Figure 1.--New Zealand schools like English schools tend to place a much greater emphasis on debating than American schools. These boy at the primary level are participating in a heated class debate. |
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Many secondary schools offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities to their students, although they are generally referred to as co-curricular activities. The extensiveness and diversity of the activity program depends in part on the size of the school. Larger schools obviously have more staff which as a result have greater more diverse interests and skills to staff a larger activities program. Some of the smaller schools have a relatively small activities program. Activities at the schools can include aeronautics, arts and crafts, astronomy, chess, community service, computers, Christian Fellowship, debate, drama, driving, electronics, film making, first aid, life saving, motor-cycling, navigation, ornithology, outdoor education, photography, printing, public speaking, radio broadcasting, skiing, Spirit of Adventure, Te Reo Rangatahi, tramping, weight training, yachting, Young Enterprise Scheme, Young Farmers Club, and others. Many activities are associated with music, including: chamber music, choir, chorale, individual music/singing tuition, musical productions, orchestra, and symphonic band. Schools often integrate the activities into the overall education program. Students at many schools are encouraged to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. Schools often put considerable emphasis on participation in their activities program. Auckland Boys Grammar, for example, reportedly has about 10 debate teams. An American high school of comparable size is likely to have only one debate team.
Some schools schedule special days for sports and other activities. James Hargest, for example, has sport and recreation every afternoon from late April to early August. The afternoon provides an opportunity to practice several different sports and participate in a wide range of recreational activities, from paper making to mountain biking. Marlbourgh Boys' College schedules a Friday pursuits afternoon for form 6 with offerings varying from flatting/budgeting trout fishing. Such programs are designed to provide skills and broaden personal horizons for lifelong leisure activities. Many activities are free, but some involve a small charge.
Many city children walk to school or ride their bikes. This is especially true of primary school children. Many children in private prep are driven to school by their parents. Some schools have small busses. Older students may bike to school. Often schools give bike saftey lessons as there is much more traffic on streers than was the case in earlier years. The wider catchment area of the secondary schools makes walking to school impractical for many. Traditionally many of the older students biked to school. This is still common, but with rising prosperity, many students now come to school in cars which have created problems at older schools without adequate parking facilities. Walking or evem biking was often not practical in rural areas and as a result from an early point most children arrived at school in busses.
New Zealand schools encourage a wide variety of competitions and activities beyond traditional inter-school athletic competitions. Many of these events are organized regionally or nationally while others or organized for individuals and groups to compete within the school.
The Young Enterprise Scheme is popular at many schools. Students form a mock corporation and raise capital by selling shares for nominal amounts. The capital is used to manufacture and market a product. Products vary from chocolate marshmallow candy (John McGlashan), biodegradable detergent (Takapuna Grammar), sports badges (St.Peter's, Gore), ????? (Southlands Boys' College),
Schools have begun to compete in a relatively new drama competition. Many schools form Theater sports teams and participate in regional and national Theater Sports Festivals. Some schools such as Greymouth High School organize Roadshows or similar traveling groups to give presentations at local elementary schools and retirement homes.
A variety of competitions are conducted as part of the English program, including debate (New Zealand Schools Debating Competition), literary competitions, newspaper writing (New Zealand School Newspaper Awards), and public speaking, . Many schools participate in the Australian English Competition organized by the University of New South Whales Educational Testing Centre. [Nice quote in box, Grey 93, p. 73]
A variety of competitions are conducted through the Home Economics Department: cooking and sewing (New Zealand Bernina Hetanz Award).
A variety of inter-school competitions are available to foreign language students: French (Alliance Franc?aise French Speaking Competition and the Otago/Southland Oral French competition), German (Canterbury Goethe Society Oskar Competition), Japanese (University of Canterbury Japanese Language Competition), and Maori (National Maori Speech Competitions). Many schools organize visits abroad, although the country's location makes this a rather expensive proposition.
One popular event at New Zealand schools are the annual maths competition, Cantamaths and Westpac. Schools form teams at each form level to compete at the school level. Teams are given math problems and runners race to the judges with the answer and to obtain the next problem. The winners then represent their schools in local competitions. These lead to national competitions. (DW: ask for sample questions] (DW: Is this the SMAC Maths?) The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) also sponsors a problem solving competition. New Zealand students also participate in an International Mathematical Olympiad. Some school also provide opportunity for able students to participate in mathematics camps.
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A variety of music activities and competitions are conducted. Most schools have an orchestra. A wide variety of other music groups reflect the interests and traditions of New Zealand students. Many other music groups from pipe bands to jazz groups to coral societies are organized and give school performances. There are also competitions with other schools, including the Eastpac/Westpac Schools Music Competition, the Pacific Basin Music Festival, the Rockquest, and the Schools Music Festival.
Science fairs are an annual fixture at most schools. The winners compete with other schools in regional and national competitions. There is also a newer program to earn science badges which encourage students to pursue students to conduct their own investigations that has become popular at many schools. The badge earners can develop their project into larger investigations and earn Crest awards. Particularly gifted students can participate in the University of Otago Hands on Science School. The Australian Schools' Science competition is popular at many schools and provides students a stimulating challenge to solve real-life problems using a range of scientific processes and skills. Nearly 300,000 students in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific participate annually. Students can also participate in a variety of problem solving events such as the BP Technology Challenge and a variety of tasks individual schools may take on such as building a solar powered car (Avonside) and a small airplane (Rangi Ruru).
Many New Zealand schools participate in enterprise programs. These are similar to the ??? program common in American highschools. In New Zealand it is not a program reserved only for secondary schools as primary schools also participate.
Interest in debate varies from school. While debate is popular at some schools, at others there is no debate program. The English program at many schools often encourage debating. Greymouth High School, for example, has a inter-form debate competition during form 4. Many schools hold debating competitions with other schools, usually involving the older students. A national debating competition is held annually in Wellington. Some of the motions debated have included: it is better to grow cabbages than flowers, television dulls the brain, feminism is out of date, a woman's place is in the home, nations are not united by selfishness alone, New Zealand has a rosy future, Hollywood has a lot to answer for, youth is the best time of life, it is better to be lively than lovely, humanity owes more to the poet than engineer, and zoos should be made illegal.
Many schools, both public and private, also offer a variety of off campus outdoor activities. Outdoor education programs became popular in the 1970s and both private and public schools have outdoor education programs. These programs are often a highlight of the school year for some students and staff and a focus for many curriculum areas. Some schools have their own rural facilities. Other schools use a variety of public facilities.
Ashburton College conducts a form 3 ski trip and a form 4 camp.
Auckland Grammar form 4 boys ?????????????????????. Some schools place considerable stress on outdoor education.
Avonside Girls High School form 4 girls in 1993 participated in a 4-day program at the Boyle River on the Lewis Pass. Form 7 biology students participated in a camp at Wainui. [nice text on Avon 93, p. 51]
Baradene form 1 and 2 girls have week long trips to Motutapu Island.
Bayfield High School
Cashmere form 4 students participated in a 2-day program of rafting, orienteering, tubing and bush walking in and around the Boyle River. Other groups plan outdoor activities such as the form 7 field week at Kaikoura.
Greymouth High School: The outdoor program was significantly expanded in 1993. Form 4 students, for example, could select from 6 different camp programs, including Charleston Rock and Caves, Four-Day Cycle Tours, Four Day Mountains to the Sea Trip, Five-Day Tramp, and Hanmer Outdoor Experience. The Hanmer option proved to be the overwhelming favorite. The school was planning to offer various outdoor pursuits for form 5 to practice skills during the school week.
Ski Week,
Kings College: Kings has a 700-acre farm near Warkworth as a venture camp.
Lincoln High School: Outdoor education programs are conducted for form 3, 5, and 6 students. The form 3 program emphasizes social interaction and is held at the beginning of the school year. The form 4 program features water-based activities and as a result is held in the term 3 to take advantage of the warm summer weather. The form 6 physical education program is head during term 2 and features a snow-based program.
(John) McGlashan College during 1993 involved a substantial part of the school in its in camps and other outdoor activities. The form 1s and 3s went to Berwick. The form 2s went to Arrowtown. The form 4s went Mt. Nicholas. The form 7 PE class went snow caving. The senior trap was in the Rees/Dart area.
Marlbourgh Boys'/Girls' College has a particularly comprehensive outdoor education program. The school has a hut on the Branch River and an interest in Rotoiti Lodge. Form 3 students attend a 4-day camp with a maritime emphasis at Nydia Lodge in Pelorus Sound. Form 4 students participate in a 5-day stay at Rotoiti Lodge in Nelson Lakes National Park with several alpine activities. Some of the courses for senior students have outdoor components such as biology fieldwork. Bursary students have a 4-day sailing camp on Marlbourgh Sound. Selected form 6 students participate in leadership training in preparation for serving as school prefects. Some form 7 students receive further leadership training programs which have been integrated with Marlbourgh Girls' College students and staff.
Sacred Heart boys have a week adventure camp at Lake Karapiro for form 3 boys.
Takapuna Grammar: The outdoor education program was introduced in 1971 and became an integral part of the program in 1976. The 4th form participates in an annual camp. Seniors are offered a leadership program and serve as student leaders in the 4th form camp. The physical education also holds camps as part of the curriculum.
Wanganui Boys College has a form 3 camp at Lake Wiritoa and form 4 camp on the Tongariro River which offer a wide variety of outdoor skills from canoeing to abseiling. An advanced Senior Camp in the Tongariro National Park stressed leadership skills.
Other groups are organized for skiing and sailing expeditions. Cycling expeditions, such as the "Spirit of Adventure" are also popular.
One of the mos popular activities bith for boys and girls is sports. This is especially true for the boys, but sports are also very popular wih the girls. New Zealand schools have very extensive sports programs, much more extensive than is the case for schools in most other countries. These programs are somewhat different in emphasis than is the case for the United States, another country where sports are an important school activity. Many New Zealand schools have active intramural programs providing the opportunity for boys and girls of varying abilities to enjoy sports. American schools give grear emphasis to inter-scholastic competitions providing opportunities for the best atheletes. New Zealand schools on the other hand give more attention to recreational sports, especially intra-mural sports. There is also a Sports Area in the Photo Essay section of the E-Book.
Youth groups such as scouting and Boys' Brigade are also popular. Many of these groups are sponsored by churches, but some schools, mostly private schools, also sponsor groups.
Student government is a relatively new activity at many New Zealand schools. The elected student or school councils long common in American schools are becoming increasingly common. Most schools have prefects and head boys/girls, commonly appointed by the headmaster or principal. In the past they served more to enforce school rules, but they now usually help in advise the school administration. The school council channel student opinion and organize school functions. They generally deal with a ride range of issues of interest to the students. One school council, for example, in 1993, dealt with matters including two fun raising drives (for the Multiple Sclerosis Four Leaf Clover appeal and Students Against Drunk Driving), mufti day, a student phone, money for school teams, events such as talent quests, lockers, study room furniture, condom vending machines, and other matters. The student councils vary from school to school, but sometimes differ from American schools where each home room (form class) may elect a representative.
Ashburton College has a House Council and each form from the four houses (Red, Blue, Green, and Orange) elects a member of their class to represent their views on school issues. Each year after a leadership training course. form 7 students are elected to leadership positions such as the two Student Presidents, House Captain, and House Executive. Form 6 students can be elected as vice captains in each house. This group is the Student Executive and meets regularly to discuss issues raised by the House Council with senior teachers. The students each year also elect a student to represent them on the Board of Trustees.
Avonside Girls' High School has a school council as well as a student executive consisting of 12 form 7 girls.
Cashmere High School has a two-tiered system. Each form elects a representative to a form-level council. Each form level chooses one member to represent it on the School Council.
Greymouth High School has a student council with elected representatives from each class. The council has committees for entertainment, environment, finances, recreation, and socials (dances).
Lincoln High School has an elected student council which represents the students in a wide variety of ways and is consulted frequently. It also performs a valuable role in raising funds and organizing social activities. (John) McGlashan College introduced an elected school council in 1992. Each class elects representatives to the council. Many of the students initially viewed it as "waste of time", but some changed their mind as they saw what the council could do. The council addresses many concerns of direct interest to the students, purchasing a stereo system, reintroducing house badges, and a variety of social events. The council was also given the responsibility for planning the annual workday and more importantly to the students on deciding how to use the proceeds.
Wanganui Boys College was one of the first New Zealand schools to establish a student council. The council is led by a body of seniors.
Some schools have experimented with including a student member on the school board of directors or trustees. In many instances these students have made valuable contributions to the boards, ensuring that student input is available. Some representatives found themselves in the difficult position of not being sure if they should function as a student representative or as a member of the board. One student representative on the John Mcglashan Board of Trustees complained, for example, that some of his school mates objected when he could not provide details on some of closed discuss of the Board.
