hanseul nam

Nina Valley EcoblitzOn the weekend of 15-16 March, Sophie

Lee, Sofie Studholme and I took a two

hour journey to the Boyle River to join 170

other students from all over Canterbury,

in the Ecoblitz. This offered us the unique

opportunity to work side-by-side in the

field with expert scientists and university

students, to document and discover the

species of the Nina Valley.

After pitching our tent at the campsite,

we were given welcome packs and

timetables and saw there was a lot ahead

of us! Over the two days, we studied and

identified dozens of different plants and

animals in the alpine forest environment.

We worked with different people for the

many activities and together we found

and learnt about all sorts of specimens,

swapping stories and photos with each

discovery. One of the more abundant

species that we soon discovered, was the

sandfly. However, as we moved from one

fascinating activity to another, the itches

from their bites were barely noticed.

The two day ‘science trip’ was a great

experience. We came back tired but we

all learnt a lot and really enjoyed making

new friends. Amy Huang Year Year 11

Robotics and Programming sessionOn 12 March a group of 11 girls and Ms

Beech went to the University of Lincoln

to participate in a program involving

robotics and programming from the

Department of Applied Computing.

We were shown the University

campus by a former teacher Ms Scott

who used to teach Social Science at

Rangi.

When we got to the Department of

Applied Computing, we were shown

how to program robots using a software

called Lego Mindstorm. We had to do fun

challenges such as programing a robot

to travel 1.3 meters forward, detecting a

dark line and following a line. My robot at

first kept on spinning in circles!

We were then taught how to visually

program using a program called Scratch,

which was interesting and required

imagination. We had to program

characters to jump on trampolines and

make basketballs look like they were

bouncing in real life! Some people even

managed to make their character do

somersaults.

Above all, Jessie and I, as well as

the other girls, had a fun-filled time and

we learned so much! Thank you to Ms

Beech for accompanying us and Ms

Barnett, Ms Scott and Lincoln University’s

Department of Applied Computing for

organising this great opportunity!Jessie Anderson and Lily Li Year 10

26

From the Director of Theatre ArtsWaitangi Day and the following weekend

saw 120 students try out for 60-odd

roles in the upcoming musical, CATS.

In the end, the creative team extended

the cast size to 72. We were thrilled with

the interest but unfortunately a lot of

students were disappointed to miss out.

The same was true for students wanting

to be in the crew, where there were over

100 applicants for about 30 roles.

Since then, students and staff have

been vigilantly rehearsing three nights a

week with the hope of bringing a most

spectacular theatre event, and one both

Rangi Ruru and Christ’s College can be

well proud of. The show, CATS, of course,

relies heavily on dance. In this regard,

it has been an inspiration to watch Miss

Clarkson develop such a large group of

youngsters and take a lead creative role

in this production. The students seem

to be able to rise to such high standards

and I am certain that the show with be

a triumph because of the extraordinary

creative brilliance that Miss Clarkson has

imbued each of the cast with.

We have been blessed to have Ali

Harper as Artist-in-Residence. Ali has

performed many of the great leading

ladies of Musical Theatre: Guys and Dolls,

The Sound of Music, South Pacific, My

Fair Lady, and Sweeney Todd. Alongside

mentoring our girls, Ali has assisted with

vocal coaching the students in CATS and

leaves us to take the lead role in Mama

Mia, before heading to New York’s 42nd

Street where she will perform her one-

woman hit show, Bombshells.

It has been heartening to have the

support of generous sponsors and my

thanks to Naylor Love, Fuji Xerox, Duncan

Cotterill, Raeward Fresh, Jeff Gray BMW

and Heartland Bank, who have helped us

so early on in the production.

Tickets for CATS are available from

the school office – full details online

www.catsthemusical.co.nz

Robert GilbertDirector of Theatre Arts

AROUND RANGI

1 9 , 2 0 , 2 2 , 2 3 a n d 2 4 M a y , 7 . 3 0 p m , C h r i s t ’ s C o l l e g e A u d i t o r i u m A D U LT $ 3 0 • S T U D e n T $ 2 0 • P r e m i U m S e AT S $ 4 0 • PA rT y c o n c e S S i o n $ 2 5 • w w w . c AT S T h e m U S i c A L . S c h o o L . n z

mUSic by AnDrew LLoyD webber • bASeD on “oLD PoSSUm’S book of PrAcTicAL cATS” by T.S. eLioT by ArrAnGemenT wiTh oriGin™ TheATricAL on behALf of The reALLy USefUL GroUP LimiTeD cATS LoGo Tm © 1981 The reALLy USefUL GroUP LimiTeD

c h r i s t ’ s c o l l e g e & r a n g i r u r u G i r l s ’ S c h o o l p r e s e n t

TickeTS Are AvAiLAbLe from The SchooL office. conTAcT 03 983 3700 or office@rAnGirUrU.SchooL.nz

T i c k e T S f o r A r e o n S A L e n o w !

Ali harper, Artist-in-Residence, mentors girls auditioning for parts in CATS

27www.rangiruru.school.nz

Speech and DramaSylvia Barnett who

sat her Grade 7 Trinity

College of London –

Speech and Drama

exam in 2013, has

topped her Grade for

New Zealand with

Distinction and a

mark of 97%. She will

be presented with her certificate on 11

May at a special Trinity College of London

ceremony. The girls who achieved ATCL

last year will also be presented with their

diplomas at this ceremony.

Lynn WilliamsSpeech and Drama

From the Director of Music2014 has got off to a flying start in the

music department. The place has been

a hive of activity from day one, with girls

all eagerly signing up for lessons and

auditioning for the wide range of music

groups and activities on offer.

Itinerant music lessons started well,

with around 250 girls having lessons

through school on a wide range of

instruments and voice. A large number of

girls continue to take part in our choral

and instrumental groups – Resolutions,

Junior Chorale, Concordia, Bellbirds,

Jazz Band, Rangi Sinfonia, and Rangi

Players. In addition, many girls have

become involved in smaller vocal and

instrumental ensembles, including

barbershop, recorder, ukulele and

percussion ensembles, chamber music

groups and rock bands. We have already

enjoyed a wide range of performances

in Wednesday Chapel services, ably

organised by our Head of Music, Siyu Sun.

CATS auditions were held early in

February. The production team were

overwhelmed with both the number of

girls who auditioned, and the exceedingly

high quality. This made the production

team’s task very difficult, but we

persevered with our decision making,

ending up with a fantastic cast of talented

young men and women. Rehearsals are

well underway and we are excited to see

how the students are really taking to their

roles and ‘stepping up’. Adding to those

on stage, are many students putting in

long hours working areas like the CATS

orchestra, backstage, technical, costumes,

and makeup. It will, I know, be a stunning

show; we look forward to you joining us

when it opens in the week starting 19 May.

The Rangi Sinfonia Camp was held

again at Living Springs for a weekend at

the beginning of March. The camp was

a resounding success, at a great venue,

where the girls worked hard on some of

their new music, but also had a wonderful

time getting to know each other and

‘bond’ as a team. It was pleasing to see

some of our senior students ably take

on leadership roles in both rehearsal

situations and in the facilitation of team

building activities that they organised.

We are very excited to have on long-

term loan from the parent of a Rangi Old

Girl, a lovely Yamaha Grand piano for

the Gibson Centre. Having such a lovely

instrument in here will allow us to take

advantage of the stunning acoustics and

plan some music events. Some of our

pianists provided background music for

the afternoon tea held at the opening of

the new Gibson and Science Centres on 4

April, and there are events being planned

for Term 2, including some informal lunch

hour performances. A number of soloists

performed in the new Science Centre at

the Old Girls’ ‘Mixology’ Cocktail Function,

also on 4 April. We look forward to our

new music building opening, hopefully at

the start of 2015.

This term is one where girls have

worked on learning a vast amount of new

music, in preparation for performances and

festivals in Term 2 and beyond, including

Open Day, BIG SING and Chamber music

regional contests, Chapel performances

and lunchtime and evening concerts. We

are very fortunate to have such outstanding

support from our very experienced

instrumental and vocal tutors, without

whom all this would not be possible.

Congratulations to:Karen Hu (Year 11) on passing her ATCL

diploma examination on the cello.

Amy Lee (Year 13), who once again

participated as a pianist in the Adam

Summer School for Chamber Music, held

in Nelson during February. This school

provided Amy with the opportunity to

work with New Zealand’s best young

string players and pianists for eight days

of intense chamber music-making, under

the guidance of the New Zealand String

Quartet and other professional chamber

musicians. The review in the Nelson Mail

said that Amy’s chamber music group

“delivered an interpretation that was

balanced and given with such obvious

enjoyment in the music and the making of

it, that we had enchantment… the pianist

smiled with pleasure as she played… there

was lightness, sweetness and joy”.

Grace McKenzie (Year 10) who has

been accepted into the NZSO National

Mentoring Programme as a violinist.

The aim of the mentoring programme

is for the NZSO to connect with young

musicians who are likely to pursue

music at higher education and even as

a career. It is an opportunity to reveal

the professional orchestral sector, assist

in preparation for exams and auditions

and offer guidance on a chosen path.

Grace was also a winner of the Gilbert

Glausiuss prize for the most promising

performer of the lunchtime series at the

Akaroa International Music Festival held

in January.

Pianists Amy Lee and Siyu Sun (both

Year 13) who have been accepted as

Stage One piano performance students

at the University of Canterbury. This

opportunity allows these talented girls

to work in and enjoy the musical and

intellectual stimulation of immersion in a

tertiary environment.

2014 NZSSSO members Eleven Rangi girls have been selected for

the 2014 New Zealand Secondary Schools’

Symphony Orchestra, with three of these

girls in leadership positions within the

orchestra. Students are selected from all

over New Zealand.

They are: Grace Leehan (Assistant

Concertmaster); Grace McKenzie, Yuna Chon, Clare Lin – violins; Rebecca Harris –

viola; Karen Hu, Eugene In – cello; Isabella Gregory – Principal flute; Sarah Pride

– second oboe; Geeny Moon – Principal

french horn and Siyu Sun – 2nd french

horn.

These are some wonderful

achievements and we look forward to

hearing these girls, and the many other

talented girls we have at Rangi, perform

during the year.

My best wishes to you all for a restful

term break with time for family and friends.

Janet KingsburyDirector of Music

AROUND RANGI

28

We start this first Rangi News Sports

edition for 2014 with a look back at

three events involving Rangi Girls that

happened at the end of 2013.

Firstly, the National Secondary

Schools’ Athletics Championships, held

in Hamilton after school had finished in

December, saw 12 of our girls competing

in both the track and field events and

the National Road Race Championship.

Our standout performer was Rosa

Flanagan, who finished her final year at

Rangi Ruru on a high. Rosa smashed the

senior girls’ 2000m steeplechase record

by 25 seconds. This is the first time she

has competed in this event at Nationals.

She also regained the 3000m title,

missing out on another record by just

two seconds. To top off these fantastic

results, Rosa has also been named in the

New Zealand World Youth Championship

squad which will compete in Oregon

in 2014. Rosa was also named one of

the Athletes of the Meet and, along

with Gabby Gray, who has also been an

outstanding competitor for Rangi, was

named in the New Zealand Secondary

Schools’ Paper Team.

Other top five results from Nationals

went to: Gabby Gray – 5th in the Senior

1500m, Rosie Elliott – 4th equal in the

Senior High Jump, Lauren Beckett – 5th

in the Open Pole-vault. Congratulations

also to these girls.

Secondly our school, for the very first

time, was represented at the National

Secondary Schools’ Cricket tournament

in Palmerston North. Six teams played

in the Finals competition with only two

representatives from the South Island, us

and St Hilda’s Collegiate from Dunedin.

Each team played five x T20 matches

with the team accumulating the most

points taking the overall win. Our team

played phenomenally well winning three

of their five games, finishing in 3rd place

overall. An outstanding achievement

in their first outing at a national

competition. They will be hoping to

better that result this year as they have

just qualified once again to represent the

region at this tournament. Go the mighty

Cricket team!!

And, lastly, the atletics article below

written by Mrs Rowberry who has retired

to devote her time to her grandchildren

who have moved from the UK to

Christchurch.

Canterbury Primary Schools Athletics Championships Nine girls quailified for the

Canterbury Primary Schools’ Athletics

Championships in Ashburton held 4

December. We did really well where

competition is extremely tough, with

fields of about 35 or more competitors in

each event.

ResultsThe 11 year old relay team won their heat

in fine style and then fought hard to win

the final in the last 20 metres of the race.

All their practice paid off profitably!

The team was Isabella Inkson, Ella

Gardiner, Sophia Harrison and Lauren

Stapylton-Smith.

Lauren also was placed 2nd in the

Long Jump and 3rd in the 100m final.

We gained three other 3rd placings

– Pieta Hansen in the Long Jump, Ella

Neale in the Discus, and Lydia Fay in

the Shot put. Both Pieta and Lydia did

personal best performances.

Isabella Carter ran her best ever

tactical race to get 4th in the 1200m just

missing out on 3rd place.

Well done girls and keep the up the

good work.

Brenda Rowberry

Moving into 2014, as usual, the term

has been chaotic, with the Canterbury

Triathlon, Swimming prelims, Athletics

prelims, Summer Quad, Summer sports

trials and competition, Volleyball

Canterbury and South Island Champs,

Touch Canterbury and South Island

Champs, Canterbury Swimming

and Athletics Champs and Summer

Tournament week which involved our

Rowing, Touch, Waterpolo and Volleyball

teams. To add to the chaos for the past

few weeks we have been trialling for

Winter sports teams. It never gets any

easier and, to be honest, we wouldn’t

have it any other way, but it does make

for a very very busy term! And, any

wonder the classroom teachers are

scratching their heads wondering when

they are going to ever have full classes

again! Don’t worry, it’s nearly all over!

Next term should bring them all back to

you for most of the time!

TriathlonCanterbury TriathlonThe first event of the school sports

calendar this year was the Canterbury

Secondary Schools’ Triathlon and Open

Water Swim Championship at Corsair Bay.

As usual, the day was superb with

clear skies and calm water. No better way

to settle the nerves!

Rangi always takes a large contingent

of girls to this event and this year was

no exception. With real strength from

the girls coming out of the water, our

teams put up an outstanding show and

managed to come away with several

top three placings. Our lone Individual,

Ava Morrow, started the race well and

was in the front until partway through

the cycle leg when a mechanical failure

caused her to pull over and fix the bike.

With fierce competition all the way in

this race, Ava fought hard to stay with the

girls who passed her, and managed to

finish a very creditable 5th in the Junior

girls’ section. In the Junior teams section

Eugene In, Kate Boyd and Isabella Carter

won the race. As did Lottie Eglinton,

Rose Marshall-Lee and Abby Williamson

in the Intermediate team section. Olivia

Mason, Chloe Jenkins and Ella Minehan

Fitzgerald placed 5th. In the Senior

Girls team section, we had three teams

competing. Maddy Long, Tessa Jenkins

and Lucy Allsion were 2nd, Jemima

Allison, Lucy Hutchinson and Libby

Vincent were 4th and Maddy Long (who

swam for two teams), Luci Minehan

Fitzgerald and Lauren Beckett placed 9th.

In the Open Water Swim

Championships our only competitor was

Olivia Mason (who had just swum for the

triathlon), she placed a creditable 6th in

her race.

Well done to all of these girls. It was a

wonderful day out.

Sport

Jo FogartyDirector of Sports

29www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

Following the successes at the

Canterbury Championships a small

group of girls headed down to Oamaru to

compete in the South Island Secondary

Schools’ Triathlon Championships. Both

teams placed 2nd. Well done to Ella

Minehan Fitzgerald, Olivia Mason, Chloe

Jenkins, Tessa Jenkins, Maddy Long and

Lucy Allison.

Rangi Ruru Years 7 & 8 TriathlonTwenty six individuals and twelve teams

competed in the Rangi Triathlon on 24

March. It was great to have the event

back on the calendar having postponed

it since the earthquakes. Held on a

lovely summer day, the individuals made

short work of the course, and the teams

enjoyed the challenge of the experience.

Results:12 year olds: Isabella Inkson 1st; Millie Macalister 2nd; Georgina Jolly 3rd; Jemima Porter

4th

11 year olds:Lauren Stapylton-Smith 1st; Molly Robinson 2nd; Ruby Winter 3rd; Macy Neale 4th

10 year olds:Amelie Spinks 1st; Brigit Moston 2nd;

Claudia O’Shannessey 3rd

CPSSA triathlon

12 March at PegasusA team of eight Rangi students competed

at the recent Canterbury Primary

Triathlon. In chilly conditions, the girls

swam, cycled and ran with great spirit

and achieved very well against large

fields in each age group, and no doubt

have gained some valuable experience.

Congratulations to all of the competitors.

Results:12 year olds: (field of 78)

Isabella Inkson 24th; Jemima Porter 41st

11 year olds: (field of 108)

Lauren Stapylton-Smith 10th; Macy Neale 35th; Molly Robinson 36th

10 year olds: (field of 94)

Amelie Spinks 19th

Summer Quad TournamentSummer Quad is the annual tournament

held between four independent girls’

schools – Rangi Ruru, St Hilda’s,

Craighead and St Margaret’s. This year

the tournament was hosted by Rangi

Ruru. I must start by saying a massive

and heartfelt thanks to the many

families who offered to host billets for

this sporting exchange. It is never easy

finding beds for 80 visiting girls. We do

always get there in the end, with the

generous support from our community

AND our boarding hostel, but it’s always

an agonising process as the offers eke

their way in slowly. The boarding house

were our real heros when they offered

to take up a number of girls. This really

helped the cause.

The exchange as usual was tightly

contested with all schools showing

their strengths in at least one of the

competing events. The overall results

show just how close at least three of the

schools are across the board. Here are

the results:

Debating 1st equal Rangi Ruru/St Hilda’s

3rd equal Craighead/St Margaret’s

Tennis 1st St Margaret’s

2nd St Hilda’s

3rd Rangi Ruru

4th Craighead

Touch 1st St Margaret’s

2nd equal Rangi Ruru/St Hilda’s

4th Craighead

Volleyball 1st St Margaret’s

2nd St Hilda’s

3rd Rangi Ruru

4th Craighead

Swimming 1st St Hilda’s

2nd Rangi Ruru

3rd St Margaret’s

4th Craighead

Overall 1st St Margaret’s – 15.5points

2nd St Hilda’s – 15 points

3rd Rangi Ruru – 14 points

4th Craighead – 5.5 points

Two wonderful days of competition

and friendship between these four

school. Many thanks to all involved

for making it so successful. And

congratulations to our girls.

Swimming SportsPre quad and during the first few weeks

of the summer sports season, the junior

girls were busy with swimming and

athletics prelims. Due to the numbers

in the school, prelims are required to

narrow down the fields in events at

both the Swimming and Athletics Sports

Days. Times are taken and distances

are measured, and these results are

collated to get our runners, throwers and

swimmers for the actual day.

The Swimming Sports came around

first and had us once again running the

event over two sessions at Jellie Park –

Years 7-10 first and, as they left out one

door, in came the Years 11-13. Whilst we

would prefer to have the whole school

present, this is just not possible, and

the clan leaders work really hard with

their clans to maintain the same clan

spirit and noise from days of old. With

plenty of colour and cheering and some

outstanding performances in the water,

I am so glad we have pushed to make

this event happen. We really do see the

school at its best at these times.

Here are the overall champions in each

division:

Years 7/81st Isabella Inkson; 2nd Emily Philip; 3rd

Millie MacalisterU141st Ava Morrow; 2nd Eugene In; 3rd

Leah BerquistU151st Lucy Gordon; 2nd Olivia Mason; 3rd

Amy HartwellU161st Celine Evans; 2nd Olivia Berger; 3rd

Nicole SmithSenior1st Jemima Allison; 2nd Aimee McMaster; 3rd Maddy Long

l-R back row: millie macalister, lauren Stapylton-Smith, Jemima Porter, Kate Edwards, isabella inkson. Front row: Amelie Spinks, molly Robinson, macy neale.

30

SPORT

Canterbury Secondary Schools’

Swimming Championships Following the school Swimming Sports a

team of swimmers went on to represent

the school at the Canterbury Secondary

Schools’ Swimming championships,

this year held at Jellie Park over three

sessions. Our small group of swimmers

put on an outstanding show, winning

medals in most races we were entered in,

and even came away with two records

– the U14 Relay team of Ava Morrow,

Eugene In, Leah Berquist and Kasey

McGrath broke the old Canterbury record

by seven seconds. Ava then went on the

break the U14 50m Backstroke record in

a time of 32.72seconds. The old record

was 32.90s.

Our other placegetters at the meet were:

Leah Berquist – 1st, U14 50m Butterfly

Eugene In – 1st, U14 50m Freestyle

Lucy Gordon – 2nd, U15 50m

Breaststroke, 3rd, Open 100m

Breaststroke

Olivia Mason – 2nd, U15 50m Butterfly

U15 relay team – 1st (Lucy Gordon, Amy

Hartwell, Olivia Mason, Leah Berquist)

Charlotte Rozen – 2nd, 50m Backstroke;

3rd, 50m Freestyle

Aimee McMaster – 2nd, 16-18 50m

Backstroke

16 – 18 200m Freestyle Relay – 3rd

(Jemima Allison, Aimee McMaster, Maddy

Long, Georgie Staples)

Jemima Allison – 2nd, 16-18 100m

Freestyle

Celine Evans – 3rd, U16 50m Butterfly

Jacquie Ruth swam in the able-bodied

race and swam a personal best by nine

seconds in the 200m Freestyle. This is

apparently a New Zealand record.

Results of Independent Schools’ Swimming Championships Eleven Years 7 and 8 girls represented

Rangi Ruru at the Independent Schools’

Swimming Championships at Wharenui

Pool recently. The competition was

fierce, so we were pleased with the

results.

Isabella Inkson placed 2nd in the 12 year

olds breaststroke (qualifying to go to

Canterbury’s)

Emily Philip placed 3rd in 12 year olds

backstroke

12 year old relay team placed 2nd

(Isabella Inkson, Emily Philip, Millie

Macalister, Georgina Jolly)

Athletic SportsThere is nothing harder than standing

out in a light drizzle at 6am on Athletic

Sports morning trying to make a

prediction about the weather for the day!

And the forecast doesn’t help when it

says the day is going to be fabulous, but

it’s raining!

So, as you know, we went ahead with

the day in the hope that the forecast

would prove correct and that the light

drizzle would disappear early in the

day leaving behind a bright sunny day.

Wrong!

Plan B? Nothing for it but to battle on

and make the best of things. The girls

were outstanding. We had to drop the

Hurdles, High Jump and Javelin from

the programme for safety reasons but all

other events were well supported and as

with past Athletic Sports, there was much

hilarity, colour and some outstanding

performances. Everyone made the best

of the trying conditions as it continued

to drizzle all day, and the general feeling

at the end of it was that everyone was

pleased we had run the event when

we did. The High Jump was held the

following day at school but sadly, the

Hurdles and Javelin will need to wait for

another year.

Here are the top three placings for

each event on the day:

Years 7/8 Results100m Lauren Staplyton-Smith,

Aleisha Bedggood, Emily

Philip

200m Lauren Staplyton-Smith,

Amelie Spinks, Aleisha

Bedggood

800m Isabella Inkson, Lauren

Staplyton-Smith, Macy Neale/

Abby Kneebone

1500m Isabella Inkson, Abby

Kneebone, Molly Robinson

Long Jump Lauren Staplyton-Smith,

Emily Philip, Holly Lewis

Shotput Macy Neale, Abby McBreen,

Amelie Spinks

U14100m Eugene In, Ava Morrow,

Emma Hewitt

200m Eugene In, Ava Morrow,

Marisol Hunter

400m Kate Boyd, Eugene In, Ava

Morrow

800m Kate Boyd, Isabella Carter,

Ava Morrow

1500m Isabella Carter, Eugene In,

Marisol Hunter

3000m Isabella Carter, Marisol

Hunter, Ella Minehan

Fitzgerald

Triple Jump Eugene In, Kate Boyd, Alyssa

Robinson

Discus Ashleigh Leonard, Kate Boyd,

Claudia Reid

High Jump Ella Neale, Ava Morrow, Kate

Boyd

Long Jump Annabel Prendergast, Jessica

Miller, Isabella Ullrich

Shotput Ashleigh Leonard, Kate Boyd,

Tori Field2 World of Alpacas

Proud sponsors of the Rangi Ruru polo team

31www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

Junior100m Flossie van der Pol, Annabelle

Wilson, Emma Palmer

200m Flossie van der Pol, Annabelle

Wilson, Emma Palmer

400m Emma Palmer, Siena Rapley

800m Dannie Ackland, Emma

Palmer, Kathryn Ford

1500m Dannie Ackland, Kathryn

Ford, Annabel Wilson

3000m Dannie Ackland, Holly Reid,

Alex Summerfield

Triple Jump Annabelle Wilson, Meg

Dutton, Maya Middleton

Discus Dannie Ackland/Ryley Visser,

Kate Donald

High Jump Flossie van der Pol

Long Jump Annabelle Wilson, Siena

Rapley, Meg Dutton

Shotput Annabelle Wilson, Dannie

Ackland, Olivia McLeod

Intermediate100m Cassie Henderson, Abby

Williamson, Millie Mannering

200m Margo Willis, Rebecca Willis,

Gabi Newman/Margo

Flanagan

400m Abby Williamson, Millie

Mannering

800m Abby Williamson, Margo

Willis, Rose Marshall-Lee

1500m Abby Williamson, Margo

Flanagan, Rose Marshall-Lee

3000m Abby Williamson

Triple Jump Rebecca Willis, Amy Huang

Discus Gabi Newman/Lottie

Eglinton, Cherish Russell

High Jump Millie Mannering, Rebecca

Willis

Long Jump Abby Williamson, Millie

Mannering, Amy Huang

Shotput Hannah Moston, Madison

Richards, Lottie Eglinton

Senior100m Rosie Elliott, Anna Robertson,

Maddy Long

200m Rosie Elliott, Anna Robertson,

Maddy Long

400m Hannah Maloney, Kate Willis,

Libby Vincent

800m Lucy Allison, Libby Vincent,

Lucy Hutchinson

1500m Lucy Allison, Libby Vincent,

Jess Wood

3000m Lucy Allison, Libby Vincent,

Jemima Allison

Triple Jump Hannah Maloney, Anna

Robertson, Rosie Elliott

Discus Rosie Elliott/Rebecca Wilson,

Maddy Long/Georgie

Andrews

High Jump Rosie Elliott, Anna Robertson,

Lauren Beckett

Long Jump Rosie Elliott, Romana Bell,

Hannah Maloney

Shotput Evie Burdon, Lily Hazlett,

Rebecca Skurr

The Overall Champions are:Years 7/81st Lauren Staplyton-Smith

2nd Isabella Inkson

3rd Macy Neale

U141st Eugene In

2nd Kate Boyd

3rd = Isabella Carter, Ava Morrow

Junior1st Annabelle Wilson

2nd Dannie Ackland

3rd Flossie van der Pol

Intermediate1st Abby Williamson

2nd Millie Mannering

3rd Rebecca Willis

Senior1st Rosie Elliott

2nd Lucy Allison

3rd Anna Robertson

Using the results from the school

event, a team was selected to attend the

Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Athletics

Prelims, from which the top four finishers

qualify to compete at the finals. Rangi

girls performed so well at the prelims

that we were represented in 34 races on

finals day. Congratulations to all girls

who made it through to finals, and in

particular, to the girls who placed. We

came away with six titles, five 2nd and six

3rd placegetters.

Our medal winners and finalists

from the Canterbury Secondary Schools’

Athletics Finals were:

Rosie Elliott1st in Senior 200m, 1st in Senior High

Jump, and 2nd in Senior 100m

Lauren Beckett1st in Senior Polevault

Anna Robertson3rd in Senior Polevault, 5th in Senior

Long Jump

Hannah Maloney1st in Senior Triple Jump, 6th in Senior

Long Jump

Lucy Allison2nd in Senior 800m, 2nd in 1500m

Abby Williamson1st in Intermediate 1500m, 1st in

Intermediate 3000m

Eugene In 2nd in U14 100m, 3rd in U14 200m, 4th

in U14 triple Jump

Ashleigh Leonard

3rd in U14 Discus, 4th in U14 Shot put, 4th

in U14 80m Hurdles

Kate Boyd2nd in U14 400m, 5th in U14 800m, 12th

in U14 Discus

Isabella Carter3rd in U14 3000m, 8th in U14 800m

Marisol Hunter6th in U14 1500m, 11th in U14 800m

Ella Neale5th in U14 80m Hurdles, 5th in U14

Javelin, 14th in U14 Discus

Ava Morrow th in U14 400m

Kathryn Ford

10th in Junior 800m, 9th in Junior 1500m

Millie Mannering

5th in Intermediate 100m

32

SPORT

Margo Willis –4th in Intermediate

3000m, 6th in Intermediate 800m

Margo Flanagan – 4th in Intermediate

80m Hurdles

Annabelle Wilson – 4th Junior Triple

Jump

Rebecca Willis5th in Intermediate Javelin, 7th

Intermediate Triple Jump

Madison Richards7th in Intermediate Shotput

Intermediate Relay team and Open 4 x 400m Relay team placed 3rd

The top four placegetters

from Canterbury have automatic

selection through to the South Island

Championships in Timaru.

Rangi won the Top School Award

at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’

Swimming Champs and was 2nd at the

Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Athletics

Champs

South Island Secondary Schools’ ChampionshipsA wonderful weekend of Athletics

performances from our Rangi team at

the South Island Secondary Schools’

Championships in Timaru.

Almost the whole team made a

final and we saw some outstanding

performances.

The team won five titles in total and

also placed 2nd in five events.

The titles went to:

Rosie Elliott 100m, 200m, and she also placed 2nd in

the High Jump

Abby Williamson1500m and the 3000m

Lauren Beckett Polevault

2nd places went to:Eugene InTriple Jump

Kate Boyd 400m

Ashleigh Leonarddiscus

Anna RobertsonPolevault

A huge thanks to all the competitors

who gave it their all at these

championships, and to the parents who

drove their girls down and back, on both

days to compete in the relays.

Well done Rangi!

CricketHaving returned from the National

tournament in December, the Rangi Ruru

cricket team were eager to get back into

it early this term. With all but two girls

returning to play this year, the team was

looking strong going into the regional

qualifying tournament in March. Meg

Kendall stepped into coach the girls

this term and did a great job preparing

them. Playing Marian College, Avonside

Girls’ and Lincoln in pool play, the team

showed their strength. Livvy Thomson

performed outstanding in game one

against Marian, taking 5 wickets for 1

run off four overs, while Captain Kate

Willis, along with peers Alice Rountree

and Kristy Havill all batted consistently

strongly throughout the tournament. The

final was against old foes Christchurch

Girls’ High and it was a closely fought

affair. Rangi batted first making 116 for

2 in their 20 overs. CGHS started their

innings in determined fashion but lost

wickets at crucial times to reach 106

for 4 off 20 overs. The team are looking

forward to returning to Palmerston North

later in the year to contest the NZCT

Shield.

Dragon BoatingA group of enthusiastic Years 12 and

13 students attended the South Island

Dragon Boating Championships at Lake

Hood in March, after training each week

at Lake Rua as part of Wednesday sport

this term.

Managed by staff member

Ross Widdup, the girls performed

exceptionally well on the day, qualifying

for the B finals in both the 200m and

500m races. Each time the girls raced,

they bettered their heat time, shaving a

cool six seconds off their heat time in the

500m B final. Their time for the 500m

race would have placed them 5th in the

A final.

It was a new experience for many

of the girls and one they all seemed

to enjoy. Thanks to the parents who

joined us for the day – your support

was fabulous. The girls did themselves

and Rangi Ruru proud, representing the

school with pride and passion.

Rowing - Maadi CupThe Rangi Ruru Rowing squad has just

finished another competitive season

ending with the highly prestigious Maadi

Cup regatta in Twizel. This season was

the second season of ‘the rebuild’ with

Rangi Rowing under new leadership. We

led the fields at South Island Secondary

Schools’, taking away several medals in

all colours.

At Maadi this year the regatta hit

record numbers yet again making the

racing even tighter and increasing the

number of races per crew, as crews had

to go through rounds such as quarter and

semi finals just to qualify for the A final.

We had 37 competitors all holding

their own in some very aggressive fields.

We made nine A finals and four B finals.

The U18 Pair was the first medalling

crew for Rangi. With a slow start, Kate

Hayman and I began to push through

the crews around the 1000m mark. With

500m to go, we found ourselves in 2nd

position and absolutely narrowed in and

just went for it. We ended up crossing

the line 1st with a time of 7:49.00.

Beating Waikato Dio by just less than

two seconds and beating 3rd by nearly

four. This is the first gold for Rangi in four

seasons.

A HUGE congratulations to our Xi cricket team on taking out CGhS to win the regional qualifying tournament for the second year in a row! They will now head to the nZSS nZCT Cup held in Palmerston north in december.

33www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

The U16 eight was racing only half

an hour after the pair and snatched the

Bronze medal in the event. Holly Reid

and Alice Luxton led the crew followed

by Milly MacFarlane, Rose Marshall-Lee,

Alex Summerfield, Izzy Evans, Olivia

McLeod, Dannie Ackland and coxed by

Maisie Nattrass. This is the first time in

four seasons that Rangi Rowing has had

an eight on the podium at Maadi cup.

There were other extremely tight

A final races with the U16 quad, Holly

Reid, Alice Luxton, Milly Macfarlane,

Rose Marshall-Lee and coxed by Maisie

Nattrass, missing out on a bronze medal

by .2 of a second. The U18 eight just

missed on a bronze by 0.6 of a second.

This crew was coxed by Alice Williams,

stroked by Libby Vincent and followed

on by Alice Luxton, myself, Lilly Hazlett,

Jemima Alison, Kate Hayman, Milly

Macfarlane and Jess Wood.

Kate and I secured a New Zealand

Junior trial winning the U18 pair. This

trial will take place in the holidays.

Lilly Hazlett and Jemima Allison were

selected to trial for the South Island

regional team to compete against the

North Island, also taking place in the

holidays.

Overall, this seasons’ successes and

close losses have established Rangi as a

competitive squad, one to watch in the

future. I wish all the girls the very best for

their trials and future seasons. I will be

watching closely!

Lucy Hutchinson Year 13

SailingFollowing several early competitions in

Auckland, Emma Stenhouse and Brittany

Wornall (an old-girl from Rangi who

is currently completing her studies at

Canterbury University), travelled over

Christmas to the Sorrento just south of

Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsular

and competed in the Australasian 420

Yachting Championships. This is a big

event contested by the best double-

handed sailors in Australia and the top

four boats from New Zealand. Brittany

and Emma had an excellent result

finishing 9th overall in a fleet of 43,

including yachts from every state in

Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand

and were the 2nd girls’ crew. Following

that, Emma sailed with another skipper in

the Australian 420 Youth Championships

and finished as the 3rd girls crew.

Returning from Australia in late

January, Emma and Brittany competed

in the North Island 420 Championships

and most recently participated in the

Sail Auckland Regatta. This regatta is for

Olympic and invited classes and is the

premier yachting regatta in New Zealand,

and an opportunity for Yachting NZ to

look at all of the top sailing talent and

the emerging talent. Despite extensive

preparations Day 1 was a bit of a disaster

with the mainsail falling down during the

race; however the girls recovered from

that and won five of the eleven races

life & disability

U18 Pair win gold. Kate hayman and lucy hutchinson

U16 eight take out bronze. maisie nattrass, holly Reid, Alice luxton, millie macFarlane, Rose marshall-lee, Olivia mcleod, izzie Evans, Alex Summerfield, dannie Ackland, mark Cotham, Ali Burnside

34

which sees them seriously established as

a leading contender, particularly in light

to moderate breezes.

Emma’s calendar for the rest of the

year’s sailing season is quite full, and

included the South Island and National

Championships in March. Following

the results at the Nationals, Emma and

Brittany plan to represent New Zealand

at the 420 World Championships in

Germany in July. Go you girls!

TouchSeveral newcomers to school

strengthened the Supertouch team

this season – particularly notable was

the addition of four Year 9 players with

Canterbury representative experience

which is exciting for the future

development of touch at Rangi. Co-

captained by Taylah Thompson and Tayla

Reid this year, it was a busy first term

and the season started strongly with

good wins in the Wednesday Supertouch

competition, finishing 4th overall. The

Canterbury Championships were held

early in the term and the team performed

well to claim third qualifier. That led onto

the South Island Championships which

were held amongst some very tough

competition from Southland and Otago

teams. A three-way draw for 1st position

in pool play came down to points

scored for and against to determine who

progressed into semi-finals. The Rangi

team were left disappointed with a 9th

overall placing at this year’s event, but

will undoubtedly be competitive again

next season and fight hard to regain a

spot at Nationals.

Rangi Ruru had a strong showing

in the junior division of the Wednesday

Intersecondary Schools’ competition

with the Junior Gold team taking out the

Junior Division 1 title. The Junior Blue

team, along with two senior social teams,

enjoyed their games in great spirit each

week. Thanks to student coaches who

helped out each week, along with girls

who put their hands up to referee games.

VolleyballRangi Ruru was again well represented

in the Monday night competition in Term

1 this year. We had four junior teams

and six senior teams ranging from social

through to competitive. In the Monday

night competition, the Senior Green and

Year 9 Orange team both reached the

final in their respective grades, with four

other teams also playing off for places

3rd to 6th.

Term 1 was a very busy for the Senior

A team. This year, coached by Paul Foster

and Gina Dymand, the team competed in

the South Island Championships where

they came 2nd in Division 2 and the

SPORT

Well done to our waterpolo team who have placed 4th at the South island Senior tournament. A fantastic achievement for a young team. And a huge congrats to lottie Eglinton (second left) on being named one of the three mVPs

Canterbury Championships where they

came 11th overall.

For the first time in over four years,

the Senior A team also travelled to

Palmerston North to compete in the

National Secondary Schools’ Volleyball

Championships. The team experienced a

huge amount of growth throughout the

tournament. This experience will continue

to benefit the players in the years to come.

Initially, going in with a ranking of 27th in

Division 3 and 4, the team played beyond

expectations and eventually ended up 8th

in Division 3. A result to be very proud of.

WaterpoloYay! Another term which saw Waterpolo

grow just a little bit more in terms of the

schools’ competition and in strength with

our Rangi team. Trials were needed to

select the team to attend the South Island

Secondary Schools’ event in Invercargill.

The young team comprised four Year 9

students, one Year 10, one Year 11 and six

Year 12s.

During the term the team trained

three times a week in the school pool, and

played in the six team Wednesday night

Secondary competition against teams

from Villa Maria, Marian, St Margaret’s,

Christchurch Girls’ High and Burnside.

Burnside were by far the strongest team,

followed by us and Christchurch Girls’

High. We finished 3rd in this competition.

The team headed off to Invercargill

during Tournament Week excited, but very

unsure of what the competition would be

like and how we would fare against the

southern teams that play in more robust

competitions and have ample access to a

proper training pool.

Well, what a wonderful experience it

all was! Led by Lottie Eglinton, who was

named one of the three MVP’s for the

whole tournament the team went from

strength to strength with each game.

The first was a shocker against

Southland Girls’. Down 7-0 at half time the

girls woke up and started playing. They

actually won the second and third quarters

but were too far down on points to pull the

game back. We went down 16-8.

Second up was Columba College who

placed 3rd last year and are traditionally

strong at Waterpolo. They had watched

our game against Southland and thought

we would be a pushover. Well, as so often

happens in tournaments, we caused an

upset! We led for most of the game only

for Columba to come back at us in the

last quarter. Thanks to a Lottie goal in the

sore, aching musclesNZ Olympic Team-Athens

massage therapistjason macdonald

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35www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

final minute, we drew one point ahead,

only for them to get the ball in the last

ten seconds right in front of our goal

and two of our girls were “kicked out”.

Fortunately, they missed their shot and

we went on to win the game. A turning

point for our team. Our next game was

against Girls’ High, our old nemesis.

Going into the game after a win and a

loss to this team meant it would go to

the team on the day! Fortunately, that

team was us! Once again it was goal for

goal for the whole game and we just

managed to hold them off to the end;

10-9 was the final score. That being our

final pool game, we went through into

the Cross overs in 2nd spot in our pool

– a great position to be in as we then

faced the 3rd placed team in the other

pool. This was Otago Girls’ High School.

Not an easy win for us but it took us into

the semi-finals against last years’ runner

up, St Hilda’s. This team was slick. With

a pool full of specialist swimmers, we

were always going to struggle to get

back to defend the ball. However the

girls fought hard and we gave St Hilda’s

a really good game. Poor old Lottie

was getting hammered by all of our

opposition, being the major strength in

our team, however this forced several

of the others to step up and this really

made a difference. I think in the end, we

went down to St Hilda’s 10-4. To end the

tournament we were pitched against

our rivals from the first day, Southland

Girls’. Understandably, they thought they

were in for an easy game, but we knew

better. It was so exciting! We led from

the start right up until the third quarter

when Southland got three up on us.

Once again, thanks to some powerful

play from Lottie we got back into the

game and at full time the score was tied.

Oh my goodness! A penalty shootout

was called. Poor Holly Manning, our wee

Year 9 in the goal! What had she signed

up for?! Five girls from each team were

picked to shoot, and one after the other,

they swam to their spot and aimed for

the opposition goalie. Both teams missed

two shots so once again the score was

all tied up. 11 all! Down to a golden goal!

What this meant was that the first team

to miss a goal lost the game! There

wasn’t a manicured fingernail left in the

place!! Sadly for us our goal missed first

and Southland Girls’ went on to take the

Bronze medal. I say, sadly for us, but

actually, the sadness was a momentary

thing. Our team had done so well,

both in this particular game and in the

tournament in general, that we could not

be too sad with the final result. We far

exceeded our own expectations in terms

of results, with this young inexperienced

team and so much was learnt along the

way. The prospects are very exciting for

the future.

Well done team. You were a credit

to yourselves and the school. I was

very proud to be with you. A huge

thanks to the coach, Alex Boyd, for the

time and commitment she has given

to the team this term and her wise

Waterpolo counsel. And to Lottie, whose

contribution not only at tournament,

but during the term, has taught the

others so much. Lottie, you give the girls

something to aspire to in Waterpolo.

Jo FogartyDirector of Sport

Congratulations to:• At the Canterbury Swimming Champs Jacquie Ruth

broke five age group records and one Open record. Lucy Gordon won three titles, Olivia Mason won two titles and,

along with Eugene In, Celine Evans and Ava Morrow,

achieved many top ten finishes. These girls also competed

at Nationals. Jacquie also competed at the NSW Open

championships in Australia, where she was chasing an

International qualification that would set her up for World

rankings. To top off her year to date, Jacquie has also been

named a finalist in the Marriotts Hadlee Canterbury Sports

Awards for a Sportsperson with a Disability

• Olivia Mason who gained one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze

medals and a 4th at the Southern Region (South Island) Surf

Lifesaving Championships in Dunedin.

• Chloe Jenkins and Tessa Jenkins who have both

performed superbly well in Cycling this term. Chloe, in

Year 10, was a member of the four person U17 3000m

Canterbury Pursuit team that won Gold at the National Age

Group Cycling Nationals in Invercargill. Tessa competed

at the Bike NZ National Elite and U19 Cycling Champs in

Cambridge. She raced against the best U19 cyclists in the

country and did incredibly well, particularly in the Keirin

where she finished 2nd. Brilliant work girl.

• Kate Willis and Charlotte Arthur the only two schoolgirl to

make the U21 Canterbury Womens’ Hockey team.

• Ashleigh Leonard, Kate Boyd and Ella Neale who have

been named in the Canterbury Interprovincial Athletics

Team.

The top 11 Canterbury athletes in each age group go to

Hastings over Easter to compete against the other ten

teams in New Zealand.

*Open to PGG Wrightson account holders only. $1 per tonne of Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser purchased (excluding Lime, Gypsum and Hatuma), between 3 March and 31 May 2014, will be donated to your nominated cause. See full terms and conditions at www.pggwrightson.co.nz. Minimum donation per cause applies.

Purchase Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser from PGG Wrightson to earn

$$$ for your local community.*Nominate your cause at www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Helping grow the country

$$$ for Rangi Ruru Girls’ School

36

COmmUNITy

Community Relations Coordinator

Community Education is ticking along, with participants

having visited the holiday homes of Queen Elizabeth, the

pyramids of ancient Egypt, Austen’s Bath and their own

personal histories. Pictured is Grant Hindin Miller’s creative

writing course, Gifting Your Stories. Attracting all ages and

both genders, participants have been led through a series

of exercises to prompt the memory and aid in the writing of

them. Next term Grant is leading another of these courses,

and offering a new course on creative writing. More details are

available in the ad below.

Meanwhile, Frieda Looser has had healthy numbers for her

Sunday talks, and for her Fridays with Frieda series. As we are

going into the winter months, the Friday sessions are moving

from a morning to an afternoon slot; much warmer and more

convivial. Again hosted in St Andrew’s at Rangi Ruru, Frieda will

be waxing lyrical about Bohemian Rhapsody.

One of the aims of Community education at Rangi Ruru is to

link in with current community happenings. Gifted Awareness

Week is 16 - 22 June, and so for Term 2 we welcome Louise

Tapper to teach a one-off session on parenting gifted children.

Term 3 offerings will link with Heritage Week and the national

elections!

Market DayMarket Day is forging ahead with team leaders announced, site

planning well underway, and the children’s entertainment the

envy of the adults around the table. Please, if you know one of

the leaders (named below) and would like to support them; or

your business would like to donate goods for the silent auction

or the children’s treasure hunt, please let me know. I would

be very happy to pass on your details. Excitingly, we are going

to be running a school wide bake-off; more details in the next

Rangi News.

Amelia DavisCommunity

Relations

Coordinator

Creative minds at work led by Grant hindin miller

Student Art Sale Suzy McPherson & Libby

Sheehy

White Elephant & Pre-loved ClothingBev Milligan

Logistics

Neil Templeton

Silent & Live AuctionLeeann Marriott & Sue Allison

Food & BeveragesLeanne Vincent

Children’s Entertainment Leeann Marriott & an

enthusiastic volunteer

Market Day Entertainmentie: Garden City Big Band etc..

and “turf” selling – Jennifer

Leahy

Marketing and Advertising

Andrea Innes & Leeann

Marriott

Mystery BottleAly McLean

External StallholdersLeeann Marriott

School and 125 MemorabiliaAmelia Davis

Devonshire TeasRangi Ruru PTA

Jams, & Preserves

RROGA

Baking & Sweets

Tuula Rapley

Term 2In the next term, as well as various building openings, we have

the Community Open Day and CATS. The senior production

is a great opportunity to see Rangi Ruru and Christ’s College

performing arts in action. Do let me know if you are bringing

any prospective students and their families; I’d love to be able

to say hello to them. The Community Open Day is happening

on Wednesday 4 June from 1.30 - 4.30pm. All our buildings,

historic and new, will be open for your viewing pleasure.

A very special treat is An Evening with Bryony, on Friday

30 May, 6.00pm. A recent Rangi Ruru old girl, Bryony Gibson-

Cornish is an acclaimed viola player and Fulbright Scholar.

She is attending the Juilliard School in New York and we are

fortunate to have her back to school to speak to us about her

experiences and to perform for us.

Do check out the Rangi Ruru website for all the details of the

125th events – there are many to be enjoyed -

www.rangi125.co.nz/Events

37www.rangiruru.school.nz

Visit www.rangiruru.school.nz/community-education to enrol. For further information on the programme or for course suggestions contact Community Relations Coordinator, Amelia Davis on 03 983 3744 or a.davis@rangiruru.school.nz

Gifted and Talented Adolescents Searching for a School that ‘Fits’Rangi Ruru has a proud history of supporting gifted and talented students, in fact we were the first girls school in NZ to implement a GATE Programme in 1999. We are offering a one-off talk discussing how to parent a gifted child.1 evening sessionDate: Tuesday 17 JuneTime: 7.30 – 9.30pmFee: $ tba

Louise Tapper has been a passionate advocate in the field of gifted education for 18 years and a parent of gifted children for much longer! She has written and taught courses in parenting gifted children for Community Education at the University of Canterbury. Louise was a member of the Advisory Group on Gifted Education to the Ministry of Education for six years.

Bohemian Rhapsody: The City of PragueThe majestic city of Prague has been ‘rediscovered’ by the West since Europe’s major turning point of 1989. Although, at times, torn by religious and ethnic divisions, and often threatened and dominated by powerful neighbours, Bohemia survived. Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and the neo-Classical styles have all contributed to Prague’s architectural beauty and charm, and evoke a sense of delight that rivals that of Paris.4 afternoon sessionsDates: Fridays, 9 – 30 MayTime: 2.00 – 3.00pmFee: $40 00Frieda Looser’s interest in history is wide-ranging exploring many aspects of European and Canterbury history. Since 2006 Frieda has led numerous history study tours to Britain and is touring Normandy and Brittany in June 2014.

Gifting Your Stories Writing CourseWhether you are a confident writer or a shy beginner, this course will help you to access, shape, and write whatever memories and experiences you choose to record.7 morning sessionsDates: Wednesdays, 14 May – 2 July (1 week break on 11 June)Time: 10.00am – 12.00pm Fee: $120

Intro to Creative WritingThis course offers a series of guided exercises in the writing and appreciation of poetry, prose, short story, and drama.7 afternoon sessionsDates: Wednesdays, 14 May – 2 July (1 week break on 11 June)Time: 1.00 – 3.00pm Fee: $120Grant Hindin Miller is a published author, composer, scriptwriter, and highly-regarded creative-writing tutor.

Rangi Ruru will present a varied and unique Community

Education programme in 2014.

Rangi RuruCommunity Education

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www.airways.co.nz/atccareers

Scan the code to see if you’ve got what it takes.

FD04380-VM

COmmUNITy

38

Celebrating Our CommunitySofia wenborn (1985 – 1989)

Television producer and director Sofia Wenborn has worked on a range of

programmes – Holmes, Close Up, most

recently a documentary series on capital

punishment in New Zealand. This is

normal in the frenetic world of television.

What is not so normal is, between jobs,

to walk across Spain.

“I had come to the end of a two-year

job and realised I hadn’t had a holiday in

that time”, she says. “I recalled reading

about el camino, the ancient pilgrimage

across Spain to Santiago de Compostela.”

So off she went.

Sofia chose the 800km Camino del

Norte route, which followed the northern

coast through beautiful seaside cities

like San Sebastian, Bilbao and Santander,

because it was less popular (“I didn’t

fancy pilgrims bumper-to-bumper”)

and the prospect of beaches and fresh

seafood was irresistible. It took five

weeks, she lost 5kg, made lifelong friends

and discovered more about herself than a

surprising level of endurance.

“If the camino had taught me

anything, it was to worry less and have

faith in your own ability to get on and do

what needs to be done” she says.

Ever the journalist, she recorded her

trek and it appeared as a feature article in

the Australian Women’s Weekly last year.

Sofia started “an ill-fated law degree”

at Canterbury University and came away

with a BA in English and Classics. She

also got involved in student radio, which

planted the seeds of her career. While

studying journalism at the Christchurch

Broadcasting School, she started working

part-time at Radio New Zealand and

later moved to the Auckland newsroom,

then to Newstalk ZB where she produced

Larry Williams Drive and Paul Holmes

Breakfast.

“After a few years there I needed a

new challenge, so I rang Paul Holmes’

television producer and asked her ‘what

exactly does a television producer do?’

Timing is everything in life and after a

chat over coffee, I became a TV producer

on the Holmes show.”

Sofia is passionate about her work,

especially making documentaries.

She has just finished working on The

Trouble with Murder, a three-part series

scheduled to screen on Prime later this

year, and is currently directing one of

six episodes in a TV1 show about people

who were wrongfully convicted.

“I love learning new things and I love

talking to people. It so happens that I’ve

found a career that pays me to do both.”

Sofia says the broad education

she received at Rangi Ruru has been

invaluable. “I’ve always felt that I had

some sort of head start because I’d had

the opportunity to learn so many things

in an environment that allowed me to

do so.”

Memorable was French with Dr Tobin.

“Thirty years ago and I can still see her

clear as day, black robes billowing behind

her. As terrifying as she was at the time,

I have her to be thankful to for my more

than passable French which, when

required, reappears like some repressed

memory.”

Yellow arrows marked the Camino Route.

Jenny Gillies (1960– 1968) It all started at Rangi Ruru with

bloomers, not blooms, for costume and

fabric artist Jenny Gillies.

“My sewing teacher, Mrs Campbell,

inspired me to sew,” Jenny says. “Even

if we did start off with pillowslips and

bloomers.”

Jenny’s flamboyant floral creations

stole the show at last month’s

Ellerslie International Flower Show

in Christchurch. Crowds packed the

marquee for her entertaining Naughty

By Nature shows which featured dancers

(not to mention Jenny and husband

John) portraying aspects of the plant

kingdom…. flowers, weeds, fruit and

vegetables.

Jenny has won multiple awards

at the World of Wearable Arts and her

work is held in collections around the

world. This was her fourth Ellerslie

show and she regularly performs across

the Tasman. She has also published a

photographic book, Florabundance.

Jenny started out as a scientist,

with a BSc and post-graduate diploma

in microbiology from Otago University.

She worked as a medical receptionist

while raising four children. Her interest

in costumes began helping with school

productions and blossomed from there.

Jenny is also a keen gardener

and was featured in last month’s NZ

House and Garden magazine. After the

devastation of the earthquakes, she

replaced her flower garden with an

edible one. Not only is it productive,

but it is also a source of inspiration for

her latest fruit and vegetable range

(though, since the magazine shoot, she

says there is an abundance of weeds for

inspiration.)

She is particular about keeping her

fabric flora botanically correct. “When

I’m not eating vegetables, I’m sewing

them,” she says. “I see something in the

garden, draw it, then develop patterns

and create them.”

39www.rangiruru.school.nz

CELEbRATING OUR COmmUNITy

Rebecca in the long Room at lord’s Cricket Ground last year

Rebecca Cox (1994 – 1998)

Rebecca Cox has been named as one of

Britain’s brightest young talents in local

government.

Rebecca is a senior adviser at the

Local Government Association, which

is the membership body for councils in

England and Wales.

She was one of nine nominees short-

listed by The Guardian newspaper as

“local government leaders of the future”

and described as a leading force in re-

thinking and revitalising the role of local

government in society.

“It is rare to find a person who can

bring such diligence and reliability,

and mix that with adaptability, ability

to challenge the status quo and honest

enthusiasm,” said her colleague and

nominator, Charlotte Eisenhart. “Rebecca

has great intellect and an ability to spot

future trends in the sector.”

Rebecca, who is based in

London, leads on policy concerning

local democracy and the future of

local government. She works with

communities and also helps run a

network for young local government

officers.

“I spend a lot of time setting out local

government’s position on emerging

issues and helping our member councils

interpret government policy,” she says.

“In the lead-up to the general

election in May 2015, our team is doing a

lot of work with the main political parties

to try and make sure local government

issues are included in their manifestos.”

Rebecca is often out and about with

councillors meeting MPs and ministers.

“The Westminster angle is one of

the more glamorous elements of policy

work…at least on paper,” she says. “Our

office is only two minutes’ walk from the

Houses of Parliament so we’re really in

the heart of things.”

Rebecca, who was Proxime Accessit

at Rangi, completed a BSc and MA,

specialising in linguistics, at Canterbury

University. She then headed to the UK,

where her first job was a position at

Buckingham Palace, welcoming visitors

to the summer opening.

“A series of temp jobs led me to

my current position where I’ve been

in various roles for six years - and, in a

weird circular way, back to the Palace,”

she says.

Rebecca values her education

at Rangi. “Being in an environment

that normalised women in leadership

positions was also important. It gave me

the confidence not only to take on those

roles myself, but also to question when

this doesn’t happen.”

She says her school exchange to a

small town in north-west Germany was

a formative experience. “Though I’m not

sure my parents are so grateful for the

way it gave me a taste for life in Europe!”

Rachel Jordon (2007 – 2011)

When Rachel Jordan, a third-year medical

student, flew out to the Philippines for

a three-week stint at a hospital in Iloilo

City, she had no idea what lay ahead. The

day she left, the catastrophic typhoon hit

the country and Rachel spent her time

helping with relief work.

While based at the hospital, she

undertook relief missions to northern

villages (Carles, Guimaras Islands and

Roxas) devastated by the typhoon and

in desperate need of medications and

supplies – food, sanitary items, water,

clothing, blankets and building supplies.

Rachel plans to do more aid work in

the future, whether it be disaster relief or

volunteering in developing countries.

“Since the Philippines, I have

discovered that I have a real passion for

that kind of work so I would like to work

for a group such as Doctors without

Borders once I am fully qualified,”

she says.

“My aid work in the Philippines was

eye-opening. It was an experience that

will stick with me for the rest of my life.

The gratitude of the people we helped

and positive spirit were inspirational.

Despite having basically nothing left in

their lives, their ability to rise above this

was amazing!

“It definitely made me reconsider how

I live my life and how I can continue to

help others throughout my life.”

Rachel hopes to specialise, possibly in

emergency medicine or paediatrics.

Please contact Amelia Davis a.davis@rangiruru.school.nz if you know of a past student success that needs celebrating.

Compiled and written by Sue Allison and Amelia Davis

40

Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College The College staff and students are

comfortably housed at No 54 Rossall

Street, having vacated the adjoining

building at the end of 2013. This is

reminiscent of the first group of 20

students in 1985, as student numbers

for 2014 are reduced to 20 final year

Diploma of Teaching students, and a

small number of (mainly part time) staff.

In November 2013, at the College’s

graduation ceremony, we acknowledged

the last cohort of ten Nanny Education

EARLy CHILDHOOD COLLEGE

A tribute to Norah Fryer, recipient of a Queen’s Service Medal

Norah Fryer, a

tutor who worked

at Rangi Ruru

from 1989 until

February 2014,

was awarded a

Queen’s Service

(QSM) award in

the recent New Year’s honours, for

her contribution to early childhood

education over many years. This is a

wonderful accolade for a woman who

has been an exceptionally strong, well-

respected advocate for the profession,

active in many organisations and

education working parties, and tireless

in promoting quality education.

Norah’s commitment to working

with, and supporting adult learners is

well recognised; with her insight and

wisdom of many years’ involvement

in education, both nationally and

internationally. Right from her earliest

associations with young learners in

the United Kingdom, Norah has always

demonstrated an astute understanding

of the adult learner as a holistic person.

Placing retirement on ‘hold’ a number

of years ago, Norah continued to work

and embrace her interests in education,

more recently in the area of infant and

toddler mental health, resulting in the

development of a new qualification for

teachers, offered by the College from

2008 to 2013. We acknowledge this

prestigious award as a fitting tribute to

a woman who has made an indelible

mark on the education community.

Certificate in infant and Toddler mental health graduands

diploma of Teaching graduands

nanny graduands

students, along with 18 Diploma of

Teaching and 16 Certificate in Infant and

Toddler Mental Health graduands. The

final cohort of teachers undertaking

the Infant and Toddler (Level 7) study

programme concluded in February.Alison StevensonDirector

41www.rangiruru.school.nz

Families and Fire EnginesThis term we have welcomed many new

families at preschool. Our mornings at

preschool are still the most popular with

our families. Five children have turned

five and started at their local primary

school.

Several children, who are due to start

at Elmwood School, have been on a visit

to meet one of the new entrant teachers;

they spent time in the classroom and

had the opportunity to explore the

playground. It was also a chance to see

our old preschool friends who started

school last year.

A highlight of this term was a visit

to the crash fire unit at Christchurch

airport that the four year olds went

on. The children were able to see the

different fire trucks and being so close

to the runway, many planes. This was

a unique experience for the children as

they also got to see the equipment that

is used in a real emergency, as there was!

The alarms went off and the fire-fighters

had to leave the children, teachers and

parents behind. They returned shortly

afterwards.

As mentioned in previous Rangi

News, we have several families who have

several generations that have been a part

of the Rangi Ruru community; the school

and the preschool. Jenelle Hooson, née

Eder, was at Rangi from 1992-1996 and

her son, Hunter, attends the preschool.

Sarah Dacre, (née Hadfield) 1985-1990,

Janet Hadfield (née Winchester) 1958-

1961 and Violetta Dacre 2011-2014. As the

school is celebrating 125 years, we would

like to acknowledge the contribution all

our families make to preschool. In future

additions we are hoping to bring more

photos of children and their families.

Vanessa PauleyHead Teacher

46 Rhodes StreetChristchurch preschool.rangiruru.ac.nz

• for children aged 2 to 5 years• operating under a full day licence • quiet location • flexible hours• offering 20 hours ECE

Rangi Ruru Pre-school is a small community based centre:

03 983 3757

PRESCHOOL NEwS

Jenelle and hunter hooson

Sarah dacre, Janet hadfield and Violetta dacre

42

RANGI RURU OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION

RROGA

This year’s celebration of the 125th

anniversary for Rangi Ruru is a great

opportunity for past students to come

back to the school to have a look and join

in on some of the celebrations. Please go

on the website Rangi125.com and have a

look at all the events happening this year.

Please pass the word on to other old girls

who you think may be interested

It has been a very busy start to the year

for the Old Girls’ with Janet Storry Tennis

in February (which Rangi won!) and the

Annual Bowls, and Golf Tournaments

and the fabulous Gibson Girls’ Lunch in

March.

The annual Golf Tournament held

with St Margaret’s, Columba and St

Hilda’s, was a great success. I wish

to sincerely thank Jane Sullivan who

has very successfully organised this

tournament for Rangi for many years.

The Old Girls’ Association is hosting

the 125 years Cocktail party this Friday in

the amazing new Science building. We

are delighted with the number and range

of ages of people attending. We were

also pleased to welcoming back two past

Principals – Raewyn Ramage and Gillian

Heald. At the event we are pleased to be

announcing the establishment of The

Rangi Ruru Museum and Gallery which

has been made possible by a donation

from the RROGA. This dedicated museum

is a first and will store and display the

history of the school as well as art

displays. We will be very excited to see

this develop over the next months.

Please send us any photos or articles

of Old Girls for the annual RROGA

magazine. Maybe a wedding/graduation

or an interesting story. These can be

emailed to oldgirls@rangiruru.school.nz

We look forward to holding our

RROGA AGM on Sunday 29 June at 3pm

and we warmly welcome anyone who

wishes to come along. We also welcome

anyone who is keen to join the committee

or even just willing to help with events.

We welcome new ideas and input.

As always I look forward to hearing

from you - globe@vodafone.co.nz

margo Kirkpatrick, June Chartres, Pam maunsell, diana Carey, marguerite henderson and morag Taylor looking through the Gibson Centre during the annual Gibson Girls’ lunch

Liz Lovell (Bain)RROGA President

Annette King nee holmes, Sheila dunbar nee hutchinson and lyn mcCleary nee Forsey in the Gibson Centre

Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association Golf Tournament prize winners with Patron, helen Kitson and RROGA President, liz lovell

Erie Cusack nee monro and Judy Robertson nee haslam on the door at the Gibson Girls› lunch.

43www.rangiruru.school.nz

Athletics Day

JEFF GRAY BMW. SUPPORTING THE ULTIMATE FUTURE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

BMW

0089

_JG

C_C

AT

Jeff Gray BMW

Christchurch

Jeff Gray BMW 30 Manchester Street, Christchurch. (03) 363 7240. www.jeffgraybmw.co.nz

For every new BMW sold to a parent of a current Rangi girl, before July 30, Jeff Gray BMW will donate $1000 to Rangi Ruru’s Project Blue Sky.

BMW0089_JGC_CATS_A4.indd 1 11/04/14 6:00 pm