Columba College sports director Shona Harvey at the Columba
College gymnasium with sports prefect Sophie Napper. Photo
by Alistair McMurran.
Shona Harvey (nee Duncan) was a talented athlete and
hockey player in her youth. She was selected in the New Zealand
under-23 hockey squad and won a national relay bronze medal in
athletics.
Over the past nine years she has been sports director at
Columba College and has lifted the profile of sport at the
school.
Harvey (50) was honoured last week when named as one of six
recipients of sports study awards to visit top sports schools
in Melbourne later this month.
The only other South Islander in the group is Richard James
of Lincoln High School in Christchurch.
They will visit the Maribynong Sports College, the only
government-funded specialist sports college in Australia, as
well as observing an innovative sport-in-education project in
central Melbourne schools.
"I see it as an award for Columba College and not just for
myself," Harvey said.
"I have been encouraged by our principal Elizabeth Wilson and
helped by other staff members."
The regional director of the Otago Secondary Schools Sports
Association Des Smith said the six sports and travel awards
"went to people who demonstrated outstanding leadership in
sport in their own school and province.
"Columba College is fast becoming one of the country's
leading sports schools with a high participation rate of 91%.
It is also competing successfully at the top level in a
number of sports."
Harvey has an honours board outside the school gymnasium that
recognises top performers and encourages other pupils to
excel at their sports.
"I've seen sport grow and develop at Columba," Harvey said.
"My job is to help other people succeed."
A highlight that has given most satisfaction to Harvey was
the formation of a 15-strong Sports Council at Columba
College. It consists of parents, the sports prefects and four
members of the teaching staff.
There have also been a number of competitive highlights for
Columba College over the last nine years:
Biddy Skerten winning the school's first gold medal at the
national secondary schools athletics championships in the
300m hurdles last year.
The senior girls 4 x 100m relay team winning the school's
first national athletics medals with bronze medals in 2009
and 2010.
Athlete Laura Carruthers being a member of the New Zealand
schools cross-country team that competed against Australia at
Adelaide this year.
Samara Dalziel making the New Zealand hockey team for the
Youth Olympics in 2010.
Mountain biker Laura Bridger winning the New Zealand under-17
cross-country title this year.
Five year 9 pupils from the Maniototo making the first hockey
11 and being selected in the Otago under-15 team this year.
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