Actor and comedian Pio Terei gave a personal insight into the grief of losing a child when he spoke to Mt Albert Grammar School students at a special assembly.
Mr Terei was guest speaker at Friday’s service assembly where 54 students were honoured for their contribution to school life.
Mr Terei, pictured (courtesy of MAGS) with headmaster Patrick Drumm, head boy Denzel Robertson and head girl Jaimee McLaughlan, talked to students about how giving service could be rewarding in itself.
He spoke of working at the Parenting Place after the loss of his son, 17-year-old Teina, to leukaemia last year, and how being around the love and kindness of others had helped his family cope with their grief.
“If you can help other people you gain a richness that can’t be measured in money,” said Mr Terei.
Students were awarded the Lions for services to the performing arts, visual arts, the library, technology, Pasifika, School House and the wider school community.
There are four different Lion Awards that can be achieved at MAGS – and they represent the four pillars of the school: Academic, Sport, Arts and Service. It is the Service Lion that is unique and without boundaries. Service can reach into every corner of school life and in many ways encompasses the other Lions.
The service Lions were awarded to:
Jenna Ackerman (Re-Award), for service to the wider school community; Jimmy Banks, for service to the wider school community; ‘Alosi Bloomfield, for service as Deputy Head Girl and to the wider school community; Jack Briden, for service to performing arts; Harper Burtenshaw, for service to the wider school community; Jack Casey-Pickering, for service as Deputy Head Boy and to the wider school community;
Jamila Chen, for service to the wider school community; Arique Chowdhury, for service to the wider school community; Benjamin Cullen, for service to the wider school community; Thomas Day, for service as Deputy Head Boy and to the wider school community; Aaron Faasalafa, for service to the wider school community; Eleanor Fletcher, for service to performing arts; Noah Foster, for service to the wider school community; Sophia Fox, for service to the wider school community;
Morwenna Fyfe, for service as Deputy Head Girl and to the wider school community; Yusi Gao, for service to the wider school community; Amy Hirst, for service to the wider school community; Shannon Hoole (Re-Award), for service to the library; Aimee Hunt, for service to the wider school community; Denis Hysenaj, for service to the school house; Fatima Imran, for service to the library and the wider school community; Reese Jacques, for service to visual arts and the wider school community; Heejoo Jang, for service to the wider school community;
Benjamin Jeffery, for service to the wider school community; Fia Jones, for service to the wider school community; Justine Klassen, for service to the wider school community; Miriam Leonhardt, for service to the library; Oliver Mathiesen (Re-Award), for service to performing arts and the wider school community; Jaimee McLaughlan, for service as Head Girl and the wider school community;
Vaibhav Nayyar, for service to the wider school community; Lausapai Nikoro, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Arien Okan, for service to arts; Dylan Owen, for service to the wider school community; Giles Paton-Simpson, for service as a technology leader; Jake Paxton, for service as a technology leader; Desmond Petelo, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Rosarina Pillissi, for service to the wider school community.
Hannah Quince, for service to visual arts and the wider school community; Conor Quinlan, for service to the wider school community; Denzel Robertson, for service as Head Boy and the wider school community; Julia Robinson, for service to the wider school community; Beatrice Santos, for service to the wider school community; William Sharkey, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Nicholas Shillito, for service to the library; Paris Shum, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Shakthi Singh, for service to the wider school community;
Abigail Beatriz, Rose Sunga, for services to the wider school community; Ceylonese Taumaoe, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Kushali Tuinder, for service to the wider school community; Roselyne Va’ai, for service to the wider school community; Vaimoana Va’ai, for service to Pasifika and to the wider school community; Reiko Yoshida-Wildash, for service to the wider school community; Lucy Zhang, for service to the library; Kenneth Zhu, for service to the library and the wider school community.
More news from the school newsletter:
Ms Tanya Montgomery is the school’s new head of guidance, following the retirement at the end of Term 3 of Mr Paul Ferner.
Ms Montgomery has come from two years at another Auckland high school, and before that worked at two schools in Wellington over eight years.
After gaining a degree in psychology from Waikato University, with a masters in counselling, Ms Montgomery chose to work with secondary school students.
“I really enjoy this age group,” she says. “I admire their resilience, their willingness to make change, to do well and make things better for themselves and their future.
“… Young people are facing increasingly complex issues that can have a significant impact on their wellbeing and overall achievement. I’m looking forward to continuing to build the department’s strong relationships both inside the school and with outside agencies to provide a wraparound approach for our young people.”
Seven Agricultural Science students gained hands-on farming experience on a four-day trip to the Otiwhiti Sheep and Beef Station in Hunterville in the Manawatu.
Year 13 students Oliver Holst, Mackenzie Garrett-Dalton, Jeremiah Halaapiapi, Sawbira Harker and Kaveesha Ranmuthu, and Year 11 students Thys Dekker and Harrison Boswell, were accompanied by the head of agricultural science, Ms Esther Hancock, and teacher Mr Richard Fullerton.
Otiwhiti is one of three agriculture cadet farms in the North Island where students learn skills such as shearing, horse-riding, mustering cattle and sheep, docking, drenching, quad-bike riding and tree planting.
MAGS students tried their hand at each of these activities, and visited a sales yard and a meat works, with time as well for clay pigeon shooting and fishing.
Chinese language teacher Ms Eva Liu caught up with two of her star students at the 10th birthday celebrations for the Chinese Confucius group.
Luke Butler and David Tuipulotu both won scholarships to study in China after excelling in language competitions under Ms Liu’s guidance.
Last year Luke spent three months at Dongnan (Southeast) University in Nanjing. He is now back at Auckland University continuing to study Chinese as part of his BA/BCom degree. He intends to use his language skills in his future business career.
David spent six months in 2014 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, studying Chinese language and culture. He completed his BA/Bachelor of Theology at Auckland University this year, and is now studying comparative literature, comparing Tongan and Chinese literature. He is also continuing to study theology, writing about the Catholic Church in China.
Both Albertians spoke to Ms Liu in Chinese and thanked her for her teaching and encouragement.
Talented mountain biker Harriet Neradt won the North Island Secondary Schools Junior Girls race in Tauranga on Saturday, October 14.
The 14-year-old had to ride two circuits of a 5km forest trail. Harriet’s title backs up her win of the 2017 AKSS series, which involved races at Riverhead, Woodhill, Hunua and Helensville through Terms 2 and 3. In March, she won Silver at the NZSS Championships in Rotorua.
