Westlake Boys High School
Westlake Boys High School is a state secondary school for boys located in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into Westlake Girls High School on the existing site and Westlake Boys High School on a new site.[3] Serving Years 9 to 13, the college has 2450 students as of November 2022.[1]
| Westlake Boys High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Coordinates | 36°46′36.04″S 174°44′57.98″E / 36.7766778°S 174.7494389°ECoordinates: 36°46′36.04″S 174°44′57.98″E / 36.7766778°S 174.7494389°E |
| Information | |
| Type | State single-sex boys secondary (Year 9–13) |
| Motto | Virtute Experiamur Let Courage Be Thy Test |
| Established | 1962 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 37 |
| Headmaster | David Ferguson |
| School roll | 2450[1] (November 2022) |
| Houses | Hood Murchison Pupuke Smale Stanley Ururoto |
| Colour(s) | Green Red |
| Socio-economic decile | 9Q[2] |
| Website | www |
Westlake Boys considers itself to follow a 'traditional but progressive' model similar to that in operation at Auckland Grammar School.[4][better source needed]
Westlake Boys now features recently constructed facilities, including a new administration block, student services centre, and large auditorium capable of holding all of the school's students and staff simultaneously.
Westlake Boys Deputy headmaster David Ferguson took on the role of Headmaster of Westlake Boys High School, taking over from Craig Monaghan, a former Commonwealth Games Judo representative and referee.[5]
Westlake Boys introduced a house system at the end of 2007 where each individual belongs to one of six houses: Pupuke, Ururoto, Hood, Smale, Murchison and Stanley.[6]
Westlake Boys and Girls
Physically a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in a joint annual theatrical production, participate in several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto – "Virtute Experiamur" – "Let Courage Be Thy Test" in Latin.
Academic pathways
Westlake Boys High School uses the National Certificate of Educational Achievement to assess students. Until 2019, it also offered Cambridge Assessment International Education as an option, but this was phased out from 2016.[7][8]
Sporting
Westlake Boys High School has built a tradition of sporting achievement throughout Auckland and New Zealand.[9] The school's teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships. In 2008/09, Westlake came second in both the Gillette and Maadi Cups in 2009, in both cases, losing to Hamilton Boys'.[citation needed]
Music and performing arts
The teaching of Performing Arts within the school is assisted by the newly constructed auditorium and administration complex. The educational music programme covers performance, composition, analysis, history and aural skills. Along with the option of taking music as a subject, there is also a compulsory Year 9 course, focusing on the appreciation of music and drama in everyday life through theoretical and practical exercises, which runs for multiple weeks throughout the year.[10]
The school has a number of performing groups: a choir ('Voicemale'), a Barbershop Chorus ('Virtutti'), a Concert Band, Stage Band, and Junior Symphonic band. Orchestral groups include the Westlake Symphony, Chamber Orchestra the junior Taharoto Orchestra and the boys' string groups Conchordia and Camerata. The performing groups regularly win awards at the annual KBB Music Festival (formerly the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival or 'ASSBOF'). Some groups, such as the Choralation Choir, which won the platinum award at the Big Sing Finale in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are combined with Westlake Girls High School.[11]
The school also holds (mostly annual) drama productions. Recent productions have included Oliver!, Guys & Dolls, School of Rock, Wind in the Willows, Once on Chunuk Bair, Footloose, Romeo and Juliet, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Little Shop of Horrors, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Government Inspector.
Houses
The houses of Westlake Boys are:[6]
| House | Represents | Colours | Named after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hood | Academia | ■ | Maroon | John Hood. Hood is a vice chancellor of Oxford University. |
| Murchison | Leadership | White | Peter Murchison. It is named after Peter Murchison for his 11 years' loyal service in Westlake Boys High School. He has since gone into retirement. | |
| Pupuke | Landmark | Blue | Lake Pupuke. The school is at the west of Lake Pupuke. | |
| Smale | Enterprise | Green | Bill Smale. Smale is a successful property developer, local entrepreneur, and is an owner and director of Smales Farm Technology Office Park Next to Westlake Girls High School. | |
| Stanley | Sport | Red | Mike Stanley. Stanley is a two time rowing world champion in 1982 and 1983. He was also the head rowing coach for the schools rowing squad. | |
| Ururoto | Culture | Black | A verbatim Māori translation of Westlake. (uru = west, roto = lake). | |
Notable alumni
- Charles R. Alcock – astronomer, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Politics
- John Watson – Auckland Councillor, former local board member and former Head Boy.[12]
The Arts
- Martin Henderson – film, TV and theatre actor
- Don McGlashan – musician, The Mutton Birds and Blam Blam Blam
- Tim Mahon and Mark Bell – founding members of Blam Blam Blam
Business
- A. J. Hackett – popularised bungee jumping
- John Hood – Rhodes Scholar, former CEO of Fletcher Challenge, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland and of Oxford University
Journalism
- Duncan Garner – television journalist
Environment
Sport
Basketball
- Thomas Abercrombie
- Jarrod Kenny
- Kirk Penney
- Corey Webster
- Tai Webster
- Robert Loe
- Jack Salt
- Yanni Wetzell
Cricket
- Andre Adams – former Black Cap
- Billy Bowden – ICC cricket umpire
- Paul Hitchcock – former Black Cap
- Justin Vaughan – former Black Cap, CEO New Zealand Cricket
- Lou Vincent – former Black Cap (National Cricket Team)
- Willie Watson – former NZ cricketer
Football
- Neil Jones – former All White
- Tommy Smith – footballer, All Whites
- Robert Ironside – former captain All White
Rowing
- Barrie Mabbott – Olympic Bronze medallist rower
- Mike Stanley – 1984 Olympic rower[13]
- Eric Verdonk – Olympic Bronze medallist rower
- Andy Hay – 1984 Olympic coxswain
- Michael Brake - 2021 Olympic Gold medallist
Rugby League
- Frano Botica – former All Black and Kiwi
- Taniela Tuiaki - former Kiwi and West Tigers
Rugby union
- Nick Evans – former All Black
- Mike Harris – current Wallaby
- Luke McAlister – former All Black
- Dillon Hunt – current All Black
- Ron Williams – former All Black[citation needed]
- Wayne Pivac – current Wales national rugby union team coach
Sailing
- Tom Ashley – Olympic Gold medalist board sailor
- Dean Barker – a skipper of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics
- Hamish Pepper – Navigator of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup 2003 as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics in 1996, 2004, 2008 & 2012
- Chris Dickson – former helmsman of BMW Oracle Racing and had participated in Louis Vuitton Cup
Shooting
- Malcolm Cooper – double Olympic Gold Medallist and founder of weapons manufacturing company Accuracy International, makers of the Arctic Warfare Magnum rifle
References
- ^ a b "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ Sparks, Zizi (17 February 2017). "Former Westlake High School students celebrate 60-year reunion". North Shore Times.
- ^ "Westlake Boys High School | Virtute Experiamur". Westlake.school.nz. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b "House System". Westlake. Westlake Boys High School. 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ . www.westlake.school.nz. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Nicoll, Andrew. "Westlake Boys High School 2019 Board of Trustees Annual Report" (PDF). Westlake Boys High School.
- ^ [2] 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Arts | Westlake Boys High School". www.westlake.school.nz. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ [3] 23 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ . Putting People First. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ . Westlake Boys High School. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.