Logan Park High School

Logan Park High School Te Kura Tuarua o Kapua o te Raki
Address
74 Butts Road North Dunedin Dunedin 9016 New Zealand
Coordinates	45°51′43″S170°31′45″E / 45.86194°S 170.52917°E / -45.86194; 170.52917
Information
Funding type	State
Motto	Māori: Kua mutu kua timata (It is finished, but has again begun)
Established	1974
Ministry of Education Institution no.	376
Chairperson	Ronda Tokona
Co-principals	Peter Hills & Kirsty Sangster
Years offered	9–13
Gender	co-educational
School roll	791 [1] (August 2024)
Socio-economic decile	7O [2]
Website	lphs.school.nz

Logan Park High School

Logan Park High School is a high school founded in 1974 in Dunedin, New Zealand. It has a roll of 791 students as of August 2024 ^[1] with a teaching staff of about 50, with some 18 further auxiliary and administrative staff.

History

The school was built on the site of a former rifle range in a small wooded valley adjacent to Logan Park, an area of land reclaimed from the former Lake Logan (itself previously Pelichet Bay). It is now largely converted into a park and playing fields in Dunedin North.. It admitted third-form students in 1974 and expanded to all forms the following year, when it was formally opened by Phil Amos, the Minister of Education. ^[3] The city's main athletics and soccer venue, the Caledonian Ground, is located next to the school grounds. Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza and the University Oval cricket ground are also located nearby.

The school developed from an earlier school in central Dunedin, King Edward Technical College, which itself had long links with Otago Polytechnic (which has also previously occupied a central Dunedin site). The school's proximity to the city's tertiary institutions (the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic) allows the school access to tertiary study facilities it would otherwise not have access to.

Like most New Zealand state secondary schools of the era, Logan Park High School was constructed to the S68 standard plan, characterised by its single-storey classroom blocks of masonry construction, low-pitched roofs and internal open courtyards.

On 17 March 2020, the high school was shut down for 48 hours after one of its students tested positive for the Coronavirus disease 2019. The school's closure was part of the New Zealand Government's heightened health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. ^{[4] [5]}

Education

Logan Park has a current roll of 791 ^[1] students, and its roll peaked at about 1200 in 1995. The school has a teaching staff of about 35, with some 15 further auxiliary and administrative staff. LPHS is one of the four-state coeducational schools in Dunedin.

The founding principal was "Arch" Wilson.^{[ citation needed ]}

Colin Croudis was principal between 1980 until 1992. ^[6]

In 1998, Jane Johnson was appointed as the school's first female principal. Ms Johnson retired in 2017, and in September of that year, co-principals Peter Hills and Kristan Mouat were appointed. Kristan Mouat and Peter Hills remained co-principals until Mouat died on 10 June 2023. ^[7]

Logan Park High School combines both a junior and a senior school. Year 9 (Form 3) and Year 10 (Form 4) are the juniors of the school; Years 11 to 13 (Forms 5 to 7) are the seniors of the school. Most senior students sit their NCEA examinations during their time at the school.

Culture

The school's motto, Kua mutu, kua timata is Māori, and means "It is finished, but has again begun" – a reference to the new school rising from the old King Edward Technical College, and also to high school as a transition from childhood to adulthood.

The school uniform's colours are black, white, and maroon, Year 9 and 10 students wear the junior uniform of a white shirt, black trousers/maroon kilt with optional polar fleece or jersey, Years 11 and 12 wear the senior uniform adding a blazer and tie to the junior uniform. Year 13 students do not wear uniform during their final year. ^[8] The uniform is fully gender neutral.

The school was divided into five houses although starting in 2008 there have been four, each with its own dean. These houses are named Clayton, Omimi, Aoraki (formerly Aorangi), Toroa and Potiki (although not featuring in the 2008 school year and in subsequent years). As of 2022 each house is split into multiple groups.

Logan Park High School is regarded as important in the history of New Zealand rock music as being one of the elements that made up the Dunedin sound. Many of the musicians who were at the forefront of this movement in the 1980s were pupils of Logan Park when they made their first public musical performances.

Notable alumni

• Aldous Harding – musician
• Andrew Brough – musician
• Belinda Colling – netball player
• Mark Dickel – basketballer
• Richard Dickel – basketball coach
• Jane Dodd – musician
• Chris Donaldson – athlete
• Graeme Downes – musician
• Jabez Olssen – film editor
• Pip Hall – actor and writer
• Matt Heath – Entertainment
• Joanna Norris – former editor of The Christchurch Press
• Nadia Reid – musician
• Helen Varley Jamieson – theatre and digital artist
• Kashi Leuchs – cyclist
• Tania Murray – athlete
• Jesse O'Brien – musician, NZ Idol finalist
• Martin Phillipps – musician
• Darren Stedman – musician

References

1. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
2. "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
3. "International Student Guide - History of the Area" (PDF). Logan Park High School. p. 2.
4. Sherwood, Sam (17 March 2020). "Dunedin student 12th positive coronavirus case – high school to close". Stuff . Retrieved 17 March 2020.
5. "Pupil tests positive, school to close". Otago Daily Times . 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
6. Hazelwood, Arnika. "Staff Notes for 2015". Logan Park High School. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
7. "Kristan Mouat tributes: "Amazing teacher and beautiful person"". Otago Daily Times . 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
8. https://www.lphs.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EMB-Uniform-2024.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}

External links

• Official School Website