In today’s ANI Guild we have the following:
Mr Pocock vs. Pool-ANI Can Drive
Do you have any baked beans, packaged pasta, or perishable items that you just don’t know what to do with? Why don’t you donate them! Even one can of baked beans can make a huge difference for one hungry family without any good food. Being a very supportive school, ANI launched its own little can drive to help its community. Thanks to the Student Leaders of ANI, our school can make a huge difference to a small community.
The can drive was launched in Week 2 Assembly by our optimistic student leaders, hoping that students would love the idea and donate. They proposed that if we got 750 cans or unperishable packages, our principal, Mr Pocock, would walk the plank fully clothed into the cold school pool! Of course, after that, everyone wanted to donate. Each class got one box to fill up over the course of 2-3weeks. After three weeks of hardcore donating, most boxes were full and ready to be donated.
With only one week left for donating and still 150 cans short of dunking Mr Pocock in the pool, everyone is pleading with their parents for just one can or package of food to get us over the line. We only have a couple of students to thank for this amazing project: The Student Leaders of ANI.
Written by: Soleil, Aariya, Scarlett
Edited by: Survi,
Photos by: Riya
Adventure Awaits in the Wild!
On Friday the 23rd of May, the illustrious William Pike Challenge team travelled by commercial land transportation vehicle to the renowned Woodhill in the North-West of Auckland. As the beautiful countryside swept by, a friendly chatter filled the vans as the challenge awaited, lurking in the dark. Finally, after some forty-five long minutes of travel, they pulled up at Woodhill – eager to begin.
Briefings are inevitable, and one followed for the general safety – and of course the bicycles themselves. After a brief cycle around the gravel parking lot, the participants followed a guide through to the winding tracks – however they came in an order of complexity. Here is an excerpt of a typical ride on the track-No Vacancy
“Pushing up the steep incline, you eagerly watch as the guide disappears over the lip of the hill, hurtling down the winding track. A pinecone smacks onto the ground beside you, and you pedal on, anticipating the wild ride ahead. Speeding down the rough track with mud flying everywhere, you concentrate on the obstacles, hills, jumps and myriads of other elements as you take the first jump, hitting hard as the tread of the tires, bite into the dirt, sending natural debris into the air”.
Written By : Leo S
Edited by: Sophie L
Wai Time
At the end of term 1, Wai got to celebrate their winnings for the term. Having won the house competition in Term 2, Wai got their winnings and their big award of watching The Wild Robot, followed by popsicles! It was a (wai) ANI student’s paradise. This day would be one that Wai would never forget and cherish in their memories. It was that good.
On Friday week 2, Wai house got to celebrate all of their hard-earned house points. After lunch, Wai got together and met in the MPS. Mr Gleeson came on to the stage to announce that their award would be watching a movie, The Wild Robot, while receiving a refreshing ice block. It gave the students in Wai the opportunity to connect with one another. Unfortunately, Wai didn’t get to see the whole movie due to limited time, but they still had a good experience. The movie was very interesting and everyone enjoyed it. Although it started raining midway it didn’t bother the students from having an amazing time.
Let’s go further.
To add on the effect of Wai’s celebrations, in Term 3, the day of Cross Country, Wai strived to work even harder. After countless steps and unbeatable slopes (that were obviously beaten by our trusty ANI students), Wai got a surprise later on in the last block when the teachers revealed that WAI also got the most house points for Cross Country! The din was deafening – almost like the one when Wai won the previous time.
To summarise, Wai had been striving – but there’s something else we need to add on to – the other striving houses, Ahi, Whenua and Te Hau. Without these, the pleasure for winning, the competition, everything – would never be the same. So take some time to appreciate the houses of ANI – Wai, Te Hau, Whenua, and Ahi – and let’s all try to make our house bigger, better and stronger.
Written by: Renee, Amarah, Chloe and Selene.
Edited by: Libby
All Aboard to the Writer’s Festival!
The day began when 8 lucky students set off on “Mr Ng’s express” to Aotea Centre in Auckland Central to attend the incredible Writers Festival.
The first event of the day was a talk with Anton Clifford-Motopi who is the author of the book, To and Fro. In his inspiring talk, Anton talked about how he liked to combine humour and self-identity in his writing. He also told us about how he based the book on his childhood and his hardships as an adoptive African child in an all white family. The book described Sam’s journey to self-love and finding heritage.
There was a short intermission between the author talks. Miss Chowdhury was kind enough to book us into a comic drawing workshop. The lesson was taught by Michel Mulipola, a comic book illustrator and professional wrestler. In the workshop, we dived deeper into speech bubbles, learnt about the structure of comics and strengthened our knowledge on how to sketch characters.
We then took a break for lunch and browsed around the bookstore, which included books from multiple of the writers that were appearing in this year’s Writers Festival.
After we bought some books, we went back to listen to a talk with the one, the only Jessica Townsend. The successful author of the award-winning Nevermore series. Jessica talked about how she came to love writing and her first steps in writing. She explained the hardships of being an author and suffering writer’s block. She also gave us some insight on her new book “Silverborne”; it has already been released in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the US.
After we finished the talk, we got some of the books signed by the authors and left Aotea Square back on “Mr Ng’s express”, excited and buzzing that we got to experience this amazing event.
Written by Ethan, Chloe, Selene and Sumaiya.
Art by Erin and Yi-Ling
Pink To Make You Think!
Pink Shirt Day at ANI was a blast for every ANI student and teacher. Students were encouraged to dress up in pink. From pink shirts to pink hair dye, the school looked like a sea of pink. But what is the purpose of Pink Shirt Day?
Pink shirt day is a day to remember that bullying is never right and always be an upstander. Students have demonstrated integrity and shown all the Ani values; this was shown by helping and welcoming their new students into their classrooms. The teachers are all so proud about their students that stood up between fights and friendship arguments. Every class also held some fun activities such as creating Pink Shirt Day posters.
Students were also encouraged to bring a gold coin donation to support this great cause. Even some of the people who weren’t confident enough to dress up gave a hand to this, which was a great thing to see.
In summary, Pink Shirt Day is a creative reminder against bullying. So let’s make a difference and all wear pink next year and to let you know that you are never going through anything by yourself.
You can always tell your parents, teachers and friends. Bullying is never right and you should always be an upstander .
LETS GO PINK SHIRT DAY!!
Written by Kayla Y and Sophie L
Edited by Kayla Y and Sophie L
Education on the Green!
“At school, you will have noticed that the ‘curious Year 7’s’ have been very busy this week. . . yup EOTC!” – Quote sample by a random but wisened Year 8.
Last term, the Year 7s enjoyed some freedom from their normal school routine during Education Outside The Classroom, or… EOTC Week. They have been taking part in activities at ANI, Windmill Park, and Orakei Basin. The children seemed to have had an amazing time and enjoyed it greatly. Read more below for more information about the unique three days the Year 7s enjoyed.
During weeks 1 & 2, both Year 7 teams went out for an exciting three-day trip outside the classroom (EOTC). During that time, they visited Orakei Basin, where they made rafts kayaked and went on a speedy coastal walk, “Windmill Park”, where they had fun learning outdoor first aid, racing to make pancakes, making a shelter out of basically nothing and finding hidden markers for Orienteering. The last day of fun was staying at ANI and climbing on the Mobile Rock Wall, shooting arrows for archery, and teaming up to win the Survivor Race.
Sadly, the weather had other plans. It may have spoiled some of the class’ fun. The Totora team in particular had to: Run to the classrooms, walk back to school, take an emergency bus ride home, and some students even had to be picked up from school! That would certainly be remembered for Totora!
However, they showed a great attitude towards the rainy weather and didn’t let it dampen their spirits. They went home buzzing with excitement and chatter and showed real ANI spirit as the week came to a close. Well done to all the teachers who braved the cold and kept calm and carried on!
Written by: Callum T
Edited by: Saanvi R and Callum T
To Speech or Not to Speech
It’s that time of year – the time to write our awesome persuasive speeches! Across Year 7 and Year 8, us students are gearing up for competition time. A speech competition is a common occurrence among schools, though ANI’s is of course, the best! As the Year 8s have seen, our speeches must fall into a time frame of 3 minutes, and include an additional element, such as a slideshow, an object, or just your own humble VOICE! However, the Year 7s were lucky enough to escape the necessity of a visual aid – although the vocal pieces are just as great! The competition occurred on Monday throughout the phrontistery, we are itching to hear the most distinguished works – and the best efforts put forward!
As the day arrived, the anticipation came to a crescendo. The first round of speeches was hectic due to the nervousness in the air. The presenters were scared at first, but soon built up the confidence and owned the stage. With so many unique topics and opinions, this must be a young public speaker’s dream. The next round was Team speeches. With one student chosen from each room, only the best would prevail!
The finalists for the Year 8 competition were:
Griffin with his speech on humans not being the superior race,
Sabrina with her speech about this generation’s obsession with technology,
Isaac and his speech on more sleep and
Serena talking about junk food.
It was hard for the judges to choose one winner; they talked and decided. Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, the winners – Griffin Clement & Isaac Zhou from Year Eight and Caiden Flux-Ton from Year Seven! Congratulations to all the winners!!!
Written by: Callum, Lucja, Griffin, Renee, Christian and Leo
Edited by: Libby, Saanvi R, Callum
ANI 80th Jubilee
We are excited to share that Auckland Normal Intermediate (ANI) is turning 80 this year!
Back in 1945, Auckland Normal School officially became Auckland Normal Intermediate, beginning with a roll of 438 students. Fast forward to today, and we proudly serve 739 wonderful learners.
To celebrate this milestone, we are hosting a special Jubilee Day on Friday, 14th November, followed by a fun-filled Trivial Pursuit Night that evening.
As part of the evening event, we will also be holding a raffle, with tickets being sent home in mid-October. Since we’ve moved away from our traditional chocolate fundraiser in support of healthy living, the raffle will serve as an important initiative to raise funds for improvements not covered by the Ministry—starting with a much-needed library upgrade.
Trivial Pursuit Night Details:
- Date: Friday, 14th November
- Time: 7:00 PM
- Location: The MPS
- Tables: 15 tables of 8 (get in quick!)
- Tickets: $30 per person (includes a cheese platter and a mystery bag for your table)
- Extras: Pizza served at mid way through the night, cash bar available, games, spot prizes and a silent auction throughout the evening
- Prizes: for the winning table
To make the night a success, we would greatly appreciate your support. If you are able to contribute in any way, be it goods, services, prizes, or accommodation (such as a weekend at a beach house), for our silent auction, we would be incredibly grateful. If you have any items to donate, please contact Mandy Tomlins our Alumni Ambassador: mtomlins@ani.school.nz
Let’s make ANI’s 80th a celebration to remember!
More information will become available soon in regard to invitations to the Jubilee Day and tickets for the Triv night.
Please pop onto your calendar the date and start asking friends and family if they have the brains to compete in the Triv night!
