Foundation scholarships - enhancing and enlightening

10/12/2008

The Foundation is delighted to already be making a difference to the quality of education at Otago Boys’ through a series of scholarships it offers and we are delighted to announce the winners of three new awards.

Scott Woodhead (2004-08) is the first recipient of the Mason Brothers Scholarship.

Scott Woodhead

The Mason Brothers Scholarship has been established in memory of George Harold Mason and Percy Mason who attended Otago Boys’ High School in 1896-98 and 1905-06 respectively and is made possible through the benevolence of their nephew George Mason. The Scholarship will help leavers to undertake a University degree or other tertiary education leading to an engineering qualification. The scholarship will assist each winner for three years with a new recipient selected each year – so every year from 2011 onwards six Old Boys will benefit from this grant.

Scott lives on a farm just south of Milton and has boarded at the Hostel for the last five years. Academic as well as practical, Scott enjoys building and repairing all manner of farm equipment. This year he studied statistics, mathematics, calculus, physics, economics and chemistry.He undertook leadership roles through Peer Support and as a House Prefect and has also been involved with tennis and ice hockey. Scott plans to do his Intermediate year in Christchurch prior to applying for engineering at Canterbury.

Kurt Thomas (2004-08) is the first recipient of the Superior Minerals Scholarship.

Kurt Thomas

The Superior Minerals Scholarship has been established through the foresight of Lawrence Alloo (1981-85) and will assist one leaver a year with a portion of his first-year fees for an agricultural course at Lincoln University.

Kurt has also been a boarder at the Hostel and this year was part of the Gateway Programme with a local engineering firm while also studying woodwork, agriculture and geography.Kurt is another practical young man who has been a part of the ice hockey and smallbore shooting teams.Like Scott, Kurt has also undertaken leadership roles through the Peer Support programme and at year 10 camps.This scholarship will assist Kurt’s initial studies at Lincoln next year.

And the recipient of the Stanley Johnson Scholarship is 2009 entrant Nga Woodhouse.

This scholarship has been offered by Ainsley Johnson, in memory of her father Stanley who attended Otago Boys’ 1924-26. While Ainsley has lived in the United Kingdom for many years, she retains a link with her father’s alma mater through membership of the Foundation and the establishment of this one-off scholarship.

Nga, who has been attending the Waitaki Valley School, will be a day boy living with his father in Dunedin next year.He is a North Otago age group rugby representative and a speech winner in both years 7 and 8. He is a clear-thinking young man who has set his sights on becoming a mechanical engineer.

In operation for the last two years have been the Graeme Marsh Scholarships, which are open to three boys enrolling from Arthur Street School each year and which assist the recipients for the first two years of their time at Otago Boys’. These scholarships have been made possible through the generosity of the Foundation’s Patron Graeme Marsh (1947-51), who was Dux at Arthur Street in 1946 and who received a scholarship himself upon entering Otago Boys’.

Clarke Craw Ltd, through Gavin Craw (1961-65) and Barry O’Donnell (1973-77), were instrumental in establishing the Clark Craw Scholarship through the Foundation in late-2007 with the recipient being Ryan Hammer (2003-07). Ryan is studying accountancy at Otago University and a significant portion of his fees are paid by the scholarship, which also opens the way for part-time work at the firm during his course and the very real prospect of full-time work upon graduation.

And the first Foundation Professional Development scholarship for Staff, as announced last month, will be awarded in late-2009. This scholarship will allow a member of the Otago Boys’ staff – each year – to engage in a period of study and development in a particular area of interest, with the benefits to then flow back into the school and the education it offers.