The victim statements shared at the sentencing of the Christchurch mosque shooter this week made for harrowing reading, but also highlighted the strength of character of the victims and their families.

March 15 2019 will long be remembered for the actions of a lone gunman who brutally murdered 51 innocent children, women and men as they prayed, something we could not comprehend as being possible in New Zealand.  

At the sentencing this week the courage of the victims and their families who shared emotional and heart-wrenching victim impact statements was quite incredible.  Alongside this, the displays of forgiveness and understanding tot he gunman and his family almost defies belief.

Janna Ezat​, the mother of Hussein Al-Umari​, a 35-year-old fitness enthusiast, who was shot in the head and chest at the Masjid An-Nur in Deans Ave, turned to the gunman after expressing the pain of her loss and said: 

“I decided to forgive you Mr Tarrant because I don’t have hate, I don’t have revenge. The damage is done, Hussein will never be here. I have only one choice but to forgive you.”

Janna Ezat received her son’s bullethole-riddled body on her birthday.

The imam of the Masjid An-Nur (Al-Noor Mosque), Gamal Fouda​, told the court of the nightmare he had lived after the shooting. But he spared a thought for the gunman’s family:

“The family of the terrorist has lost a son. We respect them, they are suffering as we are.  You were misguided and misled. We are a peaceful and loving community who did not deserve these actions.”

Following the sentencing, Gamal Fouda spoke to the media outside the Christchurch High Court:

“No punishment will bring our loved ones back. We respect our justice system and the New Zealand Muslim community and non-Muslims ... stood together as role models for the world.
“Extremists represent hate, but we are here today. We represent love [and] compassion. Both Muslim and non-Muslim. We are very proud that we are Muslims in New Zealand and will continue to serve this country.”

It is impossible to truly put one's self in the place of the victims of this terror attack and understand the events on the day, their lives afterward and their emotions during the sentencing.  However, we can all recognise the incredible example that responses such as these - and indeed those of the New Zealand Muslim community over the last 18 months - set for us all to follow.  Their actions are a strong endorsement of the sentiments shared by the late Dr. Martin Luther King and provide something for us all to reflect upon:

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of starts.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Wellbeing

Teaching staff and our Guidance Counsellors have all noticed increases in levels of anxiety in our school population this year - and this applies to the adults in our school community as well as our young men. It is important that we are all looking after our wellbeing and that of the young people in our care. Getting enough sleep, regular exercise, good nutrition, spending time outdoors (even in the winter weather) and catching up with friends and family are simple things we can do to positively influence our mental health and wellbeing.  Developing a 'positive' balance in terms of our mental health and wellbeing helps us to be resilient and 'bounce back' when we do encounter challenges and difficulties.

It is important that we have conversations about our mental and physical health with our whānau and friends. There are many online resources that can help as well, below are a couple of options:

Staying on Track: https://www.justathought.co.nz/covid19?fbclid=IwAR1HEI7fk4gvceKZRp0spqM7l-SFxFOVO1k9R7LbZ6d0XzeS5iUIZV4yTQw

Mentemia: https://www.mentemia.com/nz/home

Changes to Alert Level 2

Earlier this week the Alert Level 2 criteria were amended and from Monday, August 31 facemasks will be mandatory on public transport. This means that young men who catch city buses to school or who use the Feilding bus service will be required to wear a facemask. Advice on how to make a facemask and how to wear one properly can be found here: https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/protect-yourself-and-others/wear-a-face-covering/

Information from Horizons Regional Council about public transport and mask requirements can be found on their website: https://www.horizons.govt.nz/flood-emergency-management/covid-19-alert-level-2

Please note that school bus services are not considered public transport. Therefore, mask-wearing is not mandatory. However, should young men wish to wear facemasks on school bus services they are welcome to do so. Likewise, the wearing of facemasks at school is not mandatory, but young men and staff who wish to wear one are welcome to do so.

At Alert Level 2 restrictions on gatherings still apply. Therefore, we ask that there are no spectators at sporting and cultural activities while we remain at Alert Level 2. We understand that there have been different messages from some organisations and sporting bodies and that the vast majority of parents and other whānau would like to be able to support their sons from the sidelines. However, the practicalities of trying to ensure the Alert Level 2 restrictions are adhered to across the significant number of sporting teams and cultural groups we have playing and performing on a weekly basis means that we do need to take this approach. We ask for your understanding and support with this.

Mid-Term Break

Friday, September 4 is our scheduled mid-term break and school will be closed on this day. Our planning for the year was pre-COVID-19 and this annual mid-term break usually coincides with winter tournament week and usually takes place after winter sport has concluded. However, the changes to season dates mean that winter sport will still be taking place and it is essential that young men do meet their sporting commitments.

PNBHS Examinations

Can we please draw the attention of senior students to the upcoming school examinations, Friday, September 11 – Friday, September 18. While the school examinations are always an important part of young men’s preparation for the external NCEA examinations, the real possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19 disrupting these examinations and the derived grade process being enacted means that they take on even more significance this year. It is important that young men begin their revision as soon as possible if they have not already.

The NZQA website has a range of resources to help in this regard - examination papers from previous years, assessment schedules and examiners reports: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/

There are many good revision resources available online that will explain how to study effectively (hint: reading through your notes and highlighting, although favoured by many young men, is not an effective study method) such as this short video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p60rN9JEapg&t=73s or these resources summarising 'good' https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pgH4GXXItnsKYUzJvve7SfOpnGnqFCXS/view?usp=sharing and 'bad' https://drive.google.com/file/d/11XPxR0HPbfpqo02QXjhT7iFrt788PvxI/view?usp=sharing study habits.

Young men who are well-prepared for the school examinations will also be well-prepared for the external NCEA examinations. Contrary to the excuse young men often proffer that 'there's no point starting too early as they'll forget what they study', the earlier they begin the more likely it is that they will retain the key information they learn and the greater the opportunities they will have to practice the skills that will be assessed. It is never too early to start.