Academic Student Testimonials

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Academic

Academic Student Testimonials

Academic Achievements

Our students share how our dual pathways options, the College's scholarship classes, as well as extra-curricular opportunities, have enhanced their competencies, academic outcomes, cognitive dexterity and interpersonal skills.

Year 13 students

Nyla Spencer

I am a NCEA Year 13 student attending Rangitoto College. Since Year 9 I have been self motivated to achieve across all aspects of school life. Since my Junior years, and now into the Senior NCEA years, my drive has always been supported by my teachers to achieve the highest Excellence results. In NCEA Level 1 I took English, Mathematics, Sport Science, Extension Sciences and Extension Geography in which I achieved Level 1 Excellence Endorsement – in four subjects, and overall, I passed comfortably with Level 1 Excellence Endorsement. Additionally, I am grateful to be involved in extension courses; whilst these classes promote a healthy competitive environment, you are encouraged and positively urged to think beyond the curriculum whilst striving for personal excellence.

In Year 12 I enrolled in Geography and Health and Physical Education Scholarship as part of the Academic Scholars programme. This programme involves Year 12 and 13 students who are striving, and/or with the potential to achieve Scholarship; students attend workshops that give them tips on how to balance your studies, start preparing for multiple Scholarship subjects, and how to gain that competitive edge. These sessions are a clear testament to how the teachers at Rangitoto College want students to challenge themselves, ask and seek feedback to engage deep thinking and form the understanding that they are supported on their Scholarship journey.

As well as being an academic student I am heavily involved within all aspects of sport and leadership opportunities offered by Rangitoto College. Regarding sport I have partaken in over ten sports out of the wide variety the College has to offer, competing at Regional levels for many and attending as well as highly achieving (Athletics) in four New Zealand Secondary School Sporting Championships (Athletics, Touch Rugby, Beach Volleyball and Indoor Volleyball). Within the Leadership and Service realm of the College I have been a part of many of the Colleges Leadership teams since Year 9 and partaking in additional leadership roles and experiences I have been offered by the College. I am extremely grateful for these experiences and opportunities Rangitoto College’s diverse environment has provided me. My teachers are extremely considerate and understanding of my additional school commitments that can take time out of the learning, going above and beyond to support and aid me with any academic concerns I have.

I am truly grateful for my time so far at Rangitoto College that has shaped me into the well rounded, academically engaged and sport enthusiast I am today. I can attend the College knowing that myself as well as all students are supported, encouraged and celebrated by all staff aiming to help every student reach their full potential academically and as a person.

Luke Burkett

I am a Year 13 NCEA student at Rangitoto College. In Year 12 I took extension classes for English, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and History, and scholarship exams for English, Biology, Health & PE and History. Through taking such classes, I have continuously been pushed to achieve as highly as possible, encouraged by my teachers to go beyond expectations and fulfil my potential. Through this motivating environment created by the teachers, I was able to achieve Excellence endorsement for NCEA Level 1 and receive awards for History and Biology, only made possible by the dedication of my teachers.

In addition to the expert guidance of the teachers, Rangitoto College has provided me with a plethora of opportunities to pursue my dreams. I have been fortunate enough to be part of Big Band, which has ascended to being one of the top jazz bands in the country, as well as the Stockholm jazz Combo. Earlier this year, I was presented the opportunity to go on a trip to Tauranga for the National Youth Jazz Competition, which I jumped at with memories of the same trip last year. At this competition, I was exposed to some of the best musicians in the country and given feedback to improve my performance as a saxophone player. Through the dedication of our music teachers, Big Band achieved the gold award, and my combo Stockholm received the silver award. North Sea, the top combo of Rangitoto College, was named as the best high school level combo in the country after many months of dedication enabled by the efforts of our music teachers. Along with the extensive opportunities in the performing arts, Rangitoto College excels in sports. In Year 12 I was in the Boys Second XI football team, being a reserve for the First XI. Through the positive environment created by my coach and teammates, I have been able to make lifelong connections while keeping fit and achieving excellence with my team.

The college’s support networks ensure that each student receives the help they need, seen through programmes such as the Peer Support Programme, in which Year 13 students help Year 9 students through the daunting prospect of high school. In doing so, students are encouraged to push themselves to be the best while maintaining healthy practices and maintaining relationships with others.

After I finish my NCEA level 2 and 3 courses, I plan to study Youth Psychiatry at the University of Auckland, a dream which Rangitoto College has set me a clear pathway for. This ability to guide students through their education journey while encouraging them to push themselves allows students at Rangitoto College to find their own passions and pursue their dreams.

Alumni

Yeonsu Na

I was born and raised in the small but pleasant coastal city of Tauranga where I lived my entire life up until early last year when our family moved to Auckland. Moving up to Auckland in Year 11, our family found attending Rangitoto College highly appealing due to their evident level of proficiency in secondary education which can be seen from the results the college garnered in academics, sports and performing arts. I was fortunate when the college accepted my late out-zone application and am still very grateful for their generosity.

Choosing IB was a decision that I will not regret. This is because the IB Diploma Programme provided me with the learning experiences and opportunities that NCEA cannot offer. The transition from NCEA to IB was smooth and seamless and my time in the IB curriculum at Rangitoto College provided me with a solid foundation to continue my tertiary studies in aeronautical engineering overseas. I took the following subjects: Mathematics AA Higher Level (HL), Physics HL, History HL, Chemistry Standard Level (SL), English Literature (SL) and Korean Literature (SL).

However, outside of the IB Diploma Programme, I enjoyed challenging myself and learning new things through participating in academic competitions. In particular, I especially enjoyed studying and participating in Maths Olympiad contests. So, I was very pleased when I received an honourable mention at the annual NZ Mathematical Olympiad in 2022 and 2023. In addition, I was able to place and excel in other competitions such as the Junior Otago Maths Competition and the Interschool Maths Olympiad.

In terms of NZQA scholarship exam, in Year 11, I was able to pass the scholarship calculus examination but with all honesty, I thought I had genuinely failed after the exam. My success in the exam can be attributed to the effectiveness of the scholarship calculus sessions run by Rangitoto College teaching staff. Because of this, I was accepted into a University of Canterbury course for first-year maths in 2023 where I was able to complete the course with a final grade of A+. In 2023 I passed the scholarship calculus and physics examinations.

I also helped contribute to the development of the school’s maths competition club. With the cooperation of other student leaders, we taught and provided opportunities for junior students to grow and develop their skills in problem solving maths. We aimed to prepare the students for different competitions throughout the year. However, in the field of Maths Olympiad, Rangitoto College previously lacked a similar kind of programme to support junior students. Therefore, in 2023, with the help of other students, I established the Rangitoto Maths Olympiad Club where we aim to teach the art of Maths Olympiad to junior students so that they can better prepare for Olympiad contests throughout the year.

As an avid slalom canoeist, I have seen success on the national and international stage over the past couple of years. At the 2023 and 2024 editions of the NZ Secondary School Championships, I represented Rangitoto College and obtained a bronze medal and a silver medal respectively. At the 2024 ICF World Ranking Race NZ Open, I added another silver medal to my collection. On the international stage I represent Korea and I made my debut at the 2023 ICF Junior World Championships in Krakow, Poland. In 2024, at the Junior Asian Championships, I was a bronze medallist in my field and, at the time of writing this, I will be due to compete at the 2024 ICF Junior World Championships in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia.

In 2024, I officially introduced the sport of canoe slalom to Rangitoto College, and students now have the opportunity to participate in this sport. I personally coached the students and organise the teaching programme with the cooperation of the local club. This was entirely voluntary, and I choose to do this because I believed it was only right for me to volunteer like this for the school and the local community as I, myself, received a lot of support and resources from other people while I was still a developing athlete.

I was in the Violin 1 section of the Rangitoto College Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra where we worked towards the KBB Music Festival in Term 3. In 2024, I was part of the school’s Elite Chamber Music Programme where my chamber group had the opportunity to perform at the 2024 NZ Chamber Music Contest. These wide ranges of opportunities to involve myself in performing arts is also another aspect of Rangitoto College that made the school particularly appealing to me. I was grateful to be able to participate in these music groups as not all schools are able to offer such opportunities.

Summer Bailey

In Year 13 I was an International Baccalaureate (IB) student at Rangitoto College. My journey through Rangitoto College and the IB programme has been integral to my development as a person, and I am conscious that attending this school was an immense privilege. Rangitoto College provides students with infinite potential to excel in their chosen field, through the myriad of academic pathways available amidst the sheer range of extracurricular activities on offer.

I achieved excellence in all of my Year 11 assessments, enabling me to achieve Excellence Endorsement in Level 1 NCEA and in all of my subjects individually. For me, entering the IB programme in Year 12 seemed a natural progression, as I sought to develop a sense of international mindedness and a more in-depth learning experience.

Year 12 was a highlight in my academic career. I approached my IB subjects with diligence and consistently achieved throughout the year, receiving a Certificate of Distinction at the end of Year 12. My classes provided me with strong foundational knowledge in their respective disciplines, enabling me to achieve a High Distinction in the external University of Auckland Economics Competition. With these Year 12 results, I was also able to pursue further studies in Mathematics at a University level, taking a course in Statistics at the University of Auckland in Semester One. Additionally, in Year 13 I undertook the UK Biology Olympiad, supplementing my IB learning with external competitions to increase my proficiency in the different STEM fields that I aspire to study in. I entered Scholarship Biology, Chemistry, Economics, and Spanish.

I particularly valued the way in which the content offered in IB courses provided concrete, real-life applications, as I feel that this provided me a greater understanding of my subjects in a societal context. Alongside academics, IB offered other unique opportunities for growth, such as the Extended Essay (EE), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and Community, Action, and Service (CAS). The EE provided us with a chance to produce a piece of academic writing on a topic of our choosing, which helped prepare us for the transition into university, while the TOK course enabled us to become more discerning and critical about the knowledge we obtain in everyday life. The IB Diploma also recognises the importance of balance and commends extracurricular activities through the CAS programme. This encouraged me to continue to contribute to the school community, through being a Year 13 Student Leader of the Service Leadership Team (after being a member of the Academic, Community, and Wellbeing Leadership Teams in past years), playing and coaching hockey, and being a Student Volunteer Army Ambassador, amongst other volunteering. The emphasis that IB places on the simultaneous fulfilment of academic, community, and cultural goals helped me to become a more well-rounded person.

After completing IB, I hope to receive a scholarship to study at an overseas university (ideally in the United Kingdom). I would love to study Natural Sciences, with a focus on Biological Sciences, at Cambridge University. After university, I am aiming to move into Pharmacology or Neuroscience.

Orlando Aguilera

Whilst a Year 13 student at Rangitoto College, I was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) cohort. My preparation for IB started in Year 9 as I was in extension classes leading up to Year 12. There were many key factors which helped me choose IB. I really enjoyed the worldwide focus provided, which aligned with my desire to study overseas for university. This course provided me with the best chance to get accepted into a university overseas, as it is recognised globally.

The IB Diploma is designed to prepare students as best as possible for university. It teaches important skills such as essay writing, time management, and collaboration. The Extended Essay is a significant part of the programme, which allowed me to practise writing in a university style for an essay of 4,000 words. This supported improving my research abilities and deepened my understanding of my chosen topic. The two-year duration of the course enhanced my time management skills. It included balancing the heavy workload of the course with extracurricular activities, such as sports and music. The small cohort provided an opportunity to create strong connections with like-minded students. Overall, this course provided the best possible start to my future career, and I am looking forward to what lies ahead.