MAC Mag 06

30
RUTHERFORD 2006
This has been a busy year with a variety of activities
being undertaken.
Creative Design Awards
Seventeen students participated in this course
under the expert tutelage of Marie Lauderdale.
The finished products were entered in the NZ
Awards and Shilo Gibson (year 10) was a finalist in
the cultural section and Ella Brockelsby (year 13) in
the sportswear section.
Tournament of Minds
Teams from year 7 to 10 entered in this
competition against Wakatipu High School. All
teams did well in both their long and short team
problem-solving. The year 8 team led by Emma
Simpson won the best team overall in the year 7
and 8 section.
Future Problem Solving
Three groups from year 7, 9 and 10 took part in this
programme. The topics studied were Freedom of
Speech, Climate Change, and Nutrition.
Year 8 Debating
The year 8 group learnt how to debate. They
moved through a series of lessons on structuring
a debate, rebuttal, and using anecdotes, then
all participated in a practice debate before
competing in the interhouse competition.
Year 7 & 8 Maths Problem Challenge
This challenge was organised by Otago University,
with year 7 & 8 students completing five papers.
James Rowe, Cory Bryan, Rohan Brash, Saasha
Bruce, Dominic Schwarz and Alex Winsloe all
gained excellence status.
Fair Go Awards
The year 9 and 10 groups worked on this
challenge. They were required to create a 30
second advertisement for a new innovative
use of number eight wire. Tess Bullock and Ben
Hulsbosch’s advertisement was chosen to enter the
national competition.
Extra Spelling Competition
We trained and entered several teams in both the
year 7 & 8 and the year 9 & 10 sections. Whilst the
year 7 & 8 students competed valiantly, the year
9 & 10 teams filled all three top spots, with Andrew
Stewart and Anna Hogg gaining First place.
Chess
Our chess group is slowly rebuilding after losing
impetus for a year or two. An interschool
challenge against a strong Dunstan High School
team provided the incentive to our players to
improve for next year!
Interschool Debating
2006 was a very successful year for
interschool debating. The debates were
organised by Jeanette Emmerson on
behalf of the Cromwell Rotary Club. Teams
from Wakatipu High School, Cromwell
College, Roxburgh Area School and Mount
Aspiring College were involved.
MAC was represented by twenty students
organised into four teams. Our teams
won all their debates – except when
debating against each other!
Our B team (Anna Hogg, Emma Schuler
and Katarina Schwarz) were invited to
take part in the final for the Bob Howard
Memorial Trophy, debating the negative
of “We should ban smacking” against
Roxburgh A team. MAC won the debate
and Katarina Schwarz (Year 10) was
judged best speaker.
Participants:
Year 13: Tayah Johnston, Whitney
Mulqueen, Emma Schuler, Sarah Taylor.
Year 12: Claire Davis, Bridget
Huddleston, Philippa Kennerley, Roland
Taylor.
Year 11: Charlotte Gardiner, Lincoln
Haworth, Rosa Patterson, Hayley Scurr.
Year 10: Nicole Batchelar, Shilo Gibson,
Hannah Lumsden, Katarina Schwarz.
Year 9: Anna Hogg, Amy Kennerley,
Dougal Logan-Lousley, Emma Simpson.
Thanks to teachers Colleen Carr, Joss
Walker, Kris Logan and Chris Waugh, who
supported the teams.
Interhouse Debating
This was run in three rounds in terms 2 to
4. The divisions were years 7 & 8, years
9 & 10 and years 11, 12 and 13. The
debates were impromptu with teams
having an hour to prepare their case.
This year we entered two teams in the
Otago/Southland MUNA weekend held
at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin.
Team One: Mark Hogg, Matt Pearson,
Tom Ainge-Roy and Tim Andrews
represented Fiji.
Team Two: Lincoln Haworth, Kelly
Stuart, Shilo Gibson, Katarina Schwarz
and Melissa Buckingham represented
New Zealand.
The assembly was very formally
organised, copying what happens in
the real United Nations and delegates
presented information and debated
on behalf of their particular country.
The topics for debate included climate
change, diseases in developing
nations, protection of migrant workers
and renewable energy. Each country
worked hard to get the best deal for
themselves. In addition there were
two snap debates on the granting of
subsidies on the grounds of disability,
race or gender, and the raising of the
legal drinking age.
Year 8, 9 and 10 students also had a
chance to participate in the MUNA
experience in school at the end of
2005, when each year level held a
separate MUNA day and debated
a range of current issues. Not only
were the students most creative in
their costumes but they also gave
interestingly creative responses to
some tricky issues which were raised!