In today’s ANI Guild we have the following:
Writing Competition Winner
Dear Mrs Burnett,
I am writing to inform you that I have just had the most inadequate, substandard, atrociously disgusting meal of my entire 13 years on Earth! On September 26 2024 I consumed a plate of spaghetti bolognese. My father used to always tell me that you can’t mess up a plate of spaghetti bolognese. Oh but how you have proved me wrong. I can not fathom how you could ruin the most simple meal on the planet. And the food was only a fraction of what horrible things go on at your restaurant, the toilets, the table, the drinks, the staff, all of it is TERRIBLE!
Let us go back to 5 days ago, my family and I sat down at table 5. Straight away I noticed bits of curry and sauce splattered on the table, the table had clearly not been wiped. I ordered spaghetti because there were only about four options. I waited and waited for so long, and the restaurant wasn’t even busy. My stomach was rumbling so loud I thought it was going to burst. Finally, after an hour and a half of waiting my food came. The supposed ‘spaghetti’, is an understatement to say it wasn’t cooked. It was crunchy and dry and inconceivably raw! My mother forced the crusty straws down my throat as I choked and gagged, and that’s not even the worst part!
The bolognese was nasty, offensive, disgusting, unpleasant, distasteful, horrid, repellent, unsavory, sickening, the list goes on. I’ve been looking for hours in the thesaurus and can’t seem to find a word to match the taste of this monstrosity. The bolognese was a weird yellowy-orange colour, almost like vomit. I have no idea what goes on in the kitchen but nothing can explain why I found multiple fingernails in my bolognese! I picked off the nails and started to eat. It was rubbery and tasted like a piece of plastic found in the rubbish. I crammed it into my mouth and swallowed it, sweat dripped down my face, my cheeks were full, I was bright red and I felt like I was going to pop.
After this traumatic experience, I ran to the bathroom so I wouldn’t spew all over the table. As I approached the bathroom, the sign said out of order. HOW! How can the bathroom be out of order? I covered my mouth feeling the puke at the top of my throat. My head was spinning out of control. I felt my knees wobble. Quickly, I bent over a pot plant and released it. Once I had finished I stumbled back to my table. On my walk, I saw another pot plant with vomit in it, and it wasn’t mine. YUCK! I am never coming back here again.
1 star
Yours insincerely, Toby
Can we build it? Yes, we can!
(Sung to the tune of Bob the Builder)
On the 6th of November, the EPro8 external event was held at Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, and our school had sent two amazing, hard-working teams to represent our school in this momentous inter-school competition. EPro8 is a science and engineering competition, pitching teams from across the country, giving students an opportunity to grow and expand their hard tech skills.
After many hours of scouting, shortlisting, training, and additional practising, our teams were set to face off with 12 teams from all across Auckland. The competition lasted about 3 hours, and it was HEATED!!!
You could feel the tension in the air as teams raced to complete as many challenges as they could, fingers blistered as they unscrewed screws for their lives. Not to mention their reputation. CLANGS! and BANGS! Echoed throughout Blockhouse Bay Intermediate as groups clashed to move on to the Regional Semi-Finals!!!!
What made it even more intense was the judging. Absolute perfection was needed to pass a challenge. One wrong screw and the judge would send you straight back to your stations. Even a little wobbling from your build would land you back in square 1.
After 3 hours of stress and chaos, the final scores were announced. Unfortunately, none of our teams came 1st or 2nd. However, one of our teams, the Specialised Engineers came 3rd, and are moving on to the Regional Semi-Finals!!! ANI’s other team, The People, came 6th.
Congrats to these amazing young engineers!!!
Specialised Engineers- Callum Tang, Jonathan Chen, Jerry Wu, and Kushaell Roshaan Pathman.
The People- Thomas Ito Radich, Blyth Kendall, Timofei Letunov, and Sharon Kumamoto.
Written by Kushaell
Edited by Selene Q
All Whites comin' to town!
As the boiling hot sun blazed upon ANI, morning tea had just come to an end. However, something incredible was about to happen. Just after morning tea, we had a HUGE SURPRISE! 4 players from the All Whites had come to visit our school! Mr Pocock and Sohum had introduced themselves. Once introduced, we made our way over to the field where the AIMS Football Boys & Girls teams and AIMS Futsal Boys & Girls teams were. They were warming up and getting ready to play!
Then came the time. It was 9:30, we started counting down from 10. Our students were buzzing with excitement.
The All Whites wanted to introduce themselves, so we all sat down as they did so.
Their names were Alex Pualsen, Nando Pijnaker, Alex Rufer & Frances De Vries. They then got into teams and got ready to bring play.
The players mentioned, “We had come because we have 2 games to qualify for the World Cup and we wanted to come and see as many schools as we can just to see how they play football!”
The football team was playing on one pitch while the futsal team was playing on the other pitch. Some of the football players were either playing or coaching them!
It was hard keeping up with them since both the games were quite intense!
Unfortunately, the All Whites were only here until 11:45 AM so the time flew by very quickly.
Sadly, we had to wrap up at 11:35 for us to get autographs from the players and to get a photo.
But, everyone was excited about the autographs! Some people had asked the players to sign their football boots!
We had a long line of people waiting to get their autographs signed!
But just after they finished, The Guild had the pleasure of interviewing one of the players. His name was Alex Rufer.
You’ll be able to watch the video down below!
At 11:50 our incredible guests had to leave.
On behalf of ANI, we would like to say a huge thank you to you all who came to visit us. It was an incredible experience and it will never be forgotten! It was to play, chat and hang out with you guys! Thank you once again!
This is Sohum from the ANI Guild, signing out!
Written By: Sohum K.
Edited By: Griffin C.
Photos taken by: Sohum K.
Gumboot Friday or Gumboot Monday?
Gumboot Friday – or should I say, Gumboot Monday?
Gumboot day is an initiative started by ‘I Am Hope’ to raise money to provide kids with free counselling in a timely manner.
The nationwide movement is usually held on a Friday, but instead of having it last Friday, ANI chose to hold Gumboot Day on a Monday.
Students were told to wear gumboots and dress up in Mufti clothing and donate a gold coin.
Although not everyone wore gumboots, plenty of students wore Mufti clothing so there were a lot of gold coin donations.
Gumboot Day is a pretty important day, and even though it’s only in New Zealand, that just makes it even more special. But why gumboots?
It seems a bit odd at first, but it’s meant to represent and simulate how people struggling with mental health issues feel like they are struggling through a swamp of endless mud. ANI decided to add a bit more to teach the students some more.
Each morning, teachers always go through the daily notices so, they decided to put up a quote everyday of the week.
Our first quote was: “The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of the world but those who fight and win battles that others do not know anything about. – Jonathan Harnisch”
But that’s not all ANI chose to do. At lunchtime, there was a sausage sizzle set up outside the MPS. The student leaders and Mr Boniface were running the stand. At the start of lunch, there was a massive line stretching across the pavement! Sausages and bread were dished out at record speed for the awaiting students. Everyone was excited and eager to buy a sausage. Mr Boniface had counted the sausages and we had 408 to sell!
Later, the sausages were put on a half-price discount of only 1 dollar. If you thought one dollar wasn’t cheap enough, they started to give it out for free for everyone to enjoy the lovely sausage sizzle. Somehow, they managed to get rid of their entire stock and started to pack up before lunch ended.
We also had Matua Steve lead a team of around 30 students with gumboots to walk up the top of Maungawhau and back. It was a tiring journey but they showed great resilience! This event aimed to show that ANI truly supports the mental health community throughout New Zealand. Other than that the day went on as normal and we all enjoyed the quotes provided every day of that week. It was a new experience since we celebrated it last year! Hopefully, it will be done next year as it is a great event for NZ – even if it isn’t held on Friday!
Written by: Avni
Edited By: Sohum & Griffin
Photos by: Google
Chess Champs!
During the protracted Labour Day weekend, the illustrious chess virtuosos from Auckland Normal Intermediate were conveyed via commercial aeronautical vehicles to the esteemed capital of New Zealand for the illustrious Chess Power National Championship.
The team secured their distinguished position in the national championships through their prodigious performances in two qualifying regional tournaments. Our venerable phrontistery has consistently dispatched exceptional contenders to such prestigious contests, and the aggregate of their remarkable prowess has been instrumental in the attainment of qualification for the aforementioned national championship.
With exuberance and eager anticipation, the team members congregated their chess boards and meticulously formulated strategies for the formidable competition that lay ahead. Every player had devoted innumerable hours to the refinement of their skills, meticulously studying openings and analysing past games to procure an advantage over their adversaries. The coaching cadres, Ms Montesinos and Mr Wheeler, also played an indispensable role in their development, imparting wisdom while instilling a robust sense of teamwork and sportsmanship.
Upon their arrival in Wellington, the invigorating ambiance of the capital electrified them, generating an exhilarating buzz that further fuelled their resolve to triumph. The tournament itself emerged as a grand spectacle, featuring prodigiously talented players from across the nation, while spectators—including family and friends—imbued the hall with palpable excitement and fervent support. Each match stood as a testament to the dedication and diligence of these young competitors.
As the games ensued, our team demonstrated remarkable fortitude and camaraderie, exulting in their victories while gleaning valuable lessons from their setbacks. Their united passion for chess not only fortified their individual skills but also developed enduring friendships that would transcend the confines of the tournament.
In conclusion, the Chess Power National Championships served not merely as a contest of intellect and strategy but as a profound odyssey of personal growth and camaraderie for the Auckland Normal Intermediate team. The trials they faced and the triumphs they celebrated have indelibly etched a narrative of resilience and unity in the annals of their journey. As they returned to their beloved home of Auckland, each member carried with them not only the accolades of the tournament but also a renewed zeal to advance in their chess endeavours. This experience has fortified their aspirations, kindled an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and improvement, and established bonds that will undoubtedly enhance their future pursuits both on and off the chessboard. Indeed, their indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication herald a bright future for these burgeoning chess champions.
Written by William F
Edited by Leo S and Griffin C
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