Class of 2023 farewells

The Class of '23 celebrated our last day together on the 27th of October. The day began with the Leavers' Assembly, where us Head Students spoke about our appreciation for our peers and teachers, Mr Beer and Mr Whiting spoke, and everyone received their graduation certificate from their Hauora teacher. Leavers' Assembly is a traditional event, but this year the Leavers' Video was added, a Take Media production that the Class of '23 will look back on in years to come. The Leavers' Assembly ended with a powerful haka from junior students, which Year 13 responded to strongly. The haka made me reflect on just how far we've come since learning the haka in Year 9. It's been a big journey.

After the Prizegiving, we headed to Vilagrads for Leavers' Dinner. Awards were given out, with votes from the past few weeks deciding the student most likely to be a teacher, the best mullet, and most likely to be famous, among others. There were musical acts, great food, and lots of photos taken. Near the end of the night, everyone was on the dance floor, and we were lucky enough to end with a rendition of Hotel California from Mr Whiting, which everyone sang along to. There were hugs all round, and then our five year Hillcrest adventure ended. 

Alex Collett - Head Student