On Tuesday 2 May 2023, a group of students embarked on a lively excursion to Pompallier Shield in Whangārei. Pompallier Shield is an annual competition that involves all fifteen catholic schools in Auckland and Pompallier College in Whangārei. The school that hosts this event changes every year, this year it was held at Pompallier College. Each student was selected to represent Sancta Maria College in one of the six categories: Senior English scripture, Junior English scripture, Open Māori scripture, Senior prepared speech, Junior prepared speech and Waiata (song).
The participating students were:
Junior Scripture – Zoe Martis
Senior Scripture – Benedict Loulie-Wijtenburg
Māori Scripture – Mia Makmore
Junior Oratory – Kael Sunga
Senior Oratory – Alexandria Lazatin
Waiata – Marina Jones, Aloyze Tafu, Yalaina Tubu, Togitoto Magele-Rees, Kayla Jones, Eliyana Eliki-Jones, PJ Afamasaga, Aniseto Paselio, Junior Siketi, and Aita Ah Wa (see picutre above).
It was an early morning for all students attending this excursion as we began our trip to Whangārei at 6:30am. Upon arriving at Pompallier College, we were welcomed with a Pōwhiri, Prayer and a Waiata sung by the whole school in the hall. The Far North Mayor Moko Tepania spoke on our behalf – he was an old boy and teacher at Pompallier College as well as a previous winner of the Senior prepared speech, so it was great to have him there. After speeches and greetings, the students broke off into school groups to prepare for their performance or presentation. At 11:00am, the competition began. Everyone competed in their categories with pride and confidence – we were also given the opportunity to support others and watch their performances. After competing, we were able to create bonds and relationships with students from other schools. At 2pm, all schools reunited back at the hall and prizegiving began. Our Waiata (song) group won 1st place with their Himene, “Te Ara a Maria”, which was written by the students. Although none of our other participants managed to place in their categories, they all did a fantastic job, and our school was placed 3rd place overall! This was a fantastic achievement by all the students.
Overall, Pompallier Shield was an amazing opportunity for all participants to represent their school and connect with fellow students from other catholic schools. It provided each student with a chance to showcase their talents and God-given gifts through Christ. This trip was such a positive and joyful experience for all, and it would not have been possible without the wonderful teachers that helped take care of the attendees, so a huge thanks to: Mr Tamayo, Mrs. Hiddleston, Ms. Maddison, Miss Bradley, Mr Bacon and Ms. Kilpatrick. I hope that the next Pompallier Shield trip will be as exciting and great as this one, and we all hope to pull another win for Sancta Maria College.
