Academic achievement is recognised at Kerikeri High School at Celebration Assemblies and Prizegivings.
The elite academic awards of Dux and Proxime Accessit are presented to Year 13 'Top Scholars' who, in addition to achieving at the highest level academically, are also achieving at an outstanding level in other areas across the Four Cornerstones.
ICAS
Students at Kerikeri High School are offered the opportunity to sit ICAS assessments in English, Writing, Mathematics, and Science in Years 7 - 13, and Spelling Bees in Years 7 and 8.
ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students' higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.
Each assessment celebrates students' accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.
Information about how to register students in these optional assessments, and the Parent Payment System, will be emailed to all parents during the year.
ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students' higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.
Each assessment celebrates students' accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.
Information about how to register students in these optional assessments, and the Parent Payment System, will be emailed to all parents during the year.
Mathex Competition
At Kerikeri High School, Mathex stands as an Academic Cornerstone, embodying our commitment to nurturing mathematical talent and fostering teamwork. Open to students from Year 7 to Year 10, Mathex invites teams of four to showcase their problem-solving prowess in a thrilling competition.
Mathex challenges students to collaborate and apply their mathematical skills to solve a series of engaging problems within a specified time frame. It's an academic adventure that promotes critical thinking and teamwork, essential skills for success in any field.
Participation in Mathex offers our students a unique opportunity to demonstrate their passion for mathematics and compete at the highest level. The top teams earn the privilege to advance to the regional competition in Whangārei, where they vie for honours against schools from across the region.
Mathex challenges students to collaborate and apply their mathematical skills to solve a series of engaging problems within a specified time frame. It's an academic adventure that promotes critical thinking and teamwork, essential skills for success in any field.
Participation in Mathex offers our students a unique opportunity to demonstrate their passion for mathematics and compete at the highest level. The top teams earn the privilege to advance to the regional competition in Whangārei, where they vie for honours against schools from across the region.
Reading Competitions
Kids' Lit Quiz
This is an annual inter-school competition that aims to encourage and celebrate the literary knowledge of readers in Years 7 and 8. Students work together in teams of four to answer 100 book-related questions. School teams are chosen from the Lit Quiz squad who meet twice a week for literary quizzes and games.
Readers' Cup
This is a reading competition for Year 9 students. Teams of four students read a selection of six books over a term, and then compete with other schools to answer 60 in-depth questions from those books.
Battle of the Bibliophiles
For Year 10 students, this competition involves teams of up to six students reading 12 different books over two terms. They then compete in an open-book online quiz that includes a Britannica Digital Learning research quiz. There is a strict time limit for teams to answer the questions.
This is an annual inter-school competition that aims to encourage and celebrate the literary knowledge of readers in Years 7 and 8. Students work together in teams of four to answer 100 book-related questions. School teams are chosen from the Lit Quiz squad who meet twice a week for literary quizzes and games.
Readers' Cup
This is a reading competition for Year 9 students. Teams of four students read a selection of six books over a term, and then compete with other schools to answer 60 in-depth questions from those books.
Battle of the Bibliophiles
For Year 10 students, this competition involves teams of up to six students reading 12 different books over two terms. They then compete in an open-book online quiz that includes a Britannica Digital Learning research quiz. There is a strict time limit for teams to answer the questions.
Science Fair
All Year 7, 8 and 9 Science students complete a Science Fair project during the last two weeks of Term 2 and the first three weeks of Term 3. Students in Years 10 through 13 can also enter the Regional Science Fair but they do not have class time to work on their project. Some senior students use their Biology or Chemistry Internally Assessed Investigation as a basis for their project. They are displayed and judged during Week 3 and the best are selected to enter the Top Energy Regional Science Fair held in August each year.
Students earn a Science WAKA Award for entering the Kerikeri High School Science Fair and earn many prizes from the Regional Science Fair. Both Fairs are an important part of the Kerikeri High School calendar.
Sunny Perry, the 2023 winner at the Regional Fair, went on to win the Prime Minister's Future Scientist Prize of $50,000, presented at Parliament Buildings in 2024.
Students earn a Science WAKA Award for entering the Kerikeri High School Science Fair and earn many prizes from the Regional Science Fair. Both Fairs are an important part of the Kerikeri High School calendar.
Sunny Perry, the 2023 winner at the Regional Fair, went on to win the Prime Minister's Future Scientist Prize of $50,000, presented at Parliament Buildings in 2024.
Spelling Bee
The Aotearoa Spelling Bee programme helps students gain a love of the English language. It is also an exciting learning journey for students in Years 7 and 8 to learn words that they can use with confidence.
Participants are given three weeks to learn three Spelling Bee word lists which include te reo Māori words. The Spelling Bee is then held here at Kerikeri High School as a joint Year 7 and 8 competition. All participants receive a Kerikeri High School Cornerstone acknowledging their effort, and the winner of the competition gains a second Cornerstone for their achievement.
Participants are given three weeks to learn three Spelling Bee word lists which include te reo Māori words. The Spelling Bee is then held here at Kerikeri High School as a joint Year 7 and 8 competition. All participants receive a Kerikeri High School Cornerstone acknowledging their effort, and the winner of the competition gains a second Cornerstone for their achievement.
Young Enterprise Scheme
The Young Enterprise Scheme is an experiential business programme for Year 12 and 13 students around New Zealand. Students set up and run a real business over a year and have the opportunity to compete with other students from across Northland and nationally. Over the year the students complete four challenges: validation, a pitch, sales and marketing, and an annual review. For each challenge they collect points and at the end of the year the eight teams with the most points get to pitch one more time at the end of year celebration.
The best business pitch on the night wins the region, and the team receives $1000 and an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington to compete in the national competition. In addition to the overall regional winner there are lots of other regional trophies and categories that businesses can win, all coming with cash prizes that students can use towards running their business.
In addition to the competition, YES students get opportunities to apply for extreme experiences. Kerikeri High School students have been selected for all expenses paid trips to Japan, Brazil, Auckland and Wellington which further extend their understanding of business and entrepreneurship.
The best business pitch on the night wins the region, and the team receives $1000 and an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington to compete in the national competition. In addition to the overall regional winner there are lots of other regional trophies and categories that businesses can win, all coming with cash prizes that students can use towards running their business.
In addition to the competition, YES students get opportunities to apply for extreme experiences. Kerikeri High School students have been selected for all expenses paid trips to Japan, Brazil, Auckland and Wellington which further extend their understanding of business and entrepreneurship.
