The prefects surprised the school with the second annual East Spirit Week. This looks to be a new tradition, started by the prefects of 2011 and carried on as a labour of love by this year’s lineup who spent all of Sunday decorating the corridors.

Students were welcomed to school on Monday by an explosion of blue and yellow – balloons, streamers, tape and banners.

Events over the week include the Breakfast Club, which students gave a gold coin donation to be part of, the East vs Rongotai prefects netball game, colouring-in and acronym competitions, and the East Feast, an all-in shared lunch in the hall.

Thanks, prefects! 

Photos by the Magazine Committee

Year 10 classes have been coming up with good deeds and surprises to spring on their buddy classes.  In the last week there has been a surprise sea of balloons for 1053 and a treasure hunt around the school for 1080.  It is wonderful to see the creativity and generosity of spirit that our juniors have!

In association with Zeal, up-and-coming kiwi artist Annah Mac performed a free lunch-time concert at East. The concert was part of her nation-wide tour (you can watch her 'Girl in Stilettos' video here).  Annah Mac recently opened for One Direction.  The event was covered by a reporter from the Wellingtonian, where the Zeal regional manager raves about the positive culture of East.  See the article here.

Article by Radhika and Tessa (Technology Prefects) and images by Amy Lauridsen (Magazine Committee) 

On 26 April 2012, we celebrated International Girls in ICT Day by holding a text-off in the school hall at lunchtime. This text-off competition was to determine who the fastest texter in the East was. Girls from all year levels competed. We wanted to do something fun that would emphasise the pivotal place of ICT in the fabric of our lives.

We had two prizes for first and second place. First prize was a $50 Dick Smith voucher and a day with the ZM Black Thunders; second prize was also a day with the ZM Black Thunders. Our first place winner was Thida Koy (Year 11) with the approximate sending time of around 1minute 35 seconds, and our second place winner was Ella Bone (Year 10).

 The final text to be sent was from the Guinness Book of Worlds Records and it was, ‘The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.’ This was quite an intense text to send so our girls did very well. Both girls were extremely excited to win as they both love the Black Thunders!

We look forward to even bigger ‘text-offs’ in the future!

The first WEGC Food Fair of the century was a massive hit.  The community turned up in droves, with standing room only by the time the performances started.  The event marked the launch of the WEGC cook book 'Kaitime'.  There was a rich choice of food, from Greek to Samoan or Indian and those with a sweet tooth could go to the cake and treats stall.  Outside there was produce and plants and the very popular second-hand book sale.  Congratulations to all involved and thank you to our community for your support.

Above:  Guest speaker, Ria Hall 

Māori students, their whānau, the Māori department and senior staff of WEGC came together on Thursday 1 March to recognise and celebrate the academic, leadership and sporting achievement of senior Māori Students at East.

The evening was initiated by Te Whānau Tūtahi and was held at Te Kuratini Marae at Massey University, as part of the school’s noho marae for Māori students. The evening was a huge success.

The girls were privileged to have Ria Hall as their guest speaker for the evening. Ria is a talented and successful musician who has achieved highest honours in kapa haka and in 2011 starred in the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup – singing the World Cup song, ‘World in Union’ to an audience of millions.

Ria was able to tell the girls of her journey through school, competing at regional and national levels in multiple sports, rugby, touch, volleyball and netball, Ngā Manu Korero Speech competitions and kapa haka. She encouraged the girls to set goals every year, and to keep referring back to them. She told the girls that 80% of her success has been as a result of hard work, while 20% was talent, and urged the girls to aim for the very top and not to be deterred by failure but to acknowledge it – have a little cry – and try again!

Ria also talked about her desire to enter politics, her hunger for knowledge and plans to study at Victoria this year so that she has an academic career to support her successful music career. And much to the girls’ delight, at the end of the evening, Ria sang a stunning unaccompanied version of an Etta James song.

Thank you to Ria, Sally Haughton, Ann Greenaway, Ameriai Kiriwera and Ricky Prebble for helping to make the evening so memorable.

Girls recognised in the ceremony were:

Leadership Awards presented to this year’s Maori Prefects: Phinie Malir-Crawford, Roma Simmons-Donaldson, Mamaeroa Munn, Emma Dench and Rangimarie Teautama

Academic Excellence and Merit: Roma Simmons Donaldson, Autumn McNeill, Valeria Mendoza Davis, Mamaeroa Munn, Ihipera Rimene-Sproat, Ngaere Hauiti Parapara, Marlissa Howard, Acacia- Viva Omeri, Kuraroa Ratu-James, Lily Simmons-Donaldson

Sporting Success:  Kuraroa Ratu-James

Cantala, the premier choir at WEGC, has been selected to compete at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna. The girls are thrilled to be part of this prestigious event, and are looking forward to sharing the incandescent spirit of Wellington East Girls’ College with other choirs from around the world as well as with audiences in London and Paris.

With inspired guidance from head of music Brent Stewart, Cantala is preparing a significant repertoire of songs, ranging from classical to cutting edge contemporary pieces. On 22 February they sang to packed pews at a lunchtime concert at St Andrews on the Terrace, raising over $700 while evoking much praise, applause and some restorative tears. They are truly beautiful to hear, and WEGC is very proud of them!!

Before Christmas the choir fundraised through busking, public and private performances, raising nearly $3000. The girls are keen to invite the wider school community to come along and support their efforts, while also enjoying some great social events they are planning over the next few months. From bake-sales and sausage sizzles to auctions and glamorous evenings at Peter Jackson’s private cinema – their fundraising opportunities are listed on www.cantala.co.nz.

If you would like to help Cantala on this journey of a lifetime, please put these dates in your diary, make a donation or book the choir for your event: email cantala@wegc.school.nz or text 027 772 4498.

There has been some significant rethinking of the approach to the strengthening of earthquake prone buildings at Wellington East Girls' College by the Ministry of Education. These changes will have an impact on the nature of the strengthening work, the time frame and provision of space for relocation of teaching, administration and student support services while the building takes place.

The second phase will begin as soon as possible. There is no longer any expectation that we occupy the Main Building before work has been completed. Decisions have not yet been made about the form this strengthening will take.

Additional classrooms and toilets have been provided on the top field for Social Science and Economics teaching. More appropriate temporary accommodation for student support services and administration will be provided by the end of Term 1.

The Ministry of Education new schools team are involved in the development of a master plan for the college which will involve looking at the site as a whole. It will take into account the strengthening needs of other buildings, the changing nature of the curriculum and the significant roll growth anticipated over the next few years.

This means that we begin 2012 in a stronger position with the teaching spaces we need, a plan for more adequate relocation of staff and the prospect of designing spaces relevant to 21st century learning.