Wow. What a year it has been for all of us. 2020 has certainly given us many surprises, however, what hasn’t been surprising is the success that Aoraki has had this year.

Starting the year off with inclusive bonding activities between our new Yr9s and Yr13s, Aoraki was already starting to look in good shape. With high enthusiasm and involvement, groups competed to see who could make the best book character costume out of newspaper. Although the results seemed to get lost in the mounds of newspaper used, the efforts were not and the anticipation for the coming year was clear to see.

Then typical Dunedin gave us rain on a day bound for sunshine. This meant that Athletics Day would be the first time Aoraki as a whole house would be together as one force. And what a force to be reckoned with were we. The concerns of how we might perform did arise as we had not had proper house bonding however as the day went on it seemed that there was no need to worry. With the sun out, so were our spirits and determination which led us to sweeping first place from the former winner Omimi. Taking this big victory over the other houses at Athletics Day, Aoraki was bound for a fun-filled House Day.

House Day this year took place at Brighton beach which thankfully this time was accompanied by wonderful weather. The morning started with a chant competition between groups to see if groups were able to come up with new chants for our house to use. Successfully we were able to and hope next year that it will have a successful debut. Then it was onto the beach! Sandcastles were built & buried and activities prepared by our amazing Yr13s were held. After lunch under the sun and a splash in the water, it was soon the annual tug of war. This year the heat certainly was on with groups and years being more determined than ever. Spending this time together definitely meant our bonds with one another grew stronger and was a good sign for the events that were to come.

This year in inter-house competitions Aoraki has absolutely surpassed any expectations and we could not be prouder. By no surprise, Aoraki defended its title of Dodgeball Champions for the 3RD YEAR IN A ROW however this by no means was an easy process. With the outbreak of COVID-19 in NZ, the dodgeball season was broken in 2 halves but our spirits were not. Even during our lockdown period, an inter-house competition of Intentional Physical Activities was held. Here students counted their minutes of intentional physical activity which accumulated into a total house score. Aoraki fell a little short and came 2nd under Omimi but that was fine as we beat them at dodgeball. Sadly though, we were unable to maintain the house cup as it was lost to Omimi through futsal. We placed 4th in the Junior division and 2nd in the Senior which overall, gave us 3rd place which definitely was not the worst. However, we did not let this get us down as we bounced back into Term 4 with the triumph of 1st place in the cross country and 1st in the Netball.

With the light sprinkle of one-off events like volleyball and the Inter-House O’Mathalon (which we came 2nd in), Aoraki has shown great participation in all events with high enthusiasm. As House Leaders, we could not be prouder and happier to see those getting involved have fun and show great house spirit. With senior prizing drawing near we feel confident in our running alongside Omimi for the house shield and wish for the best results. All the houses have put in great efforts this year and have been very worthy opponents. So we thank the rest of the houses for their efforts and good games.

It has been an honour and pleasure to be House Leaders this year for Aoraki and lead Aoraki to quite a successful year with the great guidance of our dean Mr Fielding and our many group teachers. We look forward to the future of this wonderful house and feel confident in its abilities in the years to come.