Sports Tournament Week

This week we have had a number of students travelling around the country competing in the Winter Tournament Week. I had the opportunity to visit a number of teams in Nelson and I saw first hand why these fixtures are such an important part of our students’ school experience. These memories of travelling, competing and spending time with their friends will stay with them for many years to come. What I took from my experience in Nelson was the awesome team culture shared by the students. They did themselves and their school proud! A special mention to the Girls Football XI who won their tournament.

A big thanks to our staff who spent the week with the teams coaching, managing and organising everything. Also a big thank you to the parents who travelled, in some cases, big distances to support.

WORD Festival

It was great to see some of the Cashmere High writers group join kura from all across the city at the WORD Festival/KUPU Ōtautahischools day. This was a great opportunity to connect with students across the city and listen to powerful speakers highlighting important topics. A real highlight was Palestinian poet and local teacher Sara Qasem, whose honest, lyrical words were empowering for all. The day was a real gift, a hope-filled start to spring.

Winter Soirée

One of the key pillars of our school is our Performing Arts Programme. Thank you to all the staff and students involved in last week’s Winter Soirée. Despite the busy schedule with the Production coming up and the numerous COVID disruptions, our musicians put on a wonderful performance for our community.

COVE Award

This week at our Year 11 Principal’s Assembly we acknowledged some outstanding student achievements. This included excellence in poetry, i-Scribe Fiction Competition, Fencing, Selection for Canterbury U16 Rugby, South Island Cyclo Cross Championship, South Island Orienteering, National Cycling success and winners of Canterbury theatre festival.

Special congratulations to Jacob Ridder who was our COVE Award recipient for his amazing service to the school and wider community.

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

Education Outside the Classroom - Geography Camp

One of the great aspects of our school is the opportunity to leave the classroom and head out on field trips. We have had a number of trips throughout this Term already. Last week our Year 12 Geography students were based in Aoraki-Mt Cook.

Cashmere High School Football Champions

A highlight of our winter sports season has been our Premier Boys Football XI winning the Canterbury Championship. The boys played a fantastic final at English Park, beating Shirley Boys’ High School 3-0.

Congratulations to Kian Donkers who has been named in the U20 All Whites training squad.

Cantamaths

Well done to our Cantamath (annual mathematics competition) teams! CHS was superbly represented by a group of outstanding Year 9 & 10 students.

From the Archives

Who’s Who at Cashmere High School - Leigh Barker

Hi, I’m Leigh, I’ve taught here since the early 2000’s in Social Sciences Faculty teaching Geography, Tourism and Social Studies. I have held many roles during this time, currently I am the GATE Coordinator and Māori Academic Mentor. In these roles I support a number of students across many programmes such as Future Problem Solving, Cambridge International Examinations, and students doing STAR University. Introduced the cultural narrative of Waka Ama paddling, a new programme to CHS and assisting transitioning young Rangatahi through NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3.

Another passion of mine is I am a High-Performance Coach for Canoe Racing NZ, primarily looking after Scott Martlew who has represented NZ in Rio 2016 and Toyko 2020, and we will be competing in Paris 2024. Most recently we have returned from the International Canoe Federation World Champs in Canada placing 3rd in K1 200m.

I really enjoy teaching at CHS, the reason I love it is because of the culture within staff, and students, as well as the support through our community, with the educational opportunities offered to our students. 

The Fortnight Ahead