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Mount Albert Grammar School

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Coordinates: 36°53′4.52″S 174°43′31.2″E / 36.8845889°S 174.725333°E / -36.8845889; 174.725333
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Mount Albert Grammar School
Address
Map
Alberton Avenue,
Mt Albert,
Auckland,
New Zealand
Coordinates36°53′4.52″S 174°43′31.2″E / 36.8845889°S 174.725333°E / -36.8845889; 174.725333
Information
TypeState, co-educational, secondary (Year 9-13) with boarding facilities
MottoPer Angusta Ad Augusta
"Through Hardship to Glory"
Established1922
Ministry of Education Institution no.69
PrincipalDale Burden
School roll2,680
Socio-economic decile7[1]
Websitemags.school.nz

Mount Albert Grammar School "(M.A.G.S)" is a semi co-educational state secondary school in Central Auckland. It teaches from year 9 to year 13. Mount Albert Grammar is one of the largest secondary schools in the country. It is also one of the most multi-cultural schools in New Zealand.

History

Mount Albert Grammar was founded in 1922 as a subsidiary of Auckland Grammar School, but now the two schools are governed separately. Mount Albert Grammar School was originally boys only, taking girls at year 9 in 2000, becoming semi co-educational in 2004. However, junior classes (years 9 and 10) are mostly single-sex while senior classes are mostly co-educational.

There have been a number of headmasters since the opening of the school, Frederick Gamble (1922-1946), William Caradus (1946-1954), Murray Nairn (1954-1969), Maurice Hall (1970-1988) Gregory Taylor (1988-2006) and from the year 2006 it is Dale Burden. Dale Burden took the place of Gregory Taylor, in April 2006, who was headmaster for eighteen years. Gregory Taylor was the First Albertian to become headmaster.

The school has a boarding hostel on a site known as School House (briefly known as Towers Hall until 2009). It has full-time accommodation for up to 101 male students during school terms.

The School’s Latin motto is Per Angusta Ad Augusta, which means “Through Hardship to Glory". The School Hymn, sung at all formal assemblies, was written by a student, J. A. W. Bennett, in 1928.[2]

Academia

Mt Albert Grammar School pupils enjoy broad and comprehensive educational opportunities, from year 9 to year 13. There is a wide range of individual subjects available, all of which fit into their respective departments: Agriculture & Horticulture Science, Art, Commerce, Dance and Drama, English, ESOL, Languages, Mathematics, Music, PE, Science, Social Science and Technology.

Sport

Sport is a strong tradition at Mount Albert Grammar. In 2009 and 2007 M.A.G.S won Auckland major senior titles in Rugby, Soccer and Netball. The 1st XI girls football and the Premier Girls Basketball also won their first Auckland championship in 2009.[3]

The schools 1st XI Football team has a record unequalled by any school in New Zealand winning the Auckland Premier League championship 37 times since 1928. In 1999 the 1st XI won the Auckland Premier League, Knockout Cup and the New Zealand title. In 2008 the 1st XI won all three titles again. Also in 2009 won the 1A comp for the 6th year in row and equaled a record also set by M.A.G.S in the 1930s.

The 1st XV Rugby team has played since 1922 when it joined the Auckland Secondary Schools Rugby competition, winning the Championship in 1924 and 1925 . Since then it has won 18 times, the latest being 2009. It was also the New Zealand Champions in 1938 and 1982. In addition, the 1st XV has finished runners-up on numerous occasions, the most recent being runners-up to Gisborne Boys' High School in 2007.

The Premier Netball team performs strongly in the Auckland competition winning the title in 2007 for the first time since girls were introduced into the school in 2000. The Premier Netball team won the Upper North Island championship in 2007, 2008 and 2009. They became runners up in the national tournament in 2008. They also won the Auckland title again in 2009.

The Premier Boys Badminton team won the Auckland Championship in 2008 and finished in third place at the national tournament.

The schools Premier Tennis teams have recently put Mount Albert Grammar at the top in the country at tennis with the Boys becoming second in the nation whilst the Girls become first in the current year of 2009.

In 2008 one sports staff member and a parent coach were suspended by the schools' sport body College Sport and nine students who had transferred to the school were prevented from playing by rules designed to prevent poaching of young players.[4][5]

Mt Albert Aquatic Centre

The Mt Albert Aquatic Centre is a joint venture between Mount Albert Grammar School and the Auckland City Council. It was officially opened by the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1998. The facility contains a 25-metre competition pool with variable depth. and a leisure pool that features wave action and a water slide. The complex also features two spa pools, a sauna and a steam room.

Mount Albert Grammar School Farm

Mount Albert Grammar also boasts a 10.8 ha farm in the middle of Auckland city, home to sheep, pigs, rabbits, goats, cows, and poultry. The farm is adjacent to the school and operates as a separate entity funding itself since 1933. The land it is situated on belongs to an ASB Bank trust and cannot be used as land for class rooms by the school.

It has a farmer's cottage with a live-in manager. Students are able to study agriculture from Year 10 onwards with numbers growing each year. Agriculture students are provided with opportunities to travel around the country on day trips and camps. They annually attend the Field Days at Mystery Creek, a six day camp at the Taratahi Rural Polytechnic, and Telford Rural Polytechnic.

As well as a classroom the farm has a one-stand wool shed with full wool-handling facilities; sufficient pens to hold 150 sheep overnight; a two-stand walk-through milking shed with milking plant; an implement shed; and a unit for small animals.

Observatory

The school is one of the few schools in New Zealand with active observatories and possesses the largest and most advanced telescope of any school in New Zealand. Completed in 2008, the observatory has a Meade Instruments LX200R 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain F/10 telescope. The observatory uses an SBIG ST7XME CCD camera for imaging and photometry.

The observatory is used for both school education and amateur research.

Notable alumni[2]

Academia

Government

Industry

Law

Medicine

  • Sir John Scott, KBE, former Professor of Medicine, The University of Auckland

Music

Public Service

Religion

  • Reverend Brother Michael J. Foran (1948-2000) founder of a Catholic religious community, the Mother of God Brothers[6]

Sports

Science

Notes

  1. ^ Decile change 2007 to 2008 for state and state integrated schools
  2. ^ a b "Notable Albertians". Mount Albert Grammar School.
  3. ^ "School Thrilled by Clean Sweep". NZ Herald 26 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Schools sin-binned over sport poaching". NZ Herald 10 May 2008.
  5. ^ "Schools' anti-poaching rule lands stars in limbo". NZ Herald 26 February 2008.
  6. ^ / Mother of God Brothers ; / Wagga Wagga Catholic diocese

See also

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