Again we are shining bright! Senior Prizegiving

Kia ora koutou,

On Tuesday evening we celebrated our 2022 Senior Student's Prizegiving. It was great to have an audience and special guests along for the evening including Matt Doocey Member of Parliament, Dan Gordon, Mayor of the Waimakariri District Council, Councillors Tim Fulton and Niki Mealing, Thomas Robson from our Community Board, and Rhiannon Moore past head student who spoke of her experience leaving school.

Prizegiving is a time for reflection were can be encapsulated with the whakatauki:

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. 

I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. The past is central to and shapes both present and future identity. From this perspective, we carry our past into the future. The COVID pandemic does feature in our reflection with our Year 13's working their way through the three levels of NCEA (our National Qualification) whilst our world was dealing with COVID-19. 

I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. What we have learnt through all of this is that by nature human beings are very adaptable - our students are very resilient and creative as we had to think of "outside of the box" solutions to problems. What made getting through the past three years possible was we were all here for each other and supported each other even when things weren’t great, even when we saw things differently.

To the class of 2022, you are a resilient, adaptable and creative group of young adults. Through events of the past, you have developed your character into what we see today - someone who is ready to take on the world and make a difference. Kia kaha, kia toa, ake, ake.

To our leaving students - we wish you all the best for your future endeavours. We would like to acknowledge a very special select group of students - Amy Riach, Zara Frahm, Kody Stubbs, Erin Sayer, Jordan Galway, Casey Anderson, and Francesca Curtis. You have all been at Oxford Area School for 13 years and have now joined the elite to have achieved this awesome milestone. Well done.

During the evening we announced our 2023 student leadership team. Selecting these positions continues to be highly competitive. Firstly I would like to thank and congratulate this year's student leadership team consisting of Amy Riach, Cailey Hollard, Ashleigh Lawler, and Zara Frahm. Thank you for your leadership this year, you have all developed into strong young leaders, you work incredibly well as a team and are fine ambassadors for Oxford Area School embracing our school values. On behalf of Oxford Area School, we wish you the best for the bright futures that await you.

The 2023 Student Leadership team:

• Head Students for 2023 - Earl Cacho and Hillary Cooper
• Deputy head students for 2023 - Micah Stagg and Wilani Joubert

Other special award recipients include:

• Dux - Amy Riach
• Proxime Accessit - Cailley Hollard
  
• Prime Minister's Vocational Excellence Award: Aaliyah Lovatt
• Oxford Lions Emerging Achievers Award: Earl Cacho & Jystarnia Millward
  
• Sportsperson of the year - Earl Cacho
  
• Runner up to the sportsperson of the year - Ashleigh Lawler

Finally thanks to all of our school's supporters and congratulations to all of our senior students for reaching their goals as they now turn their attention to the end-of-year examinations. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Mike Hart
Tumuaki | Principal
Oxford Area School
Te Kura o Te Poho Rakahua