"Satisfaction from hard work" , established = 1887; years ago , principal = Elizabeth Koni , address = Trent Street, Oamaru, New Zealand , coordinates = , type = State, Girls, Secondary years 9-13 , roll = () , decile = 6N , MOE = 366 , homepage
waitakigirlshigh.school.nz
Waitaki Girls' High School is a state high school for girls situated in

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

, on the East coast of New Zealand. It was founded in 1887 on the initiative of local parliamentarians,

Samuel Shrimski Samuel Edward Shrimski (1828 – 25 June 1902) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament and then a Member of the Legislative Council from Otago, New Zealand. Early life He was born in Poznań, Prussia, where he received his initial education. ...

and

Thomas William Hislop Thomas William Hislop (8 April 1850 – 2 October 1925) was the Mayor of Wellington from 1905 to 1908, and had represented two South Island electorates in the New Zealand Parliament. Early life He was born in Kirknewton, West Lothian in 1850. ...

, and presently has a roll of just over 400 girls from the ages of 13 to 18. It also has a boarding hostel which houses approximately 50 girls, including international students and tutors. The school uses a house system with four houses and accompanying colours: Burn (red), Ferguson (yellow), Gibson (green) and Wilson (blue). These houses were named after the first four principals of the school: Margaret Burn, Catherine Ferguson, Mary Gibson and Jessie Wilson. Competitions between the houses, such as athletics, swimming, choir and drama, are held annually. The school motto is ''Dulcius Ex Arduis'', which in Latin means "satisfaction from hard work".

Curriculum

Waitaki Girls' High School uses

National Certificate of Educational Achievement The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the official secondary-school qualification in New Zealand. Phased in between 2002 and 2004, it replaced three older secondary-school qualifications. The New Zealand Qualifications Au ...

(NCEA) based assessments. A strong emphasis is placed on gaining good marks, with "Excellence Awards" being awarded annually to girls who achieve high marks in their internal and external assessments. Subjects taught include English, mathematics (statistics and calculus), sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, agriculture), languages (Japanese, German, Maori), classics, computer studies, Geography, History, Physical Education and Art (Painting, Photography, Art History).

Principals

Since its establishment in 1887, Waitaki Girls' High School has had 10 principals. The following is a complete list:

Notable alumnae

* Anne Taylor former president of

Netball New Zealand Netball New Zealand is the national body which oversees, promotes and manages netball in New Zealand, including the Silver Ferns. In 2019, 137,713 players were registered with Netball New Zealand, the governing body for organised netball in the co ...

and

World Netball World Netball, previously known as the International Netball Federation and the International Federation of Netball Associations, is the worldwide governing body for Netball. The INF was created in 1960 and is responsible for world rankings, m ...

. * Isabel Clark - killed in World War I in the sinking of the British troopship SS Marquette *

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She was internationally renowned for her work, which included novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous awar ...

- New Zealand author

References

External links

School website

Ministry of Education page
{{Authority control Girls' schools in New Zealand Secondary schools in Otago Buildings and structures in Oamaru Educational institutions established in 1887 Boarding schools in New Zealand 1887 establishments in New Zealand Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia