Sunday, May 19, 2013
Rock gets in the Flagstaff
This picture below is an article that appeared in The Flagstaff, which is a local paper for the Devonport community that Takapuna Grammar is a part of.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Training for Japan iGeo
We have been holding a three day training camp in Raumati at our Team Leaders Anna's parents house (Thanks Garry and Tisha Wilson for having us). While here we have been spending time working on our geographical poster for the iGeo competition, working on some ways we can prepare at home for the written test and multimedia test.
This morning we got out an about before the rain and spent some time exploring the coastal erosion on the beach at Raumati and completed a transect from the shoreline for 3km to practise our mapping and observational skills.
This afternoon we were given the task of making a meal as a team and prepared - a Nachoes platter - with homemade salsa and guacamole, Nasi Goreng (our Asian themed aspect of the meal) and followed by everyone's favourite Apple Crumble - Yummo!
This morning we got out an about before the rain and spent some time exploring the coastal erosion on the beach at Raumati and completed a transect from the shoreline for 3km to practise our mapping and observational skills.
This afternoon we were given the task of making a meal as a team and prepared - a Nachoes platter - with homemade salsa and guacamole, Nasi Goreng (our Asian themed aspect of the meal) and followed by everyone's favourite Apple Crumble - Yummo!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Team Selected for 2013 Olympiad in Japan
We are please to announce that we have selected a team of 4 students to travel to Kyoto, Japan for the International Geography Olympiad:
Brittany Vining - Palmerston North Girls High School
Isaac Severinsen - Otumoetai College, Tauranga
Max Cameron - John McGlashan College, Dunedin
Rock Steele - Takapuna Grammar, Auckland
The team will be accompanied by two Team Leaders - Anna Wilson, Wellington East Girls' College and Steve Mouldey, Takapuna Grammar, Auckland
We are meeting for our first camp in Raumati on the 16th of May so we will post some more news then.
Brittany Vining - Palmerston North Girls High School
Isaac Severinsen - Otumoetai College, Tauranga
Max Cameron - John McGlashan College, Dunedin
Rock Steele - Takapuna Grammar, Auckland
The team will be accompanied by two Team Leaders - Anna Wilson, Wellington East Girls' College and Steve Mouldey, Takapuna Grammar, Auckland
We are meeting for our first camp in Raumati on the 16th of May so we will post some more news then.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Leaving on a Jet Plane
We headed off from Cologne on the train to Frankfurt on the ICE Train and travelled at speed up to around 260km - only a 51 minute journey. Connor and Scott made so video so maybe they can post them in a comment.
From Frankfurt we flew to Singapore with Lufthansa on an A380 - we loved it, especially the individual screens. The boys had a lot of sleep and managed to catch up a bit which was great.
From Singapore we then flew to Auckland before heading home to our home towns.
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| Checking we are on the right train at Koln |
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| Yes! On the A380 with the individual TV screens |
From Frankfurt we flew to Singapore with Lufthansa on an A380 - we loved it, especially the individual screens. The boys had a lot of sleep and managed to catch up a bit which was great.
From Singapore we then flew to Auckland before heading home to our home towns.
Monday, August 27, 2012
and then there were 4!
Sidney and Brent left Cologne this morning to meet up with friends and family in Europe. The rest of use went into town to go for a final shop - not that we have any rooms in our bags....
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| Morning tea time |
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| Lego Shop (zoom in to see the mini figurines) |
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| Last romantic shot by the love locks ;) |
Results are in - 4th Placing out of 32 Countries
The 9th bi-annual International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) has been held over the past week in Cologne, Germany with 32 countries competing in the event. Hosted by the University of Cologne, the students from around the world compete in three sections for the competition:
The New Zealand Team consisted of students who had been top performing students in the New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers annual Maatangi Whenua Year 11 Geography Quiz who had gone through a selection camp to be chosen. The New Zealand Team gained the best results that they have ever had with all students gaining a medal for the first time. The team was overall ranked 4th place behind Singapore, Romania and Poland. “A tremendous effort for a hard working team who scored consistently well across the events” said Anna Wilson, Team Leader from Wellington East Girls’ College.
12th Place and Silver Medal: Scott Cameron- Hamilton Boys’ High School
22nd Place and Silver Medal: Brent Coleman - Hamilton Boys’ High School
53rd Place and Bronze Medal: Sidney Wong - Hutt Valley High School
59th Place and Bronze Medal: Connor Clemett - Riccarton High School
“We were kept guessing right to the end” said Connor Clemett as the final results were not revealed till the last night of the iGeo. Top performing student Scott Cameron was “stoked” with this 12th placing, only two places off a gold medal. He found the competition to be “a good opportunity to meet like minded people from right around the world” and hopes to keep in touch and meet up with fellow competitors once he has finished studying his Engineering degree.
A non competition part of the iGeo was the poster competition where students created a poster on water issues in their own country. A student vote saw a three way tie for 1st place with New Zealand sharing top honours with Tunisia and Indonesia. They were awarded the Dr Prill prize. Dr Prill was a Teacher of Geography at Cologne Grammar School who was devoted to Geography as a subject. When he passed away in 1991 he donated most of his fortune to the local football team and he left a small amount to support an award for young students in the Cologne area. To mark the significance of the iGeo a special award was given by the Geographical Society of Cologne to the winners of the poster presentation.
Nick Page, Team Leader from Otumoetai College, Tauranga “felt the boys were duly rewarded for all their hard efforts in what has been an incredibly grueling competition”. The team wishes to not only acknowledge the support of Science Olympiad New Zealand, The Royal Society, The New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers and New Zealand Geographic Society but also the teachers, schools, families and local sponsors who have all helped the students in their preparations to get to Germany.
- Written exam
- Multi-media multi choice test
- Fieldwork exercise - mapping and decision making task
The New Zealand Team consisted of students who had been top performing students in the New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers annual Maatangi Whenua Year 11 Geography Quiz who had gone through a selection camp to be chosen. The New Zealand Team gained the best results that they have ever had with all students gaining a medal for the first time. The team was overall ranked 4th place behind Singapore, Romania and Poland. “A tremendous effort for a hard working team who scored consistently well across the events” said Anna Wilson, Team Leader from Wellington East Girls’ College.
12th Place and Silver Medal: Scott Cameron- Hamilton Boys’ High School
22nd Place and Silver Medal: Brent Coleman - Hamilton Boys’ High School
53rd Place and Bronze Medal: Sidney Wong - Hutt Valley High School
59th Place and Bronze Medal: Connor Clemett - Riccarton High School
“We were kept guessing right to the end” said Connor Clemett as the final results were not revealed till the last night of the iGeo. Top performing student Scott Cameron was “stoked” with this 12th placing, only two places off a gold medal. He found the competition to be “a good opportunity to meet like minded people from right around the world” and hopes to keep in touch and meet up with fellow competitors once he has finished studying his Engineering degree.
A non competition part of the iGeo was the poster competition where students created a poster on water issues in their own country. A student vote saw a three way tie for 1st place with New Zealand sharing top honours with Tunisia and Indonesia. They were awarded the Dr Prill prize. Dr Prill was a Teacher of Geography at Cologne Grammar School who was devoted to Geography as a subject. When he passed away in 1991 he donated most of his fortune to the local football team and he left a small amount to support an award for young students in the Cologne area. To mark the significance of the iGeo a special award was given by the Geographical Society of Cologne to the winners of the poster presentation.
Nick Page, Team Leader from Otumoetai College, Tauranga “felt the boys were duly rewarded for all their hard efforts in what has been an incredibly grueling competition”. The team wishes to not only acknowledge the support of Science Olympiad New Zealand, The Royal Society, The New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers and New Zealand Geographic Society but also the teachers, schools, families and local sponsors who have all helped the students in their preparations to get to Germany.
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| NZ Team - Sidney, Scott, Brent and Connor |
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| Scott - 12th place receiving his special prize |
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