School News

HBHS Year 12 Cambridge Accounting students  and Year 13 Accounting students sat the University of Canterbury Accounting Challenge recently. Edward Morris got first  equal in New Zealand winning $200 Westfield vouchers, Matt Gorlicki got second in New Zeland, winning $100 voucher and Janish Mistry (Year 12) recieved a $50 Westfield voucher for coming third in New Zealand.

The College of Business and Economics Accounting and Economics Challenges are multi-choice tests that examine Year 13 students' knowledge of accounting and economics. The Challenges are based on the Year 13 syllabus and although not designed to replicate NCEA style questions they are a useful revision tool for students sitting Level 3 NCEA and Scholarship accounting and economics examinations.

All participants receive a certificate and top performers also receive a prize.

The first whole school assembly of 2011 featured a number of causes for celebration: the National honours achieved by our top scholars, athletes, softball and touch team, and the announcement of House Leaders, Prefects and the Prefect leadership team. While the exploits of sports teams already feature on the website, we would like to take this opportunity to post the top scholars, house leaders and prefects.  These young men have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, and to the school, that bodes extremely well for the new year.  Congratulations to all those individuals recognised during the presentations.

If you are looking for a sport that will challenge you on every level and demands expertise and endurance on the land and the water, then Adventure Racing is for you. Recently, Mr Guy Johnstone and a team of boys headed to the Hawkes Bay to compete in the North Island Secondary Schools Championships. Here is his report...

On April 6^th a team of four consisting of Ben Stocker, Zach Medich, James Henderson and Cameron Swales competed in the NISS Adventure Racing championships. The team awoke to an unseasonably cold Hawkes Bay morning at 4.15am to make final preparations and fuel up before lining up against 30 teams for a 5.30 start.  (cont)

Alex Carr, 2010 HBHS Captain of Sport received two Ivy League Scholarships to study in the most prestigious universities in America. He has accepted a place in Brown University, Rhode Island, and will begin study as a freshman in August.  Alex’s scholarship is worth approximately $300,000 NZD, and is guaranteed for four years.  Brown has a particularly strong neuroscience faculty, where Alex intends to study while he plays goalkeeper for the premier Brown soccer team.

HBHS Year 11 student Alex Kennedy came second by the tiniest of margins last night at the Waikato United Nations Speech Competition. Alex missed out on first by one point and was beaten by a Year 13 student who had won the competition the previous two years. The allocated speech topic was on the importance of water as a resource, and Alex made a compelling argument based on statements made by both the World Bank and United Nations that the next global conflict will be over fresh, drinkable water.  Thus, he could go and discuss how important peaceful co-operation would be in such a world, an argument that was clearly well received by the judges.  Congratulations to Alex on this achievement, and on what is a very encouraging result for next year.

HBHS hosted an intensive All Blacks training session yesterday from 2.00 – 4.00 pm.  Many students and staff watched the All Blacks being put through their paces in the new gymnasium. There as a significant press contingent present also.

A highlight of the training was an extended session with the 1st XV, in which five All Blacks (Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden, Benson Stanley, Aled DeMalmanche – an HBHS Old Boy, and Adam Thompson) put the boys worked with the boys, and then sat down for a question and answer session with them afterwards.  Coach Nigel Hotham described it as a wonderful experience.  A couple of the HBHS players involved left the session saying that yesterday was the greatest day of their lives.  Mr Hotham noted that it was particularly significant that the Inside Backs got some time to speak with Dan Carter. They had around three quarters of an hour out doing practical work, and then time for discussion later.