Thirty-four greater Wellington region year 12 and 13 school students attended a workshop on the laws of war recently.

The Reserve Bank has announced that Kristin School from Auckland is the national winner of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand 2010 Monetary Policy Challenge (MPC).
Tauranga Boys’ College was placed second and Scots College from Wellington came third.

“Young people are using Facebook and Twitter all the time. They’re putting a lot of personal information out there and online.
Faced with the challenges of living in today’s digital world, we wanted to find out what young people’s take on privacy was. So, we got together a group of secondary school students to find out.

The business skills of secondary school students took centre stage recently at an annual Auckland Trade Fair impressing three Auckland mayors. 
More than 250 students from across Auckland sold products and services produced by their own student companies as part of the nationwide Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

The effects of sad and traumatic events earlier this year among high school students were echoed in a recent Victoria University report. Author, Dr Nathan McCluskey, from the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families, commented that it “...was recognised that students were struggling to deal with a range of transitional stresses and traumas irrespective of socio-economic status. In this sense, the ‘teenage condition’ was no respecter of decile.”
The pointed and timely statement came from a review of the Ministry of Health funded Travellers programme, run by children and young people’s charity Skylight.

An innovative hay feeding bag and an automatic screen cleaner took a clean sweep at the Young Innovator Awards (YiA) in Tauranga late last month.
Jonathan Kent from Tauranga Boys’ College won the Senior Category with his Automatic Screen Cleaner concept and Savana Woodcock of Katikati College won the junior category with her Handy Hay Bag.

New Zealand senior secondary and tertiary level students have until the end of September to get their applications in for the 2010 BayerBoost environmental scholarships.
The scholarship scheme is funded by Bayer NZ Ltd and administered by the Royal Society of NZ.
It aims to provide financial assistance to students undertaking environmental research projects during their summer break.

New Zealand’s team for the 2010 International Olympiad in Informatics has arrived in Canada for the 2010 competition. Team Members Logan Glasson (Burnside High School), Jamie McCloskey (Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti), Boris Pfahringer (University of Waikato)  and Tony Sun (Christ’s College) attended an intensive pre-departure training camp hosted by the University of Auckland prior to leaving.

Chicken-flavoured ice cream and Recycling bins no match for winds. These are just two of the science projects produced by students in the annual National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington Regional Science and Technology Fair, to be held at Victoria University of Wellington, 25th-28th August, 2010.

The Department of Mathematics at The University of Auckland and NZ Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (NZIMA) are delighted to have assisted six secondary school students to the best ever result for NZ in the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Kazakhstan last month.
The students, who competed as individuals in a field of almost 600 students from 98 countries, all came home with medals and their combined scores saw NZ ranked 29th overall.

Applications for the Mike Pero Mortgages Foundation, which opened in May, have been coming in steadily, and Mike Pero Mortgages chief executive Shaun Riley says they still want more.

High achieving students believe making a special connection with at least one teacher was crucial to their scholarship success, Victoria University PhD research has found.

Last month’s Budget announcements are adding a fiscal blowtorch to state secondary schools in the greater Waikato region.

Spokesperson for the Central North Island Secondary Principals Association (CNISPA) Clive Hamill commented that over half of the principals at a recent regional meeting were planning for budget deficits for this year and the Budget announcement of an additional four per cent in resourcing for 2011 gave them little comfort.

Howick College, in conjunction with Vodafone, and Waikato University has been selected by the MoE, to undertake a pioneering project looking at mobile devices, and their impact on learning.

A Manukau youth campus aimed at helping teenagers who are not currently engaged in education officially opened on 18th June, to mark the beginning of a new era in youth education under the government’s Youth Guarantee policy.

Three tertiary education scholarships, two worth $5000 and one worth $2500, are being offered again this year by the Mike Pero Mortgages Foundation, for students planning their first year of tertiary study in 2011.

Career Services has launched a new, free on-line tool designed to help students and job seekers explore career ideas through an interactive questionnaire.

NZ’s first tertiary high school, the School of Secondary-Tertiary Studies, was officially opened on Friday, 21st May, 2010, by Anne Tolley, minister of education and the Steven Joyce, minister for tertiary education.

Surviving the transition from school to university can have a big impact on whether Maori and Pacific students succeed at tertiary level, a new report says.

Outstanding Maori secondary school students are the focus of new research into what factors influence their success.

PPTA president Kate Gainsford is calling for an independent look into school staffing vacancies after the MoE underestimated staffing in 74 per cent of secondary schools.

The VEX World Robotics Championships were held in Dallas, Texas, in late April and the Kristin School team were awarded Tournament Champions of the High School competition.

Analysis of secondary school survey data by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) shows support for the NCEA qualification has further consolidated among principals, teachers and boards of trustees.

Some have been inspired to fund-raise for charity; others have been motivated to get their lives back on track and re-engage with learning.

Sanitarium Nutrition Service has launched a new senior Home Economics teaching resource called Vegetarian Choice for the 2010 school year.

Each year Tai Poutini Polytechnic presents a number of awards to students from West Coast secondary schools who demonstrate goal setting and passion in the curriculum areas of Technology, Computing, and Hospitality and Tourism.

Starpath at The University of Auckland says NCEA students can make significant gains when detailed data on their academic progress is used to help them meet their highest aspirations.

Career Services extends its phone guidance service to meet growing demand

Every year dozens of young hi-tech enthusiasts spend hours racking their brains and developing the next big thing for the prestigious Bright Sparks Competition.

Dr Paul Lowe, a secondary science teacher at Morrinsville College, has won the Kudos Award for Science Educator at the Kudos Awards in Hamilton.

Tertiary institutes are lagging in popularity with 14 and 15-year-old secondary school students when compared to other available career opportunities. This alarming trend is the unexpected result of a partner report generated by Inzone’s new interactive careers network.

School teachers and students throughout NZ are encouraged to enter teams in the 2009 Pearl Izumi Taupo Half Ironman to be in with a chance to win $1000 for new sports equipment.

During September students from around the Northland region gathered at Pehiaweri Marae, Glenbervie to represent their schools in a biannual forum facilitated by Enterprise Northland.

As demand grows for university education, parents are giving their children an edge at secondary school by sending them along to a new course in study skills during the school holidays.

International rower, polar adventurer and former Waikato University student Jamie Fitzgerald visited Hamilton Girls’ High School earlier this month to inspire its young leaders.

Two NZers have proudly taken the stage to receive bronze medals at the world’s foremost and most prestigious programming contest for high school students, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

A team of teenagers from NZ achieved great results in the 41st International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) this year.

SeYe Chan of Northern Southland College shares how the year 12 Humanities Class completed an awesome field exercise where they lived the life of a NZ soldier during the Somme Offensive of 1916.

Recent international financial scandals have highlighted the fact that exercising good judgement is often just as important as following professional rules, says Accountancy Prof. Paul Dunmore.

Two special prizes in the Freemasons BIG Science Adventures DVD competition have been awarded by the Royal NZ Navy.

Applications for the Mike Pero Mortgages Foundation, which opened on 1st June, have been coming in steadily, and Mike Pero Mortgages chief executive Shaun Riley says they still want more.

Do you know or teach students that want to study overseas? Find a cure for cancer? Start their own fashion label? Compete in the Olympics? Raise money for charity? Fly to the moon?

The Starpath Project at The University of Auckland has warned that many Maori and Pacific students may not make it to university because they are making ill-informed NCEA subject choices.

The 2009 National Secondary School Songwriting Competition and the 2009 Peace Song Competition are open to all secondary school students, with entries closing on Friday, 5th June, 2009.

“I’ve always loved what I do, because I did what I loved,” says John Cowan, writer and presenter with Parents Inc.

Two gifted NZers will receive the rare privilege to study at the National University of Singapore (NUS) which is ranked among the top 30 in the world.

Youthtown’s Short Film Challenge targets the whole of NZ.

Late last term 22 dedicated year 11 to year 13 students from seven Northland secondary schools met at the second Education for Enterprise Northland Student Forum.

Three tertiary education scholarships, two worth $5000 and one worth $2500, are being offered again this year by the Mike Pero Mortgages Foundation, for students planning their first year of tertiary study in 2010.

Visual Art from NZ’s top secondary school art students will be featured in a touring exhibition visiting approximately 30 different venues throughout the country over the next five months.

As indicated last year, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) has developed a set of draft guidelines for schools on reassessment and resubmission opportunities for internal assessment.
 

An energy boosting ice block, a beat-the-recession internet blog and a gym towel with iPod storage were among the business ideas suggested by students at the launch of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

Three outstanding NZ students have been awarded prestigious Asia NZ Foundation David Holborow Memorial Scholarships for 2009.

NZQA has confirmed the Premier Award and Top Subject Scholarship Award winners for 2008.
 

One of NZ’s most loved poets will judge the country’s best young writing talent in this year’s expanded New Zealand Post National Schools Poetry Awards.

Crash Bash is offering free scriptwriting workshops at the end of March for up to 40 students who are interested in this year’s Scriptwriting Competition in Christchurch.

The Challenge is open to all NZ senior secondary school economics students. It is designed to expand students’ understanding of monetary policy and links to NCEA achievement standards.

Two reports on nursing services in NZ will provide greater insight into the diverse work nurses now do, according to Victoria University researcher Dr Jackie Cumming.
 

Primary, intermediate and secondary school children across NZ are taking their first steps into 3D visualisation thanks to partnerships with 3D visualisation industry catalyst Nextspace.

Seventy-four students were presented with awards in front of a packed auditorium at Auckland Grammar School on Thursday 19th February.

The scheme which last year won a Cathedral College team the regional award for their anti-drink spiking product, has again attracted interest from all over the region.

A unique education for sustainability programme for high school students has been launched in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.

Earlier this month, a group of three Tauranga Girls College students and their teacher returned from a trip of a lifetime to the sub-Antarctic islands, thanks to their winning entry in last year’s Freemasons BIG Science Adventures DVD competition.

The number of men studying to become secondary teachers at Massey University’s College of Education (CoE) has doubled providing an even split between men and women – an exciting development for a profession that has recently struggled to find gender balance in the classroom.
 

Students from Fiordland College will be going home with dirt under their fingernails, thanks to a new initiative supported by the Meridian Manapouri Te Anau Community Fund.

Following a thorough and lengthy process the Epsom Girls Grammar School Board has announced that Mrs Madeline Gunn, who has been acting principal at Epsom Girls Grammar School throughout 2008, has been appointed to the position of permanent principal.

Three young Aucklanders have been given a generous helping hand in their university studies thanks to the Sir George Elliot Charitable Trust.
 

The 2008 examination focus has turned to marking nearly 1.9 million answer booklets covering 322 NCEA standards and 28 Scholarship subjects.

A new mentoring programme to help young women reach their full potential is an exciting step towards building a capable new generation of leaders, says Wellington YWCA president Lynell Tuffery.

Katikati student Pippa Grierson has won a major award at an international competition for young scientists in Europe, for her research project into facial eczema in livestock.

An internet-based career planning programme developed by a Mount Maunganui school careers advisor promises to open up a world of possibilities for students.

Three outstanding year 13 high school students are the recipients of Mike Pero Mortgages’ Foundation tertiary education scholarships for 2009.

After 14 months of challenges, nine graduates from Foundation for Youth Development’s flagship programme, Project K, were put to the test one more time negotiating the startling heights of the Sky Tower and the Auckland harbour bridge.

There are some jobs that girls could happily and productively do but they do not get the chance, Ministry of Women’s Affairs chief executive Shenagh Gleisner has said.

It seems everywhere we turn, kids are texting non-stop. Some say it’s a curse, signalling the end of verbal communication as we know it.

Students from Kapiti College in Raumati have been showing other colleges and health professionals how to combat youth smoking.

UCOL’s chef lecturers are challenging secondary school students to create a baked potato recipe that tastes great – and costs no more than $3 to make.

Fresh from her success in the MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards, Scion’s Dr Tripti Singh is now lending a helping hand to start the scientists of tomorrow along their career paths.

Solid Energy is again offering tertiary scholarships to students attending schools in its local mining communities as part of its community support programme.

“ICT should be about the conversations students are having, not the technology,” according to 2008 MoE E-learning Fellow Michael Fenton.

The Foundation for Youth Development will celebrate the achievements of nine special graduates from its flagship programme, Project K at the Project K Student Excellence Awards at Government House Auckland on 18th September.

Exam candidates appear to be getting the message that cell phones have no place in exam rooms.

Secondary students from Auckland and Hastings have scooped the two top prizes in the 2008 NZ Post National Schools Poetry Awards, which were held at a ceremony in Wellington on Friday, 22nd August.

Waikato Diocesan School for Girls has won the 2008 National Secondary Schools Squash Tournament, held at Kawaroa Park New Plymouth, during August.

New Zealanders envisage a future in which the responsibility for education is widely distributed across the whole community, says Prof. Mason Durie, Chair of the Secondary Futures project.

Scholarships are offered to school leavers who are interested in a career in one of the many sectors of horticulture.

Secondary school students who tested the quality of water from locations around Palmerston North were surprised to find that The Square’s duck pond is almost clean enough to drink.

Chris Carter has announc­ed a new appointment to the board of the NZQA.

Making good career decisions has become all the more important as the number of career options available to young people today continues to multiply and employers’ needs become more complex.

Young NZers are being given their say on sustainability with The Outlook for Someday film challenge for 2008 launched nationwide recently.

School leaver data recently released by Chris Carter shows that more students are leaving school with higher qualifications.

Waiheke + 16 students + three days = an unforgettable experience, tons of experiences, and nooooooo showers!!!

Today’s secondary schools face an aging workforce, a lack of qualified job applicants and a growing resignation rate – some have even been forced to cancel courses because of lack of teachers.

New Zealand secondary school students have won a silver medal at the 21st International Young Physicist Tournament held recently in Trogir, Croatia.

After two-and-a-half years at the helm of the Secondary Principals’ Council (SPC), chairman Arthur Graves will hand over leadership to a team of two – Graeme Macann and Julia Davidson.

The MoE and NZQA are reviewing achievement and unit standards, as part of the joint programme of improvements to NCEA.

Te Piringa from Manawatu/Horowhenua has won the overall aggregate title for the National Secondary School Maori Performing Arts Competition 2008.

Pearson Education New Zealand announces the first NZ text book on astronomy and space for secondary school students. The book is Astronomy Aotearoa by Wellington author Robert Shaw.