'Escapism' problem solving pays off

Hillcrest High School student, Hao Jeng,  is off to the Olympics, of sorts. Click here for more

Kimbra's dad tells ...The making of a Kiwi superstar

At Hillcrest High, Kimbra excelled at French and drama and joined the school's "scat" jazz choir, which her father said helped shape the love of jazz evident in her music. Click here for article

Students pack for ground breaking venture

Hillcrest High School hopes to provide students with a life-changing experience thanks to a radical approach to education.

At the beginning of next term, 30 year 10 students from Hillcrest High School will be sent to Great Barrier Island for five weeks where they will live, learn and ultimately grow as individuals.

School principal Kelvin Whiting said the programme was "ground-breaking" for the school and the Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) based at Great Barrier. Click here for article

'Fill-in' sport becomes medal earner
Camden Wright and his partner in the double scull, Cameron McRobie, are poised to make Hillcrest High School history and win the school's first national rowing title. (Click here for article)

Small teams in borrowed boats serve notice
The future of New Zealand rowing converged on Lake Karapiro in February when nearly 50 North Island schools took part in the annual Mighty River Power junior regatta.

At the regatta, students went head to head in the under-15 through under-18 age groups, competing for the gold as a precursor to the North Island secondary school champs and the national Maadi Cup regatta.

And this year seemed to be the year of the underdog, with smaller, poorly resourced schools such as Hillcrest High making an impact against the bigger, better stocked school squads.   Click here for article