June Newsletter

From the Acting Rector

Every day the sun rises, and the sun sets, and every time that it does, it represents something new. People who embrace this simple fact find it far easier to be happy than those who don’t. 

Recently Southland Boys’ High School shared the news that Rector Mr. Simon Coe has accepted the headmaster’s position at Napier Boys’ High School. This, of course, represents a major change for Mr. Coe and his whānau, and for the Southland Boys’ High School community. This change must be viewed in a positive light. For Mr. Coe, he gets to take the skills he has applied here to his new school and begin his new adventure. For us, we can look back on what he gave us. 

During his eight years as Rector, Mr. Coe has overseen a huge evolutionary phase in the school’s history. Under his watch we:

·      Remodelled the upper Uttley block
·      Installed a hockey turf
·      Established the Southland Boys' High School Club for academic perfection
·      Established learning hubs
·      Braided the student leaders’ blazers
·      Added high performance Caps for football, hockey, and academics
·      Added the Year 13 Graduation evening to our calendar
·      Oversaw roll growth on a huge scale
·      Introduced the flag that flies over the school every day
·      Remodelled the inside of the Rowly Curry Hall
·      Upgraded the Southland Boys' High School Pavilion
·      Installed the grandstand on the Number 1 field

When you stand back and simply look at that list you can see the massive impact that one man has had on this school. For me though, my lasting memory of working with Mr. Coe was standing beside him for three years while we navigated the whirlwind that was Covid 19. He was calm in the face of situations that seemed insurmountable, and was the rock that the school relied on. 

The happiest people embrace change because they realise that evolution is unavoidable. The saddest people try to avoid change and fight against it. So, at this point, I would like to thank my boss and my friend for the service he has given to this school. I know how proud he is of the place. We will miss him and his whānau. 

Ray Laurenson
Acting Rector

International Boys’ Schools Conference

Julia Shannon, Deputy Principal, is attending the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference in Harrow, London as a member of the research group.  IBSC promotes the collaboration of educators in member schools worldwide to design, implement, evaluate, and report on in-depth research projects they have undertaken to improve their effectiveness in the classroom and beyond. As a researcher, Julia will work with a team of educators with similar interests over the next few years to generate and evaluate innovative ideas about best practices in the education of boys.

Commended at The Big Sing 

Dimensions and Momentum had an extremely successful night at The Big Sing on Tuesday 11 June, with both choirs receiving Commended awards.

Dimensions were also presented with the Invercargill Musical Theatre award for best Own Selection piece - An Old-Fashioned Song (Don't You Hate It), and were the first ever recipients of the Di Lenihan Big Sing Audience Appreciation Award!

Di was extremely influential on the local music and choral scene, so it was very special to receive the award - judged by her daughter Clare.

ILT Sports Awards 2023

We had an incredible night at the ILT Sports Awards on Friday 7 June - winning every category we were nominated in!

Southland Boys’ High School First XV claimed the Kia Southland Team of the Year award, Jason Dermody was named Good Tech Team Coach of the Year, and the First XV also picked up the Southland Times Sporting Moment, which was decided by public vote. Old boys Fynn Mitchell and Corbin Strong took out the One NZ Junior Sportsperson and ILT Senior Sportsperson of the Year, respectively. Fynn for adventure racing, and Corbin for cycling. 

And the surprise win of the night - Peter Skelt, who has been part of our first XV coaching group since 1989, was honoured with a BDO Services to Sport award for his contribution to badminton, cricket and rugby.

Pink Ribbon High Tea

On Sunday 26 May 2024 we hosted a Pink Ribbon High Tea at Southland Boys’ High School to fundraise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.

We enjoyed a delicious spread made by catering students and others who put their name forward to help. A special thank you to the students - David Walter, Alex Winslade, Eugene Joubert, Caleb Tonkin, Kaden Skeggs, Gerome Steininger, Morgan Teviotdale, Aiden Teviotdale, George Marshall, Blake Hitchcock, and Archer Botting for their hard work and dedication. 

Thank you to those that attended, it was great seeing so many people gathering for such a special cause. And a special thank you to Cairo McDonald who helped to set up, and Jacob Wilkinson-Hall for taking the photos.

Luke Biggar Strikes Gold

Luke Biggar is the fastest 1500m swimmer in New Zealand in his age group!

At the National Age Group Swimming Championships in Hawkes Bay, Luke came away with gold in the 15-year-old boys 1500m. He also claimed second place in the 800m, and achieved a number of personal bests in the meet. Congratulations Luke! 

(Photo courtesy of Robyn Edie, Southland Times.)

Level 2 Biology Field Trip - Orepuki

The Level 2 Biology students recently braved the winter elements to travel to Cosy Nook, Orepuki, to collect data and survey the distribution of organisms along a rocky shore. 

The conditions were cold and challenging, but that didn’t seem to deter a wide range of creatures from making an appearance. Highlights included seeing large Duck’s Bill Limpet, Red Beadlet Anemone, and giant sea stars. 

Guidance Corner - Kaaren Wilkes

I Choose the Way I Want To Be: I can be miserable because it is a rainy day OR I can have a great day regardless of the weather. It's my choice.

I can be mad because the queue at the canteen is too long, and they might sell out of my favourite food OR I can wait and talk with some of my friends. It's my choice.

Recent News

Rector Leaves a Legacy of Excellence Simon Coe, the Rector of Southland Boys’ High school, has announced his resignation. He will be taking up the position of Headmaster at Napier Boys’ High School in the Hawke's Bay. View More   Battle of the Pans Seven of our catering students competed in a cooking competition in Dunedin at John McGlashan College on Friday 21 June - with Blake Witbrock taking out the gold in pasta. View More   Top Commerce Scholars Four students from Southland Boys' High School have received the Commerce Top Scholar Award for the Southland Region from the New Zealand Commerce and Economics Teachers Association. View More   SmokeFree RockQuest Champions! Rocking to the top in The Southland Regional SmokeFree RockQuest! View More   Football Cap Presentation On Wednesday 5 June, three members of the 1st XI Football team were presented with a football cap. View More   SBHS/SGHS Ball 2024 View More   Sam Lawrence takes out the Championship Sam Lawrence took out Overall Champion at the recent South Island Mountain Biking Championships. View More   Pure South Famous Young Chefs Degustation Luncheon On the weekend of 27 and 28 April, young chefs from around Southland took part in the Pure South Famous Young Chefs Degustation Luncheon which was held at the Southern Institute of Technology. The luncheon, in its fourth year, included canapés, and 5 courses with matching wines. View More