Our progress reports were sent out last week. I read them expecting the usual, expecting the 4s and 5s.

When it came to Chemistry I was hit with a pair of 2s, for me this is a wake up call. It's something I'm not proud of and not happy with. When reading it I tried to justify it to myself blaming time out of class, blaming it on reasons that weren't even reasonable. My standards slipped, this mistake is one on a long journey at Otago Boys', and it won't go unnoticed for me. Being Term Two I'm able to knuckle down, work harder and be better.

Life isn't all plain sailing, with its ups comes the downs. Your journey at Otago Boys' won’t be a long straight road with the final destination being Level 3 in clear view. The road will be filled with various pot holes, speed bumps, corners and hills. These will ensure you'll face challenges you haven't seen before and haven't even thought of. All of us in this auditorium will strike new challenges, its how we go about these and what we do after that defines us as OBs boys. Failing an internal isn't the end of the world, this small speed bump can be rectified through a bit of hard work in the classroom. You could take two things from this, your not good enough to pass and therefore give up, or take it as a wake up call, try harder and be better. Being a friend is a vital role, the negative peer pressure is not something your mate needs, school is hard enough on its own let alone having somebody trying to make it harder.

Taking lessons from mistakes you make is crucial. Whether it's constantly being caught on the boundary ten balls into your short innings, or failing an assessment you didn't think you needed to study for, there are lessons to be learnt. The lessons you take from these mistakes will help you not make them again. Everybody makes mistakes, nobody is exempt. But luckily enough, within our school we have in my opinion, world class sportsmen, choirs and outstanding teachers and role models within the classroom. Don't get me wrong. They have probably made more mistakes than any one of us, it's how they get back up and learn from them that ensures they become better. 

Lads, mistakes happen, challenges arise. How you respond and how you deal with them is what defines you.