The 2022 set of academic results are outstanding, and our young men have continued to perform at a high level in both the Cambridge and NCEA pathways and in the NZQA Scholarship Examinations.
Cambridge Assessment International Education
In 2022, A Level and AS Level performances far exceeded international grade averages, and were among the strongest in recent years at both levels.
At A Level, the percentage of A* and A grades was the highest ever, at 45.6%. The A*-C pass rate was the second-highest ever, at 86.2%. This represents exceptionally strong performance in what is arguably the world’s most academically demanding secondary school qualification, in a most challenging year.
The 2022 AS Level results represent some of the best performances ever at this level. The percentage of A grades was the second-highest ever, at 36.4%, and the A-C pass rate was the highest ever, at 73.1%. The A-E pass rate was also the highest ever, at 94.2%. Not only did our students perform at very high levels compared with previous Grammar cohorts, but they also outperformed their peers in New Zealand and around the world.
Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards
Auckland Grammar School students performed well in the 2022 Cambridge examinations, gaining 27 awards for performance at the highest level in specific Cambridge subjects. Their achievements were to be recognised at the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards Ceremony on Thursday 16 February. The awards include:
7 Top in the World Award
12 Top in New Zealand Awards
7 High Achievement Awards (Top in the World but in subjects with limited entries)
1 Top in NZ across 3 AL subjects (Top Scholar in NZ and Winner of the John Morris Scholarship)
The School congratulates the following students for their exceptional performance:
Award
Level and Subject
Student’s Name
Series
High Achievement
AS Level Accounting
Ethan Qian
June 2022
High Achievement
AS Level Business Studies
Fredrik Rostron
June 2022
High Achievement
AS Level French
Angus Baker
November 2022
High Achievement
AS Level Geography
Timothy Cawte
June 2022
High Achievement
AS Level history
Tasman Christensen
June 2022
High Achievement
AS Level Japanese
Soshi Oki
November 2022
High Achievement
AS Level English Literature
Aaron Wang
June 2022
Top in New Zealand
A Level Accounting
Zhiyuan Chen
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
A Level Biology
Ryaan Sidhu
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
A Level Chemistry
Ryaan Sidhu
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
A Level Economics
Daniel Johnston
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
A Level Mathematics
Hao Li
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Accounting
Raghav Rao
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Biology
Oliver Gunson
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Business Studies
Humayl Raza
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Chemistry
Oliver Gunson
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Geography
Oliver Worker
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level History
James Mather
November 2022
Top in New Zealand
AS Level Physics
Raymond Xu
June 2022
Top in the World
A Level Business Studies
Oliver Worker
November 2022
Top in the World
A Level Geography
Roberto Pennington
November 2022
Top in the World
A Level History
Shenning Zhang
November 2022
Top in the World
A Level English Literature
Arya Vasa
November 2022
Top in the World
A Level Physics
Ryaan Sidhu
November 2022
Top in the World
AS Level Mathematics
Atharv Shinde
June 2022
Top in the World
AS Level Physical Education
Quinlan Te Tamaki
November 2022
Best Across Three Subjects
A Level – First in New Zealand
Ryaan Sidhu
November 2022
NCEA
Our students continued to perform well on the NCEA pathway, with 78% of Form 7 NCEA students gaining NCEA Level 3. Our Form 6 NCEA students pass rate for NCEA Level 2 of 77% was in line with the achievements of previous cohorts.
The NCEA students’ performance is particularly impressive given that our students study predominantly rigorous, academic subjects and standards which lead to comparatively high University Entrance rates for this cohort.
University Entrance
University Entrance pass rates for NCEA students remain high and continue to track upwards with the 2022 cohort achieving 64%. This figure is much higher than overall national averages and also exceeds national averages for male students in Decile 8-10 schools, which currently stands at 57.9%. This result, when combined with the Form 7 Cambridge cohort’s University Entrance pass rate of 98%, saw the School’s overall Form 7 Leavers’ University Entrance pass rate remain at 86.5%.
NZQA Scholarship
NZQA Scholarship results have improved even further from the strong performance in 2022, although with 152 individual subject scholarships earned. This result means the School has maintained its place in the top three schools in New Zealand for NZQA Scholarship for the past ten consecutive years.
Standout performances included 2022 Dux Ryaan Sidhu (10 Scholarships, including four at Outstanding level), Michael Yao (nine Scholarships, including five at Outstanding level) and Daniel Johnston (five Scholarships, including four at Outstanding level), who were all were named as Premier Scholars, three of only 11 students nationally. To be named a Premier Scholar, students need to have gained at least four New Zealand subject Scholarships, including three or more at Outstanding level.
10 students in total also gained a Scholarship Award (gaining three or more subject Scholarships).
NZQA Scholarships were gained in an impressive range of subjects, including:
This year’s School Athletics Championships were held at the AUT Millennium Stadium with over 200 students involved across the day.
The day was opened with the hurdles, in which Form 3 student R. W. Walker ran the Junior race in an impressive time of 12.17 secs. He followed up on this success by also winning the 100m, 200m, and 300m races, and by jumping within 5cm of the School record in the long jump to deservedly claim the title of Junior School Champion.
In the middle-distance races, Form 3 student E. B. Mora ran to victory in the 3000m while fellow classmate H. C. Day won both the 800m and the 1500m, missing the record in the 800m by a mere second in 2:11.86min.
In the field events, Form 3 student L. Caffery claimed gold in the discus and shot put, Form 4 student O. O. D. B. Neely won the Javelin, and fellow classmate T.M. Bond was first in the Triple Jump. The Junior High Jump saw the rare situation of having three Form 3 students – A. N. Bolland, A. J. Edward and J. J. Licence – performing equally well, with all three dropping out at a height of 1.57m.
The Intermediate grade two school records were broken by Form 5 student C. P. Wagener, who ran two outstanding races in the 1500m and 3000m in a time of 4:10.91min and 8:54.99min, respectively. Form 6 student A. V. Wilkins won gold in the 800m, and Form 4 student L. C. R. Thomson won the 100m race in 11 mins 81 secs while having to concede first place in the 200m to Form 5 student C. G. Howlett. Howlett also managed to secure gold in the 100m hurdles and the 400m race, while placing second in discus; this combined earned him enough points to become Intermediate Champion.
The jumps were decided by Form 4 student N. J. Stanley for Long Jump, Form 4 student B. M. Armstrong for Triple Jump, and Form 5 student S. S. R. Lundon in High Jump. The gold for javelin went to Form 5 student M. W. Alpe and the discus to fellow classmate S. T. F. R. Naufahu, whereas in the shot put, Form 4 student M. K. Jacobs broke his personal best with a throw of 12.51m, thus securing first place in that event.
In the Senior grade, Form 7 student J. P. Dew won the High Jump, with a commendable jump of 1.81m. The gold medal for Long Jump went to Form 7 student K. R. O. Phillip and Triple Jump to Form 6 student H. J. Waldegrave, who also managed to win the 110m hurdles. Form 7 student I. P. Wilson came first in Shot Put, and Form 6 student J. A. Thomson claimed gold in both Discus and Javelin, the latter with an impressive throw of 49.12m.
Form 6 student R. W. Fitzpatrick managed to outpace his competition and win gold in both the 800m and the 1500m, while Form 7 student J. E. M. Park secured first place in the 3000m race. Form 6 student E. T. Akampa came first in the 400m and a close second in the 200m, the victory of which was ultimately claimed by Thomson. Together with his fourth and last win in the 100m with a time of 11.25s, J.A. Thomson was able to equally claim the title of Senior School Champion 2023.
The athletes are now preparing to advance into the Zonal meetings in March, culminating in the Greater Auckland Championships held on Wednesday 5 April. We wish the team well and are looking forward to their further progress and performances.
The annual School Swimming Championships were held on Thursday 16 February, in the new School Pool, the inaugural event for the new facility. Our swimmers contested a maximum of nine races from 50m to 200m, across all strokes.
The Junior Championship was dominated by Form 3 student M. Sun. Competing in nine events and winning seven of them, he was the clear Champion. Fellow Form 3 student C. Yin was second overall with one first, two second, and three third placings, and S. Xu was third overall.
The Intermediate Championship was a very close contest only separated by very small margins in most races. Form 4 student S. Karpov, with three wins and a third placing, was the Intermediate Champion due to his consistency across all strokes. He was pushed all the way by Form 5 student O. W. Bower, who – despite three first placings – was second overall and fellow Form 5 student C. J. Russell finished in third place.
The Senior Championship was also very competitive with only one race separating the top two competitors. Form 6 student H. P. Klouwens (pictured) was outstanding winning the Senior Championship with a first place finish in the 100m backstroke. Form 7 student J. J. Kennard finished second overall with a solid performances in the Breaststroke and Form 6 student L. S. Gibson, with two wins and two second placings, was a close third.
Thank you to staff and students who came out to support the competitors, to our Prefects for being timekeepers and to Master in Charge J. Potaka and Head of Sport B. Richardson for their support.
On Sunday 19 February, the 1st XI Cricket team welcomed New Plymouth Boys’ High School for the first day of the traditional three-day fixture. Winning the toss and electing to bowl, the bowling unit applied pressure which led to a fall of wickets, dismissing the guests for 101. In response, the team ended Day 1 at 81/2.
Day 2 of the traditional fixture against New Plymouth Boys’ High School saw Form 6 student H. D. J. Sixton captain T. C. Jones return to the crease with an opportunity to build on the platform established on the day before.
Jones led from the front to reach his maiden century for the 1st XI and reach 143 before being dismissed. Form 6 student A. Weerasinghe was 78 not out and a late cameo from Form 7 student C. J. O’Shanassy saw the team declared 200 ahead.
In response and behind some inspired spin bowling from Form 5 student H. D. F. Waite’s 4 for 33, the team ended the days play with New Plymouth six wickets down.
With plenty of Cricket left to play, the team went into the final day of play, focussing on taking the remaining four wickets, while New Plymouth Boys will do all they can to stay at the crease.
At the start of the final day the 1st XI team had a simple task at hand – take four wickets to secure an outright win in the traditional fixture against New Plymouth Boys’ High School.
With a positive mindset and the team energised from the School’s support, and dominated from the outset.
Strategically opening the day with spin at both ends and supported by a tight field, the duo of Jones and Waite took the required wickets to seal the fixture before the lunch break.
Congratulations to H. D. F. Waite, whose six wickets in the second innings was an honours board performance, and captain T. C. Jones also produced an Honours Board performance with the bat in the first innings.
Special thanks to manager D. Mackay and Master in Charge J. O’Neill-Fuller for their guidance and support of the team.
The Auckland Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships were held on Sunday 19 February with a number of students from Auckland Grammar School competing.
Held at Maraetai Beach on the east cost, excellent weather conditions made for some great swim times. Form 5 student C. P. Wagener was first out of 34 finishers in the College Sport Intermediate Under 16 category, finishing in a time of 41 minutes 9 seconds, with fellow Form 5 student K. J. Moyle finishing almost three minutes behind in a very credible fourth place with a time of 43 minutes 56 seconds.
Other noticeable achievements included Form 5 student Y. C. Y. Chan finishing fifth overall and a very strong performance from Form 5 student J. M. Hiddleston in his first event.
In the College Sport Senior event, Form 7 student and Captain of Multisport Q. R. Gardner-Hall (pictured above, far left) finished third overall in a time of 1 hour 2 minutes, in a strong field of competitors.
Congratulations to all students who took part and to Master in Charge M. Jervis for his support of the team.
We understand the rainfall of two weeks ago caused has considerable issues for some families. We also acknowledge the cyclone has affected some members of our wider community. Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted on heavily by either or both weather events.
When we returned to school last Thursday, the attendance rates surpassed 92% over the two days and it was pleasing to see a full assembly hall this morning as we started a shortened day, while teaching all seven periods. Thank you for your support as we continue to advocate the provision of quality in-person education in a consistent and safe environment.
The support offered over recent weeks continues to be available to affected families while Auckland remains under a State of Emergency. Our team of counsellors are also available to support students and if further aide is required in the form of school essentials please do contact my Executive Assistant Debbie Watson via email at ea@ags.school.nz.
Likewise, the Prefects have gathered an army of student volunteers who are prepared to give of their time to help affected families and members of our wider community. Some have already been helping with clean up duties on an impromptu basis, but the wider offer is made to those who would benefit from a larger group of helpers. Should you wish to request the services of the army this can be logged via email at studentarmy@ags.school.nz.
New Staff members
At our first full School assembly we welcomed our new teachers for 2023. It is our pleasure to inform you that the following masters have joined the Grammar staff and you will get the opportunity to meet them at upcoming functions and School activities. We welcome:
Art – Brendan Lee
Biology – Monique Towler
Commerce – Hugo Lam
English – Mark Charlesworth
English – Kim Etty
English – Lizzie Grace
Mathematics – Joseph Gibbons
Physics – Oliver Mann
Technology – Jason Bell
International Student Liaison – Lee Lim
Payroll and Accounts Payable Administrator – Lili Wang
Attendance
If your son is absent, we ask you to immediately complete the Absence Notification e-form that is accessed within the Parent Portal on the day of his absence. This is a legal requirement and is part of our duty of care which we cannot fulfil without your co-operation.
Parents should log in and click on the Absence Notification link under ‘Student Information’, which is found on the Parent Portal home page (see below):
You should be aware that submitting an e-form verifies your son’s absence and will generate an automatic response to the email address you have provided us. It is important that you do not disclose your Parent Portal login and password details to your son, to ensure the legitimacy of this functionality.
There is no requirement to phone the School nor to provide a written note to notify us of an absence.
If your son is late to school, due to a pre-arranged appointment, please provide him with a written note to be handed to our Student Office staff upon his arrival.
Note that the above system for notifying the School of your son’s absence does not apply for exeat requests, where temporary leave is sought for medical appointments during the School day. Instead your son should bring a note to the Deputy Headmaster immediately after Assembly to receive approval to leave the campus for appointments throughout the School day. When your son provides this note to the Deputy Headmaster, he will be given a permission slip to allow him to leave his lesson at the appropriate time, at which point he must formally sign out at the Student and Enrolment Office before departing.
Please ensure that your son attends School every day unless there is a genuine reason such as sickness or bereavement. The School does not support casual breaks during term time as such absences impact on the standard of education we can provide. Please communicate with me directly via email at ea@ags.school.nz if you are requesting Official Leave for your son.
Please note that other than bereavements or national/international representative duties for a variety of extracurricular activities, no official leave is granted. Furthermore, no extended holiday leave is provided either prior to or after the official school holidays.
Homework
All students, at all levels of the School, are expected to have set homework for all subjects each night. All students from Form 3 to Form 5 have been provided with a School diary where daily entries should be made. Please support your son and us by checking his homework.
Form 6 and Form 7 students were offered a School diary free of charge in the first week of Term 1. Diaries are now available for purchase from the School Shop. Senior students will have set assignments and assessment tasks. These too should be logged in their diary so that they manage their time well.
If you have concerns about homework or assessments, please contact your son’s subject teacher, Form Master or year-level Dean. Should your son not be receiving adequate homework please contact me directly.
Mountain Road
Please consider Gates 1-4 closed for vehicular access at the start and end of the School day.
It is not practical for staff to manage traffic trying to enter our gates at peak times of the School day and this poses a significant risk for the 2600 young men who are entering or exiting the School grounds on foot.
If you are dropping your son off or picking him up, please do this in one of the streets around the School, rather than on Mountain Rd, in front of the School or by trying to enter Gates 1-4. Please be aware that for health and safety reasons, Barnett Crescent now has electronic bollards nearest to Clive Road. These will remain up during the School day. We appreciate your cooperation in this regard.
If your son carries heavy musical equipment (eg: a cello), then you may wish to drop your son and his instrument off via Gates 1–4 before 8am and pick him up well after 3.30pm.
Controlled Crossing
At the beginning and end of the day the sheer volume of students arriving or leaving the School poses an issue for motorists. We remind students and parents crossing Mountain Rd or Clive Rd to use the crossings available, rather than crossing the road at other points of two very busy roads.
Student Driven Vehicles
Form 6 or 7 students who have completed the School’s permission process to bring a vehicle to School, do have permission to drive a car to School. Students at other year levels do not have permission to drive a vehicle to School.
We remind parents and our young men that this permission does not extend to carrying passengers, unless both the School and parents have approved it in writing. This also includes driving to School-related extracurricular activities.
Please contact Deputy Headmaster Pastoral – Senior School Neitana Lobb for further information about student driven vehicles.
Daily Notices
The notices read to the School each day in assembly are available to all young men and parents on our website. If you would like to access these in order to discuss some of the activities available to your son, please click here.
E-Communication
We have already sent a number of key messages and reminders to parents electronically this year. Key information for parents will continue to be sent to you electronically throughout the year. If we do not have your current email address or current mobile number, please email this to admin@ags.school.nz or submit the changes via the Parent Portal.
Information regarding our electronic Parent Portal has been distributed. The Portal should provide you with ready access to some of the information we hold on your son, including his attendance record and academic results. We hope you find the Portal useful.
The School’s website holds considerable information about day to day School life, including the School schedule (a calendar of events / activities), staff contact details and easy access contact information for Deans of all year levels. We also celebrate a considerable number of student achievements on the website and via social media.
GrammarNet
GrammarNet, the School’s online Learning Management System, is available for all students. Currently all students have access to class pages provided and administered by each of their subject masters, as well as access to student resources, sporting and cultural groups, and storage space for their own files. Students can access GrammarNet here and they type in their School-assigned username and password.
Students can use their class pages to access engaging course material and useful files and folders to augment their classroom notes and exercises. Some teachers may require students to do homework, submit work or complete tests and quizzes through the platform at times.
If the School needs to move from on-campus learning to online learning then GrammarNet will continue to be the system used. It is imperative that students are familiar with its use.
More information can be found on our website here.
Extracurricular Activities
With the start of the School year, I would like to bring your attention to the wealth of extracurricular activities the School has to offer our young men. Details on these activities are being shared with the School in daily assemblies and communicated on the many noticeboards around the school. Please encourage your son to get involved with the extracurricular life of the School and start managing his time to gain the all-important balance between academic and these activities.
For further information about extracurricular activities, please refer to the sports and/or daily notices sections of the School’s website.
As your son shows an interest in a range of extracurricular activities, the Master in Charge of that code will provide you with an indication of the fees/costs associated with each activity.
If your son elects to participate in an activity that has associated costs, an electronic invoice will be sent to you and it will appear ready for payment on the Parent Portal. We would encourage parents to use the portal as a primary form of making payments to the School as electronic receipting is automated and we hope you find it to be a user-friendly system.
Timetable
A reminder that the organisation of the School day on Tuesdays is different to all other days of the week. Form 5 students will have an 8-period day finishing at 3.30pm, whereas all other year levels will have a 7-period day concluding at 2.50pm.
School Rules
A link to our School rules was sent home electronically to each family prior to the beginning of the academic year, and is available here. If any of the rules are unclear or ambiguous, please contact me directly for further clarification. It is vital that our young men and parents understand what is expected of them within our School environment.
Uniform and Grooming
Please note that at any time your son chooses to wear his uniform, whether it is after school, in town, or after a practice, he is expected to wear it in appropriate fashion and with pride. He is identified as an Auckland Grammar School student and as such all school rules will apply to him while he wears our uniform. Please do not allow your son to wear partial uniform in his own time as this simply provides a perception of mediocrity.
We expect our young men to be well-groomed at all times. A haircut that meets our clearly articulated guidelines, a shirt tucked in and socks pulled up does send a clear message of belonging to all in the Grammar community and the general public.
Smart Devices
We do not permit mobile phones or smart devices being used or visible on our campus between 8am-3:30pm. We do acknowledge that some students now wear smart watches. The School currently permits these to be worn for the functionality of telling the time, however, accessing digital content remains prohibited during School hours. Within the context of internal and external examinations, smart watches are not permitted to be in an examination venue.
If your son does bring a smart device, (other than a watch) to School it should be kept in his bag at all times and be switched off. We recommend such items are not brought to School as we cannot be responsible for their whereabouts or loss.
Furthermore, personal electronic equipment may not be used on School trips.
If a student is found using a mobile phone or smart device it may be confiscated by a teacher and delivered to the Deputy Headmaster Pastoral – Junior School David Askew, who will store the device securely for seven days. Your son may see him after School any time after the seventh day to retrieve the phone or device. Please help us by not requesting the device to be returned any sooner.
Auckland Transport – School Buses
Auckland Transport provide a regular School bus service that begins after school daily around 3.20pm. Please note that when the School finishes early, either at 3pm because of a wet day, or at 2.50pm on Tuesdays for all levels other than Form 5, the bus service times remain the same. Parents may wish to discuss alternative transport arrangements with your sons.
Donations
Our thanks are extended to all parents who have paid the 2023 School Donation. Many parents have done this via the Parent Portal and we do appreciate your support. A written communication about this year’s donation was recently posted to parents.
Key dates in February
Thursday 16 February – Swimming Sports
Friday 17 February – Scholars’ Assembly
Wednesday 22 February – Athletics Sports Day
Thursday 23 February – Form 3 Parents’ Welcome Event
Welcome to the 2023 academic year. We once again extend a special welcome to Form 3 students, new students at all levels and parents new to Grammar.
I do acknowledge our young men for their preparedness to return to School on Tuesday 24 January, meeting or exceeding our expectations. In amongst considerable uncertainty with the flooding at the end of the first week, the way they have responded has helped set the tone for 2023. We have been on full timetable since Thursday 26 January, which has meant we have now completed 10 full days of teaching (including two days of online learning) and this week marks our first full week of lessons.
Over these first few weeks of the term I have referenced Owen Eastwood’s book, Belonging, in assembly, specifically discussing organisations, groups and teams that work above the line. Eastwood said, “In any group with strong standards and lived values, the line is high. Together we take great pride in living above it. When someone falls below the line it is acknowledged and remedied. We know that living above the line will bring success for the group and meaning for individuals. In teams with poor standards and weak values the line is low. It is a place of existing, not thriving. We know we are not the best version of ourselves here. Our motivation, confidence and energy are low, like the line.”
I have reminded your sons that the line is high at Grammar, and the standards and values are clear for good reason. The line is where it is to help create an environment that supports their learning, allows them to be challenged and to grow as individuals, while building a sense of social responsibility and of belonging to something bigger than themselves.
Teachers
As we started the academic year, we welcomed eight new teachers to Grammar. All have been employed for their specialist knowledge across a range of subjects. They include teachers with extensive knowledge of the Cambridge and NCEA qualification pathways. We look forward to their contributions throughout the year.
Prefects
Our first congratulations of the year were offered to Head Prefect, Quinlan Te Tamaki, and Deputy Head Prefect, Jamie Mora. As is tradition, Quinlan was the first student of the year to cross the stage, closely followed by Jamie and Senior Prefects Angus Baker, Preston Morunga, Monty Parkinson and Robson Reidy.
Along with the full Prefect Team named at the end of the first week of term, we look forward to their leadership and the contributions they will make to Grammar life this year. More details on the 2023 Prefects can be found here.
External Examination Results
The 2022 external examination results met, and in many cases, exceeded our annual targets and we have congratulated those young men who met their potential last year. A full report on academic results will be provided in next month’s Bulletin. In the interim we acknowledge the success experienced in Cambridge Examinations and NZQA Scholarship Examinations.
Our young men earned 27 awards in the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, which included:
Seven High Achievement awards (for top in New Zealand for a subject with limited entries), 12 Top in New Zealand and seven Top in the World Awards
2022 Dux Ryaan Sidhu earned the top award in A Levels in the country – Best Across 3 A Level subjects
In NZQA Scholarship examinations our young men earned 152 scholarships, 26 of which were graded as outstanding scholarships. Specific congratulations to:
Daniel Johnston, Ryaan Sidhu and Michael Yao who have each been named as one of 11 NZQA Premier Scholars
Ethan Lee (Chemistry), Daniel Johnston (Economics), Michael Yao (Health and Physical Education and History) were named NZQA Top in Subject Scholarship Award winners
Finally, in our first full School assembly of the year, I reminded our young men that with commitment each of them can achieve their potential as contributing members of Auckland Grammar School. Owen Eastwood said it like this, “Belonging is never a state that is permanently achieved. Consistency in environment and the behaviour of those around us are key. Ambiguity or mixed signalling seriously elevate anxiety.
Performing at something that is important to us involves stress. The question is whether we ensure it is enabling motivation, engagement or focus or allowing it to disable us through distraction, wasted energy and disconnection from others.”
When your sons follow the School’s clear direction, the guidance of teachers and treat others as they want to be treated, then they help build a positive culture and a consistent environment. There are no mixed signals at Grammar because the standards are shared, repeated, applied and the same for all.
Those who contribute to such a culture, belong. In belonging, they can begin to perform to their potential and the stress that naturally comes with competition and life can be used to help focus and motivate them.
The Premier 1 Tennis team’s fixture against King’s College on Wednesday 8 February started with the four singles matches.
Form 5 student B. J. M. Archbold dominated to win his match easily, while Form 3 student Z. Wu put up a spirited resistance in his match, unfortunately losing in two sets. Form 4 student L. M. Bland took his match to a super tiebreak set and went on to comfortably win 10-5, while Form 6 student N. W. Tuxford also took his match to a super tiebreak set, losing 8-10.
The match was finely balanced with both schools winning two matches and five sets each, with Grammar slightly ahead on games 26-25. Bland and Anderson won their doubles matches in two straight sets, leaving it all up to the final pairing of Archbold and Wu. Despite losing this match, Archbold and Wu were able to win a crucial set in their match.
This left the contest tied at three matches each, and thanks to the crucial set won by Archbold and Wu, the Premier team won the tie on countback 7-5.
The team is to be congratulated on a hard-fought match to start the season, and thanks to team manager S. King and Master in Charge R. Daniel for their continued support of the team.
Mention ‘Weightlifting’ to most people, and they think bench pressing, deadlifts, and bicep curls. Put ‘Olympic’ at the front of it, and you can see their brains reprocessing the information, but often still not quite able to define it.
Olympic Weightlifting involves lifting a weighted bar over the head two different ways: the snatch (in one fluid movement) and the clean and jerk (in two separate movements, resting the bar on one’s shoulders in between).
One misconception about the sport is that it targets bigger athletes. However, there are nine weight classes at high school level for competitors under 55kg up to 102+kg, making it accessible to all. Another misconception is that taking the sport will stunt growth.
A similar kind of logic might lead people to assume that playing basketball will make them tall. Many weightlifters have shorter frames – or at least shorter legs – because the aim is to get a bar from the ground to overhead, and stockier legs offer an advantage over longer legs. Good coaching is about ensuring good technique before adding weight.
As there are no registered weightlifting coaches at Auckland Grammar School, the School has a long-standing partnership with the Elevation Weightlifting club in Gillies Avenue. The squad trains there in the mornings, and competes in club competitions throughout the year. The two big school competitions are the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, held in April, and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships in September. The Auckland Grammar School’s squad placed second at last year’s Nationals.
The sport is great in its own right, but also complementary to other sports, particularly aiding with flexibility, balance, and dynamic power for rugby and athletics field events. Competitors of all ages and all body weights are welcome.
If students are interested in joining the team or finding out more, they can talk with Master in Charge C. Laing in the English department during the School day.
The list of students who earned Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards during the 2022 external examination series has been released, and Auckland Grammar School students have done exceptionally well, with our students gaining seven High Achievement Awards, 12 Top in New Zealand and seven Top in the World Awards.
Congratulations to the six Form 7 students who achieved tremendous results as Form 6 students in 2022:
A. K. Baker – High Achievement in AS Level French
O. J. Gunson – Top in New Zealand in AS Biology and AS Level Chemistry
H. M. Raza – Top in New Zealand in AS Level Business Studies
J. R. Mather – Top in New Zealand in AS Level History
A. Shinde – Top in the World in AS Level Mathematics
Q. H. D. Te Tamaki – Top in the World in AS Level Physical Education
We also congratulate recent leavers on their results:
E. Qian – High Achievement in AS Level Accounting
F. C. C. Rostron – High Achievement in AS Level Business Studies
T. J. W. Cawte – High Achievement in AS Level Geography
T. F. Christensen – High Achievement in AS Level History
S. Oki – High Achievement in AS Level Japanese
A. Z. Wang – High Achievement in AS Level English Literature
Z. Chen – Top in New Zealand in A Level Accounting
D. L. Johnston – Top in New Zealand in A Level Economics (pictured with Board Chairman Mark Sandelin ’75)
H. Li – Top in New Zealand in A Level Mathematics
R. Rao – Top in New Zealand in AS Level Accounting
O. C. Worker – Top in New Zealand in AS Level Geography and Top in the World in A Level Business Studies
R. Xu – Top in New Zealand in AS Level Physics
R. J. Pennington – Top in the World in A Level Geography
S. Zhang – Top in the World in A Level History
A. Vasa – Top in the World in A Level English Literature
Special mention should be made of 2022 Dux Ryaan Sidhu who achieved the following awards: Top in New Zealand for A Level Biology and Chemistry, Top in the World for A Level Physics and First in New Zealand across 3 A Level subjects (Biology, Chemistry and Physics).
Current students will cross stage on Wednesday 8 February in assembly, and will be formally recognised at the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards Ceremony which will be held at Eden Park on Thursday 16 February.
