For the first time in 60 years, the entire Kuranui College student body attended the senior prizegiving. PHOTOS/LUCIA ZANMONTI
The Times-Age wants to celebrate the success of Wairarapa’s secondary school students in a year where covid-19 threw learners yet more curveballs. Today, Kuranui College provides TOM TAYLOR with a breakdown of its triumphs in 2021.
For the first time in 60 years, the entire Kuranui College student body attended the school’s senior prize giving. Operating under alert level 2 guidelines meant the annual event could only involve staff and students.
Parents, caregivers, whanau, and the rest of the community could not attend. However, the event provided a unique opportunity for Year 9 and 10 students to join in and celebrate the successes of their senior classmates.
In his speech, principal Simon Fuller said that despite the covid-challenged environment, there was a lot to celebrate.
“However you choose to measure success, whether it be academic, in sport, through culture or students engaging in meaningful pathways for life, our college remains strong and a leader in education in our country,” he said.
“There are a huge number of successes that prove this. Our national title in Showquest; our Maori students being the highest achieving cohort at NCEA Level 3; being named Wairarapa Hunting and Fishing College of the Year for sport; our Ignite curriculum being copied by a huge number of schools around the country. The list goes on and on.”
Fuller credited the success within a new and unpredictable environment to the strength of the school’s community.
“To be able to achieve these things despite the uncertainty we all live in is a real testament to the people that make up this college. It is our people that are our greatest asset, it is our people that do the mahi, it is our people that unify us, and it is our people that support each of us in hard times.
“Whether you are a student, a staff member, a parent, or volunteer, our people have gone the extra mile this year, and our success is that of the collective. I would sincerely like to thank all of our people for their amazing contributions, for staying loyal to our college and standing beside our students to give them the best possible education.”
The award recipients
Dux: Emma Rose
Proxime Accessit to the Dux: Patel Schenk
First overall in Level 1: Lola Holbrook
First overall in Level 2: Joshua Wiegman
Shackleton Cup for resilience, growth, and success in secondary schooling: Te Ahurei Aporo
Minolta NZ Cup for outstanding leadership in wider college life: Emma Rose
Huia Literary Cup: Emma Rose
SVA award for top volunteer: Sarah Hyde
Student trustee for 2021/22: Joseph Laybourn
Head students for 2022: Aimee Clouston, Joshua Wiegman
