Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP and Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri (left) presented the Wirangi Wiremu (Bill) Whaitiri Leadership Award to deputy head student Jordyn Nicholson. Photo/Supplied.
Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP and Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri (left) presented the Wirangi Wiremu (Bill) Whaitiri Leadership Award to deputy head student Jordyn Nicholson. Photo/Supplied.
Karamu High School’s senior students have been celebrated for academic, sporting, and cultural achievements at a special prizegiving.
Students, prize winners, staff and whanau attended the end-of-year prizegiving at the school’s June Clark Centre.
The event was also live-streamed to the wider school community who were unable to attend in person.
Board chair David de Lange (MNZM), Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP, Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri and Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst were among those in attendance.
Year 13 student Annabel Elmsly was named 2022 Karamu High School Dux, receiving the school Dux Cup, the France Trust Scholarship, and a Michael Hill watch for the Dux, and Karamu High School prize for the Dux.
“I’ve had the same teachers for quite a few years, and I couldn’t have done it without them, just making their classes enjoyable and interesting has really helped me to strive and be motivated to get good grades,” she said.
Elmsly plans on studying law and commerce at the University of Auckland.
Karamu High School 2022 Dux Annabel Elmsly. Photo / Supplied.
Fellow year 13 student Gabriel Barlow was awarded the Karamu High School prize for Proxime Accessit to Dux and the Clark Cup for runner-up to the Dux.
“I am thrilled to get this award. It’s really good to see all my hard work pay off,” Barlow said.
He says he could not have done it without the support his family and his teachers have provided him.
In 2024, he plans on studying for a bachelor of design, majoring in photography at Massey University.
While the Wirangi Wiremu (Bill) Whaitiri Leadership Award has been around for some time, it is the first time a member of the Whaitiri whānau has presented it.
In honour of her late father, who was a teacher at the school, Whaitiri, a former head girl of Karamu High School, presented the Wirangi Wiremu (Bill) Whaitiri Leadership Award to deputy head student Jordyn Nicholson.
She congratulated all recipients and gave her best wishes to those leaving for the next part of their journey.
“Karamu is a fantastic school, and wherever I travel, I proudly say I am an alumni of Karamu. I am pleased to be here to celebrate these young leavers and their achievements,” Whaitiri said.
Head student Sasha Sharma won the inaugural Wooster Cup for Leadership, donated by a former student and presented by former long-serving deputy principal Wayne Wooster.
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst spoke at the special prizegiving and said Hastings students have had a difficult time with online learning.
“To see the success tonight and the achievements that all students have made is exceptional.”
Hastings Youth Council chairperson Lena Ormsby and co-deputy chairperson Esta Chaplin, both in Year 12, received a number of awards.
Ormsby received the Year 12 General Excellence Cup for general excellence in academia, sport and culture.
Along with Chaplin, she was jointly awarded the Year 12 Academic Cup for students with the highest academic achievements in the year group.
“They are outstanding young women who have shown great leadership. At only Year 12, they are already achieving at such a high level,” Hazlehurst said.
Principal Dionne Thomas congratulated all prize winners on their achievements and acknowledged the community of support behind each student.
“I hope tonight you have all seen, heard, and felt how proud we are of our rangatahi, their resilience has once again been tested, but they have all risen to the challenge and challenged their limits.”
“We wish all of those leaving all the best and look forward to seeing your ongoing success in the future. We know you leave the safety of Karamu having the resilience and fortitude to challenge your limits.”
