Sheila Winn Shakespeare
The Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival once again graced the Wellington East Girls stage with an impressive showcase of six diverse Shakespearean plays from Newlands College students. Newlands College also took home some Ws, with the Best Student Director Awards going to Amy Piper and Emma Cooper, and the crowd favourite trio of Stephen Guptill, Andrew Cheng, and Thomas Ru winning the Outstanding Comedy award. It is such an exciting and prominent week in the calendars of performing arts at NC that many of us again eagerly await next year. As for myself, my highlight in preparation of Sheilah Winn this year was the scintillating camaraderie and "bro energy" (judge's words) with my fellow conspirators in our rendition of Much Ado about Nothing.
By Sia Goel
By Sia Goel
High School Musical
It was great to have a school production without the looming spectre of a pandemic threatening it. The joyous High School Musical proved to be a hit with audiences during its week long run and a testament to the passion and dedication of a small army of staff and students who brought it to life on the Newlands stage. Photos here.
Kapa Haka Regionals
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Tēnā ra tātou e te whānau o Te Ao Marama.
Wow! What a journey “The Road to Regionals 2023” was one of the best ones yet!
Our students commited to two terms of Kapa Haka. We created a bracket as we saw fit and once we made our final decision on items it was go time.
Last regionals we placed 6th and also placed 3rd in the Poi category. This year we are honoured to share that we placed 5th out of 11 Kapa Haka groups. We also did really well with placing 3rd in Whakaeke (entrance), 2nd in Moteatea (Lament),3rd in Waiata-a-ringa (Action Song), the most placings we have had for Newlands College and we could not be any more proud of our Kapa Kids!
I would like to send a huge mihi to our team at the back: the many teachers that came in to support the kids, the many parents that came in to lend a hand and the tutors' whanau that came in to help too. Without all of them our waka would have sunk. So we really would like to thank you with all out hearts. Thank you for letting us teach your tamariki Kapa Haka!
Lastly, to our tamariki Te Roopu Kapa Haka o Te Ao Marama, be proud for what you have achieved this year; the time to learn, the dedication and commitment in kapa haka and we are happy to say this is only the beggining in Te Ao Haka.
To our Rangatira/Seniors leaving. We thank you for choosing Kapa Haka in hopes that you will keep going with your passion for Kapa in the future and hopefully one day we may even meet again on the stage.
To our Pepi/Juniors “Nau mai, Haere mai ki te Ao Haka”, Welcome to the world of Kapa Haka! We are looking forward to seeing you all grow into beautiful people in the years to come.
Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei.
“Seek out your heart’s desire, though if you have to relent, let it be to a lofty mountain.
Arohanui,
Matua Tawake & Whaea Aorangi
Wow! What a journey “The Road to Regionals 2023” was one of the best ones yet!
Our students commited to two terms of Kapa Haka. We created a bracket as we saw fit and once we made our final decision on items it was go time.
Last regionals we placed 6th and also placed 3rd in the Poi category. This year we are honoured to share that we placed 5th out of 11 Kapa Haka groups. We also did really well with placing 3rd in Whakaeke (entrance), 2nd in Moteatea (Lament),3rd in Waiata-a-ringa (Action Song), the most placings we have had for Newlands College and we could not be any more proud of our Kapa Kids!
I would like to send a huge mihi to our team at the back: the many teachers that came in to support the kids, the many parents that came in to lend a hand and the tutors' whanau that came in to help too. Without all of them our waka would have sunk. So we really would like to thank you with all out hearts. Thank you for letting us teach your tamariki Kapa Haka!
Lastly, to our tamariki Te Roopu Kapa Haka o Te Ao Marama, be proud for what you have achieved this year; the time to learn, the dedication and commitment in kapa haka and we are happy to say this is only the beggining in Te Ao Haka.
To our Rangatira/Seniors leaving. We thank you for choosing Kapa Haka in hopes that you will keep going with your passion for Kapa in the future and hopefully one day we may even meet again on the stage.
To our Pepi/Juniors “Nau mai, Haere mai ki te Ao Haka”, Welcome to the world of Kapa Haka! We are looking forward to seeing you all grow into beautiful people in the years to come.
Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei.
“Seek out your heart’s desire, though if you have to relent, let it be to a lofty mountain.
Arohanui,
Matua Tawake & Whaea Aorangi
Senior Ball
The social highlight of 2023 was undoubtedly the Senior Ball, hosted once again by Te Papa. Photos here.
Big Sing and Music Co-Curriculars
This year the Music department had some awesome co-curricular groups including the Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble, Jazz Band, Ukulele Orchestra, Rock band, Notified & Northern Notes choirs, and of course the Production band. The students’ hard work and preparation led them to some fantastic rehearsals as well as inspiring performances at the Winter Wander, Spring Serenade, Big Sing and multiple nights at the Production of High School Musical. We were also fortunate enough to have our solo performers showcasing their musicianship at the Winter Wander and the Spring Serenade for us to enjoy. A huge thank you to Mr. Lau, Mr. Perring, Mr. Dangerfield, Mr. Devine, Matua Kupe and Frankie Curac for imparting their knowledge on to our students and empowering them through music.
Art Club
The Art Club extra-curricular was open to any student who had an interest in art. These sessions offered students the opportunity to work on single projects or in group activities with an emphasis on having fun. The above slide show demonstrates the fruits of these creative endeavours.
The Frogs
A key highpoint for any Drama class is the class play. This year Level 2 did The Frogs: a modern adaptation. The premise of the play in ancient Greek times was that historical theatre is better than modern theatre; this version updates and has the contrast between reality tv, social media and Shakespeare. A lot of fun was had developing the frog characters and the two performances went well and had a very positive response by the audiences.
Winter Wander
On the last Thursday of Term 2, we got to experience a live band, choir, artwork and drama at our very own Newlands College as part of the Winter Wander. It was a great night showcasing all of the co-curricular Arts opportunities that we offer. We were particularly blown away by the quality of the work from our top artists, but everything we heard and saw was really good.
By Grace Joseph and Taryn Betty
By Grace Joseph and Taryn Betty
Lip Sync
Far from going quietly into the end of term, students raged against the dying of Term 2 with an absolute banger of a Lip Sync competition. Photos here.