Tyler Wilson

Tyler is currently a year 11 student at Woodford House involved in music, theatre and sports. She loves being part of the family spirit at Woodford House and has made life-long friends with fellow Woodford House students.

Why did you choose to attend Woodford House?

The main reason I came to Woodford was because both my aunty and my older sister came here. Though it is a tradition in my family, as soon as I walked on to the school grounds I immediately felt welcomed and wanted to go to school here. Everyone was so friendly and it seemed so easy to fit in.

What were your first few days of school like?

The first few days, like at any new school, were exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time. I will never forget all of the girls in my year coming up to me and introducing themselves. Woodford House has a buddy system which really helped me at the beginning. On my first day at Woodford, I was assigned to my “Big Sister” who looked after me and showed me the ropes through the first few weeks. Then when classes started, I was paired up with a “Mother Hen”, which is a year eight student. Those little things made me really happy to be at Woodford, and ensured I was never really homesick.

What is it like to be a boarder at Woodford House?

I love being a boarder. It’s really fun! No one is embarrassed about anything and everybody is helpful and understanding. Because you are always with your friends, it builds close relationships on a higher level than if you just sat next to them in class.

What do you like the most at Woodford House?

I enjoy that Woodford is truly a family of its own. Everyone is so close and inviting that you can sit next to anybody and not feel out of place. Another thing I appreciate is the teachers’ enthusiasm for teaching. They make the classes really interesting so you want to learn and to succeed in your work.

What are your favourite classes?

At the moment I'm really enjoying my selected subjects of economics, accounting and graphics, as well as the compulsories of English, math and science.

What sort of activities do you do at Woodford House?

Over my time at Woodford I have played tennis, volleyball, hockey, soccer, basketball, athletics, piano and alto saxophone. I have also done competitive skiing, life saving, speech, drama and arts. I have been fortunate enough to participate in the school productions, including Beauty and the Beast and this year's play, Godspell.

Would you recommend Woodford House to other students?

I would DEFINITELY recommend Woodford to other girls. It really is a choice you won’t regret. There are so many opportunities on offer here from leadership activities to sports to academia. It is a fun learning environment and it feels powerful when you work to succeed while being surrounded by friends. At Woodford, you make friends who last a life time!

Laura Russell

Laura is currently a year 12 student at Woodford House and loves playing violin and squash. Laura feels lucky to be a student at Woodford House because it gives her the opportunity to be involved in all of the things she is passionate about.

What were your first few days at Woodford House like?

Woodford uses a buddy system, so on the first day we were assigned to a “Mother Hen”, a girl in our year group, as well as a “Big Sister”, a senior girl in either year 12 or 13. With so much support around me, I settled into Woodford very quickly and since then everything about the school has been perfect. By the end of term one, I had made a whole new set of friends and was having a great time!

What do you like the most about Woodford House?

I love so many different things about Woodford. One of my favourite things is that Woodford creates a very special, friendly, and welcoming environment where everyone knows each other.

What sort of activities do you do at Woodford House?

Woodford definitely offers a lot of opportunities for anyone who is passionate about the arts. At Woodford I play the violin, saxophone and bass and I am involved in the school jazz band, rock band and the Woodford chamber music and orchestra.

Sport is something else I love at Woodford. I used to play a variety of sports available at the school, but recently I have been focusing my time on squash, which I can play all year round. I feel very lucky because I can work out in the gym and then pop downstairs to practice on the school squash courts, instead of having to travel to the local club to practice.

What do you want to do after you graduate from Woodford House?

Once I graduate from Woodford, I want to go to the University of Otago and study Health Sciences. I then want to go on to study medicine so I can be involved in the medical field as a GP, specialist or researcher.

Would you recommend Woodford House to other students?

I would recommend Woodford to any and every girl. It truly caters for every girl’s interests, hobbies, needs and wants. Whether you are into the arts, involved in sports or want to focus primarily on academics, Woodford provides numerous opportunities for you to participate, enjoy and excel. You also get to know all the girls really well and I guarantee you will form many amazing, life-long friendships.

What advice would you give prospective students?

Attending Woodford is one of the greatest opportunities you will have in your life, so make sure you make the most out of everything Woodford offers.

Anna Parsons

Anna Parsons is in her last year at Woodford House. As the Sports Prefect, Anna has gained invaluable experience as a leader in sports, which she is passionate about. The opportunity to try a variety of subjects at Woodford House has also allowed Anna to realise her love of biology, which she hopes to continue studying next year at the University of Otago.

Why did you choose to attend Woodford House?

I always wanted to come to Woodford because my mum and my grandma were students here, so there is a very strong tradition in my family of attending Woodford.

What were your first few days of school like?

I made friends really quickly at Woodford which was awesome. I was a bit homesick at first, but I because Woodford has a “Big Sister” system you have someone there to help you get into the routine and that helped me get over being homesick really quickly. My “Big Sister” was really cool, she would always come over to bring me lollies and talk to me. That really helped.

What is it like to be a boarder at Woodford House?

Being a weekly boarder at Woodford is really cool because during the week I get to hang out with my friends. It is different from other schools because you have more opportunities to develop really strong relationships with your friends. You also have the chance to gain more independence because your parents aren’t there the whole time helping you.

What do you like the most at Woodford House?

I really love doing House music because it means I can do things with the whole House and it gave me the opportunity to try out music in a fun environment. That experience has been really special for me because I’ve gained not only a lot of friends out of it, but I’ve also gained a lot of confidence to try things that I am interested in.

What are your favourite classes?

Biology and physical education are my favourite classes this year. I was taking a lot of arts and design courses right up to 4th form, but then I realised I loved the sciences more. That is one of the best things about Woodford. They have so many options to choose from and you are encouraged to try out different classes so that you can find the ones you love to do.

What sort of activities do you do at Woodford House?

I am currently the Sports Prefect at Woodford, which I love because it gives me the opportunity to be a leader in an area that I enjoy a lot. It does keep me really busy though. Since coming to Woodford I have been involved in many sports such as volleyball, basketball, netball and equestrian.

Would you recommend Woodford House to other students?

My time at Woodford has been the most enjoyable time in my life. I have made the most amazing friends here who I know will be my friends for life, so it is easy for me to recommend Woodford to every girl. There are so many opportunities here at Woodford, from the arts and the sports to the classes. In such a supportive community it is easy for students to excel in the areas they are interested in. At Woodford, there really is something for everyone.

What advice would you give prospective students?

Be confident and introduce yourself to everyone because everyone at Woodford is in the same boat, so they understand what you are going through. I would also say that the more you take advantage of the things Woodford has to offer, the more you will be able to gain from your experience here.

Molly Hunter

Molly has been a student at Woodford House since 2008, and is currently in year 9. She loves the sense of friendship that being a boarder at Woodford provides, and how easy it is to make friends at the school.

Why did you choose to attend Woodford House?

My father's family has a Woodford history, and Woodford has such a friendly environment compared to other schools which was really important to me.

What were your first few days of school like?

It was exciting but a little bit scary as well. My 'big sister' and 'mother hen', who are older girls assigned to look after you, really helped me to get to know the school and find my way around. It only took me about a week to get to know my way around and to make friends. I am a weekly boarder so I get to see my parents every weekend as well as seeing my friends throughout the week.

What is it like to be a boarder at Woodford House?

Being a boarder at Woodford House makes me feel organised because everything is at a set time. It also feels like you’re living with your friends, and that definitely helps when you are at a new school.

What do you like the most at Woodford House?

The one thing that I enjoy most about Woodford is the friendly environment - the juniors and the seniors are very supportive of each other, and everyone looks out for each other. You couldn't walk past another student without catching a smile or wave! Woodford also has really great facilities and offers lots of hobby and sport options to get involved with.

What sort of activities do you do at Woodford House?

My interests are mostly in sport - my favourite being tennis which I play year-round.

Can you recall any special experiences you have had with friends or staff?

It's hard to pick one but I really enjoy the inter-house competitions such as music, drama and sport because it gives you a chance to compete with your friends from other Houses.

Would you recommend Woodford House to other students?

Yes, mainly because it gets such good academic results, but also because if you have a certain interest Woodford has the facilities to help you achieve in it.

What advice would you give to prospective students?

The main advice that I would give would be to take every opportunity that Woodford throws at you and most of all, have fun!