Palmerstonian 2017

CLASSICAL STUDIES

Head of Department: Mr S. Dawson level of engagement with the course this year, coupled with
the analytical ability of many of the students in the classes,
Staff: Dr G. O’Connor makes me very optimistic that we could be looking at a really
impressive set of results from the final examination.
This year, we have had five classes in Classical Studies: one
Level 1 class, two Level 2 classes and two Level 3 classes. The This year, there were two Level 3 classes taught by Dr G.
Level 1 class has been full of highly motivated and engaged O’Connor and myself. Students have covered a variety of
students. A large class of 30 students have covered a variety topics, from Alexander the Great’s conquest of the mighty
of topics and performed admirably throughout the year. Persian Empire to the philosophy of Socrates and Plato. The
Of note has been the involvement of the class in an NZQA ‘Art’topic was particularly interesting this year as we studied
digital trial this year. This means that the students have done both Greek vases and Roman portraiture (sculpture). The
practice exams online and will also do the end-of-year exam Idealised and Veristic styles reflected very different ways of
in the same way. Results from the practice exam were very attempting to do the same thing: make an emperor and his
encouraging and we are hopeful that final results will be just regime appeal to the general populace.
as good, if not better.
This year has seen technology, particularly Google Classroom,
At Level 2 this year, numbers have been very healthy, with take an important role in the subject. At all three levels,
two classes of around 25 students. At Level 2, the boys get Google Classroom tasks have been used, particularly in
very enthusiastic about the ‘Persian Wars’topic, which is the developing revision resources, to consolidate students’
focus topic for both Internal Assessments at this level. The learning.

Quiz winners Aidan Berkahn, Andrew Matheou and Ronan Carroll at the Massey University Classics Day

COMMERCE

Head of Department: Mr D. Turnock (Accounting, numerous Old Boys and visited businesses such as Google,
Business, Economics) SalesForce and Kiwi-Landing Pad to give the boys an insight
into the Commerce world. In a NZ first, the boys were also
Staff: Mr J. Crosswell (Business - deceased), Mr S. given an opportunity to compete in a Business Challenge
Davidson (Business), Mr J. Doolan (Business), Miss S. with a US High School and our thanks go to Archbishop
Ellery (Business, Economics), Mr S. Kenzie (Business, Stepinac High School for their assistance in making this
Economics), Mr M. Leighton (Accounting), Mr S. happen.
McFarlane (Accounting), Mr J. Ross (Business), Mr G.
Sinclair (Economics), Mr S. Trembath (Business), Mr N.
Tutty (Accounting, Business).

2017 has been an extremely busy year in the Commerce
Department. As well as offering a record number of classes
within the department, spread across Accounting, Business
Studies and Economics, there were a large number of co-
curricular activities that took place.

COMMERCE TOUR

2017 saw 42 boys given the opportunity to travel to Hawaii
and the USA as part of the Commerce Tour. They met with

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 53

TRADE FAIR
As part of Year 10 Business Studies, the students were
challenged to set up and run a business using the skills they
had learnt throughout the year. This year, the focus was‘food
from around the world’. Students were assigned a country,
had to design and prepare a food item that represented
their country and then present their stall during lunch time
in their country’s theme.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
35 Year 10 Business Studies students were given the
opportunity to compete in the SELL programme in
conjunction with Girls’ High and Cornerstone Christian
School. Students were challenged to develop an innovative
idea that would solve a problem in the world. They had two
days to formulate the idea and produce a Business Plan,
before presenting it to the judges.

COMMERCE TOUR On the 8th of April 2017, 43 young men embarked on a once
in a lifetime trip to the United States of America, including
Tour Leader: Mr D. Turnock Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Once the
boys had waved their families off, the tour was underway.
Tour Staff: Mr J. Doolan, Miss S. Ellery, Mr M. Leighton, The bus ride was smooth, fast and full of excitement as we
Mr S. McFarlane, Mr G. Sinclair prepared ourselves for the flights ahead. Soon enough we
boarded the plane to Sydney. I was lucky enough to be
Flyn Yates and Max Harris give an overview of the seated next to Mr. Sinclair as I was able witness him struggle
Commerce Tour:

54 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

to unfold his new headphones. After this hilarious struggle, which cost the University over $50 million to build. The
the whole plane was treated to a giggle as he shouted, facility consisted of coaching rooms, various gyms, studying
“GREAT SOUND! IT’S GOT GREAT SOUND!”, loud enough that facilities above ground, displays of gear and a training field
I am sure the whole cabin would have heard. in the underground section!

Once landed in Sydney, the boys found themselves with The boys were then treated to the Food Court and the
a quick turn around and hurried to refuel on some food Book Store, which wasn’t really a bookstore, it was more
before we set off to Honolulu, Hawaii. On the 9½ hour flight like a three-story high merchandise store. After the USC
to Honolulu the tour group was treated to a bit of leg room tour, Gordon took us on a tour of LA. This included a visit
with not many people on the plane, especially Mr. Doolan, to Hollywood Boulevard, which created a lot of photo
who took advantage of a whole row and then proceeded opportunities with the stars and dressed-up film characters
to snore everyone to sleep. After the long flight, we finally who were floating around. Our next stop was Beverly Hills,
arrived to an air-conditioned terminal and were greeted by where we stopped to have a look around Rodeo Drive and
Hawaiian staff before being sent off to Customs. The Customs were confronted with designer brand stores and got an
section of Honolulu Airport, however, was not so friendly opportunity to stand in awe of a gold Bugatti Veyron. Next,
and not so air-conditioned. The tour group was tested by we headed to the Santa Monica Pier where we would have
what seemed like thirty-degree heat and the shouting, our Old Boys’dinner with Sam VanderKolk, Paul Louie, Michael
stone-faced Customs staff. We then boarded a coach to get Walker and Steven Hall. Following dinner at the famous
to our hotel and were treated with our first site of a yellow Bubba Gump Shrimp, the boys performed an intense haka
school bus on the way. We arrived at the hotel at about 10am, that attracted crowds of bystanders. After the haka, we bid
so we had a full day ahead of us. After a quick change, we farewell to the Old Boys’ and our tour guide, Gordon, who
headed down to the famous Waikiki Beach. The water was made the tour with his knowledge, kindness and good
warm, but the rocks were an issue! After scaring the tourists nature. The boys will remember and keep in touch with Mr
off with everyone shouting the famous, “OOP”, we headed Pitts for a long time and are very thankful to him for showing
for some lunch and prepared for our welcome dinner at the us around. We were only five days into the tour and the boys
world famous Hard Rock Cafe. were already overwhelmed with awesome sights and ideas.

Day two was the much-anticipated Pearl Harbour experience. The next day, the tour was met with a very tired and jet-
We started the day at the International House of Pancakes lagged Miss Ellery. After breakfast, the boys threw on their
(IHOP) before proceeding to Pearl Harbour. Our first stop at number ones and tidied up for our next Old Boy, Andy
the Harbour was a tour of the USS Missouri. After spending Mansell, who had prepared a sales pitch with his sales team
some time on the massive battleship we set course for the at Aviation Capital Group. Mr Mansell is the Vice President
USS Arizona Memorial, where 1,700 people tragically lost of the company. ACG is a company that leases mainly
their lives enduring the attack on Pearl Harbour. Our next leg narrow-bodied planes to airline companies. We learnt how
was the USS Bowfin, a United States submarine that sunk 15 the company runs and what the business was all about. At
Japanese ships during its service. That night the boys were the conclusion of the presentation, the boys were able to
given an opportunity to buy dinner and learn, first hand, fire some inquisitive questions. Mr Mansell and his team
about tipping. were impressed with the calibre of questions being asked,
showing the boys were quite interested in their stories and
The next day we set off to learn a bit about the University of business components.
Hawaii. After a lecture on Hawaiian history we had a tour of
the campus, where we got to see some amazing educational Day seven, the boys knew exactly where they were going,
and sports facilities. After learning about all of what the Disneyland:“the happiest place on earth!”The boys made the
University had to offer us, we headed back for another swim usual 7am start and were full steam ahead with our two day
on Waikiki Beach. We then had an early dinner in preparation ‘park hopper’tickets. After being welcomed by the huge gate
for the early departure for Los Angeles. and high fences, we were off. We kicked off our Disneyland
experience with the thrilling rides of the spinning teacups,
At 4am, the boys were up and raring to go as we checked out my personal favourite, the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain,
of our hotel and braced for the five hour flight to come. We and Indiana Jones. After our first taste of the amazing park,
departed at 7am and flew into the never-ending concrete we were let loose into the second park, California Land of
jungle at midday. Once we arrived in LA, much to everyone’s Adventure. California Land tested the boys’ patience as we
surprise, we faced no security and were able to get on our endured lines for, in some cases, an hour and a half, but gifted
way. We then travelled on to Clarion Hotel, Anaheim, and us with rides such as Cars, California Screamin’, Soarin’, and
after 2-3 hours in the uncomfortably hot bus, we arrived
and the boys were ready for their first LA dinner. After some
dinner from the local restaurants that surrounded the hotel
and Disneyland, we headed for the pool before bed.

Day five saw another early start as we prepared for the day
ahead of us, which consisted of a tour of the University of
Southern California, or better known as “the home of the
Trojans”, and a tour of LA. The first stop on this day was USC
and the LA Rams’ home ground, known as the ‘Colosseum’,
where two Olympic Games have been held in years 1932
and 1984. We then moved on to the campus where we
were shown around by our tour guide, Gordon Pitts, who
gave us awesome insights into campus and university life.
The tour soon enough moved to the trophy room for the
22 sports played at the University. The trophies included All-
American trophies, championship wins and more. We were
then taken for a tour of their underground athletic facility,

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 55

Grizzly River Run to name a few. California Land provided their football stadium. We stood in the centre of the field
the lads with many thrilling roller coasters, such as California and were taken to the Corporate Box, where season tickets
Screamin’, where you are hit with a backflip, tight corners, cost upwards of $10,000. On the top level of the stadium, we
high speeds and a great view of both of the spectacular were taken back by the jaw-dropping view of the whole of
parks. That night in Disneyland, the boys were able to watch San Francisco. Once we went back down, the boys thanked
the routine parade and the amazing fireworks show at the our hosts with a fitting haka. We then had a bit of time in
Disney Castle (Yes, like on the movies!). During our second the bookstore at the University, where we bought gifts and
day at Disneyland, Caleb Satterthwaite was just trying to have merchandise. Us rugby boys bought some of the University’s
some fun on‘Goofy’s Flight School’, and helplessly suffered a rugby team, the Berkley Bears, supporters gear.
cramp halfway through the ride as he was strapped to the
dodging and swerving cart. Next, the boys were in baseball mode, getting our Oakland
A’s - and for Ben O’Conner, his Texas Rangers - gear on for the
As much fun as we had at Disneyland, it did prove tiring, A’s vs Rangers game. It was the first baseball game for most
especially for Mr Sinclair and Mr Doolan, as we found them and everyone loved the atmosphere and the game. On the
‘out to it’at the entrance to California Land. All in all, the parks way home, the bus exploded in song as we celebrated the
proved themselves to be extraordinary and were one of the A’s winning 5-2 (hard luck, Ben, mate).
many highlights of the tour.
Day eleven and the boys were still fizzing with excitement.
Day 9 and the tour was hitting the road on Highway 101, We ventured to the notorious Alcatraz Island. After Frankie’s
bound for the amazing San Francisco! On the way we talk on the way over, which even some of the people not in
stopped to check out Santa Barbara and Solvang, the Danish the group listened into, we arrived and were welcomed by
capital of America. After many hours, the weary tour group park rangers and an ex-inmate who told some jokes about
arrived to Zephyr Hotel. Luckily, this was only a hop skip and the fact it’s much better working at the prison than being
a jump to the world famous Pier 39, where the boys then in it as an inmate. We then developed our knowledge of the
searched for a bite to eat. We were then offered a sleep in, Island with a guided audio tour. In the prison, we saw the
which was definitely welcomed after a full-on week and a shower blocks, the cells, including Al Capone’s own cell, and
half of non-stop action. On the tenth day, the tour was all the eerie maximum security cells to name a few of the sights.
ears for the visit to the Salesforce offices. Jody Kohner gave
us a talk on the environment of the company, it’s internship After the surreal experience of Alcatraz, we were taken on
program, what the company offers, and some insight into the a sightseeing tour around San Francisco. This consisted of
future of the Salesforce company. Their new building, when Chinatown, where Mr Doolan shouted Caleb Satterthwaite
it is completed, will be the tallest building in San Francisco. and I to some real Chinatown dumplings. We also had the
We were then introduced to our energetic and extremely chance to walk the mighty Golden Gate Bridge, which took
knowledgeable new tour guide, who we all knew as Frankie. about 30 minutes. The walk gave the boys great views of the
That afternoon, Frankie took us on a tour to see the Stanford city and, to this day, the staff will claim that they saw a whale
University campus. The campus offered the group a chance wave to them as it swam under the bridge.
to see it’s amazingly designed buildings. We didn’t get to see
inside too many buildings, but we did go in the Cathedral After this, we retreated once more to the hotel where we
which blew us away with its size and design. bid farewell to Frankie, another great tour guide who we are
again very thankful for having been with us. The boys then
We then pressed on to Google HQ, where we had a look prepped for a quick nap as we had to get up at 3am to head
at the store and some of us were lucky enough to take the to the airport to catch our flights to New York!
Google bikes for a spin. That evening, the boys refuelled
at the Rainforest Cafe for our Old Boys’ dinner. The Old For this leg of the trip, the tour knew that they would be
Boys struggled with the various sounds coming from the split in half, as one half went on one plane and the other half
automated café, but were able to share their story and on a slightly later flight. There was a bit of ribbing from my
inspire us young guns to venture to different countries for contingent to the other that we would get there first, only
opportunities. The next day we headed to Kiwi Landing Pad, to be hit with a bit of karma when we were told our flight
where we were treated to an informative talk about how Sian was cancelled and we had to get a slightly later flight that
Simpson and her team help Kiwi entrepreneurs take their connected in Chicago to New York. So in the end, my half
ideas from theory and see them expand into a business. Kiwi ended up in New York a couple of hours after the other half.
Landing Pad have helped many businesses, including Xero, This day was definitely a test for Mr Turnock who somehow
to get on their feet and be successful. After this, the group managed to keep his cool, even with Mr Leighton pushing
was Oakland-bound for a tour of Berkeley University. There his buttons and Sam Leabourne’s surprise allergic reaction
we were taken for an awesome tour around the campus, sending he and Mr Turnock off to the hospital.
including their Business School.
On our first day in the Big Apple, we set course for Wall Street
We were then treated to what was a highlight of the tour for and the Museum of American Finance. We learnt all about
most, a once in a lifetime opportunity to have a look inside the history of America’s commerce and finance, key notes

56 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

which were the reason for the Bull and Bear having a lot to the Empire State Building for a truly amazing view of the city.
do with the economy. That evening we attended another
Old Boys Dinner at Buca di Beppo, where we had an Italian For the next two days, the group got used to USA high
feast. That night we experienced Times Square for the first school life, as we participated in a business challenge with
time, and what a jaw dropping experience it was. The lights Archbishop Stepinac High School’s Business Club. We were
hurt your eyes and the amount of people hurt your brain. challenged to design an original product that we would have
We also noticed that Samsung splashed out some money to pitch to a series of judges. At the end of the challenge we
on advertising, as there was a massive blue whale swimming performed a haka in thanks and some of us traded polos with
across screens that must have been 50 metres wide. We also our Stepinac pairs. On the second day, the boys had packed
tried our first subway ride that evening. Luckily, no one got their Mets supporters gear for the Mets vs Braves game, only
lost...yet! for it to be rained off when we got off the train. Hope was not
lost, however, as it was postponed to the next day.

The next day, we set off to explore New York on foot. In the On our last day in New York, we met with Old Boy Luke Taylor
morning, we went to see the beautiful Central Park, in which at the Federal Reserve Bank. After being checked in by very
Mr McFarlane took a keen eye to as a nice running spot. He large guards, we went for a VIP tour that included the gold
dragged Thomas Elmers-Ropitini and I out for a run later vault where we went 24 metres down to bedrock. As the
in the week. We then went to Hell’s Kitchen for lunch. This gold is so heavy, the only thing that can hold it up is the
disappointed some of us, as we thought we were going to bedrock. We were then met with the giant safe door, where
see Gordon Ramsay, but Hell’s Kitchen is, in fact, just a suburb. approximately 415 billion dollars’ worth of gold is held. In
Following lunch, we headed to the USS Intrepid, Sea, Air and the bank, we also had a tour of the Museum and were gifted
Space Museum. This is no ordinary museum. It is, in fact, the $50 in shredded notes - so not much use but a nice touch
Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Intrepid that served for 31 from the bank there.
years in the Navy before becoming a museum. The ship had
a whole heap of stuff to do and see, including the Blackbird We then had some more free time in Times Square and 5th
on its top deck, along with the NASA space shuttle known Avenue, before getting our New York Mets gear on once
as the Enterprise. That evening, we had dinner at Planet more. Before the game, we had a bit of an‘end of tour speech’.
Hollywood in Times Square and then headed to The Lion Just after Mr Turnock had said it was great that we hadn’t lost
King Broadway show which was an awesome experience. anyone on the subway, we headed to the subway. The boys
rushed on. Cameron Haridge, Max Harris, Caleb Satterthwaite,
On the 23rd, we took the subway to head to the boat that a very sick and dozy Craig Lawrence and myself took up the
would take us to the Statue of Liberty. This was an experience back of the cabin and dozed off a bit. After a while, I realised
which all the boys loved. We then headed to the 9/11 we had been on the train for some time and that maybe it
Memorial Site where we took some time to learn about the was time to get off. Looking around, everyone was gone
event, the actual foundations of one of the towers and pay except for us! I turned to the boys and told them to get off.
our respect to those that died that day. After that, we headed We then had to figure out where we were and how we would
out for free time on 5th Avenue and Times Square. The group get back. After some kind New York hospitality, we were on
got to shop in the five-story Adidas store and the five-story our way to 42nd street and, 18 stops later, we found ourselves
Nike store, along with the three-story NBA store. On 5th at the game. The boys loved the Mets vs. the Atlanta Braves
Avenue, there is also the heavily-guarded Trump Tower. Post game, along with eating ice cream from a plastic baseball
shopping, we had dinner in town and then proceeded to helmet. The game was a good send off to the tour.

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 57

On the 27th of April, it was time to go home. The boys packed the tour, we are truly thankful to Mr Turnock, Mr Doolan, Mr
their bags in preparation for the 24 hours we had to spend Sinclair, Mr Leighton, Mr McFarlane and Miss Ellery. We will
on planes. We arrived in Wellington, glad to be home and a be forever grateful for the time and effort put in, especially
breath of real fresh air was a welcomed feature. from Mr Turnock, to organise the tour and fundraising events.
The boys massively enjoyed the tour,. It was definitely an eye
The Commerce Tour of the United States of America was an opener, not just on a career scale, but on life as well. I would
absolute once-in a-lifetime experience. The opportunities encourage everyone who is eligible for the next Commerce
that the staff set up for the boys were unforgettable and Tour, or any other tour for that matter, to take the opportunity
cannot go without thanks. On behalf of the young men on with both hands and embrace every aspect of it.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Head of Department: Mr A. Stern totalling 70 students. Level 2 comprised of two classes
with 47 students, and there were 25 students in the Level 3
Staff: Mr D. Waters class. The intake of Year 11 students picking up the subject
is similar to last year. Feedback has shown the main interest
Digital Technologies was offered at all senior year levels this of students selecting the course is the more technical
year, with the Year 13 course being completed for the first aspects of programming and database development, and
time. Feedback from the students completing the course this will continue to be our focus over the next few years.
throughout the three years has been very positive. The 60% of the Year 13 class are looking to continue with Digital
development of these courses is almost complete, with some Technologies at a Tertiary level.
minor changes happening at the Year 11 and Year 13 levels
for next year. After 2018, the course should be fairly well There is a demand for an alternative Computing Skills course
developed and opening the course up to all those students atYear 12 for those students who would like to continue with
who wish to try it at Year 11 will be possible. computers, but find the more technical aspect of the Year 11
course too challenging, and this will be looked at for 2019.
The department had a total of 162 students in 2017 (up
from 136 in 2016). Level 1 was comprised of three classes,

DRAMA

Head of Department: Mr C. Burton CURRICULUM

Staff: Dramafest was again a success. The NCEA classes performed
Mr B. Greer – Controller Level 1, Senior Production the following plays with the number of Excellence’s gained
Co- Producer, Dramafest in brackets: Mr Greer’s Level 1 Mountain Language (6/22), Mr
Mr C. Higgie – Controller Year 9 course, Dramafest Burton’s Level 2 Niu Sila (5/27) and Level 3 Shuriken (8/20).
Mr T. McGrath – Year 9 module for Term 1 Mrs Lowry’s Year 10 class also performed Dreams, with some
Mrs J. Lowry – ControllerYear 10,Year 9 module, Senior strong performances and great experience gained for the
Production Makeup/Hair, Dramafest years ahead.
Mrs P. Marks – Year 9 module, Senior Production Co-
Producer, Dramafest CO-CURRICULAR
Miss S. Belcher – Year 9 module, Junior Play Director
and writer, Theatre Sports Footloose was a huge success with over 99% occupancy
Mr C. Burton – HOD, Levels 2 & 3, Director Senior – a rare occasion in theatre these days. A superb team
Production, Junior Musical Coordinator, Dance, Junior produced a highly acclaimed show which achieved all of
Performing Arts Showcase Coordinator. our performance goals. After a couple of break-even years,
we have once again made a profit which is being reinvested

58 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

in the Department. On the final night of Footloose, we and decluttered our Costume and Props departments with
acknowledged the enormous contribution Cara Hesselin volunteer labour of non-staff, students and staff.
has made to choreography over the last 10 years, as she
stepped aside and her assistant, Alex Hughes, will take over. A Dance team, Just words, that’s all, competed at the Dance
NZ Made Regional Competition at the Regent Theatre and
Cole Porter’s Anything Goes is auditioned and well into comprised Tom Bowie, Connor Philpott, Luke Scott, Zac
rehearsal for 2018. A challenging new feature has been the Maskill, Callum Prichard and Hayden Day. They performed
selection of a show which features tap dancing, but with the a piece they had choreographed themselves over Terms 2
help of two local dance studios, we are rising to it! and 3. Combining a range of experiences against some very
polished teams, they did well. Zac, a young man with exciting
Over two sets of holidays, we completely reconfigured

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 59

potential, also performed a solo self-choreographed item senior teams competed at the Super 8 Cultural Festival, both
and was selected for National finals, which he went on to earning third place. It has been a great pleasure to have the
win. Thanks go to student teacher, Ms Georgina Agius, for new artistic Director of Centrepoint Theatre, Daniel Pengelly,
her support of the team. coming in to discuss some Drama issues and his theatre’s
relationship to schools, then taking the opportunity to do
The 2017 Junior Performing Arts Showcase in Term 4 looks some Theatre Sports training while he was here!
to be another fest of exciting potential, with the Year 9
Concert Band, Junior Play, Dance and Junior Musical Theatre Drama continues to be a very busy Department, providing
all performing in our five-show season. The onflow into a number of engaging opportunities for students. We are
the Senior Production was considerable this year and a proud to be under the PNBHS Performing Arts banner in
significant contributing factor to the level of performance. which we fully believe

Senior students, Charles Johnson and Leveson Jensen, PNBHS: leading the way in Performing Arts opportunities for
led Theatre Sports two lunchtimes a week involving up to young men.
30 students. Under Miss Belcher’s supervision, junior and

A superb PNBHS/PNGHS company has
been selected to present this favourite
classic from Cole Porter. Our live band,
under the baton of Mr Paul Dredge, is
looking forward to the superb jazz/swing
as is our 49 strong cast – some of whom
have been in tap dancing training since
Term 2! As always, they will all be made
to look and sound good by a dedicated
crew under the leadership of Year 13

Stage Manager, Ben Funke.

ONSTAGE MARCH 15-24, 2018 IN THE SPEIRS CENTRE
BOOKINGS WILL OPEN FEBRUARY 1 ONLINE
www.pnbhs.school.nz

PberCoautderer 114 The Square Palmerston North
to (next to Bruce Watt Photography)

PNBHS Ph 06 3551622

60 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

Zach Meads
UCOL Chef

Training Student

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 61

ENGLISH

Head of Department: Dr G. O’Connor

Staff: Mrs A. Baines, Miss S. Belcher, Mrs C. Belton, Mr
D. Bovey, Mr D. Braddock, Mrs R. Burgess, Mr C. Burton,
Mr J. Crosswell (deceased), Mrs J. Crosswell, Mr S.
Dawson, Mr B. Greer, Mr C. Higgie, Mrs S. Kendal, Mrs
J. Lowry, Mr H. McDonald, Mrs P. Marks, Mrs A. Nixon,
Mrs M. Papworth, Mrs K. Rankin, Mr L. Retemeyer, Ms J.
Scott, Mr D. Shankaran, Mr J. Siebert, Miss K.Tutavaha,
Mr S. Trembath, Ms A. Whibley

STAFFING Luka Freemantle (9GU) brought his Moto-X bike in as a
prop for his English speech.
This year Miss Sophie Belcher, Mr David Braddock and Mr
Daniel Shankaran joined the Department. Miss Belcher 2002. Six students gained scholarships in English, with one
taught English and Drama (Years 9 – 12), Mr Braddock taught of these results being an Outstanding Scholarship gained
English (Years 9 – 12) and Mr Shankaran taught English (Years by Denzel Chung.
9 – 11). All of us were saddened by the sudden death of
Mr James Crosswell early in the year. Although he had not ICAS
been teaching long, Mr Crosswell had quickly developed a
passion for English teaching and gained the respect of his This year, Accelerate students at all curriculum levels sat ICAS
students. Thanks are due to Mrs Alison Hill for coming out of (International Competitions and Assessments) tests. Our
retirement to teach Mr Crosswell’s classes until Mr Shankaran students took the tests in reading and language skills across
was appointed. Finally, we say farewell to Mr Stephen a range of contexts. This year, 200 students participated.
Dawson from the English Department. He has accepted We gained 13 Distinction awards and one High Distinction
an appointment as Guidance Counsellor in 2018 at PNBHS. award. In ICAS, the top one per cent of candidates gain
High Distinction and the next 10% gain Distinction awards.
ACADEMIC RESULTS These high achievers in English, who demonstrated that
our top students are of international calibre in the academic
Particularly noteworthy were the results in Level 1 English area of reading comprehension and language usage,
external assessments in 2016, with 80% of students deserve acknowledgment for their achievement. Special
gaining an Achieved grade or higher in the three external congratulations to the winner of a High Distinction award:
Achievement Standards. This was the best combined results Manu Easton (9TV).
at this curriculum level since the introduction of NCEA in

10BS Shakespeare ENGLISH AND E-LEARNING

The highlight for the English Department this year was an
invitation from the Ministry of Education to take part in a
trial of using laptops for the writing of external assessments.
Typically, of course, students of English have handwritten
their essays in answer booklets. However, the Ministry is
future proofing its operations and establishing electronic
trials within schools. Students were asked to type their essays
on laptops. Most students really enjoyed the experience,
and early fears that they might not be able to type quickly
enough were allayed. Students also reported that the
advantage of typing is that you can edit and proofread work
after the first draft. To see the end result was pleasing. Well-
crafted essays – edited, proofread and paragraphed – looked
very polished on screen.

GEOGRAPHY

Head of Department: Mr H. Drake environmental pressure, especially on fresh water, and tourist
resources.
Staff: Mr G. Atkin, Mr C. Bester, Mr T. Gunning, Mr G. Again, this year saw a good number of students taking
Miller Geography at PNBHS, especially at Year 11 level.

2017 was another year of activity for the Geography HIGHLIGHTS
Department. World and national events continue to reflect Year 11
Geographic issues and the relevance of Geography – i.e. The field trip to Napier was continued to gain more
climate change and its continuing effects, migration,
natural disasters, not to mention the indefinite closure of
the Manawatu Gorge, and the ongoing issues of increased

62 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

background about the Napier earthquake of 1931 Year 13
(earthquakes is a topic of study at Year 11 level). The trip
occurred in March, and included visits to the Napier city The Year 13 Mountain Trip again incorporated field work for
centre, Bluff Hill and the Ahuriri Lagoon area. It was highly the Geographers. The weather was better than last, with a
enjoyable and a great success. combination of new lower level walks undertaken, and the
Tongario Crossing completed.

In June, the Massey University Geography Department and
School of Environmental Planning, again held a day for
Year 13 Geography Students, with presentations on current
themes and career opportunities in Environmental Planning.

The fieldtrip to Rotorua in Term 3 looked at Tourism
Development to reinforce information for the external
examination. The trip is always a highlight and included
visits and speakers at the Rotorua Museum, Rainbow Springs
(which included a ride – the‘Big Splash’), Agrodome, Tamaki
Maori Village (and hangi dinner, where our students excelled
in performing the school haka), Kuirau Thermal Park, Skyline
Rides and the Luge.

Year 11 Geography students on Bluff Hill during the field
trip to Napier.

For the fifth year, a field trip took place, looking at aspects to Year 13 Geography students on the Tourism Development
do with the closure of the Manawatu Gorge, as background field trip to Rotorua
to the ‘Geographic Issue’ Achievement Standard. This year,
however, due to the closure of the Gorge, the students
walked to a number of fault lines on farmland in the Balance
area, before being addressed by speakers from the Woodville
community, explaining the impacts of the Gorge closure on
their respective communities.

Year 12

The Year 12 cohort went on a field trip to look at the
Manawatu natural environment, and incorporated a stream
study looking at fluvial processes, gathering stream flow
data – the subject of the research project.

RESULTS

Several students excelled in Geography in 2016-17.
Congratulations are extended to the following students:

First in Geography 2016
Year 11 – Jake Faville
Year 11 Accelerate – Sam Waru
Year 12 – Luciano Lanham
Year 12 Accelerate – John Robinson
Year 13 – Lane Gordon

Scholarships 2016
Nathan Hotter
Alex Oakden

2016 YEAR 11 GEOGRAPHY COMPETITION (MAATANGI
WHENUA)

This annual regional Geography competition, hosted at
Massey University, was very closely fought in 2017. Our team
of Jack Hildred, Robert Norman and Angus Claasen finished
a close second to St Peter’s, out of the eight schools present.

Year 12 Geography students measuring water flow in the
Turitea Stream

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 63

INTERNATIONAL

Head of Department: Mr L. Retemeyer basketball team, The Lakers, was encouraging. They proved
to be well organised and very competitive. Along with that,
Staff: Mr B. van Stipriaan, Mrs W. Christophers, Miss the international group will organise their own lunchtime
E. Mitchell activities with both international and domestic students. This
is rewarding for the International Department to see them
2017 saw year Palmerston North Boys’ High School host mixing not only with the other international students, but
over 100 students from 15 different countries. Some of also with the domestic community of PNBHS. The success
our students have been here for five years, whereas others of international students not only comes down to attitude
have been on short term visits for as little as one week. in the classroom, but being involved in our co-curricular
International students help us learn about different cultures programme. It is vital for them to make friends, learn
and different ways of life. The way international students colloquial New Zealand sayings, improve their English and
adapt to their new home is amazing, with the students for them to feel as if they belong to their school. All of our
comfortably picking up language, customs and the nuances students add value, both in and out of the classroom.
of the New Zealand way of life. Palmerston North is a
wonderful place for international students to achieve their Our sincere thanks must also go to the homestays,
potential - safe, easy to get around and inexpensive, which designated caregivers, parents and College House
makes more time for study, friendships and activities. staff who look after all of our students. From helping with
homework, dropping off to school and town, washing,
Sadly, some of our students have to leave. Kunakorn cooking and cleaning, the job is never-ending, but very
Anudachakul (10 –Thailand), Raphael Bernard (10 – Germany), rewarding. The list is long and your support of the boys
Ai Bunchatheravate (10 – Thailand), Metadh Chaisuksant and Palmerston North Boys’High School is appreciated and
(12 – Thailand), Austin Chandawanich (10 – Thailand - valued.
returning for full time study in 2018), Pawat Chanprathet
(11 – Thailand), Donthawanat Inthon (9 – Thailand), Kazane There are a number of international students who choose
Ito (12 - Japan), Jesse Jung (13 – South Korea), Tanutt to board rather than stay in homestays. College House
Kongpravetnon (9 – Thailand), Tommy Le (13 – Vietnam), provides a safe and quality option for our students who
Kasiei Lee (12 – Japan), Shaun Lin (13 – China), Tomoharu come from overseas. Mr Matthew Davidson has been a great
Nakade (13 – Japan), Alex Nguyen (13 – Vietnam), Kengo support to these international students and now, with Mr
Ohki (10 – Japan), Sarawin Ongkapipat (9 – Thailand), Jake Blanks assisting him with the pastoral care at College
North Pisanuwong (9 – Thailand), Jone Radike (12 – Fiji), House, showing the students a caring, safe and invigorating
Izumi Sato (13 – Japan), Kazumi Sato (13 – Japan), Shuichi environment for them to develop.
Sato (10 – Japan), Kensuke Shionoya (11 – Japan), James
Sikharestrakul (13 – Thailand), Tanat Sombutmaithai (9 We are very lucky to have Mr van Stipriaan in the
- Thailand), Timo Spitzhorn (13 – Germany), Shu Ueda International Department, where he takes on the role of
(10 – Japan), Jone Vieogo (13 – Fiji), Peeraphat Worakulchai International Dean. Mr van Stipriaan has been integral in
(12 – Thailand), Patrice Worner (11 – Germany). We wish organising many fun days, as well as the academic success
you all the best for your future studies and look forward to of all our students. Mr van meets with all the students on
meeting you as PNBHS Alumni in the years to come. Please a regular basis, mentoring and giving advice as to options,
keep in touch and update us on your amazing careers. tutorials and different co-curricular activities they may
participate in. Unfortunately, this year, weather intervened
Our graduates now attend some of the most prestigious with our ski trip for the third year running. Some managed
universities around the world, ranging from the United to go with College House on a later date. Paintball, Daytona,
Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, ten pin bowling and other fun days have been organised,
Thailand, Korea and New Zealand to name a few. The along with a trip to Wellington and a bowling and pizza night
programmes we offer at PNBHS are academic and our with Palmerston North Girls’ High School. His orientation of
purpose is to arm students with the qualifications to enter students into the school ensures they are at ease as soon as
any university in the world. Teacher scholarships were they commence their education at PNBHS.
awarded this year to Miss Tutavaha who attended Potisarn
School in Bangkok, Thailand, and Ms Whibley who attended Our thanks go to Mrs Christophers who is tireless in her
Amazing IELTS School in Chengdu, China. Our sincere recruitment and retention of homestays. She ensures the
thanks to McVerry Crawford Motors and the Palmerston boys are happy in their home away from home. Not only does
North Boys’ High School Board of Trustees for their support she organise homestays for our full and part time students,
of these scholarships. We have had a number of short term but she has also managed to place around 60 students
groups this year from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and India. The completing short term programmes and College House
programmes the students participate in are varied, ranging students during the holidays. Mrs Christophers has also
from full immersion to sports and activities. organised many events for our homestays and international
community. The international farewell dinner, this year at
This year the international programme has achieved Tasti, was a highlight.
numbers well in the 50’s, and the work of Mr van Stipriaan
(Dean), Mrs Christophers (Accommodation) and Miss Miss Mitchell is part of the International Department in
Mitchell (Marketing) has ensured that all of the boys are a marketing role. She is the sole reason for the resurgence
very well looked after. Most of our international students of the PNBHS Facebook page and PNBHS International
contribute to our co-curricular programme, with basketball, Facebook page and, along with the School Website, has
badminton, boxing, cricket, rugby, athletics, squash, football, improved and redeveloped PNBHS’s role in the digital
and tennis being a few of the sports that they are involved world of today. Her variety of pictures that she takes of
in. There has been particular success in football (Kaisei Lee international students in everyday schooling comprise a
– 1st XI) and Paul Teoh (regional winners of the Chamber good visual report for parents to see their sons and their
Music Competition). The formation of an international integration into PNBHS. Her role at school is quite different to

64 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 65

when she started and has proven to be indispensable in the themselves into a wide range of co-curricular activities. An
International Department, as well as Palmerston North Boys’ excellent example of this was the School Open Day, where
High School. She has also managed to coach a Touch Rugby we had international students signing up as tour guides,
team in her spare time, which truly shows her commitment despite English not being their first language. Needless to
to the school and its ethos. say, the majority of us get involved in cultural and sporting
groups at various levels of competition, with our high
The Finance Office is integral in the operation of the achievers being Paul, Kaisei and Timo, who have performed
International Department. Mrs Beck has been a saviour in exceptionally well within their fields. Personally, I have been
managing our finances and Ms Burgess ably keeps an eye involved with the Lakers Basketball team (with all the players
on our budget and future projections. The ladies in the Main being international students), and had an enjoyable, yet
Office are also vital in our operation, ensuring that packages unsuccessful season of interschool fixtures.
are sent, guests well looked after, students equipped with the
correct documentation and always well catered for. Nothing Our gratitude to the staff who clearly have done an
is ever a problem for them all. outstanding job throughout the year. Aside from their
usual supporting jobs, they have done a huge amount of
We look forward to 2018 and to watch the many successes organising work and have ended up offering even more
international students have at Palmerston North Boys’ High trips and events for the group this year. The most recent one
School. was the bowling night with the PNGHS International group
– a very useful chance for both groups to communicate
A NOTE FROM PREFECT, ALEX NGUYEN, VIETNAM with each other. They have also been working hard in
extending the school international relationships, giving
2017 has been a very exciting year for our international us the chance to welcome groups from different schools
group, with both the staff and students performing well, all over the world visiting PNBHS on short-term basis.
further strengthening our position in the school. We My best wishes to the staff and students for the upcoming
continued to see an increase in our roll, with the newcomers academic year of 2018. I firmly believe that our group will
quickly adapting to the Kiwi lifestyle and getting along with be able to maintain this level of success into the next year.
other domestic groups. To all of our seniors who are leaving this year, I hope that
the rewards shall come from the efforts that we have put
There has been great mahi from the boys this year, putting in this year. My time at PNBHS was short, yet it has been a
that extra effort into their schoolwork and maintaining memorable journey, and I do wish that everyone else could
positive academic, sporting and cultural results. Some have
also been very proactive as they step up and challenge share the same experience.

LANGUAGES (FRENCH, GERMAN AND JAPANESE)

Head of Department: Mrs A. Dickinson ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE CONCOURS ORAL 2017 FOR
THE CENTRAL REGION – MANAWATU-WANGANUI-
Staff: Mrs C. Belton, Mr J. Richards, Mr D. Stagg HAWKES BAY

NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION OF LANGUAGE Each year the Féderation des Alliances Françaises of New
TEACHERS’ CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE Zealand holds the Concours Oral for students of French
throughout the country. The Concours Oral winners for the
Six students gained New Zealand Association of Language Central Region are decided from the results of the DELF
Teachers’ Certificate of Excellence awards because of their Scolaire Examinations that took place at the end of August.
fine results in NCEA in 2016. Alistair Keay-Graham and
Michael Poff gained Excellence endorsements in Level 1 Congratulations to the following students whose efforts
French and Steven Jiang and Emmanuel Joseph Shaji in Level have been rewarded:
2 French. Finlay McRae gained an Excellence endorsement
in Level 2 German, and Eric Kwon gained an Excellence Year 9 Eliott Motion (First Place)
endorsement in Level 1 Japanese. Year 10 Jordon Long-Lay (First Place)
Year 11 Nikhil Banerjee (Fourth Place)
DELF SCOLAIRE EXAMINATIONS Year 12 Michael Poff (First Place), Alistair Keay-Graham
(Second Place), Aidan Berkahn (Fourth Place)
At the end of August, six of our students joined students
from Napier and Whanganui to sit the French DELF Scolaire
examinations. This is an internationally recognised and
accredited four-levelled qualification that tests listening,
reading, speaking and writing. This examination gives our
students an extension to NCEA and a qualification that could
enable them to study in a French university.

Eliott Motion gained the A1, the first level of the qualification,
with 84.5% and Jordon Long-Lay achieved 72.5%. Results
in the A2 examination were similar, with Nikhil Banerjee
achieving 76.5%. This year we had three students in the B1
category: Michael Poff gained 74.5%, Alistair Keay-Graham
71.5% and Aidan Berkahn 67.5%. These students are to be
congratulated on their success. Official certificates will arrive
from France in due course.

66 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

Alistair Keay-Graham went forward to the National Concours
Oral for Year 12 on Saturday 9 September and won first
place. The prize is a two-week trip to New Caledonia in
December, thanks to sponsors Aircalin, Education Perfect,
New Zealand Association of French Teachers and the Mission
d’Accompagnement à la Scolarité en province Nord in New
Caledonia. Alistair will certainly enjoy the experience of two
weeks in a French-speaking, tropical environment, a well-
deserved reward.

ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCE Distinction recipients in the Assessment of Language
EXAMINATIONS Competence Examinations
Distinction in Listening: Luca Kenyon, Daniel Mitchell, Flynn
The online Assessment of Language Competence Roache
Examinations, organised by the Australian Council of Distinction in Reading: Anton Campbell, Oscar Wight
Educational Research, were sat by 59 Year 10-12 students of German Certificate 2
French, German and Japanese during the month of August. Distinction in Listening: Cody Hiri, Andrew Karatea
These examinations continue to challenge our students to Distinction in Reading: Ben Roberts
practise strategies to identify detail in spoken and written Japanese Certificate 2
language, which are prerequisites for success in the external High Distinction in Listening and Reading: Eric Kwon
NCEA examinations. Distinction in Reading: Luke Just, Rohan Sharma

All three Certificates assess listening and reading. The INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES WEEK, 14-18 AUGUST
following students achieved High Distinction or Distinction:
Once again, we joined with other schools around the
French Certificate 1 country in celebrating the five main languages taught in
High Distinction in Listening and Distinction in Reading: New Zealand schools – Chinese, French, German, Japanese
Fergus Congdon, Eric Jiang, Jacob Mildenhall, Kavindith and Spanish. This week is designed to raise the profile of
Rodrigo languages nationally, showing the whole school community
High Distinction in Reading and Distinction in Listening: the importance of valuing other languages and cultures and
Thomas Sun
Distinction in Listening and Reading: Jack Cleland, Jordon
Long-Lay, William Ward
Distinction in Listening: Rob Hindmarsh, Kieran Spence
Distinction in Reading: Tomas Luque

French Certificate 2
Distinction in Listening and Reading: Nikhil Banerjee, Andrew
Harris, Jack Harrison

French Certificate 3
High Distinction in Reading and Distinction in Listening:
Aidan Berkahn
Distinction in Listening and Reading: Toor Butt, Michael Poff,
Lachlan Walcroft
Distinction in Reading: Alistair Keay-Graham

German Certificate 1
Distinction in Listening and Reading: Ahmed Hamouda,
Paul Kaiser

High Distinction recipients in the Assessment of Language
Competence Examinations

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 67

making people aware of the advantages of learning another Crosswell’s lost battle against cancer. He had passed away
language in the global community today. the previous evening.

The Lord’s Prayer was read in assembly in the language of We followed part of the Chemin des Dames, as so many young
the day and staff and students were encouraged to greet soldiers had 100 years previously. We saw the craters left by
each other in this language. Unfortunately, the usually hotly- exploding shells and traces of the trenches where the village
contested junior and senior French students versus German of old Craonne once was. We climbed up to the Californie
students’football matches had to be postponed, due to the Plateau, above the village for a great panoramic view of
sodden pitches. the area from a viewing platform. The area is now forested
and information panels along the route give details of the
Our French students hosted students from PNGHS in the importance of this area during World War I.
annual eagerly-anticipated sandwich au jambon and movie.
The students of German enjoyed a Frankfurter mit Brot, some To finally see for ourselves battlefields and memorials to a
Gummibärchen and a movie. The Japanese students watched generation of young people who fought in a war that we had
a movie and enjoyed some Japanese sweets. They also tested studied and expressed our ideas about it in poetry, postcards,
their ninja skills by following instructions in Japanese to fold reports, monument designs and graphic novella over the
origami shuriken, or throwing stars, and then by working out past four years gave us a new awareness of the reality of
the best throwing technique to enable them to hit a bull’s World War I and of the New Zealand/France connection.
eye from across the room.
THE PNBHS GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
SHARED HISTORIES PROJECT TOUR, APRIL/MAY 2019

This year, we had the privilege of finally meeting the staff and Planning and fundraising for the third German Tour in April/
students of our partner school, Lycée Joliot Curie, in Hirson, May 2019 is well underway. There are 22 students who are
northern France, as part of the Shared Histories Project, as currently involved. Our itinerary will be similar to that of the
mentioned in the French Language and Culture Tour report. 2016 tour, but we are hoping to add a visit to a Salzburg
We were fortunate to be able to join with Year 12 History salt mine and a longer stay in Berlin. Because our holidays
students from the high school to visit the Chemin des Dames, coincide with the German school holidays, we have to do
the location of the Nivelle Offensive, fought on the right bank some juggling around to fit the homestays into the busy
of the Aisne River from 16 April to 9 May, 1917. schedule.

Our first stop was the Dragon’s Cave Museum. Before going We hope to begin our tour in Munich, where there are
inside, we got a closer look at the ‘Constellation of Sorrow’, many places to visit, such as: the Allianz-Arena (home of
Christian Lapie’s memorial to the Senegalese infantry fallen Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich football clubs), the
in this battle. The burnt oak totem-like memorials stood Olympic Park, the Deutsches Museum, the BMW Museum
tall, against a backdrop of fields of yellow canola. A guided and the Church of St. Peter. While based here, we will visit
tour of the subterranean fortress gave us an idea of the Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps, Dachau KZ
conditions that soldiers on both sides faced during the war. concentration camp and Salzburg salt mines. The next stop
Haïm Kern’s sculpture to honour the unknown soldiers who will be Berlin, where we plan to visit Checkpoint Charlie
died in battle was a poignant reminder of the sacrifices and and the museum, the Parliament building, the East Side
casualties of war. Gallery, the Brandenberg Gate, the Holocaust memorial
and Alexanderplatz. From here, we will make our way to
Just seeing the rows of white head stones in the British Frankfurt, where the group will spend a week with host
Cemetery of Vendresse and the ages of the soldiers who families and attend school at Ziehenschule, a school known
died, along with the light headstones of the French Cemetery for its multi-lingual classes and exchange programmes. Day
and the roughly hewn black granite head stones in the visits to majestic Heidelberg castle, Cologne cathedral and
neighbouring German Cemetery in Cerny-en-Laonnois the Porsche Museum are also on the list. Whatever cities
brought our history studies alive and gave a graphic we visit, the students will have the opportunity to embrace
representation of the huge loss on both sides. We placed German life and culture and enjoy the culinary delicacies.
red New Zealand poppies on the altar of the chapel in The super-fast trains, travelling on the Autobahn and family
Cerny-en-Laonnois, a memorial to those who died in World life will also enrich the exciting experience.
War I, to remember their sacrifice and also to remember Mr

68 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

FRENCH LANGUAGE AND begun in 1997, will take another 20 years or so to complete.
CULTURE TOUR – APRIL/MAY We even met a Kiwi carpenter who worked there! We also
visited three beautiful castles in the Loire Valley: Chenonceau,
Tour Leader: Mrs A. Dickinson built out over a river, with stunning gardens, Amboise, in
a commanding position on the banks of the Loire, where
Staff: Mr J. Richards Leonardo da Vinci’s ashes are buried, and Chaumont-sur-
Loire, which now houses a modern art gallery.
In April we left for Paris, along with ten other senior French
students, on the third PNBHS French Language and Culture Staying with families in Vic-en-Bigorre, near the foothills of
Tour. When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, we the Pyrénées, was a great experience. After settling in and
were all exhausted after the long flight and quick stopover getting to know our hosts, we were able to spend some time
in Hong Kong. We had a quick bus tour of Paris en route learning about their lifestyle and culture, as well as testing
to our hotel, glimpsing the main monuments which we out our French linguistic skills, or lack thereof. We had the
would later get to see. We even got caught up in a traffic opportunity to visit the neighbouring city of Toulouse, where
jam, thanks to the procession for a visiting dignitary, led by we had a guided tour of the Cité de l’Espace space museum
mounted policemen in full dress uniform. and town centre, and also to experience the French school
system and the school canteen - three course sit-down
After catching up on some sleep, we headed out to explore meals! A few boys were able to travel into the Pyrénées
the beautiful and lively French capital city. Our time in Paris mountain range, while some went to the beach at San
was very busy - finding the right metro line, climbing steps, Sebastian. We commemorated ANZAC Day by placing New
buying cheap snacks from the local Franprix supermarket Zealand poppies on the War Memorial in Tarbes, before
and delicious treats from the bakeries ... we probably visited tourism students from a local school gave us a guided tour
them a bit too much. It was a combination of historical, of the town.
cultural and sporting visits along with gourmet food, so
there was something for everyone: After about a week in Vic-en-Bigorre, we said goodbye to
our homestays and made an 11-hour journey at speeds of
• Notre-Dame Cathedral with its huge rose stained-glass up to 299 km/hr on the TGV train, to Hirson, a small town
windows and high vaulted ceiling in the north, about 10 kilometres from Belgium. Lycée Joliot
Curie is our partner school in the Shared Histories Project, a
• Sainte Chapelle, the oldest church in Paris project between France and New Zealand to commemorate
World War I. Our French and History classes work on World
• The Panthéon, originally a church but now containing the War I related topics and share their work with students at
remains of distinguished French citizens Joliot Curie. We were warmly welcomed here and enjoyed
seeing French culture from a small-town perspective, as well
• Montmartre, the artists’quarter with the white basilica of as visiting historical buildings, including impressive fortified
Sacré-Coeur overlooking the city of love. We respectfully churches and war cemeteries. We saw a famous battlefield
waited for Mrs Dickinson and Mr Richards as we ran up of World War I, Chemin des Dames, and the Dragon’s Cave, a
the various stairs. position occupied by the French and Germans at different
times. We walked down into the cave to see the underground
• The Moulin Rouge, a cabaret in the entertainment quarter passages where the troops were holed up. We also saw the
of the city old town of Craonne, or at least the bombarded area which
is now mainly craters - we had to use our imagination to
• The Louvre with the glass pyramid, made famous in Dan picture what the town would have looked like. We visited the
Brown’s The Da Vinci Code British, French and German cemeteries and a small chapel
where we laid poppies to remember the New Zealanders
• The Tour Eiffel, rising above the Parisian skyline who fought for peace in France and never returned home.

• The boat ride on the river Seine for a different perspective Far too soon, it was time to leave Hirson and spend our last
of the city night in Lille, before reluctantly boarding a plane to Hong
Kong the next day, and settling in for another 12-hour flight. It
• Galeries Lafayette, a huge mall with any shop you can was au revoir to delicious bread and pastries, amazing art and
imagine – as long as you can afford it!! culture, fast trains and interesting and welcoming people. At
least with modern technology we can keep in contact with
• Napoleon’s tomb in the Invalides our new foreign friends.

• The Arc de Triomphe looking huge at the end of the Personally, the best part of the tour was not seeing the Tour
Champs-Elysées, the main street which is full of all the Eiffel or Arc de Triomphe, but spending time with a great
top brand shops from Cartier and Louis Vuitton to group of lads and homestays, as well as Mrs Dickinson and Mr
Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch … shopping here was a real Richards, whom we would like to thank on behalf of the boys
experience. for working so hard to make the trip possible. We would also
like to thank Lycée Pierre-Mendès-France and Lycée Joliot Curie,
• The Tour Montparnasse, the second highest building in their students and their families for hosting us so well and
Paris, for a panoramic view of the city their teachers for organising our homestays and activities.
Without their generosity, such a visit would not be possible.
• The Stade de France where many a football match has If anyone has the chance to go on a Language and Culture
been played. It was great to sit in the changing rooms Tour, we would certainly recommend taking it, as it is a truly
where our favourite international players had sat before life-changing and unforgettable experience.
matches.
By Harrison Ward and Alistair Keay-Graham
• The historical Palace of Versailles, which greeted us with
golden gates, 800 hectares of gardens that take days to
explore with lakes, fountains and marble statues.

On our way south to our first homestay families in Vic-en-
Bigorre, we stopped at Guédelon, a 13th-century style village
and castle, constructed using medieval methods. The castle,

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 69

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LEADERSHIP

Leadership Director: Mr P. King exemplary practice in this area in boys’ schools. In October,
Dr Phil Cummins from CIRCLE briefed the Board of Trustees,
CHARACTER EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP Senior Management Team and in outline, the staff, as to their
PROGRAMME current findings and future intent. In essence, they identified
“Igniting passion and pride for the school and its that we have a“world class”character education programme
culture through participation and respect.” here at PNBHS and with further articulation of a Framework
for Character Education at the school, including the formation
2017 PREFECTS VISION of a Character Education Team, we as a community can take
it to another level. Education of the 21st Century man will
2017 has been a “watershed” year for the world in the revolve around knowledge, skills and character. We have
example set by some of the world’s so-called‘leaders’. Much been developing men around a philosophy of education,
of what we are trying to teach, role model and expect of our character and confidence, so there should be a good base to
young men flies in the face of many of the examples set by build on, which is great positive, news all round. From their
some of these leaders. Here in New Zealand, it was pleasant review, as expected, we discovered plenty of things for us
to see a general election where most of the leaders who to work on, refine and review. It was also evident that the
contested the final election displayed most of the values vast majority of our stakeholders (students, Old Boys, parents
we teach. and teachers) believe we are on a great track, and what we
are doing is walking the talk in values education, character
2017 has also been a “watershed” year in our Character education and developing the whole man to be an educated
Education and Leadership Programme in the school. The man of outstanding character. This is heartening because it
senior students have continued to step up and lead their is a constant struggle when you take stock of the challenge
school in great fashion, but a real turning point is emerging presented by societal movements and factors, which we get
in the manner in which we begin the shift and focus towards swept up in as the world ‘progresses’. Change is inevitable,
linking character education with the curriculum. This has but good change is what we continually wrestle with. This
yet to start formally, as we have been tinkering at the edges year, we had an enriching experience with the conduct of a
with it over a number of years. In 2016/2017, CIRCLE (the student-driven Leadership Forum presented by Andre van
Centre for Innovation, Research, Creativity and Leadership Heerden (see Leadership Week Summary) where, in raising
in Education) visited the school as part of an extension the bar, some students and teachers were moved to tears by
to their collaborative research project, the “Measuring the experience. The real evidence emerged in a conversation
Character Education Project”, to assist with the articulation, I had with the visiting dentist, who treats our young men
measurement and evaluation of character education in boys’ annually. I asked her if the young men’s teeth were being
schools. This involved recruiting 48 international schools to respectful and she pointed to the sign in the staff room that
the next phase of their project: the development of specific says “developing educated men of outstanding character.”
tools for evaluation of character education, as well as the She simply stated that this school is doing this.
collation and promulgation of a body of knowledge about
The challenge for all of us revolves around continuing to
make the positive changes, to continue to role-model the
reach the school vision provides. It is a continuous journey
and partnership between the staff, the parents and the
young men themselves to fulfil this vision. It is a challenge
we relish.

Our Prefects in 2017 had the vision “to ignite passion and
pride for the school and its culture through participation
and respect.” They successfully built on the foundations
of their predecessors, leading through personal example,
living the school values, and personally role modelling to
lead the school in many positive directions in 2017. The
leadership of many in the Music Department has created a
unique harmony and respect between the more competitive
sporting edge of the school and those with talent that is
more artistic. Weekly Head Prefect Assemblies and the Shand
Shield Choral Competition saw great talent on display and a
real respect for what they bring to the school. The benefits
flow off into daily tempo in the school and the settled tone
that is evident in the classroom.

The Barrowclough Programme has continued to provide
an excellent character education tool to educate the
whole person from Year 9 through to Year 13. Developing
a pathway for our young men to grow in confidence and
take up the responsibility to both lead and be a great role
model remains a priority for the school. Leading or following,
our young men rise to the top through their participation
in the Barrowclough Programme, through setting goals
and striving to achieve them; through pursuing excellence
in all that they do; through becoming ‘outliers’ in a society

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 73

where leaders must put themselves out there and try continued to stress the theme of good character in 2017
something different to stand out as a positive role model to in “igniting passion and pride for the school and its culture
succeed. 2017 has seen a number of young men eager to through participation and respect.”
step up as ‘outliers’, to make things happen for the greater The Leadership Programme delivers around 7000 man/
good and serve the school. A stand out example of this student/hours of learning leadership to PNBHS students
has been the work of Benji Pritchard and his many able on an annual basis. Since its inception, the Programme
helpers (especially Matthew Watts) with World Vision and has delivered over 84,000 man/student/hours, and, in 2017,
in organising a range of fundraising activities, including an every year group has been exposed to learning leadership
Art Exhibition, a Music Concert, Famine and a leadership outcomes either on a compulsory basis (junior school) or on
evening at the Regent Theatre. These students raised more a voluntary basis through standing up and being counted
than $14,000 for the World Vision effort in Syria. Towards the through enrolment in the Barrowclough Programme (senior
end of the year, 11 young men were selected from the Year school). This year, the Prefect group, led by Patrick Takurua,
12 Barrowclough Programme to attend the yLead Rangitira have displayed positive and confident student leadership,
Leadership Conference in Rotorua along with 76 other Super attending and assisting with presentations to junior students.
8 boys’ and girls’ school leaders. These young men then The Leadership Programme hinges on the vision and values
formed a nucleus to brief the Rector and Deputy Rector to of the school. They are its foundation stone. All aspects
shape a leadership group in the school in 2018. They also of the Programme relate back to the “educated man of
seized the initiative to bring an extended leadership group outstanding character” reach provided by the school vision
together with a student-driven ‘Seminar 4’ for the Year 12 and the daily application in all aspects of school life role
Barrowclough Programme students, with the aim of setting modelled by all staff and students through living the values
the conditions for the expectations and ideas to commence of courage, respect, integrity, humility, industry and pride.
2018. Emerging opportunities for students to get involved Our student leaders have role modelled these in impeccable
in leading the school continue through individual student fashion overall.
mentoring; community engagement and service; assisting
in co-curricular activities, leading sports teams, cultural NZ Leadership Week had a great mix of speakers, including
or music groups; leading the World Vision effort; tutoring inspirational adventurer and pilot, Mr Mike Allsop; Rowie
peers; mentoring Junior Form Classes; and coaching a junior McEvoy, who continues to support the School Leadership
sports team. Programme annually at no expense to the school; an
adventurous Old Boy, Dr Hamish Wright; two outstanding
The continued shift in student learning towards e-learning Antarctic Research Scientists, Professor Gary Wilson ad Mr
and digital devices has continued to evolve and change the Jacob Anderson; and renowned author and leadership
way students learn. The focus in the Leadership Programme expert, Mr Andre van Heerden. Andre also conducted a
remains to concentrate the attention of our young men on Regional Leadership Forum for over 350 students from 13
the importance of being a man of good character, using the regional schools on ‘Change and our Response to Change’,
handrail of the school values to guide him in his character
development. We use the examples of what is happening
in the world to highlight both the advantages and dangers
of the responsible and not so responsible use of digital
devices. We encourage our young men to use the powerful
tools responsibly to add value in their lives rather than
creating a barrier to progression through mistakes made
using technology.

AN OVERVIEW OF 2017. 2017 has been a challenging
year to follow on from the outstanding year that preceded
it. If anything, there were many people who thought that
the vintage leadership observed in 2016 could not be
repeated but there are many voices, led by the Rector, who
observed that, if anything, Patrick Takurua has raised that
beam. It is evident that the cumulative effects of leadership
development over time have set the scene for the actions
on the ground – the observable behaviour of the collective
group that is the Student Leadership body. The Leadership
Programme has and will continue to provide the foundation
to the Character Education Programme. It deals with
education of the whole man and it deals with both leaders,
followers and those wishing to go either way. We have

74 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

which was an excellent event. The speakers reinforced the
school vision and developed the themes of dreaming,
having a plan, never giving up (Allsop); agnotology and
making an environmental difference (Wilson and Anderson);
character (van Heerden); courage, action and never giving
up (McEvoy); and leading by your own good actions based
on being a man of principle (Wright).

Learning Leadership through the Barrowclough completed the Year 12 Hillary Outdoor Education Centre
Programme. All members of the junior school are enrolled (HOEC) Leadership Challenge; 198 Year 13 students took
in the Barrowclough Programme. In the senior school, the part in the Ruapehu Year 13 Camp which included a day
onus is on the student to apply for a position of leadership of individual and team leadership challenges at Waiouru
and enter the Barrowclough Programme to seek the Military Camp. 335 young men are programmed to complete
elusive Gold Barrowclough Award, which provides a real Year 10 Camps offered to all Year 10 students. 15 Year
point of difference for young men applying for a range of 11-13 students attended a Pinnacle Programme Leader
tertiary, scholarship and general employment opportunities Development Programme addressed by Sir Graham Henry.
when they leave PNBHS. An essential component of the 8 senior students attended a Massey Global (UN) Summit
Programme is basic goal setting and follow up mentoring at Massey University. 39 students, led by Benji Pritchard,
to ensure these goals are being achieved. By setting goals attended the World Vision Global Leadership Convention
and serving the school, a young man also gives himself the in Wellington. Two groups (35 and 33) of students attended
best possible chance for selection for the higher range of the Tama Tu Tama Ora student leadership and outdoor
leadership opportunities in the school, such as the Hillary challenge in June and August, and a further 15 Year 11-13
Outdoor Education Centre Leadership Challenge in Year 12, students assisted with the conduct of the Solo activity on
the yLead Leadership Conference in Year 12, Crest to Crest these challenges. The yLead Rangitira Leadership Conference
Challenge, Prefect, Peer Mentor and other such opportunities was once again an outstanding conference aimed at Year
which arise. In 2017, 286 (up from 268 in 2016 and 254 in 12 students prepared to step up and lead their schools in
2015) senior students in Year 11-13 (130 Year 11, 102 Year 2018, with the aim to “empower future leaders to make a
12 and 56 Year 13 students) commenced the Barrowclough real difference.”The yLead experience continued, following
Award. Teachers continue to use the Barrowclough on from its introduction in 2012 and ongoing success since.
Programme as a resource for community service, for leading The school is deeply grateful for the kind sponsorship for our
teams and groups from music to clubs, to EOTC activities as young men to attend this conference provided by Old Boy,
well as peer mentoring and academic tutoring. The number Bill Kermode. His investment in our school is providing rich
of student-driven initiatives and participation in community fruit in our young men.
service, support to EOTC activities and sports coaching and
mentoring continue to increase. 2018 will be another challenging year for the school. Young
men will step up again and lead our school into and through
Learning Leadership has continued to be delivered the turbulent times of rapid societal change and we storm,
through seminars in the Speirs Centre on a frequency of two form and conform to iGen (iGeneration – born after 1995
seminars per Term for the junior school and one seminar per and seen as the internet generation) and gently guide
Term for the senior school. The general format for the junior them through the tried, tested and trusted models of good
presentations has been hard-hitting character education manners, civility, respect, courage, humility, integrity and
messages for young men to set them up for success in life. hard work. As a former RSM of mine used to advise young
people that to succeed in life, you must take the stairs, not
Leadership 101 was delivered to two Year 13 groups (33 the elevator.
students) during Terms 1 and 2 as part of the Recreation
Programme, providing these young men with a point of My personal and sincere thanks are extended to every
difference in being introduced to personal profiles through staff member, parent, individual or group too numerous to
Neethling’s Brain Instrument (NBI) and Myers Briggs (MBTI), mention individually, who have in some way contributed
as well as general leadership education, ethics and decision to assisting with the development of our young men. The
making. The level of engagement with these young men is interest you show and your personal role modelling, your
always excellent and good life discussions ensue. reinforcement of what we believe in and your personal
encouragement and support of the Character Education
Experiential Learning Leadership and EOTC. In 2017, and Leadership Programme in 2017 is greatly appreciated.
we included the full range of opportunities. 60 students On a personal note, after 12 years involved in developing
what in the words of Dr Phil Cummins says is a “world class
programme”, I will be returning to my other passion, the
NZDF in 2018. It has been an honour to be part of developing
educated men of outstanding character for a brief moment
in time. Onward.

Paul King
Leadership Director
20th September 2017

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 75

The work of this programme was dedicated to the memory of Sir Edmund Hillary in 2008; to Austin Hemmings – a New
Zealander who died going to the assistance of someone in need in Auckland in 2009; to the memory of Constable
Len Snee, the 29th Police Officer to die in the line of duty in New Zealand in 2010; to the memory of Lieutenant Tim
O’Donnell, DSD, in 2011, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for New Zealand on operations in Afghanistan in August
2010; to the example of the New Zealander of the Year (2010) Ray Avery in 2012; in 2013, it was dedicated to the life
and example set by NZ Scientist, Sir Paul Callaghan, who addressed the school in 2010 whilst fighting his illness of
cancer (which took his life in 2012), and whose son, Chris, is an Old Boy and former Dux of PNBHS (1991); in 2014, it
was dedicated to the life of Second World War veteran and Old Boy, Tony Pierard, who passed away in 2012; in 2015,
in the 100th year since the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli, we remembered the memory of Major-General Sir Howard
Kippenberger KBE, CB, DSO, ED who opened the Memorial Gallery at PNBHS in 1953 and his comrade in arms and Old
Boy Major General Sir Harold Barrowclough, KCMG, CB, PC, DSO & Bar, MC, ED, former Chief Justice of New Zealand.
In 2016, we remembered our fallen kauri, Dawson Tamatea, a great leader, role model and ardent supporter of this
programme since its inception in the school; In 2017, we dedicated the programme to Celia Lashlie, author of “The
Good Man Project”study into boys’schools and ardent supporter of boys’character education. In 2018, we dedicate the
programme to three recently deceased staff members who gave their all to developing character in so many young
men in this school over so many years – Brent Costley, Jimmy Crosswell and Steve Burnley. Their collective spirits remain

in this institution. Lest We Forget!

Year 9 Class Captains Year 10 Class Captains

76 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

LIBRARY

STUDENT LIBRARIANS
Back Row: Matthew McEwen, Jordan Neall, Trent Hooper, Luke Scott
3rd Row: Dahrien Barnett, Andrew Karatea, Nick Slegers, Nick Punnett, Nic Frost, William Jones, Kavish Desai
2nd Row: Mrs D. Kennedy (Library Assistant), Mrs T. Burt (Librarian), Janos Heiser, Connor Hurnard, Jack Harvey, John
Robinson, Finn Davidson, Keegan Leask, Christopher Dewhurst, Mrs V. Langley (Library Manager)
Front Row: Victor van Eyk, Jeremy Lloyd, Campbell Stevens, Emmanuel Joseph Shaji, Samuel Bentham, Jacob Jochem,
Antoine Ryba-Edwards, Matt Deakin, Kaleb Humpage-Pinto
Absent: Joel Grant

Library Manager: Mrs V. Langley and the whole range of displays, which Mrs Kennedy uses
to promote the interesting variety of books and magazines
Library Staff: Mrs T. Burt, Mrs D. Kennedy we have, either amuse, educate or challenge our students
and staff alike. She has organised a dirt bike to be loaned to
Our year started with the huge project of a new roof over us for two weeks and had a “How to tie your necktie” stand
the whole Admin/Library block. In spite of noise, startling complete with four ties, instructions, books on etiquette and
crashes and a foot coming through my office ceiling, the a mirror – just before the school ball. My thanks go to them
Library stayed open. Thanks to the 2016 Prefects and the PTA, both! We are very grateful too, to Allan Bailey, the school IT
we were gifted with three red, three-seater couches which technician (who is a past Student Librarian) and who has
add much-needed seating to our popular centre. been incredibly helpful this year, with his quick and intuitive
solutions to our varied IT problems.
School libraries are no longer only the place to get books!
We have a keyboard and three guitars, donated by the Music We have a hard-working Student Librarian team of 28 and
department, which students can either experience for the wish those leaving us a prosperous year ahead. The leavers
first time or play inspiring music on. Our range of board are Samuel Bentham (Head Student Librarian), Emmanuel
games gives our boys skills and social interaction, which they Joseph Shaji (Deputy Head Student Librarian), Joel Grant,
wouldn’t get from sitting in front of screens. Laptop use is Jack Harvey, Jeremy Lloyd, Nick Punnett and John Robinson.
banned from the Library as we have 24 desktop computers Without all of your years of service, this Library would not
for school work or research, and many boys would just game have run as efficiently. Thank you to the whole team!
or watch YouTube. It is lovely to see the interactive fun the
students have before school, at interval, at lunchtime and Sam Bentham, Head Student Librarian, reports:
after school. Some even curl up on a beanbag and read a
book! We love to see our regulars grow up over the years As my last year as a Student Librarian at PNBHS, it has been
they spend with us. a pleasure to watch so many new, motivated and dedicated
students give up their time as Student Librarians. While their
This year we offer eBooks for the first time through Wheelers hard work and dedication to the school goes unheard of,
ePlatform. Although our readers tend to prefer hard copies, they continue to work diligently and with a positive attitude,
we now have plenty of the classics, plus the more popular which is highly commended and appreciated by the Library
teen titles in digital format. staff. I think it is safe to say that we have had a huge number
of Student Librarians in our team this year and each and every
I work full-time and am ably assisted by my two colleagues, one of them is greatly appreciated, as it has spread the large
Mrs Tessa Burt (Librarian) who works mornings and Mrs workload that comes with the job. As I leave at the end of this
Deborah Kennedy (Library Assistant) who takes over for year, I look forward to coming back in the future and visiting
the afternoons. They work with creativity and enthusiasm

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 77

(L-R): Emmanuel Joseph Shaji and Samuel Bentham. Modern learning environment

the PNBHS Library and hope to see that the positive attitude, and improving the enjoyable environment that the Library
diligent and focused work ethic and motivated students that is. Without their hard work and dedication, the Library would
I have had the pleasure to work alongside the last four years not be what it is today, and so we are extremely grateful for
continues to develop. And I would like to pass thanks to Mrs their devotion.
Langley, Mrs Burt and Mrs Kennedy for creating, maintaining

MATHEMATICS

Head of Department: Dr M. Smith participation in competitions, the University of Otago Junior
Mathematics Competition, Mathex and the ICAS.
Staff: Mr K. Benn, Ms L. Cameron, Mr M. Davidson, Mr
A. Ducre, Mr H. Forbes, Mr C Grayson, Mr P. Gibbs, Mr MATHEX
B. Kensington,  Mr T. McTamney,  Mr J. Meehan,  Mr
G. McQueen-Davies, Mr V. Ong, Mr D. Parrott, Mr H. Mathex is a regional Maths competition which PNBHS
Pinder, Mr A. Rehutai, Mr J. Ross, Mr D. Toomer, Mr P. traditionally does pretty well in. It is made up of teams of
Truter, Mr S. Vindriis, Ms A. Wong. four, completing 5 practical and 20 quickfire questions in
15 minutes. The practical questions this year were tough,
The major changes to our teaching programmes have now involving area problems and pentomino puzzles that would
had time to bed in. We offer three different programmes in have most senior students and Maths teachers alike looking
the Senior School to better meet the needs of our students. for inspiration. The Year 9’s this year rose up to the challenge
We offer Calculus and Statistics at Level 2, to mirror the taking out first and second equal, a feat that they should be
options in Year 13. The Level 2 Calculus course, which is very proud of. The Year 10’s took out first, second and third
predominantly algebra, gives our students better curriculum equal. Another superb result.
coverage of the concepts required for Level 3 Calculus.
The Level 2 Statistics course, while containing very little Year 9 Winners: Jacob Dredge, Alex Cole, Blake Storrier and
traditional Mathematics, challenges our students to think Dan van der Spuy
critically about data and variation. The results produced by
boys in these courses are encouraging and bode well for
success at Level 3. These courses run alongside Mathematics
offered to the students who want to continue with some
Mathematics, but do not relish the challenge of Calculus.

This year, we have concentrated on improving our junior
programmes to ensure they meet the needs of students as
they prepare to face the challenges of NCEA. We have worked
on introducing “Growth Mindset” to our students. We have
maintained an emphasis on students being able to explain
their solutions and to use ‘extended abstract thinking’ to
solve problems.

Our focus areas for 2018 will be continuing the development
of problem-solving skills, an emphasis on the correct setting
out of solutions and basic facts.

Following the successful introduction of a pilot scheme last
year, Mrs Jackie Tomlinson has parttime hours to focus on
lifting the achievement of a number of young men in the
Junior School who have had limited success in Mathematics.
This has taken the form of small group sessions, typically of
eight weeks duration.

The Maths Department continues to offer the opportunity
for young men to extend and challenge themselves through

78 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

62 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2014 2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 79

KEY ACADEMIC RESULTS
Academic Results 2016
Scholarship
Calculus
Jae Lee, Finlay McRae, Malachi Hill, Liam Allen, Stanley
Jackson, Long Qian
Statistics
Samuel Sartie, David Martin, Long Qian.

Massey University
Calculus 160.101
A+: Timothy Cen, Kaveesha Fernando, Malachi Hill, Niall
Malone, Samuel Reddish, Simon Su, Long Qian
A: Jacob Rasmussen
A-: David Peck, Simon Pritchard

Year 10 Winners: Ciaran Carroll, Paul Lee, Cameron Van Academic Results 2017
Rynbach and Paul Kaiser Massey University
Introductory Statistics 161.120
Well done to all those who have made the effort to attend A+: Alexander Antoine de Joux
practices and to those who participated. Many thanks to Ms A: Phillip Lee, John Robinson
Wong for her hours of tuition. A-: Michael Harris, Stanley Jackson, Wei Lim
Linear Mathematics 160.102
STAFFING A+: Ryan Adams, William Hunter, Stanley Jackson, Jaesung
Lee, Phillip Lee, Finlay McRae, John Robinson
There has been only one significant staff change, with Mr A: Connor Beck, Victor Ferreira van Eyk, Nathan Lau, Benjamin
McTamney rejoining the Mathematics Department for the McAlley
eighth time. A-: Jonas Holman, Alan Kirk, Keun Hee Lee, Nico Lieffering,
Gregor McIntosh, Joe Thurlby
The Mathematics Department staff are a highly trained and ICAS Mathematics Competition
professional group who go out of their way to ensure that High Distinction – Ciaran Carroll.
each of their students have the opportunity to reach their Plus 20 Distinction, 49 Credit, and 16 Merit grades.
potential in Mathematics. There have been a large number Otago Junior Mathematics Competition
of tutorials offered both at lunchtime and after school. The Top 30 –Ciaran Carroll, Cameron Van Rynbach
academic results below are testament to their efforts. Top 200 – Alex Cole, Jacob Dredge, Daniel van der Spuy,
Kavindith Rodrigo, Caleb Martin
Merit – Ryan Bennett, Shaheer Hussain, Samuel McFadzean,
Aden Porritt, Kevin Chen, Paul Teoh

MUSIC

Head of Department: Mr G. Young competition at the Tauranga Jazz Festival were abandoned,
as it was unsafe to travel.
Staff: Mr P. Dredge, Mrs H. Dearlove [Arts Coordinator] Term 2 is hectic, with a major event or competition most
weeks from May to June. Stage Band and OK Chorale
Yet another busy year for the Music Department began, as performed at the Manawatu Tattoo held at Manfield Park,
usual, with a large number of students involved in the Senior Feilding on the last weekend in the school holidays to large,
Production. As exhausting as this is, students and staff still appreciative crowds.
made efforts to prepare for the gruelling commitments
to follow. We were fortunate to have newly minted PhD. The Stage Band at the Manawatu Tattoo
Dr Andrew Withington, Director of NZ Secondary Schools
Choir, as guest mentor for the OK Chorale sqaud in March.
His input and infectious enthusiasm set the group up well
for the year, producing a great sound from the final lineup.
With five members of NZSSC in the group, which is the same
number as from all schools in Christchurch, hopes were high.

Stage Band welcomed a large percentage of new members
from Years 10 and 11, which is in part due to the success of
our Classroom Concert Band Programme. After a weekend
retreat at Highland Home, they gelled into a cohesive
unit very quickly under the mercurial guidance of Neville
Lauridsen in preparation for a number of competitions and
appearances they make each year.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had the final say at the end of
Term 1 and both the planned Cultural Exchange with New
Plymouth Boys’ High School and Stage Band’s first tilt at

80 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

Manawatu Big Band and Best High School Band Overall. Keun
Hee Lee, once again, received the award for Best Trombone.

In a very congested period, Stage Band then headed to
Wellington for the NZ School of Music Jazz Project - a
flying visit, as students from the Band were then required
to be back in Palmerston North for the Chamber Music
Competition by 4.30pm. Another quality performance
was praised by the adjudicators and Stage Band were just
pipped for Best Band by Rangitoto College from Auckland.
Best Solo again went to Keun Hee, giving him a hat-trick for
instrumental solo awards in competition.

The OK Chorale at the Manawatu Tattoo

The first week of Term ended with a trip to the Hawke’s Bay
Festival of Bands for the Concert Band and Stage Band.
Both ensembles played well for the start of Term. Concert
Band disappointingly received a Bronze and Stage Band a
silver. Leader of Stage Band Keun Hee Lee garnered the first
of a string of awards for Best Soloist in the competition. Both
Bands lifted their game and were rewarded with Golds at the
Feilding Festival later in the term.

The Concert Band at the Hawke’s Bay Festival of Bands

The Stage Band at the Hawke’s Bay Festival of Bands In the Chamber Music Competition, the school was
represented by three groups, ‘Live Wires’ guitar ensemble
The Manawatu Jazz Festival on Queen’s Birthday weekend (Chris Dewhurst, Josh Hubbard, Sam Waru, Victor Van Wyk),
is one of Stage Band’s major focus points for the year. After and two string groups ‘Sonata Problem’ (Ray Su, Robin Park,
an outstanding performance, they were awarded Best Krit Sitkrongvong) and ‘No Frets’ (Nathan Lau, Paul Teoh,
Ciaran Carroll). Ciaran Carrol, Ronan Carroll and Changhee
Cho also competed as a piano trio‘Six Hands’.‘Six Hands’were
awarded the Best NZ Piece for a piano piece composed by
Old Boy, Nick Hunter.‘No Frets’won Best Overall Performance
with a consummate display. They were invited to compete
at the Central Regional finals in Napier, which is an excellent
achievement for a group which comprises two Year 10
students.

Our focus shifted from instrumental to vocal as two quartets
went to Wellington for the Regional ‘Young Singers in
Harmony’Barbershop Competition.‘Noteworthy’(Patrick
Takurua, Robin Park, Keun Hee Lee, Carson Taare) placed
third and ‘Mango Peel’ (Joseph Medyckyj-Scott, Daniel
Hodgetts, Josiah Nevell, Kyle Dahl) placed fourth, just one
point behind. At Nationals held in September, ‘Noteworthy’,
with Patrick replaced by Callum Crawley, placed eighth in a
very strong field.

The Regional Big Sing, held at The Regent, comprises
the largest number of students that we take to a single
competition, with over 170 participants. ‘PMU’ is made up

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 81

of 80 Year 9 and 10 Performance Music students as part of
their course. ‘Pasifika’ is a student-directed and run group
of 40 Pacific Island students. ‘Son of a Pitch’, our ‘all comers’
choir this year, comprised 83 students, as well as our elite
group, OK Chorale. These groups worked very hard for the
Big Sing and were all rewarded with awards. ‘PMU’ was
commended, ‘Son of a Pitch’ highly commended in the
non-competition category, and Pasifika gained the ‘Spirit of
the Festival’ award. The evening Gala concert was capped
off with OK Chorale being awarded the Best A Cappella
Performance for their German piece ‘Grab und Mund’ and
Best Overall Choir. Despite having an outstanding sound and
being comparable to past finale groups, OK Chorale was not
selected to compete at Nationals, being selected as one of
four reserve choirs. Although this still places the group in the
top handful of male ensembles in the country, not making
the finals still stings.

Rockquest this year was very low on numbers and we
were represented by two solo singer songwriters, Lewis
Halewood and Carson Taare. Carson was awarded Best
Male Voice. As the competition season drew to a close,
we began to contemplate the School Concert. This year,
loosely themed around the 1970’s, the show involved over
200 students and showcased the diversity of talent that we
have. The first half was more formal and showed the skills
and virtuosity of Pasifika, Kapa Haka and our top string trio
‘No Frets’, as well as the developing skills of our Year 9 and
10 Concert Bands. The Senior Concert Band enthusiastically
performed a medley from Queen and‘Son of a Pitch’rounded
off the half with ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’. The second
half gave our Seniors licence to cut loose, and the crowd
showed their appreciation for a nostalgic programme with
standards from Bowie, Eagles, Lynard Skynard and Abba.
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Head Prefect
Patrick Takurua channelling John Clark as Fred Dagg with
some great satire and rousing crowd participation of ‘The
Gumboot Song’. General consensus was that this was one
of the most entertaining concerts of recent years.

We were delighted to welcome New Plymouth Boys’ High
School in a rescheduled Cultural Exchange late in Term 3.
The New Plymouth group were welcomed on to the school
grounds with a Wero from the senior Maori students, a
stirring first for the school. This was followed by a series of
workshops in Kapa Haka, song-writing, vocal technique and
jazz improvisation, culminating in an evening concert. This is
the second year that we have had a purely Cultural Exchange
with NPBHS, but it is already proving to be a valuable and
positive addition to our calendar.

82 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

So, finally, we can start to draw breath a little. Term 4 sees 2017 RESULTS
a final combined end of year concert with OK Chorale and PNBHS Concert Band: Bronze Award – Hawke’s Bay Festival
PNGHS’ Cantatrices. Stage Band has a Dine and Dance of Bands; Gold Award - Feilding Festival of Bands
evening, building on last year’s very successful event, and OK Chorale: Best Overall Award – Manawatu Regional Big
the Junior Performing Arts Showcase will allow Year 9 and Sing; Best A Capella Performance - Manawatu Regional Big
10 Concert bands to show what they have learnt. The move Sing
towards a Classroom Concert Band Programme over the last Barbershop: ‘Noteworthy’ – 3rd place –Wellington Regional
three years has had a profound impact on the Department, Quartet, Young Singers in Harmony; Selection for National
with over 150 students playing in our three bands. It has been Competition in September, Auckland
particularly pleasing to have been a part of this evolution. The ‘Mango Peel’ – 4th place - Wellington Regional Quartet,
Music Department continues to be a vibrant and exciting Young Singers in Harmony; Wildcard selection for National
place, full of energy and opportunities. Competition in September, Auckland
PNBHS Stage Band, Best Manawatu Big Band - Manawatu
Thanks as always to our tireless team of teachers, tutors, Jazz Festival; Best Big Band Overall -Youth Competition; Silver
students, parents and supporters. Award - Hawke’s Bay Festival of Bands; Gold Award – Feilding
Festival of Bands; Most Entertaining Band- Feilding Festival
SHAND SHIELD CHORAL COMPETITION of Bands; Silver Award – NZ Jazz Project, Wellington
‘No Frets’ string trio: Overall Winners - Manawatu Regional
The Shand Shield Choral Competition was held in the last Chamber Music Competition; Selection in Central District
week of Term 3. Each club formed a group of up to 40 singers Regional Winners Competition, Napier
from all year levels to perform two songs. The compulsory Rockquest: Carson Taare - advanced to Regional final - Best
song this year was the School Motto Song, which is the Male Voice Award; Lewis Halewood- advance to Regional
most difficult one in rotation as it does not easily allow for final
modification, but all clubs handled this well with some Keun Hee Lee: Best Trombone Solo – Manawatu Jazz
simple additional harmony. Competition; Best Soloist – Hawke’s Bay Festival of Bands;
Best Trombone Solo – NZ Jazz Project, Wellington
The theme this year was Movie Favourites, where clubs Digby Werthmuller: Best Soloist – Feilding Festival of Bands
had to choose a song strongly associated with a film. Song
selection is extremely important in the competiton and 2017 NZ REPRESENTATIVES
choosing the right song for your club’s abilities has a strong Keun Hee Lee: NZ Secondary Students Choir
bearing on the final placings. Daniel Hodgetts: NZ Secondary Students Choir
Josiah Nevell: NZ Secondary Students Choir
All clubs had strong leadership teams this year and are to Robin Park: NZ Secondary Students Choir
be commended for the effort that they put in to prepare Carson Taare: NZ Secondary Students Choir
for the competition and for the way that they ran the Nathan Lau: NZ Secondary Students Orchestra
rehearsals. With only four hours to work on the two songs, Joe Inman: NZ Secondary Students Brass Band
it is a pressure-cooker day for all concerned.
Feilding Festival of Bands
It was an extremely tight competition with the overall
standard being very high. Very little separated a number of
clubs. The clear winner, however, was Phoenix, whose movie
song was ‘Tuhoe’ by Rua Kenana from ‘Once Were Warriors’.

The award for Outstanding Leadership in the Shand Shield
Choral Competition went to Phoenix’s director, Miracle Malu.

Results: 1st: Phoenix – ‘Tuhoe’; 2nd: Kia Ora – ‘Lean On Me’;
3rd: ‘Vernon - Stand By Me’; 4th: Murray - ‘I Just Can’t Wait To
Be King’; 5th: Albion – ‘Slice of Heaven’; 6th: Gordon – ‘I’m a
Believer’

Tutors: Phil Boniface: Contemporary Mentoring, Kirsten
Clark: Voice, Paul Dredge: Bass/Cello, Ted Frickleton: Drums,
Sheran Hancock: Bagpipes, Winston Hoare: Brass, Christy
Hunter: Flute, Neville Lauridsen: Stage Band, Johnny
McCormick: Saxophone, Jeanette McGrath: Guitar, Marise
McNeill: Strings, Jami Wallace: Keyboards/Saxophone.

Phoenix Club performing Nathan Lau, Paul Teoh, Ciaran Carroll receive their music
ties for their dedication and high achievement as part of
the ‘No Frets’ Chamber Music Group

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 83

84 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Head of Department: Mr D. Durie the New Zealand Police. Loves Me Not is aimed at helping
young people explore healthy relationships so that young
Staff: Mr D. Barwick, Ms L. Cameron, Mr S. Davidson, Mr people live their lives free from the harm of unhealthy and
R. Doyle, Mr P. Finch, Mr S. Henderson, Mr S. McFarlane, abusive relationships. A big thank you to the New Zealand
Mr J. Moore, Mr A. Stephenson, Mr D. Tomlinson, Mr Police, Oranga Tamariki (CYFS), Manline, Highbury Whanau
B. van Stipriaan Centre, Te Wakahuia, Womens Refuge, YOSS, Te Manawa
Family Services and the PNBHS staff who volunteered to
2017 has been another busy and successful year for the support the delivery of this programme.
Physical Education Department. Academically, there were
three Level Three classes, four Level Two classes and four
Level One classes. Next year, we are introducing Level
One Health and High Performance Sport into our NCEA
programmes. In the Junior programme, we have placed an
emphasis on general fitness and conditioning, where each
lesson starts with aerobic and conditioning activities. This
was in response to the levels of fitness of students dropping
over recent years.

This year, students took part in an ACC funded programme Every teacher in the Department contributes to the wider
called Mates and Dates, facilitated by experienced external school in many aspects, including the coaching of sports
staff. The programme is designed for NZ Secondary teams and the EOTC programmes. This can impact on our
School students across Years 9 - 13 to promote safe, teaching time, but is an integral part of our school culture.
healthy and respectful relationships. It is made up of 5 key
themes: healthy relationships; skills and consent; identity,
gender and sexuality; when things go wrong; and keeping
safe together. The Year 10 students completed the 5-week
programme in Term 1 and the Year 9 and Year 11 students
completed it in Term 2. The programme is aligned with
the Health and Physical Education learning area and key
competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum and is a multi-
year programme, where it continues on for the following
year level programme.

On 7 September, the Loves Me Not programme was
delivered to young men in Year 12. This programme has
been developed jointly by the Sophie Elliott Foundation and

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 85

SCIENCE

Head of Department: Mrs G. Reid summer break. This ended up being fruitless search, with
the Department having to employ part-time junior Science
Staff: teachers in 2017, so the more experienced teachers could
General Science - Ms C. Bradley, Ms J. Mann, Mr M. teach the senior classes. These amazing junior Science
Lowe, Mr B. van Stipriaan, Mr A. Stephenson,  Mr S. teachers were Ms Catherine Bradley, Ms Jennifer Mann, Ms
Trembath, Mr M. Liddicoat Gael Stefani, Mr Stu Trembath and Mr Alex Stephenson. Mr
Biology and General Science - Mr J. Blanks, Mr S. Blair van Stipriaan (from PE) also stepped in to teach a junior
Lambert, Mr T. Meldrum, Mr D. Pegler, Mr D. Waters  Science class. Ms Sue Taylor (HOD Chemistry) and Mr Chris
Physics and General Science - Mr C. Currie, Mr D. Hop Currie (HOD Physics) had to take on an extra senior Chemistry
Wo, Mr P. Mills and Physics class respectively, to cover the absences. Then,
Electronics - Mr D. Liengme to add to the teacher shortage fiasco, Mr Rob Ferreira
Chemistry and General Science - Mrs A. Fletcher, Mrs (Chemistry) announced his departure from Palmy Boys’ at
G. Reid, Ms S. Taylor  the end of Term 1. Classes were shifted around again to
Horticulture and General Science - Mr R. Jochem, Mrs accommodate this loss. There was quite a bit of unrest within
J. Neale  the Department, but things quickly settled down, and before
Science Technicians - Mrs T. Pinkney and Mrs R. Calton we knew it, we were well and truly in the throes of doing our
duty as Palmy Boys’teachers. The staff’s dedication and hard
It is hard to believe it’s that time again to sit down and write work in providing our students with a quality education and
an article for the 2017 Palmerstonian. Where did 2017 go? promoting excellence in Science education does not ever
Needless to say, another busy year of teaching, learning, falter. This is certainly appreciated.
experiments, Science competitions and much more.
We farewell Ms Anja Hadley-Jones at the end of this year
Our year started off with staffing issues. With Mr Nick and wish her well. She has been on maternity leave for the
Horvath (Physics/Science) and Mr Sam Currie (Chemistry/ last year and has decided to further her professional career by
Science) leaving for greener pastures at the end of 2016, studying to be an Environmental Engineer. We look forward
the Science Department was left on the back foot trying to to hearing more news from her in coming years. Mrs Anna
find two specialist subject replacement teachers over the Fletcher also leaves PNBHS after more than ten years’service.

86 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

She leaves us to go to Christian Cornerstone School where The Massey University Maori Academy of Science
she will be teaching senior Chemistry and General Science. – Puhoro – expanded its student repertoire this year to
Anna has been a valued member of the Science Department include Year 11 and 12 students. Puhoro is run by Massey
and will be sadly missed. She has been in charge of the University and the group of PNBHS students involved with
Accelerate Programme and has been our key liaison person the programme are ones who have committed to the
for the Manawatu Science and Technology Fair and for Crest. Science programme with the backing of their whanau. Mr
Anna has been a great friend and colleague to many of us Stacey Lambert is the PNBHS Liaison Officer for this Science
in the Department and we wish her the very best with her programme set up to encourage and help students of Maori
new endeavours. ethnicity in Science. Every Wednesday, the students have
Science tutorials to help them with certain aspects of their
At the end of this year, we sadly farewell Mr Terry Meldrum learning or they have guest speakers attend, where they get
who came to Palmerston North Boys’ High School from first-hand experiences of how Science relates to the world
Fairfield College in Hamilton in March 1985. This makes his around them. Unfortunately, the programme is only funded
long association with PNBHS just under a third of a century! for fifteen students at each year level and the demand to be
Terry Meldrum was appointed Head of Department (Biology), a part of Puhoro exceeds what Massey University can offer.
a position he held for twenty-eight years before handing over Thank you Stacey for organising the Puhoro programme
his responsibilities to Mr Des Waters. Mr Meldrum’s intention and for being such a great role model for our young men.
over the last five years was to slowly cut back on his teaching
load with a view to retiring at the end of this year, but, with
this year’s staff shortage dramas, Mr Meldrum was asked to
take on another senior Science class. Of course, Terry being
Terry, he obliged without any complaints. Mr Meldrum
managed a football team in his early years at PNBHS and then
went on to manage various PNBHS basketball teams for the
last twenty-five years. He has also been the sole organiser,
business manager and marketer of the PNBHS Beekeeping
Club. Mr Meldrum also ran the Astronomy Club at PNBHS,
offering the students unique opportunities and wonderful
learning experiences outside the classroom. Mr Meldrum,
with all his experience, vast knowledge, dedication to PNBHS
and his teaching expertise, will be sadly missed by both staff
and students alike. We wish him well in his retirement years
and hope he realises what a huge impact he has had on so
many of our young men and fellow staff.

2018 is looking promising for the Science Department. We
have successfully employed some great academic staff
to join the Science team to teach Physics, Chemistry and
Biology. We look forward to working with them and all the
special skills and experience they bring with them to share
with the Department.

Our junior students were treated to the National Science-
Technology Roadshow’s annual visit in March. They got
to have an exciting hands-on experience with interactive
displays explaining common concepts within the Science
curriculum that they learn about. This was an enjoyable
couple of days and a huge “thank you” should go to our
Year 10 volunteer students who helped with the exhibition.

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 87

test and for those who excelled in this Science Competition.

This year, the Otago Science Quiz was sat by seventy-one
students on 10 June 2017. The cohort consisted of senior
students who volunteered to sit the quiz. Two students
gained third place in New Zealand for their year level, namely,
Ryan Adams and Aidan Berkahn, and each received $100 for
their efforts.

The annual International Competitions and Assessments for This year at the 43rd Manawatu Science and Technology
Schools (ICAS) Science test was held in late May this year. Two Fair (MSTF), Jacob Aull, Jonas Holman, Lachlan Walcroft,
hundred and thirty-nine students took the test appropriate Rohan Sharma and Davis Farrar-Ferguson won the Fonterra
for their year level, of which two students, Ryan Adams and High Distinction Science and Technology prizes for the
Ciaran Carroll, received High Distinction grades (in the top research projects they presented at the competition. Jacob
1% of students in NZ and the Pacific region who sat the ICAS Aull also went on to win various Cultural Heritage awards,
test). Twenty-six students gained Distinction grades this while Jonas Holman won the NZ Institute of Chemistry
year, while eighty-five students got Credit or Merit grades.
Congratulations should go to all the students who sat the

88 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

award. The Massey University Institute of Fundamental Plans to undertake the refurbishment of S-Block are now
Sciences Statistics Prize (Highly Recommended) was at the ‘Ministry phase’. It has been a long waiting process –
awarded to Emmanuel Joseph Shaji, John Robinson and certainly a test in patience for the Science staff who teach
Alan Kirk. out of S-Block. Hopefully, this will be a short-lived phase
and 2018 brings with it news of the refurbishment getting
In early 2017, pleasing NCEA results came our way. Our the green light.
Level 1 Science results showed an average 78% pass rate at
Level 1 external examinations, which, when compared with As always, I would like to wish my team a very Merry
the national average pass rate of 74%, indicates that we are Christmas and a super restful holiday. Thank you for all your
doing slightly better nationally. The Scholarship results were support, hard work and dedication to our students and our
a little disappointing, but not for the Physics Department, school. Have a happy new year!
which obtained eleven Physics scholarships. The Biology
Department got one scholarship and Chemistry got none.
Overall, in the three Sciences, we had a pass rate of around
70% at all three levels, which is comparable to National
results. Our Maori and Pasifika students are still not meeting
the required pass rate but, in general, some improvement
can be seen throughout the various levels.

As always, the PNBHS Parent Teacher Association should be
thanked for enabling the Science Department to buy more
microscopes this year. These are an essential resource and
are used by the full range of year levels. We are slowly trying
to replace our old microscopes with new ones, a process that
will take a few years.

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 89

CULTURAL AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES

90 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

ASTRONOMY

Teacher in Charge: Mr T. Meldrum eighty stars, and more than thirty are visible, mostly yellow
and blue.
Each year we concentrate on a different constellation and
the deep sky objects nearby. Last year it was Scorpius and its The two most popular planets this year were Jupiter and
‘Jewel Box’. This year, we studied the adjacent constellation Saturn. They were visible for most of the winter and simple to
Sagittarius, Southern Crown and Ptolemy’s cluster. Sagittarius locate owing to their brightness. Next year they will be well-
rises in the eastern sky just a little later than Scorpius, easily placed again, and Mars will also be big and easy to recognise.
recognised by its teapot shape. On 31 July 2018, Mars will be in a favourable position. This
will be its closest approach to Earth since August 2003. Detail
On the school fields during a moonless night, the lights on Mars is hard to identify, but it will look large this time, and
from the buildings and the street lamps provide enough the ice caps should be obvious.
illumination for a twenty-second exposure photograph. In
this ‘action’ shot, the reflecting telescope is tracking across Next year will start with an interesting event. A total lunar
the sky, the refracting telescope is fixed on Saturn, and a boy eclipse on the night of 31 January/1 February. This will be
with a smartphone running an astronomy app is holding it the first visible from New Zealand since April 2015 when
up to identify the constellations beyond. Learning the winter scores of boys turned up at school to take photographs of
constellations at school is useful, because it enables boys the ‘blood moon’. The dispersion of sunlight through the
to have help locating interesting nebulae and star clusters. Earth’s atmosphere at total eclipse will cast a red glow onto
There were few clear skies this year, but knowing where the full moon.
the deep sky objects are allowed them to dart outside with
binoculars at home on any cloudless night and get a close
view. Ptolemy’s cluster is impressive through binoculars,
spanning more than a full moon’s diameter. There are about

Sagittarius in the August sky Watching Jupiter and Saturn in the July sky

BARROWCLOUGH LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

Leadership Director: Mr P. King Barrowclough Award (Senior School) were launched in 2009.
BACKGROUND The Barrowclough Programme and Barrowclough Award
The Barrowclough Programme (Junior School) and are named in memory of a prestigious Old Boy, Sir Harold
Barrowclough, KCMG, CB, DSO and Bar, MC, ED. He dedicated
his life to serving New Zealand in two professions in both the
Military and in Law. He rose in both professions through his
committed and dedicated service built upon strong personal
core values of courage, respect, integrity and humility to
proudly serve his country, working very hard throughout
his life and pursuing excellence in all that he undertook.

He was a prominent sportsman, academic and leader at
school from 1907 to 1912 where he obtained a University
Scholarship and was Dux Litterarum. He was a member of the
1st XV Rugby team for three years, was Head Boy at College

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 91

House and Head Boy of the school. He was also Captain of Men of Outstanding Character’ who display the values of
the Debating team and wrote the first Palmerstonian. He Courage, Humility, Industry, Integrity, Pride and Respect,
studied Law at Otago University, and he served his country and, of course, for Palmerston North Boys’ High School to
in both the First and Second World Wars. He was awarded be recognised as the institution that has developed these
the Military Cross for his “exemplary gallantry during active outstanding young men.
operations against the enemy” as a Company Commander
during the Battle of the Somme and later was decorated BARROWCLOUGH PROGRAMME AND AWARD IN 2017
with the DSO for“conspicuous gallantry and able leadership” 2017 is the seventh year in which the Barrowclough
whilst commanding the 4thBattalion later in this campaign. Programme and Barrowclough Award have been delivered
During World War Two, he was awarded a Bar to his DSO to all year levels throughout the school.
for his “conspicuous bravery and brilliant leadership” as the The Barrowclough Programme
Commander of the 6th NZ Brigade during savage fighting • Key components of the Barrowclough Programme are the
around Sidi Rezegh during the second Libyan campaign.
He reached the rank of Major General and was selected Leadership Seminars delivered by Mr King, involvement in
to command the 3rd NZ Division in the Pacific. Following community service, co-curricular activities and the Merit
World War Two and after a long career in Law, he became Referral process.
the Chief Justice of New Zealand in 1953, a role he fulfilled • This is supported by 109 Year 13 students who act as
for 13 years. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1954 Mentors to all Year 9 and 10 Form Classes.
and was instrumental in the formation of the Court of Appeal • A positive classroom attitude is encouraged and
as a separate court in New Zealand. recognised at the end of Year 10 with the awarding of the
Barrowclough Programme Certificates to those young met
RATIONALE that have met the required standard.

The Barrowclough Programme assists in the achievement of The Barrowclough Award
the Palmerston North Boys’ High School Vision: To Develop • At Year 11 and 12, a key component of the Barrowclough
Educated Men of Outstanding Character, who embrace the
School Values of Courage, Humility, Industry, Integrity, Pride, Award are the Barrowclough seminars.
and Respect. This is achieved through encouraging young • 131 Year 11, 99 Year 12 and 59 Year 13 students are enrolled
men to strive to fulfil their potential in all aspects of their
lives. The Barrowclough Award provides extra incentive and in the Barrowclough Award in 2017.
recognition to young men in the Senior School who seek to • Senior students have been challenged to show greater
challenge and extend themselves.
leadership and get more involved in the Junior School.
In the Junior School, the Barrowclough Programme The feedback from the students involved has been very
recognises young men who have gained positive attitude positive.
grades in their end of year reports, have had excellent • The following achieved a Gold Barrowclough Award in
levels of attendance and have been involved in school 2014, 2015 and 2016. Their final award was presented at
and co-curricular activities. Students who meet these the 2016 Prizegiving: Timothy Abbiss, Ben Blyde, Timothy
criteria are presented with a certificate that acknowledges Cen, Jordan Collins, Joel Fleet-Stephenson, Zared Griffiths,
their successful involvement in the Barrowclough Junior Malachi Hill, Nathan Hotter, William Johanson, Mitchell
Programme. Kinghorn, Campbell McHugh, Geordie Rogers, Isaiah
Smiler, Simon Su, Te Ariki Te Puni, Elliot Tuck.
In the Senior School, students have the opportunity to
enter into the Barrowclough Award scheme. Through their
pursuit of excellence across all aspects of their schooling
and full participation in the wider life of the school, as well as
participating in community service initiatives, they have the
opportunity to gain points during the year. Accumulation
of a certain number of qualifying points will result in the
awarding of either a Gold, Silver or Bronze certificate of
recognition.

At Year 11 and Year 12, the Barrowclough Award recognises
a young man’s all-round participation in the wider life of the
school, while at Year 13, there is a greater focus on in-depth
involvement and reflection. The Bronze Award is within
the grasp of all young men who approach their schooling
in a committed manner, while the Gold Award provides
an incentive to those who are highly motivated to extend
themselves further.

The Barrowclough Award provides young men with a point
of difference and a goal to strive for in serving their school
and pursuing excellence across as many fields as possible.
Barrowclough Programme students are stand-out candidates
for formal leadership development as they pass through the
Senior School and it places them in a position to compete
for Prefect positions in the school.

Over time, we would like to see the Barrowclough
Programme and the Barrowclough Award become nationally
recognised, with the recipients to be renowned as‘Educated

92 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

Merit Referrals

• The number of Merit Referrals being made by staff, and the
range of activities covered by these referrals, continues to
increase. This has resulted in greater recognition for young
men who approach their schooling in a positive manner.

• Merit Referrals are coveted by the students and are an
excellent way for students to show that they understand
and aspire to our school values of Courage, Humility,
Integrity, Respect, Pride and Industry.

COMMUNITY SERVICE • World Vision Sausage Sizzles – Sausage sizzles in Terms
1 and 2 to raise money for World Vision.
The focus on community service through the Leadership and
Barrowclough Programmes has continued. • School Service Opportunities – A number of
opportunities occur throughout the year where volunteers
Examples of community service activities that students are requested to assist such as guides for School Open Day,
choose to participate in: set up for Science Fairs and young men are eager to assist
where they can.
• Poppy Selling – 40 students volunteer to sell poppies for
the RSA in the Palmerston North CBD.

• Sixtus Lodge Working Bee – Barrowclough students
paint, clean and repair Sixtus Lodge.

• Ronald McDonald House Appeal - Approximately $6000
is collected by our young men.

• NZSS Cross Country Marshalling – Students marshal
for these races.

• NZSS Karting Championships Marshalling – Students
marshal at these Championships at Longburn.

• Red Socks Day – Red socks are purchased by students to
celebrate Sir Peter Blake Trust.

• Foodbank – Food items are collected from students and
passed on to the Palmerston North Food Drive.

• Blood Donor Day - Students and teachers donate blood
to the Palmerston North Blood Bank.

• Manawatu Science Fair Youth Judges – Students are
Science Fair judges and ushers.

• Ronald McDonald Supper Club Waiters - Students are
waiters for this fundraising event.

• Secondary School Regional/National Basketball
Tournaments – Students referee and score bench.

• Aged Community Care – Prefects speak and sing to an
Aged Care Community.

• Fred Hollows Foundation Appeal - Annual Fred Hollows
Foundation appeal and fundraising activities.

• Care For Our Coast – All Year 9 students clean up the
beach between Himatangi and Foxton.

• Relay for Life - 40 seniors raised $6090.26 for cancer
research by getting sponsors.

CONCLUSION

The Barrowclough Award has raised the bar with regard
to leadership and character development at Palmerston
North Boys’ High School. It provides a pathway of pursuing
excellence for all students as they pass through the school.

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 93

BEEKEEPING CLUB

Teacher in Charge: Mr T. Meldrum Regularly we have inspected the hives for disease and they
are healthy. Removing the brood frames and ensuring the
As usual, we started off the beekeeping year by extracting cells of larvae are dry, pale, convex and do not smell of
our honey. This season was one of our poorest, a complaint foulbrood disease gives the boys a chance to work closely
which all the local apiarists made. It appeared that it was with the bees and appreciate their industry. In recent years,
the wet Spring and Summer which resulted in the bees we have replaced all the old queen bees with Italians, instead
staying in their hives at the times when most of the nectar of Carniolans. The gentle nature of the Carniolans was good,
was available. but their tendency to swarm regularly, and choose areas
high in trees when doing so, made handling them difficult.

PNBHS honey bee

We regularly fogged the hives with food grade mineral oil
throughout Summer to help keep the varroa levels down,
and it worked adequately. To drop the varroa count to a safe
number, toxic chemicals must be used, but this cannot be
done when there is honey being made. For the first time this
Autumn, we found the Bayvarol strips were not effective.
Beekeepers in Auckland have indicated these miticide strips
are now useless, and it appears the resistant mites are in the
Manawatu now. We used thymol strips in the early Spring
this year, and they have been much more successful. No
doubt our arms race against the mite will continue and new
treatments will need to be devised.

Inspecting frames for disease

We no longer have a local apiary inspector, so in recent years
they have all visited from Whanganui. This year our inspector
came from Taranaki and was surprised to see the number of
hives in Palmerston North. We have over 500 recorded within
the city boundaries, and it is suspected there could be as
many as 700, considering the number of beekeepers who
do not register their apiaries. He has inspected school hives
in the past, but commented that there are few schools now
which use bees to teach entomology and show students
how to work with them as a hobby or career.

Thymol strips being placed into brood box

94 | THE PALMERSTONIAN 2017

CHESS

CHESS
Back Row: Paul Kaiser, Keegan Leask, Sol Ross, Ms C. Belton (Teacher)
Front Row: Martin Joseph, Leon Nie, Tom Hannan, Toby Colville, Alistair Hardie

Manager: Mrs C. Belton Tournament in the Library. We had five of the Super 8
schools compete: Napier Boys’ High School, Hamilton Boys’
Team: Toby Colville, Angus Craw, Tom Hannan, Alistair High School, New Plymouth Boys’ High School, Tauranga
Hardie, Martin Joseph, Paul Kaiser, Keegan Leask, Leon Boys’College and Palmerston North Boys’High School. Due to
Nie, Sol Ross. unforeseen circumstances, both Gisborne Boys’High School
and Hastings Boys’High School had to withdraw their teams
Our Chess players have had a successful 2017 year. Aside on the day before the competition started. As a result of the
from running Chess Club twice weekly during lunchtimes, reshuffling, we entered an A and a B team to even the draws.
most regional competitions saw Palmerston North Boys’
High School entering two teams. All players found themselves matched with strong
competition and some very passionate and intense play
Term 1 saw our A team representing Palmerston North ensued. At the conclusion of Friday, round three of the
Boys’ High School at the Wairarapa Secondary Schools competition, our A team and Hamilton Boys’ High School
Competition. They successfully came out on top of the co-led the scoreboard with head to head match and game
competition. This was a great opportunity for strengthening points.
their game-play as they were preparing for the Super 8 Chess
Tournament which was taking place in Term 2. Saturday’s play saw the completion of rounds four and five,
and again some intricate play at hand. However, despite the
On Friday 30 June and Saturday 1 July, Palmerston North strong competition, Palmerston North Boys’ High School
Boys’ High School hosted the annual Super 8 Chess

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 95

successfully retained their Super 8 Chess winning title and My acknowledgement goes out to all our players who
trophy for the second year in a row. conducted themselves professionally in all competitions,
demonstrating sound sportsmanship.
Individual results from this competition saw Martin Joseph
awarded the silver medal for second best overall player and
a certificate for Most Valuable Player of the Palmerston North
Boys’High School A team. Leon Nie was awarded the bronze
medal for third best overall player. Tom Hannan was awarded
a certificate for the Most Valuable Player of the Palmerston
North Boys’ High School B team.

Finally, on 11 August, we again entered an A and B team
into the Manawatu Regional Tournament held this year
at Feilding Intermediate. Our A team once again came out
on top of the competition, making it over 30 years in a row
that Palmerston North Boys’ High School has pulled ahead
to defend the trophy. They brought superb games to the
board, winning all 5/5 matches that were played.

COAST TO COAST WORLD MULTI-SPORT CHAMPIONSHIP

COAST TO COAST beginning of the first bike section and then a 55km cycle to
Samuel Bentham, Madi Hartley-Brown, Wade Bennett, Mr Aikens Corner, where I was waiting to start my run. After Madi
B. Lane (Coach) had completed his ride, being one of the first riders into the
transition, I was off, starting my 30.5km mountain run over
Teacher in Charge: Mr B. Lane the Southern Alps via Goat Pass.

OnWednesday the 8th of February, Madi Hartley-Brown,Wade The mountain run was a challenge to say the least. Crossing
Bennett, Mr Lane and myself boarded the Wellington-Picton rivers over 30 times, climbing up banks and rocks the size
ferry, starting our journey down south for the Kathmandu of cars, running on a river bed for nearly four hours and
Coast to Coast World Multi-Sport Championships. After climbing up to 1,070m above sea level. Of all the mountain
an early start, our already long day was made to feel even runs I’ve done, this was by far the hardest and most arduous
longer due to the coast road closure, however it turned out yet, however, it was also the most stunning. With waterfalls
to be a pleasant and scenic trip through the mountains and cascading down the valley walls, crystal clear pools on the
valleys the South Island has to offer. After our lengthy day river and some of New Zealand’s best bits of bush. The last
of travelling, we arrived in Christchurch and were looking 5-6km of the run was the most challenging section, both
forward to dinner and bed, but that would have to wait as mentally and physically. The run was all along river beds, with
it took us an hour or so to find our accommodation due to no distinct path, and the river rocks were large and made
the new road layouts. for difficult foot work. With the finish line in sight, it felt so
close but was still so far away. When running up the finish
The next morning, we did a bit of shopping and met up shoot, I got an extra boost of energy and crossed the line
with Mr Bovey and Wade’s dad, Jamie. We then set off, back
tracking the course from the finish line at New Brighton’s
beach to the start over on the West Coast at Kumara beach.
Along the way we would stop to look at transition areas,
figuring out where it would be best for us to be. When we
stopped for lunch, we got the chance to meet one of the
‘One News’ crew, a tall blonde girl, which I think was the
highlight of our day.

After arriving on the West Coast, we set up camp and
attended the race briefing before having an interesting
dinner and heading off to bed in preparation for the big
day ahead of us.

We woke at 5am the next day to pack up and eat in time for
the race start. Once ready, Madi headed down to the start
line on the beach where he would have a 3km run to the

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his kayak leg, he had to sprint up a hill to Madi who was
waiting to finish the last leg of the race: a 77km road cycle
to New Brighton’s Beach. Madi’s entire ride was into a head
wind, with a boring 40km straight. Madi finished his ride
in a brilliant time of just over two hours. Once he arrived,
we all ran up the finish shoot together, having to clamber
up the steep sandbank that the race organisers placed the
finish line on top of.

in just under four hours, which was second in our category Wade, Madi and I claimed second place and fourth overall,
and fourth overall. which we were wrapped with considering it was the World
Championships. After collecting our prizes the next day at
After a few stunning photos with Steve Gurney by the prizegiving, and dropping Mr Bovey off at the airport, Madi,
professional photographer Mr Bovey, I was able to enjoy an Mr Lane and I set off for Picton, travelling back to school to
ice bath followed by a massage. I was, however, disappointed take part in Crest to Crest and OPC.
to have an older man and not the tall blonde next to me. I
spent the rest of the day eating and resting. We had a decent I would like to thank Wade and Madi for making a brilliant
feed that night, pasta and a BBQ, which was an improvement team and doing a great job; Mr Lane, Mr Bovey and Jamie for
from the previous night’s dinner. organising us, feeding us, taking us to where we needed to
be and supporting us; Mr Lane for all the organising he did
before we left; the PNBHS Old Boys’Association for making it
possible; and to everyone else who were behind the scenes.

By Samuel Bentham

After an early bed time, we had an even earlier start at 4am
to get down to the Wimak River to get ready for Wade’s 68km
kayak leg. Before Wade could set off, Madi had to complete
a short 15km road cycle from Klondyke Corner to where we
were waiting. Madi did this in no time and Wade was on his
way, completing his kayak leg in around 4 hours, putting
us in a strong place for the finish. Once Wade had finished

2017 THE PALMERSTONIAN | 97

CREST TO CREST CHALLENGE

CREST TO CREST
Back Row: Anson Price, Finlay McRae, Tom Tremain, Thomas Walshe
3rd Row: Mr P. Finch (Coach), Ben O’Connor, Matt Peel, Mr D. Brokenshire (Coach)
2nd Row: Mr B. van Stipriaan (Coach), Jesse Hyde, John Robinson, Connor Beck, Nick Punnett, Mr D. Barwick (Coach)
Front Row: Benji Pritchard, Alan Kirk, Samuel Bentham, Patrick Takurua, Samuel Stewart, Josh Sorensen, Arrooran
Jeyamohan
Absent: Corbin Faint

Teacher in Charge: Mr D. Barwick Leg 2 (70km Mountain Bike) – written by Thomas
Walshe
Leg 1 (21km Mountain Run) – written by Nick Punnett
Day two greeted us with an early start and a further dose of
On Monday morning, we arrived at school with our foul weather as we set off to begin the day’s mahi, a 70km
gear, excited and uncertain for what the week would mountain bike and 40km paddle down the Whanganui River.
entail. Four hours later, we arrived in Whakapapa Village, Slippery conditions proved troublesome before the clock
ready to complete the first leg: the mountain run. was even started, as Arrooran Jeyamohan was sent flying in
Typically, this would be a climb up to the top of Mount a superman-like dive onto the tar seal inside the first corner.
Ruapehu, but due to very high winds and rain, we The undulating mountain bike included both sealed and
were unable to do this. Instead, we completed a 21km gravel surfaces, highlights being the steep winding descents
section of the Round the Mountain track, going from testing the boys’masculinity, or lack thereof. Once the clock
Whakapapa Village to the Desert Road, via Waihohonu Hut. was started, the ride went smoothly with only one mishap,
this being Mr Durie’s impressive parallel parking effort into
With the weather depreciating, we set off at a brisk walk, the ditch. We then arrived at the bank of the river, with it now
so as to keep a level playing field with other Crest years. We being the time to grind our upper body for the next day and
battled extremely high winds and rain, with visibility being a half. After initial safety procedures and securing our gear,
limited to about 20m. At the 1½ hour mark, we stepped up we were into the monotonous rhythm of the paddle. After
the pace and began running. By now we were well and truly a lack lustre first hour of paddling, with the boys coming
soaked, having also crossed a number of streams. We made to grips with their positions in the boat, or having a much
good time to Waihohonu Hut, getting a well-earned break. needed personal swap, we upped the ante. We realised this
As we continued to the Desert Road, footing got very poor could be a leg of strength for our group, with high water flow
and slippery, however we managed to keep up a decent in the river. After four hours of paddling, and the spotting
pace, finishing in a time of 2 hours 27 minutes, only 8 minutes of the occasional goat, we made it to the John Coull Hut in
behind the record for Leg 1. We then returned to the lodge quick time. After a thorough carbo loading feed, we hit the
at Whakapapa for a hot shower, getting a well-needed rest sack early to prepare for day three.
for a full on day two.
TIME: 2 hrs 38 mins
TIME: 2 hrs 27 mins

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