The annual Karamu to Ocean Spa run was held on Monday 26 September, in fine spring conditions. Nearly 30 students participated in the 23.3 km run, held as a Year 12 PE assessment, but now a school tradition. Best time on the day went to James Linnell with 1 hour 44 minutes 58 seconds. Ryan Burne, Phillip Riley, Matt Ebbett and Te Aomarama Tomoana all ran times under 2 hours. The first girl home was Sadie King.

The course runs from school to the Chesterhope Bridge, via Bennett Road, along the limestone walkway to Clive and then along the new walkway to Ocean Spa.

Past winners were Chris MacDonald (2009, 1.46.20) and Thor Hajnal (2010, 1.43.56).

As part of the Hastings Blossom Festival, Karamu held its own school-wide Blossom Day. The mayor, Mr Lawrence Yule, spoke at junior assembly about the history of the Blossom Festival in Hastings and former student, Mr Tevivi Daniel spoke and entertained at senior assembly as part of the day’s festivities.

Students were encouraged to wear spring costumes so the day was brightened by everything from bright summer floral dresses to art deco outfits to more outlandish costumes such as summer fairies and spring lambs. The long lunchtime saw students bringing picnic blankets and shared lunches while the staff enjoyed their own “long lunch” at tables in the hall. Both students and staff enjoyed the jazz trio who entertained them during the lunch break.

This is the second year the Karamu Blossom Day has been held.

Click here for more pictures

Year 12 students Joy Duncan and Judith Mulders took away a major prize at the recent Science Fair held at EIT.  The girls were delighted to win the prize for best applied scientific method with their project. For this, Judith and Joy have won an all-expenses paid trip to Otago University to attend the summer science school in January next year.

The project investigated using solar energy to electrolyse water, splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen as a potential fuel source.  The girls worked on the project entirely in their own time, beginning before the last school holidays.

The annual library quiz was held amid great hilarity, the consuming of much chocolate and the answering of many book-related questions. The winners of this year’s Choc-o-Lit Quiz were the Unicorn Tyre Repair Company  aka Year 13 students Jordan Cox, Joe Beattie and Jared Boult. The team’s name was taken from  the Cherub series by Robert Muchamore.

Second were a group of Year 12 students: Simon Holmes-Dawson, Bruce Chilton and Kristin Reay. Third were a group from 10LT: Rachel, Isabelle and Juleighanne.

Teams hoping to win next year's competition should start reading now!

Maddison Scobie-Potaka, Year 9, recently received the wonderful news that she had won both the regional and national sections of a short story competition. She entered the competition after being shown the entry form by her auntie. The short story competition was run by the anti-gambling organisation, Choice Not Chance, and was supported by New Zealand rapper, Scribe.

The stories for the competition had to have an anti-gambling message and contain both the phrases “choice not chance” and “let’s choose to end harmful gambling.” Maddison’s story reads realistically but is entirely fictional.

Maddison’s prizes include a Prezzie card, a $200 itunes voucher and a trip to Wellington to receive her award.

Maddison's story can be read at the following link:

Sophie Winton, Year 13, has been selected for the Under 21 Women’s Canoe Polo team. The selection process was a gruelling one, involving four weekend camps. Each camp involved up to twelve hours of trialling, combined with various tests for fitness and skills.

The New Zealand squad’s first competition will be week-long Kiwi Invitational. Although held in Australia every second year, it will be held this December in Palmerston North. During this tournament, all the New Zealand regional teams have the opportunity to compete with each other for the first time.

After this Australia, New Zealand and Japan will compete for the Oceania Cup. The first placed team in each grade will qualify for the World Tournament. In 2012, this will be held in Poland.

Former pupil Connor Sellwood made the Men’s Under 21 Team.

Rebecca Cook, Captain of the Senior A Netball team and Karamu Sports Leader for 2011 reports the following from the recent tournament in Wellington:

"From the 21^st-26^th of August, the Karamu Senior A Netball team were in Wellington for the Lower North Island Secondary Schools’ Netball Tournament.

Each day we played two games of netball at the Haitaitai Netball Park. By the end of the tournament we had had five wins out of nine games. This placed us 12^th place overall, out the 24 teams in the B grade.

Each year during this week, we have a points system for our team for the player of the match. The player that reached the highest points for the week was Dana Arnott, who was our player of the team for the 2011 tournament.

The tournament was a good way to end a netball season and this year it was a good way to send off the Year 13s whose netball for Karamu High School is now at an end."