Te Awamutu College 2022 Head Students, Marnie Gielen (left), Elijah Lee, Adam Swney and Brooke Penny. Photo / Dean Taylor
Te Awamutu College 2022 Head Students, Marnie Gielen (left), Elijah Lee, Adam Swney and Brooke Penny. Photo / Dean Taylor
As the first school term draws to a close, Te Awamutu College's student leadership team is already reflecting on the challenges of a Covid affected academic year.
At last year's senior prizegiving Marnie Gielen, Elijah Lee, Brooke Penny and Adam Swney were announced as the four head students for 2022.
Working in with the head students is Jacob Chetwin, in his second term as Te Awamutu College Board of Trustees student representative.
Head students traditionally lead a number of school events, but Covid restrictions have necessitated some creative thinking.
Year 13 camp was replaced with The Big Day Out – a series of activities on the school grounds that included creating pavement art.
Te Awamutu College house pride on show in pavement art at The Big Day Out.
The team has been to the fore at interhouse events that can take place and have ensured important events, such as the Blazer Awards, were able to continue, albeit with just an audience of recipients.
Head students also traditionally run school assemblies with senior management, but these have been replaced with a pared back version with just Year 13 students and class representatives, who report back to their classmates.
Head students are also highly represented on the schools committees, and one of the first tasks was for the service committee to select the fundraising cause for the first mufti day held on Friday.
The school-wide event supported Save the Children, specifically aimed at the children of Ukraine.
The team say their aim is to be as visible around the school as possible, and highly approachable.
They also want to ensure school traditions are upheld and that the high standards set by previous head student teams are maintained.
They say there are a lot of challenges, but they will be working hard to make 2022 a success.
Te Awamutu College house pride on show in pavement art at The Big Day Out.
Marnie is studying biology, mathematics and statistics, English extension, economics and business studies and history.
A high achiever, she gained NCEA Level 1 with Excellence and Level 2 with Merit.
She has also played lacrosse for the school and club sides for a number of years, is a member of the Service, Health and Environment committees and intends to join the Ball committee.
Marnie looks forward to a successful final year at Te Awamutu College, both as a leader and academically, before heading to Waikato University to study management, majoring in Human Resources.
Elijah is taking Earth and Space science, outdoor education, mathematics and statistics, geography and English.
Sport is an important part of his life; Elijah has played for the Boys' Premier Lacrosse team since Year 9 and was 2021 team captain, a role he hopes to keep this year.
He aims to be a great role model for other students, make the New Zealand U18 Men's Lacrosse team and to have fun in his last year of school, plus pass NCEA Level 3 and attend the University of Waikato where he is keen on a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Psychology.
Brooke also earned NCEA Level 1 with Excellence and Level 2 with Merit. This year she is taking biology, calculus, English, sports science, and sport elite.
Sports are her passion, mainly netball and motocross, for which she has represented the school in various competitions, and BMX, where she is a multiple New Zealand representative.
Brooke aims to continue to get better at her chosen sports and achieve NCEA Level 3 with endorsements, before pursuing her passion for motorbikes and training as a motorcycle technician.
Adam is studying chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics and statistics, and sports science and plans to follow his previous two years of attaining NCEA with Excellence.
He aims to follow a medical career, training at either the University of Otago or Auckland, and pursuing a career either in surgery or emergency medicine.
Adam is a Te Awamutu College, club, regional and national cycling representative. This year he also plans to play hockey.
He wants to be the best leader he can be in his final year, as well as keeping up his high levels of achievement, improve his sports skills and stay fit and healthy.
Te Awamutu College Board of Trustees student representative Jacob Chetwin. Photo / Dean Taylor
Jacob won the 2020 student Board of Trustees election as a Year 9 student following a change in representation rules, and became the youngest ever student on the board.
Covid meant no election took place last year, but he was co-opted for a second term following presentations by three candidates to the board.
He says he has enjoyed the work and the responsibility and is pleased to be back and serving his fellow students to the best of his ability.
Now in Year 11, Jacob takes NCEA Level 1 mathematics, English, chem/phys, electronics, accounting and sport and recreation studies – which he has challenged himself to pass with Excellence endorsements.
He also loves road cycling, running, swimming and golf for fitness and mental wellbeing, but is also a high achiever and is aiming to concentrate on swimming and running where he is looking for regional success.
