As the school year came to an end, students and teachers gathered for their last event of the year to give recognition to the students for their commitment to academic, sporting, cultural and service excellence.
The event began with Heather Dai on the piano as the official party entered, followed by the Saint Kentigern prayer by Chapel Prefect Phoebe Hirst. In her welcome address, Principal Juliet Small congratulated the girls on how far they have come this year. Ms Small said, ‘You have risen above and beyond in a year we would never have imagined, thinking differently and showing us solutions. You stepped up and took the lead and in doing so demonstrated resilience, grit, and independence.’
The Senior School Academic Awards were then presented by Senior School Dean, Bernadette Haerewa, followed by the Cultural and Sports Awards presented by Year 8 teachers Sonya Koshy and Isaac Williams. In between the prizegiving, Charlotte Lee and Millicent (Milly) MacLeod presented ‘To Bee or not to Bee’, a scene they performed at the South Auckland Performing Arts Competition in July; showcasing the outstanding talent in the Girls School. Milly Macleod received acknowledgement for her Exceptional Achievement in Speech and Drama, while Kayla Knight is Sportswoman of the Year.
Several Special Awards were then given to students who have shown outstanding results, resilience, service and initiative throughout the year. Year 8 student, Eden Murdoch was awarded the 2021 Remuera Lion’s Citizenship Award, Ava van Rij, Isabel Gilbert and Karol Zhang received the Gold Service Award, Ella van Arkel was given the Preschool Cup for service to the Preschool, alongside Isabel Gilbert who received the Roberts Trophy for resilience and perseverance. Sophie McIndoe was given the Dr Sandra K Hastie Cup for School Spirit, Tara Roach was awarded the Lightfoot Cup for Citizenship and Charlotte Lee was presented the Gaudeamus Cup for making a difference. To top off the awards ceremony, Isabel Gilbert was named Proxime Accessit and Ava van Rij was named Dux of the School.
In her vote of thanks to the school, Head Girl Charlotte Lee recounted the experiences that has shaped her growth and challenged students to unlock the world of opportunities that come their way to discover their full potential. The prizegiving ended with a musical item by Catelyn Aho, Brooklyn Tuala and Eva Kalose.
Dux
Ava Van Rij
Having entered the School as a Year 7 student in 2020, Ava quickly demonstrated an eagerness to learn and do well in all areas of learning. She has shown real passion for academic study and maintains a consistently mature outlook in all aspects. Ava excels academically and has a talent for English and Languages, particularly Spanish. She is creative, articulate and has an eye for detail. With her enquiring mind, Ava also won the Physics category, in the Science Fair, demonstrating her thirst for knowledge. She is one of three students this year to achieve her Gold Service Award, a commendable effort. Ava is a talented athlete and is always determined to succeed in whatever sport she participates in. Ava is truly an all-rounder.
Proxime Accessit
Isabel Gilbert
Isabel joined the Saint Kentigern community in Year 1 and has always shown determination and a burning ambition to achieve, especially when faced with challenging situations. Isabel never gives up and has consistently demonstrated perseverance and resilience and was rewarded for her efforts, by receiving the Roberts Trophy for Resilience and Perseverance. She is also fully involved in service around the school and is the Deputy Head of the Student Council team. She achieved her goal of gaining her Gold Service Award and is a much-admired role model to her peers.
Sportswoman of the Year
Kayla Knight
Our Year 8 Swimming Champion 2021, Kayla has had a successful year in swimming, achieving multiple places in regional and national competitions, and gaining top national rankings. A new experience for Kayla was the Golden Homes Swim Festival in Auckland, where she placed 2nd in the 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke, but the highlight for her, was qualifying in the Top 10 for the girls Skins event, the only Junior from her club to qualify.
Kayla also competed in two more Regional Competitions; winning 2 Golds, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze medals at the ASA Juniors (Auckland) competition. She was also in the relay team and broke 2 club records. Kayla then headed to the Bay of Plenty prior to lockdown, and competed in 9 individual events, with 8 placings – attaining a Gold in the 100m freestyle event, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze. After this meet, Kayla was ranked 2nd overall in Auckland for XLR8 points and was sitting at 5th Nationally for her age group. A fantastic effort.
