Maadi | Love Week Athletics Day | Generations Day

Rangi NewsAPRIL 2015Rangi. For Life.

®

Cover info: AON Maadi Regatta Gold Medal winners U15 coxed four: Isabella Carter (not pictured), Jemima Bell, Claudia Reid, Samantha Wing, Harriet Green (cox) and Mark Cotham (Coach).See page 28 for details.

3 Leadership

3 News from the Principal

5 Board Report

6 The Rangi Ruru Foundation

7 Chaplain’s Column

8 Heads of School

11 Curriculum Matters

12 Around Rangi

12 Boarding House News

13 GATE Coordinator’s Desk

16 News from Years 7 & 8

19 Love Week

20 Sea Week / Harvest Festival

21 Kapa Haka

22 From the Director of Theatre Arts

24 From the Director of Music

26 Sport

27 Athletics

28 Equestrian

29 Rowing – Maadi Cup

31 Swimming 32 Touch

33 Volleyball

33 Waterpolo

35 Community

35 From the Community Relations

Coordinator

36 Celebrating Our Community

39 Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association

CONTENTS

19 22

2927

Maadi | Love Week Athletics Day | Generations Day

Rangi NewsAPRIL 2015Rangi. For Life.

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www.rangiruru.school.nz

3

Upcoming Events

Mark these dates in your diary now.

Girls’ Day In 15 April

Girls’ Night In 7 May

Open Day – 1.30pm-5.30pm 8 May

Principal’s Address – 5.00pm 8 May

Senior Production Julius Caesar 19-26 June

Leavers’ +3 Drinks 2 July

www.rangiruru.school.nz Rangi. For Life.®

3www.rangiruru.school.nz

3 Leadership

3 News from the Principal

5 Board Report

6 The Rangi Ruru Foundation

7 Chaplain’s Column

8 Heads of School

11 Curriculum Matters

12 Around Rangi

12 Boarding House News

13 GATE Coordinator’s Desk

16 News from Years 7 & 8

19 Love Week

20 Sea Week / Harvest Festival

21 Kapa Haka

22 From the Director of Theatre Arts

24 From the Director of Music

26 Sport

27 Athletics

28 Equestrian

29 Rowing – Maadi Cup

31 Swimming 32 Touch

33 Volleyball

33 Waterpolo

35 Community

35 From the Community Relations

Coordinator

36 Celebrating Our Community

39 Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association

The theme of the 125th year was

Bringing the Family Back Together,

something that spoke not only of Rangi

Ruru today but of its entire 125 years.

The school began with such a family

emphasis, run as a family venture and

welcoming Rangi students into the family

home. This continued through the move

to Webb Street and then in 1923 to Te

Koraha, where again everyone was under

one roof, living as a family.

The family has kept growing and

today it includes thousands of women.

This family focus has endured, and has

indeed strengthened us through wars,

the Depression, epidemics, tragedies and

natural disasters.

We have done all the things families

do together - laughed, cried, celebrated,

mourned, supported, debated,

worshipped, learned and grown. This

year the senior leaders have chosen a

theme which encapsulates so much

of this. FLOB, a word that has quickly

entered the Rangi Ruru lexicon, stands

for Fun, Laughter, Opportunities and

Belonging.

When girls feel they belong, that they

are valued, that they can laugh and cry

together, take risks, and find support

when it is needed, then they are in a

position whereby they can grow, where

they can find opportunity in failure and it

is then that each girl will flourish.

I have frequently said that it is the

girls who truly inspire me. Their sense of

who they are, their sense of fun but also

of what is important and what is right,

are qualities that we here at Rangi see

every day.

Wednesday is always a special day

in chapel, as it is the day of the students.

They speak to the school on a topic

they have chosen and we are treated

to wonderful music every week. It is

a favourite time for many and a time I

always look forward to.

A couple of weeks ago 12Ml, Mr Mills’

group, were on duty, and Alice Luxton

and Jaimee Miller were the speakers.

Their presentation was so good I thought

it well worth repeating for a wider

audience, and it fits perfectly with what

I wanted to write about. As is so often

the case, they said it much better than

I could, and it says a lot about staff /

student relationships that they can poke

gentle fun at us.

After their presentation, Mr Mills

was joined by Mr Gilbert and Mr Machin

to lead a staff initiated Flash Mob of

Kumbaya. This was an interesting

experiment as students were so keen to

join in it very quickly became a massed

singing event and we learnt how very

undisciplined a Flashmob actually is! I’m

not sure what the Gibson sisters, or any

of my eight predecessors, would have

made of it all, and I think certainly staff /

student relations have changed, as has

what we do in church!

What follows is a slightly edited

version, which the girls took turns to

present.

“Alice and I have been reflecting

on the Rangi community, about what

makes us unique in comparison to those

other chicks down the road. We have

come to the conclusion that Rangi is

really one big happy family. The Rangi

family supports one another and FLOBs

with one another. Every person is as

important as the other and the family

wouldn’t be the same if someone was

NeWS fROM tHe pRINCIpAl

Bringing the family back together

4

Discover an education for your daughter that will last a lifetime. Come along to our Open Day and experience all that Rangi Ruru has to offer. Register online now. Rangi. For Life.

Open Day 8 May 1.30 - 5.30pm

59 Hewitts Road Merivale

Christchurch

Phone 03 983 3700 rangiruru.school.nz/openday

Julie MoorPrincipal

missing. All of you girls play a part.

There is one thing that every family

has in common, including the Rangi

family. Every family loves Christmas Day,

it’s a time where everyone gets together

and celebrates.

We are going to set a scene for you;

it’s 5:30pm, Christmas Day. The host of

the Rangi family, Ms Collins, has invited

the relatives around for the annual

Christmas dinner. Every member is there

on time, but of course Mr Widdup is

running late - literally running late. Mrs

Schreurs has got the ham in the oven;

Mrs O’Callaghan has knitted matching

Christmas sweaters for everyone; Ms

Sato has made her Christmas CD with

a bonus track of Skyscraper. Ms Barnett

has hung up the Christmas decorations

and added some Christmas cheer to the

table. Dinner is then served. Rev K starts

off by making a toast to the family.

The Christmas table is structured

and suited effectively for the family. We

like to think of Ms Moor as the wise elder.

She is that one chick that you can always

guarantee will be there for you and will

have the candy drawer loaded up and

ready when you go for a visit. There is no

other place for Ms Moor than the head of

the table.

Moving down the family tree we

come to our mums, commonly known

as our deans. They are always making

sure we look our best and have perfect

manners for the dinner table. Much like

our wise elder, Ms Moor, our mums are

always there for us.

The next important part of the family

are the teachers. We think of them as

the annoying Aunties and Uncles. They

pester us to do our work but at the end of

the day they just want the best out of us.

They talk us through their life stories to

make sure that we don’t make the same

mistakes that they did. The teachers are

the ones that get stuck doing the dishes,

the dirty work. They sit next to the young

adults of the family, to try and relive their

youth.

The young adults of the family are

none other than our very own senior

leaders. The ringleader of the pack is of

course Jess. Jess’ only dream is to still be

able to sit at the kids’ table next to cheeky

cousin gardener Dan. However, she gets

stuck making small talk with the Aunties

and Uncles all night at the grownups

table. The senior leaders bring the banter

to the table, and are almost the last ones

to leave the dinner party. However the

very last person to leave the table is the

uncle, Mr Mills. He will always offer to

finish off the pavlova and trifle, but will

never help with the dishes.

The biggest and best part of the

family is you - the girls. We look after the

younger ones by showing them the ropes

and respect the elder ones. At the girls’

table we are joined by our littlest sisters

and brothers from the preschool. The

cute little siblings always manage to steal

the aunties’ attention at present time.

The night would not be complete

without Santa, he is the one that gives to

everyone. It would be none other than

Mr Machin. After the presents have been

handed over, Barb attempts to get Mr

Mills out of his food coma on the couch.

The time has come for everyone to leave.

Hugs are shared and goodbyes are said

but all is good because we know we will

see our big happy family tomorrow and

the days to come.

From our scenario of a family

Christmas dinner, we hope that you

can see how important each member is

to a family. Whether it is Ms Moor, Rev

K, Ms Barnett, the teachers, you guys,

the gardeners, the geeks; every person

is valued. We want to emphasise the

support and fun in the big Rangi family.

Remember to look out for your sisters

around you, and respect every member

of the family. We are going to leave you

with a popular quote:

‘Ohana means family, and family

means no one gets left behind’.”

Thank you to Alice and Jaimee and

those who assisted them in the van back

from rowing!

NeWS fROM tHe pRINCIpAl

Please Note: This year our Open Day is on Friday 8 May

Principal’s address 5.00pm

5www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

Board Report

Rangi Ruru celebrated its 125th in 2014.

Established in 1889 by the Gibson sisters,

the school has always provided education

to girls. We had several functions that

saw many past students meet with one

another, share stories, but most of all,

reengage with the high school that they

had graduated from.

One consistent theme from those who

attended the functions was the significant

difference that the new architecture

had made to the teaching environment.

The House Party was a reminder to

many of the stark difference between an

altered former residence, Te Koraha, as a

Boarding House, and since 2003, purpose

built facilities now in use. So, too, is it

true for our new buildings on campus.

Whilst many had fond memories of the

Fergusson Block, Wilson Hall and the

Library, their replacement buildings are

significantly superior learning spaces.

Once again I can assure you that the

Board has spent a lot of time discussing

the development and the financing

thereof. The Board has set a prudent

limit for funding debt, and is well aware

of its responsibilities to both the current

families and future families of the school

in this regard. It would be very easy for

a Board to authorise building another

complex and borrow the money to pay

for it. We don’t believe that we have the

mandate to do that. Schools must be very

cautious as to the amount of borrowed

monies they commit future generations

to service.

We need to ask for contributions,

and are doing so, to complete the Project

Blue Sky campus redevelopment. We

are focusing on developing a culture of

philanthropy towards Rangi Ruru, much

in the same manner that well regarded

North American education institutions

do. We believe that there is empathy

toward supporting Education; some

will particularly favour supporting girls’

education, and more particularly Rangi

Ruru.

To this end, we have launched an

eight million dollar campaign. This

money, along with the eight million

contributed by the school, will complete

the Music and Drama building and the

proposed Sports Centre.

Operationally the school is still in good

heart. The school roll has stabilised at

620 students, this is less than the 700 that

were in attendance pre the 2008 financial

crisis and the earthquakes. We generated a

small operating surplus of $80,900.

Our students’ NCEA results for 2014

were again outstanding and a credit

to the girls and their teachers. Value

added reports that the school receives

consistently show that we outperform the

national averages in what our students

achieve. This is in large part due to the

commitment of the teaching staff and the

support structures that sit around them.

The Board’s theme for 2014 was

“Putting Processes into Practice,”

recognising that we have many policies

and procedures in place to help facilitate

the delivery of our promise to the girls

and their parents.

Rangi Ruru provided scholarships to a

wide range of students over a wide range

of disciplines, totalling an equivalent of

32 full time student positions. In addition,

Blue Sky Scholarships amounted to a

further 32 full time equivalents.

I would like to congratulate my Board

on their commitment and enthusiasm this

year. The Board and school continue to

face challenges going forward. There is

continued pressure on roll numbers and

in 2015, we move from being a depositor

to a borrower as Stages One and Two of

the redevelopment are completed.

Stuart NattrassBoard Chair

6

fOUNdAtION RepORt

The Rangi Ruru FoundationThe primary objective of the Foundation

is the advancement of education at

Rangi Ruru.

Last year the Foundation supported

student endeavours to the following

events:

• International Model UN, The Hague

• Gymnastic World Championship,

China

• International Biology Olympiad, Bali

• International Youth Science Forum,

London

• NZSO National Youth Orchestra,

Auckland and Wellington

• Arts Theatre Drama Festival, Brisbane

• Year 9 National Future Problem

Solving, Auckland.

The Foundation will consider

applications for support for extraordinary

or exceptional events that encourage

either students (or staff) to strive for

excellence and enrich the school in a

demonstrable way. Application forms are

held at the school office.

Back Row: Stephen Anderson, Andrew O’donoghue, phil Marshall-lee Seated: Julia perry (Chair), Annabel Sheppard, Jane Sherriff. Absent: Cathryn lancaster

Principal for a DayRecently, I was given the opportunity

to be the principal for a day. As well as

being excited, I was also very nervous

and walking into the staff room for

the first time was rather daunting. Of

course, I was reassured by the lovely

note Ms Moor left me, and by all the

teachers who said to just enjoy myself

and not to worry.

After the staff meeting, I had a

fantastic meeting with Board Member

Ms Hooson to discuss life as a student

here and what areas I thought that

could be improved. Overall I have been

extremely impressed by the pastoral

care, support and personalised learning

that has been offered to me by all my

teachers, staff and fellow students.

Next I invited some friends to

participate in a discussion focusing

on why we chose to attend Rangi in

the first place and how we felt in our

first few days here. Our most obvious

worries were about people judging us

and how we would

make friends and get

to know the place

better. We believe the

school already has a

very good initiation

programme for

new students and a

helpful, welcoming

open day but we

came up with a couple of small but

constructive ideas that could improve

it further. One idea was having a strong

personal buddy system for day girls like

they have in the boarding house.

After this I went for a tour around

the new Performing Arts Building and

all I can say is, wow! The new buildings

just keep getting better and better! I

cannot wait until it is open as it will be

such a bright, positive space to learn in.

After lunch we set up the giant

cardboard FLOB letters outside the

canteen that girls could put their

decorated fingerprints on. Our theme

for the year is FLOB – Fun, Laughter,

Opportunity and Belonging and this

activity represented FLOB well as it was

simple but effective and it got everyone

together in a fun activity. It will also

have a lasting impression as the design

will be used on the Rangi drink bottle.

Overall I had a fantastic time and I

will remember and benefit from it for a

long time. Thank you so much for the

opportunity!

Alice Rae Year 10

Alice Rae at her desk

7www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

Kirstie McDonald (Rev)Chaplain

Chaplain’s ReportAfter an amazing summer break and

having been well and truly blessed by

the sun, I returned ready for the new

challenges that may be presented in

the first term. What I experienced was a

warmth and joyousness from all at being

back among friends, being back doing

what we are passionate about…being

facilitators of learning for amazing young

people.

As you would expect, time has

flown and we have experienced the

excitement of being part of the Powhiri

to welcome all our new students and

staff; we have been loved through ‘Love

Week’ and have enjoyed the turning

of the lawn in front of Te Koraha into

a place of pink fluffiness, now known

as the ‘Love Lawn’! That pink lifted the

spirits of all in the school, as did the

beautifully hand written hearts which

had romantic messages on them. The

mood of the school was one of happy

expectation every day of Love Week; this

was achieved skilfully because the group

of organisers worked with passion and

determination.

Our Senior Leaders have really lifted

our spirits with their FLOB theme; it has

created a sense of fun, caring about

others; about belonging to something

that is greater than ourselves. We are all

part of the Rangi whanau!

Swimming and Athletics Sports

were two more reasons to get the

Clans together and to allow colour to

flow in our lives. I am still amazed at

the inventiveness and the passion with

which our young women embraced the

challenge, the way everyone entered

something. There was room for those

who shine, and room for those who have

different talents, and each contributed to

their clan as they were able.

Of course as the year progresses, so

too does the Church year. We have left

Christmas and Epiphany far behind and

now we are in the Lenten Season. The

season is shown by the use of the colour

purple and what could be more perfect.

This colour takes us on a journey with

Jesus to his final passion on the cross.

We wait expectantly, we give more, we

try less to miss the mark, we work with

passion ourselves at being the best we

can be; we learn to forgive, ourselves and

others, and we never forget that hope

is always with us as is God’s love. And

then on Resurrection Sunday, with Christ

rising again, we celebrate the mystery

and drama of his gift to us; of what it is

to be a member of a Presbyterian Church

School in a world where it isn’t cool to be

a follower of Jesus Christ.

As a Church School, we go from

strength to strength, our values speak

of who we are. At Rangi Ruru, we are

people of RESPECT; we are people of

AROHA; we are people of ENDEAVOUR

and ENTHUSIASM; we are people of

GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT; we are people

of INTEGRITY and HONESTY. We live a

gospel of passion and compassion, we

work together as a team, and our leaders

lead with care and dignity. This is a

place of belonging for all. This is a place

where fun and laughter, opportunities

and belonging, go hand in hand with

learning; all these things give us balance

and well-being.

May God bless you as you too journey through Lent to Easter, as you recall the

stories of the sacrifice made for us all! May God keep you

safe in all you do.

ShalomA’salaam aleikumPeace be with you

Rev Kirstie

love week decorations on te Koraha lawn

8

2015 Heads of School

Jess WoodHead of School

I feel privileged to

have the opportunity

to lead my school.

I am a boarder

from Blenheim and

began school at

Rangi Ruru in Year 9.

Moving away to the place that would soon

become my home, my life and my identity,

seemed like the biggest thing that would

ever happen to me. I have found that the

experience has been well worth it and

something happens every day that makes

me incredibly grateful for taking that leap.

I’m a strong believer in fun and good

humour and my love of these things has

been illustrated within our theme for the

year. The theme is FLOB. It stands for Fun,

Laughter, Opportunities and Belonging.

The idea behind it was to be strikingly

apt, because while it doesn’t initially make

sense it nonetheless makes you smile. We

introduced it to the school; along with a

music video we made to explain the theme,

which was received really well. It seems

that everyone is on board and wants to

have a really remarkable year where we

all make the most of the opportunities

we are given here. After we drew up a

large banner that reads ‘FLOB’ Years 7 &

8 painted it and we hung it up in random

places around the school, leaving it in its

final spot in the café. The banner is bright

and impossible to miss.

In early January Becky Wilson (Head

of House) and I were able to attend the

Southern Leadership Conference, held

at Bond University on the Gold Coast.

This conference was unforgettable and

the people we met were so inspiring that

Becky and I left with an overwhelming

sense of urgency to set out on multiple

ambitious tasks. The plane ride home left

us with some time to settle down and rein

in on our ideas to finalise what we actually

wanted to achieve.

My aim this year is to keep feeding

the fire of fun and to keep introducing

and encouraging new ideas that may be

a bit mad but will actually bring a smile to

people’s faces. I hope to motivate and relate

to all kinds of people within the school

community and help make their time at

school a little more spontaneous. I can tell

that 2015 at Rangi Ruru will be a new year,

a fresh year, and a year to remember.

Becky WilsonHead of House

Boarders’ lives are

different to the rest

of the Rangi Girls in

the sense that when

they leave school to

go home, we have

already beaten them to it. Yes, we live

at school, so instead of having only a

few siblings, we are faced with around

100. Life in the Boarding House can get

very interesting, with a large amount

of oestrogen in a relativity small area.

Luckily boarders soon adapt to living

away from their families and soon learn

the ins and outs of being part of a rather

large family.

The senior leader theme this year is

FLOB. I can think of no place better in the

school where this is represented, than in

the Boarding House.

Fun and Laughter go hand in hand

when it comes to the Boarding House. We

boarders are renowned for the comedic

shenanigans that take place around the

clock. I can say, very confidently, that we

have our fair share of fun and laughter

when it comes to everyday life in the

Boarding House. This could come from

the gossip at the dining room table, who

won the latest singing in the shower

competition or maybe even, who said

what in their sleep.

In the Boarding House there are ample

opportunities to be taken. Be it the rush to

get the heavenly Rangi Fudge for supper

or the opportunity to attend the latest

Crusaders game.

Belonging. The Boarding House

definitely has that one covered. Boarders

come from a wide range of areas,

countries even, but the one thing we do

have in common is us as a group. Many

may see us living away from our families

as a disadvantage, but honestly, we have

a family of our own here in the Boarding

House. We are proud of our school, and

this is shown no better than during the

Boarders’ Haka at Athletics and Swimming

Sports. No one in the school belongs more

to the School than the Rangi Boarders, we

live and breathe Rangi air 24/7.

Eloise CrawfordHead of Service

A realisation hit me

at the start of my

final year at Rangi

Ruru. Every Rangi

value, the yearly

theme focus and the

key competencies are what have inspired

me to aim to become a leader in the

senior school. I was, for the majority of the

time, oblivious to this environment that

I have essentially grown up in. But these

influences that have shaped me into who

I am today. It is clear to me now, that the

most powerful and important influence in

the school are the people and what they

taught me.

At the end of last year, at senior leader

training, we were asked what previous

leaders at Rangi made a difference to

our school experience. Certain girls

immediately came to mind. It was the

small things that they had done that had

made me feel included, important and a

part of the Rangi Community.

My personal theme this year is “We

rise by lifting others”. Many people think

of Service as a “feel good thing” but what

I want to show the school this year is

that giving your time and service can be

transformative. It can not only contribute

to breaking the poverty cycle for others

but it can also influence people to be more

giving of themselves which, in turn, leads

to greater self-esteem.

Harvest Festival kicked the year off.

The girls bring in non-perishable food for

donation to the City Mission. We also held

a “Thanks for giving day” - an American

Harvest themed day. The day was filled

with multiple games held on the “Harvest

Field”, American themed food and

American fanfare, but most of all lots and

lots of giving back to our community.

In Term 2, for Community Service

themed week, the council and I are going

to focus on developing the whole school’s

involvement, with the pre-school, junior,

senior girls and school staff all being able

to participate in numerous charity events.

I have valued the opportunities that I have

had to give back to our school and wider

community, so this year, I am striving to

get others involved in giving, as together

we can achieve more as a team than we

can as individuals.

2015 HeAdS Of SCHOOl

9www.rangiruru.school.nz

LEADERSHIP

Claire McSweeneyHead of Culture

My favourite television show as

a child was Hi-5.

Unsurprisingly, this

vibrant, vivacious

programme was filled

to the brim with musical mania, dancing

galore, and endless amounts of hilarious

skits! But through all the song and dance,

a concept arose that I still take inspiration

from today. Hi-5 taught me that everyone

could sing, dance and laugh. Although I’ll

admit knowing all the words to most of

their songs at 17 isn’t really an achievement

to be proud of, I can’t imagine anyone

holding back their inner diva in the

scintillating world that is Hi-5. So why is it

that as we age, our inner stardom dulls?

Cultivating the stardom that’s hidden

beneath the modern-day chaos is

something that I’d like to achieve in 2015.

In a speech that I gave earlier this year, I

introduced a quote from Dr. Seuss that I

felt epitomised the first step to releasing

your inner superstar. It reads, “Today you

are you, that is truer than true. There is

no one alive who is you-er than you!”

Embracing who you are, although difficult,

is such an important thing in today’s

world. With so many societal pressures,

finding and cherishing who we are can be

an extremely demanding feat. My opinion

is that through various cultural outputs,

that persona can be found. Channelling

their inner Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, or

Meryl Streep may just help our girls find

themselves.

As Head of Culture for this year, my

council and I have already held the Rangi’s

Got Talent preliminary rounds, and every

performer was stunning! The girls really

embraced themselves, and I think it’s fair

to say that some stars were born! The

finals are in Week Two next term, and will

be an ‘un-missable’ event.

Rangi has such a supportive ethos, that

even if you aren’t destined for international

stardom, there is still a place for you to

express who you are through our cultural

opportunities. I encourage girls to seize

these when they can and ‘FLOB’! I am so

thankful for all the cultural opportunities

I’ve been given, and I hope that every girl

at Rangi can feel the same way.

Phoebe RobinsonHead of Sustainability

This year with a

name change from

Environment to

Sustainability, we

are going to be

mixing things up a

bit and introducing some new ideas for

you all to FLOB right into. The reason we

chose to change the name is because we

felt that Sustainability includes all the key

features of Environment, but is a more

forward-looking and topical concept. For

me it also opens up many new areas that

I am able to work in with my council and

take on the task of implementing the key

features of the new sustainability policy

put together by last year’s Environment

Council.

Throughout the year my council and

I will not be sticking to the status quo;

we will bring to the table a whole load

of new ideas never before seen at Rangi.

However, one thing we didn’t change

was the ever-popular Sea Week, which

took place in a warm week in March this

year and was a whole lot of fun. It saw

hundreds of whale spouts tied, a wet and

wild obstacle course, lollies and a whole

lot of fun. Altogether we raised over $500

for the charity Project Jonah. Project

Jonah works on preserving and sustaining

vulnerable sea areas and coastlines, so

that seemed a perfect charity to give our

profits to! For the rest of the year we will

be aiming to make Rangi more sustainable

as we implement the new sustainability

policy and make lots of small, but very

effective changes throughout the school.

For example, the Sustainability Council

will be teaming up with Priyanka’s Health

Council to bring to you Rangi’s first ever

week long Sustainable Transport Week!

Our theme for this year is ‘A Little Does

a Lot’ and we would love for each and

every one of you to think about this and

make those small changes in your lives

towards sustainability, because if we all

do this, it will all add up to make a real

difference to our future. I hope you all

have an awesome year and be sure to…

FLOB IT UP!

Lottie Eglinton

Head of Sport

For me, Rangi is a

place where you

walk around and are

constantly reminded

of the remarkable

opportunities it

has to offer. There is something for

everybody, especially when it comes

to sport. Sport is a very big part of

my life, I race and play for a sense of

self-achievement. There is no better

feeling than doing yourself and your

school proud. Team sports are a place of

belonging too, and nobody is ever left

behind. Along with fun, laughter and

opportunities, belonging is an integral

part of the senior leaders theme for the

year. One of my goals as Head of Sport

this year is for every girl to have a sense

of belonging, whether this comes from

representing NZ, the South Island, Rangi,

or you are simply the best supporter the

school has ever seen! Every single girl

is equally as important as the next and

success is presented in so many ways. I

challenge every girl to join a team and

do the Rangi colours proud. This year

I wish to build on the idea of the Ra-Ra

Squad (supporters’ squad) and get the

Rangi spirit pumping. I want to see as

many girls as possible supporting their

peers on the sideline.

We have already seen so much success

in this jam-packed term and we can’t wait

to see more! Starting off the year with a

bang, Swimming Sports and Athletics Day

were a hit, with many records broken and

bucket loads of clan spirit. We have been

to Dunedin to compete in Summer Quad

Tournament, where many girls brought

home some fantastic results. Later on,

we look forward to Cross Country, Winter

Tournament Week and a fun filled sports

week organised by my amazing council

and myself. As the winter season begins

to unfold and team selection begins, the

potential is definitely there! The rest of

the year will be tricky to top off Term 1.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the year

to be filled with lots of fun, laughter and

success.

10

Priyanka NanthuHead of Health

Happiness! We

know it’s important,

but it seems that

in our busy lives

we often forget to

acknowledge and reflect on the small

things that make us happy. As Head of

Health this year I’m moving away from

the general stereotype of eating your 5+

a day and going for a run, and swapping

it for just doing things that make us

happy. As a little girl I had always thought

of being happy as contagious. That’s

why this year I want girls to realise

that being happy not only affects their

own wellbeing, but rubs off on others,

creating a better environment for

everyone.

To kick off the year, we were fortunate

to have the SunSmart team with their UV

cameras come to school, show the girls

what their skin actually looked like and

the importance of sunblock. For some it

was a slightly daunting experience, but

even with this, girls seemed to be excited

about using the high-tech cameras. My

first big event was Athletics Day. We

wanted to do something a little different,

so we decided to have two tents; a chill

out zone that had bean bags was the

place to go when the sun was out, and

the usual health tent was turned into a

Libby VincentHead of Community

A passion of mine

has always been

social planning. Be it

extravagant parties or

small family dinners,

organising has been

something I have enjoyed – maybe it is

the power of being in charge. Whatever

the reason, it is somewhat fitting that I

have been given the opportunity to be

Head of Community; essentially Rangi’s

social event organiser for 2015.

This role allows my team and me to

bring a lot of fun to the Rangi girls. Be

it for a whole week, a day or even just a

night, we have the power to bring the fun

aspect of FLOB to the girls this year.

From Love Week and Winter Day, to the

Senior Dance and Super Day, the calendar

is going to be chocka-block with events for

everyone to join in. When I look back on

this year I don’t want the girls to remember

the English essays or Math tests; I want

them to think of the Love Lawn and all

the goodies that were sold that week, the

excitement of getting ready for the ‘Party

in the USA’ Senior Dance and the final

FLOB-ing fun at Super Day.

So if I can manage that I think my five-

year journey at Rangi will be complete

and I will have FLOB-ed 2015 to the

absolute max.

2015 HeAdS Of SCHOOl

99.1   99.2   98.3   98.3  94.9   95.7  

90  

82.3  

91.2   92.4  90  

75.6  

86  90.1  

83.6  

64.9  

0  

20  

40  

60  

80  

100  

Level  1   Level  2   Level  3   UE  

Achieved

 %  

Level  of  Achievement  

2014  NCEA  Results  Rangi  Ruru   Decile  10  Girls  Schools   Girls  in  Decile  10  co-­‐ed  Schools   NaDonal  

juice bar and water station. Throughout

the day the smile cam floated around the

grounds with girls always ready to smile

for the camera. Overall the day was hit!

The United Nations International Day of

Happiness, was a day too good to miss,

so my council and I greeted girls with a

smile in the morning whist handing out

yellow ribbons, as well as having a Sing

Star battle at lunch and decorating the

bridge in Mana Wahine with smiley faces.

We are now looking forward to Happiness

Week at the start of next term, where it

will be the brightest and happiest week

Rangi has ever seen!

The theme of FLOB goes hand in hand

with my theme of happiness this year,

and I feel privileged to be able to work,

not only with the senior leader team,

but also with my council. I can’t wait for

future events to come, and to help girls

embrace being happy.

FLOB artwork being created during Alice Rae’s Principal for a Day

11www.rangiruru.school.nz

Curriculum MattersNCEA Results 2014

Juliet CollinsCurriculum Manager

It is delightful to see the girls’ 2014 NCEA

results. They should be very proud of

their successes and confident that these

awards can open the doors to on-going

learning opportunities and wonderful

choices.

Scholarship Awards 2014From the 2014 Scholarship Exams, the

girls gained 22 Scholarships including

four outstanding scholarships (O).

Sylvia Barnett Drama

Lauren Beckett Physical Education

Amy Lee Music (O), English

Hanseul Nam Chemistry (O),

English (O),

Statistics (O),

Biology, Calculus,

Physics

Madeleine Newman Biology

Maisie O’Donnell English

Jenny Park Music

Sylvia Robinson Painting,

Printmaking

Holly Smith English, Painting

Siyu Sun Music

Elley Wagner Printmaking

Maria Walker Art History, Design,

English

Hanseul Nam receives a New Zealand

Scholarship Premier Award – $10,000

each year for up to three years, for as

long as the recipient maintains at least

a ‘B’ grade average each year of their

tertiary study.

Maria Walker receives a ‘Scholarship

Award’ – $2,000 each year for up to

three years, for as long as the recipient

maintains at least a ‘B’ grade average

each year of their tertiary study.

Amy Lee receives a ‘Top Subject Scholar

Award’ for the top Candidate in each one

of the Scholarship subjects – $2,000 each

year for up to three years, for as long

as the recipient maintains at least a

‘B’ grade average each year of their

tertiary study.

99.1   99.2   98.3   98.3  94.9   95.7  

90  

82.3  

91.2   92.4  90  

75.6  

86  90.1  

83.6  

64.9  

0  

20  

40  

60  

80  

100  

Level  1   Level  2   Level  3   UE  

Achieved

 %  

Level  of  Achievement  

2014  NCEA  Results  Rangi  Ruru   Decile  10  Girls  Schools   Girls  in  Decile  10  co-­‐ed  Schools   NaDonal  

Rangi Ruru Scholarship Winner – Only Female in the CountryHanseul NamOne girl has been awarded a premier

scholarship and she’s from Rangi Ruru

Girls’ School in Christchurch.

Hanseul Nam gained scholarships

in six subjects, three of them at

Outstanding Performance level. She

is one of two students from the South

Island named in the list of ten Premier

Scholarship winners, and the only

female. The other South Island recipient

is from Shirley Boys’ High School.

Hanseul represented Rangi at two

high profile international events last

year – details of one can be found

here http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.

cfm?id=106983

Rangi Ruru Curriculum Manager

Juliet Collins says Hanseul is exploring a

range of opportunities.

“Hanseul is a phenomenal young

woman. She is not only academically

talented but also community minded

and while at Rangi, a wonderful mentor

for our younger students,” she says.

“We wish her all the best with the

incredible opportunities that no doubt

await her.”

Throughout the country 2276

students were awarded subject

scholarships. The top ten receive $30,000

over three years, provided they study

and do well at a New Zealand university.

Outstanding Scholars, who gain more

than three subject scholarships, with

at least one at “outstanding” level, each

receive $15,000. This is the definitive

information regarding the monetary

awards http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-

us/our-role/legislation/nzqa-rules/

assessment-including-examination-

rules-2015/7/3/2/

12

Around Rangi

Boarding House News The beginning of the year has been

entirely positive in the house, with all

of the new girls bringing a wonderful

energy to our boarding family. With a

large Year 9 contingent, and an increase

in numbers in all of the senior year levels,

the buzz around the house has been

tangible.

We started the term with our

orientation programme. This included

our traditional In-House weekend,

where everyone had the opportunity

to bond and of course, have some fun.

Becky Wilson, our newly appointed

Head of House, co-ordinated a weekend

of kayaking, movie nights, games and

boarding banners for our new juniors;

you would have thought that she had

been doing the job for years. To finish the

weekend, everyone in the house went to

Waikuku Beach to share a picnic, swim,

chat and play cricket. It was a superb start

to the boarding year.

Ever since the first week, it has been

go, go, go for the girls in the house.

Aside from the usual routine of going to

classes, the girls have been extremely

busy rehearsing for productions, trialling

for sports teams, going away on camps,

tournaments and field trips, preparing

for themed days such as the Valentine’s

dinner during Love Week, the Sea Week

dinner, and of course, our monthly

Birthday dinners. The junior girls have

had a number of tours and activities

planned for them, such as visiting the

museum and the Spectrum Street Art

Exhibition, finding the giraffes, movies

and Inflatable World. They have also

attended dances at St Bede’s College

and Christ’s College. Amongst both

the juniors and seniors, we have some

keen Crusaders fans in the house, who

have been avidly attending the Friday

night games; the seniors are also really

looking forward to the upcoming Colour

Run. We are very proud of our girls who

helped out at Children’s Day, blowing up

balloons and undertaking general duties,

and of the many girls who will soon be

participating in Relay for Life to raise

funds for the Cancer Society.

I would like to thank the many parents

who attended our first Boarder/Parent/

Staff barbeque, which followed on from

Athletics Day. It was a lovely evening and

it was great to see boarders and parents

sitting down to a meal in the house

together. We all look forward to our next

get together in Term 2.

Treena RuwhiuDirector of

Boarding

Waikuku Beach picnic for Boarders

Year 9 Boarders off to the St Bede’s dance Boarders‘ In House Weekend movie night

13www.rangiruru.school.nz

Across the GATE Coordinator’s DeskIt is always a delight at the start of each

year to reconnect with our highly able

students and to meet the newcomers

to Rangi. I have been working my way

through the PDP process for GATE,

and channelling students into the

enrichment and extension activities

that best suit them. There is a broad

range of activities for students to choose

from, ranging from science, Model

United Nations and astronomy trips

out of school, to the regular clubs such

as Chess, Creative Writing, Robotics/

Programming, Debating, Philosophy

and Future Problem Solving. Sometimes

there are clashes of interests but we can

often accommodate individual needs.

Social Psychology is again running as an

option for Global Living and is popular,

particularly with high ability students.

The following reports will give a good

overview of how the start of the year is

evolving for this group of students.

Petra DyerGate Coordinator

AROUND RANGI

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Group varies from

week to week as we have clashes with

other activities in the school, but we

now have a Facebook Page so everyone

can keep up with the competitions

being offered. Mrs Kendall helps to run

the club.

Hannah Davies (10 Rg) has written

a moving poem comparing a run with

life’s journey.

The Run Through Life The gun shoots straight upSetting my heart racingMy blinkers hold fastI stare straight ahead

The wind whips my hairA sensation I ignoreThe ground tickles my feetA silent laugh I fix my eyes on the finish lineA brilliant glowing whiteAccomplishment is overwhelmingMy speed my fuel The finish line flashes pastBeneath my sore feet My chest heaves steadilyMy blinkers fall to the earth I stare back at the forestShining in all its gloryPerfect tulips line the trackI made myself Confused I search for my competitorsThe spectatorsThe judgeI am alone I sink to my knees My tears darken the grassI turn to go back to the startBut I cannot riseIt’s over.

Robotics

The Robotics Club is off to a great start

this year with two teams preparing

for the Robocup Junior Regional

Competition, to be held in mid-August

at Linwood College. One team will be

entering the Theatre section of the

competition, in which they have to build

and program one or more robots to

‘dance’ in time to a piece of music. The

other team is entering the Soccer section

of the competition, where they have to

programme a team of two robots (one

attacker and one goalie), to play a game

of soccer against another team. Both

teams are underway with their planning,

and looking forward to an exciting and

challenging year ahead.

Abby Croot Year 10 Head of Robotics

Social Psychology

The Global Living Programme offers a

variety of opportunities for students to

indulge their academic interests. Back in

2007, Ms Ogden established a two-term

NCEA Social Psychology programme. Mr

Sloss has recently inherited the course and

has hybridised it into a Philosophy and

Psychology paper.

The course begins with an examination

of the mind from a philosophical point of

view. Plato’s tripartite theory of the mind

sets the scene, with Rene Descarte’s cogito

completing the arc. Students are then

introduced to six classic psychological

studies, beginning with Solomon Asch’s

research on conformity — why do people so

readily go along with the crowd? Next they

work on the bystander effect and examine

John Darley and Bibb Latane’s insights

into the factors that influence people’s

willingness to help others in need. From

there, students look into Albert Bandura’s

work on aggression. The remainder of the

course examines memory and eye witness

testimony, impulse control and delayed

gratification, and finishes with an inquiry

into obedience to authority.

Students have the opportunity to gain

four NCEA credits upon completion of the

course.

14

Canterbury Model United Nations

Representing a country in international

politics seems like a daunting task.

Representing a country you might not

have even heard of is terrifying. However,

this is what a group of senior girls set

out to do when we attended Canterbury

Model United Nations on Tuesday 10 and

Wednesday 11 March.

We arrived at the Canterbury

Horticultural Centre at 9:00am on the

first morning, along with more than two

hundred other high school students

from all over the South Island. Separated

from other Rangi girls, we found our

alphabetical seating, armed with research

about our allocated countries and the

resolutions we were about to debate.

For some, this research had begun with

googling “What continent is...in?” and

ended with a few printed pages from

different websites.

The day kicked off with a keynote

speaker, followed by the first resolution on

the question of globalised competition.

After ten minutes, we were already used to

the lingo of being called “delegates” and

referring to ourselves in the third person.

Notes were passed around, whether they

were sent to lobby with another country

or ask a friend about what was going on.

There was something in it for everyone,

whether it was just sitting back to watch,

or getting fully immersed in the debate.

For me, it started off by saying just one

sentence as a point of information, and led

to making another two points. Gradually,

I gained the confidence to speak on stage,

and even tried to propose an amendment

myself.

The debate was separated into chunks

by breaks called ‘unmoderated caucus

sessions’, as well as morning tea and lunch.

During this time, we were able to enjoy the

catering and meet new people. Things like

“Hi, I’m Zimbabwe” and “Australia? Isn’t that

a part of New Zealand?” became perfectly

acceptable conversation starters.

After a delicious pizza dinner, we had

a social evening. First we split into groups

for a quiz. This really proved our political

knowledge when almost everyone got

full marks on naming political leaders, but

hardly anyone knew the celebrity trivia.

Being personally hopeless at both, I was

quite relieved when it was announced that

we were moving on to the movie. Once we

got comfortable, the sweet Wall-E began

playing which got “awws” out of everyone.

The next day rolled around and

everyone was more than ready for the

remaining resolutions. With our experience

from the previous day, this was a breeze.

We were all used to being referred to by

country names, and the big words and

rules of procedure didn’t seem as daunting

anymore.

According to Model UN tradition, the

last resolution is always the most serious

of them all. This year, it was discussing

the rights of Martians, that’s right, all

six rovers on Mars. This was an endless

source of hilarity and encouraged the

participation of everyone who hadn’t had

a go at the other resolutions. We ended

up with a resolution that encouraged us

to give them mining resources, but also

recommended that North Korea eradicate

Martians by bombing them. As the rovers

will be relieved to know, this resolution did

not pass.

The wonderful two days ended with

delegate presentations and a thanks to

all the amazing organisers involved. We

also heard about other opportunities

that happen nationally, and even

internationally, including the online

Diplomacy competition that teams from

Rangi are a part of.

I went home from the two days feeling

like I knew a lot more about the world

today. I can’t wait for Model UN next

year. Who knows, there might even be a

delegate from Mars.

Amy Huang Year 12

Back row: Olivia Humphrey, Georgia Canning, devanshi Gandhi, Rachel Chon, Sophie lee, Komal Singh, Harmony Zhou, Geeny Moon, Hannah etherington. front Row: Clare lin, Sujin Jung, Amy Huang.

AROUND RANGI

Philosophy

The Philosophy Club is up and running

with some exciting events in the pipeline.

There is an upcoming Café Philosophy

afternoon bearing the intriguing title

Doomsday and the Meaning of life. We

also look forward to taking a group of

students to a philosophy conference

early next term entitled ‘All Great Empires

Fall’. This promises to be an exciting and

stimulating day out for senior students.

Jay Sloss is running a Bioethics day

in the holidays, inviting Otago University

staff to come and address a group of

Years 9 and 10 students from across

Christchurch on a variety of issues.

Future Problem Solving

Our teams and girls entered as

individuals from Years 7- 11, and are

busy working through Problem One -

The Impact of Social Media. There is

information on Ultranet, which gives

an outline of the topics for the year for

those who are interested, including

some research which explains why

Future Problem Solving is so important

in terms of critical and creative

thinking.

15www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Canterbury University Trip 12 and 13 March

When we arrived at the University of

Canterbury, the first thing on our agenda

(after figuring out how to fit everyone in

the elevator) was the nanotechnology

workshop we were scheduled to attend.

The man taking the workshop introduced

himself as Dabujou, and started off

the lesson by talking about common

materials that we use and interact with

in our day to day lives. From metal, a

substance that occurs naturally and has

been used by humans for thousands of

years, to silicon, a material created fairly

recently and used in computer chips.

These are the materials we currently use

in our technology. Before we used these

materials, we used other substances and

so, in the same fashion, there will come

a time when we use different materials

in the technology that we make in

that time which, if investigations into

nanotechnology are to be referred to,

might not be that far into the future.

Nanotechnology has been around

a long time, as far back as the ancient

Romans, who inadvertently used

nanoparticles to stain glass, but only now

are we beginning to understand how

nanotechnology can be replicated and

used. The science of nanotechnology

revolves around being able to manipulate

matter at an atomic level often to create

entirely new substances; those that have

been engineered, whose properties can

be controlled.

As a practical demonstration of this

concept of engineering materials to

do or act certain ways, coils of metal

with the ability to “remember” shape,

were handed out along with tongs, hot

water and safety glasses. When these

metals reach a certain temperature, they

automatically revert to a preprogrammed

shape, through a certain process the

atoms have been arranged, so it takes the

least amount of energy to stay in a certain

shape when the metal’s temperature

is raised to this level. If the metal is at

another temperature, it can be bent out of

shape. This sort of metal has the potential

to be used so that any technology made

out of it can be reverted back to its

original shape with the simple application

of a blow torch; for example a car bent

out of shape in a crash could be repaired

almost instantly.

We also looked at Ferro fluid; a liquid

that reacts to magnetic fields because

particles from metal have been spread

throughout it, and Graphene, a carbon

compound with the ability to absorb and

release, very quickly, large amounts of

electrical energy. This could revolutionise

battery making if ever we manage to find

a way to produce it in bulk, and get it

to release the electricity just a smidgen

slower – to stop it blowing up whatever

you plug into it.

Alisha Bedggood Year 9

After the Nanotechnology Workshop,

we had lunch and returned to the lecture

room to learn about psychology and how

the brain works. It was an interesting

lecture, to say the least, and was packed

with facts about the various aspects of

the brain. We learnt about the Frontal

Lobe and how that affects your behaviour

in society; the Parietal Lobe and how

that affects your sense of touch, the way

you do things, and the pain you feel;

the Occipital Lobe and how that affects

your eyesight and dreams and finally,

the Temporal Lobe, and how that links in

with your hearing. We also learnt about a

few things that don’t seem as important,

but do really important things, like the

Hippocampus, which contains all your

memories and how you link them with

sight, smell, hearing and touch, and the

Amygdala, which deals with feeling fear

and identifying fear in other people. We

also learnt about the psychology involved

in video games and how we conform

to society’s expectations when under

extreme peer pressure. It was an amazing

trip and I’m sure everyone who went

enjoyed it immensely.

Charli Peebles Year 9

GAte Students attending a lecture at University of Canterbury

16

AROUND RANGI

News from Years 7 & 8The Years 7 and 8 faculty has enjoyed a

lovely settled start to the year. The girls

are all very happy and engaged and

probably wondering where that restful

holiday feeling has gone.

It is always a busy time as

assessments are completed so that

we can differentiate our programmes

to best meet the needs of all the faces

in front of us. With that completed,

learning is well underway.

Every girl having her own device

is making such a huge impact on the

teaching and learning for us all. Every

girl is able to manage her own journey

and to re-visit her learning from the

day if necessary. Parents now have

the luxury of being able to digitally

share their daughter’s experiences and

learning encountered daily at Rangi.

The Year 8 Leaders have been

chosen and what an outstanding

group of young ladies we have. Their

presentations were inspiring and we are

excited to see where they lead us this

year.

“Celebrating Difference” is

our Inquiry Unit this term. We

are investigating historical and

contemporary times when one culture

has dominated another.

This has stimulated much discussion

and is a useful connection to being

inclusive and caring towards each

other, as we learn to celebrate our own

differences as well.

A great start to the year!

Chris CampbellLead Teacher Years 7 & 8

Year 7 Camp

On Thursday 18 February, twenty two

excited and enthusiastic Year 7 students

departed school at the very early hour

of 6am, headed towards Wainui YMCA

camp. When we arrived, there was little

time to unpack before it was straight

into various activities.

Over the duration of the two action

packed days, the girls participated in a

variety of challenges that required them

to push outside of their comfort zone,

work together as a team, and challenge

their thinking. Activities included

Coasteering, The Big Swing, High Ropes,

Kayaking and Raft building.

On return to school the girls

completed a reflection on their

experiences at camp and how they

were going to apply these things to

their learning. A number indicated the

importance of perseverance, taking

risks and listening to others’ opinions as

vital components for moving forward in

2015.

17www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

This event was held on Thursday 27

February in perfect conditions. Girls

were encouraged to complete the

course individually or in teams of three.

The course comprised of a swim in the

Rangi pool, bike laps around one block,

and run around another block, and

was completed with much effort and

enthusiasm!

Results of Year 7 & 8 Triathlon:11 year olds1st: Abby Kneebone

2nd: Emma Ffowcs Williams

3rd: Ava Williman

12 year olds1st: Meg Smith

2nd: Molly Robinson

3rd: Macy Neale

TeamsYear 71st: Libby Rodda, Justine Berry,

Bridget Maw

2nd: Julia Stewart, Francesca

Gosney, Makayla Barrett

3rd=: Kaia Johnstone, Imogen Park,

Krissy Epton, Lucy Docherty,

Brie Yates, Krissy Epton

Year 81st: Daisy Auker-Woor, Marnie Gray,

Sarah Kean

2nd: Kareena Singh, Georgia Walker,

Sarah Kean

3rd: Grace Luxon, Harriet Lord,

Ella Newberry

The Year 7 & 8 Triathlon

Year 9 CampYear 9 camp at Glenroy was a huge

success! The instructors made sure we

had bundles of fun, while we pushed

ourselves to the limit and gained more

experience of the world around us.

We had a blast white water rafting and

kayaking down the Rakaia River, where

we experienced great teamwork, while

taking in the stunning views.

We stepped out of our comfort zones,

or more jumped out of them, at the end

of the white water rafting experience

when we all jumped from a large rock

and plummeted into the refreshing

water. As well as spending time in the

water, we also got to experience both

high and low ropes while basking in

the hot weather. The camp concert was

certainly entertaining and involved great

participation from everyone; this was

followed by scrumptious hot chocolate

with marshmallows.

Camp was a great bonding

experience for all of us and we have all

made heaps of new friends and got to

know people.

Next year’s Year 9 girls sure have a lot

of fun in store for them!

Alice Nixon and Qiqi Wang Year 9

18

AROUND RANGI

Camp Glenroy

I took a deep breath. I could feel the

adrenaline slowly pumping through

my veins. My head tilted upwards as

I straightened my back. I could hear

faint voices in the background but soon

enough they became clear. The pressure

was surreal. My palms became sweaty

as I glanced over towards Rio. Fear was

apparent on her face.

I remember the man yelling, telling

us to jump now. I took Rio’s hand, my

feet slowly creeping towards the edge.

The sound of the water crashing against

the rocks below was hard to miss.

Whispering, I counted down; 5 4 3 2 1. I

jumped.

Not completely realising what was

going on, I was shocked when I felt my

body plunge into the deep, cold water.

Out of breath I looked up. I did it. I

jumped. I completed the leap of faith. I

survived…

Katie McDonald Year 9

Camp Glenroy: Full On

They were a zoo unleashed,

A circus of lunatics.

Leading us in occupations as

full on as Lion hunting.

Adventurous,

the Full-On crew.

Exciting team building activities

Meeting new people a tidal wave

of opportunities.

Making memories.

FLOB

Crisp, relaxing, the cliffs were a rainbow.

Jolting, adrenaline-rushing, gut-

wrenching, panicking,

paddling, as tiring as pushups

to dance very dangerously on the raft.

Hilarious, exciting, girls grinning

as thrilling as a rollercoaster.

The Princess Pond

was as muddy as Shrek’s swamp,

as slimy as frogs’ skin.

The water by itself

was an ogre.

The mud bullets, forming a deadly

crossfire.

Insane.

Our laughter was like a contagious

disease

The teacher was a jail guard

turn it down, please.

Apparently we were causing a racket:

an unpredictable spider – we had to

whack it.

The teachers got a fright

At the scene of our bombsite.

Burning on us was the sun.

To work as one,

Challenging and coordinating as

a group of elephants on stilts.

It was like communicating with

A group of wild animals. Our Olympians

were at their final stage, ending

was near. Glenroy camp was

here.

9Be

19www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Love Week

2015 Love Week was unlike any other

Rangi had seen before. My Community

Council and I took the challenge to make

it the brightest, bubbliest and, of course,

pinkest yet – and we think we succeeded.

We let the Valentine’s Day celebrations

carry on for a whole week, and despite

what some girls may say, you can never

have enough pink.

Embracing our inner FLOB, the week

kicked off with intense decoration of the

Te Koraha Lawn, newly named the ‘Love

Lawn’. Balloons of all sizes went up as

well as pom-poms, bunting, streamers

and a large heart installation on the tree.

This was accompanied by our Love Lawn

playlist, a Polaroid cut out photo booth,

face paint and chalk drawing, all crammed

into Monday lunchtime. To enjoy all the

bright colours and love even more, we

had a visit from our little friends from the

Pre-school who got to join in with the fun.

The annual Red and Pink Mufti day

was on Tuesday and I quote Ms Barnett,

‘I would say this would be the best turn

out yet’. And aren’t you right Ms B - it

was the boldest one yet and the Love

Lawn looked even more vibrant with all

the girls covered from head to toe in red

and pink. The photos continued to be

snapped, and girls enjoyed the lunchtime

sun by singing and dancing along to their

favourite Love Week tunes.

What’s better to start your Wednesday

morning than to be serenaded by three

handsome young boys? Nomad took to

our chapel stage to perform for us and it

set us up nicely for the rest of fun-filled

Wednesday. At lunchtime, the gorgeous

‘Cakes by Anna’ treated us with her

Raspberry Rose, Pistachio and White

Chocolate mini cakes, accompanied by a

delicious glass of pink lemonade served

by my lovely Community Council.

Love Week concluded with a final

lunchtime session on the Love Lawn. The

pink treats of candyfloss, lollies and pink

lemonade were sold for those who had

missed out earlier in the week, and last

minute entries for the ever challenging

‘Guess the Valentine’, ‘Guess the number

of lollies in the lolly jar’ and ‘Guess the

bells’, were done.

The Community Council started

the first themed week of the year with

a whole lot of FLOB-ing, as every girl

was encouraged to have fun and laugh

with the opportunity of belonging to a

week where it was all about love and, of

course, pink.

Share the joy of childhood46 Rhodes Street, MerivaleT:

03 983 3757

E:

preschool@rangiruru.ac.nzW:

www.preschool.rangiruru.ac.nz

We invite you and your child along for a visit, to familiarise yourself with our nurturing environment, welcoming community, wonderful teachers and fantastic educational programme.

• Rangi Ruru Preschool is a small community based centre for children aged 2 to 5 years

• Operating 8.15am – 4.30pm

• Located in the quiet and attractive grounds of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School

• Offering 20 Hours ECE

• 100% qualified and registered teachers

• Educational programme to meet the needs of your child

• Respectful and nurturing care.

Rangi Ruru Preschool

20

Sea Week this year was a great success!

There was a wide variety of activities

planned for all of the girls to FLOB right

into throughout the week. Our main goal

for Sea Week was to raise funds for a

charity called Project Jonah, which works

on sustaining marine animals, coastlines

and seas. Running every day in Sea Week

was Guess the Endangered Animal and

Guess the amount of Lollies in the Jar. We

also sold a tonne of lollies! On Monday

we had a delicious sea themed bake sale,

lollies, chocolate fish on a string and

lolly filled balloons, which we all went

mad for! Tuesday was a splashing good

time as it was beach themed mufti day!

We all managed to uncrumple our old

mermaid tails, dig out sunhats and put

on our fishiest wetsuits, and we all looked

absolutely awesome! We also had a Wet

and Wild obstacle course, which was very

wild and definitely left a lot of people

extremely wet! On Wednesday there was

a ‘Fishing for Compliments’ pool with

one of the fish carrying a very pleasant

surprise! The Boarders had their first ever

sea themed dinner, which Becky, Rebekah

and the kitchen staff lovingly organised

and it turned out amazingly. On Friday

we had the traditional Whale Spout Hair

Day. This meant

that everyone in the

school spent the

day with the highest

ponytail possible,

which was quite an

amazing sight. All

in all Sea Week was

the best one yet,

thanks to all of you

who FLOB, FLOB,

FLOBBED it up!!Phoebe Robinson

AROUND RANGI

Sea Week

Harvest Week

According to the history books, Rangi

Ruru girls have been taking part in the

Harvest Festival service event since 1951.

From 15 to 20 March, girls brought in

donations of non-perishable food to

donate to the Christchurch City Mission.

This year we reached a total of 880 items;

I was delighted with this response. This

was displayed at the front of the chapel at

our Friday service, and it was then taken

to the City Mission. The gratitude and

reaction from the City Mission when we

dropped the goods off made me realise

the difference our school has made for

the people of Christchurch simply by

this small gesture of bringing in a non-

perishable item.

This year my council took the

initiative of altering this event by holding

a “Thanks for giving day”, where we

had an American Thanksgiving harvest

themed lunch time on the lawn outside

the Year 13 common room. The lawn was

magnificently decorated with hay bales,

a scarecrow, balloons and flags. We also

took this opportunity to raise money for

the City Mission by selling toffee apples,

pizza, lollies and by holding themed

games. The generosity of spirit from all

the girls at school was tremendous and

carried on this service tradition in true

Rangi Ruru style.

Eloise Crawford

21www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Rangi Ruru Kapa Haka at polyfest

Ata Marie KoutouThe Kapa Haka girls astonished the crowd

with their performance and routine at the

recent Polyfest. They stood proudly, mana

strong and consumed the width of the

stage with their Rangi Ruru presence – a

truly impressive sight – graceful, beautiful

and poised, and although every girl was

very nervous, they mesmerised the crowd.

To be surrounded by such a vast range

of cultures is an experience in itself, but

to be able to compete on a stage and in

an environment that others have grown

up immersed in, is an extremely daunting

mountain to climb.

What excited the girls on reflection

was:

• The groups of people, who, intending

to leave the audience arena, sat

down again and stayed to watch their

performance, even when it started

drizzling.

• The group of young boys who, after

initial jesting, became docile, wide

eyed and gaping.

• The number of ‘wow’ comments

heard in the audience.

• The honour they received from the

Auckland schools in the crowd who

stood and acknowledged them with a

Haka. ‘You should be competing’, their

leader informed us.

• And the responding Haka received

from the school in the back stage

holding bay.

• How quickly the reputation of

the Rangi Ruru performance and

performers was spread around the

Maori arena and into the shopping

stalls.

• The number of people who came up

to them following their performance

and said Rangi Ruru should be

competing against the best.

• The acknowledgments the girls

received from the stall holders and

general public.

These young women are wahine toa,

they are the embodiment of mana wahine

and represent our school values. Thank

you for allowing the girls to experience

this wonderful learning journey.

Sandy, Maaka, Kirstie and KateAccompanying staff

Kapa Haka

22

It has been a busy start to the year with many plans afoot for

productions, festivals and trips. Auditions for dance companies

have been completed and the girls have settled into their

regular routine of classes. Years 7 and 8 are underway with

this year’s entry into J-Rock – Stage Challenge, with our girls

performing at Horncastle Arena on Thursday 14 May.

Head of Drama, Josie Nicholas-McAnergney, has arranged

with The Court Theatre to provide regular tutorials for Theatre

Sports. This has proved to be especially popular and Josie

is hopeful that Rangi Ruru will enter a team into the local

competition.

Over the holidays, Dance and Drama, along with Music, will

finally move into the new Performing Arts building; an exciting

development and one that will undoubtedly see Rangi Ruru

remain at the forefront of Arts education for many years to

come.

Auditions for the senior production are now out of the way,

and rehearsals for Julius Caesar are taking up much of the spare

time for the girls involved. This exciting all-female version will

be the inaugural production in the newly built Merivale Lane

Theatre from 19-26 June. Tickets are available online at www.

juliuscaesar.school.nz

Plans are well developed for another fabulous junior

production later this year. We are currently in the process of

securing the rights for a well-known show and, once this is

done, an announcement will be made.

Robert GilbertDirector of Theatre Arts

AROUND RANGI

From the Director of Theatre Arts

PA S S E N G E R SF i o n a F a r r e l l

R a d a S t u d i o s 1 6 c h e n i e s s t l o n d o n1 0 1 1 & 1 2 J u l y 2 0 1 5

p a s s e n g e r s n z c o m.

f r o m c h r i s t c h u r c h n e w z e a l a n d

Kiaana Harris as Olivia and Cassie Henderson as feste in ‘twelfth Night”

Abi O’Regan as Kate and pauline Ward as petruchio in ‘taming of the Shrew’

23www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

Rangi Ruru’s mission is to inspire, challenge and empower

girls to realise their full potential through a diverse range of

wonderful opportunities and experiences.

With this in mind, Director of Theatre Arts, Robert Gilbert is

taking thirteen Drama students to London to watch, experience

and learn at some of the most prestigious theatre companies in

the world. The students will see performances and take drama

workshops and classes at The Royal Shakespeare Company,

The Globe Theatre, The National Theatre, and The Royal

Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Whilst at RADA, they will present Passengers, a play by

award-winning New Zealand playwright, Fiona Farrell. The

one-hour play, directed by Hannah Clarkson and Robert Gilbert,

tells the story of the journey to New Zealand of a number of

young women, formerly in domestic service in England in the

nineteenth century.

“What could be better than taking a local play about young women who travelled from England to New Zealand back to England,” says Robert. “And where better to present the production than at the most famous drama training facility in the world? I’m inspired by the project, and the girls are thrilled at the prospect.”

About Fiona Farrell Fiona Farrell is one of New Zealand’s leading writers, publishing

work in a variety of genres. She is a frequent guest at festivals

in New Zealand, and has also appeared at the Edinburgh

International Book Festival and the Vancouver International

Writers’ Festival.

Fiona has held residencies in France and Ireland, and was

the 2011 Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago. In

2007, Fiona received the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Award

for Fiction, and in 2012 was appointed an Officer of the New

Zealand Order of Merit for ‘services to literature’ in the Queen’s

Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours List.

About PassengersIn the 1860’s, nineteen working-class women aged between

twelve and twenty-one, board an immigrant ship in England,

bound for New Zealand. Most of them are leaving domestic

service in the hope of a new life. Some are running away, others

believe they have a calling.Passengers is the story of their journey. During the 130 days

on the ship, we get to know these young women, learn about

their pasts and their dreams for the future.

Created from actual records of the time, the play gives an

insight into the extreme conditions on board the ship, and the

relationships formed, as these assisted immigrants head for a

brighter future.

Rangi Ruru Drama Students to perform at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London, in July

PA S S E N G E R Sby Fiona Farrell

You’re invited ...... to an exclusive pre-show

function at rada, followed by a premiere

performance

Who: Especially for old girls and friends of Rangi Ruru Girls’ SchoolDate: Friday 10 July, from 6pm to 8.30pmVenue: RADA, London, EnglandHost: Julie Moor (Principal) plus members of the cast and crewCost: Free to attend*Details: www.passengersnz.com Email: s.wilkinson@rangiruru.school.nz

*Spaces are limited so please contact Sarah Wilkinson for more information and to reserve a seat.NB: Please forward this information to any UK-based old girls whom you think might be interested.Passengers is proudly sponsored by

Singapore Airlines

24

AROUND RANGI

From the Director of Music

Music continues to be alive and well

at Rangi, with girls enthusiastically

embracing the wide range of music

groups available to them. Needless to

say, the department has been a hive of

activity from day one!

Itinerant music lessons started well,

with around 250 girls having lessons

through school on a wide range of

instruments and voice. Our larger

performance groups Resolutions, Junior

Chorale, Concordia, Bellbirds, Jazz Band,

Rangi Sinfonia and Rangi Players are all

well into their rehearsal schedules. In

addition, many girls have joined smaller

vocal and instrumental ensembles,

including recorder, ukulele and

percussion ensembles, chamber music

groups and jazz combo. We continue

to enjoy a wide range of performances

in Wednesday Chapel services, ably

organised by our Head of Music, Grace

Leehan.

The Rangi Sinfonia Camp was held

at Living Springs for a weekend at the

beginning of March. It was a great venue

and a resounding success, where the girls

worked hard on some of their new music,

but also had a wonderful time getting to

know each other and ‘bonding’ as a team.

It was pleasing to see some of our senior

students ably take on leadership roles,

in both rehearsal situations and in the

facilitation of team building activities that

they organised.

This term is one where girls are

working on learning a vast amount

of new music, in preparation for

performances and festivals in Term 2 and

beyond, including Open Day, BIG SING

and Chamber music regional contests,

Rockquest, Chapel performances,

Sinfonia Camp 2015

25www.rangiruru.school.nz

AROUND RANGI

lunchtime and evening concerts, and

NCEA assessments. We are very fortunate

to have such outstanding support from

our very experienced music staff and

instrumental and vocal tutors, without

whom all this would not be possible.

There have been some performances

already this term. Georgia Saunders

performed at the rowing fundraising

evening during February, and Grace

McKenzie and Isabella Gregory at a

special morning tea at Rangi in mid-

March. Karen Hu (Year 12), Grace Leehan

and Geeny Moon (Year 13) have been

busy performing with non Rangi music

groups during this term – Karen as a

percussionist in the MUSOC Production of

Cabaret, Grace with the CSO, and Geeny

with the Southern Sinfonia (Dunedin),

as well as rehearsing for Phantom of the

Opera. Opportunities such as these are

testament to the outstanding musical

ability, work ethic and professionalism of

many of our top music students.

At the end of Term 1, we will be

leaving our current building and moving

to the wonderful new facility that you no

doubt will have seen developing next to

the church on Merivale Lane. This will be

a very exciting and state of the art facility

for us to work in, and we are all looking

forward to making it our new ‘second

home’ at the start of Term 2.

CongratulationsGrace McKenzie (Year 11) was selected as

a violinist for the Adam Summer School

for Chamber Music, held in Nelson during

February. This school provided Grace

with the opportunity to work with New

Zealand’s best young string players and

pianists for eight days of intense chamber

music-making under the guidance of the

New Zealand String Quartet and other

professional chamber musicians. As well

as this, Grace won 3rd place in the Gilbert

Glausiuss Prize for the most promising

performer of the lunchtime series at the

Akaroa International Music Festival (held

in January) and passed her ATCL diploma

examination on the piano.

Grace Leehan (Year 13, viola), and

Karen Hu (Year 12, cello), have both been

accepted for the NZSO Young Originals

National Mentoring programme. The aim

of the mentoring programme is so the

NZSO can connect with young musicians

who are likely to pursue music at higher

education and even as a career. It is an

opportunity to reveal the professional

orchestral sector, assist in preparation for

exams and auditions, and offer guidance

on a chosen path.

Isabella Gregory has won a position

as co-principal flute in the National Youth

Concert Band, an auditioned group for

players under 25 years. Isabella travelled

to Australia with the band over the Easter

break.

Geeny Moon was awarded her

DipABRSM on the French Horn at the

end of 2014. Genny has this year been

accepted for study at the University of

Canterbury in performance Horn.

2015 NZSSSO membersA record thirteen Rangi girls have been

selected for the 2015 New Zealand

Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra,

with three of these girls in leadership

positions within the orchestra. They are:

Concert Master Grace Leehan

Assistant Concert Master

Grace McKenzie

First violins Yuna Chon,

Claire McSweeney

Second violins Sarah Lawrence,

Clare Lin

Viola Rebecca Harris,

Jessie Anderson

Cello Eugene In

Co-Principal Flute Isabella Gregory

Oboe Sarah Pride,

Amy Chen

Timpani Rachel Chon

This orchestra will meet in

Christchurch during the April term

break for a week of intensive rehearsals,

workshops and concerts.

These are some wonderful

achievements and we look forward to

hearing them, along with our many other

talented girls, perform during the year.

Janet KingsburyDirector of Music

Rangi Ruru’s 13 NZSSO members

26

2015 has started off well with a great

bunch of new students coming into

school, full of enthusiasm and no

shortage of sporting talent. This always

makes our eyes sparkle! We always have

sporty girls coming to Rangi, but this

year the numbers are up. Here’s hoping

for a good year of Rangi sport!

I also feel encouraged when I look

at the calibre of the many coaches we

employ each year to work with our

Sports teams. This is where we place

our focus, rather than on “importing”

new students. We know that the girls

who come to Rangi have chosen to do

so for a variety of reasons and we see it

as our job to provide the best possible

opportunities to participate in sport and

have the best possible coaching. We

recognise that this isn’t always possible

with some of our lower grade or social

teams, but it certainly is with our Senior

A/1st XI teams and as many of our junior

top teams as possible.

Here is a sample of some of our

current coaching prowess:

• John Radovonich – Former Blackstick

and current Rangi Hockey Coach

• Rachel McCann – Current Blackstick

and Rangi Hockey Coach

• Frances Grainger – Former Silver

Fern, Canterbury NPC Netball Coach

and Rangi Senior A Netball Coach

• Hapi Lines – Current NZ U19 Touch

Player, Canterbury U17 Touch Coach

and Rangi Super Touch Coach

• Gina Dymand and Paul Foster –

Former NZ Volleyball Captains (Gina

is the current U21 Women’s assistant

coach) and Rangi Volleyball Coaches

• Remi Feneon – Former French Junior

Champion and Canterbury Regional

Coach for six years

• Alex Boyd – Current NZ Women’s

Waterpolo team and Rangi Premier

Tennis Team Coach

• Fiona Paterson – Former NZ Rower

and Rangi Rowing Coach

• Bee Ruder – Under-study to Maria

Hassen (Athletics NZ middle distance

running coach) and Rangi Running

Coach

• Marc Prutton – professional Cycling

Coach with seven years of Elite level

and international racing experience

on the track and road, current

National Junior Road Coach and

Rangi Cycling Coach

• Caleb Harrison – Canterbury

Basketball Development Academy

Head Coach, former USA University

National Champion Assistant Coach

and Rangi Basketball Programme

Manager

There is no doubting that this is an

impressive line-up. Thank you to all the

coaches who give so much to Rangi

sport each year.

As we move towards the business

end of Term 1, with Summer Sports

Week, national events for our Rowing

Squad, Senior A Volleyball, Senior A

Waterpolo and our Premier Tennis

team, plus South Island tournaments

for our Waterpolo, Athletics and Super

Touch teams, we start to get the ever-

encroaching effects of winter sports

trials and training on the girls. We all

need to acknowledge the pressures our

girls are under, not only to stay focused

on the job at hand with the summer

sports commitments, but to front up and

be seen by the winter sports coaches, in

a bid to select teams in time to be ready

for the start of the winter season.

We constantly worry about the

pressures placed on the girls to attend

these trials, and do try to manage and

juggle their commitments and health.

It’s not ideal, and we are discussing

ways we could make the system better.

Unfortunately, we are dictated to by

what is happening on the club scene

also with some representative trials

for winter sports also happening in the

middle of summer!

Sport

Jo FogartyDirector of Sport

CricketThe Rangi Ruru Team headed to

Palmerston North in December 2014,

hoping to build on the success of their

first National Tournament in 2013, where

they finished 3rd.

The tournament started with a first up

match against St Kentigern’s in some very

inclement weather. St Kentigern’s won

the toss, electing to bowl first, with Rangi

Ruru sent into bat for the first innings.

Our girls were restricted to 56-4 in the

rain reduced game, with Emma Palmer

holding up the batting end for Rangi. It

was always going to be a tough ask with

the adjusted score being 20 runs to win

and St Kentigern’s managed to get there

in four overs.

The rain cleared in the afternoon and

Whangarei Girls’ High School got away to

a very strong start, making 76 runs before

we were able to nab the first wicket. The

wickets then fell quite regularly, leaving

a realistic, but challenging target of 115.

Kirsty Havill showed a brilliant display of

bowling, slowing down the Whangarei

batting and taking an impressive five-

wicket bag. Our batting performances let

us down in the second innings with some

strong bowling from the Whangarei team

giving them a close win.

No play on Day Two due to rain meant

the girls were itching to get back out

there on the final day. Palmerston North

Girls’ High School batted first and set an

imposing target of 125/4 off 20 overs.

While our team again performed well in

the field, we struggled to find any rhythm

when batting. We managed to see the 20

overs out, but crawled to 62 runs. The

pick of our batswomen was Emma Palmer

who was 20 not out.

The loss saw our girls finish 6th in the

competition – disappointing, but a real

experience to be there amongst the top six

teams in the country. Despite facing some

very tough opposition, the team spirit was

brilliant and the girls are looking forward

to having another shot at qualifying in

the Regional Tournament held during

Summer Tournament week in March.

Highlights of the tournament Kristy Havill 2nd Best Bowler overall, 5th

in the MVP standings

Emma Palmer 8th in MVP standings,

8th Fielding, 8th Batting

27www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships The New Zealand Secondary Schools’

Athletics Championships were in

Wanganui last year and Rangi had nine

girls travel to compete, both on the track

and in the Road Race. It was a fantastic

weekend of athletics, and although we

didn’t come home with any medals, there

were personal bests achieved and some

close finishes worth noting.

In the Senior Girls’ Triple Jump,

Hannah Maloney (who only had a couple

of hours sleep after the Leavers’ Ball

before catching a 5.30am flight), jumped

a personal best. This was a wonderful

result for Hannah, who also finished in

the top six of the competition. Kate Boyd

in Year 9, competing in the Junior Girls’

section (normally for girls in Years 10

and 11), finished 5th in the final of the

400m. This was exceptional as Kate was

by far the youngest runner in this event.

We hope she will tackle this event again

at Nationals this year. Rosie Elliott had

to withdraw from her semi-final events

due to a recurring injury, after easily

qualifying in both the Senior Girls’ 100m

and 200m events.

Another close finish was in the Junior

Girls’ Road Race, where the Rangi team

of Marisol Hunter, Annabelle Wilson

and Danielle Ackland placed 4th, just

one point behind the team that won

the bronze medal. This was a great

experience for a group of girls new to

this level of running. Other athletes who

competed well at Nationals’ included:

Ashleigh Leonard (Junior Hurdles, Discus

and Shotput), Bella Carter (Year 9 Road

Race), and Abby Williamson (Senior

1500m and 3000m.). Thank you all for a

memorable weekend, and many thanks

to Bee Ruder, our running coach, for her

knowledge and support.

AthleticsAs usual, the Swimming Sports is closely

followed by Athletics Sports, and this

year, after having to change the day due

to inclement weather, saw us once again

take over the sacred “Upper” at Christ’s

College with all the noise, colour and

prowess that you only get at a Rangi

Ruru Sports day!

The fields for all events were

significant and with the wonderful

support of our enthusiastic Sports

Council and Clan Leaders, the mood

was buoyant and everyone was getting

stuck in.

This year, we had two records broken:

the U14 Girls Discus saw Ella Neale throw

26.75 metres to sneak in just over the old

record, and Amelie Spinks jumped 1.29m

in the Years 7/8 High Jump. It is always

exciting to see the records fall and to see

our talented young athletes on show.

The champions from the day were:

Years 7/81st Amelie Spinks, 2nd Macy Neale, 3rd

Sophie Martin

U141st Ava Morrow, 2nd Ella Neale, 3rd

Meredith Seeto

Junior1st Kate Boyd, 2nd Eugene In, 3rd =

Ashleigh Leonard and Marisol Hunter

28

Intermediate1st Annabelle Wilson, 2nd Flossie van der

Pol, 3rd Kathryn Ford

Senior1st Abby Williamson, 2nd Millie

Mannering, 3rd Margo Willis

Clan points:1st Glamis 1233

2nd Balmoral 955

3rd Doune 771

4th Braemar 764

5th Stirling 696

6th Dunvegan 665

Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Triathlon ChampionshipsFor the first time this event was moved

out to Pegasus, after years of racing at

Corsair Bay. Sadly, due to an Algal Bloom

in the Pegasus Lake, the event became

a Duathlon and eliminated several of

our teams and talented swimmers.

Nevertheless, we were well represented in

all age-groups and as well as having lots of

fun, also achieved some notable successes.

Results:Individuals

U14 Ava Morrow – 6th

U19 Rose Marshall-Lee – 1st,

Millie Mannering – 4th

Teams

U16 Bella Carter/Kate Boyd – 2nd,

Chloe Jenkins/Ella Minehan

Fitzgerald – 4th

U19 Jemima Allison/Mackenzie

Webb/Gabi Newman – 3rd,

Lottie Eglinton/

Aimee McMaster – 6th

Chloe Jenkins and Ella Minehan

Fitzgerald then went on to pair up with

Olivia Mason, to compete at the South

Island Secondary Schools’ Triathlon

Championships in Oamaru the following

weekend. This team performed superbly,

winning the Intermediate Girls’ title. Well

done girls.

Equestrian Congratulations to some of our riders.

Sally McPherson – Western Performance

Sally achieved the Southern Circuit Hi-Point

Senior Youth Award for the South Island.

Mollie Carruthers – Mounted Games

Mollie attended the national MGA camp in

Turangi in January. She was placed 1st in

the MGA Canterbury Pairs competition/

demo at Ellesmere A&P show riding

Fly, and 3rd at the Turangi MGA teams’

competition in January, riding Blue.

Grace Tripe – Showing

Grace won the Supreme Champion Pony

at Banks Peninsula A&P Show, and also

Champion Rider.

Brianna Bailey – Showjumping

Brianna and her mount, Craigney Park,

were the Highest scoring juniors overall

(four double clear rounds including, a 1st

and a 5th with 67 riders in the classes)

at South Island Pony Club Showjump

Championships at Waimate recently.

Emily Heald Reserve Champion Pony at Waihora Pony

Club Show, 1 February.

Independent Schools’ Swimming SportsNine Years 7 and 8 girls competed in the

Independent Schools’ Swimming Sports

on Wednesday 18 March and it was

pleasing to see them do well against a

strong field.

SPORT

evie and Cilla Beach volleyball

ISSA Swim team Back l to R: Sarah Kean, Macy Neale, Abby Kneebone, Molly Robinson, lucy Howden. front l to R: Claudia O’Shannessey, Alicia Yee, Amelie Spinks, emma ffowcs Williams

life & disability

29www.rangiruru.school.nz

Sarah Kean placed 1st in the 12 year

olds Breaststroke, with Lucy Howden

coming 3rd in the same race. Sarah will

now compete in the Canterbury Primary

Championships at the end of March.

Other results: Molly Robinson placed 4th

in the 12 year olds Freestyle final, and

the 11 and 12 year old relays teams both

came 4th.

Rowing – Maadi CupWe took 37 girls to Maadi Cup regatta

and 34 made A finals. 103 schools were at

the regatta.

The following girls won medals:

GOLD in the U15 coxed four and winners of the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls CupSamantha Wing, Claudia Reid, Jemima

Bell, Isabella Carter, Cox – Harriet Green

GOLD in the U15 eight and winners of the Tauranga Girls High School CupSophie McCartin, Claudia Reid, Samantha

Wing, Izzie Evans, Jemima Bell, Emma

Stephens, Alice Sproat, Isabella Carter,

Cox – Maisie Nattrass

SILVER in the U18 Four Milly Macfarlane, Alice Luxton, Jemima

Allison, Lilly Hazlett, Cox – Harriet Green

BRONZE in the U16 FourSophie McCartin, Olivia McLeod, Alex

Summerfield, Izzie Evans, Cox – Maisie

Nattrass

We had a very tight 4th in the

U18 pairs race which is an extremely

competitive event.

The following girls have been

selected to trial for the regional South

Island U18 Representative team:

Sophie McCartin, Lottie Eglington, Alice Luxton, Maisie Nattrass.

Coach Fiona Paterson has been

selected to coach those selected.

We are ranked 7th out of 103 Schools

overall. Last season we were ranked 25th

overall.

The following girls were awarded top

10 medallions for coming top 10 in an

U18 event:

Libby Vincent (U18 pair & eight)

Lilly Hazlett (U18 pair, four & eight)

Milly Macfarlane (U18 four & eight)

Alice Luxton (U18 four & eight)

Jemima Allison (U18 four & eight)

Harriet Green (U18 four & eight)

Lottie Eglington (U18 eight)

Sophie McCartin (U18 eight)

Izzie Evans (U18 eight)

Biddy Harris (U18 lightweight four)

Bella Gilltrap (U18 lightweight four)

Isabella Carter(U18 lightweight four)

SPORT

Under 15 Eight - Gold (left to right) Isabella Carter, Alice Sproat, emma Stephens, Jemima Bell, Izzie evans, Samantha Wing, Claudia Reid, Sophie McCartin, Maisie Nattrass (cox) and Coach Mark Cotham

Under 15 Four – Gold (left to right) Isabella Carter, Jemima Bell, Claudia Reid, Samantha Wing, Maisie Nattrass (cox) and Coach Mark Cotham, Hamish Bond next to Isabella

Under 18 Four- Silver (left to right) lilly Hazlett, Jemima Allison, Alice luxton, Milly Macfarlane, Harriet Green (cox) and Coach Ben Bowles

30

SPORT

Jaimee Miller (U18 lightweight four)

Molly Senior (U18 lightweight four)

The girls raced exceptionally well

and the coaches (Mark, Fi, Ben, Jack

and Izzy) are incredibly proud of their

achievements.

SailingWe are used to celebrating the wonderful

achievements of Emma Stenhouse in

Sailing, and it is with delight that we can

now also acknowledge and celebrate

the successes of another young Rangi

Sailor, Lucia Rapley. Lucia came to us

this year and has enjoyed the support

that Emma has given her, as she looks

for opportunities to compete and gain

experience. She has sailed for several

years and in recent times has achieved

considerable success. This is what she’s

been up to:

Winner of the Graham Mander Junior

Girls’ Optimist Trophy in December, 2014

South Island Age Group Regatta - held at

Charteris Bay Yacht Club in January, 2015

P Class Division – 1st

North Canterbury Junior Sailing Champs

– held at Waimakariri Yacht Club in

February, 2015

P Class Division – 1st

Secondary Inter-School Sailing Champs

– held at Mt Pleasant Yacht Club in

February, 2015

P Class Division – 2nd

Well done Lucia. We look forward to

watching your progress in sailing.

Emma, too, has had success recently,

at the National Sailing Regatta held in

Lyttelton Harbour. With her partner,

Brittany Wornall (an ex-Rangi student,)

they finished 1st girls’ and 3rd overall

at the regatta, winning the Women’s

trophy and selection for Open Worlds’.

This has been a goal of Emma’s and

an incredible achievement. Emma is

now contemplating whether to attend

the World Champs in Japan. What a

wonderful dilemma - congratulations

Emma!

Summer Quadrangular TournamentIn between the Athletics, Swimming and

the Canterbury Triathlon Championships,

we had a team of girls travel to Dunedin

to take part in the Annual Summer

Quadrangular Tournament against St

Margaret’s, St Hilda’s and Craighead

Diocesan. This is a tournament that

pitches our Senior Volleyball, Touch,

Tennis, Swimming and Debating

teams against the other schools. The

competition is always fierce and the

matches can sometimes be so close that

the overall winner of the tournament is

not decided until the last match on the

last day. Great stuff for the competitive

coaches and sports co-ordinators who

also attend!

This year saw some outstanding, and

some not so memorable, performances

by our teams. But that’s Quad for you.

Each year schools show strengths in

different areas and 2015 was no different.

Here are our results from the

tournament:

Tennis – 2nd, Touch – 3rd, Volleyball

– 1st, Swimming – 3rd, Debating – 4th.

Overall – 3rd

Many thanks to the staff and coaches

who travelled with the team to Dunedin.

We couldn’t do it without you!

Senior A Volleyball team. Back row (left to right) Gina dymand (coach) laura Grigg, Zoe Gilpin, cherish Russell, Ana Maria tulia, Cilla penny, evie Burdon (captain) front Row- danielle Bussell, tori field, emma palmer, Maya Middleton

lucia Rapley

Under 16 Four – Bronze (left to right) Izzie evans, Alex Summerfield, Olivia Mcleod, Sophie McCartin, Maisie Nattrass (Cox) and Coach fiona paterson

lucia Rapley sailing

31www.rangiruru.school.nz

SPORT

SwimmingWe jumped straight into summer sport

trials and as usual, Swimming Sports! If

we needed any proof that our Swimming

Sports capture the competitive spirit

and fun-loving, have-a-go, culture of

our school, you only have to listen to the

noise coming from our area of the pool,

and note the number of broken records

achieved by a wide spread of girls across

all age groups. By continuing to hold the

Swimming Sports, we have managed to

keep swimming alive and competitive

at Rangi (unlike many other schools in

Christchurch.) It does feel like hard work

bringing it all together so quickly at

the start of the year, but afterwards it’s

always worth it.

Here are the new records and overall

results for 2015:

Records:U15 50m Freestyle Kasey McGrath in 30.08 sec (old record 31.44 set by Lucy Gordon in 2014)U15 50m Backstroke

Ava Morrow in 36.44sec (old record 37.36 set by Lucy Gordon in 2014)U16 100m Freestyle

Lucy Gordon in 1.04.91 (old record 1.07.68 set by Jemima Allison in 2013)U16 50m Breaststroke

Lucy Gordon in 35.85 (old record 39.12 set by Jemima Allison in 2013)U16 50m Freestyle

Lucy Gordon in 31.18 (old record 31.90 set by Jemima Allison in 2013)Open Medley

Lucy Gordon in 2.39.50 (old record 2.46.12 set by Jemima Allison in 2014)U16 100m Breaststroke

Lucy Gordon in 1.16.10 (old record 1.27.22 set by Jemima Allison in 2013)U16 50m Butterfly

Olivia Mason in 32.57 (old record 35.24 set by Aimee McMaster in 2013)U16 50m Backstroke

Amy Hartwell in 36.26 (old record 36.88 set by Aimee McMaster in 2013)U16 100m Backstroke

Amy Hartwell in 1.12.41 (old record 1.21.72 set by Aimee McMaster in 2013)Senior 50m Butterfly

Celine Evans in 34.66sec (old record 35.40 set by Aimee McMaster in 2014)

Lucy Gordon was the standout,

breaking five U16 records.

The Overall Championship places

and points are as follows:

Years 7/81st Lucy Howden 120pts

2nd Claudia O’Shannessey 90pts

3rd Amelia Spinks 60pts

U141st Sinead Hartwell 110pts

2nd Sam Summerfiled 100pts

3rd Millie Macalister 80pts

U15 1st Kasey McGrath 170pts

2nd Ava Morrow 160pts

3rd Leah Berquist 130pts

U161st Lucy Gordon 190pts

2nd Olivia Mason 150pts

3rd Amy Hartwell 120pts

Senior1st Jemima Allison 150pts

2nd Celine Evans 140pts

3rd Aimee McMaster 90pts

Clan points: Glamis 1109

Braemar 703

Dunvegan 578

Doune 378

Stirling 336

Balmoral 300

TennisThe season has started well, with an

increased number of girls playing in the

weekly competition, and a reasonable

number of girls attending the coaching

sessions with Remi Feneon on Thursday

mornings and Friday lunchtimes. It is

fantastic having Remi on board with our

Tennis programme, and we can already

see an improvement in the standard of

tennis. Before we celebrate the successes

achieved by our Premier team this year,

here are some of the results from 2014.

In the Term 4 Canterbury Junior

Championships, Olivia Mander finished

8th in the Year 10 Singles, and Vera

Goesmann lost a hard fought finals

(to Lily Bray St Andrew’s) in the Year 9

Singles and finished 2nd. Siena Rapley

and Amelia Bryden got to the finals of the

Year 10 doubles Plate competition but

were beaten and finished 2nd.

32

The Premier Tennis team made

the trip to Timaru for the annual

South Island Secondary Schools’

Tennis Championships in March. The

team consisted of Annabel Ellis, Vera

Goesmann, Imogen Bell, Stella Hoeper

and Margot Willis. The tournament was

played over three days and featured five

ties against five different schools that

had qualified from their region.

On the first day, Rangi Ruru beat both

Ashburton College and Waitaki Girls’

High School 6 – 0 meaning the team was

yet to drop a match. On Saturday, Rangi

came up against Southland Girls’ High

School and Columba College. They were

hard fought matches in difficult weather

conditions, but once again Rangi did not

drop a match. This meant that the worst

we could do was come 2nd and we knew

we had qualified for Nationals which

were to be played in Wellington at the

end of March.

Rangi’s final challenge on Sunday

morning was against the more favoured

St Margaret’s College. This tie would

decide 1st and 2nd place, so everything

was left on the court. Our first and

second singles were played first and

Imogen and Stella got us off to a great

start by winning their matches for us.

That was exciting! Vera followed with

a singles win and Annabel was unlucky

to lose hers in a super tie break. It was

match on!

We needed a doubles win to close

out the tie and Annabel and Vera came

through convincingly. This doubles

combination unbeaten for the season,

claimed victory 6-0 6-2 to secure the tie

and the South Island Champions title. An

amazing team effort which wouldn’t have

been possible without the help of their

Coach, Remi Feneon, and manager, Ms

McQueen. Bring on the Nationals!

Annabel Ellis Tennis Captain

Tennis NationalsWellington March 23 – 26 2015The A Tennis Team returned from

The New Zealand Secondary Schools’

Nationals in Wellington with some very

exciting and pleasing results. The team

made up of Annabel Ellis, Vera Goesman,

Stella Hoeper, Imogen Bell and Margot

Willis grasped every opportunity given to

them throughout the tournament and did

the school proud.

After finding out they had a tough

draw, Rangi took on top ranked school

and tennis academy St Peter’s. Matches

were close and well contested but we

came out with a loss. There was the

same occurrence of events in the next

tie when the girls were matched with St

Kentigern’s College who won the title

in the previous year. To finish the week

and to secure a 5th placing the team had

to face their rivals St Margaret’s. It was

the fifth tie played this season, so each

team was giving it everything they had.

Annabel, Stella and Vera won their singles

only one doubles match was needed to

secure the satisfying win. Annabel and

Vera came out victorious after a tight

doubles match and the team secured the

win to end the tournament on a high!

Thanks must go to coach Remi

Feneon and to the manager Rachel Ellis

for providing amazing support and

knowledge to the team. Also a massive

thank you to Ms McQueen, who was

unable to attend the tournament, for your

amazing organisation and enthusiasm

throughout the season.

Annabel Ellis Captain of Tennis

TouchThe term has been a busy one for

the SuperTouch team, with weekly

Wednesday SuperTouch, the Canterbury

Touch Championships and Quad

Tournament in Timaru. The team has

a core of players returning from last

season including representative players

Gabi Newman, Emilie Aitken and Sarita

De Gouw. However, the loss of Taylah

Thompson to a knee operation, one of

the co-captains and most experienced

players in the team, was strongly felt

by the team. We look forward to Taylah

returning strongly later in the year

for her final term of Touch for Rangi.

The addition of new players to school

including Canterbury representative

players Bailey Chamberlain and Alida

Pohatu-Barnes, adds strength to the team

who are making great progress towards

their goal of qualifying for Nationals.

The two highlights of the term

to date have been the Canterbury

Championships and the Wednesday

SuperTouch Competition. Facing

Burnside High School in the first game

at the Canterbury Championships, our

girls played magnificently, scoring the

opening touchdown and defending

strongly for the rest of the game

– finishing with a 1-all draw. This

was a really great start for the team,

considering they lost to Burnside High

by seven touchdowns earlier in the

term; it is a sign of the progress that

had been made. Our girls had a strong

showing all day, only dropping one

game to Christchurch Girls’ High School

in the semi-final. Finishing 3rd, with a

convincing win over St Margaret’s in the

play off for 3rd/4th, was a positive finish

to the day and secured the team a spot in

the South Islands’ later in March.

In the SuperTouch competition played

sport

Winning South Island Secondary Schools’ Tennis Team: Imogen Bell, Margot Willis, Annabel Ellis, Stella Hoeper, Vera Goesmann

Team: Tayla Reid, Jess Gunn, Henrietta Murray, Rebecca Skurr, Phoebe Chamberlain, Sophie Radovonich, Tayla Thompson, Gabi Newman, Hanna Fergusson, Emilie Aitken, Sarita De Gouw, Abbey Heale, Alida Pohatu-Barnes, Abby Williamson, Abby Shaw, Erica Shipley, Eilish Malloch. Coach – Hapimana Lines-Tohiariki

33www.rangiruru.school.nz

on Wednesday afternoons, the girls

played Christchurch Girls’ High School in

the semi-final and scored an upset win to

progress through to the final. This is the

first time in three seasons that Rangi has

had a team in the SuperTouch final and a

positive sign for touch at Rangi. The team

headed into the final with nothing to

lose, but this time a very strong Burnside

team outplayed them to win by five

touchdowns.

The team was looking forward to

taking on the South Island Secondary

Schools’ Touch Championships held over

the last weekend in March, aiming for a

top four finish for automatic qualification

into Nationals. Unfortunately events

conspired against them, five players were

unavailable due to injuries and another

player was competing overseas in

another sport. At the last training before

the event, three new players were called

in to help out – a HUGE thank you to Erica

Shipley, Abby Shaw and Eilish Malloch for

stepping up and making such a valuable

contribution to the team with such short

notice.

Given the circumstances, the team

performed exceedingly well – finishing

third in their pool after the first day with

3 wins and 2 losses. On Sunday morning

the team played Nelson Girls High – a

consistent performer at Nationals for

the last few years – and beat them 3-1

to progress into the play off for 5th and

6th spot. Coming up against old foes

Christchurch Girls High, the team were

outscored 3-0 and finished in 6th place.

While this was a disappointing

finish for the girls – particularly the Year

13 students in their final outing – the

team can hold their heads up high and

feel proud of how they represented

themselves during the term and how

they have improved. Much of this is due

to the dedication and belief from their

coach – Hapimana Lines-Tohiariki. We

will hold hope for a wild card entry to

Nationals should a qualifier from the

region withdraw, as we believe in what

these girls can continue to achieve, given

the chance.

VolleyballRangi Ruru was again well represented

in the Monday Night School Sport

competition in Term 1, with three junior

teams and five senior teams.

It was the first time in many years

that we had a competitive Senior B team,

a reflection on how Volleyball at Rangi

Ruru continues to grow in strength. In the

Monday Night Competition, the Senior

Green and Senior A teams both reached

the final in their respective grades.

For our Senior A team, once again

coached by Gina Dymand and Paul Foster,

Term 1 was another extremely busy one.

The team started strongly with straight

sets wins over all teams at the Annual

Quad Tournament. Next, the team

competed in the South Island (Mainland)

Championships where they came 2nd in

Division Two. Two weeks later, they

competed in the Canterbury Champion-

ships where they came 6th overall.

The team will soon travel to

Palmerston North to compete in the

National Secondary Schools’ Volleyball

Championships. They will be sure to gain

more valuable growth and development,

especially with four players in the squad

being Year 10 and below. This year, two

players, Evie Burdon and Tori Field, will

also trial for respective NZ Age Group

teams.

A very big thank you must go to all the

coaches and supporters who helped with

all teams this term. Their contribution to

Volleyball and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School is

very much appreciated.

WaterpoloFrom time to time we hear ourselves

saying that the results are not a reflection

of the standard of the team, and that is

exactly what I find myself saying about

our Waterpolo team this term, having

just returned from the South Island

tournament where we finished in 9th

place. The team played well throughout

the term in the weekly competition, only

losing one game to Burnside in the final

to finish 2nd in Canterbury and the team

headed off to Invercargill with a justifiably

reasonable measure of confidence.

First up was Columba College who

have always been tough competition

for us, and this year it was their turn to

get the upper hand. They managed to

overhaul our girls and take out the game

4-1; just too strong on defence this time

round. That was our only game for the

Sunday. Monday morning was an early

start, with the girls heading off to the

park across the road for their warm-up at

7.45am and being in Invercargill, the sun

was barely up! They looked extremely

focused starting the game against James

Hargest and scored two goals within

minutes of the game starting.

Unfortunately, this kicked James

Hargest into gear, mirroring our efforts,

and sending the teams to half time at 2 all.

The girls fought hard during the second

half of the game but sadly James Hargest

got the upper hand just before full-time,

winning by one goal 5-4. The second

game of the morning pitched us against

Southland Girls B and it was lovely for the

girls to finally have a blowout, with almost

the complete team scoring to record a

19-1 win. Yay, a win at last for the team!

Unluckily we were the only team on the

Monday to play three games and as luck

would have it, our third game was against

the Canterbury champs, Burnside. The

girls always knew it would be a hard one

and to their immense credit fought with

everything they had left to hold Burnside

to 8 goals. To add to this positive attitude

was the fact that we were the only team

other than St Hilda’s (who beat Burnside

in the final) to score three goals against

them. A highlight, believe me!

Tuesday’s draw gave the girls a well-

deserved sleep-in and a leisurely morning,

which saw us all down at SaveMart buying

“outfits” for the team dinner that night.

This was a welcome distraction after four

full on games of Waterpolo! The afternoon

had the girls preparing for their matchup

against Christchurch Girls’ High, a team

we always have a very close tussle with.

Having drawn with them during the

weekly competition at home it was hard

to know which way the result would go.

As predicted it started off tightly, with

the score zigzagging back and forth. But

unfortunately, Girls’ High had more left in

the tank at the end and managed to get

a few goals up on us that we couldn’t get

back. The final result was 6-3.

These results sadly pushed us down

to the bottom of the draw and saw us

once again pitched against Southland B

in the final game for 9th and 10th. Having

convincingly beaten them in the first

round the girls were confident but not

complacent going into this their last game

– and the last game for some at Rangi!

12-0 was the results and a tribute that the

girls kept Southland to a nil result.

Our team was better than 9th. They

gave 100% every game and never gave

up. They were in a tough pool and were

dealt a harsh blow having to play 3 games

in one day. And to add to that, they were

asked to adapt to the coaching style of

someone they had only met a few days

prior to tournament! Unfortunately, the

regular team coach was unable to attend

at the last minute. I was proud of their

efforts and they should be too. Well done

Senior team of 2015!!!

SPORT

34

Further Congratulations

Rose Marshall-Lee has recently been named in both the

NZ U19 Track Cycling team and the NZ U19 Road Cycling

Squad. For someone who has only been seriously cycling

since November last year, these selections are phenomenal

and show just how much potential this young woman has!

Rose has decided to focus on her Track Cycling opportunity

which will take her to Australia to compete in May. Before

that, however, she intends to compete in the Road Cycling

Nationals’ in Cambridge in the April school holidays.

Congratulations Rose. We are right behind you!

Margot Willis has been selected in the Canterbury U21

Women’s Hockey squad.

Olivia Mason passed her exams and is now a qualified

surf lifeguard.

Sinead Hartwell won four medals at the Southern

Regional Surf Champs.

Niamh Kilpatrick was offered a spot to play in the New

Zealand Open pro-am golf tour on the Thursday before the

Open started at Clearwater. A wonderful opportunity for an

extremely talented young golfer.

Past Students of Rangi RuruCongratulations to:• Kirsty Nation was named in the Future Black Sticks team as

the Goalie.

• Kristy Havill, our 2014 Head of House, recently made the

NZ Ladies Clay Target Shooting team.

• Rosa Flanagan and Gabby Gray continue to perform on the

national and international stage with their running.

• Eve Macfarlane has once again been named in the New

Zealand Rowing Squad

• Francie Turner has been named cox for the New Zealand

womens’ 8s

• Our Hockey coach, Rachel McCann, has been named in the

Black Sticks Women’s Hockey Team

SPORT

Planned GivingLeave a Memory Morning Tea, was the theme of a very special

gathering on 11 March and referenced this year’s International

Women’s Day theme ‘Make it Happen’, an opportunity to assess

the progress made towards achieving gender equality and the

empowerment of women across the world.

At the morning tea, guests heard speakers Julie Moor and

Kate Burtt talk about how the education of girls is fundamental

to achieving peaceful and sustainable societies and how every

day, at Rangi, we see the benefit that inspirational teaching and

learning provides, empowering each generation to take on life’s

challenges and opportunities.

The guests listened to a wonderful performance from Year

11 music scholars Grace McKenzie and Isabella Gregory, who

are both auditioning for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,

National Youth Orchestra in a couple of weeks’ time.

Julie also talked about the legacies that live on in our

memories, the benevolence and spirit of the Gibson sisters, the

Nancy SB McMillan and the McRae Peacock scholarships which

enrich students’ lives today and safe-guard the school for the

future. Whilst it means so much to the school to be remembered

in someone’s will, it’s sad that the school was unaware of their

intentions and couldn’t thank them in person.

Old Girl and Partner with Wynn Williams, Sue Anderson,

then talked about the importance of reviewing our wills every

five years and making sure the wording is correct. Often names

of trusts can change over time and our intentions may not be

realised as a result.

The school is thrilled to announce the founding of the Rangi

Ruru Legacy Society, which will be formally launched early next

year as membership grows and the group becomes established.

Becoming a member is easy and straightforward. Simply let

us know that you have already named Rangi Ruru Foundation

in your will or you intend to make a planned gift, bequest or a

living trust to the Rangi Ruru Foundation. You will join a special

group of Rangi Ruru supporters who will meet up regularly for

luncheons, morning teas and exhibitions, to enjoy meeting fellow

members, interesting speakers and talented students*.

Please contact Sarah Wilkinson on 03 983 3728 or

s.wilkinson@rangiruru.school.nz for more information. *Members who request confidentiality will remain anonymous.

Other Fundraising News:

Julius CaesarHuge thanks to Fuji Xerox who are confirmed as a Major

Sponsor of this year’s bold, all-female production of Julius Caesar

in the stunning, soon-to-be-opened Merivale Lane Theatre.

Examples of areas the school needs your help with include:

set construction and materials, specialist lighting, sound, props,

photography, costumes, makeup, and food for the cast and crew!

To find out how

you can sponsor the

production or if you

wish to place an advert

in the programme

please contact me

on 03 983 3728 or

s.wilkinson@rangiruru.

school.nz

Sarah WilkinsonDirector of

Fundraising

FROm THE DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING

35www.rangiruru.school.nz

Community Relations Coordinator

It is a strange thought indeed that

there is only one degree of separation

between me and three (yes three) of

American Elle magazine’s most eligible

bachelors of 2015. Of the 41 gentlemen

who have been named this year, three of

them hark from New Zealand; no mean

feat to be included in this American

publication. My connections to them are

via their parents, who I have worked and

socialised with; two have an additional

connection to Rangi - one via his aunt,

the other through his father.

As part of the Rangi family, and

readers of this page, you are now two

degrees separated to these eligible

bachelors – or maybe closer knowing

how Christchurch works! Elsewhere in

Rangi News you will read of the amazing

work that past students are doing in

humanitarian aid and gender studies.

Kirsti Rawstron has completed her

PhD looking at how social change was

inspired by the UN Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

Against Women, and Rachel Scott is also

looking at big picture humanitarian issues

working with the OECD. So, you are now

two degrees separated from these two

too. Doesn’t it feel good to be connected

to these wonderful women who are

actively working to make the world a

better place?

Speaking of connections, our annual

calendar of A&P Shows has started with

Melanie L’Eef, Head of Teaching and

Learning, and Juliet Collins, Curriculum

Manager, hosting the Rangi tent at the

Wanaka Show. Next up is our Director

of Boarding, Treena Ruwhui, as a roving

Rangi ambassador at the South Island

Field Days – I hope to feature a photo of

her with a giant piece of farm machinery

in the next issue! As I write, our Director

of Equestrian, Pippa Young, is holding fort

at the Horse of the Year in Hastings. She is

pictured here sharing a stall with a recent

past Rangi parent, Harry Rankin. Harry

is pressed into service when Pippa is off

cheering for a Rangi competitor. We thank

him for letting Rangi set up in a corner of

his Emuology stall, and for being a Pippa

stand in.

We have lovely parents – and they

are out in force with equestrian, rowing,

and summer tournament commitments.

Not only are they supportive of their

daughters, and their daughters’ teams,

but they make up an important part of the

Rangi story. Parents are often the first to

be asked whether they would recommend

Rangi, and what it is really like. According

to a Nielsen worldwide survey, 92% of

consumers trust recommendations from

friends and family over all other forms

of advertising. And in New Zealand, with

just one or two degrees of separation,

our Rangi families play an increasingly

important role in making Rangi a visible

educational choice. If you have a friend

who would like more information about

Rangi, please let me know; I am happy

to follow up any conversations you have

started.

Amelia DavisCommunity

Relations

Coordinator

COmmUNITy RELATIONS COORDINATOR

Melanie l’eef in at the Wanaka Show

pippa Young and Harry Rankin sharing a stall at Horse of the Year.

Journalist Jack tame, fashion blogger Isaac Hindin Miller and foodie/photographer, Henry Hargreaves ©The New Zealand Herald

FROm THE DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING

36

CELEbRATING OUR COmmUNITy

Celebrating Our CommunityRachel Scott (1982 – 1985)

Rachel started out in banking, and has

ended up in the world’s disaster zones,

helping civilians caught up in wars and

natural calamities.

Her official role is Senior Advisor:

Humanitarian/Risk and Resilience with

the Organisation for Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD)

in Paris, France. Her job is to help

communities affected by disasters to

build resilience to ensure transitory

events don’t have a lasting impact.

Rachel came to this post after many

years as a “disaster junkie”- working for

United Nations and non-government

organisations in the field and at

headquarters. She has been involved

in many international crises over 15

years in the field – including Rwanda,

Burundi, Albania/Kosovo (Kosovo war),

East Timor, Angola, Democratic Republic

of Congo, Uganda, Kenya (post-election

violence), and disasters including

volcanic eruptions and flooding. As well

as dealing with the logistics of providing

humanitarian aid, her role has included

communicating with the media.

Rachel’s main interest now is in

translating political commitments

concerning risk and resilience into better

working practices – using the concept

of resilience to help develop a coherent

approach to understanding, preventing

and responding to the risks that can

overwhelm households, communities,

economies and institutions.

“I now work with donors – the

countries who give money for

responding to crises – ensuring that their

crisis response is as effective as possible,

in an environment that is by its very

nature, chaotic,” she says.

“One thing I have learnt is that people

are very resilient if they have the right

resources. However, crises are events

that mark people forever – something

my Christchurch-based classmates know

only too well – and we must be realistic

about how quickly societies and people

can recover from massive shocks, how

they can build back their lives and their

communities.”

Last year, she reviewed the New

Zealand aid programme, including this

country’s role in Kiribati.

Rachel has a Masters of International

Relations and a Bachelor of Commerce.

“I started out (of all things) as an auditor

and then went into banking, but quickly

realised that debits and credits were not

for me!”

She doesn’t underestimate the role

her years at Rangi Ruru played in her

choice of career.

“Rangi instilled in us a fundamental

value – that we should not be content

with mediocrity, but instead should

aspire to play a role in the world, be

confident in our ability to seek that role

and perform it well,” she says.

“For me, that role was the

responsibility to protect innocent

civilians who are caught in the cross-

fire of war and disasters – not only to

help save their lives but also to help

strengthen their resilience, their capacity

to absorb future shocks.”

In between disaster work, she says:

“I manage to be a mum to two kids, who

might be French, but still support the All

Blacks.”

Rachel Scott going to work in a helicopter: “One of the perks of humanitarian work you never get sick of!”

Kirsti Rawstron (1998 – 2004)

Kirsti last year gained her PhD in

Quantitative Sociology and Gender

Studies from Australia’s Wollongong

University. Her thesis (CEDAW and

sex segregation in education and

employment: Australia, Japan and South

Korea, 1970–2010) was an examination

of how the United Nations Convention

on the Elimination of all forms of

Discrimination Against Women has

helped inspire social change.

“Sex segregation refers to the

tendency for men and women to study

different subjects, work in different

37www.rangiruru.school.nz

Olivia Spencer Bower(1999 – 2004)

Olivia won this year’s Coast to Coast

two-day women’s title three years after

coming runner-up in the same event. It

was Olivia’s seventh Coast to Coast – the

first five being in the team sections.

After the 2012 race, she was flattened

by glandular fever and adrenal fatigue. “I

trained for the Coast to Coast with it and

I crashed and burned after that,” she says.

Last year she worked hard to recover

her health while training for the World

Canoe Polo Champs which were held

in France last September. Olivia has

represented New Zealand as a Paddle

Fern at five World Championships,

biennially since 2006, and the World

Games in 2009.

Last year’s 4th placing was

devastating, she says, as the team had

high hopes they could win.

“The inspirational quotes that spurred

me along my journey all say I had to risk

big, to risk failing, but they didn’t prepare

me for the emptiness that befalls you

when it actually happens. While some

may see fourth in the world as anything

but a failure, I set out to win.”

The Kiwis were just beaten by

Germany in the semi-finals and France

stepped up on home turf to take the

bronze. Olivia says the Paddle Ferns

were fit and strong but lack build-up

competition in this hemisphere.

The Coast to Coast victory was a

great confidence boost, she says.

“Kayaking is my strength and that’s

where I put the hammer down,” she said

after winning in 14 hours 24 minutes. But

she had to ride the final 70km cycle leg to

the New Brighton finish line all by herself,

fields and achieve different job titles,”

she says. “Overall, sex segregation has

decreased since CEDAW was ratified by

these countries, particularly in the case

of education. In Australia, women have

outnumbered men when it comes to

enrolling in universities, and subjects

such as computer science or nursing,

which were highly sex-segregated, are

becoming more integrated.”

Kirsti was inspired to do this

research after studying at the University

of Tokyo as an Honours student.

Despite studying Japanese language

and culture at both school and Otago

University, she was taken aback by

many of the attitudes towards gender,

education and work in Japan.

“A highlight was being told by one of

my teachers that I should stop studying

so much as I was pretty enough to get

married! Very different from the more

feminist message of ‘every opportunity

for every girl’ that I experienced at

Rangi Ruru.”

At Otago, Kirsti combined her

interest in languages with an interest

in numbers, gaining a BCom in Finance

and Quantitative Analysis alongside her

first class BA (Hons) degree in Japanese.

While working on her PhD, Kirsti worked

as a tutor and lecturer in the areas

of history, sociology, economics and

statistics.

It was her interest and experience in

teaching statistics that led Kirsti to her

current job, working as an analyst in the

Statistical Education team at Statistics

New Zealand.

“The team is responsible for

maintaining and improving the

statistical capability of Statistics NZ

staff, as well as training employees from

other government agencies in New

Zealand and around the Pacific,” she

says.

In March, she spent a week in

Samoa, helping to teach one of the unit

standards from the Certificate of Official

Statistics to Samoan and Tokelauan

government employees.

Kirsti says one of the most important

lessons she learnt from her time at

Rangi Ruru was the expectation that

students should be self-sufficient and

hard-working in their activities. Seven

years at the school taught her to be

willing to take on leadership roles and

to juggle multiple responsibilities, which

she found invaluable while working on

her PhD.

“Rangi girls are encouraged to take

on so much, and to do everything at

such a high standard. Compared to that,

writing 100,000 words in three-and-

a-half years while tutoring, publishing

journal articles and presenting at

conferences both nationally and

internationally wasn’t too challenging.”

Kirsti, who was awarded the

Marjorie Bassett Memorial Cup for

Outstanding Service to Drama at

Rangi, also learnt the importance of

taking on service roles and giving

back to the community, and served

on many committees during both her

undergraduate and postgraduate study

years.

“Rangi Ruru encourages girls to

be well-rounded, and service is an

important part of that. As Mrs Orr would

say – ‘Just do it, girls!’”

38

Where play helps children feel good about themselves!

Rangi Ruru Pre-school has had some

wonderful developments since the

beginning of the year. Our team is now

lead by an on-site Centre Manager,

Linda Scanlan, who has a wealth of

experience in centre management and

teacher training within the Christchurch

Early Childhood Community. Our

Senior Teacher, Keri Granger, Teachers -

Shontelle Willets and Rachael Williams,

are extremely passionate about what they

do and the children and families they

work with. Changes to our team have

allowed us to really consider what makes

our centre special and what the priorities

for young children’s learning are.

Our links with the school have

become much stronger, and we are now

exploring the school more regularly,

joining in with the big girls during theme

weeks, and have several of the Year 13’s

coming over for voluntary work with us.

Children at Rangi Ruru Pre-school

develop their social, emotional and

cognitive skills through play. Children

learn more in the first few years than they

learn at any other stage of their lives.

Play enables children to express feelings

and practise roles, along with learning

impulse control. Through play, children

also learn to negotiate the give and take

of relationships with others.

A good deal of children’s important

early learning about how to express and

manage their feelings takes place through

play. Children’s play is an important

training ground for intellectual and

emotional development. This learning

underpins much of children’s future

success and well-being.

Play helps children develop a positive

sense of self. Play, at Rangi and at home,

provides opportunities for children to

have power over what they do, what and

how they learn.

Here at Rangi,

our programme

is fundamentally

underpinned

by a belief that

children have a

right to periods of

uninterrupted free

play. This does not

mean chaos and

no guidance, rather

it means having

a well-planned

environment,

carefully considered curriculum

resources, and teachers who actively

scaffold learning and interactions

through sensitive observation and strong

trusting relationships.

In our centre, children are considered

competent, and viewed as capable of

making good decisions for themselves

and others. This positive view of children

and their abilities, along with our

promotion of kind play, what it means to

be a ‘friend’ and manaakitanga (kindness,

generosity, support - the process of

showing respect, generosity and care for

others) enables children to make great

decisions and develop their own interests

and abilities to the full, within a group

situation.

The staff Rangi Ruru Pre-School

Preschool News

which she said was a hard slog. She

cycled “right past home” at Swannanoa,

at the halfway point of the ride, so her

family only had to go as far as the gate to

support her.

Olivia admits that the Coast to Coast

one-day race is tempting. “I’d like to give

the Longest Day a crack, depending on

how I go financially.” She also feels she

has unfinished business in her canoe

and may give the world championships

another go in 2016.

Sport aside, photo-printmaking

is Olivia’s passion. In 2013, she won

two gold awards at the prestigious NZ

Institute of Professional Photographers

annual Iris Awards.

Olivia has a Bachelor of Design

(First Class) from Massey University in

Wellington, majoring in photography.

“I’m starting to re-focus on my

photographic work,” she says. “I’ve

got a new project doing time-lapse

photography with construction, which is

a perfect opportunity in Christchurch.”

She also wants to develop her De Nada

Creative work and website. “But there are

only so many hours in a day…”

Please contact Amelia Davis a.davisrangiruru.school.nz if you know of a past student success that needs celebrating.

CELEbRATING OUR COmmUNITy

39www.rangiruru.school.nz

RROGA

The feverish 125th anniversary year for Rangi Ruru is over, but

the Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association is looking forward to a

year filled with fun times and friendship. The events calendar

kicked off with the Annual Gibson Girls’ Luncheon. The room

was filled with laughter and continuous chatter which even the

hardened Julius Caesar would find endearing.

Annual Alumnae tournaments 2015 Although the Janet Storry Tennis Championship was cancelled

due to unforeseen circumstances, the Quadrangular Bowling

Tournament was a day of high spirits. The team, while small,

can hold their head high – they were beaten by only one point

by St Andrew’s, who went on to be the winner of the salver.

Both the Golf Tournament on 24 April with St Margaret’s,

Columba and St Hilda’s, and the Bridge Tournament with

St Margaret’s, 26 May, are shaping up to having the usual

competitive camaraderie. If you’d like to take part, please

contact Rachel Vavasour: r.vavasour@rangiruru.school.nz

All WelcomeRROGA AGM, Monday 29 June, 2015 at 7:30 in Te Koraha. Drinks

and nibbles will be provided.

Save the date2015 REUNION: 6/7 November, 2015. It is your School Reunion

this year if you were in Form 3 in 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985,

1995. We have Reunion co-ordinators for most year groups so

keep an eye on your inbox, mail box or carrier-pigeon box, for

more information about events and weekend festivities. BOOK

YOUR TICKETS NOW.

Class of 1965 – We Need You!If you’re from the class of 1965, and you’d like to be involved

in organising your Reunion Weekend’s events/activities, please

contact Rachel Vavasour on 03 983 3782 or email r.vavasour@

rangiruru.school.nz

Get InvolvedThe Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Association (RROGA) needs you. If

you would like to get more involved in RROGA, be a Friend of

the RROGA Committee, or have a skill which you think would be

valuable to the Committee, please phone Jo Dodgshun 03 355

5308 or email dodgshun@ihug.co.nz

We look forward to seeing you sometime during 2015.

Jo DodgshunSecretary – RROGA

RROGA

Key Dates 20156 – 7 November

Old Girls’ Reunions

St Margaret’s College and Rangi Ruru Old Girls’ Associations

Combined Golf TournamentHandicap 0 - 42 18 and 9 holes

Coringa Golf Club

Friday 24 April 2015

9am for 9.30am shotgun start 10am for 10.30am – 9 holes

Lunch to follow – catering available

Entry fee - $30 9 holes - $15

Grandparents, parents and past parents of St Margaret’s, Rangi Ruru as well as Columba, St Hilda’s and Craighead are welcome.

Entries close Monday 20 April 2015

SMCOGA - Juliet van Kuijk 327 5158 RROGA - Stephanie Withell 344 2300

Craighead - Ruth Cooper – 351 4478

YOU ARE NEEDED

Annual Alumnae Tournaments 2016

If smashing a ball, “cracking an egg”, swinging a

club or outwitting your opponent with a Devil’s

coup is your forté, then we need you. Rangi Ruru

alumnae, parents, current girls and all-round

friends of Rangi are welcome to play in the Annual

Tennis, Bowls, Golf or Bridge Tournaments.

Only pride and enjoyment are at stake.

If you are interested in taking part in 2016,

please contact Rachel Vavasour:

r.vavasour@rangiruru.school.nz

Athletics Day

59 Hewitts Road, Christchurch 8014Phone +64 3 983 3700

office@rangiruru.school.nzwww.rangiruru.school.nz