School News

Three ballooning teams were thwarted by rising winds this lunchtime.  The baskets were set up and the burners flared frequently for the entertainment of the primary and intermediate children who gathered on the Number 1 Rugby pitch, but it remained unsafe to inflate the balloons. 

Children from Peachgrove Intermediate and Marion Primary School waited patiently for a chance to speak to ballooning enthusiasts.  They were allowed to approach the baskets in groups, and a few enjoyed the extra treat of being allowed to make the burners flare. 

The 'Balloons over Waikato' annual event runs this year from 30 March to 3 April.  Any funds raised during the event will be donated to the Order of St Johns.  The programme for the next three days is as follows (weather permitting):

Friday 1 April 

Kent Russell and Patrick Webb have been accepted into the 2011 National Secondary Schools Brass Band.  In June of this year, the Brass Bands Association of New Zealand invited secondary school students to apply to join.  The application process required the students to organise and submit a DVD recording of their own performance of the prescribed audition requirements.  In August, 41 students were selected to form the Band.  Membership in the NSSBB means that the student is performing at an elite level for their chosen instrument, in New Zealand.

The band formed in Nelson during the recent study break, under the baton of Nick Sharpe, Director of the Nelson Brass Academy.  There have been four days of intensive small and large group tutoring, with prominent brass musicians, covering all areas of brass and percussion playing and musicianship.  At the end of this period the Band will be split into small performance groups which will perform at 15 schools in the greater Nelson area, plus church services.

HBHS is pleased to report that Patrick Webb (Yr 9) and Kent Russell (Yr 12) have both been selected to play in the National Secondary Schools Brass Band. The Band is formed from students at New Zealand secondary schools, or their equivalent.

The Role of the Band

The band’s purpose is

1) to provide students with the opportunity to pay in a band under the direction of some of New Zealand’s leading musical directors and brass teachers

2) to receive tuition from leading music teachers

3) to provide the opportunity for students to extend their musical knowledge and appreciation.

4) to provide students with the opportunity to network with other students with a common interest

5) to provide a stepping stone towards the National Youth Band and National Band of New Zealand.

We will keep you posted on the Band's playing engagements; both Patrick and Kent are also accomplished trumpet players in their own rights.

Trumpet player Patrick Webb was recently selected to both the National Youth Orchestra and the New Zealand Youth Brass Band, a fine achievement for the 15-year-old musician.  The Youth Brass Band will tour China shortly.  The Youth Orchestra age limit is 25 years, so many of the individuals auditioning for the same spot as Patrick are people studying Music at University. 

The benefits of performing in both groups are significant. The chance to perform with other musicians at a very high standard (and experience the pressure that comes with that) are major bonuses from Webb’s perspective. 

Long term, Webb sees becoming a professional musician as a viable option.  He is grateful to the teachers he has had for achieving at this level.  Recently, Bill Stoneham has worked closely with Webb to prepare him for the auditions, and Mike Booth – who has had a prodigious musical career and now leads the HBHS Jazz Band, is an on-going source of inspiration.

Webb will be playing with the Youth Brass Band in Beijing in late July/early August.  He will be performing with the National Youth Orchestra and Youth Choir later in the year.

The first week of Term 2, 2013 coincides with New Zealand Road Safety Week, and provides an opportunity to remind our students to stay safe whilst travelling to and from school. There are major road works at the intersection of Te Aroha Street and Peachgrove Road until Friday 17 May 2013, so plan for potential delays, narrow roads, the presence of heavy machinery and workers and uneven surfaces. HBHS students who cycle to and from school are reminded to ride cautiously, be aware of and considerate towards drivers and pedestrians, and to observe safety laws and guidelines at all times. Students must wear helmets AT ALL TIMES and need to be vigilant and attentive when cycling amongst heavy morning and afternoon traffic. For more information, check out Road Safety and the New Zealand Transport Agency website for road safety laws and useful tips.

We would like to welcome all new and returning students to Hamilton Boys' High School for the 2012 academic year.  Preparations are underway at the moment for each student's imminent arrival; compulsory course confirmation for Years 12 and 13 is happening in the Study Centre until Thursday afternoon, while the School Shop (stationery and uniform) is open from 8.00am to 3.00pm each working day. 

All new students (Years 9,10 and 11) will report for testing on Friday 27th at 8.30am in the main foyer, and new Year 12 and 13 students will be required to complete course confimation from 10am on Friday in the Study Centre.  We begin to welcome the 2012 residents of Argyle House on Monday 30 January.  School begins in earnest on Tuesday , with new Year 9s and Year 13s meeting for our formal powhiri.  All parents and guardians of new students are welcome to attend this important event.