Meet five of New Zealand's most outstanding Shakespearean comic actors! Our Avondale College Drama students - Sajal Taneja, Leo Taylor (Year 11), Kate Perfect, (Year 12), Hunter Easterbrook and Grace Elijas (Year 13) - received the Outstanding Presentation from a Comedy Award at the Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ's (SGCNZ) University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival which was held in Wellington during Queen's Birthday Weekend; with Grace also receiving the festival's Outstanding Individual Comic Role Award! Around 50 school groups, who had been selected from regional heats, gathered at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington for the festival, where they participated in acting workshops, performed their five and 15 minute scenes, and enjoyed presentations from SGCNZ alumni before the final awards ceremony on Sunday evening. Our students performed their very funny Married at First Sight-themed 15 minute scene from A Mid-Summer Night's Dream, which saw the confused lovers stage-managed by a headset-wearing Puck... The comedy was very physical, with mock fight scenes, lots of chasing, and even a quick ad break before the final MAFS 'red couch' scene where all four elected to... 'STAY'! In addition to being inspired by the creativity of the other performances, our students also enjoyed an evening at the theatre where they saw Indian Ink's production of Paradise, or the Impermanence of Ice Cream. They also managed a quick trip to Te Papa and explored some of the iconic sites of central Wellington, such as Parliament and the waterfront. Next up on the SGCNZ calendar will be the National Shakespeare Schools Production in Wellington in September, for which Abigail Meads in Year 13, has been selected.

Homeroom quizzes, departmental displays, cultural crafts, library displays and a lunchtime concert were just a few of the activities that students were able to participate in as Avondale College celebrated Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoan Language Week last week! "It was great to see the whole school get involved - from the teachers to the students. Also, it was great to see the Samoan student community come together as a whole," said Pasifika Lead Engagement Teacher, Ms Guinevere Alai. Faafetai to all who took part!

On Saturday two of our Jazz Combos had the fantastic opportunity to perform at the Whau Youthfest for the local community. It was an overall awesome atmosphere with the event providing free food for the public and featuring stalls from local small businesses. It was really cool to see what bands from other local high schools have been up to and support each other. We had a great time as well as getting in some valuable practice for the upcoming Wellington Jazz Festival that we will be competing in next week! Anna Neumann, Year 13

Our Year 9 students were treated to a special performance by the Performing Arts Academy's Dance students at their year level assembly this morning. The group presented one of four dance sequences taught over a period of five Academy sessions. "We were very lucky to have a Level 3 Dance student come in and teach us a dance under the genre of Jazz. Our Year 9 Dance Academy consists of 13 students, we meet five times a week during the 10-day cycle at 7:45am. We spend at least 40 minutes in Dance Academy learning new genres/styles of Dance that includes technique, performance practices and choreographic processes. We also learn how to collaborate with our peers, create and extend our perspective on Dance and finally we are given the opportunity to develop our confidence." - Ginni Arya (Year 9) If you are in Year 9 or 10 and would like to join the Avondale College Dance Academy, please see Miss Schmidt in C13 or Mr Robinson in the Music Department.

A special exhibition gallery popped up in the Atrium this week, featuring the work of Year 13 Photography students. The exhibition is the outcome of an assessment which requires students to produce an artwork that demonstrates purposeful control of skills appropriate to a cultural context. The students have explored portraiture and its role in social critique – turning the lens on cultures we are familiar with, and want to challenge or celebrate. "Part of the investigation involved understanding the ‘cultural context’ of a gallery exhibition – a context many students have had no experience of," says teacher of Photography, Ms Sophie McMillan. "This meant making work that could be produced at a scale students are not always familiar with, and understanding how an ‘audience’ affects what we make, and how we think about it." The exhibition will run until Friday.

Parents and students in Year 10 are warmly invited to attend our NCEA & CAIE Information Evening on Tuesday 1 June. It's an opportunity to find out more about the two qualification pathways offered at Avondale College in Years 11 to 13. Tues 1 June 6:30pm Avondale College Theatre While this evening is primarily for Year 10 parents/caregivers and their children, Year 9 families are welcome to attend.

Don't miss out on the grand final of the Avondale College Talent Quest! Featuring the best of the best of Avcol talent, it's a night not to be missed! Tickets are available by pre-sale: $5 students/children $10 adults - get yours today from the College Shop or Avcol Cashier!

The best of the best of Avcol's performing arts shone on stage on Thursday evening, as part of 'Kaleidoscope', our inaugural performance collaboration between Avondale College's Music, Drama and Dance departments. The evening featured award-winning items from the Avondale College Big Band and the Avondale Quartet (winners of a Gold Award and the Best Combo Award at the National Schools Jazz Competition in Tauranga) and stunning performances from our Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Gospel Choir and Junior Contemporary Band. The Drama Department showcased the three pieces that won recognition at the recent SGCNZ West Auckand Shakespeare competition. Molly Tate and Abigail Meads (who won Best Student Director and direct entry to the National Shakespeare performance in October) performed a scene from Shakespeare's Richard III; the Performing Arts Academy performed their piece from A Midsummer Night's Dream which won 'Most Original Concept', and our senior Drama students performed their Married at First Sight themed compilation from A Midsummers Night's Dream which won the 'Best 15 Minute scene' award at the West Auckland Regional competition along with entry to the upcoming National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington. The Dance department featured several pieces by senior students, as well as a high-energy performance from the co-curricular Mega Schools Dance Crew, which came fourth in the recent Mega Schools competition, and also won the 'Most Promising' award. It was a fantastic evening celebrating Avondale College's outstanding performing arts students, and we are looking forward to more performance events this term!

Avondale College has received $500 from the Sir George Elliot Charitable Trust to spend on library books as part of the scholarship that was awarded to Tristan Mona (Year 13 in 2020). Tristan was a Student Librarian in Years 9-12 and was a Library Team Leader during his final year in 2020. "Books were selected for the library's Pacific Collection, in recognition of Tristan's contribution to the library," said Library Manager, Mrs Elizabeth Atkinson. They will be on the shelves and available to borrow in the next few days.

Without doubt, one of the sporting highlights of the week took place on Wednesday afternoon, with a friendly match between our U70kg rugby boys and Mt Richmond Special School. The game got underway, and it was clear after a very short time, that Mt Richmond had brought along a few of their rugby rock stars! The sideline cheering and the huge amount of support from other students, staff members and families was keenly felt and created a unique atmosphere. Our 1st and 2nd XV rugby boys had been training nearby and in the second half came over to provide more vocal support to the teams in play. The match was a celebration of the joy of sport, and we are thankful for the opportunity to have played this awesome team!

Avcol band 'Toby and the Rest' have released their first album, titled 'Next' on Spotify! The band, made up of current students Toby Barrett, Tyler Diprose and Lucas Kewell, along with alumnus Max Barrett, recorded the album last year, and after a long wait, it is now available for download on Spotify! Check out the band's Facebook page here, and listen to their six-track album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4IRiaWjCwyO9MFMWtQ71mY?si=utNUMwBZQz6zPXG5qsU4ZQ&fbclid=IwAR0ScYZPHmOmW4nR7BrkkdQPIz8lYf306pGnMRyEJlhw9BeJDOxzDaORSIQ&nd=1

This year the Careers Department invited 17 local construction and automotive trades employers, the armed forces trade recruiters, the UNITEC Trades Faculty, and a couple of key construction ITO's, to speak to senior students who are thinking about trades apprenticeships in the construction and automotive industries. This was a new Careers Department initiative, focused on connecting employers to students and highlighting trades pathways. It focused on encouraging students to: EXPLORE different career pathways and options CONNECT to real employers and the world of work, and understand the skills they’ll need The event took place in the PAC on Monday. Small groups of students rotated around various speakers to find out about opportunities in different trades and what was expected of apprentices. Students in Avondale College's Carpentry, Mechanical Engineering and Automotive classes were rostered into the talks, along with any other students in Years 12 and 13 who had signed up to attend. We are incredibly thankful to the wonderful speakers, mainly local employers, who took valuable time out of their working day to come and inspire and inform our students about their specific trades. Mrs J Birkhead, Director of Careers