Science - Pū taiao
Mā te whakaaro nui e hanga te whare;
Mā te mātauranga e whakaū.
Big ideas create the house;
Knowledge maintains it.
The Science Department has 17 fully equipped Laboratories with excellent, well qualified and experienced teachers. Science in years 9, 10 and 11 is compulsory but students in years 12 and 13 can choose to do one or all of three pure sciences, namely, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, We also offer Horticulture and General Science at year 12 to those students who intend to continue with tertiary studies leading to some kind of Trade Certificate.
2007 external results show that the Science department produced the most number of Scholarships. Three students gained scholarship in Physics (there were only 19 in the whole country). In 2007 our school also produced one of the country’s eight premier scholarships. This student took all three sciences.
Our school has produced some of the top Chemistry Scholars in the country. Two of our students are part of a team of four to represent New Zealand at the Chemistry Olympiad in Budapest in 2008. Over the last nine years there have been nine students who have been selected for the Chemistry Olympiad.
The Science Department encourages students to study at their academic ability and hence talented and gifted students are not only allowed to study a year ahead of their peers but are also encouraged to take part in such activities as Science Fair, Brain Bee Challenge, national and International Science Competitions etc.
Field trips and learning from activities beyond the classroom is a regular feature of the Science Department. These include year 12 Biology students going on at least two field trips; year 13 students studying at the Liggins Institute, Genesis labs, and the Museum; year 11 students study at the One Tree Hill Observatory; year 9 and 10 students visit science fair projects; and large groups visit the zoo to study relevant topics. These studies outside of the classroom broaden the students’ horizon about Science and make them realise that to study Science is to study the inter-relationships between the physical, biological and material worlds together with earth and beyond.
Subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology form the basis of courses such as Engineering and Medicine at University. The chart below outlines the pathways offered to students by the Science department at MRGS.