On Thursday 12 November the class leaders from Year 7 and 8 participated in the National Young Leaders conference in Manukau.

The event was hosted by the William Pike Trust and emphasised the key concepts of resilience, persistence and flexibility. William Pike lost his leg during an avalanche on Mt Ruapehu in 2007 and had to relearn many tasks that we take for granted. William shared with the students about this challenging season in his life and they were also treated to additional workshops where other New Zealand Young Leaders spoke about their own challenges and their ability to overcome problems and move forward.

A highlight of the day was having Stan Walker visit, speak and sing to the students. Stan spoke about his faith in God and how this has also helped him throughout his life. The students were challenged to continue to grow in their leadership ability, to dare to be different and to always have hope.

Many thanks to Mrs Beguely and Mr Thompson who accompanied Mrs Taylor on this event.