Eleanor Baldi
The 18-year-old rower and musician began her hobbies purely for fun, but as her confidence grew she started to become a little less surprised by her achievements.
She first started rowing in year 11 and while the early morning starts were hard to adjust to, she quickly found herself enjoying it.
"It’s hard to stop once you like it."
In her first season she saw little success, but last year started placing higher.
Her confidence was building, but it still came as a surprise when she unexpectedly landed second place in the U18 single sculls at the Aon Maadi Cup.
"That was really, really exciting."
The more she did, the more confident she became and this year she placed first in the women’s intermediate single sculls at the New Zealand Rowing Champs.
She always enjoys spending time outdoors and rowing allows her to both exercise and enjoy the experience of being out on the lake alone or with a team.
Her passion for the outdoors is why she is considering a career in geography or environmental management, as she could help maintain the environment she enjoys.
While the mornings were dedicated to rowing, after school she practised her music.
She has played the clarinet for about seven years and the saxophone for three.
The instruments offer a different style of fun, but she finds herself drawn to the saxophone more.
She never planned to take up the sax, but while practising for the school show the music teacher announced they were down a sax player and she offered to take up the spot.
While she plays for the school orchestra, she enjoys the range and style of jazz more.
She plays in the school jazz band and the smaller combo band and after performing at the the Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival she was shocked to receive an award for the most promising tenor saxophone player.
Achievements: NZ Rowing Champs intermediate single sculls 1st (2022); Aon Maadi Cup U18 single sculls 2nd (2022); Meridian South Island club champs U18 single sculls (2022); New Zealand World Rowing U19 junior triallist (2022); Otago Rowing Association female rower of the year nominee (2022); outstanding achievement for rowing (2022); cultural prefect (2022); house leader (2022); top of geography (2021); top of outdoor education (2021); cultural blue (2021); Baldwin Trophy for woodwind joint winner (2020, 2021); most promising tenor saxophone Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival (2021) academic blue (2020, 2021); Level 1, 2 excellence endorsement.
Role model: Her parents.
Hopes for the future: To study geography or environmental management.
Josh Stoddart
The 17-year-old is head boy, leader of the school kapa haka group and spends his time coaching juniors in sport.
He also holds a variety of leadership roles at the school.
He spends time as a peer support leader and spends time helping junior pupils settle into the school.
This year he became involved in the 40-Hour Famine, a movement he finds inspiring.
He helped organise the event at school and got as many pupils interested in the event as possible.
"It feels quite nice when you’re helping someone else."
Last year he acted as a leader for the school breakfast club, where he would show up to school early on some mornings to help provide breakfast to pupils in need of food.
His passion for helping others started in year 11 when he fell into coaching a basketball team, a role he greatly enjoyed.
He continued on to coach volleyball, the sport he is most passionate about.
He enjoys the fun nature of the game and how there are a lot of skills to fine-tune and perfect.
He also plays basketball and football and last year he was proud to play volleyball for Otago.
Outside of sport Josh spends his time leading the senior kapa haka group and tutoring the juniors.
He started kapa haka when he was about 7 and has been involved with it since.
He enjoys how it gives him a chance to express his culture and feel closer to it, as well as an opportunity and perform.
Now as a kapa haka tutor he is proud to help others experience kapa haka and makes sure to explain the culture and meaning behind the art.
He always wants to better connect to his culture, which is why he is learning te reo Maori.
Although he is not yet fluent, he can hold a conversation and uses his skills to enrich the kapa haka lessons he leads.
"To be able to teach others I have to first understand it myself."
Achievements: Head boy (2022); peer support leader (2022); breakfast club leader (2021); kapa haka leader (2021, 2022); kapa haka tutor (2021, 2022); junior A volleyball coach (2021, 2022); junior A basketball coach (2020; 2021); junior B basketball coach (2022); Otago volleyball representative (2021); volleyball blue (2021); best all-round sport senior (2021); academic blue (2020); Mana Pounamu Tuakana award (2021); Kakaruwai trophy for te reo Maori (2019); 1st in te reo Maori; kapa haka merit award (2021); level 1 excellence (2020); level 2 merit (2021).
Role model: His parents, for shaping him into who he is today.
Hopes for the future: To study physical education, activity and health and Maori studies at the University of Otago.
