Emma Wilson

Te Ara Mātauranga - how it started vs how it's going. What a grand building sitting at the edge of campus

Our 2023 student leaders (L-R: Senior Prefects Preston Morunga and Robbie Reidy, Head Prefect Quinlan Te Tamaki, Deputy Head Prefect Jamie Mora, and Senior Prefects Monty Parkinson and Angus Baker) have led the student body superbly this year. With just four more weeks until the Form 7 cohort become Old Boys, we are looking forward to celebrating student successes with our upcoming Colours and Prizegiving assemblies, before announcing the 2024 Prefects in the first week of Term 1

With just three weeks to go until our Form 7 cohort become Old Boys, we are delighted to announce that the guest speaker for our annual Leavers' Dinner is ex-All Blacks manager Darren Shand ONZM. Darren is a well-renowned public speaker talking on the topics of leadership, well-being, building teams and growing people, working under pressure and living your values. Tickets are still available for $98 per person; click here (https://community.ags.school.nz/ =showEvent&EID=E197) to purchase yours today

Last week, the College Sports Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year finalists were announced and we are delighted that Auckland Grammar School has a total of 17 students named as finalists across 12 different sports. Congratulations to Akuhata Norman-Hewlett (Archery), Jamie Mora (Athletics and Distance Running), Owen Wu (Badminton), Tom Jones (Cricket), Ethan Craddock and Jacob Woodward (Disc Ultimate), Caleb Wagener (Distance Running), Benjamin Li, Sebastian Lyne and George Pilkington (Snowsports), Noah Thomas (Squash), Junhyuk Choi and Payas Jajal (Table Tennis), Michael Tyler (Volleyball), Liam Dodunski (Water Polo) and brothers Rowan and Sean Kensington (Yachting)

While senior Cambridge exams have finished and our NCEA students begin their second week of examinations, the extracurricular life of the School continues to flourish. This morning, members of the Distance Squad completed a half-marathon, leaving campus at 5:30am and running to Kohimarama Beach and back. The group has been training for the past few months, and it was a fantastic morning for it - congratulations!

Each year, the incoming Form 3 cohort have a group photo under the steps of the Old Boys' Pavilion. This particular photo was taken during the School's 150th celebrations in 2019, making them our current Form 7 cohort who are just two weeks away from becoming Old Boys. Tickets are still available to the Leavers' Dinner on Thursday 30 November, where we will celebrate the successes of the class of 2019. Click here (https://community.ags.school.nz/ =showEvent&EID=E197) to purchase

The 1st XV Rugby team have had a stellar 1A season, finishing third overall this year. As we wind down to the end of the 2023 academic year, we are delighted to announce that 1st XV captain Louis Lepionka has been awarded a contract with Rugby Southland for 2024. Congratulations Louis!

This beautiful set of ties are all the ties that are awarded to students and Old Boys of Auckland Grammar School. They include Colours, Scholars, the standard School tie, a specific tie for Tibbs House boarders and an Old Boys tie (third from right) which will be presented to members of the Old Boys' Association at next week's Leavers' Dinner. Tickets are still available but must be purchased before Thursday - don't miss out! Click here (https://community.ags.school.nz/ =showEvent&EID=E197)

We are delighted to congratulate Senior Prefect Robbie Reidy who was named as one of two overall runners up in the 2023 New Zealand Onscreen Secondary Schools Short Film Competition for his short film 'Don't Worry About It'. With more than 100 entries (all by teams of three people or more), the judges were amazed that Robbie made the entire film himself. Congratulations!

Last Thursday, the 33rd annual Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards were held at Eden Park, and the School was well represented with 17 finalists across 12 different sports. The six National Championships won by the School this year were acknowledged, and eight students won their individual categories. Congratulations to all finalists and winners - a fantastic way to wrap up the 2023 academic year

The last event on the Cycling calendar is the Grass Track Race, which took place in Week 6. First contested in 1919, an enthusiastic group of cyclists, supported by coaches and students alike, took off at a furious pace. The senior race was won by Form 6 student Jonny Barclay, who won the Norman Carter Challenge Cup. The junior race was just as fast-paced with Form 5 student David Kwon winning in superb fashion. Congratulations to the entire squad - a fitting way to end the season

The final week of Term 4 is always a special time at the School, with a number of formal assemblies where students are recognised and acknowledged for their dedication to the School. The first of these, the Performing Arts Colours Assembly, took place on Wednesday 29 November, with seven students receiving Colours in 2023. In addition, Form 7 students Josh Brown, Tahi Sawyer and Ranu Ediriweera Wijesuriya received the Excellence, Contribution and Outstanding Performance Awards. Congratulations!