James Hargest College

Infobox NZ school
name = James Hargest College
badge =
motto = Keep Faith
type = State Co-Educational Secondary (Year 7-13) with divided campuses
established = 1958
address = 6 and 288 Layard Street, Invercargill
principal = Paul O'Connor (both campuses)
roll = approximately 1800
decile = 8
MOE = 552
homepage = [http://www.jameshargest.school.nz www.jameshargest.school.nz]

James Hargest College is a large school of about 1800 students in Invercargill, New Zealand, most of them Pākehā with some Māori and Asians. [ [http://www.tki.org.nz/r/language/school-stories/series-two/james_e.php James Hargest College] (from the Te Kete Ipurangi website. Accessed 2008-09-11.)] The school caters from Year 7-13.

The school is divided into two campuses, known as James Hargest Junior Campus (Year 7-8) and James Hargest Senior Campus (Year 9-13). The campuses are at opposite ends of Layard Street and are separated by about a 15 minute walk.

James Hargest College is named after Brigadier-General James Hargest.

Junior Campus

James Hargest Junior Campus was formerly known as "Rosedale Intermediate School" until it became part of the former James Hargest High School to make James Hargest College as part of the Ministry of Education review of schools in 2004. Other intermediate schools in the city merged with the newly formed James Hargest Junior Campus, increasing the school's roll and stretching resources. Because of this, a new technology block has been built, and several new classrooms have been built since the merge. There are 20 homeroom classrooms.The subjects in the New Technology Block include Science, Art, Woodwork, Foods & Textiles technology, and an ICT & Media Suite.

Junior Campus Technology and Gym Update

In 2006 James Hargest Junior opened up its $7 million Technology building. With two Computer suites, woodwork room, Art Room, Music suite, Foods room, Sewing room and two science labs. It was officially opened in 2007 by New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark.

In 2007 new plans were announced for a Indoor Sports complex at James Hargest Junior. It was finished on the 10 January 2008. It includes a full size Netball, Tennis, Basketball and Volleyball court made of official sports wood. Electric Basketball and Netball hoops. The complex also has a pull out stage and big screen, canteen and male and female changing rooms. The complex cost 9.5 million and was going to be opened by Helen Clark in 2006 but was canceled later until 2007

The Opening went very well with a board inside the newly built tech block stating that it was opened by Helen Clark.

Further Upgrades are being planned for JHJC

enior campus

The senior campus is much larger and has more students. The school has a very new, modern, NZD$2.2 million library, officially opened in 2004 which also includes the Guidance and Careers Centre. The library has a classroom with desks, computers and an Interactive Whiteboard, as well as a reading room where students can browse the library's collection of magazines, newspapers and many books. There are also DVD movies available for hire.

* A Block - Administration Block. Contains Main Office, Hall, Student Administration, Deans and heads offices.

* B Block - Languages and Science.

* C Block - Commerce and Food and Fabrics Department. Subjects taught here Information Technology, Economics, Childcare and Development, Food Technology and Fashion and Design.

* D Block - Design Technology, Graphics, and one Science Classroom.

* E Block - E1-E5 is Mathematics. E6-E7 is Science and Horticulture. E8-E15 is English.

* F Block - Social Sciences. F7 is used for Accounting and Mathematics.

* G Block - Gyms 1-3 are all located and are used for teaching Physical Education, as well as Sports at lunchtime.

* M Block - Used For Teaching and Practising Music. One "prefab" classroom is used for English.

* N Block - Extra "prefab" Classrooms used for teaching Mathematics.

* P Block - P1 is used for Physical Education and Health Education. P2 and P3 are used for teaching English. P4 is the Year 13 Common Room. P5 is used for teaching English and P6 is used for teaching Social Studies.

Hargest Centre

The "Hargest Centre" is a large building at the senior campus. The large gymnasium viewing gallery is popular with students who often go there to watch interclass sports at lunch break. There is a cafeteria at the centre, where students can purchase their lunch, and there are tables for the older students to eat indoors.

Sports

School sports are popular and well established at Hargest. The school frequently shares inter school sporting competitions with rivals Logan Park High School in Dunedin and Gore High School in Gore.

Students can partake in a very wide variety of sports to represent the school, and there are often notices for tryouts in provincial sports teams.

Everyone at Hargest is placed into a school house. These are Menzies (green), Watson (blue), Thompson (red) and Hamilton (yellow). Near the beginning of each school year, the four houses compete for points at an athletics competition at Surrey Park Athletics Park, next to Stadium Southland. Menzies tends to usually win the house competition.

Famous alumni

*Steven Broad, New Zealand Idol.
*Kali Kopae, New Zealand Idol
*Suzanne Prentice, country singer
*Connor McFarlane, Sports Personality, Cycling
*Ruari McFarlane, Sports Personality, Multisport
*Eddy Dawkins, Sports Personality, Cycling
*Storm Uru, Olympic Rower
*Nathan Cohen, Olympic Rower
*Bonnie Soper, Actor on Shortland Street

References