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.

We’ve made it through yet another year and nothing could be more appropriate than the whakataukī ‘He waka eke noa’ which in the context of 2021 we might best think of as meaning ‘we are all in this together’. However we’ve made it, and we’ve made it because we are all in this together. Despite some of the most challenging times we are likely to see in a generation we have seen our rangatahi continue to excel in their individual and collective mahi at Hornby High School. I sat in this week’s junior prizegiving simply bulging with pride at the incredible achievements of so many of our students. If pride really is a sin, then I am indeed very guilty.

Stepping back and looking at the year, we have seen such wonderful individual and collective effort and achievement. Our sports teams continue to ‘punch above our weight’ (if I may use that old cliche) in local competition, and our academics gathered a very large number of university scholarships.

There is a lot to celebrate, and a lot to be grateful for, as we step back from 2021. I think we will all share the hope that 2022 will be kinder to us, and it will be as long as we continue to try to be kind to ourselves and to each other.

Thank you to everyone for your support throughout the year. Stay safe, and have a restful summer break. Whatever the season means for you, whether it be a great rest, or a time to embrace your faith, meri kirihimete e hoa mā!!!

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