Page 116 - Southwell School Year Book 2018

BOARDING HOUSE
2018 could be considered a year of consolidation in boarding after 2017 had been a year of considerable change. There was very little staff turnover as Miss Leanne McKay assumed the position of House Mother at the beginning of the year, together with the usual change-over of tutors as we welcomed Mr Ted Somers-Walters from Zimbabwe and Miss Paula Currie from South Africa.
The changes to routines and structures introduced in 2017 were developed and ne-tuned as the staff continued to make the boarding experience as pleasant and enjoyable as possible for the students in our care.
Every year in this report we make comment about the fact that successful boarding experiences are the result a combined effort on the part of the boarders themselves, the Boarding House Staff, as well as parents and caregivers. It would be an omission not to reiterate this sentiment in this year’s article and thus, we once again say thank you to all the parents whose support has made the life and work of the Boarding House Staff much easier than might otherwise be the case.
This year, as usual, boarders were involved
in a wide range of the activities which
take place in the school. This has included sporting, cultural and service activities. There have been a number of boarders who have been members of senior sports teams and Waikato Representative teams, who have participated in the Opera, in J-Rock, Theatre Sports, and the various music groups, such as the choirs and the instrumental groups, and who have served a variety of monitors’ roles such as Road Patrol Monitors, Old Boys’ Garden Monitors and Flag Monitors.
Our Head Boarders for the year were
Emma Clapcott and Angus Reeves. They were assisted by Maia Rhys-Davies, Alice Robinson, Mahina Yates, Jono Nelson, Magnus Nelson, Fred Phillips, Harry Ward and Charlie Watson as Squad Leaders.
We thank these boys and girls for their leadership and support throughout the year.
As 2018 draws to a close we are sad to bid farewell to the following boarders:
Catherine Curry, Ngapuhi Kraus, Charlotte Mackenzie, Kalib Hunt and Kevin Kim, all of whom have been with us for a year or less, Issy Ward, who has been a boarder for almost two years, and Emma Clapcott, Emma Ramsey, Maia Rhys-Davies, Mahina Yates, Oscar Draper-Kidd, Matthew McKinley,
Jono and Magnus Nelson, Fred Phillips,
Atth Promphan, Angus Reeves, Pete Reungrongrat, Brendon Tsoi, Harry Ward and Charlie Watson, who have been with us for two years.
We are also saying goodbye to some boarders who have been at Southwell for three years or more. Hannah Boswell and Reipae Dunn started in Year 5 and Olivia Hayward and Alice Robinson joined us in Year 6.
Sadly, 2018 marks the end of the current generation of the Reeves family attending Southwell. Angus is the third and last of the current generation to have boarded here. Eldest daughter, Sophie, boarded in 2013 and 2014, followed by George in 2015 and 2016 and by Angus in 2017 and 2018.
Their father, Alistair, boarded in 1982 and 1983. While we doubt that we will be around to witness it rst-hand, we sincerely hope that the next generation of the family will continue the tradition of attending Southwell.
We would like to acknowledge the dedicated and hard-working Boarding House Staff
for their commitment to caring for, and the
nurturing of our boarders. Our thanks go
to our Assistant House Masters, Mrs Janine Speedy, Mr Jack Arnall, Ms Diane Hazlett,
Mr Matty Cole, Mr Johannes Botha and Mr Damian Mills. We thank Miss Leanne McKay for her input in the rst half of the year through her position as House Mum and Miss Jenn Douglas, who served the Boarding House as our Weekend House Mum initially and who is now the House Mum during the week. We are grateful to both of these ladies for taking care of the medical and emotional needs of the children.
Our gratitude extends to Mrs Susanne Parsons for tackling the huge laundry job which the Boarding House represents and
to Ms Kymba Ryder for her tireless tidying and cleaning of the Boarding House - not to mention the placing of little vases of roses on the House Masters’ desks to cheer their spirits! To Mrs Julie Guzman-Ron we also say many thanks for supporting us in so many ways behind the scenes.
Ms Sheryl Thomas’ invaluable medical care and advice, together with a fair dose of pastoral care, makes her an indispensable member of the Boarding House community.
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Southwell School Yearbook 2018