Daily Post Youth in Excellence Awards

By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
John Paul College's Jono Griffith will be a face to look out for later this month when the school stages its latest big production - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

The Year 13 student who is a recipient of The Daily Post Youth in Excellence Award today, will play one of the main characters, Pharaoh, and is also playing a smaller role of the Hairy Ishmaelite in the production which opens at the Rotorua Convention Centre on March 30.

This is not the first show in which Jono has played a major role. He was also in Fiddler on the Roof in 2003 and The Crucible last year.

He loves the build-up to a show then seeing it all come together on opening night.

Principal Patrick Walsh said Jono deserved the youth award, describing him as an outstanding achiever.

"He excels academically in the college achieving local and national awards."

In Year 11 he scored 160 credits in level one of NCEA with an average grade of 90 percent and he achieved 140 credits in level two of the qualification.

He has received distinction in speech and drama competitions, winning the Una Ewart Scholarship - a Rotorua Speech Board scholarship.

He is an accomplished athlete representing the school, the region and New Zealand in swimming. Jono is the drama captain at the school as well as a prefect. He coaches waterpolo, swimming and soccer.

"He is a positive role model and gives of his time freely and generously," Mr Walsh said.

Jono plans to study law at Victoria University and wants to return to Rotorua and work in the police force. He hopes to continue to be involved in theatre when he comes back to Rotorua.

Rotorua Lakes High School's Clinton Avery is certainly making his mark on the mountainbiking world.

The 17-year-old was the only junior representative in New Zealand selected last year for both the country's mountainbike team and the New Zealand cycling team.

It is particularly for his mountainbiking achievements that he receives The Daily Post Youth in Excellence Award today.

At the National Mountainbike Championships in Rotorua last week he won the under 19 section.

"That is an outstanding performance ... Clinton has been an outstanding role model for those students looking to see how far they can go in their sport," said Rotorua Lakes High School principal John Ellis.

Clinton would have taken at least seventh place at the World Mountainbike Championships last year but unfortunately a buckled wheel on the last lap saw him having to run the last part of the race, Mr Ellis said.

He came 45th out of around 200 riders in the World Road Cycling Championships in Italy last year which Mr Ellis said was a "very creditable" placing.

This year Clinton has won the Mountainbike series of six races in the under 19 section.

His goal later in the year is to travel to Italy for the World Mountainbike Championships to get a top placing in the under 19 event. If successful, he may be offered the opportunity to go professional.

Clinton, who is in Year 13, is aiming to complete level 2 of NCEA this year.

"We are all very proud of Clinton's achievements and the very high goals he has set himself," Mr Ellis said. In the future Clinton would like to design bicycles.

Rotorua Girls' High