Issue #1
Friday Options are finally here!
By Rogan-Joe Sloan
For all those who are functionally aware, possess a usable prefrontal cortex, and have not been hiding under a rock, Friday options have arrived. The first Fridays of this new system seem to have had the intended effect of providing a breath of fresh air to all seeking greater choice and options in their education.
This has been achieved by offering a vast collection of new academic subjects for students to discover and enjoy. This new system has allowed a more varied range of topics for year twelve and thirteen students to study, mostly consisting of non-traditional subjects that have been sought by individual students for a long time, this diverse assortment of subjects include journalism, media studies, Duke of Edinburgh, work-ready passports, and includes most of the popular choices voted on by students.
Based on the popularity of Media studies and several other new subjects, it seems to have already given many students a chance to give something new and exciting a go. Friday options also allow students the option to catch up on work or focus more heavily on already existing subjects.
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Still, like all great ideas, there are problems, drawbacks, and unintended consequences that
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may not be fully visible in the present, which cynics seem more than eager to seize on, predict and find, perhaps unjustly based on the current overwhelmingly positive reaction.
The new options available are varied and based on polled public appeal, so predictably they have gone down with mixed reactions, with some people being satisfied with both the subjects provided and the timing of them, others not so much.
There are those opposed to this change, a small but somewhat annoyed group of students who see the interruption to an already established schedule to be somewhat bothersome, interruptive, and unnecessary. This complaint is often coupled with being put into unfavorable subjects because of time table restrictions. Others don't really seem to care much either way.
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One student, when asked, describes it by saying, "It doesn't really affect me that much." but overall, this seems to have gone over well with the affected student population. Most students see this as a long-overdue chance for a greater variety of classes and greater learning opportunities that take a fresh and engaging approach—thereby allowing different individual students with different interests to do the things that spark their own unique brand of engagement and learning.
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In general, this system allows more students greater control over the course of their learning through the multitude of different niche subjects available, thus letting students have the challenge and privilege to do better in subjects they enjoy. It also allows for a diverse set of skills in times where that is valued more than ever.
This is a huge structural change for year twelves and thirteens, it is also a massive educational opportunity that has been placed in front of the student population, students are now more in control of their learning than ever, and in large part, their future, and therefore it stands to reason that students should take advantage of this new opportunity, letting it give more students more options for success.
Joel Kunnethedan - Mechanical Mad Lad
By William Frogley
Joel is one of the most prominent figures around the SKC campus, but how much do we know about our Special Character Head Boy outside of school? Joel works part-time as a mechanic at Peter Keown Automotive and tinkers with anything that has a motor, his most recent project being a full top-end rebuild of his 1980 Honda Civic, which he now drives to school daily. When questioned he stated, “Sometimes I spend more time working with cars and tinkering than anything else, including sleep.” On top of his tinkering, Joel is also doing an automotive Gateway course at Mito, was the Leos club chairman for the last two years, participated in Youth Council and SADD, and is one of Oamaru Air Training Corps two Sergeants.
Joel’s time is not only consumed by these ventures, he's also a keen mountain biker, and somehow finds time to rock-climb, go tramping all over the South Island, play squash, ski and work on his self-directed project - learning how to use CAD to design and a CNC mill to create an original small scale object.
Joel wanted to give St Kevin's newest students, especially the Year 9s, this message of advice and motivation for the upcoming year. "Get involved in as many activities as you can before the pressure of NCEA sets in and don’t be afraid to talk to the Year 13s if you need help with anything." For the last five years at Saint Kevin's Joel has made it his philosophy to "Strive for excellence, always trying to improve myself and live by the FIRE values." During this time, he has "Discovered unknowns, especially how the physical world works" and is preparing to study engineering at the University of Canterbury in 2021. If anyone has questions for Joel, particularly about the activities mentioned above, don't be afraid to ask.
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Next issue we will be taking a look into the life of Emily McCoy, this year's Deputy Head Girl.
Rata receives top art scholarship
By Millie Coutts
This year Rata McMullen was featured in the Top Art Exhibition, which is an art exhibition that is a display of the top visual art portfolios that have achieved level three with excellence in 2019.
This is a huge deal because there are only 60 art folios selected through-out the country. If your portfolio was selected then they travel around parts of New Zealand throughout the year to be put on display. I interviewed Rata and asked her a few questions about getting this award and what it means to her.
What does it mean to be in the exhibition?
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For Rata being in the top art exhibition was always an aspiration of hers but being selected for it was something she never expected. ‘‘For me, it is a huge honour and its proof that hard work really pays off’.’’
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How much time was put into your work?
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‘‘I was working on my folio throughout the whole of year 13, both in and out of class. In fact, even in year 12, I was thinking about all of the possibilities for a folio and constantly jotting down random sculpture ideas.’’
So much of Ratas time went to drafting ideas, testing them, improving them, discarding them and selecting the ones that she wanted. A vast majority of her ideas didn’t end up on her folio.
‘‘I also spent hours looking at past top art exemplars and artist models, analysing what they did and also simply enjoying their work. (I have to say this was an easy way to productively procrastinate.)’’
What did you get out of this?
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‘‘Creating my folio gave me a greater appreciation for sculpture and art in general.’’ It gave Rata balance, enjoyment, and a different perspective on her other subjects.
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How can others achieve this?
By being committed, putting in the hours and making work that you are proud of you can have a shot at getting this spot. Ratas advice is to “look at pieces of your folio both individually and as a whole, constantly consider how things such as shape, composition, colour, symbolism, etc… all fit together and how they build on each other.’’
Student Art Showcase
How to get a NCEA endorsement
By Louise Baxter
The beginning of the year is a great time to get into healthy learning habits, however, different people learn in different ways, some learn best visually, some learn best by being hands-on with their work. Others need the materials to be explained in different ways to understand it confidently. Some people need to be taught in large groups where they are able to discuss and talk about the matter at hand or others need silent independent work.
It is important to understand that you learn differently to others and to find the learning style best for you, sometimes implementing new ways to learn as you go. Some people may have different methods of studying for each subject. If you aren't confident with work it can be difficult to find motivation. So you can start by breaking the problem into smaller tasks and completing them slowly making sure that you understand every part.
This is sometimes very hard to actually do sometimes so you could do some bookwork or watch some YouTube videos surrounding the subject to get more motivated to do the work. Listening to study music helps relax the mind and body to focus on studying. Re-writing notes possibly with pictures or diagrams or examples or highlighting work in a way that you understand. Reading out pieces of writing out loud can also help to embed information in your brain.
Studying in a range of environments to find out where you find it best to work can be helpful. Studying with trusted friends can be helpful and can give you the extra motivation that you might need. Friends can also be helpful if you struggle to talk to your teachers. Practise papers can be helpful to get a better idea of what you will actually be required to do in an assessment.
A website that has past papers available is Studytime, which also has videos with helpful tips on ways papers may try to trip you up and confuse you. Education Perfect is another site that can assist your learning using different methods of questioning in order to help you gain a good understanding of a topic. Looking over your work at the end of a week can be a good habit to get into, in order to check that you understand the concepts you have been taught in class. This way you can go over parts that you don’t understand, in order to make sure that the next week you will be up to date.
Coronavirus -
Are we ready as a school?
By Kate Gibson
It’s the subject that has captured the entire world's attention; the deadly outbreak has only now just entered the borders of New Zealand, causing the nation to take drastic measures of security. However, the question still remains: Is St Kevins ready for Coronavirus?
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After speaking to the school principal, Mr Olsen, he has assured me that the school has various procedures in order to protect of the school: not only an abundance of tissues and hand sanitizer, as good sanitization is the key to preventing the spread of the virus, but also many plans of action for the students of the college. “We are in constant contact with the New Zealand Ministry of Health,” says Mr Olsen, “and there is an online google classroom linked on the school website so that the students can stay up to date with the school’s events during this time.” A formal pandemic response plan is set up in the case of an emergency for the hostel students, and the overseas students attending the college will also be looked after in the case of the school shutting down.
The potential spread of the virus could be disruptive to the students learning, especially around NCEA exam times, although I’m sure that the students may be happy to hear this. However, we are lucky to be living in the age of technology; our learning is at the tips of our fingers, all online.
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A concern for many parents is where their children are getting their information about Coronavirus from. Social media has been supplying inaccurate information about the virus and it’s death tolls, whilst also causing xenophobia and panic buying. The best way to keep up to date during this time is to watch reliable news or even listening to the radio on your way to school.
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Another concern is recognising the symptoms; Coronavirus has been said to involve flu-like symptoms, such as a sore throat and a dry cough, however, some people have been proven asymptomatic, meaning that they do not show symptoms. As of lately, the virus has only been proven fatal for those with pre-existing health conditions or the elderly.
Rendering of the Covid-19 'Coronavirus'
So, stay sanitized and trust that the school has emergency procedures ready in case of an Oamaru outbreak of the disease.
At the end of the day, our school is prepared for the possible arrival of the Coronavirus on campus and the student’s safety and well being is at the top of the staff’s priorities. Remember good hygiene, such as coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not sharing foods and drinks with others, and using good handwashing practises as hygiene is the best way to prevent a spread.
Does Pineapple Belong on Pizza?
By Elizabeth Plieger
Does Pineapple belong on pizza? A question that has caused ripples through friend groups and torn families apart since the year 1962. This modern-day delicacy of the Hawaiian pizza is a phenomenal adaption of Sam Panopoulos’ creation. In 1962 Panopoulos decided that he would try out pineapple on pizza in an attempt to attract customers to one of his Ontario-based restaurants- in his words, ‘We just put it on, just for the fun of it, see how it was going to taste.” Pineapple on pizza soon became very popular in the local area and then eventually became a staple offering in pizzerias around the world. Panopoulos chose the name ‘Hawaiian’ for his creation after the can of tomatoes that they used. Personally, when I go to dominoes a classic Hawaiian pizza is my go-to. The immaculate blend of tomato, ham, cheese all being heavenly complemented by the succulent pineapple, results in an enjoyable culinary experience. After speaking to many different individuals, there is an overwhelming majority in favour of the classic Hawaiian pizza. Due to Panopoulos’ pure creativity, the modern-day Hawaiian Pizza will forever be a
classic whenever you and your family order your $5 pizzas from dominos, or when you want to get creative in the kitchen and make a hearty homemade pizza one night - you will be sure to find the classic Hawaiian on the menu.
It truly is mind-boggling in our world today to imagine living without pineapple on pizza as it is so truly iconic in our lives.
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The refreshing burst of Pineapple makes the Hawaiian stand out when compared to pizzas such as beef and onion and simply cheese which leaves you mouth full of a fatty after taste whereas the classic Hawaiian graces your tastebuds with a burst of fruity freshness to enthuse the pallet.
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As a true Journalist, I made it my mission to seek those who are against Pineapple on pizza. I spoke with many anonymous sources and have taken on board what they have to say about the question at hand. Does Pineapple belong on Pizza? “No!” says an anonymous source, the sweetness of the pineapple does not compliment the savoriness of the meat.
Another anonymous source stated that they feel as though their taste buds are being assaulted when they eat pineapple on pizza- however, followed up by saying that they don’t like pineapple in general. There was even a comment that stated that it depends on who makes the pizza.
So back to the main question. Does Pineapple belong on pizza? The question still remains. However, what is not in question is my opinion on the matter. Yes, in my opinion, Pineapple belongs on pizza. The Hawaiian is a classic that will continue to inspire generations for years to come. Blessing the taste buds of all that eat it with its fruity burst- leaving the pallet cleansed and refreshed.
Making the Top Five
By Fergus Armour
Over the past three weeks, Top Five basketball tryouts have been going on and the thirteen man team has finally been announced, to the joy of some and the disappointment of others. The Year 13 Male team is as follows; Duran Cooper, Paea Fifita, Jacob Fowler, Henry Kay, Aaron Maxwell, Dodge Lofranco, Justin Mangubat, Seth Sinclair, Kaleb Cant, Tom Weir, Jacob Klemick, Jack Cameron, and Liam Direen.
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Looking back on the past decade, St Kevin’s has had great success in the basketball court, winning all of it’s nationals in 2013 and 2016, as well as coming second in 2019. Our dominance has also led to us being named the ‘King of the South Island’ in 2013, 2015 and 2019, as well as being the runner up for the same title in 2014 and 2016. Few South Island schools have seen this amount of success in their entire history, let alone in just ten years.
SKC 1st XI beat Roncalli 1st XI by 53 runs. Isaac Clunie 77, Ben Kay 28 not out, Jacob Fowler 21, Liam Direen 3 for 20, Jacob Fowler and Lachlan Brookes picked up 2 wickets each.
SKC Girls lost to Otago Girls on Monday. Jayde Read made 20 runs and Katelyn Walton to 2 for 13.
Aaron Maxwell was 1st in the A final of the Under 17 boys Single Sculls.
Harriet Heaphy, April Linares, Sophia Linares, Ruby Bradley and Thomas Linares won the Under 17 Girls coxed four.
Georgie McCarthy, Amelia Wilkinson and Katy Tyrell were part of the Under 18 novice coxed 8 that placed 3rd in their A final.
April Linares and Jess Bayley placed 2nd in the Under 15 Girls Double Sculls.
Harriet Heaphy, April Linares, Ruby Bradley, Georgie McCarthy and Thomas Linares were 2nd in the Under 16 Girls coxed four.
April Linares, Sophia Linares, Harriet Heaphy, Georgie McCarthy, Amelia Wilkinson and Ruby Bradley were part of the crew that placed 2nd in the Girls Under 18 coxed 8.
Boys Cricket
Girls Cricket
Rowing
I spoke to Mr Hitchcock about his prediction for the upcoming season, and he seems confident in our ability to finish as one of the top four schools in both the South Island and the National Secondary Schools ‘A’ Competition. “We have an awesome coach and he will make the team succeed despite themselves.”
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He also gave insight into his prediction of our starting line-up, however, this is not final and he isn’t too sure himself. Paea Fifita is predicted to start at centre, with Henry Kay and Duran Cooper supporting him in the frontcourt, with Aaron Maxwell and Dodge Lofranco are likely to start at the two guard positions. That sure sounds like a formidable team!
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The team is already starting to train in preparation for the upcoming season, and the team is working well together, so here’s hoping the success of the last decade continues into the 2020s.
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Monday 16th - SADD Road Saftey Presentation. Year 11-13 to attend period 5.
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Thursday 19th - University and Polytech visits.
Issue #2
Living in Lockdown
By Maria Wallace
Life in Lockdown. It is a different experience for all of us as life for the next few weeks develops into a new form of normal.
So far school work has occupied much of my time which I suppose has been a good thing.
Google classrooms are only now getting my full appreciation as online classes become the new normal. The communication of what is expected in regards to classwork has been clear through these posts on google classroom. I would like to say thank you to teachers for their hard work in helping us to keep learning through this online environment.
Some students have different perspectives on the lockdown. One student said “ I need human interaction to survive,” and “ it is good for the virus but bad for me”. While another said “ I’ve found out things about my family I never knew…”.
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Now is a time where social media can really be useful for maintaining connections with both our friends and family. Having a group chat with my friends has helped me to stay connected and also discuss issues or help with school work that I might need. This has been really effective in checking in with others about how their school work is going, if they need help or have any questions and vice-versa.
Getting some fresh air is important in order to remain sane. Simply sitting outside and relaxing is great. However, getting exercise is important even though we may feel retrained from our normal exercise pattern. There are some great workout ideas on youtube that can be done with little space, which can be really useful at times like these.
Now is a great time to learn a new skill whether it be how to play an instrument or perhaps learning a new language. Youtube has such a wide range of tutorials on playing a range of tunes and songs on instruments. There are also channels which can help you to learn a new language.
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Through the lockdown remember to keep connected with your friends and family and together we will get through this. If you are feeling bored then think about things that you could do to either help others or improve your knowledge or skills. Remember to be kind to others.
Emily McCoy - Red (Head) Menace
By Maria Wallace
This year’s Deputy Head Girl, Emily McCoy, may seem intimidating. Furious red hair and “a bag of hockey sticks that need to be broken” is an interesting combination, but once you get to know her, she is one of S.K.C’s nicest students. So let’s take a look at who Emily really is, what she is involved in and advice that she has for other pupils.
Emily has been a goalkeeper for the First Xl girls hockey team at St Kevin’s since she came here in year nine, and last year travelled all the way to Wellington to play for the under 18 women's Southern team. She has been coaching and refereeing junior teams since year 10 and even coached the North Otago year 5 and 6 team. She “finds great satisfaction in seeing juniors progressing and mastering new skills.”
Emily is the Co-Leader of the St Kevin’s College Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) group, is involved in Roadsafe Waitaki and has helped to run cycle skills and fatigue stops in the
Waitaki District. Emily has “gained good interpersonal skills which have benefited [her], not only in her role as deputy head girl, but in everyday life” from these community groups.
In year nine Emily was “very intimidated by high school.” When asked what advice she would give to fellow students Emily said: “take every opportunity, because you don’t know what it is going to lead to until you try.” This philosophy has helped Emily to branch out of her comfort zone and get to know new and interesting people, both in and out of school.
Emily is currently planning to study a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English at The University of Otago in 2021, with the ultimate goal of becoming a high school humanities teacher. She is also considering becoming a Principle, saying “I find Ms Walshe, Mr Ryan, and Mr Olsen very inspiring for putting up with us.”
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Emily McCoy in full goalie gear
Last year Emily was recognised for her leadership and contribution to the community with the Mana Pounamu award has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship to The University of Otago or Otago Polytech.
SKC Goes Loco For Coco
By Kate Gibson
On Thursday the 11th of March, a jazz band came to provide some music at the dining hall during lunch. This was a much-needed supply of entertainment from our usual lunchtimes, and their music was warmly accepted with applause at the end of each song.
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I was lucky enough to catch up with one of the band’s members, drummer George Duncan. Through a last-minute interview process, I was able to learn about his amazing band. The group of five has been together since around the end of last year when they made their official debut performing at a school prizegiving. The band formation was easy, as they already knew each other from school.
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As far as inspiration goes, George mentioned a band named the Lucky Chops, who’s music was a creative influence on their school band’s formation. The Lucky Chops are an American brass band who became known by playing covers of popular songs, not unlike George’s own band.
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The band practises once or twice a week, a mind-blowingly small amount of time considering how great they sounded performing on our St Kevins grounds. No doubt a lot of time and hard work goes into crafting such a performance.
When asked about what he likes about music, George said that he has “always loved music growing up”, and that it was a big part of his growing up. This love of music then stemmed into a great love of performing, as showcased on Thursday. A highlight of this love of performing,, playing instruments also provides an ideal way of making money, as the band does occasional busking gigs. This extra cash is a plus side for any teenager.
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But surely there is a considerable amount of nerves that comes with performing in a band, right? Over time, George said that he has gotten better control of his nerves before playing; in the beginning, there was a large amount of jitters for all of the bandmates, but as time progressed, they were luckily much more in control of their nerves, and they are all used to it by now.
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The band left a huge impression upon our school, as they performed one last time at our annual Thursday assembly. If anyone else from our college community is interested in providing some lunchtime entertainment in the dining hall, please let us know; this could include anything from singing to acting to dancing to cultural performances.
Positive Environment
By Elizabeth Plieger
In the news today we are bombarded by all of the negative impacts that COVID-19 is having on our world, however, with this pandemic some light can be shed, especially when looking at the positive environmental impacts on the earth
According to the BBC website, the famous Venice canal which before the pandemic consisted of murky water, has now seen vast improvements as the water has become clear and residents are even able to see fish swimming in the water. This is due to the lack of water traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment in the canals to settle.
Researchers in New York have stated to BBC that their early results showed that Carbon Monoxide, mainly from cars, has been reduced by nearly 50% compared to last year's results.
Along with this, emissions of the planet's heating gas CO2 has also fallen dramatically.
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An analysis carried out for the Carbon brief suggested that there has been a 25% drop in energy use emissions over China over a two week period. Experts believe that this has the potential to lead to an overall fall of about 1% in China’s carbon emissions this year.
Both China and Northern Italy have also recorded significant falls in nitrogen dioxide, which has been linked to reduced car journeys and industrial activity. The gas is a serious air pollutant and also indirectly contributes to the warming of our planet.
As for New Zealand's point of view, COVID-19 provides an opportunity in post-COVID-19 times to carry out infrastructure projects of a climate positive nature, such as water transport, clean energy and building projects. In its attempt to kick start the economy again.
Pre-Covid-19
Post-Covid-19
South Islands Success: Girls Rowing
By Elizabeth Plieger
Harriet Heaphy and Sophi Linares have achieved huge success when they placed 3rd in their double at the annual South Island Secondary Schools (SISS) for rowing this past weekend of the 14th-15th. Following their amazing achievement at SISS, Harriet and Sophi share their secrets to success with the Redcastle News.
Why did you start Rowing? Sophi, who is a former Waitaki student, says that rowing was one of the various activities that she was keen to get involved with at the school. Harriet shares that it was her desire to take up a summer sport that led her to rowing.
How often do you train each week? The two train 6 days a week with a combination of both morning and afternoon training which makes for 8-9 training per week which in total roughly equals 15hours of rowing training per week.
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What would you say are the biggest challenges to being a committed rower? Is it hard to balance rowing and school?
Yes to be a good rower means that you must put rowing ahead of everything else, you have to be committed to going to training, and learn to manage your time in a way that allows for time for training and school life as well as getting a decent amount of sleep.
What would you say was the biggest contributor to your success at the SISS this past weekend? We wanted to prove it to ourselves, the pair agreed. A double is a difficult boat to row so we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could gain a medal in the double.
With the news of Maadi being cancelled. What sort of an impact does that have on you personally as rowers who have put so much time and effort into training?
It is very sad, Harriet and Sophi shared. All the hard work feels pointless as everything that they have done towards the end of the rowing season has been in preparation for the upcoming Maddi cup and now they have nothing to show for their hard training.
Max Yanzick is currently 3rd in New Zealand!
By Isaac Steel
On the weekend of the 7/8th of March, Max Yanzick won a bronze medal in the 5000m Under 20 Men's race at the Jennian Homes NZ Track & Field Championships in Christchurch. Max is now the 3rd fastest Under 20 5km runner in NZ! For a 17-year-old and his first year in this age group, this is a remarkable achievement!
Max is happy with his result at nationals but is aspiring to achieve higher.
How did you train?
Max had about 3.5 months of training to achieve the under 20 result
Max was sick two weeks before the event which did not help his result
But max said he was happy with his result but is aspiring to achieve a higher result next year at the National competition
Max is now the 3rd fastest Under 20 5km runner in NZ! For a 17-year-old and his first year in this age group, this is a remarkable achievement!
Max has a goal of trying to get to the Australian Champs in the coming years.
What is your training routine?
Max's more significant events are only about 3-4 times a year, but he
said competitors like him do not want to do too many because you get to run down and your performance is not as good if you do too many events in one year.
Are you planning on a sports scholarship?
Yes, Max hopes to get a sports scholarship in America.
Who is your inspiration, and why do you look up to them?
Max looks up to Braden Currie who is an IronMan athlete, Braden came 3rd in the Ironman New Zealand competition in Taupo NZ in 2019.
Max looks up to the 33-year-old Braden Currie because he is a local inspiration from Wanaka, Braden is currently 7th in the world for the Ironman competition.
Braden did not fit within the mould of the educational system, and being dyslexic often made him feel isolated and inferior to his classmates. A teacher with a passion for multi-sport who recognised Braden's struggle with school started turning up at his gate at 6 AM every morning and making Braden go running.
In many ways, Braden attributes his success within the world of sport, to the teacher who believed in him.
As a school, we are very proud of Max's achievement, and we wish him all the best for future events.
Harriet Heaphy and Sophi Linares
In Other Sport
Firewood Fundraiser
St. Kevins College Cricket is having a fundraiser for their Melbourne tour in December 2020.
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$50m³ - Pine
Phone Craig on 027 314 0690
to order.
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