Notable Achievements

Cashmere High School prides itself on providing a diverse range of co-curricular opportunities to enable students to develop their interests and skills, being part of a team, challenge themselves and achieve their potential.

Some notable achievements over the past five years include:

     ​​​​​​​PERFORMING ARTS

  • Stage Challenge: regular award winning performances with bi-annual entries including placing 3rd 2016 and 2014.
  • Major Production: 'Chicago' (2017); 'The Music Man' (2015); 'Guys and Dolls’ (2013).
  • Theatresports: Senior South Island Finalists 2017 and Junior Finalists 2017.
  • Pasifika Polyfest: Cashmere High School is a consistent participant at this annual regional event.
  • Performance‘Slam Poetry’: Claudia Jardine won Canterbury Rising Voices Poetry Slam in 2013 and in 2014 Elise Wilson was profiled by media in this emerging performing arts.
  • Rockquest: Nina Noble and Jess Tater, ('Contradiction') won the Best Lyric Award and came first in the Solo/Duo Section in Canterbury 2017. Matt Slaughter won the Lowdown Best Song Award for Canterbury in 2014. Regional winners of best band in 2013 'Shake your Extremities'. Claudia Jardine won the Lyric Writers Award in 2012 and 2013 and the Female Musicianship Award.
  • Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival: National Finalists in 2016 and 2017. Students selected for the top 50 actors Shakespeare Youth Company Workshops and one selected in both 2016 and 2017 to be part of the 16 strong tour to The Globe in London.
  • NZSS Symphony Orchestra: Cashmere has produced regular musicians selected for this national Symphony Orchestra – five in 2017, six in 2016, five in 2014 and seven in 2013 and seven in 2013.

  • SUMMER SPORTS (TEAM EVENTS)

  • Rowing: At the 2014 South Island Championships we won gold in Boys’ U18 Double Scull and silver in the Girls’ U15 Double Scull.
  • Futsal: 2012 New Zealand National Champions – winning National Tournament. In 2014 both the Senior Boys’ and Senior Girls’ won Mainland Futsal Championship titles and finished 7th and 5th at New Zealand National Tournament.
  • Softball: 2014 won the Canterbury Regional Championships and placed 9th overall in New Zealand at National Tournament (the highest ranked co-ed school in the South Island).
  • Cricket: Boys 1st XI consistently strong regional performers in annual Gillette Cup Tournament – e.g. quarter finalists in 2013 and 2014.
  • Orienteering: Won both the Junior and Senior South Island Team divisions in 2013.
  • Adventure Racing: 2012 Regional and New Zealand Champions in “Get-2- Go” Multisport Competition, and national finalists in 2013 and 2014.
  • Touch Rugby: A developing Touch programme at our school, with a promising senior boys team finishing 5th at the 2014 Canterbury Championships.

    WINTER SPORTS (TEAM EVENTS)

  • Football: Boys 1st XI regular winners of regional school competitions and ranked 11th in New Zealand at Premier National Tournament in 2014 and 13th place in 2013. Winners of the ‘Linwood Cup’ Tournament in 2011. Girls’ 1st XI consistent high achievers doing the double in 2012 with regional competition title and winning ‘Gary Sowden’ Cup (National Tournament). In 2013 and 2014 qualifying and top 20 placing at Premier National Tournament.
  • Basketball: Boys’ Senior A won the Canterbury U20 Mens in 2011 and 2nd in 2012. At South Island Tournament placed 5th in 2010, 4th in 2011 and 2012.Girls’ Senior A in 2010 placed 3rd in South Island and won the ‘Whelan Trophy’ for best Canterbury Team. In 2012 came 2nd in Canterbury Premier and 13th at New Zealand National Tournament.
  • Netball: Year 10 A Team won the South Island Championship in 2012. In 2014 Senior A placed 6th in the South Island and 4th in the regional ‘Super-net’ Competition.In 2014 two teams won their grades in the Christchurch Netball Centre Saturday Club Competitions. The Senior A in the Senior A Grades and the Senior B in the U19 Division 2.

    INDIVIDUAL SPORTING HONOURS

  • Sheldon Ogilvie: New Zealand Representative in 2014 – Junior Olympics in Nanjing (China) for Fencing.
  • Larissa McKewen: Regular high achiever in regional athletics competitions, including winning gold in 2013 in Junior Discus and bronze in Shot Put at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletic Championships.
  • Ross Hulley: Gold in 100m Junior Boys’ Hurdles and silver medal in Junior Boys High Jump in 2012 at the New Zealand Athletic Championships.
  • Cameron Avery:At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletic Championships he won the Senior 6km Road Race event in 2013 and first place in the Junior 4km Road Race event in 2012.
  • Katie Stuart:Junior 200m title at the New Zealand Athletic Championships in 2010.
  • Maggie Takami:National Rythmic Gymnastics Champion in 2013 and short-listed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games Team.
  • Ashleigh Ward: Dual New Zealand Representative including New Zealand Women’s Football (2012 U20 World Cup) and New Zealand Women’s Touch (U17 team 2011). Won 2012 Zonta Award for ‘Best all-round Female’.
  • Ed Cory-Wright: Selected to represent New Zealand in various orienteering competitions.
  • Daniel Franks: Won various national and Oceanic Championships in BMX Racing, short-listed for 2012 London Olympics.
  • Bradley Apps: Regularly selected U16 and U18 New Zealand Ice Hockey teams. Played for Budapest Stars in Europe and Cashmere’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2013.
  • Alex Fame: Won gold at the Junior New Zealand Championships for Cycling in 2011, selected for the New Zealand U16 Squad for World Track Championships in Italy.

The PM Award​​​​​​​

2014 Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards: Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Cashmere High School’s Mathematics and Statistics Faculty were one of three national finalists in the inaugural 2014 Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards for the category Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

This prestigious award recognized excellence in teaching and learning across all New Zealand early childhood, primary and secondary schools. The selection and judging process was a rigorous one.

The judges recognized the significant improvement made in both the teaching and student achievement within the Mathematics and Statistics Faculty over the last four years. For example prior to 2010 our school’s NCEA level 1 numeracy results were below national benchmarks and had been declining.Through enhancements in teaching approaches student engagement increased as well as achievement steadily improving to now being well above national comparisons. This was part of a school wide improvement process. Our school would like to especially acknowledge the professional work of Head of Faculty Dr. Michelle Dalrymple and her diligent team of teachers for bringing about this successful shift in teaching and learning.

World Environment Award

Cashmere High School: Global Winners of ‘The Zayed Future Energy Prize’ for 2016

Cashmere High School is absolutely delighted and honoured to win ‘The Zayed Future Energy Prize’ for 2016 in the Global High Schools Category. This global award as presented at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi (United Arb Emirates), to our school delegation of Mr Leith Cooper (Lead Teacher) and student representatives Nola Smart and Lily Williams.

This year there were a record 1,437 entries across 97 countries, with projects focused on environmental sustainability and renewable energy.

With this award our school wins US$100,000 to further develop and implement our award-winning sustainable energy project called “ecoDriver”.

Our ecoDriver project started back in 2012, with the aim of reducing energy use and developing energy efficient practices. It has been a project designed by students, to inspire students. It has involved installing ‘smart meters’ providing real-time data on our energy use, a “Switch Off” campaign that reduced energy use by 10%, and then replacing 50% of fluorescent bulbs with LED lights creating a further 20% reduction in consumption. There has also been an active student-led progamme to inform and encourage students to take action. The prize funding will be used to extend our ecoDriver project in the school through installing solar panels, a wind-turbine and piezoelectric floor tiles.​​​​​​​

Cashmere High School had actually been a finalist for this prestigious award in 2015. Cashmere students Sam Andrist and Liam Senior along with Teacher Mr Leith Cooper had represented our school at the award ceremony in Abu Dhabi in January 2015. Our school was selected as one of the three finalists for this international award in the Global High Schools, Oceania category, out of 1100 entries from 84 countries. While we were unsuccessful in winner the prize in 2015, our student group were inspired to modify and resubmitted their entry for 2016.