Westlake Boys High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Westlake Boys High School
Motto Virtute Experiamur
Let Courage Be Thy Test
Type State Single-sex Boys Secondary (Year 9-13)
Year established 1961
Address 30 Forrest Hill Road,
Forrest Hill,
Auckland,
New Zealand
Coordinates
Principal Craig Monaghan
School roll 2077 (2007)
Socio-economic decile (10 is highest) 9[1]
Ministry of Education Institution no. 37
Website www.westlake.school.nz

Westlake Boys High School is a state secondary school for boys located in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school caters for Form 3 (Year 9) to Form 7 (Year 13). In 2006, Westlake Boys High School had 2118 students [2], making it one of New Zealand's largest schools for boys in terms of student numbers. Its sister school, Westlake Girls' High School, is nearby.

Westlake Boys considers itself to follow a 'traditional but progressive' model similar to that in operation at Auckland Grammar School.[citation needed]

Westlake Boys now features recently constructed facilities, including a new administration block, student services centre, and large auditorium capable of holding all of the school's students and staff simultaneously.

Westlake Boys headmaster is Craig Monaghan, a former Commonwealth Games Judo representative and referee[3]. He replaces Jim Dale, who left to become Headmaster of Sacred Heart College at the end of the 2006 academic year. Deputy Headmaster Nathan Villars left on the 21st of September to become Headmaster at another school [4][5].

Westlake Boys introduced a house system at the beginning of 2008 where each individual belongs to one of six houses: Pupuke, Ururoto, Hood, Smale, Murchison and Stanley.[6]

Contents

[edit] Westlake Girls and Boys

Physically only a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in an annual theatrical production together, several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto - "Virtute Experiamur" - "Let Courage Be Thy Test" in Latin.

[edit] Academic Options

Westlake Boys High School offers two academic pathways for students:

  1. National Certificate of Educational Achievement: New Zealand's national qualification, achieved by an aggregation of both unit and achievement standards in the National Qualifications Framework.
  2. Cambridge International Examinations: This suite of examinations has been offered at the school since 2004, and is available to students who meet academic prerequisites. The Cambridge exams are more demanding, so higher academic performance in years 9 and 10 is required to earn a place in the Cambridge pathway.

Each year, the top four streamed classes (generally around 120-135 students) study in the Cambridge pathway. The rest (between 11 and 14 classes) study NCEA.

For the 2006 academic year, Westlake Boys was New Zealand's most successful school in the internationally recognised Cambridge qualifications, with five students having achieved the highest marks in the world in one or more of their subjects.[7]

[edit] Sporting

Westlake Boys High School has built a tradition of sports achievement throughout Auckland and New Zealand.[8] The schools teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships.

All boys are encouraged to participate fully in at least one team sport each year, and are expected to make their commitment to school teams as their first priority. Loyalty to Westlake Boys’ High School is both expected and valued. The school values sport as a means of developing important qualities of character and fostering healthy, life-long interests. Boys who participate in a full range of activities receive the maximum benefit from the Westlake learning experience.

[edit] Music and Performing Arts

The teaching of Performing Arts within the school is assisted by the newly-constructed auditorium and administration complex. The educational music programme covers performance, composition, analysis, history and aural skills. Along with the option of taking music as a subject, there is also a compulsory Year 9 course, focussing on the appreciation of music and drama in everyday life through theoretical and practical exercises, which runs for multiple weeks throughout the year.

The school has a number of performing groups: a choir ('Voicemale'), a Barbershop Chorus ('Virtutti'), a Concert Band, Stage Band, and Junior Symphonic band. Orchestral groups include the Westlake Symphony, Chamber Orchestra and the junior Taharoto Orchestra. The performing groups regularly win awards at the annual KBB Music Festival (formerly the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival or 'ASSBOF'). Some groups are combined with Westlake Girls High School.

The school also holds (mostly annual) drama productions. Recent productions have included Once upon Chunuk Bair, Footloose, Romeo and Juliet, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Little Shop of Horrors.

[edit] Houses

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The houses of Westlake Boys are:

  • Hood - (Maroon)

It represents Academia. It is named after John Hood who is a vice chancellor of Oxford University.

  • Murchison - (White)

It represents Leadership. It is named after Peter Murchison for his 11 years' loyal service in Westlake Boys High School. He has now gone into retirement.

  • Pupuke - (Blue)

It represents Landmark. The school is at the west of Lake Pupuke.

  • Smale - (Green)

It represents Enterprise. It is named after Bill Smale who is a successful business farmer who owns a farm down south of Westlake Girls High School.

  • Stanley - (Red)

It represents Sport. It is named after Mike Stanley who is a gold medalist in rowing in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

  • Ururoto - (Black)

It represents Culture. Uru=West, Roto=Lake (Maori translation)

[edit] Alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Decile change 2007 to 2008 for state & state integrated schools
  2. ^ TKI - Schools Search: School Information
  3. ^ http://www.westlakeboys.school.nz/build.php?id=209
  4. ^ Sacred Heart College - News and Events
  5. ^ http://www.westlake.school.nz/newspopup/popup.php?pop_id=108
  6. ^ Headmasters Advice to Parents on 2008 New Initiatives. Westlake Boys High School (27 November 2007).
  7. ^ Westlake - About - GBHfusion
  8. ^ Westlake Boys High School - Sports.