This year has gone amazingly fast and before we know it, another year has come to an end but what a year it has been.

Teaching Technology online whilst we were in the Lockdown period earlier in the year was challenging to say the least. Yet, many students adapted to the at-home learning quite well, but most were very pleased to return to the classrooms and enjoy that face-to-face and hands-on learning that Technology provides.

It is with sadness that we learnt of Mr Brian Pickard’s passing recently and our sincere condolences go to his family. Brian replaced Andy Parsons for a term in the Materials Technology Workshop while he was on leave in Term 3 of 2019 and subsequently, Brian stayed on in a technical support role this year. He will be sadly missed.

We also sadly bid farewell to our Food Technician Maryann Hillis after 19 years of dedicated service to keeping the classroom in pristine condition and organising ingredients for the Food classes. Fortunately, we have found a wonderful replacement Catherine Craik who brings a wealth of food cookery skills, and knowledge to the Food Technician role, so will often help students with practical advice.

Helen Reid who is the Teacher Responsible for Food Technology/Hospitality has resigned as at the end of this year. She is moving on to a wonderful and exciting new adventure – owning and operating the Stationside Café in Lauder, which is right on the Otago Rail Trail. We have thoroughly enjoyed every minute that Helen has been here in the department (4 years) and we know her enthusiasm, friendliness, dedication, creativity and flair will certainly be missed by all staff and students alike. Keep the coffee hot Helen, we are all coming for a visit soon!!!

DESIGN & VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Year 9 and 10 students have been working through a series of exercises to develop their design and drawing/sketching skills required to present their design ideas. Integral with this is use of pencil and other media to render their designs in order to further enhance visual interpretation of their ideas. In addition, the Year 9 and 10 students were also introduced to CAD modelling, using Solid Edge software.

Year 11 students have been introduced to NCEA with an outdoor seating product design inspired by research of an existing designer of their choice. This was followed by a spatial design of a stand-alone sleep-out, incorporating sleeping, basic cooking, and bathroom space for use of an independent teenager. This project incorporated the bulk of their external assessments for the year.

Year 12 started with a unit researching Sustainability related to Spatial Design, followed by their own 3 Bedroom House Design using a Sustainability theme.

There was no official Year 13 class this year, with that course being transferred to on-line learning with other students from around the South Island. Mikey was the only LPHS student doing Level 3 DVC this year, and had a very successful year making good use of the flexibility in the programme to design his home based exercise machine. – Wayne Hodgkinson

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES – JUNIOR LEVEL

Computer Science and Digital Design Technologies is named Digital Technologies at junior level and students are offered opportunities to learn both areas of the Digital Technology curriculum within DGT. The subject then divides at NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3 to ensure students can specialize in their chosen field or they can study both fields.

Several junior students sat the ICAS Digital Technologies Exam in September and received High Distinction and Distinction awards, which was very pleasing.

Junior students have used an array of software from Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Blender, Animation and free online software/tools to design, create, develop, test and produce a variety of projects in their learning. Year 9 students created their own family or teen board game and then digitally produced one as well. Year 10 students have extended their Adobe Photoshop skills by mastering a variety of stunning and uniquely creative designs. They also produced their own themed 8-page teenage magazine and looked at a project topic ‘The Changing Digital Society’ delving into the past, present and future of things like Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Wearable Technology and Chatbots. – Sandra Whipp.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

We have had a great year in Computer Science. Developing the Year 11 Computer Science course has seen all students try something new, from building computers to researching complex programs, there has been something for everyone to become passionate about.

In Year 12 Computer Science we’ve been able to scaffold on the Year 11 course and try a few new things. For example, we have introduced students to networking and it has been a fantastic opportunity to see first-hand how a network can be built in the industry by using the schools’ new network as a real example. We have also had several students developing a product for the school and it will be ready to use in 2021. It is a program that has been designed for our Athletics Day scoring (the current one is not the most user friendly). Further trailing, testing and refinement will be undertaken and we are sure the outcome will be easy to use and sure to please. In 2021, we look forward to the new Year 13 Computer Science course where students can implement what they have learnt and make some of their own new projects. – Tim Jones.

DIGITAL DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES

ICAS Digital Technologies exam this year saw Bill Campbell in Year 11 not only receive a High Distinction, but he received the top mark in New Zealand for the SECOND year in a row. Congratulations Bill, a very fine achievement.

The talent of my students has hugely impressed me this year, particularly for their eye for detail, their creativity and their vision to digitally design some stunning assessment work.

Level 1 students re-designed the Logan Park High School signage for their chosen curriculum areas with new designs from the fitness room in PE to the Maths and Science Departments and the Library and Learning Support. The at-home learning for several weeks earlier in the year and incorporating Google Classroom as a teaching/learning platform saw many students wishing they could go on overseas holidays, so what better way to incorporate this into using a theme of tropical island holidays for an assessment task. Their final outcomes looked so real, it was just like being there!!!

Level 2 students developed their own animated ‘Vote for Me’ campaign characters which was very topical this year. They also undertook research about sustainability in design for their external assessment and learnt just how to help our planet in the long term. 

Level 3 again this year produced their own Music videos with a teenage theme – this in my view, was the highlight of their year’s work. I wish each and every one of my Year 13 students the very best in their future endeavours. I have taught most of you for all of the 5 years and you are such talented young people, I will miss you all – Sandra Whipp.

FABRIC TECHNOLOGY

In Fabric Technology this year, my students have impressed me with their creativity and their work ethic – especially in this Covid year. We have managed to successfully navigate the hurdles, and have been successful, demonstrating my students' commitment to their learning. Year 9 students have again impressed me with their original design ideas and some of the work this year has been exceptional. My year 10 class had the opportunity to self-select their course, based on their abilities and interests. Again, exceptional work has been designed, tested, developed and constructed.

For those moving into Level 1 Fabric Technology next year, I look forward to extending you further in your education and continuing to teach you how to problem-solve. In senior classes, students have produced a range of garments from hoodies, pants and skirts to draped dresses. Pattern making is a component of all senior levels, and it is a real privilege to be able to progress students from basic and advance patternmaking to complex patternmaking such as draping at level 3. One of the advantages of teaching Technology is the diversity of assessment opportunities for my seniors, where they are able to self-select their garments according to their wants, needs and abilities. I wish all my current Year 13 leavers all the best for their future goals, many of whom I have had the absolute privilege of teaching since Year 9. – Teresa Mackay

FOOD TECHNOLOGY/HOSPITALITY

It has been an interesting year in the Food Technology Department. Classes are continuing to grow with an additional year 10 class as well as the numbers of students for both Food Technology and Hospitality at senior levels. This has put enormous pressure on the classroom juggling classes to fit in practical's. In spite of this, there have been some amazing food product developments emerging from the Food Technology students and some wonderful dishes being attractively presented in the Hospitality classes as they sharpen up their cooking skills. Lockdown brought a sudden halt as we all transitioned to online learning. Cooking became a luxury for those students who were able to at home and we became better at Zoom meetings and Google Classroom activities.

At the Junior Level the Gingerbread Whares have continued to be a highlight at Year 9, and Year 10 students have enjoyed their cultural foods, vegetarian meals, and creative desserts units.

Senior Food Technology students have made some great breakfast breads to sell at the school canteen, making over 2-Minute Noodles to make them healthier, and the Year 13 students have developed their own products including a sports drink, a breakfast biscuit, a Gluten Free heat and eat product and a romantic food bag using ingredients from the Farmers Market.

Year 11 and 12 Hospitality students have continued to work on gaining practical skills and experience in the kitchen that they can apply to life outside of school. Students have worked through various units and have developed techniques, processes and the ability to read and prepare numerous recipes. The senior hospitality exam was an opportunity to put this all together and demonstrate how far they have all come this year and we achieved some amazing results. Students are looking forward to next year and being able to further develop their skills in the kitchen. – Helen Reid and Bianca Whalan

MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY – WOOD/ PRODUCT DESIGN

Wow......... what a ride this year has been! Despite all of the ‘interesting’ aspects of 2020, our students have continued to excel in churning out some high quality and innovative work. The standard of work from many of the Year 9 and 10s in particular has been outstanding and augurs well for the Senior School. Many students have made use of the laser cutting technology introduced this year and we look forward to bigger and better things in 2021.

We are also looking forward to the development of the refurbished Technology Suite which will allow for the diversification of our programmes in Hard Materials and Product Design. Robotics, electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting will be fully integrated into programmes and experiences for our students. The opportunity for more authentic product design which is far less influenced by restrictive workshop facilities is an exciting prospect.

I am very proud of my team of teachers in the Technology Department and all of the wonderful opportunities and experiences they provide to our student community…..Thanks Guys! - Andy Parsons HOD Technology.