Selwyn College, Auckland
Encyclopedia
Selwyn College is a co-educational public secondary school in the Eastern Suburbs of Auckland, New Zealand.
Selwyn offers the NCEA
qualification, and a Certificate in Performing Arts. Selwyn College regularly achieves good results in NZQA Scholarship exams in a wide range of subjects.
The college has an annual full-school term one musicals, and other theatrical productions throughout the year. Selwyn has one of the largest theaters in a New Zealand public school. Selwyn also holds an annual multicultural show, featuring performances from the many ethnic and cultural groups represented in the school's community.
Selwyn College is home to the ASB Stadium where numerous local, national and international sporting events are held.
The school made extensive renovations in 2009 including the entire campus being repainted, new uniform and a reconstruction of the technology block which took place over the 2009-2010 summer holidays.
Selwyn College has one of the largest community education centres in New Zealand, offering opportunities for lifelong learning to members of the community who wish to undertake adult study of academic, language-based, technical and recreational courses.
Selwyn has featured in the media as the school that educated the refugees who arrived in New Zealand following the Tampa affair
in 2001.
As a multi-cultural school in the eastern suburbs area, Selwyn values its historic connections with Ngati Whatua
o Orakei.
Selwyn recognises the globally interconnected nature of the world we live in and regularly arranges for its top students to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference.
Prior to the appointment of Sheryll Ofner as principal in 2008, Selwyn College experienced a tumultuous few years as some local residents and the local MP Allan Peachey criticised the school for its falling roll and alleged academic and disciplinary failures. Other members of the school community, parents, teachers and students fiercely defended the school in the face of what they saw as unfair criticisms. Peachey was forced to apologise publicly for sending an offensive email to the then co-principal, Carol White ONZM. The Government dissolved Selwyn's Board of Trustees and replaced it with a commissioner on 20 January 2009, due to longstanding differences between board members and some members of the local community. Some level of stability has been restored to the school in later 2009 as the new administration has consolidated itself. A new uniform has been introduced to help 'rebrand' the school. Academic results, while never as bad as the school's critics made out, have noticeably improved since 2008, with a Selwyn year 12 pupil topping New Zealand in one of the 2009 Cambridge International AS Level Examinations.
Selwyn usually enters school teams in annual school performance competitions including Bring It On, the Big Sing, and the SmokefreeRockQuest.
In 2002, Selwyn College hosted the filming of a popular TV3
television documentary series called School Rules which followed the lives of several Selwyn students.
Notable alumni include New Zealand musicians Liam Finn
and Kirsten Morrell (Goldenhorse
), noted landscape designer Xanthe White, TV personality Jacqui Brown, actor Danielle Cormack
, author Charlotte Grimshaw
, and MP Dr Jackie Blue
.
Selwyn offers the NCEA
National Certificate of Educational Achievement
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement is, since 2004, the official secondary school qualification in New Zealand.It has three levels, corresponding to the levels within the National Qualifications Framework, and these are generally studied in each of the three final years of...
qualification, and a Certificate in Performing Arts. Selwyn College regularly achieves good results in NZQA Scholarship exams in a wide range of subjects.
History
Selwyn College was built in the 1950s to service Auckland's rapidly growing suburban sprawl and newly developed areas like Meadowbank-St. Johns and Kohimarama-Orakei. Selwyn now draws its students from a wider catchment area, and many families who live close to the school prefer to send their children to private schools instead. Selwyn has no specified zone, so students from anywhere in Auckland are able to enrol.The college has an annual full-school term one musicals, and other theatrical productions throughout the year. Selwyn has one of the largest theaters in a New Zealand public school. Selwyn also holds an annual multicultural show, featuring performances from the many ethnic and cultural groups represented in the school's community.
Selwyn College is home to the ASB Stadium where numerous local, national and international sporting events are held.
The school made extensive renovations in 2009 including the entire campus being repainted, new uniform and a reconstruction of the technology block which took place over the 2009-2010 summer holidays.
Selwyn College has one of the largest community education centres in New Zealand, offering opportunities for lifelong learning to members of the community who wish to undertake adult study of academic, language-based, technical and recreational courses.
Selwyn has featured in the media as the school that educated the refugees who arrived in New Zealand following the Tampa affair
Tampa affair
In August 2001, the Howard Government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 438 rescued Afghans from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters, to enter Australian waters...
in 2001.
As a multi-cultural school in the eastern suburbs area, Selwyn values its historic connections with Ngati Whatua
Ngati Whatua
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....
o Orakei.
Selwyn recognises the globally interconnected nature of the world we live in and regularly arranges for its top students to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference.
Prior to the appointment of Sheryll Ofner as principal in 2008, Selwyn College experienced a tumultuous few years as some local residents and the local MP Allan Peachey criticised the school for its falling roll and alleged academic and disciplinary failures. Other members of the school community, parents, teachers and students fiercely defended the school in the face of what they saw as unfair criticisms. Peachey was forced to apologise publicly for sending an offensive email to the then co-principal, Carol White ONZM. The Government dissolved Selwyn's Board of Trustees and replaced it with a commissioner on 20 January 2009, due to longstanding differences between board members and some members of the local community. Some level of stability has been restored to the school in later 2009 as the new administration has consolidated itself. A new uniform has been introduced to help 'rebrand' the school. Academic results, while never as bad as the school's critics made out, have noticeably improved since 2008, with a Selwyn year 12 pupil topping New Zealand in one of the 2009 Cambridge International AS Level Examinations.
Selwyn usually enters school teams in annual school performance competitions including Bring It On, the Big Sing, and the SmokefreeRockQuest.
In 2002, Selwyn College hosted the filming of a popular TV3
TV3 (New Zealand)
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
television documentary series called School Rules which followed the lives of several Selwyn students.
Notable alumni include New Zealand musicians Liam Finn
Liam Finn
Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Born in Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child...
and Kirsten Morrell (Goldenhorse
Goldenhorse
-Studio albums:-Singles:-Charity singles:-External links:*...
), noted landscape designer Xanthe White, TV personality Jacqui Brown, actor Danielle Cormack
Danielle Cormack
Danielle Cormack is a stage and screen actress from New Zealand. She was one of the original core cast of the long-running soap opera Shortland Street, though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, Cynthia Ross in The Cult, and Shota in...
, author Charlotte Grimshaw
Charlotte Grimshaw
-Career:Grimshaw's first book, Provocation , drew on her experience as a criminal lawyer.Her second book, Guilt , followed the lives of four characters in Auckland in 1987....
, and MP Dr Jackie Blue
Jackie Blue
Dr Jackie Blue MP is a New Zealand politician and member of Parliament for the National Party.-Personal life:Blue was born in 1956. She attended Selwyn College in Auckland, and then went on to gain a BSc from the University of Auckland in 1976 and MB ChB from Auckland Medical School in 1983...
.