Stage Challenge for me was a great experience and a great opportunity for me to have a go at a leadership role. I have done Stage Challenge twice before and this year I got the opportunity to be a leader of the 2016 Stage Challenge.

We had a total of 117 students to manage from Christchurch Boys' and Girls' High on the day of Stage Challenge. It was a large task to handle for the five leaders; Pieta Harding, Jess Forsyth, Aleisha Laird, Grace Kortegast and myself, but with the help of a few teachers from both schools on the day, we got through it. As well as the performers that were there on the day, there were also many more students behind the scenes that helped us create the performance we gave. This year we placed second out of fourteen other schools.  To have gained this placing made the whole experience even more rewarding. 

On behalf of all the boys that were involved with this production I can certainly say that we all enjoyed ourselves greatly. We were able to make new friends and learn new skills that you simply couldn’t learn in a classroom or on the sports field. The Sunday rehearsals provided a good chance for the boys and girls to chat and get to know each other and as we got further into the trainings, as leaders, we were able to see friendships develop as we got to know one another and became less shy and more open with one another. 

At the end of it all, we have all made some great new friends and have learnt a lot of useful skills from one another that we can now use in our lives. As a leader, I would strongly advise other students to get involved with this great experience. Not only do you get an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone but you get to meet new people. I saw first hand the great friendships that the boys made with the girls and also with other boys they may not have known before joining.