Latest news with #DunstanHighSchool
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
New skills honed on ‘Grease' set
Dunstan High School is staging Grease and even the school principal has been roped into appearing on stage. It may have come out long before the cast, and possibly some of their parents, were born but the good girl-bad boy story still resonates with teenagers. The show includes many students other than those appearing on stage, from backstage roles to those promoting the show. Leading the cast will be Izzy Smith as Sandy and Alex Scott as bad boy Danny Zuko. The Pink Ladies and Greasers will all be there and principal Andrew King will star as Teen Angel. Not to be outdone, teacher Tyler Watson will appear as Johnny Casino. Izzy said playing Sandy pushed her to develop new skills. "Being a part of the Grease production is such an amazing experience that I'll never forget. I have learnt so many new acting skills and ways to improve my singing and dancing. I enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things while building many new connections with the cast that I would never have had previously." Playing Danny was quite the experience for Alex as it was his first major role. "I have really enjoyed being involved in the Grease production so far as it is a very unique experience for me as I have never been involved in a major school production or any art performance before, let alone being one of the main characters. "It has been a great challenge stepping out of my comfort zone and performing but this challenge has allowed me to meet new people from the cast and build connections with people that I would have never met or introduced myself to before." Being part of the production had been an amazing experience for Keira Mcfadyen, who would be playing Pink Lady Marty. I'm thrilled to be part of our school's production of Grease. Being involved in such an iconic and high-energy show has been an unforgettable experience. "From the very first rehearsal, it's been an amazing journey learning the choreography, stepping into character and working alongside such a talented and supportive cast and crew. "There's something truly special about bringing this story to life on stage, and I feel so lucky to be part of a team that's poured so much passion and effort into every moment. "I can't wait for everyone to see the final result. Get ready for a night full of music, laughter, and of course, plenty of greased lightning." — Allied Media
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Rowing drawcard for German student
German exchange student Jelte Stuke with his host Tracey Driehuis and Dunstan High School principal Andrew King. PHOTO: ELLA JENKINS After the best year of his life, German exchange student Jelte Stuke had his final day as a year 13 student at Dunstan High School and returned home with many memories. Originally from Leer, a town in Germany with a population of 35,000, Jelte wanted to experience life outside of Germany. "So I wanted to go somewhere where I can still do my rowing and UK was a bit too close to Germany," he said. Australia and Canada came up as choices but his brother had already gone to Canada and Jelte hated spiders and snakes which ruled out Australia. After contacting an exchange agency and saying he wanted to do rowing in New Zealand, the agency provided Jelte with options for high schools with good rowing programmes where he could do an exchange. "They text me or they showed me schools with good rowing where I can go and then I looked at all of them and decided Dunstan." Jelte arrived in Central Otago in time to start at Dunstan High School in term three last year; that first day of term he said he felt out of his depth. Fortunately for Jelte, his host family already had a German exchange student who showed him around and made starting at Dunstan High easier, he said. Hosted by Barry and Tracey Driehuis, Jelte said he enjoyed experiencing normal Kiwi family life and taking part in rowing and outdoor education. Jelte said his year in New Zealand was the best year of his life, and encouraged anyone looking to do a school exchange to just do it. Mrs Driehuis began hosting students more than 10 years ago, wanting to learn about other cultures and to give students a taste of life in New Zealand. She said it was great hosting Jelte for the year. "It was good to have him come over and we could allow him to come here and do what he wanted to do and experience New Zealand." Dunstan High School international director Rosemary Flanagan encouraged those with a spare bedroom to look into hosting an exchange student. "Hosting international students can enrich your family's life, broaden horizons and create lasting friendships. It is a chance to experience other cultures and make a positive impact on a young person's life," she said.
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Otago Students To Benefit From More Classrooms
Minister of Education Hon James Meager Minister for the South Island The Government's ensuring hundreds more students in Otago benefit from new, safe, warm and dry classrooms. A $27 million investment into new infrastructure will help make sure schools meet the needs of their communities and gets ahead of new growth. It will support the construction of: Six new teaching spaces at Dunstan High School A twelve-teaching space expansion at Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau The investment is in addition to the purchase of a site at Ladies Mile in Queenstown last year, which will accommodate a new primary school in the area. 'Queenstown in particular, has had strong and steady growth over the last decade, and we are committed to ensuring they are equipped to teach the basics brilliantly. Planning for the two growth projects is underway and is expected to begin in the next 12 months. This means that students, families and the Otago community can benefit sooner,' Education Minister Erica Stanford says. 'Funding for the construction of the new primary school at Ladies Mile will be considered in future years. Securing the land at this time means that we will be able to hit 'go' on construction when capacity is needed.' This announcement builds on the Government's commitment to ongoing investment in school property, and follows recent announcements to support growth in Canterbury, the Central North Island and provision of specialist education. 'Quality education is crucial to growing the regions. These new classrooms are an investment in the future of young learners in Otago Central Lakes and builds on the 120 new classrooms announced for Canterbury in the last month," South Island Minister James Meager says. "There is huge potential for Otago Central Lakes to become a hub for digital and tech investors, alongside our traditional backbone industries of tourism and agriculture. To enable that investment, we need to foster brilliance in our young people by investing in their future and building for growth. We also need a high-quality education infrastructure to attract the best quality workforce to our regions." 'Our efficiencies in school property delivery allows more schools, communities and children benefit sooner. The use of standardised building designs and offsite manufacturing have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28%, allowing 30% more classrooms to be delivered last year compared to 2023. We will continue to drive costs down so more Kiwi kids can thrive,' Ms Stanford says.
Otago Daily Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Gold rush brought to Showquest
Dunstan High School pupils perform at Showquest Southland 2025. PHOTO: CHONTALLE MUSSON Student actors from Dunstan High School performed their homegrown production exploring the hardships of Central Otago's gold rush era to a packed audience at Invercargill's Civic Theatre on Monday night. The troupe was one of 12 from across Otago and Southland to compete in Showquest 2025, which challenged young people to create an eight- to 10-minute performance around a theme of their choosing. Gold Beneath Grief followed several families as they navigated the trials of the 1860s goldfields — from losing loved ones in floods to the heartache of homesickness and the relentless pressure to strike it rich — offering audiences a glimpse into the resilience and sorrow that shaped early settler life. The performance by Dunstan High School was recognised with an award for excellence in dance, while the teachers who supported the production were honoured with the Teacher Spirit Award. Monday night's overall winner was Mount Aspiring College, whose pupils created and performed Wāhine Toa, a dance piece celebrating significant women from throughout Aotearoa's history.
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Student art front and centre
The artwork of Dunstan High School students on display at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery in celebration of Youth Week. PHOTO: ELLA JENKINS Alexandra Library and Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery hosted an exhibitions of Dunstan High School students' artwork in celebration of Youth Week. Puna Rangitahi Alexandra & Districts Youth Trust youth worker Courtney La'ulu said the idea to hold an art exhibition during youth week came from wanting to something different this year. A passion for the creative community and a desire to foster collaboration within the community gave her the idea to reach out to the Alexandra Library, Central Stories and Dunstan High School to highlight the talents of youth in Central Otago. Art from different year groups were on display at both Central Stories and the Library. A variety of artworks in different styles were provided by the Dunstan High School art department. Self-portraits, lino prints, cubism and architectural paintings were on display at Central Stories. Two sets of lockers were also on display, painted in a protest art style. "It was awesome just like being able to give the youth a space to be able to show off some of the talents for starters that we've got in our area and to be able to have them feel like they've got that place of belonging in our community as well." Ms La'ulu said the exhibition had been a huge success and she would not be surprised if the event was carried in the years to come. "We might look at getting more schools involved or doing something different, it could be a large mural or something like that," she said. Celebrating the community together for Youth Week in a creative space was something she was passionate about continuing, Ms La'ulu said.
