Kia ora koutou. Talofa. Kia Orana. Malo e lelei. Bula vinaka. Fakaalofa atu. Namaste. Kumusta. Haere mai ki Te Kura Te Huruhuru Ao o Horomaka. Warm greetings to the Hornby High School community.

Over the Easter break I was privileged to be part of the judging panel at the 2021 National Junior Rock ‘n’ Roll dance championships. One of our own (Shelby in Year 9) was one of a pair of dancers who made it through to the semi finals in one of the two most competitive sections of the entire competition, a feat that sets her and her partner in the top 8 in the country in their chosen section. Well done, Shelby!

The thing that always excites and amazes me is the privilege of watching over one hundred young people from across the motu striving to be the best that they can be. Their dancing requires creativity, skill, talent, dedication, and simple hard work. These are the essential ingredients required from us all as we strive for ‘creative excellence’, the qualities and attributes that we want from every one of our rangatahi at Hornby High School. Achievement and excellence look different for every one of us.

Few of us ever get the opportunity to stand on the dais as Number One in anything that we attempt. What is always within reach for us all is our personal best. In my own running and dancing careers my goal was always to improve on what I had done before. As a half marathon runner I knew I was never going to be first, I was just never that fast. I was however able to get better and better each time I ran. This ought to be the goal for all of us. For some of us, that will mean that we are that Number One, but that means far less than to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.

That’s what I saw over the weekend: over a hundred young people striving to be the best that they could be. Some made the top of the dais. But almost all of them left everything they had on the dance floor. That’s what creative excellence looks like.

Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for the latest and most up to date news https://www.facebook.com/hornbyhighschool/ , and on our website www.hornby.school.nz . You can also follow my thinking our education journey at Hornby High School, and more generally, on my blog at https://whakataukihewakaekenoa.blogspot.co.nz/

Kia tau te mauri

Robin Sutton
Tumuaki