Newsletter

Dear Parents and Friends of the School

LAWRENCE AREA SCHOOL Community Newsletter

22 May 2014

No 6

Many of our senior students had a very busy, and interesting holiday break: Yr 13 students took part in the New Zealand Area Schools Leadership Course at Wainui. This had a strong physical, cultural and socialfocus based around new experiences. Meeting newpeople, bonding and engaging in team activities was a daily expectation. Our students thrived in these circumstance, forming lasting friendship with peers from throughout New Zealand. ‘Ropes’ courses, on the water challenges, Maori culture and team challenges were enjoyed by all. Our students would especially like to thank Kate for her support throughout the week.

We had four students Eloise, Olivia Autumn and Hannah attend the SADD Conference in Christchurch during the holiday break. SADD has rebranded itself as ‘Students Against Dangerous Driving, giving it a broader base for initiatives, programmes and focus. Throughout the conference our students were challenged to advocate against peer pressure, to think of ‘safe-driving’, strategies and knowledge to promote good sense decision making as a teenager.Pleasingly our students took on some of the conference leadership roles and contributed very positively.Leaha Dickey enjoyed a very interesting defence force taster camp. 5 days of being introduced first hand to many aspects of military life whet Leaha’s appitite and she is now ambitious to follow up as a vocational choice.

What a great start to the term for our Yr 7/8 class. Camping in Queenstown in Week 1 rates as a brilliant way to begin a school term. A group of thirty plus campers based themselves at Lakeland Park and made the most of the week. Poor weather did not dampen the spirit. The children displayed an absolutely wonderful attitude and gave 100% effort to all activities. New skills were learned: mountain biking, kayaking, air rifle, archery, frisbee golf and luging. Tramping high above Arrowtown in the mist proved an interesting exercise, safely completed by all. A visit to the legendary teacher ‘Miss Grey’ at the Lakes District Museum proved to be a highlight as was travelling to ‘Skippers’, certainly an eyes-wide-open road, a white knuckle jet boat ride proved to be an adrenalin rush as did the climbing wall at the events centre. Equally important aspects of camp are living and working together positively, enjoying each others company for the week, contributing to team work, helping others and self managing.Student attitude was excellent, individually and collectively this group proved itself throughout.A brilliant set of camp dads and mums guided students, ensured that they were well fed and entertained them throughout.Teachers Pauline Taylor and Sally Benington planned and ran a great camp, leading by example, enjoying the camp and conveying this positively to the students.

LAS Students with guest speaker Juliette Haigh Rowing New Zealand

Kind Regards John Auld

150th celebration of education in Lawrence and DistrictsJanuary 9th, 10th, 11th 2015

Lisa - My favourite thing on camp was the Skipper’s Canyon Jet-Boat Ride. My least favourite on camp was the Frisbee Golf. The most challenging thing on camp was the hike because it was really steep. If I could change one thing about camp it would be to get my technique in archery right early.

Kyle - My favourite thing on camp was the Jetboat ride. My least favourite thing on camp was diary time. The most challenging thing on camp was the hike. If I could change one thing about camp it would be to go gold panning in Arrowtown.

Jessica - My favourite things on camp were the kayaking, gondola, luge rides and jetboating. My least favourite things on camp were the hike around Arrowtown, frisbee golfing and the constant postponements thanks to rain. If I could change one thing on camp it would be the Frankton events centre visit. I really would have liked to swim there but the check up for the pools was on so that made the swim impossible.

Elliot - My favourite things on camp were the gondola and luge, jet boat and rock climbing. My least favourite thing on camp was the walk because it was hard. The most challenging thing on camp was walking-running to the showers because it was so cold. If I could change one thing about camp it would be .... I would make it sunny all week.

Adam - My favourite thing on camp was when we went Kayaking through the waves down at Lake Wakatipu. My least favourite thing on camp was some of the night activities in the main room. The most challenging thing on camp was trying to hit the ball over the volleyball net at the gym. If I could change one thing about camp it would be that I would try climbing up the climbing wall.

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DIDN’T WE DO WELL!! DIDN’T WE DO

WELL!! DIDN’T WE DO WELL!! DIDN’T

WE DO WELL!! DIDN’T WE DO WELL!!






























Senior SchoolWhats happening in

Senior School.

Defence Careers Experience

Tertiary Day6 senior students went to Dunedin on

Monday 12th May to visit Otago Polytechnic and University and sit in on

information sessions about possible subject choices and options for next year. They also looked round both

places, got lost, found again, and later visited City College - one of the halls of

Residence.All students took a very active part in preparing for their future with great

participation.

From April 28th to May 2nd I was at Burnham Military Camp for the South Island Defence Careers Experience (DCE),which was for Year 12 and 13 students to find out what it’s like to be in the defence forces and to learn about what an Officer, a Medic and a member of Intelligence does. Every day was full of new challenges which all of us took on and gave our all - whether it was playing paintball in the field or trying out the simulator on the computer. We also got to talk with people in different office roles in the defence force and find out about the challenges of the job and also the perks of being in the defence force. Highlights for me would be: using night vision equipment (NVE), playing paintball, talking with the officers and the amazing meals we got. It was an amazing experience that made me want to become an airforce medic even more. I highly recommend it to anyone considering a job in the defence forces.DIDN’T WE DO WELL!! DIDN’T WE DO








English Department

A big congratulations to Holly Shaw who has gained a Merit in the 2014 Rodney Walsh

Ireland Essay Competition. There were 100 entries nationwide and Holly was one of 10

students to gain a place. Her prize is a

certificate and $50 book voucher.

Grace O’Malley by Holly Shaw

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As little girls, my friends and I often pondered the question: would we prefer to be the

toughest princess or the prettiest pirate?

Little did we know that a figure from history had already achieved the best of both these

worlds, a strong woman, who we could have easily identified with and probably would have

idolized had we known of her.

Grace O’Malley was born in the West Coast province of Mayo in Connacht, Ireland.

Born into a sea trading family, Grace persisted in a range of stunts to prove that, even as a girl,

she was good enough to be a sailor. This included the dramatic move of hacking of her long

auburn hair and dressing as a boy, earning her the nickname ‘Grainne Mhaol’, Bald Grace.

See, her mother had told her that she couldn’t sail, because her hair and skirts would get

caught in the ropes. So Grace simply removed these obstacles.

Her persistence paid off, and Grace was eventually allowed to sail with her father and brother

on trading missions to Spain and further afield. Even at this young age, when Grace wanted

something, nothing could stand in her way.









As a young woman, Grace was commanding her own fleet of trading ships. When her small fleet

was faced with pirates, Grace saw an opportunity, and was soon pirating herself to supplement

her income. She was known to have taken on Turkish, Spanish and English pirates and merchant

vessels as well. If they could do it, Grace saw no reason why she shouldn’t, and her crews would

follow her every order, and support her in any venture, so why not?

It is said that Grace’s authority over her fleet was unwavering even though she was a woman in a

male dominant society. Grace earned her crew’s respect by treating them fairly and by fighting

alongside her men. But Grace O’Malley was also one woman you did not want to cross.

When Grace’s first husband Donal was defeated and killed at Caislean-an-Circa, an island and

castle belonging to the Joyce clan, the Joyce’s thought the fight was over, however they did not

count on Grace’s rage, taking up the fight she reduced the clan to a male less state.

Another story tells of Grace’s revenge on those who murdered her lover Hugh de Lacy.

According to legend, Hugh was killed by the MacMahons of Ballycroy while out hunting. Grace

tracked the perpetrators to Cahir Island where they had gone on a religious pilgrimage. She

burned their boats, standing them on the island, then picked them off one by one.

Grace O’Malley is certainly proof that using wit is just as effective as using force in getting

what you want.

After Donal died, Grace had expanded her empire to control five castles and several islands in

Clew Bay. But in order to be in complete control of the area, she needed Rockfleet Castle as

well. But Rockfleet belonged to Richard Burke.

According to Brehon Law (the ancient Irish law system), after a year’s marriage, whoever was in

possession of assets when the marriage ended, got to keep them.

So Grace approached Rockfleet Castle and proposed marriage to Richard, telling him their

alliance would help both clans withstand the impending English invasion.

Legend has it that after exactly one year, Grace O’Malley locked herself in Rockfleet Castle and

called to Richard, who was outside, ‘I release you’, ending their marriage and securing Rockfleet

Castle as her own as she was in possession.

It would seem, though, that the marriage did not end there, as many sources claim that the

couple were married until Richard’s death seventeen years later. Either way, Grace had still

acquired Rockfleet Castle, and as she wore the pants in the relationship, control of Richards’

money and assets.

Grace had four children in her lifetime, who all caused her a fair amount of trouble, as children do.

With Donal, Grace had two sons, Owen and Murough, and a daughter, Margret and with Richard she

had one more son, Tibbot (also known as Theobald).









Some sources claim that Murough was a sexist and arrogant character who had no respect for

his mother’s leadership as she was a woman. He was apparently in league with the invading

English and caused the capture and execution of his brother, Owen.

Because Owen was a kindly and trusting man, he was easily fooled by the invaders, something his

brother was counting on.

Little is known about Margret, most probably because she was a woman, and women tended to be

ignored by history unless they did something extraordinary or scandalous, so we can assume

that Margret either died young or was an ordinary woman of the time.

Tibbot was probably the reason his mother is so well know, as he, along with Grace’s brother,

Dónal na Piopa, was arrested by the English. Grace had been writing letters to Queen Elizabeth

I demanding justice over the English invasion, however having her son and brother thrown into

prison prompted Grace to pay Lizzy a visit.

On the 6th September 1593, Grace met with Queen Elizabeth I in Greenwich Castle, having

somehow slipped past the English patrol boats. Why the Queen agreed to meet with a wild Irish

princess and pirate, we do not know, but it would appear that the two fiery and wilful women

quite liked each other.

One interesting story alleges that while in the presence of the Queen, Grace sneezed. A polite

member of court offered Grace a lacy handkerchief, which she accepted and proceeded to blow her

nose loudly with. She then threw the handkerchief in the fire. Shocked at Grace’s rudeness, the

Queen scolded her, telling her that she should have kept the gift and put it in her pocket, to which

Grace replied that the Irish would never put a soiled garment in their pocket and obviously had a

higher standard of cleanliness.

You might have expected Grace to be arrested for this rude behaviour in front of the Queen, the

members of court present certainly though so, but no, Lizzy laughed. This Queen was amused.

Elizabeth granted the release of Grace’s brother and son, and also authorizes the return of her

property that the English had taken in return for Grace’s agreement to use her skilled leadership to

defend the queen against her enemies.

Grace returned to Ireland, and demanded that her rightful property be returned to her by order of

the Queen. However Richard Bingham, who was leading the invasion, released her family but did not

return her property.

Despite this, Grace honoured her agreement with the Queen to defend her Majesty, until she

retired to Rockfleet castle where it is thought she died on the 18th of June, 1603, the same year as

her Queen.

Holly Shaw

“The friends we meet at Leadership

and the lessons we learnt will stick

with us forever”

It was a great experience and anyone with the chance to go should defiantly give it a try!

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Josh and I, travelled with Kate to Wainui on Banks Peninsula, Canterbury.

We were joined by nearly forty other student leaders from Area Schools around the

country at the Wainui Park YMCA grounds for a week of fun and learning to enhance

our skills as leaders and citizens.

We were assigned to rooms with people from other schools and to four activity groups,

so we had every opportunity to meet new people and create lasting friendships. In our

activity groups we bonded doing the dishes and working on a unit standard that

accompanied the camp. Our groups were important as we completed activities each day

as a group. The giant swing, a 15 meter monster that your team had to pull you up,

before you pulled the cord and swung out over the trees had a great view of the

harbour. At full height, the speed of the swing was about 50kmph.

Coasteering involved walking and swimming around the rocks in the harbour, kelp

surfing, cliff jumping and mud sliding.

The high ropes course had a giant’s ladder on which the rungs got further apart each

time, a tight rope with buoys to hold onto, a high log to walk across with nothing to hold

onto and climbing walls. The high ropes also included abseiling, where we climbed up a

large tree to a platform then abseiled down between two trees.

Kayaking was the last activity my group did. We had to kayak in a different spot to the

other groups because of bad weather. We kayaked across the bay, had kayak fights and

stood upon our kayaks and tried to surf on them. That went really well with all of us

falling off. And on Friday we had a game of Wizards and Warlocks, which got quite

competitive and strategic.

3 Ñ~Äãí é~áÄÉ~Ñï ÑçàçÜ~ÄÇì àï àì àÑí ~àçÇãî ÉàçÜ~Äç~Ñï ÑçàçÜ~ñ àì á~ì ñ é~ì àå Ñ~+ ãòå èàÇ~ëéñ Ñë~

Juliette Drysdale, who let us hold her bronze medal. We had an ‘Action Auction’ where

we had to bring five random things into the hall each, then in our groups use those

things to make something to fit categories the leaders called out, such as the best

model with a moustache. The presentation evening was a highlight with people

introducing their towns followed by group skits. Table tennis and the game ‘Mafia’ also

helped to fill our evenings.

One morning we were woken unceremoniously to pots and spoons being bashed by the

leaders. We then had to run three kilometres to the wharf and jump off into the

freezing harbour.

The last night at Wainui was a huge highlight with the formal evening. The boys had to

formally ask the girls to go to dinner with them. We had a nice dinner with interesting

conversation. After eating we had a dance that went until midnight.

The friends we meet at Leadership and the lessons we learnt will stick with us forever.

It was a great experience and anyone with the chance to go should definitely give it a

try.

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