Immanuel Christian School, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Immanuel Christian School is a small private school in Auckland
, New Zealand
. Today, the school extends from New Entrant to Year Ten (Form 4). Immanuel has a diverse, multicultural roll. Its vision is to have "a Christ
-saturated curriculum in all educational areas".
Two ex-hospital buildings were put on the back of the church site and restored to a usable condition. On 26 May 1986, the school opened with 7 pupils, under the principal Sonia Wilson. During Mrs Wilson’s 10 year leadership the school grew to 100 pupils, and several new classrooms were built to accommodate the growth.
Graham Pederson, the next principal, started the High School. In 1998, a new and improved library was opened.
David Jensen became principal in 2001. During his tenure there were major renovations to the office block, as well as the original buildings. In 2005, the first Year 13 students graduated.
At the start of 2007, Dianne Walters became principal following Mr Jensen's move to Australia
.
In February 2009, the school applied to the Ministry of Education
to be an integrated school. The school would then become a part of the state funded education system while having a defined “Special Character” which distinguishes it from other schools in the state system. This is ironic, given that the school's vision also includes "to be a school that maintains its independence". The application was denied by the Minister of Education
. Because the anticipated funding was much needed, the Christian Schools Association of Avondale held a general meeting to decide the fate of the school.
This resulted in two major decisions:
Due to these changes and the resignation of the principal and deputy principal Lorraine Price, there has been an internal restructuring- Peter Slaney has assumed the position of principal.
s. A male student, aged 15, was hospitalised briefly after inhaling chlorine
. According to the teacher present, the experiment did not "go wrong" as some of the media reports, such as that of Newstalk ZB
, had suggested. Rather, instructions about safety had been ignored by several members of the class. The incident was dealt with quickly and the Fire Service inspected the laboratory and declared all safety measures in place.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Today, the school extends from New Entrant to Year Ten (Form 4). Immanuel has a diverse, multicultural roll. Its vision is to have "a Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
-saturated curriculum in all educational areas".
History
In 1984, some members of the Reformed Church of Avondale met with the goal of providing an interdenominational Christian-based school for their children.Two ex-hospital buildings were put on the back of the church site and restored to a usable condition. On 26 May 1986, the school opened with 7 pupils, under the principal Sonia Wilson. During Mrs Wilson’s 10 year leadership the school grew to 100 pupils, and several new classrooms were built to accommodate the growth.
Graham Pederson, the next principal, started the High School. In 1998, a new and improved library was opened.
David Jensen became principal in 2001. During his tenure there were major renovations to the office block, as well as the original buildings. In 2005, the first Year 13 students graduated.
At the start of 2007, Dianne Walters became principal following Mr Jensen's move to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
In February 2009, the school applied to the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (New Zealand)
The Ministry of Education , is the primary state sector organisation of New Zealand responsible for New Zealand's education system...
to be an integrated school. The school would then become a part of the state funded education system while having a defined “Special Character” which distinguishes it from other schools in the state system. This is ironic, given that the school's vision also includes "to be a school that maintains its independence". The application was denied by the Minister of Education
Anne Tolley
Anne Merrilyn Tolley is a politician representing the New Zealand National Party. With the formation of the Fifth National Government in late 2008, she became the Minister of Education, the first woman ever to assume the role.Tolley is the Member for the East Coast electorate, representing...
. Because the anticipated funding was much needed, the Christian Schools Association of Avondale held a general meeting to decide the fate of the school.
This resulted in two major decisions:
- The high school was to be kept open, but only for years 9 and 10.
- The undeveloped land facing Great North Road was to be sold for the immediate survival of the school.
Due to these changes and the resignation of the principal and deputy principal Lorraine Price, there has been an internal restructuring- Peter Slaney has assumed the position of principal.
Media incidents
On 14 October 2009, the Year 11 science class was doing an experiment involving chlorideChloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
s. A male student, aged 15, was hospitalised briefly after inhaling chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
. According to the teacher present, the experiment did not "go wrong" as some of the media reports, such as that of Newstalk ZB
Newstalk ZB
Newstalk ZB is a nationwide New Zealand talk radio network operated by The Radio Network of New Zealand . It is available in almost every radio market in the country, and has news reporters based in many of them...
, had suggested. Rather, instructions about safety had been ignored by several members of the class. The incident was dealt with quickly and the Fire Service inspected the laboratory and declared all safety measures in place.