Wikipedia

Westlake Boys High School

Westlake Boys High School (Māori: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamatāne o Ururoto)[3] is a state secondary school for boys in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into Westlake Girls High School on the existing site and Westlake Boys High School on a new site.[4] Serving Years 9 to 13, the college has 2698 students as of August 2024.[1]

Westlake Boys High School
Māori: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamatāne o Ururoto
Location
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Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates36°46′36.04″S 174°44′57.98″E / 36.7766778°S 174.7494389°E / -36.7766778; 174.7494389
Information
TypeState single-sex boys secondary (Year 9–13)
MottoVirtute Experiamur
Let Courage Be Thy Test
Established1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Ministry of Education Institution no.37
HeadmasterDavid Ferguson
School roll2698[1] (August 2024)
Houses  Hood
  Murchison
  Pupuke
  Smale
  Stanley
  Ururoto
Colour(s)  Green
  Red
Socio-economic decile9Q[2]
Websitewww.westlake.school.nz

Westlake Boys Deputy headmaster David Ferguson took on the role of Headmaster of Westlake Boys High School, taking over from Craig Monaghan, a former Commonwealth Games Judo representative and referee.[5]

View of the school's main entrance

Westlake Boys and Girls

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Physically a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in a joint annual theatrical production, participate in several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto – Virtute Experiamur – "Let Courage Be Thy Test" in Latin.

Academic pathways

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Westlake Boys High School uses the National Certificate of Educational Achievement to assess students. Until 2019, it also offered Cambridge Assessment International Education as an option, but this was phased out from 2016.[6][7]

Sporting

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The school's teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships.[8] In 2008/09, Westlake came second in both the Gillette and Maadi Cups in 2009, in both cases, losing to Hamilton Boys'. [citation needed]

Music and performing arts

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The educational music programme covers performance, composition, analysis, history and aural skills. Along with the option of taking music as a subject, there is also a compulsory Year 9 course, focusing on the appreciation of music and drama in everyday life through theoretical and practical exercises, which runs for multiple weeks throughout the year.[9]

The school has a number of performing groups: a choir ('Voicemale'), a Barbershop Chorus ('Virtutti'), a Concert Band, Stage Band, and Junior Symphonic band. Orchestral groups include the Westlake Symphony, Chamber Orchestra the junior Taharoto Orchestra and the boys' string groups Conchordia and Camerata. The performing groups have won awards at the annual KBB Music Festival (formerly the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival or 'ASSBOF'). Some groups, such as the Choralation Choir, which won the platinum award at the Big Sing Finale in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are combined with Westlake Girls High School.[10]

 
View of the school quad

Notable alumni

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Main category: People educated at Westlake Boys High School
  • Charles R. Alcock – astronomer, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Politics

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  • John Watson – Auckland Councillor, former local board member and former Head Boy[11]

The Arts

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Business

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Journalism

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Environment

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Sport

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Basketball

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Cricket

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Football

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Rowing

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Rugby League

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Rugby union

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Sailing

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Shooting

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Motorsport

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References

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  1. ^ a b "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Westlake Girls' High School".
  4. ^ Sparks, Zizi (17 February 2017). "Former Westlake High School students celebrate 60-year reunion". North Shore Times.
  5. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Curriculum Review 2015 | Westlake Boys High School". www.westlake.school.nz. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  7. ^ Nicoll, Andrew. "Westlake Boys High School 2019 Board of Trustees Annual Report" (PDF). Westlake Boys High School.
  8. ^ [2] Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Arts | Westlake Boys High School". www.westlake.school.nz. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  10. ^ [3] Archived 23 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Meet the Team – John Watson". Putting People First. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Mike Stanley". Westlake Boys High School. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Motorsport: Teen prodigy changes gear for TRS series". 16 January 2011.
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