Otago Girls' High School in New Zealand

• Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
• Founded in: 1870,
• Number of students: about 700,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of studying: separate (only for girls).

Otago Girls' High School in New Zealand (OGHS) is the first public school for girls in New Zealand. Otago is also considered a secondary single-sex school in the Southern Hemisphere, occupying sixth position in the ranking of leading schools of secondary education in the world.

The history of OGHS began in 1870 - it never changed the location of classes, but at that time it shared a campus with the high school for boys of the same name. Throughout its existence, the school accepted only girls to the programs, which is an indisputable fact of adhering traditions. At the same time, the management, staff, teachers of the educational institution are responsive to modern innovations in the field of studying - girls at school are provided with the best conditions for obtaining competitive knowledge and skills, extracurricular development, and broadening their horizons.

Otago Girls' High School in New Zealand annually educates about 700 students in grades 9-13, some of whom are citizens of other countries. Foreign students come to New Zealand to gain a multifaceted experience of studying in an English-speaking environment, make friends of different nationalities, adapt to the European education system and continue their academic path at high-ranking universities.

Each pupil is offered comprehensive support, excellent conditions for studying, living and developing personal interests: from comfortable accommodation in a host family, assistance in obtaining a visa, additional classes in subjects to study tours, psychological assistance, a variety of extracurricular activities. OGHS's caring staff is focused on the individual attention of each student, so all graduates achieve excellent results both during their studies and after graduation.

E-learning is a modern studying opportunity, offering to learn both outside of school and using technology in the classroom. At OGHS, the learning process includes both face-to-face attendance and a combining form, with students taking some subjects in classrooms and others at home. Some tasks are organized entirely in a remote format.

In addition to the standard curriculum, students have the opportunity to study subjects that are not yet taught at OGHS, such as foreign languages, which are organized through NetNZ with the help of partner organizations.

The founder of OGHS, Miss Learmont White Dalrymple, spent about six years pushing for the establishment of a school for girls. She believed that same-gender education would give women the opportunity to learn what was taught only to men at the time: both academics and sports. Miss Dalrymple believed that "intelligence has no gender."

Students live in the homes of host families - this type of accommodation is perfect for foreign students, as the host family will help the child adapt faster and more comfortably in the English-speaking environment, take care of the safety, leisure, and psychological health of the pupil. Host families are carefully selected and regularly tested in order to provide the best living conditions.

Families offer different conditions, but girls are provided with a private room, access to common areas: bathroom, living room, kitchen. They are also provided with two meals a day on weekdays and three meals a day on weekends.

The main areas of extracurricular activities at OGHS are creativity, sports and outdoor learning.

Creative teams regularly participate in campus events, students can develop their talents in many areas of art:

• Jazz band,
• Playing musical instruments,
• Photography, video production,
• Acting
• Sculpture
• Painting, sketching,
• Costume design,
• Chamber Choir,
• Literary reading,
• Hip-hop.

Musical and theatrical groups are part of many events: festive concerts, competitive performances, thematic evenings. Some events invite external professionals who need to find talent and give them more opportunities to develop outside of school.

Sport is a mandatory part of the curriculum, while physical education is also taught outside the classroom. Students can try their hand in many directions:

• Aerobics
• Athletics
• Fencing
• Handball
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Badminton
• Rock climbing
• Soccer
• Skiing: downhill, running,
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Volleyball
• Tennis,
• Water polo.

Whether it is water sports or team sports, all sections are taught by professional coaches, rehabilitation specialists with many years of experience in teaching children. School teams achieve success in local, regional, national competitions, helping participants develop abilities at a more professional level.

Learning in the fresh air is an important part of the program, but not only from an academic point of view: being in nature helps students expand their horizons, take a break from closed spaces, and acquire new knowledge and skills in a non-standard environment. Teachers organize night hikes with an overnight stay in nature, five-day hiking trips, 10-day orienteering courses and other exciting events. Students are given the opportunity to ride mountain bikes or skis, try rock climbing on natural surfaces, do physical education on the vast fields of New Zealand, try their hand at surfing and other physical activities.

Another opportunity to expand the boundaries is an expedition to another country, including hiking in the jungle or mountains, volunteering in community projects.

• The oldest school in the Southern Hemisphere,
• No6 in the list of the oldest secondary schools in the world,
• A wide variety of areas of extracurricular development,
• Compulsory school uniform,
• Modern campus equipment, specialized facilities for sports, creativity, events,
• Language support for international students,
• Opportunity to study at the school from one semester to four years,
• Most students complete the third level of the NCEA and are admitted to selected universities.

Otago Girls' High School in New Zealand is located in the city center, providing easy access to many attractions, entertainment places: the Moana Basin, the Public Library, the Art Gallery, the Toitu Otago Settler Museum, the Otago Polytechnic Institute and others. The campus occupies a compact area, has two academic buildings with modern equipment:

• Lecture Classes,
• Five specialized scientific laboratories,
• Library, reading room,
• Computer labs with software, e-learning modules, gaming PCs,
• An arts center, including theater, dance and drama halls, studios for playing instruments, sound recording,
• Art studios for design, painting, sculpture, photography,
• An outdoor classroom located on the Otago Harbour waterfront,
• Workshops with equipment for wood, plastic, jewelry,
• Main Event Hall,
• An international standard sports center with a fitness center, a gym,
• Six tennis, non-ball courts,
• Artificial turf field,
• Three-story climbing wall.

The academic year consists of four educational stages (dates may shift):

• 31 January-12 April,
• 29 April-5 July,
• July 22-September 27,
• October 14-December 6.

Attendance of classes is organized on weekdays, students have on weekends, international and national holidays, vacations.

The list of additional costs will include:

• Accommodation, meals,
• Registration fees, deposits,
• Insurance
• School uniform,
• Some extracurricular activities, including off-site activities,
• Individual teaching materials: stationery, some textbooks, notebooks,
• Exam fees.

The annual cost covers four semesters, including holidays: all academic classes, extracurricular activities and clubs, participation in activities, additional English classes.

One of the important points of the educational process is a personal laptop or tablet, since OGHS is a Google school. Parents need to make sure that their child has a modern device.

Future students will have to go through several entrance stages:

• Filling out the registration application,
• Payment of entrance fees,
• Receiving an invitation to subsequent entrance exams,
• Passing an interview, possible test tasks,
• Receiving an official invitation to enroll,
• Payment of deposits,
• Arrival on campus: accommodation with a host family, attendance at orientation events, start of classes.

Students achieve excellent results in the learning process and in final exams, allowing them to continue their academic path at leading universities in different countries. Some of the graduates remain in New Zealand, some leave for the United States, Canada, Germany and other countries.

For admission to OGHS, foreign candidates must provide:

• Personal documents: passport, health insurance, visa or residence permit,
• Official academic report for the last academic year in English,
• State exam results (different options are accepted depending on your country),
• Handwritten letter about hobbies, family, desire to study in New Zealand,
• Language exam results to apply in advance for additional English classes.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision