It was all go at Acland last week, with the annual house activities taking place each day after school.

With house points on the line, the girls all brought their A-game in hope of clenching the win. 

The 4 houses at Acland are Smith (green), Yates (red), Whillans (yellow), and Spencer (blue). 

Tuesday afternoon's activities consisted of the usual favourites, such as apple bobbing, fear factor, chocolate mousse speed eating, catching slippery balloons, and the always anticipated wrestling on the slippery pole over the pool. 

It was underdogs, Yates, that rose to the challenge and claimed victory across Tuesday’s events. On Wednesday the intensity, house spirit, and competition ramped up again, with the girls setting off around Christchurch for Acland’s Amazing Race! This included events such as your classic gumboot throw, learning and singing the Acland song, busking attempts, sculling of frozen cokes, a stop by Adam’s House, and an attempt to squash 13 girls all into a red telephone box. It was a clash to be remembered, with a historic tie between your typical top dog, Smith house, and the rising powerhouse of Whillans. 

The week was topped off with Flamingo Night, as the year 13 common room was temporarily converted into the location for a lively dance party. Whilst the year 9s followed the tradition of wearing dresses, the year 10s,11s,12s and 13s decked themselves out in a spectacular array of costumes. These ranged from pirates to a crew of sheep shearers, a bucket of KFC, Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr Seuss, to Donna and the Dynamos from Mamma Mia. 

The night was topped off with the traditional sisters vs sisters dancing competition, and a rehearsal of Come On Eileen. This fun-filled week was one to be remembered, and an awesome way to continue welcoming our year 9s into Acland. 

With Smith currently holding only a narrow lead of 15 points, it's already shaping up to be a close race in the bid to become Acland house champions.