Why service matters... What is the point of excellent academic outcomes, if there is no desire to use these skills to empower our communities?

Our mission at Cashmere is to develop both the intellect and the character of our students. But why do we strive for this? Put simply, we believe that through equipping our students with the knowledge, skills and the disposition to serve others they will leave these gates and empower our communities for the better. They will help shape our communities, our nation and ultimately our world for the better. This is why we do what we do.

We believe education has a higher purpose. Everything that we do, everything that we learn, needs to support a better future. Cashmere High School needs to stand out as a beacon for what is good in our communities. And it is often during the tough times that we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to be held accountable to them and to see how we are measuring up.

As a school that takes 97% of the students in our zone we are a true blue community school. And therefore our community is not confined to the limitations of our gates. When people feel embedded in a community, they feel protected, respected and connected. But building and sustaining a community is not easy, belonging is easy to destroy and hard to build. If we want to truly be leaders of learning then we need to demonstrate leadership through service.

One of the key pillars of our school is service. Service involves doing things that benefit others without any thought of reciprocal benefit to ourselves. It sometimes involves acting in ways that are counter to our own interests. There is no doubt that we are a school of privilege, yes not all our students come from privilege but relatively speaking most do. And as a school of privilege I believe we need to signal our capacity to create positive futures for others. We need to give more than we take.

Students getting involved in service connects young people to a sense of purpose, provides an opportunity to develop some of the softer skills that are so valued in our workforce and encourages connecting with other people - all critical elements of wellbeing.

When I think of inspirational examples of service, I look at our staff. Unlike most staff in secondary schools, almost all of our staff are involved in extracurricular activities. This is not something that they must do, it's not a requirement or part of their job descriptions. But they do this because they fundamentally believe in giving young people the best opportunities and experiences. They know that it is often in these areas that students build memories, develop friendships, cultivate and enhance the inter-personal skills and the positive competitiveness that is required for our young people to flourish. They understand that giving up their time enhances our students' sense of wellbeing.

Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi

With red and black the work will be complete

Joe Eccleton
Principal