We would like to introduce our latest appointments to the LCŌ whānau.

It's an exciting year for us at Linwood College. Not only do we have our much-anticipated move to Te Aratai happening next term, but we also have an exciting lineup of new kaiako, deans and leaders joining us to awhi our ākonga and help with the transition back to Aldwins Road. 

Melissa Young has returned to LCŌ from a 3 Year hiatus up north where she was employed as a Culturally Responsive Practice facilitator for Poutama Pounamu (a team based at the University of Waikato who work in schools throughout the country) and Deputy Principal at Wellington Girls' College. Melissa is joining our Senior Leadership Team, as well as being part of our Health, Physical & Outdoor Education department. She has a two-year-old daughter that keeps her very busy and feeling rewarded outside of school. "Returning to the college after three years away has been magic! My favourite things about coming back have been reconnecting with everyone and meeting new whānau."

Whaea Marie Kennedy-Benns is joining our Junior Te Reo Māori and Social Studies departments. Her passion is to teach our indigenous language and culture in order to strengthen the knowledge and understanding of Mātauranga Māori. Marie believes working with ākonga to help understand history, past and current events that can help shape the future. "I feel honoured to be given the opportunity to work here at LCŌ. I have been welcomed and supported by ākonga and kaimahi and look forward to being a part of the wider community here at LCŌ. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini (Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many)."

Kirsten Anderson is South African and has been in NZ for about 4 years now. She studied Fine Arts Painting at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. This is her first year as a high school teacher and she feels extremely happy, blessed and excited to be here at Linwood College. She will be teaching junior Visual Arts and Senior Painting, working alongside Miss Whiteman to make a strong and dynamic Visual Arts department.

In her own time, Kirsten enjoys yoga, dancing, and creating art. She also loves a spontaneous adventure in her campervan, a trip to the beach, a walk in nature, or a good social event with friends. In 2017, Kirsten's family immigrated to NZ so she followed them later after a few months backpacking around Europe. She continued her studies with a postgraduate diploma in art curatorship at UC while working as a kindergarten teacher. "I believe anyone can learn art with the right guidance and “can-do” attitude. My aim is to help students find their own voice and artistic expression through art. Everyone is unique and has different artistic abilities so it is my job to help make these shine!"

Heather McLean is joining us from Papanui High School. She will be teaching across three learning areas: Arts (Dance), English and Careers. Heather keeps herself busy outside of school with competitive athletics, contemporary jazz, some occasional salsa dancing, musical theatre, and her children. She is also the current 40 women's National Race Walking champion. 

Keri Mahuika is joining our Tāhuhu whānau, specifically our Year 7s. After many years working at Avonside Girls' High School and Haeata Community Campus as a kāiawhina/administrator she decided to complete a teaching degree at UC, graduating in 2021. Keri is an eastsider, born and raised, and feels she can relate well to our ākonga. "I am a real believer of ‘if it is meant to be it will’. When the opportunity came up to work at LCŌ I jumped at the chance to work at an amazing kura with such a great team." 

Keri has three children and a very large whānau that keeps her busy. She also enjoys Crossfit, op shopping, design, meditation, cooking and binge-watching a great Netflix series. 

Nicky Flewellen is joining our Mathematics Learning Area and very much enjoys working alongside students to solve math problems. She has two teenage children that keep her busy. She also loves playing and coaching sports, on top of which, she has just started going to an art class to improve her painting skills as well as practising some mindfulness. 

She started in education as a Kiwi Can leader (values-based program) working at Bromley School, Te Waka Unua, St Annes and Linwood College (Yr 7-8s). Nicky finished her Degree in Teaching at the end of 2020. "It is such a privilege to be back in the LCŌ community, I have really enjoyed reconnecting with my former students and meeting new ones in and around the school."

Guy Cowan was lucky enough to do all of his trainee-teacher placements here, so when the opportunity came up to be here as a kaiārahi he jumped at the chance. He joins our Social Studies Learning Area. Guy loves Social Studies because it gets students to think about how the world works, a mish-mash of history, geography, politics and a few other subjects all rolled into one. In his spare time he plays a lot of music and used to play in a lot of bands all over the world. He also tries to play a lot of sport whenever he can and is keen to give almost anything a go. 

"LCŌ is made up of such an amazing group of students and staff which makes being here so special."

Edie Feehan has joined our English Learning Area after a stint as a trainee-teacher in the department last year. She loves encouraging students with their reading and writing and giving students lots of different tasks to progress their skills, that they will undoubtedly continue to develop throughout their lives. Outside of Linwood College, Edie works in a dog shelter as a trainer and walker every weekend. She also has an enormous Border Collie that she loves to go hiking with and explore new areas of Aotearoa. 

"I had my teaching practice in Term 4 last year here, and was offered the maternity leave job of my supervisor, Miss Campbell! I feel very lucky and honoured."

Nierensche Perese-Kuil is another joining our Social Sciences Learning Area, teaching Social Studies and History classes. She is new to teaching and enjoys developing learning around current happenings in the world and about different cultures and countries. Nierensche find the subject a great space for students to bring their own personality, family and culture to their learning.

Nierensche has been rowing since she was at university. "I love being out on the water early in the morning or in the afternoon. Currently, I am thinking about taking up powerlifting or weight lifting! I also have a six-year-old Australian Kelpie who I love taking to the beach or hiking."

Kim Brörens has joined us from just completing a full circle around the world. She has lived in a number of different countries and worked in everything from food service to school camps in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone reception. Kim is another addition to our Social Studies department, teaching Social Studies, Geography and Tourism. With her free time she likes to do just about anything and everything outdoors. In particular, she loves skiing, which she has done since she was 3 years old, and rock climbing. She also likes to try her hand at cooking and baking in her downtime. "I returned home from my last overseas stint in July 2020 and while I still dream of travelling places, I am also very excited to settle into my teaching journey and time at LCŌ."

Kyle Bluck joins our English Learning Area from Tāmaki Makaurau in Auckland where he taught at Mount Roskill Grammar School in Auckland. He is passionate about his subject because it is all about learning to empathise with others. "We read, watch and listen to the voices and experiences of people all around the world and in imaginary places, so that we can better understand one another. And the world needs more understanding and empathy now more than ever!" 

Outside of work Kyle is massively into tramping, especially for long periods of time (talking 10 days or more). He also loves playing Magic: The Gathering (a very nerdy trading card game) and experimenting with cooking strange and exotic recipes and ingredients. On moving to Ōtautahi Christchurch, Kyle explained the opportunity arose from his partner initially getting a fantastic job opportunity here. "Coming from Mount Roskill Grammar School in Auckland, I experienced Aotearoa’s most diverse school, so I was looking for something similar down south. I feel very lucky to have found my position at LCŌ because, like Mount Roskill Grammar, it is super diverse and I think diversity is a powerful strength."

Kath Gunn is a primary trained teacher and has been teaching for 20 years. After spending a few years teaching in London and travelling the world with her husband, they came back to Ōtautahi to start their family. Kath has joined the Learning Acceleration Area and is very passionate about teaching and learning for all students. She believes every student needs a pathway towards independence and adulthood, which can look very different for different people and for different reasons. As a specialist educator, Kath enjoys getting to know students, finding what interests them and creating a learning programme that includes those interests. 

Outside of work, Kath and her whānau are avid bike riders. She loves to be outdoors, especially in the Port Hills where she can bike, run and walk with her dog, Isie. Kath also enjoys growing vegetables, foraging for fruit in the red zone and cooking and baking delicious creations. 

"I have taught learners with additional needs for a number of years and love the diversity that comes with this. Having taught at Shirley Primary for some time, including when the earthquakes happened, I feel a real connection to communities in East Christchurch. I am really excited to be here at LCŌ."

And finally, Murray Hemmingsen has joined the team at the Technology Centre Hub, (presently sited in Nursery Rd) which is a Technology Learning Area provider to many Ōtautahi Year 7 and 8 ākonga. This role gives Murray the opportunity to engage and teach in a transforming learning environment as new technology is developed and utilised, which he always finds exciting. Originating from a design vocation, his transition to a career in teaching began some years ago with NCEA in the early days of Graphics/ Design and Visual Communication development, also as an NZQA moderator; and then completing his PGDip in Technology which enabled the further enhancement of Murray's teaching experiences.

Outside of his role at the Technology Centre Hub, Murray has many varied interests including reading, geomorphology and woodturning. "My most preferred pastime, however, will always be standing in a river surrounded by bush—fishing."