Opening mihimihi and karakia by kaumatua Pou Collett and Te Awamutu College kapa haka. Photo / Dean Taylor
Opening mihimihi and karakia by kaumatua Pou Collett and Te Awamutu College kapa haka. Photo / Dean Taylor
Te Awamutu College principal Tony Membery announced this year’s major awards.
Scholarships, Service and Major School Awards:
Te Awamutu College Rogers Charitable Trust Tertiary Scholarship ($1500): Shae Lyons.
Shae is a member of the College Girls’ 1st XV Rugby team and motocross team. She took part in Inter-House athletics, volleyball, softball and netball events for Kowhai House. Shae is attending Lincoln University to study a Bachelor of Agriculture, majoring in the dairy industry.
General Excellence Cup Year 12 — Trebilco Cup (Academic, Sports, Culture, Participation and Service): Ruth Downs.
Te Awamutu Business and Professional Women Trophy for Initiative and Enterprise: Olivia Bell.
Olivia was a reliable and capable chairperson of the 2024 Ball Committee, leading and delegating effectively. The culmination of the collective efforts of the Ball Committee, was an elegant and enjoyable event enjoyed by all who attended.
Sophie Yarndley, recipient of the Waipā District Council Service to the Community Award and Te Awamutu Masonic Lodge's Trophy for Excellent Contribution to the School. Photo / Dean Taylor
Waipa District Council Service to the Community Award, Te Awamutu Masonic Lodge’s Trophy for Excellent Contribution to the School: Sophie Yarndley.
Sophie was a capable and reliable chairperson of the 2024 Service Committee. She has been able to not only lead but also to delegate effectively.
The Service Committee under her leadership selected three humanitarian/charitable causes for Mufti Days and she organised and carried out two volunteering opportunities at Narrows Park Christian Camp.
She also organised committee volunteers to run school-provided sausage sizzles at three report evenings for parents/caregivers.
Sophie has been extensively involved in college life since Year 9, including: Junior Concert Band, Senior Concert Band, EPro8, Hockey, Waikato Science Fair, Girls in STEM, form class representative, The Addams Family school production, manager Waipa Battle of the Schools, Inter-House events participation for Kowhai, Culture, Service, Environment, Ball and Year 13 Camp Committees.
Head students, from left: Ave Culpan, Xavier Scott, Ruben Kasper and Sienna Sanders collected a number of awards. Photo / Dean Taylor
Rotary Shield for Service to the School, General Excellence Cup (Academic, Sports, Culture, Participation and Service): Avé Culpan.
Avé was a fine Head Student and an exemplary role model for younger students. She is respected and admired by her peers and staff and leads by example.
She has helped plan and run assemblies, has spoken to incoming Year 9s, attended Anzac Day Dawn Service and been a tour guide on Open Days — a great ambassador for the College.
Avé and the other head students devoted a lot of time and effort into our hosting and participating in the 2024 Waipa Battle of the Schools Sports and Culture Tournament, including: promotion of events, assemblies, notices, finalising of teams/squads, supervision and support on the day.
She was heavily involved in a range of activities since Year 9, including: rock climbing, zone swimming and athletics, basketball, badminton, netball, hockey, rugby; Shakespeare Festival; EPro8; school production; TAC Young Farmers Club; Environment, Ball, Year 13 Camp, Service and Culture Committees, balancing studies, Head Student responsibilities, sports, part-time work and family.
She has attained all 64 credits attempted, 42 being at Excellence or Merit level.
On the sporting front, she was a member of Senior Girls’ Premier Basketball and Netball teams, participated enthusiastically for her house, Kowhai, was part of a team that made the Grand Final in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty EPro8 competition and participated in the Talent Quest.
Rotary Shield for Service to the School: Ruben Kasper.
Ruben was a fine Head Student. He is positive, enthusiastic, polite and mature and respected by both students and staff.
Ruben models enthusiastic participation and sportsmanship in Inter-House events for Pohutukawa, he helped plan and run assemblies and is a great ambassador for the College, attending Anzac Day services and speaking to incoming Year 9s and helping with the 2024 Waipa Battle of the Schools.
Ruben has successfully balanced his studies, Head Student role and 1st XV rugby and been involved in basketball, lacrosse, mountain biking, cross country and Year 13 Camp Committee.
RSA Peace Scholarship (for contribution, service and leadership - $2000): Sienna Sanders.
Sienna was an outstanding Head Student, an exemplary role model for younger students who is respected and admired by her peers and staff.
She has helped plan and run assemblies, spoken eloquently at Anzac Day Dawn and Civic Services, spoken to incoming Year 9s and been a tour guide on an Open Day — a great ambassador for the College.
She was also involved in Waipa battle of the Schools and has been heavily involved in wider school life since Year 9, including netball, volleyball, rugby; Ball, Year 13 Camp and Service Committees. She has been a passionate participant in Inter-House events for Pohutukawa and the captain of the Premier Netball team and Rugby Girls’ 1st XV team.
Sienna’s outstanding leadership qualities are also reflected in her being elected by her classmates as their form Class Representative for four consecutive years.
She successfully balanced her studies, Head Student responsibilities, sports, part-time work and family.
RSA Peace Scholarship (for contribution, service and leadership - $2000): Xavier Scott.
Xavier was an admirable Head Student in 2024. He is mature, has mana, is pleasant and positive and respected and admired by both students and staff.
Xavier is a great role model and an enthusiastic participant showing sportsmanship in Inter-House events for Pounamu.
Xavier has helped plan and run assemblies and was involved with his colleagues in events, Waipa Battle of the Schools and public events.
In his time at College Xavier has been involved in volleyball, Kapa Haka and the Year 13 Camp and Environment Committees.
He has been a member of the 1st XV Rugby team for the last two years. and involved with the Kia Tu leadership programme (for Maori and Pasifika students) since Year 10 – first as a student being mentored and then as a leader in Years 12 and 13.
Mexted Cup for Proxime Accessit ($2500): Reed Waugh.
AG Freeman Medal for Dux Litterarum ($5000) Avleen Kaur.
Top of subject awards:
A highlight of the Level 1 Awards was the announcement of a new cup to be awarded to the top Outdoor Education student — the Brett Leong Cup.
Leong is a teacher at Te Awamutu College, described as having given dedicated and loyal service over the last 32 years, particularly in the Health & Physical Education and Outdoor Education areas. He is retiring at the end of the year.
He has a passion for mountain biking and rock climbing and is regarded as a skilled and energetic outdoorsman.
Brett leong presents the inaugural cup in his name to top Outdoor Education student Nathan Honeyfield. Photo / Dean Taylor
The school thanked Leong for sharing his knowledge, enthusiasm and skills with thousands of Te Awamutu College students and invited him to present the cup in his name to the inaugural recipient, Nathan Honeyfield.
Level 1, First in Subject Awards: Layla Bird, English; Morgan Brown, Mathematics & Statistics with Numeracy; Grace Buchan; Design with Photography; Wyatt Davies, Carpentry — Whitecliffs Prize; Cooper Derbyshire; Furniture Making — Whitecliffs Prize; Nihala Dev, Health; Ella Devoy, Dance; Bonnie Dixon, English Extension — Level One English Cup, History, Visual Art with Sculpture — Michael Douch Memorial Award; Annaiah Gibbens, Communication Skills; Zac Green, Agricultural Science — Parawera School Cup, Horticulture; Lucas Harris Martin, Sport and Recreation Studies; Taine Holmes, Music; Nathan Honeyfield, Outdoor Education — Brett Leong Cup; Saraiah Hongara, Electronics, Mathematics & Statistics with Algebra — Paul Hobbs Cup, Sports Science; Cameron Howells, Engineering — Stewart and Cavalier Prize; Yasmeen Ibrahim, Commerce — Level One Economics Award, Science with Chemistry, Science with Physics; Jack Knibbs, Science (Internal Assessment); Tiana Morgan, Global Issues; Rylee Poa Dampney , Social Studies, Food Technology — Cellar Cup; Lily Reid, Mathematics & Statistics; Kayla Smith, Photography with Digital Art; Wiremu Spurr, Digital Skills for Employment; Erin Stacey, Drama, Digital Technology Computing; Samantha Symes, Geography; Eva Walton, Science with Biology; Rachel Xu, Graphics & Design
.Level 2, First in Subject Awards: Rosie Anderson, Geography — Bruce Taylor Cup; Erika Ballantine, Accounting — Level Two Accounting Trophy; Teina Beets, Mathematics; Emily Brier, Economics — Level Two Economics Award, Mathematics with Calculus — Paul Corboy Cup; Eva Davis, Graphics & Design — Bob Bradley Graphics & Design Trophy; Ruth Downs, Sports Science; Kiki Falwasser-Williams, Childcare; Lyrix Gage, Communication Skills; Gemma Gosling, Health Mathematics & Statistics; Blake Gower, Digital Technology Computing; English Extension — Helen Kelly Cup; Physics — Edmund Halley Cup; Russell Harrison, Technology Carpentry — Bob Berg Memorial Award in Carpentry — Mitre 10 Mega Prize, Engineering — Bob Berg Memorial Award in Engineering — Stewart and Cavalier Prize; Libby Haynes, Food Technology; Liam Hollinshead, Furniture Making — Mitre 10 Mega Prize; Daniel Hoskin, Digital Skills for Employment; Sahara Ikin, Art — Design; Janaiah Jacob, Hospitality — Redoubt Cup; April Jones, Sport and Recreation Studies; Teegan Lewis, Tourism and Travel; Joshua Marais, Electronics; Naomi Martin, Drama, Media Studies; Peter McLellan, Art — Printmaking; Ashlee Mills, Visual Art; Jaelan Mumby-Rickard, Te Reo Māori; Tayla Neilson-Smith, Horticulture — James Saunders Cup; Jacques Nortje, Outdoor Education — Tai Poutini Polytechnic Award; Briar O’Hearn, Science (Internal Assessment); Terina Otene-Karaitiana, Practical Music; Sophie Spicer, Social Issues; Faith Still, Photography; Amelia Tyer, Agricultural Science — Lea Family Trophy; Nevaeh Wallace, Dance, Senior Sport Elite; Senna Watson, Business Studies; Alex West, Biology — Glanville Cup, Chemistry — Devlin Cup, History, Keith Millar Cup for Excellence in Sciences; June Wilson, English, Performance Music.
Level 3, First in Subject Awards: Noor Bains, Graphics & Design — Noel Cox Cup — Paperplus Prize; Olivia Bell, Outdoor Education — Wintec Excellence in the Outdoors Cup; Elizabeth Burgess, Health — Waikato Graduate Women Educational Trust Prize; Jacob Chetwin, Accounting — Level Three Accounting Cup, English; Sophie Dale, Senior Sport Elite, Tourism and Travel; Casey Dixon, Art — Painting, Visual Arts Department Trophy; Rebecca Drabble, Photography — Photolife Award; Daniel Hoskin, Digital Technology Computing; Jofie Jaunay, Sport and Recreation Studies; Isla Joyce, Art — Design, Earth and Space Science — Kravchenko Cup; Avleen Kaur, Biology — K F Miller Cup, Chemistry — McKinnon Cup, English Extension — Cath Parr Cup, Senior English Essay Cup, Mathematics & Statistics — Bill Crombie Cup, Physics — Rutherford Cup, Matthewson Cup for Excellence in the Sciences; Amber Klaus, Agricultural Studies — Te Awamutu College Rogers Charitable Trust Prize and Trophy; Hannah Knibbs, Digital Skills for Employment; Lily Lieshout, Food Technology; Ella McCluskie, Social Issues; Jeremy Murfitt, Electronics — Stewart and Cavalier Prize; Manea Purua, Dance; Laura Purves, Business Studies, History — Han Bergman Cup; Danica Reweti, Performance Music — Waikato Graduate Women Educational Trust Prize; Penelope Rice, Hospitality — Waikato Culinary Fare Trust Cup; Sam Salcedo, Media Studies; Sienna Sanders, Geography — McMurray Cup; Nevaeh Scott, Economics — Sherwin Family Award; Sienna Sutton, Sports Science — Keith Bain Cup; Rebekah Ward, Mathematics; Reed Waugh, Drama, Senior Council Cup for the Humanities; Fiona Xu, Mathematics with Calculus — George Waring Cup.
