Academic

Ethan Roentgen and Brianna Chow

Academic Prefects 2020

Message from the Academic Prefects

As the Academic Prefects for 2020, we are responsible for fostering academic achievement and supporting students in such an endeavor. This is done, in part, by organising, planning and running academic events and initiatives throughout the school year. This year, we aim to build upon the work of those who came before us, implementing initiatives and events previously run, improving upon previous initiatives and events and introducing new initiatives and events, where we see there is potential for a positive impact on the academics of Horowhenua College.

The Year So Far

Spelling Bee

The 2020 Horowhenua College Spelling Bee saw the students of our college compete in a two round phase, in order to determine the best spellers in our school. This year, Gavin Sue was the winner of the Junior Spelling Bee and Isaac Bishop and Oliver Bau were the joint winners of the Senior Spelling Bee. The final round lists for both the Junior and Senior groups are attached below, for you learning pleasure.

Lockdown Quizzes

During the COVID-19 issues which permeated the globe, our school suspended 'in school learning' for a period of time. While this unique experience offered it's own challenges, it also offered new possibilities. One such opportunity that arose from this was the ability to extend our learning beyond the secondary school curriculum. Each school day, over the majority of this time at home, quizzes were shared with the staff and students at Horowhenua College. Canteen voucher prizes were made available for the winners and this experience allowed for staff and students to connect while physically distanced. Attached below is the entire catalogue of quizzes which were produced and shared over the COVID-19 lockdown. Feel free to test yourself and others; we hope it can offer new and interesting facts for you to enjoy.

Below is a list of the past quizzes so feel free to do them for a bit of fun if you missed them during lockdown.

The Chase

This year saw the debut of a new academic interhouse competition. Based on the popular television series 'The Chase', this competetion saw junior and senior teams from each house respectively compete against teachers for duels to determine general knowledge supremacy. The results from the event are listed below:

Junior Results

  • 1st Place: Kowhai

  • 2nd Place: Ngaio

  • 3rd Place: Hinau

  • 4th Place: Rata

Senior Results

  • 1st Place: Rata

  • 2nd Place: Ngaio

  • 3rd Place: Kowhai

  • 4th Place: Hinau

This event provided an enjoyable experience for spectator and competitor alike, and would not have been made possible without the assistance and collaboration of (to name a few): Mr Stachurski, Ms Brungar, The Academic Committee, Competitors, Spectators and those who gave time where possible to help in a myriad of ways.