ARGYLE HOUSE
Hamilton Boys' High School - Term 3, Edition 2, Sept. 2021
Joseph Lorimer (Year 12, Prefect) Wins Music Songwriting Award
Joseph Lorimer (Year 12, and Argyle Prefect), reports on his prize-winning effort in the Lion Foundation "Play it Strange" Songwriting competition:
This competition is open to all secondary students around New Zealand. Hundreds of songs were submitted and judged 50% on lyrics and 50% on the music. I made it into the top 50 finalists (not first but no placings were given) and received a $50 Rockshop voucher along with a signed certificate and personal advice on how to improve my song from Mike Chunn (a member of legendary New Zealand rock band Split Enz). I also won a professional recording studio session to the value of $750 (plus GST).
All songs are mastered for the annual "Play It Strange" album for free downloading and/or streaming (Spotify).
This is a remarkable achievement from a very talented musician. We are all very proud of Joseph's achievement.
Alert Level 2, Prefects & Senior Leader applications, Grove applications, William MacErlich Trophy & Term 4 formal occasions
Kia ora koutou
Argyle and Grove will close for the school holidays from 5.30pm Friday 1st October and will re-open on Sunday 17th October from 5.30pm. All boys are expected to have returned by 7.30pm on Sunday evening or 8.00am on Monday morning 18th October, so please ensure you have recorded on Orah (Boardingware) the correct return day and time. This is a health & safety issue, particularly for those senior boarders who drive a vehicle back to the Hostel. Thank you. The first day of school is Monday 18th October.
Alert Level 2
I want to thank all parents, caregivers and students of Argyle House for the way in which you have all supported the Hostel staff with the many restrictions and changes that were created as part of the Argyle House Safety Management Plan under Alert Level 2 to keep everyone safe. The boys just got on with the modified routines and systems and for that I am very proud of them, especially when it came to the restrictions on their leave.
Senior exams and Study leave
The boys that remained on-site during the eight school days of senior exams, studied conscientiously upstairs in the Hostel Prep Room, under staff supervision, for 2½ hours in the morning each weekday. I am sure their exam results will reflect the effort they all put in.
Senior Subject Reports
Reports are currently being prepared by all subject teachers. They will be available for Parents/Caregivers to access from Friday 8th October, on the Hamilton Boys' High School portal.
Co-curricular Activities Term 4
With the winter sports season almost over, it is important that your son continues to be engaged in an organised sporting, cultural or club activity 1-2 times a week after school. The boys can turn to the back of their Student Diary to select from the many co-curricular activities on offer at Hamilton Boys' High School if they are unsure how they will fill their time in an organised activity for the duration of Term 4.
William MacErlich Trophy
The William MacErlich Trophy rugby game between the Day Boys 1st XV and the Hostel 1st XV takes place at 11.15m on Thursday 30th September on the front rugby field. Unfortunately, no spectators are allowed on-site.
Term 4 Events
The boys and staff are looking forward to Term 4, with many exciting events, both formal and informal, scheduled to take place. I have listed the important school and Hostel dates for this term below.
The Argyle Leavers' Dinner takes place on Friday 29th October and the Argyle Prizegiving is on Sunday 31st October, which is a compulsory evening which all boarders are required to attend.
Matthew Allen Cup competition
The Senior Leaders, Prefects and Junior House Leaders are doing a tremendous job leading the boys and running the Matthew Allen Cup events that precede the school House competitions. The Matthew Allen Cup competition between Bennett and Sutherland continues to be very close. Keran van Staden's Sutherland House leads the competition by 2 points after losing the Dodgeball event on Monday evening to George Reeves's Bennett House. Sutherland leads 15 - 13, with Argyle's Got Talent and Singing still to come.
School House Competition
Argyle House is currently placed 1st overall in the House Competition after 13 events, only 1½ points ahead of Tait House, with 2 events still to complete. Argyle House has drawn 'Flower of Scotland' to sing next term, an event that will determine the champion House for 2021.
Set Leave
Labour Weekend is scheduled to occur over the first weekend back next term. The hostel will close from 5.30pm on Friday 22nd October and re-open on Monday 25th October from 5.30pm.
Enjoy the school holiday period with your son. We look forward to all boys returning, especially our boys who have been locked down in Auckland. I'm sure they will all return refreshed, well-groomed and ready to see out the final term at Argyle House and Hamilton Boys' High School.
Please feel free to contact me at any time should you have a concern or want to discuss any matters relating to boarding life.
Ngā mihi,
Murray McKenzie
Head of Boarding
021 516 477
New Boarder - Dev Vansia (Year 9)
Senior Exams have concluded
All students that remained on-site during the study leave period worked conscientiously in the hostel prep room for the two staff-supervised study sessions each morning. I'm sure their results will reflect the time they put in.
Henry Seavill (Year 10), Speech finalist
Judges Mrs Dobbyn and Mr Emery agreed that the high calibre of the speeches made judging very difficult, but in the end, there can be only one. The three runners up were Deacon Brill, who questioned the merits of skateboarding and surfing as Olympic sports, Matthew Nicol, who argued that capital punishment is well past its use-by date, and Henry Seavill (Argyle House), who championed the benefits of recreational fishing.
In the end it was the audience reaction that tipped the winner over the line, and that was Liam Weston who spoke on football refereeing. Congratulations once again to Liam, and to all of the Year 10 students on their efforts. Well done Henry!!
Argyle House Wins the House Service Competition, with 2924 Hours Logged
Argyle House logged 2924 hours over this period, 216 hours clear of Baigent House. This is a remarkable feat once again, thanks to the persistent drive by Argyle House Head Prefect, Thomas Hayward, who is also chairperson of the prefects' service committee.
A big thanks must go to our Senior Leaders and Prefects for ensuring all hours served were logged with Assistant Master, Ms Wendy Moffitt, to then go through to be logged with the Hamilton BHS Service Committee.
See below for the official results.
House Competition Update: Argyle 1st Place Overall
Covid has interrupted this fiercely contested school-wide competition twice this year. With 2 events remaining, the 2021 house competition is far from over.
Remaining events Term 4:
Indoor Football
Singing
See below for an update of results.
Argyle Year 13 Leavers' Dinner: Friday 29th October
The Year 13 boarders will have mixed emotions as they approach their final few weeks in an establishment that has been a big part of their lives over 5 years for many boys. With that in mind, our Head Prefect, Thomas Hayward and Deputy Head Prefects, Ethan Barton and Sam Boros are busy preparing for the Argyle Leavers’ Dinner on Friday 29th October here in the Argyle Dining Room, commencing 6.00pm, with pre-dinner refreshments from 5.30pm.
Invitations for this formal dinner have been emailed out to all Year 13 families on Friday 17th September, allowing each Year 13 student to invite up to four members of their immediate family to attend. Please remember to RSVP by Wednesday 20th October, by emailing or phoning Mrs McLaughlin at kmclaughlin@hbhs.school.nz or 07-8530437, with your confirmed numbers. Thanks to our Top 3 Year 13 Prefects, Thomas Hayward, Ethan Barton and Sam Boros for designing the invitation.
Argyle Prizegiving: Sunday 31st October
All boys are required to attend this compulsory formal occasion in their number 1s, where we celebrate as a parent, boarder and staff group the many successes and achievements of 2021 for what has been another excellent year within Argyle House, despite the two Covid interruptions.
Please feel free to bring as many family members as you wish, as there will be no shortage of seats in the hall.
The Prizegiving will be preceded by a Parents’ meeting upstairs in the hostel prep room at 5.00pm run by Hostel Committee representatives, followed by a buffet dinner for all families, staff and boys in the dining room from 5.30pm.
New Boarders' Orientation Day: Thursday 18th November
The New Boarders' Orientation Day is now scheduled for Thursday 18th November, the same day as the Year 8 testing, for all those students coming in to Hamilton BHS in 2022.
Part of this day will require hostel families enrolled for 2022 to come across to Argyle House to finalise all arrangements i.e. issuing of laundry numbers, labelling, Argyle Manual, security/keys, as well as many administrative matters e.g. fees payment methods.
Prefect & Senior Leader 2022 Applications & Interviews
Applications for the fourteen Years 12 & 13 Senior Leader and Prefect positions will close on Friday 22nd October.
Please find attached the application form for your son to download should he wish to complete his application during the holiday period.
In Year 13, there are 6 positions to apply for:
1. Head Prefect
2 & 3. Deputy Head Prefect
4. Head of Grove
5. Head of Bennett House
6. Head of Sutherland House
In Year 12, there are 8 Prefect positions to apply for.
Formal interviews will take place in week 2 term 4 with Matua Graham (Senior Master), Mr Teokotai-White (Senior Master 2022) and Mr McKenzie (Head of Boarding).
Grove applications 2022
Grove House offers selected Year 13 students a transitional-type living arrangement in their final year of secondary school boarding. It endeavours to foster independence and an increased sense of self-responsibility, whilst maintaining a strong focus on academic and co-curricular achievement.
Selecting students who are a ‘good fit’ for an independent environment is critical to the success of Grove House. Not only must it be in the best interest of the individual student, but most importantly we must ensure those who are offered a place have a sound track record of self-reliance, excellent behaviour, honest communication, and willingness to interact positively with others.
Application Process
There are 27 places available in 2022 with 36 Year 13 students returning.
To be considered for a 2022 place, Year 12 students must submit the application no later than Tuesday 19th October (Week 1 Term 4). This can be handed in to hostel reception or scanned and emailed to kmclaughlin@hbhs.school.nz
The boys can collect a hard copy of the application form from the Argyle House reception desk or they can download a copy attached below.
Mr Moorby (Grove Master 2022), Mr McKenzie and Mr Teokotai-White (Senior Master 2022) will review all applications early in Week 2 and conduct short interviews where required.
Please note that any Year 12s that resided at Grove in 2021 must re-apply for a 2022 place.
Selections will be made following consultation with Mrs Hassall. All applicants and families will be notified in writing.
Parent Consent
It is essential parents give consent for their son to be housed at Grove House and that they understand the rules, routines and consequences associated.
Bennett House wins Matthew Allen Cup Dodgeball 3 - 2, Monday 27th September, Gym 2
Results:
Yr 9 Bennett
Yr 10 Sutherland
Yr 11 Bennett
Yr 12 Sutherland
Yr 13 Bennett
Saturday night in the Junior TV Lounge, watching the All Blacks beat Argentina 36 - 13
Azazel Pihama-Anderson (left) and Tom Martin, both give the thumbs-up to an outstanding performance by an All Black team that had 11 changes from the previous week. It was a special moment to watch Hamilton Boys' High School Old Boy, Quinn Tupaea, start this game and play through to full-time.
The boys got to stay up late and watch this entertaining game on Saturday 18th September. The seniors watched the game in their Senior Lounge. Just as well we had a 9.00am wake-up the following morning!
HOSTEL STAFFING 2022:
Farewell to Hostel Staff leaving
We farewell Matua Mita Graham, his wife Hollie and their 3 children from Argyle House. Matua Graham is an Old Boy of Hamilton BHS and Argyle House, and has been a member of the Argyle family for the past 5 years, four of those as Senior Master.
Grove Master, Mr Logan Asplin, is leaving us after almost 6 years’ service as an Argyle and Grove Master.
After 3 terms as an Argyle Master in 2016, Logan then took up the vacated position as Grove Master from the beginning of 2017, moving in to Grove with his fiance, Anna, and departing 5 years later a married man with 2 small children.
Argyle Master, Mr Andrew Hay leaves us after 8 years' service to the hostel. Andrew spent his first 3 years across the road at Grove, as the inaugural Grove Master in 2014 with a cohort of 17 Year 13 students and one other staff member to assist him, in an area that continues to be a successful and very important part of hostel life.
Andrew moved across to Argyle in 2017, with his partner Holly and 3 children. Holly was our Weekend Matron in 2020. We also farewell JJ.
Staffing 2022
We still have one Grove Assistant Masters' appointment to make.
Important Term 4 Hamilton BHS Dates
Rugby 1st XV win the NZ Super 8 Schools' championship, beating Hastings BHS 12-10 in the final
The 1st XV have won their Super 8 final 14 of the last 16 years, with this victory being their fifth in a row. A record we are all proud of. This ended their season, as the country went into lockdown four days later.
Six Argyle House boarders were in the 22 that played in the final: Tahlor Cahill (Year 13), Kieran Draper (Year 13), Oli Mathis (Year 11), Henry Palmer (Year 13), George Reeves (Year 13), Keran van Staden (Year 13).
Mr Logan Asplin, Grove Master, is one of the Co-Coaches.
Rugby 2nd XV Wins the Super 8 2nd XV Round-Robin Competition, Saturday 7th August
The team was captained by Liam Anderson (Year 12).
Nine Argyle House boarders were in the 22 that played in the final game against Hastings BHS: Liam Anderson (Year 12), Caylus Brighouse (Year 12), Sunia Fukofuka (Year 13), Hoani Ham (Year 12), Rangiwai Lunjevich (Year 11), Renata Palmer (Year 12), Mac Russ (Year 11), Leo Scott (Year 12), Iotia Teokotai (Year 11).
Food Committee meeting, Tuesday 28th September
Minutes of the meeting are kept and published on the Argyle noticeboard for all to read.
The current committee represent their year level extremely well, with all discussion aired openly. We thank Kim for giving up her time in the evening to come in and meet with the committee.
2021 Argyle Manual, 2021 Grove Manual & 2021
I have attached these 2 documents below. Click to view and/or download and print.
'Man of the Week' Award
Week 9 Term 3: Diasuke Shirai (Year 13)
Week 8 Term 3: Tahlor Cahill (Year 13)
Tahlor was selected to play for the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Rugby team, as lock. The announcement was made last week and Tahlor was one of six Hamilton Boys' High School 1st XV players named.
Due to the impact of Covid, Tahlor will play against the New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 team and against the New Zealand Under 18 Māori side, during the first week of the October school holidays.
Congratulations, Tahlor.
A record six HBHS 1st XV players have been named today in the New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby team. Taha Kemara (first five-eighth), Sean Ralph (hooker), Gabe Robinson (prop), Tahlor Cahill (lock), Austin Anderson (second five-eighth), and Payton Spencer (fullback).
The HBHS centre Aki Tuivailala, has been named in the New Zealand Barbarians team and three further players; Marley Murphy (halfback), Tai Cribb (lock), and Kaleb Saxon (hooker/loose-forward), have been named in the New Zealand Under 18 Māori team.
The selection follows another stellar year for the HBHS 1st XV, winning the Super 8 Final for an incredible 14th time over the past 16 years. All six New Zealand Schools representatives played a major role in a tight Super 8 Final against Hastings Boys’ High School. Sean scored a crucial try from a lineout drive in the second half, Gabe led a dominant HBHS scrum, Tahlor won vital lineout ball and defended stoutly, Taha led the team around the field with his pinpoint passing and kicking game, Austin was a standout attacker and defender and Payton’s speed and line breaks caused the Hastings defence many problems.
The HBHS 1st XV has consistently produced New Zealand Schools representatives, with players named in every New Zealand Schools teams since 2002. The highest previous number of selections was in 2008, with five players named, including All Black-in-waiting Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Argyle House Old Boy).
Our two Argyle House Parent Representatives for you to contact about any hostel matters
Mrs Diana O'Brien (Bombay)
Feel free to contact me by email eric.diana.obrien@xtra.co.nz
Mob. 027 277 1685
Hamilton Boys' High School, Years 9-13 Boarding Hostel
Email: argyle@hbhs.school.nz
Website: www.hbhs.school.nz
Location: 34 Argyle Street, Hamilton East 3216, Hamilton, New Zealand
Phone: +64 7 8530437