122 | COMMUNITY St Hilda’s Collegiate Weareproud toprovide structural engineering services toSt. Hilda’sCollegiate Level 2, 193 Princes Street, Dunedin ● Ph. 03 477 0092 www.cegqs.co.nz Proud to be the trusted independent Cost Management and Quantity Surveying partner to St Hilda's Collegiate School ONE TEAM DELIVERING OUTSTANDING RESULTS FOR ST HILDA’S Proudly Supporting St Hilda’s Collegiate contact@activeelectrodunedin.co.nz 36 Prince Albert Road, St Kilda, Dunedin 9012 03 456 4087 • Electrical • Fire • Security • Phone/Data • Heat pumps • BWOF T T Virginia Wright Boost for college science students The Science and Accessibility development of the Neville Building is being done in two stages. By the time St Hilda’s Collegiate School in Dunedin opens for the 2027 school year, the work that began at the start of 2026 developing its science and maths facilities will be complete. The Science and Accessibility development of the Neville Building is being done in two stages. Stage 1 refurbished two of the four science labs on the third floor, with stage 2 refurbishing the other two. Clever planning by the design team, led by Cameron Grindlay of Dwelling Architectural Design, working closely with Stefan Thorburn, the quantity surveyor from Chas E George, meant the contingency budget for the project remained available for lead contractors, Cook Brothers Construction, to also refurbish the two tired maths classrooms on the fourth floor. The whole project was expertly steered by project manager, Jamie Cargill of PPL. The refurbishing of the fourth floor preserves the integrity of the building’s facade and brings the old and the new together into a coherent whole, welcoming visitors, staff and students alike. In between the two stages and expected to be opened no later than the start of next term, a lift is being installed to the fourth floor. Stage 1 has already included a new accessible bathroom on the third floor. “By the start of next year, the whole building, including the new labs, will be accessible. They’re brand-new, state-of-the-art science labs that look like they’re in a university, so it’s really exciting for the students and having the lift is especially exciting for one of our senior students, who’s been in a wheelchair since Year 11. She’ll be the first in it when it opens,” says Principal, Nicky Whitham-Blackwell. St Hilda’s Collegiate School is a state integrated school for girls with a roll of 450, including 160 boarders, who live off-site, just up the road. Principal Whitham-Blackwell took up the position at St Hilda’s at the start of the third term 2026. “It’s an Anglican school, and that special character is very important to us, who we are, and our aspirations,” she says. “Girls’ education for girls is also important to us. If you look at our four pillars of values, they express St Hilda’s hopes for our students. Explore Faith; Be You, which is really important for girls; Better Together, and Can Do. Those things are what we’re aiming for our girls to develop while they’re here and take with them when they leave.” Research shows that girls’ involvement in science and STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) is much higher in all-girls’ schools than in co-ed schools. St Hilda’s already provides an environment where girls can thrive no matter what their interests, and the new facilities mean any senior pupils with an inclination towards science will have every opportunity to develop that interest. The layout of the new labs makes group work easy and practical work safe. Students can cluster around the fume hoods to see what’s being done, and teachers can demonstrate experiments safely. Each lab has workstations that can be raised or lowered according to the height needed, making full participation accessible to everyone, along with interactive TVs and dedicated space to store specialised equipment for seniors taking different subjects, whether biology, chemistry or physics. “We have girls from Year 7, so 11-year-olds can work in science labs that are university standard with amazing facilities and real flexibility of learning. They can experience science in the best way possible and then go on to be scientists of some description if that’s what they want to do,” says the Principal. By the start of Term 1 in 2027, the redevelopment of St Hilda’s Neville Building will be complete, making modern, comfortable spaces, purpose built for enjoyable teaching and learning, available to every one of its staff and students.
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