Richard Harvey, 21 July 2026
Senior Students Step Up to University-Level Challenge
Building on the academic drive shown last year, a dedicated group of our senior students have stepped up to the challenge of university-level study in 2026.
More and more of our young men are seeing these courses as a brilliant way to stretch themselves academically, gaining valuable credits and experience so they can hit the ground running when they begin their tertiary studies in 2027.
This year's cohort is tackling a diverse range of subjects. Some have already completed their Semester 1 papers, while others are committed to demanding full-year programmes:
Semester 1 Courses
Alex Tavendale (Media and Society, COMS101)
Matthew Richards and Joshua Geddes (Modern World History, HIST137)
Samuel Holborow and Michael Kirkland (Introductory Psychology, PSYC105)
William Cone (Witchcraft, Magic and The Dead, ANTH108)
Full-Year Courses (Results due at the end of the year)
Kase Robertson (MATH 199, through the University of Auckland)
Luca Mirosa, Sunny Jiang, Joseph Uehara, and Zakariya Rizwan (advancing their skills in Maths and Economics)
Demonstrating exceptional commitment, Mark is also keeping his momentum going by taking on an additional Semester 2 course to further extend his learning.
The Semester 1 results for our single-semester students have now been released, and they are incredibly impressive. As a group, the boys achieved an outstanding range of grades, from B+ up to A+.
Balancing high school responsibilities with university-level coursework is a demanding task that requires excellent time management and self-discipline. These boys have proved they have the independence and academic courage required for the next step in their educational journeys. We congratulate them on their hard work so far and wish them all the best for the rest of the year.
What the boys had to say…
Michael Kirkland: “The introductory course on psychology I took gave me a lovely introduction to the sort of thing I’d like to study further and work with. More boys should step up and do these courses as there is a wide range of subjects for everyone’s interests”.
Will Cone: “The Anthropology Course was a very interesting deep-dive into Witchcraft and beliefs surrounding magic across the globe. The course gave me new lenses through which to look at society and was a good intro to University courses as well, providing a good look into the workload and standard of work required at this level”.
Josh Geddes: “Taking a Canterbury history course offered a way to develop research and critical thinking skills at a higher level. This experience was invaluable in understanding both a university workload, and the context for events in the modern day”.
Matthew Richards: “This last semester I have had the opportunity to take part in a University of Canterbury history paper. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about a subject I am interested in and it was a really good experience as it provided an example of what University looks like”.
Alex Tavendale: “One of the things I enjoyed most was the opportunity to expand my knowledge beyond the classroom and learn alongside people of different ages and backgrounds. The course challenged me, and I surprised myself with what I was able to achieve. The support from the University of Canterbury and Mr Harvey made me feel confident throughout the semester and helped me enjoy the experience. Receiving an A grade was something I was really proud of, and it has given me the confidence to keep taking on new opportunities in the future”.