Avondale College, Auckland
Encyclopedia
Avondale College is a secondary education college in Avondale
, Auckland
, New Zealand
. It is one of the largest secondary schools in New Zealand with 2,700 students, with 100 of those being international students. There is a large cultural diversity within the school, with an ethnic composition of New Zealand European/ Pākehā 28%, Māori 9%, Samoan 15%, Chinese 12%, Indian 9%, other Asian 7%, other European 5%, Tongan 4%, Niuean 3%, other Pacific 2%, Other 6%. Around 50 different countries are represented in the student body and each of these is represented by a flag in the gymnasium.
The principal of Avondale College and head of the 180 teachers is Brent Lewis. Many staff members of Avondale College come from Britain, through frequent teacher recruitment trips by the principal. Lewis became principal in 2001 after the death of Phil Raffills, who went to great lengths to reform the school. Raffills oversaw the redevelopment of the school buildings after much of the site was destroyed in a fire in 1990.
Brent Lewis took over from acting principal (former deputy principal) Warren Peat, who went on to become principal of Saint Kentigern College
.
Chairman of the board is Kevin Glubb.
Avondale College students wear a black and white uniform with the school crest on it that has variations depending on year level and gender, which changed from an older black, white and grey one in 2004. Formal attire is blazers and ties.
Avondale has a sister school in Japan called Daito Bunka, which is a preparatory school for Daito Bunka University
, Tokyo
.
The school has adopted NCEA for assessments and examinations. Cambridge International Examinations have also been adopted as an alternative to NCEA in 2009 and onwards.
The facility was designed by Tibor Donner (then in the NZ Public Works Department) and was built by Fletcher Construction
. The Department of Education had some of the site planned for a new secondary school to cope with the overcrowding of Auckland secondary schools. The hospital was given first priority, but a small portion of the buildings were built in permanent materials so that the wards, the gymnasium, the hall and some other buildings could be converted into a school at the end of the war. The extent of the hospital was huge, taking up all of the present school site as well as the nearby Rosebank Park and fields.
The war in the Pacific did not reach the scale preparations had been made for, and the hospital was not used to care for war casualties. In February 1945 a single school committee was appointed to supervise the use of the hospital as a school. As New Zealand was still virtually operating under war conditions, supplies and orders for the school were delayed.
Since 1945 the six principals of Avondale College (L.E Titheridge, A.R. Stephenson, W.R. Familton, A.H. Burton, P. R. Raffills, B. Lewis) have extended and rebuilt the buildings, redeveloped the site and grounds, created an outdoor education camp (Taurewa) in Tongariro National Park
, established exchange schools in Japan
and Noumea
, developed business relationships with the local community, and installed advanced technologies for students and staff..
Much of the school, including the gymnasium, was rebuilt after a fire in 1990.
The school was used in the 1995 feature film Bonjour Timothy, a joint New Zealand/Canadian production, and in the Disney Channel movie, Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off
and the Te Mana Advertisement.
The school swimming pool was used in an advertisement for Lemon & Paeroa
in 2006.
A male teacher (Mr Warren) was stabbed in the back with a knife while teaching a Japanese class on 3 March 2009, by a Korean exchange student studying in the college.
Former New Zealand Hockey captain, Jamie Smith
, is director of Commerce at Avondale College.
On June 9, 2006, the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
visited Avondale College to open the new technical subjects building, the Ferguson Building, that had already been in use through the second half of 2005. It is named after the head of the Chemical and Materials Engineering department at the University of Auckland
, Professor George Ferguson, who for many years served the college on the Board of Trustees.
Avondale College is undergoing the second of a three-phase renovation project. This will see the entire school rebuilt, with the old prefabricated buildings
being replaced by new two-storey departments with flying walkways between them. The reconstruction is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2011 and is estimated to cost $22 million. Government funding and approval for the third phase is still pending.
The Premier Concert Band is one of the major music bands of the school, travelling to Sydney in June 2006 to participate in the International Music Festival, where they were awarded a Silver Award. The band has also been awarded Silver at numerous other competitions, such as the KBB Music Festival and the National Band Competition.
Also participating in Sydney's International Music Festival competition that year was the college's string group Spiccato. This octet also received a Silver Award and was one point off receiving the Gold Award.
Avondale College offers instrument tuition through itinerant teachers and has instruments available for students' use. It provides a student-based Show Band for the school's annual show. Concerts are held throughout the year to showcase the department's talents. These include the Friends and Family Concerts, Jazz and Soul Concert, Classical Concert and Best of the Best Concert. The music department has several classrooms, a computer suite with Sibelius software, a Steinway grand piano and a recording studio.
There is a school show every year, usually a musical. Recent shows have included "Grease", "High School Musical" and "South Pacific". In 2010 the show performed was "Guys and Dolls”.
Avondale, Auckland
Avondale is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located in the Whau ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions for the Auckland Council. It is commonly considered to be part of West Auckland. It was originally called "Te Whau", which is the common name, of Māori origin, for Entelea...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is one of the largest secondary schools in New Zealand with 2,700 students, with 100 of those being international students. There is a large cultural diversity within the school, with an ethnic composition of New Zealand European/ Pākehā 28%, Māori 9%, Samoan 15%, Chinese 12%, Indian 9%, other Asian 7%, other European 5%, Tongan 4%, Niuean 3%, other Pacific 2%, Other 6%. Around 50 different countries are represented in the student body and each of these is represented by a flag in the gymnasium.
Overview
Brent Lewis took over from acting principal (former deputy principal) Warren Peat, who went on to become principal of Saint Kentigern College
Saint Kentigern College
Saint Kentigern College is a private, co-educational Presbyterian secondary school in the Pakuranga suburb of Manukau City in the Auckland region of New Zealand, beside the estuary of the Tamaki Estuary...
.
Chairman of the board is Kevin Glubb.
Avondale College students wear a black and white uniform with the school crest on it that has variations depending on year level and gender, which changed from an older black, white and grey one in 2004. Formal attire is blazers and ties.
Avondale has a sister school in Japan called Daito Bunka, which is a preparatory school for Daito Bunka University
Daito Bunka University
is a medium-sized four-year university with two campuses: one at Itabashi in Tokyo, and the other at Higashi Matsuyama in Saitama, Japan. The sports program is strong in rugby and marathon running, with the Ekiden team coming 4th in the prestigious January 2009 New Year Hakone Ekiden.Daito Bunka...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
The school has adopted NCEA for assessments and examinations. Cambridge International Examinations have also been adopted as an alternative to NCEA in 2009 and onwards.
History
The site and buildings of Avondale College began their life as an American Naval Hospital in 1943: U.S. Naval Mobile Hospital Number 6. At that time the USA was preparing for an extended Second World War battle in the South Pacific and Auckland was chosen as one of a few New Zealand cities for hospitals to tend the wounded army and naval personnel.The facility was designed by Tibor Donner (then in the NZ Public Works Department) and was built by Fletcher Construction
Fletcher Construction
Fletcher Construction Limited is a leading New Zealand construction company. It is owned by Fletcher Building Limited and has three main divisions:*Building and interiors *South Pacific...
. The Department of Education had some of the site planned for a new secondary school to cope with the overcrowding of Auckland secondary schools. The hospital was given first priority, but a small portion of the buildings were built in permanent materials so that the wards, the gymnasium, the hall and some other buildings could be converted into a school at the end of the war. The extent of the hospital was huge, taking up all of the present school site as well as the nearby Rosebank Park and fields.
The war in the Pacific did not reach the scale preparations had been made for, and the hospital was not used to care for war casualties. In February 1945 a single school committee was appointed to supervise the use of the hospital as a school. As New Zealand was still virtually operating under war conditions, supplies and orders for the school were delayed.
Since 1945 the six principals of Avondale College (L.E Titheridge, A.R. Stephenson, W.R. Familton, A.H. Burton, P. R. Raffills, B. Lewis) have extended and rebuilt the buildings, redeveloped the site and grounds, created an outdoor education camp (Taurewa) in Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
, established exchange schools in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, developed business relationships with the local community, and installed advanced technologies for students and staff..
Much of the school, including the gymnasium, was rebuilt after a fire in 1990.
The school was used in the 1995 feature film Bonjour Timothy, a joint New Zealand/Canadian production, and in the Disney Channel movie, Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off
Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off
Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off is a 2003 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot:Eddie Ogden is a junior high school baseball player for the Groundhogs, coached by his father. His father wants Eddie to win a scholarship for his baseball skills. Eddie likes baseball, but in his spare time, he watches...
and the Te Mana Advertisement.
The school swimming pool was used in an advertisement for Lemon & Paeroa
Lemon & Paeroa
Lemon & Paeroa, also known as L&P, is a sweet soft drink manufactured in New Zealand. Traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, it is now manufactured by multi-national Coca-Cola....
in 2006.
A male teacher (Mr Warren) was stabbed in the back with a knife while teaching a Japanese class on 3 March 2009, by a Korean exchange student studying in the college.
Former New Zealand Hockey captain, Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith (field hockey)
Jamie Samuel Lawrence Smith is a former field hockey player from New Zealand, who finished in eighth position with the Men's National Team, nicknamed Black Sticks, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Smith was captain of the New Zealand side from 1993-1998...
, is director of Commerce at Avondale College.
Buildings
The Avondale College school grounds feature a science and IT building as well as a gymnasium, a maths and science block, sport fields, an astroturf complex, a theatr,, orchestra pit and flexible seating.On June 9, 2006, the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
visited Avondale College to open the new technical subjects building, the Ferguson Building, that had already been in use through the second half of 2005. It is named after the head of the Chemical and Materials Engineering department at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, Professor George Ferguson, who for many years served the college on the Board of Trustees.
Avondale College is undergoing the second of a three-phase renovation project. This will see the entire school rebuilt, with the old prefabricated buildings
Prefabricated buildings
Prefabricated building is a type of building that consists of several factory-built components or units that are assembled on-site to complete the unit.- Prefabricated Housing :"Prefabricated" may refer to buildings built in components Prefabricated building is a type of building that consists of...
being replaced by new two-storey departments with flying walkways between them. The reconstruction is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2011 and is estimated to cost $22 million. Government funding and approval for the third phase is still pending.
Music
Avondale College has a school orchestra, big band, jazz combo, concert band, choir, chamber orchestra, soul band, rock club, string quartets and other chamber ensembles and bands.The Premier Concert Band is one of the major music bands of the school, travelling to Sydney in June 2006 to participate in the International Music Festival, where they were awarded a Silver Award. The band has also been awarded Silver at numerous other competitions, such as the KBB Music Festival and the National Band Competition.
Also participating in Sydney's International Music Festival competition that year was the college's string group Spiccato. This octet also received a Silver Award and was one point off receiving the Gold Award.
Avondale College offers instrument tuition through itinerant teachers and has instruments available for students' use. It provides a student-based Show Band for the school's annual show. Concerts are held throughout the year to showcase the department's talents. These include the Friends and Family Concerts, Jazz and Soul Concert, Classical Concert and Best of the Best Concert. The music department has several classrooms, a computer suite with Sibelius software, a Steinway grand piano and a recording studio.
There is a school show every year, usually a musical. Recent shows have included "Grease", "High School Musical" and "South Pacific". In 2010 the show performed was "Guys and Dolls”.
Closure
The school was closed for the day on October 24, 2006 after a fatal stabbing outside its gates on Sunday evening October 22, 2006. Fourteen-year-old Manaola Kaume`afaiva died after being stabbed in the chest. Manaola, a student at the College, was attending a church event.Notable alumni
- John BanksJohn Banks (New Zealand)John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO is a New Zealand politician. He served as Mayor of Auckland City for two terms, from 2001 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2010...
- former mayor of Auckland - Emily DrummEmily DrummEmily Cecilia Drumm MNZM is a cricketer, who has captained New Zealand in 41 women's one-day internationals, winning 28 of them, losing 12 and with one no result....
- New Zealand Women's cricket captain - Cameron DuncanCameron DuncanCameron Troy Duncan was a writer and director from New Zealand.-Film career:Duncan completed many home videos but only two short films, DFK6498 and Strike Zone, a movie involving his love for softball, as well as a few commercials and brief clips, before dying of osteosarcoma, a type of bone...
- film maker - Martin GuptillMartin GuptillMartin James Guptill is a New Zealand cricketer. He is a top-order batsman and has represented New Zealand in different age groups.-Early life:...
- Black Caps batsman, New Zealand cricket - Sir Murray HalbergMurray HalbergSir Murray Gordon Halberg, ONZ, MBE is a former New Zealand middle distance runner who won the gold medal in the 5000 metres event at the 1960 Olympics. He also won gold medals in the 3 miles events at the 1958 and 1962 Commonwealth Games...
- Olympic gold medallist - Rose McIverRose McIverRose McIver is an actress from New Zealand. She is most famous for her role as Summer Landsdown/Ranger Operator Series Yellow in 2009's Power Rangers: RPM...
- actress. - Francis MeliFrancis MeliFrancis Meli is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for St. Helens in the Super League competition. Meli has represented both New Zealand and Samoa in internationals. His usual position is on the wing....
- New Zealand rugby league player - Mark Pedrotti - opera baritone
- Matt Penman - Jazz double bassist
- Thomas Perenara - New Zealand softball player, New Zealand Junior Kiwis rugby league player
- Grace Rassmussen - netballer
- Rachel Rassmussen - netballer
- Jeet RavalJeet RavalJeet Ashok Raval was born 22 September 1988 in Gujarat. He is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Auckland Aces. He used to play for the New Zealand under-19s.-References:...
- Auckland batsman, New Zealand cricket - Maurice ShadboltMaurice ShadboltMaurice Francis Richard Shadbolt CBE was a New Zealand writer and playwright. He was born in Auckland, and educated at Te Kuiti High School, Avondale College and Auckland University College...
- author - Lindsay TaitLindsay TaitLindsay Tait is a professional New Zealand basketball player.Tait has played in the New Zealand NBL since 2000, winning three NBL titles with the Auckland Stars...
- Wellington Saints basketball player - Jane WilsonJane WilsonJane Wilson is an American painter associated with both Abstract Expressionism and landscape painting.- Life :Wilson grew up on a farm in Iowa during the Great Depression. In 1941, she enrolled at the University of Iowa, where she studied both painting and art history...
- Head of Television Programming, TVNZ