Student News and Success

NCEA Results 2012 show continued high achievement

St Matthew's is celebrating a near 100 percent achievement rate in the latest NCEA results, with more than two thirds of girls passing with endorsements of either merit or excellence at Level 1. At Levels 2 and 3 well over half of girls gained endorsements. Six girls gained scholarships with an Outstanding Scholarship awarded to Bronwyn Neal in geography. Congratulations to all girls.

                          St Matt's wins Overall Summer Quad Trophy

St Matthew's took away the top trophy for overall winner in this annual softball, cricket and tennis tournament between the top teams of Woodford, Nga Tawa, Iona and St Matthew's.

St Matt's also took the individual trophies for tennis, and for the first time since 2006, softball. The cricketers had some tough games but stayed competitive throughout the competition with no wins but much promise from a young team bound to reap results for St Matthew's in future.

2012 Scholarships

Senior College Prizegiving

Dux: Bronwyn Neal   Proxime accessit: Andrew Sampson.

1st in Year 12: Ryan Tonkin       2nd in Year 12:  Alexandra Finucane

Congratulations to all our Senior College prizewinners. A full list of prizewinners here...

The Pied Piper

A cast of 59 girls; six more in the band, a backstage crew of five girls and a further three running the lighting and assisting with sound, all combined to give a total of 74 girls directly involved in The Pied Piper. Add to them the Year 10 Art girls who helped paint the set, and we have a large section of Year 9 and 10 involved in some way with giving their talents, interest and energies to make this year’s production a great success.

With a total of 16 different pieces of music, about the same number of dances, and a total of 13 scenes, The Pied Piper has been a challenge; but it is one to which the girls rose well. We were wonderfully entertained in all sorts of ways as the story of Hamelin’s rats and then the children, was retold with drama and pathos by Old Hans (Jacinta Ward) to Mina (Emily Watt). The serious side of the story was lightened by the comedy of the Mayor (Abbey-May Wakefield) and his wife Eulalie (Claudia Field). Rats, under the control of Rat Leader (Heather Bird) together with Old Rat (Lauren Taylor), plagued the people of Hamelin, and we were delighted, at first, by the arrival of the Pied Piper (Lucy France). Finally we  followed with interest the romance of Lisa (Corralie Francis) and Conrad (Sara Jane Raleigh). The people of Transylvania, and the Corporation, Traders, citizens and children of Hamelin all contributed to this show. The eventual loss of Hamelin’s children came solely because of the dishonesty of the Mayor and Corporation, so that by the end of the show, the story’s message – to be faithful in all our dealings – was very clear indeed. 

The band, made up of those members of the Year 10 Music class not on stage, provided a superb backing for the many musical numbers.

Finally, my particular thanks go to the many staff who have helped: Mrs Taylor for her work on the music for the show, Mr Davidson for choreographing the dances and training the dancers, Mrs Payton for the wonderful costumes, Mrs Walker for managing the props and the back stage crew, Ms Small for the superb set painting, Mrs Penn who was Production Secretary, Mrs Neal for managing the publicity, Mr Smith and Mr Edwards who built the set and propsDr Bloomfield who took charge of the lighting and Mr Hosken of Above Sound for providing and managing the sound equipment.

Thank you everyone.

T Clarke

Director

More Wonderful Singing Successes For Ms Tait-Jamieson

For several months now, fourteen of Marguerite Tait - Jamieson’s singing pupils have been learning a wide range of songs in order to compete in the 69th annual Hutt Valley Performing Arts Society Competitions held in the first week of the school holidays. Contestants come as far afield as Christchurch and Blenheim as well as all over the Wellington region.

Her singers did superbly well, with 12 trophies, 1 scholarship , 11 first placings, 14 second placings, 16 third placings and 25 Highly Commended.

In the ‘14 and under 16’ category there were 17 entrants and twice our girls gained the first five placings. To cap all this, Keziah Stancliffe-Deans along with 2 of Ms T-J’s private pupils were invited to sing at the Demonstration and Prizewinners’ concert on the final night of the competition.

This is testament indeed for the professionalism and dedication Marguerite displays in her teaching as well as the commitment and hard work of her pupils.

Well done to you all!

The Sound Of Applause - cast bring to life an old favourite.

Big Sing Success

Viva Camerata choir won the award for the Best Performance of an Early Period Work, at the Wellington Regional Big Sing, for their beautiful rendition of the 16th Century Madrigal Fa Una Canzona, sung in Italian. They have also been selected as a guest choir (one of only 4 selected nationwide) to perform at the National Big Sing competition August 15th to 18th. The Gala performance will be on Saturday August 18th at 6.30pm in the Wellington Town Hall.

♦ Scholarship student and former pupil Renee Tonkin, who left St Matthew's last year, has been accepted to read Biochemistry at Imperial College in London, a fantastic achievement.