Wakatipu High School: Bruno Shirley

Bruno Shirley
Bruno Shirley
If it's got "soul" and "kick" then chances are Wakatipu High School pupil Bruno Shirley (16) will be interested.

A keen guitarist, bass and keyboard player and vocalist, Bruno performs with two Queenstown bands and also directs and manages the school's soul band.

He has appeared in several school productions, and jokes he finds twice being cast as a teacher "a bit disconcerting".

He is also interested in management "backstage", and, after doing lighting for school productions and drama classes, began running lights at private functions.

Bruno says an interest in karate provides a good balance to academic and cultural pursuits.

In August, Bruno joined 11 other New Zealand competitors at the 2008 Shukokai World Tournament in Kobe, Japan.

Bruno placed second in kata competition at the New Zealand Shukokai Karate Championships in 2007.

He credits the discipline needed to train for top-level competition as helpful when applying himself in other events on his busy timetable.

Bruno says his ongoing involvement in the school's Angelo extension programme has helped him push himself academically, and he now teaches a course for year 9 pupils on international politics and political theory.

Achievements: School debating team (2006-07), Model United Nations representative (2008); Marine Studies programme participant (2007); Robertson Trophy for all-round participation (year 10), Shukokai World Tournament (Australia) Bronze kumite event (2007).

Role model: "Sensei Paul Mitchell, the head of the Shukokai [karate] style and my Buddhist lama Mark Webber. Richard Dawkins and my dad. I converted to Theravada Buddhism about six years ago because its philosophical emphasis, which is right off theism, made sense."

Hopes for future: "To work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a policy officer - and gain more (karate) belts."

 

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