Class Act 2019: Kaikorai Valley College

Amanda Fiveash and Hamish King are the 2019 Class Act recipients for Kaikorai Valley College.

Amanda Fiveash
Amanda Fiveash
Amanda Fiveash

Amanda Fiveash (17) still remembers her very first book - not because it had a gripping plot, but because it came with a toy.

''It was a little blue toy with a red and white collar, and it was the character in the book.

''I was really young, and for me, the book was a very special thing to get because it came with a toy.''

Somewhere along the line, the Kaikorai Valley College academic leader read the book, and then another and another, and before she knew it, she was a self-confessed ''bookworm''.

''I love books. They give me a chance to see things from another perspective, to learn about history, to get away from it all and go into another world, and imagine it however I want to.''

Amanda credits her love of reading with her high academic achievement.

As well as gaining NCEA level 1 and 2 with excellence, she has received school academic excellence awards for the past four years, school academic scholarships in 2016 and 2017, and is the school's academic leader this year.

She hopes to build on her academic success next year by studying English and criminology at the University of Otago.

Ultimately, she aims to become a secondary school English teacher and pass on her passion for reading.

Closely connected with her love of reading, is her passion for theatre and drama.

In 2018, she was cast as Ophelia in the Little Scorpion Production of Hamlet, and was a member of the school's drama group which finished in the top three at the Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.

''I don't do it because I like the limelight. I like the team-building atmosphere.

''Theatre is like a well-oiled machine with lots of cogs, and if one of the cogs doesn't work properly, it doesn't create the right picture. It's about being cohesive.''

Her skill in drama, speech and debating mixed well with her passion for the environment earlier this year, when she gave a rousing address at the Dunedin Strike 4 Climate Change in front of about 1000 people in the Octagon.

Achievements: Academic leader (2019); NCEA levels 1 and 2 with excellence; academic excellence awards (2016, 17, 18, 19); school academic scholarship (2016, 17); 1st year 10 speech competition (2016); school speech award (2016); school drama award (2016); school stage leadership award (2016); school drama scholarship (2017); school performance award (2016, 17); cultural blue (2018); cast as Ophelia in Little Scorpion Production of Hamlet (2018); Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival top three placing (2018); Theatre Games member (2019); school senior debate best speaker award (2017); debating coach (2019); Dunedin Strike 4 Climate Change speaker (2019); environmental leader (2019); Enviro group leader (2019); peer support (2019); Talent Quest committee member (2019); school choir (2019).

Role model: My mum.

Hopes for the future: To study English and criminology at the University of Otago before becoming a secondary school teacher.


Hamish King
Hamish King
Hamish King

Gymnastics has a way of breaking people down to their lowest point, but at the same time, giving them the greatest strength anyone could ask for.

''It teaches you to be diligent, to set goals, to achieve goals, and when you achieve those goals it teaches you that anything is possible,'' Kaikorai Valley College gymnast Hamish King says.

''It has taught me important life lessons - it's made me a much stronger person.''

In recent years, the 17-year-old high bar and parallel bars specialist has accumulated a large haul of silverware at regional gymnastics competitions, including gold (2016) and silver (2017) at the Otago Gymnastics Championships, bronze at the Canterbury Gymnastics Championships in 2016 and 2017, bronze at the South Island Gymnastics Championships in 2017, and a top 8 finish in three apparatus at the New Zealand Gymnastics Championships in 2017.

He was also an Otago gymnastics representative from 2014 until 2017, and was a member of the New Zealand gymnastics training squad in 2017.

Since 2017, Hamish has decided to move more towards coaching because competing was starting to take a toll on his body, both physically and mentally, and he wanted to help increase the number of boys participating in the sport.

''When I first started gymnastics, only one in 10 gymnasts were boys.

''It wasn't very popular. I'm trying to change that.''

Hamish says his move away from competitive gymnastics has also given him more time to pursue other interests - like playing drums in the school's Rockquest band.

He has shown skill from a young age, having won the top drummer award at the Otago Bandquest competition in 2013 and 2014, and this year his band was a finalist in the Otago Smokefreerockquest competition.

Alongside music, he is also a keen Cadet Sergeant at the City of Dunedin Cadet Unit.

Earlier this year, he attended a senior NCO course at Burnham Military Camp, where he received a leadership award.

Next year, Hamish plans to join the New Zealand Army as a combat engineer or a physical training instructor.

Achievements: Head boy (2019); peer mentor (2019); NCEA levels 1 and 2 with merit; 1st Otago Gymnastics Championships (2016), 2nd (2017); 3rd Canterbury Gymnastics Championships (2016, 17); 3rd South Island Gymnastics Championships (2017); top 8 in three apparatus at NZ Gymnastics Championships (2017); Otago gymnastics representative (2014-17); NZ gymnastics training squad (2017); gymnastics blues (2017); gymnastics coach (2017-19); Otago table tennis rep (2015, 16); school junior hockey MVP (2014); school senior hockey MVP (2015); mixed hockey co-captain (2014, 15); Bandquest Otago top drummer (2013, 14); Rockquest finalist (2019); music blues (2017); City of Dunedin Cadet Unit Cadet Sergeant (2019); senior NCO course leadership award (2019); Outward Bound Mind, Body and Soul course (2018).

Role model: My mum.

Hopes for the future: To join the New Zealand Army as a combat engineer or a physical training instructor.

Add a Comment