Onslow College

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Onslow College
Aerial photo of the school grounds
Onslow College and surrounds
Address
Burma Road

Johnsonville

Wellington
6440

New Zealand
Coordinates41°13′51″S 174°47′49″E / 41.2307°S 174.7970°E / -41.2307; 174.7970Coordinates: 41°13′51″S 174°47′49″E / 41.2307°S 174.7970°E / -41.2307; 174.7970
Information
TypeState co-ed secondary; years 9–13
MottoLatin: Levavi oculos meos in montes
Māori: Ka anga atu aku kanohi ki nga maunga
Lift your eyes to the hills
Established1956; 65 years ago
Ministry of Education Institution no.269
PrincipalSheena Millar
School roll1340[1] (March 2021)
Socio-economic decile10Z[2]
Websiteonslow.school.nz

Onslow College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It had a student population in 2020 of 1250 students.[3] The current principal is Sheena Millar.

History[]

Onslow College opened in 1956 to serve Wellington's rapidly growing northern suburbs.[4] [5] It was named after the 4th Earl of Onslow, governor of New Zealand from 1889-1892.[4]

The school roll grew from 201 third form pupils in 1956 to 1180 pupils in 1969.[4]

The "Onslow Way" is difficult to define but a former principal Stuart Martin described it as "socially liberal but educationally conservative, decile 10 but physically run down".[4] In 1969, Peggy- Anne Wendelken became New Zealand's first woman chair of a school board of governors; at this time Onslow's board had student representation, twenty years before this became a legal requirement.[4]

The school has not had a school uniform since 1974 when it was abolished following student protest,[6] despite the strong opposition of the Headmaster.[4] In 2016 Onslow was one of the first schools in the region to have gender-neutral toilets for students.[7]

Several staff have received awards for teaching excellence. Terry Burrell, received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize in 2014,[8] and the same year Esme Danielsen (Maths) received a Woolf Fisher Fellowship.[9]

Onslow students won The Prime Minister’s Future Scientist Prize in 2009, 2016 and 2018.[10]

Music - Smokefree Rockquest Wellington regional finalists in 2021 were Obsidian Sun.[11] In 2016 Onslow College bands and individuals took out 5 of the 8 awards the Regional Final: Best Vocalist - Raquel Abolins-Reid, Musicianship Award - Noah Spargo, Best Lyricist - Sarah Mc Bride, 3rd placed band - Bird on a Wire, 1st placed band and overall winners of the Wellington Regional Final - Retrospect.[12] [13]

in 2017 Onslow College won the Wellington regional "Festival Cup"[14] for the school best representing the spirit of the Big Sing,[15] a school choral festival organised by the New Zealand Choral Federation.

On 13 February 1997, 18-year-old former student Nicholas Hawker murdered 15-year-old St Mary's College student Vanessa Woodman on the school's grounds. Woodman was strangled, had her throat slit, and was stabbed 32 times. Hawker was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 10-year non-parole period.[16] He was released on parole in 2015, but is not allowed in the North Island. [17]

School principals[]

The school has had the following principals:[4]

  • 2018 - present Sheena Millar
  • ? - 2018 Peter Leggat
  • 2001-2006 -? Stuart Martin
  • 1998 - 2000 Peter Smith
  • 1994- 1998 John Carlyon
  • 1987-1993 Neale Pitches
  • 1979-1986 Bill Officer
  • 1977-1979 Harvey Rees-Thomas
  • 1966-1977 Dudley Hughes
  • 1956-1965 Colin Watt

Notable alumni[]

Academia[]

The Arts[]

Broadcasting and journalism[]

Public service[]

Sport[]

Notable staff[]

References[]

  1. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ "About Us". www.onslow.school.nz. Retrieved 7 July 2020. Onslow College is a co-ed state high school in Wellington with 1250 students including 50 international students
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Onslow College, 1956-2006 : a biography. Wellington: Onslow College. 2006. ISBN 0-473-11627-8.
  5. ^ "View of new building, Onslow College, Johnsonville, Wellington". National Library of New Zealand. 1 January 1956. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. ^ "School uniform debate: Principals argue for and against". Stuff. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Wellington High, Onslow College get gender-neutral bathrooms". Stuff. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize Winner 2014 | The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Past Fellowships 2004 – 2019 – Woolf Fisher Trust". Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Ngā toa i mua Previous winners | The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Rockquest | Aotearoa's only nationwide, live, original music, youth event". www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Onslow College band Retrospect eye people's choice in Smokefree Rockquest". Stuff. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Onslow College: ONSLOW COLLEGE BULLETIN TERM TWO, WEEK NINE". moodle.onslownet.school.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  14. ^ "New Zealand Choral Federation - Big Sing Wellington" (PDF). 7 June 2017.
  15. ^ "The Big Sing". New Zealand Choral Federation Inc. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  16. ^ Reid, Neil (27 September 2009). "Victim's mum fights killer's freedom bid". Sunday News (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Schoolgirl Vanessa Woodman's killer freed on parole". Stuff. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  18. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Jackie van Beek NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Peter and The Wolves, by Peter and The Wolves". Peter and The Wolves. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  20. ^ "EELMAN RECORDS NEW ZEALAND Lots Of History". www.eelmanrecords.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Goneville - a memoir of the 70s rock'n'roll music scene". Stuff. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Goneville - by Nick Bollinger from The Listen Anytime Library". RNZ. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Peter and The Wolves, by Peter and The Wolves". Peter and The Wolves. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  24. ^ "EELMAN RECORDS NEW ZEALAND Lots Of History". www.eelmanrecords.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  25. ^ Catherall, Sarah (10 December 2014). "My secret Wellington: Taika Waititi". Fairfax New Zealand.
  26. ^ "Georgina Beyer". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  27. ^ The Georgina Beyer story ... how a change for the better came about Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ "The Wellingtonian Interview: Alan Isaac". Stuff. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  29. ^ "The Wellingtonian interview: Gavin Larsen". Stuff. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Noah Billingsley off to US university to further his football career". Stuff. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

External links[]


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