News From Saint Kentigern College

There were a couple of extra challenges for the 55 Saint Kentigern students taking part in this year’s North Island Schools’ Cycling Championships, and the new course and new format in Cambridge was just one of them. The second challenge was the strong gusty winds and showers on Saturday for the Team Time Trial, although conditions improved during the day for the Road Race in the afternoon.

Weather challenges aside, Saint Kentigern was represented in all categories and gained podium finishes in almost all events, including the very competitive Team Time Trial which had their Year 7  and 8  Boys gaining a Silver medal, the U16 Boys a Bronze, U20 Boys a Silver and the U16 Girls a Bronze. In the Road Race, Emma Hannan, U13 and Madeleine Park, U17 both gained Bronze. In the U14 Boys, Callum Walsh won Gold and Dylan McCullough a Bronze.

On Sunday at St Peter’s College in calm and sunny conditions the Criterion again had Saint Kentigern College riders feature. Callum Walsh gained a Silver and Dylan McCullough a Bronze in the U14 Boys. Sam Dakin also won a hard fought battle to get a Bronze in the U20 category. In the U17 Girls Madeleine Park won her race, but due to an official’s error the race was subsequently nullified but this could not take away from the feeling of a job well done.

The Saint Kentigern Middle School girls were honoured to host the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award winner 2014, Sarah Robb-O'Hagan who is one of New Zealand's most successful women in business, and who is also making an impact on the global stage. Now based in New York, the inspirational Kiwi was back on New Zealand soil last week and paid a visit to the girls from the College Middle School to spark and ignite some of their own journeys in leadership.

Coinciding with the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Week from June 27-July 4, Sarah’s presentation to the Year 7 to 10  girls in the College Chapel was part of the Sir Peter Blake Trust’s ‘Live Leadership’ series in association with Telecom. It was broadcast live via Facebook, so that school students around New Zealand could also watch, listen and send questions for Sarah to answer.

Sarah believes that being a pioneer in women’s rights has set the tone for the incredible environment New Zealand has continued to be for young women, engendering the culture that the girls, our next generation of leaders, are growing up in today.  She stressed that it is so important as young New Zealanders that this trend is continued because it is young people’s desire to explore the world and bring back new insights and ideas that will continue to make New Zealand the fantastic little economy that it is.

The girls were able to relate to Sarah’s experiences of growing up in New Zealand, and enjoyed hearing how she embraced and overcame the challenges that came along her way. The College’s own recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Young Leader Award, Year 8  student, Samantha Watson, concluded the afternoon’s forum thanking Sarah on behalf of the College and presented her with a token of their appreciation.

saintkentigern.com