| Westlake Boys High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 30 Forrest Hill Road, Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand |
|
| Information | |
| Type | State single-sex boys secondary (Year 9-13) |
| Motto | Virtute Experiamur Let Courage Be Thy Test |
| Established | 1961 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 37 |
| Headmaster | David Ferguson |
| School roll | 2117 (July 2008) |
| Socio-economic decile | 9[1] |
| 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 2009, Westlake Boys High School had 2200 students, 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.[2]
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 Deputy headmaster David Ferguson took on the role of Headmaster of Westlake Boys High School, taking over from Craig Monaghan, a former Commonwealth Games Judo representative and referee.[3] David Ferguson was appointed by the board to take the position of Headmaster of the school.
Westlake Boys introduced a house system at the end of 2007 where each individual belongs to one of six houses: Pupuke, Ururoto, Hood, Smale, Murchison and Stanley.[4]
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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.
Westlake Boys High School offers two academic pathways for students:
Each year, the top six streamed classes (generally around 180 students) study in the Cambridge pathway. The balance of the students study for NCEA examinations.
Westlake Boys High School has built a tradition of sporting achievement throughout Auckland and New Zealand.[5] The school's teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships. In 2008/09, Westlake came second in both the Gillette and Maadi Cups in 2009, in both cases, losing to Hamilton Boys'.
Students at Westlake Boys High School are encouraged to participate in at least one team sport each year.
Students are expected to commit to school teams before external club activities.
Loyalty to Westlake Boys’ High School is both expected and valued by the school.
The school values sport as a way to develop a young man's character and foster healthy, life-long interests.
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, such as the Choralation Choir, which won the platinum award at the Big Sing Finale in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are combined with Westlake Girls High School.
The school also holds (mostly annual) drama productions. Recent productions have included Guys & Dolls, School of Rock, Wind in the Willows, Once on Chunuk Bair, Footloose, Romeo and Juliet, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Little Shop of Horrors.
The houses of Westlake Boys are:
It represents Academia. It is named after John Hood who is a vice chancellor of Oxford University.
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.
It represents Landmark. The school is at the west of Lake Pupuke.
It represents Enterprise. It is named after Bill Smale, a successful property developer, who is an owner and director of Smales Farm Technology Office Park Next to Westlake Girls High School.
It represents Sport. It is named after Mike Stanley who is a two time rowing world champion in 1982 and 1983.
It represents Culture. Uru=West, Roto=Lake (Maori translation)