On Thursday, February 27th, all of our Y13 students were invited to attend the ChangeMaker Leadership Day held at Queen’s High School. This was led by Marina Shearer from Thrive for Life Coaching, supported by her colleagues Jo and Sze-En Watts from Otago University. Year 13 students from St. Hilda’s, Columba, Queen’s, and Waitaki Girls also attended, as it was specifically focused on fostering the leadership capabilities in young women. This course aligned with our strategic vision of building the leadership capacity of all of our students, not just those with official roles. We are grateful to the OGHS PTSA and the School Council, who generously contributed some funding towards the costs of attending this day. 

Some Year 13 comments about the day:

“We learnt strategies to manage our negative thoughts.”

“It made me realise you’re not alone.”

“We learnt about different communication styles and how we can positively interact with someone who has a different style from us.”

“The two ways to view FEAR - Fear Everything And Run OR Face Everything And Rise.”

“We talked about EUSTRESS (positive stress, motivation to act) and the tipping point where it becomes DISTRESS”.

“It was a great opportunity to socialise with students from other schools.”

Meischarla Pinn started the day by volunteering to take on the 'Courage Challenge’ and to step out of her comfort zone.

She was rewarded with a goody bag donated by Otago University.