Whakatane High School
| Whakatane High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 37°57′44″S 176°59′07″E / 37.9621°S 176.9854°E |
| Information | |
| Funding type | State |
| Motto | Kia Whakatane Au I Ahau |
| Opened | 1920 (As Whakatane District High School) |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 144 |
| Principal | Martyn Knapton |
| Years offered | 9–13 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Number of students | 1211[1] (August 2024) |
| Hours in school day | 6.5 hours (including form time) |
| Houses | Kauri, Rimu, Totara, Matai |
| Colour(s) | Black, Gold |
| Slogan | Challenging Students to Achieve |
| Socio-economic decile | 4K[2] |
| Website | www |
Whakatane High School is a secondary school located in the town of Whakatane, New Zealand. As of 2019, the school has a roll of 1000 students and aims to offer every student an equal opportunity to succeed with strong values around responsibility, respect and achievement. Whakatane High School has a 100 year history as a co-educational public high school, opening in 1920 as Whakatane District High School, becoming a full high school in 1950.[3] The school will be holding its centennial on 2–3 April 2021, postponed from 2020.[4]
History
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2019) |
Whakatane High School is 100 years old, opening in 1920 as Whakatane District High School, becoming a full high school in 1950.
Facilities and buildings
The school consists of a field, gymnasium (a separate gymnastics building operated by the local Gymnastics Club lies next to it), school & student office, Careers Centre, the Barclay Hall, a library (named in November 2011 after New Zealand author Margaret Mahy, who went to Whakatane High School for a period of time), and numerous buildings split into blocks including: N block (Mainly used for Math, and ICT), T Block (Mainly used for Technology), B Block (Mainly for English, Social Studies and related subjects), A block (Multiple subjects including Languages and Health), C Block (Mainly for art and related subjects) and L Block (Mainly for science and related subjects).
Students
As of 2018, the school has 800 students. Of this, 55% are female, and 45% male. Also, 52% are Maori, 37% are New Zealand European and 11% are of another ethnicity. The school had 27 international students staying at the school.[5]
Unique Programs
Whakatane High School offers a number of unique programmes:
- Advanced Learning Programme
- International Student Programme
- Marine Studies
- Te Aka Matua
- Outdoor Education
- Mechatronics
Students also have the opportunity to join extracurricular activities such as; vocal or instrument lessons, team sports such as; hockey, soccer, rugby, basketball, volleyball, cricket, tennis, netball etc. Whakatane High School has a successful sporting history with current and alumni New Zealand sporting representatives.[6]
Houses
Students at Whakatane High School are split into one of four houses. Each house is named after a tree that is native to New Zealand. Students compete in school related sporting and cultural events to win points for their house. At the end of the year, one house is named champion for that year. The houses are represented by a colour and are listed below:
- Matai
- Kauri
- Totara
- Rimu
Notable alumni
- Lisa Carrington, Canoe Sprint World Champion, Olympic gold medalist
- Richard James Conway, New Zealand rugby union player
- Karen Hanlen, Oceania mountain bike champion
- John Vernon Head QSM, Anti-landmines activist
- Toni Jeffs, New Zealand swimmer
- Jozef Klaassen, Member of Nederlands Olympic Eight at 2012 London Games
- Jaimee Lovett, New Zealand canoeist
- Margaret Mahy, author
- Benji Marshall, rugby league player
- Noel Mills, former New Zealand rower, Olympic silver medalist
- Ian Shearer (born 1941), former National MP[7]
- Brett Sinkinson, rugby union player
- Paul Steel, New Zealand squash player
- Sir Alan Stewart, founding vice-chancellor, Massey University
- Jon-Paul Tobin, New Zealand windsurfer
- Nathan Twaddle, world champion rower and Olympic bronze medallist
- Wybo Veldman, former New Zealand rower, Olympic gold medalist
- Stacey Waaka, New Zealand rugby union player
References
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "Welcome". Whakatane High School. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "Centennial 2021". Whakatane High School. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Whakatane High School - 26/03/2018 ERO". www.ero.govt.nz/. Education Review Office. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Our Story". Whakatane High School. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 341. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.