I hope this message finds you in good health and good spirit. As I type this we’ve just completed the Junior Prizegiving at King’s today; the ‘last hoorahs’ before we send them away for the final time in 2022.

Prizegiving is always a fantastic event, and an excuse, to recognise and celebrate boys for a year of growth and excellence; it also shows other things that are the epitome of King’s.

They cross stage in all shapes and sizes in the Junior school. Some racing ahead, looking more like a twenty something, others still waiting for the big physical changes they’ve been promised.

There is talent to burn with incredible versatility. The number of lads showing strength in multiple subjects and skills is striking. The attitude to succeed is highly transferable and boys don’t define (or constrain) themselves too narrowly. Gone are the days of being at school and being pigeon - holed as only good for one or two purposes or pursuits.

Commentary collected from boys winning prestige prizes, and woven into their citations, revealed frequent reference to how important the push they’re getting from teachers is, and also how much they respect their teachers for doing it. The rapport teachers build with their boys can never be underestimated. Nor can the need to direct and compel boys to achieve.

The proud parents in the audience enjoyed the moment. They may have gone some days or weeks with their son not exactly keen to communicate with more than a few syllables at a time. Crossing stage was, then, further reassurance that everything is indeed on track and in fact very much on the right lines too. Or alternatively they knew their son had done well but perhaps hadn’t realised just how well relative to other boys and exacting standards.

The Prizegiving also brought the school’s ethos of personal excellence to the fore, and significantly, highlighted the exhaustive work and worthy gains in boys’ personal growth. We strive to make the boys good-men- in-the-making. Who wouldn’t want this to happen? The challenge is knowing with sufficient certainty that it’s actually happening – from all our best efforts. The Prizegiving addressed this directly. It proved that our work in ‘character’ is landing with the boys as it should.

I could go on, but you may already be starting to wane as you read this. I’ll finish by thanking you for your ongoing support of King’s. We have big aspirations for our boys, strong values, and ample initiative, to keep King’s stepping up as we enter 2023. Please join us where your interests or strengths may lie. Stay alongside us as we bring these boys through so that they reach and exceed their potential.

Yours sincerely. Ngā mihi nui.

Nick McIvor

Rector