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Photo by Jane Smallfield

Acting Principal's Report

Mrs B Davidson, Acting Principal —

On Tuesday this week we had a special assembly where Cherie McConville, mother of Poppy McConville in Year 10, addressed us all to explain Poppy’s cerebral palsy and to give us insight into the challenges and highlights of Poppy’s life to date. It was wonderful to have Poppy join the prefects on stage and we look forward to the modifications that are coming to make the stage and the rest of the school more accessible. Most importantly Cherie asked us to look past her disability to see and get to know the wonderful person Poppy is - rather than simply seeing the disability. She showed us how brave and adventurous Poppy has been in her life and we were inspired by pictures of Poppy rockclimbing, horse-riding and just hanging out with her family like other teenagers.

It is a good time to reflect upon inclusiveness and belonging. Every student has a place in our school and should feel welcome and valued. In a time of constant reaction and over-reaction on social media, we can judge, make unkind comments or exclude people. Some in society choose to be racist, homophobic or abusive. This is never okay. As teenagers, it is easy to feel safe in a small group of students and to exclude others. It is tempting to choose to be with people who seem cool or popular and to ignore others who are quieter, less confident or less social. Think about these people. What is their day like? Who are they? What matters to them? It is easy to develop echo-chambers with like-minded people and to never really expose ourselves to different ideas or opinions - which are necessary for us to grow in understanding and empathy.

Saturday 21 March was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - known in New Zealand as Race Relations Day. This is an important day to celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, religions and languages in our country and to remind us to allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to the benefit of all. Our own esteemed ex-pupil and prominent lawyer, Mai Chen, chairs the Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business. Mai will speak at our 150th celebrations in October. In the 2015 World Migration Report, Auckland was listed as the fourth most culturally diverse city in the world, with 180 ethnicities and 39% of its population born overseas. It is more diverse than Sydney, Los Angeles, London and New York. Teamed with the special place of Māori as first people in Aotearoa and the richness that comes from our proximity to our special Pacific neighbours, our students are well placed to be leaders in embracing economic, social and sustainable development opportunities by taking their place as multicultural global citizens - starting now.

We look forward to Active April next week - a perfect opportunity to join together and support each other. Let’s reach out to some different people, learn some new games or activities, step out of our comfort zones. Have fun and include everyone in it. See you for some Four Square!