Tu Tane Camp
This year, I along with the rest of year 10 have had the privilege of being in the Tu Tane programme. This programme is a rite of passage for students at Gisborne Boys’ High School to start to become good men; Tu Tane contains seven ceremonies, the last two of which are a solo camp and camp fire ceremony at the school’s outdoor pursuits centre at Mahanga, Mahia.
When we arrived at Mahanga we chose our groups and we were set several challenges, the first one was called the egg challenge. We had to hard boil a hidden egg with only two matches, a billy and whatever we could find at the beach. The egg was hidden on an island in the middle of the lake and the fire had to be lit on the beach. In my group there was Hunter Chrisp, Liam Wire, Jaymie Puncheon, Keanu Sadlier and myself. Sadly we didn’t have enough patience to let our egg cook completely, so even though we were first to find the egg and light the fire we lost the challenge, maybe
an important lesson in life! Later that evening we had the solo camp, it challenged us both mentally and physically, first we had to walk up the mountain, rain or shine, to the place we would be camping. From there we had to set up our own bivouac with only two tarpaulins, two stakes, some rope and four pegs. During that night I was in seclusion and my mind was clear to reflect on the accomplishments, hard times and failures I have had over the year and how it has helped me mature from the start of year 10 to now. The spot where I was had a border of trees sheltering me from the harsh winds; unfortunately some of my friends were not so lucky. Apart from the wind, the night was pretty calm, that is until the morning came. Rain began trickling down but before we knew it, it started to pour. Now we had to walk back down the mountain in horizontal rain from the south! On the way down people were slipping over every five minutes, but it was all worth the five minute hot shower we had when we got back. After our showers and a nice breakfast courtesy of Mr Torrie, we had to get ready to do the triathlon, I was the swimmer in my group. The swim was to a little island in the lake and back, in the end we came 4th out of five teams – there were other challenges to face as a team, including team decision-making and the traditional physical challenges of maximum press-ups and tug-of-war. Later that night we had the campfire ceremony where you can get up to talk about things that are close to you, what aspirations you have as a man, what you have learnt about yourself during your time in the Tu Tane programme and anything that you might like to get off your chest. As I stare, gazing into the blazing fire I listen to my class mates’ stories. Hearing about some of the things others go through has made me appreciate the life that I have and not taking anything for granted in the future. The next morning we were up early and packing our bags getting ready to leave. I believe the camp was worthwhile because I returned more thankful and with a greater understanding of our school values: Honesty, respect, responsibility, self motivation, courage and reliability.
Although I may not be a good man yet I’m definietely on the right path thanks to our PE teachers, mentors and others involved in Tu Tane. By Roland Brown
Senior School Awards
Rhinesmith Memorial Prize for DUX, Crosby RADBURN
Nicoll Prize for Runner up to DUX,Taylor HOWATSON
Top Yr 12 Student, Jules CRAFT
Ballard Cup for Science, Gavin HEDLEY
Prefects Cup for General Excellence, Carl HOCKEY
Top Yr 11 Student, Gavin HEDLEY
Frank Foote Memorial Prize, Crosby RADBURN
Short Trophy for Outstanding Individual Sporting Performance, Cory TAYLOR
John Murray Memorial Trophy for
Outstanding Team Performance & First time Winners of the Super 8 Schools’ Trophy,
GBHS 1st XV Rugby
Sportsman of the Year and winner of Askew & Bilham Shield, Danny GIBBS
Henare Swann Trophy (Maori Culture), Chance BECKETT-RIA
Ten Talents Award (Most Improved in Arts and Crafts), Kauri HAWKINS
Gully Cup (Excellence in Art), Jacob KOHN
McColl Cup (Best All-Round Technical Student), Ethan JONES
Waikato Branch N.Z. Geographical Society Cup, Tyler-Jordan ROTHSAY
G.M. Simpson Prize for Good Citizenship, James AKROYD
ASB Bank Award for Service to the Community, Crosby RADBURN
Inaugural ASB Community Bursary Awards, Chance BECKETT-RIA,Conan HOUKAMAU
Heni Materoa Scholarships, Sam NIVEN, James AKROYD
Clarke Charitable Trust, Monsul DEWES-TUPARA
Dwyer Family Cup for Excellence in Senior English, Crosby RADBURN
BDO Spicers Business Studies Prize,Sam NIVEN
Junior School Awards
John Dow CupTop Yr 9 Student, Joshua TANNER
Mark Sheppard PrizeTop Yr 10, Student Roland BROWN
Junior Sportsman of the Year, Tayler REID
Outstanding Individual Junior Sporting Performance, Tayler REID
Hohepa Green Trophy (Junior Maori Culture), Matthew THORNTON
Williams Cup (Most Promising Student Year 10 English),Roland BROWN
Rotary Cup (Junior Oratory), Benjamin DEIGHTON
GBHS CUP (Commitment to Self Improvement in Junior School),Robert HINDMARSH
The Webb Family Award (Year 10 Literacy Achievement), Irie NOANOA
Careeers/Gateway/Star
It’s over! The seniors have gone, completed external exams and many are now searching for employment for the holiday period to earn money for the next stage of their lives.
We increased our number of students participating in the Gateway programme to 35 in 2011. Our ethnic percentages of students accessing the Gateway programme are 50% Maori and P.I and 50% European and this covers a variety of career pathways; Engineering, Farming, Joinery, Catering, DOC, Heavy Automotive, Electrical, Heavy Machinery – Contracting, Automotive, Construction, Roading, Plumbing, Physio, Teaching, and Sport.
Through Gateway we continued to run specific industry courses as the boys needed them e.g. Customer Service and Agriculture through Turanga Ararau; Barista through EIT Tairawhiti and First Aid through Red Cross. Other students worked directly through the ITO’s e.g MITO for Automotive students; BCITO for Construction; ETITO for Electrical; Competenz for Engineering, and Infratrain for Roading. Access to industry unit standards are a bonus for those students going into the workplace and helps them become comfortable with the type of paperwork they will be doing in an apprenticeship or training role once they have left school.
I was surprised that three of our boys still managed to obtain apprenticeships even in this very slow economic climate here in Gisborne. Their success is purely their own – they took the opportunity in their workplace to prove themselves and did just that. Successful students were:
Blake Campbell - A J Thompson Contracting
Chris Candy - EES (Heavy Automotive)
Sam Parkes – Rod Dear Building (Construction)
Congratulations also to: Oliver Jones, Ben Hindmarsh and Matt Reedy who have been accepted onto the Automotive pre-trade course at EIT Tairawhiti Matt Gomm and Jayde Dixon who have been accepted onto the Automotive pre-trade course at GDI, Nick Greeks who has found work with DOC and who is applying to NMIT for the Trainee Ranger programme,Shane Atkins who has been accepted on the Catering pre-trade course at EIT Tairawhiti Jake Holmes who has been accepted for the Primary Teaching degree at Waikato University Ratu Bishop who won the Pacific Foundation Programme scholarship to Otago University to study Health Science.
Good luck to: James Peeti and Donald Hira who have applied to the Services Academy as they are our future and you may be very surprised with the outcomes. I had a flat tyre in town a wee while ago. I am perfectly capable of changing a tyre (long journeys on the road!) and was in the process of doing this when two young men, tattooed, pierced, low riding jeans – screeched to a stop, bounded out of their car, grabbed the tyre iron and just did it for me. It took them all of 2 minutes and they jumped back in their car with a cheery grin and drove off. I barely got to say “thanks”.
OK, that is me – over and out! Enjoy Christmas and New Year – and remember – CELEBRATE OUR YOUTH! Dion Davies who has applied for a three-month exchange to Japan. The rest of the students are coming back to school and will be part of the programme again next year.
CONFERENCE
I have been very fortunate to once again have 4 days away at the CATE Conference, this time held in Rotorua with the theme ‘Maori Achievement’. Conference is always a good time to upskill, listen to motivational speakers, hear how other schools run their programmes and renew friendships with other career staff. This time we were very fortunate to have Mai Chen as our closing speaker and she was not only inspirational but truly exceptional. She had advice aplenty (courtesy of her father) and there were several sayings I took away with me; “If you do not want to replicate your past, change your direction. If you do not change your direction you will end up where you are going”. And the other, that I I think is especially relevant to all of us – “What is it you love to do? What is it that you are special at? What makes you rock? What makes you hot? Do THAT and do it with all of your heart. Be the very best at that thing”.
Mai Chen wasn’t the only inspirational person I listened too, there were many more; Dale Williams, Mayor of Otorohanga, who has taken his small community of 10,000 people to fame with his brilliant and dogged approach to youth and unemployment; knocked my socks off. Dale’s focus was centred around outcomes for students. He said “we don’t need more people with degrees, we need people with skills and qualifications” and along with these outcomes came no graffiti, no crime, respect for people and a re-born community. His message was that the COMMUNITY own the risk and we pay – one way or another – so let’s really OWN it and get real about the problems and solve them together. Otorohanga’s mandate includes ALL – schools, council, business and community - the result? Youth unemployment in Otorohanga is the lowest in the country – he stated 0-4 people(!) (not %) – youth crime dropped 75% in the first 2 years – and the kids are on a pathway to good stuff.
I think we are all guilty of reading the “bad news” and hearing about “delinquent youth”. It can make us frightened of this general population called “youth” and we fail to see how amazing most of these young people are. So only read the good stuff about our kids – smile and say hello when you pass them on the street – celebrate them.
Pacific Foundation Programme Scholarship
Ratu Bishop has just received the Pacific Foundation Programme scholarship to Otago. This scholarship pays for all of his fees plus $6500 towards his accommodation for the foundation year for Health Sciences PLUS pays $6500 towards his accommodation in 2013 when he will enter the first year health science programme as an undergraduate student.
The programme helps Pacific Island students (and there is one called Tu Kahika for Maori students) integrate into University life and make sure their academic
skills are honed for the very tough HSFY course.
Ratu was very emotional when he was granted the scholarship after a 90 minute interview with Simon Chu from Otago University and extremely grateful. This will certainly help him move through Health Sciences.
NZ Secondary Schools Mini Moto Grandprix 2011
We Travelled to Manfeild Park Raceway in Feilding on Monday 17th October and returned Wednesday 19th. October. The team of boys that took part were Connor Andrew, Mana Henderson, Brent Jonasen, Ethan Jones, Jacob Moorcroft, Jale Tiko and Craig Wire. I am very proud of the boys’ behaviour in all aspects of this event. They were enthusiastic and extremely grateful to have had this opportunity to participate and experience this event.
All of the team made finals in their weight classes and although I haven’t seen the final results as yet I believe that we came 3rd over all out of about 20 other schools.
From the schools with 10 or less entries, which were most schools, we were the highest point’s scorer and we were awarded a plaque for that honour. Thank you to our Parent help Dean Jones.
SPORTS ROUNDUP
BMX
Gisborne Boys’ High School Students Nick Fox, Chris Fox and Gary Graham recently competed at the North Island Titles held here in Gisborne Nick Fox has recently moved up to the Elite Men’s class and this was his first competition. Nick finished 3rd on the podium both days with photo finishes also on both days. Nick beat the National Elite champion Kurt Pickard in one of his finals on Sunday and it was a photo finish in another of the finals. Chris Fox also rode exceptionally well in his 16 yrs class taking out the No. 1 spot and North Island Title as well as the Trophy for the top 16yr old at the Norths. Gary Graham also rode well to make the final in the 16yrs class.
Surf Lifesaving
Daniel Maynard-Northover competed in the National Surf Life Saving Championships in Hamilton 28-30th October, He gained 3 silver Medals in the Under 16’s Team Events.
Trident Basketball School Exchange
Trident College came to GBHS to play Basketball with their Junior and A Basketball teams in the first week of Term 4. Former GBHS student, Erol Wilson, was the driving force to start this school exchange which will now be played yearly alternating home and away games for the two schools. Basketball is a new sport for Trident College in terms of trying to develop a school Basketball programme. GBHS Juniors and A’s won both their games, playing on Friday after school and Saturday morning:
Friday Games: GBHS Juniors 89 Trident 59
GBHS A’s 102 Trident 39
Saturday Games: GBHS Juniors 75 Trident 33
GBHS A’s 104 Trident 31
These games appear to be blow outs but as far as I’m concerned it was win - win for both teams. They were good games of Basketball as Trident never gave up and ensured attractive Basketball was played for the entire 40 minutes of each game. The GBHS Juniors and A’s both ran the floor exceptionally well playing excellent fast break Basketball which is possible when you have a better skill base than the opposition. It was great to see the GBHS teams looking sharp with good passing and team play. Both the Juniors and A’s were able to work on improving offensive and defensive
team patterns. Trident College will do nothing but improve from these games.
Full credit to all GBHS players who helped with the scorebench and refereeing duties. We were well organized and this work ensured a good weekend of Basketball.
Juniors - Calin Samson (Captain), Mark Langdon,
Roland Brown, Jordan Peipi, Hunter Chrisp, Hugo Robinson, Jedi Thomson, Keanu Sadlier
GBHS A’s - Perenu Callaghan (Captain), Jasper Wills, Felix Tjendra, Adrian Peachey, Keenan Poharama, Bronson Kahukiwa-Smith, Tamatea Magee.
The National Scholastics Surfing Championships Ahipara
The Gisborne scholastic surfing team have emerged victors at the 2011 National Scholastic Surfing Championships after the closest of battles to claim their first team title in six years. The final day of the event was staged at Pines, Shipwreck Bay in 1.0m waves with light westerly winds.
The Gisborne team comprised of ten surfers of which 6 were from Gisborne Boys High School and 5 reached the finals of their respective divisions.
“This is absolutely the best the team could have done today with only ten surfers” said Adam Grimson. “We put in every ounce of energy that we have into this event, I think we deserve to win” added a grinning Grimson.
The Gisborne title came through Under 16 Division surfer Adam Grimson first. Placing third in the Under 18 Boys final was year 13 student Jacob Kohn who was also the team captain.
The Under 16 Boys Division final was always going to be a tight affair and by the time the four groms exited the water, there was only 0.50 points separating first from third. However it was Grimson with a late inside wave scoring 4.80 that did enough to edge out Sean Kettle (Tara) and team mate Jules Craft (vice-captain) in third.
Gisborne Boys High surfers Sunny Brown and Te Aorangi Pearless placed second and third respectively in the longboard division. Duncan Milne reached the quarter finals in the under 16 division.
An amazing result for Gisborne and the school and a great way to finish off the school surfing year for 2011.
Junior Regional Volleyball Champs
The Junior Volleyball team travelled down to Napier on the 11 &12 of November to play their first big tournament of the season, the Hawkes Bay / Poverty Bay Junior Champs. This year’s team is talented but lacks experience, so this tournament gave us some valuable court time building up to the North Island Champs in a few weeks.
Team: Jedi Thomson©, David Maxwell, Pita Tonga, Leslie Hills, Hayden Ormiston, Jordan Peipi, Paora Dewes, Thomas Rutene, Andrew Tauatevalu
Pool Play
Vs Hastings BHS lost 1-2
Vs Napier BHS ‘B’ won 2-0
VsTaradale HS won 2-1
Semi Final
Vs Napier BHS ‘A’ won 2-0
Final
Vs Hastings BHS won 2-1
Napier BHS bought two Junior Volleyball Teams up to play “friendly” matches against our Juniors to help all three teams build up to the North Island Champs in Tauranga in early December.
GBHS Juniors: Jedi Thomson ©, David Maxwell, Pita Tonga, Leslie Hills, Paora Dewes, Thomas Rutene, Andrew Tauatevalu, Hayden Ormiston
Napier BHS Junior B vs GBHS Juniors
We won all 5 sets however didn’t play particularly well.
Napier BHS Junior A vs GBHS Year 11
We were too strong for Napier winning 4 of 5 sets.
Napier BHS Junior A vs GBHS Juniors
Napier won the first set 26-24. We won the second set 25-19. Therefore the third set was the decider. It was close but we kept our cool to win the set 25-23, which meant we won 2 sets to 1.
