John Stradwick: Albertian of the Year 2024

Our departing Deputy Principal John Stradwick has been named Albertian of the Year for 'Leadership and Service to Education'.
Mr Stradwick, who has been appointed Principal of Cashmere High School in Christchurch and will be joining them next term, was acknowledged at the Year 13 Assembly on Wednesday and at Staff Briefing this morning.

Mr Stradwick was Head Prefect at MAGS in 1993, as pictured right, and rejoined the School in 2018 as Deputy Principal.
At the assembly, Headmaster Mr Drumm said Mr Stradwick’s contribution to our school and students over the past six years has been very significant.
Mr Drumm said, "We often talk about the importance of you as students being involved right across our MAGS Pillars. But this is also important for our staff – and Mr Stradwick has modelled that in every way.
"He has led the Curriculum area of the school working with all of the Heads of Faculties.
"He has also managed a number of sports teams, including the 1st XV Rugby this year. Mr Stradwick recently travelled to Wellington as manager of the Centennial Choir as they won Gold at the National Finale.
"He has redesigned our student leadership programme with a real focus on growing leadership right across the school – and a big part of that has been looking after the Prefects group."
Before the the Albertian of the Year salver was presented to Mr Stradwick at assembly by Albertian and MAGS Foundation member Dale Griffiths, pictured above, Mr Drumm said, "On behalf of all of our MAGS community, I thank Mr Stradwick for what he has done for our school. You leave our school in great heart and we wish you all the best with your new adventure at Cashmere."
At Staff Briefing today, Mr Gibbs, pictured below, presented the Albertian of the Year salver to Mr Stradwick in front of staff, and reminisced about being his German teacher back in the 1990s.
Mr Gibbs said, "To me he is still the small enthusiastic boy with a shock of blonde hair. He moved from third stream to second stream to first stream in succeeding years. His reports speak of his gift of the gab. Sixth Form accounting: "It was with his sense of humour and excellent communication skills that he impressed me most". A bit of a backhander. From PE: "John always has a lot to say but I have no complaints about his attitude". Seventh Form History: "John approaches the subject with good-humoured easiness".
Mr Gibbs added: "He is an honest man, a truthful man, and a decent man. He is a man bubbling with ideas: he brought us mentoring, for which I have only just forgiven him."
Mr Stradwick thanked everyone for their generous words but said he felt like he was just getting started and the Albertian of the Year award was "more a vote of confidence for my future endeavours in education".
He said his time at MAGS highlighted how dedicated and compassionate staff made a difference to students' lives every day.
"It's the people—the highly skilled, passionate, dedicated staff—who truly define what Mount Albert Grammar is all about. 
"Great expert teachers, highly skilled coaches, and excellent support staff. It’s impossible to get outstanding outcomes with average adults." 
You can see more photos from the assembly and staff briefing here

Service Pillar Sets Strong Foundation

Yesterday's Service Lions Assembly saw students acknowledged for their sustained service to MAGS and the wider community.
Service Lion badges were awarded to first-time recipients while re-awardees received certificates.
The recipients were announced by Service Pillar Lead Teacher Miss Murray and congratulated by Mr Drumm and Board of Trustees members Greg Moyle and Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Guest speaker at the event was our Pasifika Liaison Officer Danny Liuliu-Afoa, pictured right, who concentrated on themes such as 'When you teach, I remember and when you involve me, I learn' and 'The path to leadership is through service'.
Mr Liuliu-Afoa said those themes were at play when he helped to build a new church in Glen Eden, and he learned from his elders about service, selflessness and humility.
He encouraged students to become involved in service because helping others was a great way to lead a fulfilling life.
The assembly was also treated to a musical item by the Gloriana Choir under the direction of Charlotte Nicklin.
You can see more photos from the event and the names of the Service Lion recipients here

MAGS Students of Service
On Tuesday, MAGS was able to celebrate the hard work and commitment our students have shown to the Service Pillar this year.
Service Pillar Lead Teacher Miss Murray said, "The MAGS Students of Service event highlighted the achievements we, as a school, have managed to obtain this year.
"We were able to look back at the many events executed by our staff and students and recognise exceptional leadership and commitment to the pillar this year.
"A few highlights from the year were our success in fundraising for Relay for Life, the hype event for the 40-hour Challenge where you could ‘pie a prefect’, and getting the whole school involved through Spirit Week.
It was such a great opportunity to celebrate our pillar and commend the students for their participation."

Special recognition awards were presented to the following students:
Junior Service Award for Outstanding Contribution to the MAGS Service Pillar: Kawiti Albert Campbell, pictured above left.
The John Stradwick Award for Outstanding Contribution to the MAGS Service Pillar: Parum Nangia, above centre.
The Leah Murray Award for Outstanding Leadership in the MAGS Service Pillar: Georgie Muller, above right.

New Student BOT Representative

Year 10 Kawiti Albert Campbell has been elected the Student Representative on our Board of Trustees.
Kawiti is a high-achiever involved in all Four Pillars at MAGS. He is in the MAGS Pasifika Theatre and Melodica Choir groups.

He was the top fundraiser of the 40 Hour Challenge and helps out at Metro Football Club on a weekly basis. He is on the Maori Committee, is a year level representative and a class representative.
He competed at Mathex this year, is part of the Academic Council and the student blog The Roar. 
He has just finished his season in rowing, quitting to play in the Senior WMR Netball tournament, and is competing in the badminton Internal pairs tournament. 
He says, "MAGS has given me so much and, in return, I want to give back to the MAGS community. My intent is to make a difference. I want students coming to MAGS ready to learn and to enjoy high school."

Dawn Raids Moves Audience

This week on Wednesday and Thursday night, MAGS Drama invited family and friends to watch the Level 2 production of Dawn Raids.
This play is a comedy-drama written by Samoan/New Zealand playwright Oscar Kightley (Sione’s Wedding, Niu Sila, BroTown).
The play is set in the 1970s, when Pasifika were subjected to dawn raids by police, who were cracking down on alleged illegal overstayers.
HOD Drama Miss Hughes said, "The cast did themselves and their whānau proud by treating this play with the respect and hard work that it deserved.
"We received extremely positive responses from the audience, including a lot of people who felt moved by these young actors and the story they were telling. It was a successful season, and it rounds off for us the last production of 2024."
You can see more photos here

Celebrating Innovative Thinking

The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise programme spans the entire school year and helps students, from schools all over New Zealand, discover their potential in business and in life.
In July, two Year 13 Business Studies students, Noah Curtis and Rimu Frandi, joined 64 others from across Aotearoa to participate in the Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) event. This was a four-day, action-packed, immersive learning programme hosted by Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) in Wellington.

The students were mentored by NZ businesses and tackled two real-world problems.
Each participant received a $1000 Massey University Scholarship, and the winners of each business challenge were awarded an additional $3000 scholarship. Noah Curtis, pictured front left, was one of the recipients of this scholarship award. His team won the second challenge issued by NZ Trade and Enterprise, which was to form a market entry strategy for a Kiwi skincare brand.
Noah has also been selected as one of eight New Zealand students to travel to Brazil during these school holidays for LatAM Biz, a joint programme between the Latin American Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence and YES.
In August, four of our students – Ryan Antia, Nishka Arora, Nika Rahmati and Krrish Patel – attended the Deloitte Case Challenge YES Workshop Event and spent the day problem-solving and networking. They got the opportunity to collaborate with other Auckland school students and tackled a hypothetical business case with guidance from Deloitte mentors. 
This month, students Eva Glengarry, Nishka Arora, Krrish Patel and their teacher Ms Gill, all pictured above, attended the YES-sponsored NZ Business of Hall Fame event at Cordis Hotel.
It offered an excellent opportunity for our students to hear the stories of the seven laureates who were welcomed into the Hall of Fame. Each of these leaders of the NZ business world shared their tale of enterprise, hard work, triumph and contributions to the community.
The students also thoroughly enjoyed their korero with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Sir John Key, and two of the laureates, Sir Owen Glenn and Ranjna Patel.

Young Enterprise Workshop

On Tuesday, the Auckland Regional Coordinator of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), Hannah Watson, held classroom workshops with Commerce students participating in the YES Business Competition.
Students are required to start an innovative business and complete an Annual Review of the company’s financial and non-financial practices and information.
One of the YES businesses, Tipu Seedlings, who sell innovative seed bombs consisting of native flowers, spoke with Hannah regarding their business. Pictured in the photo with Hannah, are CEO Ryan Antia and business members, Sehjot Matharu, Jack Folland, Alex Hogg and Harman Aujla.
The business had scored one of the highest marks in the country for their pitch, validation and promotions challenges and has been featured in the Indian Weekender newspaper, and also by NZ social media influencers ‘The Modern Singhs’.
Ryan said, "We recommend for any students who have a passion for innovative thinking and entrepreneurship to join the YES Challenge, which the Commerce Department offers."

Goethe Society Awards

Among the prize-winners were, from left, Lars Stock, Jemima Flatt and Nora Pecher

The Goethe Society exams were held at the the University of Auckland in August, with MAGS entering students from Year 10 to Year 13.
At the prize-giving, German Ambassador Nicole Menzenbach came up from Wellington to present the prizes, comprising certificates and German books, at the Fisher and Paykel Auditorium.
The ambassador spoke about the relationship between NZ and Germany, the scholarships available to study there, and the lack of tertiary tuition fees in most of Germany.
The Goethe Society provides opportunities to speak German, to support German studies in
Auckland, and to give insights into German culture. It also holds cultural and social events.

Scholarship Dance Spectacular

The MAGS Dance Department finished off the term with a Scholarship Showing in the dance room on Tuesday.
Twelve students have been working at Dance Scholarship this year, and this was their moment to have their work filmed and performed to some of the Mount Albert Grammar community.
Dance teacher Mr Grace said, "The night was a great success, full of outstanding choreography, neat performances and the annual Year 13 Leavers dance signing things off in the show, full of charm and vibrant energy.
"Congratulations to all students involved in performances, and a massive thank you to Sneha Mandadi and Miss Deborah Fletcher for operating the lighting and music on the evening.
"There was outstanding work from our choreographers, Anna Borthwick, Sam Chase, Iose Fatuleai, Rosa Fox, Lola Funnell, Sofia Hart, Hailey Martin, Brianna McCready, Stella McKenzie-Smith, Grace Moon, Khalen Quensell and Joshua Waqanivalu.
"They now work on their writing for their scholarships throughout Term 4."
You can see more photos here

Junior Drama Showcase

Last Friday, MAGS Drama hosted its first ever Junior Production Showcase, with 65 students performing across three shows.
HOD Drama Miss Hughes said, "Parents and students alike were able to watch a variety of performance styles, with the Year 9s executing Physical Theatre and the Year 10s using Elizabethan Theatre and slapstick comedy to show off their stories.
"The evening went off with only a few hitches – and we look forward to being able to do it again in 2025."
You can see more photos here

  Term Break and Exam Season

The term break offers our students an excellent opportunity to rest and re-set.
It is wise for them to use this valuable time to focus on their wellbeing and recharging their social, emotional, physical and mental batteries after so much use during term time. 
It is also a great opportunity for our senior students to get organised and to set up some good study habits ready for Term 4 exams.
Here are two helpful articles giving practical, easy-to-follow guidance on how parents can support their teens through the exam season emotionally and with robust proven study tips and skills. Parenting Place | Teens and study: How can parents help?
And this article has some research-backed ways to help your teen get the most out of study time – how to study smarter, supercharge learning and get information stored away so it’s ready when they’re face-to-face with that exam paper: Parenting Place | 9 scientifically proven ways your teen can get the…

School TV – A resource supporting the parenting of young people. 
MAGS has a subscription with SchoolTV to provide a resource for our community.
School TV provides a range of topics with comprehensive videos from leading specialists and organisations. 
Topics such as managing screen time, understanding adolescence, raising boys, raising girls, resilience, sleep, nutrition, exam jitters, managing stress, bullying and mental health.
 
To access School TV, you can click here or access it through the MAGS Parent Portal.

Photo Mystery Solved

Recently, Greg Cave, the school archivist, found an unnamed photo. He put it with a number of other such photos in the hope that one day the young men would be identified.
Some days later, while searching for information about another former student, he found the same photo printed in the 1939 Albertian and so has been able to identify them.
They are brothers. The one wearing glasses is Jack Fordyce Burton, who first attended Auckland Grammar then came to MAGS in 1936. His younger brother, Ross Fordyce Burton, came to MAGS as a third-former in 1934.

In 1938, both received University Entrance Scholarships – Ross was 19th in the country and Jack was 24th.
Jack left at the end of 1938 to attend university, Ross returned to school and was Joint Dux in 1939. He was also a prefect and a member of the 1st XI football team. He studied medicine and qualified as a doctor in 1946.
He spent some time teaching at the Otago Medical school then worked as a surgeon in Auckland.
In 1949, he went to London for further study and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He also trained in radiotherapy.
He returned to Auckland in 1954 to work as a radiotherapist at Auckland Hospital, where he was made head of the radiotherapy department in 1959.
He retired in 1987 and died in September 2012.
We do not have any information on the life of the older brother Jack. If any of our readers has any information about him, please contact Greg Cave at [email protected]
Footnote:
Family connections are very important at Mount Albert Grammar School. Neither of the Burton brothers was Dux in 1938 – the Dux that year was E.G. (Ted) Bollard who is a member of the Hall of Distinction. Thirty years later, Ted’s son Alan, who went on to become NZ's Reserve Bank Governor, was also Dux, and is also a member of the Hall of Distinction.
The previous year (1967), two brothers also gained University Entrance Scholarships. Robert Allely was 8th in the country and Graeme was 77th. As with the Burtons, Robert is the younger of the two.
You can read many more fascinating stories about MAGS, its staff and students on our website here

Digital Day Raises Awareness

Our Technology Leaders ran their annual Digital Day at MAGS on Tuesday.
The lunchtime event raises awareness among students about digital citizenship by getting them to answer some questions in order to receive chocolate.
This year, the technology leaders decided to focus on the topics of being safe online, scamming and the student use of AI. They created multi-choice questions for students to answer.
The Technology Leaders typically help students with printing in the library at lunchtimes and help the ICT department after school on Fridays.

Homestay Families Needed

We are excited for 2025 and our new cohort of international students. 
We have students arriving from the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Chile, Argentina, Germany and Italy.  Stays vary from one term through to a full year.
A host is expected to provide a clean and comfortable bedroom with bed, wardrobe (built-in or free-standing) and drawers, linen and towels, desk and lamp, heating in room and three meals a day plus snacks and laundry.
The application process involves police vetting for all family members over 18 and the completion of an application form. 
This is followed by a home visit from the school. This helps us to know a little more about your family’s interests and lifestyle and enables us to make a well-informed student match.
If you would like some further information, or to receive the application forms, please email [email protected]

Don't Miss Film Night!

Don't miss out on tickets for the always-popular MAGS Film Night coming up next month.
Tickets are $12 and available at the Finance Office for the screening on Thursday, October 17 at St Lukes Event Cinemas' No. 2 theatre from 6.30pm-8.30pm.
You can see a Film Night trailer here

Order Your 2024 Albertian

Our Finance Department is now taking orders for The Albertian 2024, which will be available by mid-2025.
The yearbook contains a full wrap-up of the year including Academia, Arts, Service and Sports reports and photos, as well as formal class photos – and much more!
It can be delivered to Year 13 students, rather than picked up from MAGS, for a small extra cost.
You can order the 2024 Albertian here

When School Concerts Were in Vogue

This newspaper piece from 19 September 1956 is a gift of Alan Kinnear.
As the caption shows, the two boys were both to play the Town Hall Organ for the Annual School Concert.
The first concert was in 1923 and they continued until the mid-1960s when they were killed off by television.
The idea of a School concert in the Town Hall, at night, would be unthinkable today.
The nearest thing these days is the Big Sing.
This image is part of Set 95, recently added to our website's Historical Images page here
See on the Historical Images page also: Prefects Concert Group 1939 9.4 / School House Concert Group 1928 14.3 / Big Sing 2008 39.5 / Massed Singing 1958 58.5.