ACADEMIC COMMITTEE
Back Row : |
Elizabeth Fall , Emily Smith |
Second Row : Cindy Wang , Grace Appleyard , Harriet White , Warren Bird ( Assistant Principal ) |
Front Row : |
Benedict Snee , Lujza Hennelova , Sienna Wall , Aysha Vossen-Chong , Ollie Loza |
Absent : |
Lockie Moriarity , Rosa Perrott |
This year , the Academic Committee has aimed to maintain the academically enriching culture of the school , whilst introducing new opportunities to involve students of all abilities and interests . We kicked off the year with an academic assembly , allowing us to recognise the motivation and effort of those students who pushed themselves to excel in exams at the end of last year . Whilst the pandemic has been draining for some people , the academic assemblies aim to motivate students to continue to achieve to the best of their abilities despite the challenges we have had to overcome .
Extending the tradition of the school homework club initiated in previous years , we began the year by cultivating a supportive space for students to catch up on school work , receive tutoring or guidance with their studies and communicate with others to complete group work . The students in our committee came eagerly to provide assistance to those who extended themselves and made the most of the opportunity . Near the end of Term 2 , this space became a gateway into peer tutoring . This is a program organised and facilitated by the academic committee in order to give students an opportunity to receive academic guidance either in small groups or individually . A mix of over 30 Year 12 and 13 students generously gave up their time to become tutors and offer their expertise in a variety of subjects , allowing students to enhance their confidence and understanding in preparation for benchmark exams .
This year , our committee broadened our role within the school by instituting various fun activities that allowed us to reach students with different learning preferences .
As well as committee-led initiatives , we received the opportunity to speak to our Year 10 ’ s during one of their Term 3 encompass lessons , aiming to answer any questions they had and pass on our most effective study skills and strategies as they start to think about beginning NCEA next year . As well as this , numerous quizzes throughout the year have allowed us to integrate engaging academic events into school life , most notably in events like the Year 8 day and the committee expo . Here , operating a successful stall ( with the promise of chocolate prizes ) led to large rates of participation across the student population in a quickfire general knowledge quiz . One of our most successful endeavors this year was largely credited to one member in our committee who took it upon himself to organise an extremely successful pub-style quiz , taking place during a school lunchtime . As teams of three banded together to earn a placing in the quiz , we were able to witness firsthand the sense of community and fun competition that students love .
While academics are sometimes perceived as one of the compulsory , less exciting aspects of school life , our time with the academic committee has been a wholeheartedly rewarding experience . Events like peer tutoring , the expo and quizzes couldn ’ t have been done without the investment of teachers , the hard-working committee members and the students themselves ; they can be very proud of their efforts this year and we wish them all the best for exam season and the years to come .
Sienna Wall & Aysha Vossen-Chong Committee Leaders
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