Awatapu College: The First 40 Years
Thank you to former staff member, Dr Sue Stirling, for capturing Awatapu College's first 40 years of history.
Chapter One: The Wall Years 1975-1989
John Wall started four months before the school opened and oversaw its initial development. As the founding Principal, he instituted measures that continued long after he left the school.
Chapter Two: The Camps and Trips
Camps and trips started in the very first year of the school and have been a major feature of school life ever since.
Chapter Three: The O'Connor Years 1990-1996
Mike O’Connor was Deptuy Principal from the school opening to the end of 1979 as well as coming back as Principal 10 years later. It was due to Mike that the school has many of the Honours Awards such as Dux of the school. The Awatapu Special School for students with special needs was incorporated into Awatapu College during Mike’s time as Principal, with the official opening being in 1996.
Chapter Four: The Ching Years 1996-2002
Larry Ching worked hard on developing the property of the school and ensuring that the buildings looked more coordinated than they had previously. It was during Larry’s time at the school that the international department expanded.
Chapter Five: Sport at Awatapu
From the very first days of the school, sport has been an essential part of school life for students at Awatapu. Teams competed against other schools from 1976, and in this chapter highlights of the various sports and results have been noted.
Chapter Six: The Sims Years 2003-2012
Tina Sims was the second longest serving Principal at Awatapu. She was a great champion of the arts and ensured that students of all cultures achieved highly by giving her personal support to lots of cultural events.
Chapter Seven: Culture at Awatapu
For the majority of time that Awatapu College has been open, Stephen Fisher was in charge of the performing arts. His contribution to the school has been immense in the artistic fields. The school auditorium opened in 1986 and this made it possible to run large productions at the school.
Chapter Eight: The Yeatman Years 2013-Present
Gary Yeatman is the school’s current Principal and the fifth in the history of the school. He has helped to raise both the achievement of students during his years as Principal and increase the numbers of new students to the school.