Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

This week the telltale signs that we are close to the Waitaki Interschool could be heard during lunch breaks. The traditional Haka and Chants have been dusted off and practised with passion.

I captured this shot of our Head Boy, Seth Humphries, tutoring our year 9 boys in the finer points of the Haka.

Last week we held a farewell for Mrs Anne Flett who is a long term kitchen staff member after 32 years of sterling service. On behalf of the College Board of Trustees, staff and students, I would like to formally thank Anne for her years of diligent service to our College community.

In preparation for my upcoming Ministry of Education sabbatical in term three, I am pleased to announce the following staffing arrangements:

• Mr Ryan will become the Acting Principal
• Ms Walshe, the Acting Deputy Principal
• Senior management will retain their existing job roles with the exception of Mr Ryan who will share his existing work with Mr Herbst who will be "Senior Master" for the term.

Finally, I would like to wish our seniors all the very best for the Ball this Saturday evening. It is a gala occasion, requiring detailed planning and preparation. Thank you in anticipation to Ms Walshe, our Home and School team and the student ball committee for your hard work and attention to detail.

Manaaki te atua ia koutou

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen, Tumuaki

Keep up to date with College news by visiting our News Blog >>

Hostel Happenings

Trip to Dunedin
Last Sunday a group of boys from the Hostel went to Dunedin for the day and had a great time playing Laser Tag, having lunch at the Meridian Mall and then having a swim and a water slide at Moana Pool.

School Ball
Tomorrow night the school ball is on and there has been a hive of activity at the Girls Hostel especially in preparation for the night.  The boys seem less concerned about it and seem to have the attitude that it will all work out in the end. Thankfully Lou is here to make sure they get themselves organised. Enjoy the night and the occasion.

Ball Parade Live Stream

This Saturday 29th June is the St Kevin's College Formal. Like previous years, we will be live-streaming the Ball Parade, starting at 6.30pm from the auditorium.

Please share with friends and family who are unable to make it along.

You can find the link for the livestream here: https://youtu.be/gmyZV6LZ5kk

Filipino Cultural Evening

On Tuesday 2nd July we will be hosting an evening for the local Filipino Community at 7pm in the Hostel Dining Room.

St Kevin's College students will be performing traditional Filipino dances and songs. Food will be provided, but families are welcome to bring their own plate. Children from all ages are also invited to attend.

The purpose of the evening is to establish links between Filipino communities in the primary and secondary schools, to ensure families can connect with each other and celebrate Filipino culture.

Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in attending.

If you have any questions about the evening please contact Kerry Ryan at kryan@stkevins.school.nz

Staff vs Police Futsal Game

At the conclusion of the Turf Opening on Friday, we hosted a Staff vs Police Futsal game.

With a 2-2 draw at full time, the game went into extra time, to eventually be won by the Police through a (lucky) 'golden goal' by Senior Sergeant Jason McCoy.

Well done to both sides for a great game! We look forward to a rematch on the netball court next time!

Otago University Rural Health Visit

Yesterday we had 5 students from University of Otago visit to speak about the Division of Health Sciences and the career options available afterwards. They are touring Rural Schools in Otago to promote the rural entry pathway, and we were the first stop!

It was an action packed session with hands on practical stations such as blood pressure, suturing (into a banana!), dental impression, and reflexes, as well as a question and answer session about the professional programmes. Our students were intrigued with the options available such as Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing, and Radiology.

A big thank you to our visitors for giving up their time to talk to us.

New Turf Opening

On Friday the new Tiger Turf multisport facility was officially blessed by Bishop Colin and opened by Mayor Gary Kircher. This marks the culmination of 4 years of planning and funding by a dedicated team led by our Head of Sport, Mr Craig Smith.

It is a superb facility for the students of our College and is being made available to the wider community for the development of sport in our district. The turf includes a set of specialist cricket nets, a basketball and netball court that meets international court standards and multisport surface marked out as a hockey practice turf and futsal court.

We couldn’t have done it without these key stakeholders and their generous financial contribution- The Board of Trustees, Lotteries Commission, The College Foundation, Otago Community Trust, Oamaru Licensing Trust, Lion Foundation, St Kevin’s College Home and School Association, and the New Zealand Cricket Foundation.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with this project and the opening. A big shout out to our student photographers Anna, Isaac, Jonte and Alex who captured the day.

Hostel Happenings

Farewell to Anne

At the end of this term, the hostels long-standing and valuable employee Anne Flett comes to the end of a remarkable 32 years of service to the hostel kitchen. Anne's contribution to the kitchen and hostel has been immense. Anne is a quiet lady with a great sense of humour, who takes a great deal of interest in what the kids are up to and she is now at the stage in her career where she is even cooking meals for children of former students that she had prepared meals for.

The kitchen and cleaning staff gathered together with school principal Paul Olsen and Director of Boarding Justin Fowler at the end of last week for Anne's farewell afternoon. Anne was very keen for no one to make a fuss and we thanked her for the great work and dedication she has shown to the hostel and we wish her all the best for her retirement.

Anne (left) with kitchen manager Laney

Regional Pasifika Talent Show

Well done to our Pasifika students who took part in the regional Talent Show on Thursday night, which was hosted at St Kevin's. It was great to be able to welcome back past pupil, Ilaisipa Tahaafe as our guest speaker.

Michael Misiloi was placed first in the prepared speech and Tupou Fifita came second in the senior age group section. Kaliopeta and Sivaenga Katoa were both awarded University of Otago scholarships.

A big thank you to Isaac Steel for technical support and Veronica Kauapa for helping to organise the evening and sharing comparing duties. Thank you also to Mrs Dooley for your support of our Pasifika students.

Principal's Comment

Kia ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College

Today the new Tiger Turf multisport facility was officially blessed by Bishop Colin and opened by Mayor Gary Kircher. This marks the culmination of 4 years of planning and funding by a dedicated team led by our Head of Sport, Mr Craig Smith. It is a superb facility for the students of our College and is being made available to the wider community for the development of sport in our district. My sincere thanks for everyone who has helped with this project and today's opening.

Congratulations to our Pasifika students who took part in the regional Talent Show last evening, which was hosted at St Kevin's. Michael Misiloi was placed first in the prepared speech and Tupou Fifita came second in the senior age group section. Kaliopeta and Sivaenga Katoa were both awarded University of Otago scholarships. Thank you to Isaac Steel for technical support and Veronica Kauapa for helping to organise the evening and sharing compering duties. Thank you also to Mrs Dooley for your support of our Pasifika students.

It was an honour to be able to welcome back past pupil, Ilaisipa Tahaafe as our guest speaker.

Finally, can you please keep the Barber family in your prayers as they grieve the loss of past pupil, Harrison, in a tragic car accident this week.

Manaaki te atua ia koutou

Ngā mihi nui
Paul Olsen, Tumuaki

Keep up to date with College news by visiting our News Blog >>

Year 10 Speech Competition

And this Tuesday it was the Year 10's turn! Well done to all our Year 10 students that participated in their speech final today.

It was a close one, with only 3 points difference between 1st and 3rd place!

Congratulations to the following students that were placed:

1st: Alexis Cuaresma- "Speaking out"

2nd: Peta Katoa- "Minority groups are being treated poorly by society"

3rd: Dev Pandya- "What makes a good leader?"

A big thank you to Mr Tatupu for judging and the rest of the Year 10 group for their support in the audience.

Tupou Fifita Selected for Highlanders Regional Camp

Congratulations to Tupou Fifita who has been selected to attend the U18 Highlanders Secondary Schools Regional Camp which will be held 8th-11th July in Dunedin.

The attendees at the camp will focus on designing an individual action plan that will assist in the future development of their game. They will also receive guidance from coaches within our region, and personnel from the NZRFU and NZ Secondary School Selectors will also be in attendance.

In addition this year, a team representing the Highlanders School Region will be selected from the camp, and will play a game against the Crusaders Regional Team on Friday 12th July.

All the best Tupou!

Former Pupil Matt Brien Accepted in the University of Nebraska-Kearney Men's Basketball Programme.

Congratulations to former pupil Matt Brien who has been accepted in the University of Nebraska-Kearney Men's Basketball Programme.

Matt attended St Kevin's College between 2012-2016 and in his time helped our Top 5 Boys Basketball team win two New Zealand A titles, and was twice named MVP of the Secondary School National Tournament.

Matt has spent this past season at OnPoint Academy, a prep school in El Reno, Oklahoma, USA where his hard work has obviously paid off. Well done Matt!

You can read the article here:

https://lopers.com/news/2019/6/12/mens-basketball-unk-adds-new-zealand-shooting-star-to-roster.aspx?

Photo: OnPoint Acadamey

Year 12 & 13 Art Trip

On Friday the 7th June the Year 12 and 13 Visual Art students travelled to Ōtepoti for a day of Art exploration.

They arrived in Dunedin and split into two groups, the Year 12 Photographers spent the day at the Otago Polytechnic School of Art where they were hosted by photography technician Thomas Lord. Students learnt about working in the lighting studio and setting up portraiture lighting. They took a range of photos which were then turned into negatives and used in the darkroom. Students developed their photos the old fashioned way and experimented with cameraless photography making photograms.

The Year 12 painters and the Year 13 students spent their day exploring the art galleries in Dunedin City. They visited Gallery De Novo, The Blue Oyster Project Space and Milford Galleries learning about the different types of art that each gallery caters for. We then spent the afternoon at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery with John Neumegen looking at the Tony De La Tour exhibit “Us Vs Them” and exploring ideas of light vs dark. Students then spent an hour painting in the gallery classroom. These paintings can be viewed on the Dunedin Public Art Gallery website by following this link:

https://education.dunedin.art.museum/workshops/Artists/Tony-de-Lautour/underworld-x

The day concluded with a tour of the Art School looking at the various studios and student work. They arrived back in Oamaru tired but also inspired and ready to get stuck into their portfolio work.

Thanks to Jenny and Russell Dixon for accompanying the group on this trip and Mr Carter for the Yr 12 photography supervision.