If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be up here giving a speech as a head prefect at prizegiving I would have laughed at you, or swore at you first and then laughed at you. I can't say that public speaking has ever featured on my bucket list.

All through mine and my brothers' years at Logan Park I have sat through a number of prizegivings. About 8 in fact, and every year whether I was listening or not I thought about what I would say if I had to give a speech in front of almost my entire school. So after roughly 8 years of preparation you would think I was well prepared? well no, turns out I only started writing this 2 days ago and finished it  today. But for those of you that know me, will know that that was an early start. If I completed it like my P.E internals I would've been sat writing during Sophie's turn to read out awards.

When I first came to Logan Park in year 9 I was one of the kids that knew almost nobody, unsure of how my time here would turn out and how well I would fit in. Now after 5 years here I can hardly walk down the corridor without stopping to say hello to someone -  and I'm not just trying to say that it turns out I'm super popular.

At this school both staff and students are genuinely so welcoming and friendly and you feel like you can honestly get along with anyone. I personally feel I could easily go and sit in a class at any year level and find people I want to talk to or have a laugh with. And that for me is what makes Logan Park feel so special, the interconnection between year levels and the staff student relationship are really what gives this school as cliché as it sounds, the feeling of being a family. and I don't think you'd be able to find anything like this at any other school in Dunedin.

Thank you to all of you that made my time here at Logan Park such a wonderful experience. First I'd like to thank Sophie, as this year she has done her more than her upmost for both myself and the rest of the school, and it is has been well underappreciated.

Ms McSweeney, thank you for putting up with Oisin and my antics in group for 5 years. Mr Govan thank you for putting up with me in not only class but in both football and futsal too, and as Amasio said last year it has been a pleasure over the last 5 years as going from seeing you as a teacher /coach to as a friend.

To Marcus, Connor, Yannick and the rest of my friends I have too much to say to all of you in the time given but I thought I'd let you know your friendship is greatly appreciated, and hopefully in the years to come we can still rock up to the edgar center in matching kits with Yannick in a suit with a clipboard.

Lastly I'd like to thank and say farewell to all my fellow year 13s I wish you all well in the future and I hope you can look back at your time here with fond memories as I certainly will with mine.

Now after years of telling myself I dislike school, I can in fact walk away tonight for the last time saying that I will miss this school, that I am in fact sad to be leaving and that I am no longer counting down the days till I'm done. So to all of you students in the room with however many years left still to complete, let me leave you with this:

As much as you may like or dislike school, my advice to you is to try to make the most of it and find for you what makes you want to keep coming back everyday because these memorable years of your life go by in a flash. Mine certainly have, and I am beginning to wish I could come back for just one more year.

Thank you