Logan Park High School is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

founded in 1974 in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It has a roll of around 700 students with a teaching staff of about 50, with some 18 further auxiliary and administrative staff.

History

The school was built on the site of a former rifle range in a small wooded valley adjacent to Logan Park, an area of land reclaimed from the former Lake Logan (itself previously

Pelichet Bay Logan Park is a sporting venue in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It lies on land reclaimed from the former Lake Logan. Features The park contains both Football and rugby grass and artificial pitches, known as both Dunedin Artificial Turf an ...

) and now largely converted into a park and playing fields in

Dunedin North Dunedin North, also known as North Dunedin, is a major inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, located northeast of the city centre. It contains many of the city's major institutions, including the city's university, polytechnic, ma ...

. It admitted third-form students in 1974 and expanded to all forms the following year, when it was formally opened by

Phil Amos Phillip Albert Amos (4 September 1925 – 8 June 2007) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Early life Amos was born in Wanganui in 1925, the son of John Amos. He received his education at Otorohanga District High Scho ...

, the Minister of Education. The city's main athletics and soccer venue, the

Caledonian Ground The Caledonian Ground, often simply known as "The Caley", is a major sports venue in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is primarily used for football (soccer) and athletics, and has a capacity of 7,500. Location The Caledonian Ground is curren ...

, is located next to the school grounds.

Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. At various stages of development it was also known as Dunedin Stadium or Awatea Street Stadium, or its non-commercial official name during the 2011 Rugby World Cup an ...

and the University Oval cricket ground are also located nearby. The school developed from an earlier school in central Dunedin,

King Edward Technical College King Edward Technical College is a former school and technical college in Dunedin, New Zealand. The college was established in 1889 as the Dunedin Technical School when the Caledonian Society instigated night education classes. Through the 19 ...

, which itself had long links with Otago Polytechnic (which has also previously occupied a central Dunedin site). The school's proximity to the city's tertiary institutions (the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

and

Otago Polytechnic Otago Polytechnic was a public New Zealand tertiary education institute, centred in Dunedin with additional campuses in Cromwell and Auckland. Otago Polytechnic provided career-focused education and training, offering a range of New Zealand accr ...

) allows the school access to tertiary study facilities it would otherwise not have access to. Like most New Zealand state secondary schools of the era, Logan Park High School was constructed to the S68 standard plan, characterised by its single-storey classroom blocks of masonry construction, low-pitched roofs and internal open courtyards. On 17 March 2020, the high school was shut down for 48 hours after one of its students tested positive for the

Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. The school's closure was part of the New Zealand Government's heightened health measures in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case of the disease in New Zealand was reported on 28 February 2 ...

Education

Logan Park has a current roll of

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...

, and its roll peaked at about 1200 in 1995. The school has a teaching staff of about 35, with some 15 further auxiliary and administrative staff. LPHS is one of the four-state coeducational schools in

. The founding principal was "Arch" Wilson. Colin Croudis was principal between 1980 until 1992. In 1998, Jane Johnson was appointed as the school's first female principal. Ms Johnson retired in 2017, and in September of that year, co-principals Peter Hills and Kristan Mouat were appointed. Logan Park High School combines both a junior and a senior school. Year 9 (Form 3) and Year 10 (Form 4) are the juniors of the school; Years 11 to 13 (Forms 5 to 7) are the seniors of the school. Most senior students sit their NCEA examinations during their time at the school.

Culture

The school's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

, ''Kua mutu, kua timata'' is

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, and means "It is finished, but has again begun" – a reference to the new school rising from the old

, and also to high school as a transition from childhood to adulthood. The school uniform's colours are black, white and maroon. The uniform is optional in year 13. The school was divided into five houses although starting in 2008 there have been four, each with its own dean. These houses are named Clayton, Omimi, Aoraki (formerly Aorangi), Toroa and Potiki (although not featuring in the 2008 school year and in subsequent years). As of 2022 each house is split into multiple groups. Logan Park High School is regarded as important in the history of New Zealand rock music as being one of the elements that made up the

Dunedin sound The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s. Characteristics According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound "was typically marked by the use of droning or ...

. Many of the musicians who were at the forefront of this movement in the 1980s were pupils of Logan Park when they made their first public musical performances.

Notable alumni

Aldous Harding Hannah Sian Topp (born 1990), known professionally as Aldous Harding, is a New Zealand folk singer-songwriter, based in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Biography Harding comes from a musical family in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Her mother is folk singer ...

, musician *

Andrew Brough Andrew Mark Brough (7 May 1963 – 2 February 2020) was a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Dunedin, New Zealand. Best known for his work with the Straitjacket Fits, he later led the band Bike. In 1996 he was shortlisted for the APRA Silver ...

, musician * Belinda Colling, netball player *

Mark Dickel Mark Robert Dickel (born 21 December 1976) is a New Zealand-Australian former professional basketball player and coach. Early years Dickel attended Logan Park High School in Dunedin, New Zealand. In 1993, he joined the Otago Nuggets of the New ...

, basketballer *

Richard Dickel Richard Dickel is a New Zealand basketball coach. Career Dickel, who is based in Invercargill, has previously played for the Waikato Pistons and Otago Nuggets in the NZNBL. He has been in charge of the Southland Provincial Squad for over five ...

, basketball coach *

Jane Dodd Jane Dodd (born 1962) is a New Zealand musician and contemporary jeweller. From 1982 to 1984 she studied for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Otago, majoring in Phenomenology of Religion with additional papers in Anthropology, History, Ar ...

, musician *

Chris Donaldson Chris Donaldson (born 26 May 1975 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand sprinter who represented his country at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. He is the son of film director Roger Donaldson. He also competed at the 1998 1998 was ...

, athlete *

Graeme Downes The Verlaines are a New Zealand rock band from Dunedin. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups. History The band was named after French poet Paul Ve ...

, musician *

Jabez Olssen Jabez Olssen (born 5 August 1975) is a New Zealand film and television editor who has worked extensively with director Peter Jackson. Starting in 1998, Olssen worked in the editorial department of two television programs in New Zealand. He was ...

, film editor *

Pip Hall Philippa Hall (born 1971) is a New Zealand stage, screen and radio script writer and actor. Biography Background Pip Hall is the daughter of writer Roger Hall and grew up mostly in Dunedin, New Zealand. She graduated in theatre studies an ...

, actor and writer *

Matt Heath Matthew Philip Heath (born 1 November 1981) is an English former footballer who last played for Tadcaster Albion. Heath has previously played in the Premier League for Leicester City and in the Football League for Stockport County, Coventry ...

, Entertainment * Joanna Norris, former editor of The

Christchurch Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

Nadia Reid Nadia Reid (born 26 August 1991) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Port Chalmers, New Zealand. She has been acclaimed for her intimate musical soundscape and unique voice, and has been described by ''The Guardian'' as "an understated, ...

, musician * Helen Varley Jamieson, theatre and digital artist * Kashi Leuchs, cyclist * Tania Murray, athlete * Jesse O'Brien, musician, ''

NZ Idol ''New Zealand Idol'', also known as ''NZ Idol'', was the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series ''Pop Idol''. New Zealand first saw the ''Idol'' format when TV2 aired '' American Idol 2'', which garnered i ...

'' finalist * Martin Phillipps, musician * Darren Stedman, musician

References

External links

Official School Website
{{Authority control Secondary schools in Dunedin Educational institutions established in 1975 New Zealand secondary schools of S68 plan construction 1975 establishments in New Zealand