From the Deputy Rector

  E tū te huru mā, haramai e noho. E tū te huru pango, hanatu e haere. |  Let the white hair remain here, let the black hair get up and go.

Attributed to Nukutawhiti, grandson of the great voyager Kupe, this whakataukī is pertinent as we farewell young men in Year 13 whose secondary schooling is now complete. While we as a school, and no doubt many young men, will look at this breaking of bonds with a sense of loss given the strong relationships that have been forged over the last five years, this should in fact be a time of celebration. Now is the time for these young men to leave the school gates for the final time to chase their dreams. Those of us with 'white hair' will remain to welcome the next generation of young men into the Palmy Boys' brotherhood and to continue striving towards our vision To Develop Educated Men of Outstanding Character | Hai Whakapakari i Ngā Tamatāne Kia Purapura Tuawhiti.

While the opportunities to celebrate with them have been somewhat stifled by the restrictions we are all currently living with, the haka that was performed for them by their peers shows the esteem with which they are held by the other year levels in the school.  We wish all of the young men leaving Palmerston North Boys' High School at the end of the school year all the best for their future endeavours as they join the ranks of Old Boys of our school.

Examinations

Our junior students have recently completed their end-of-year examinations and external NCEA and Scholarship examinations are just beginning for seniors.  We wish our senior students all the best for these important assessments.  Under the easily manipulated NCEA assessment system, it is the external examinations that provide the only true comparison between students and between schools.  While the concept of formal examinations has grown out of favour in some sectors of society, we believe that there is still an important place for striving to achieve and having to work hard learning new knowledge and developing new skills.

Please find a copy of the 2021 NCEA and Scholarship examaination timetable attached at the bottom of this article.

Our (Re)actions Define Us

Stoic philosopher Epictetus is famousy quoted as saying that "it's not what happens to you but how that you react to it that matters", words that have perhaps taken on greater pertinence in the last two years so as we all have endured challenges that have not hitherto been part of our lives.

As adults, we play an important role in helping young men to view their situations from a different perspective and to help them see the ‘big picture’. Ryan Holiday, writing in 'The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage', notes that:

“Perspective is everything…when you can break apart something, or look at it from some new angle, it loses its power over you.” Furthermore, “we choose how we’ll look at things. We retain the ability to inject perspective into a situation. We can’t change the obstacles themselves – that part of the equation is set – but the power of perspective can change how the obstacles appear. How we approach, view and contextualise an obstacle, and what we tell ourselves it means, determines how daunting and trying it will be to overcome.”

In times of struggle young men require empathy and understanding. But, as adults, we can determine whether we give into the obstacle and join them in laying blame and proffering excuses, or whether we work with them to overcome the obstacle so that future outcomes in similar circumstances might be different.  

Our role as adults then is to help our young men understand that many of the obstacles and challenges that have confronted them over the last two years are largely beyond our control. However, we have complete control over how we respond to these obstacles, and our response will ultimately determine the nature of the outcome.  This is an important lesson that we as adults and parents need to reinforce with our young men.

In 'Above the Line: Lessons in leadership from a Championship Programme' American Football coach Urban Meyer extols the importance of developing a culture in which our responses are 'above the line'.  In other words, we must carefully choose our response to make sure that it aligns with our values, whether that be as an individual, a team, an institution, or a whānau.  Responses that are aligned with our values are intentional and purposeful.  They are thoughtful and considered and made after we have taken the time to carefully consider the situation.

Below the line responses frequently involve attempts to avoid taking responsibility or accountability or responses that do not align with our own values or those of the teams, groups and organisations we are part of.  Below the line responses are often emotional when we have reacted without taking the time to carefully consider a situation from all perspectives.

Whether a young man's behaviour is above the line or below the line there is an opportunity to learn; to reinforce above the line responses and to challenge those that are below the line.  It is essential that we, the adults in the lives of our young men, look for and take these opportunities regardless of how challenging the learning opportunities might be.

The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage is available from the PNBHS Library.