Mr. Mike Lowe - Long Serving Staff Member

Mr. Mike Lowe joined the teaching staff at Palmerston North Boys’ High School in 1981 when he was appointed as a teacher of Science and Biology.

Mrs. Reid, the Head of Science has shared her ‘Lowe-down’ on Mr. Lowe’s career and contribution to the Science department:

“When I think of Mike, I “see” a man who is proud of his heritage, his race and the fact that he is a true Kiwi. He is the epitome of integrity - something we try to instil in the boys we teach every day. Mike’s self-discipline in all aspects of his life, whether it be work-life balance, daily water intake, diet, exercise, family time etc, put many of us to shame when compared with him. His self-discipline is also evident in the way he carries himself and his immaculate formal dress code that he wears every school day.

Mike has always wanted to do right by the people around him i.e. his students, his colleagues and Palmy Boys’.  To this end, he has never hesitated to voice his opinion when rules change at school or when we have curriculum changes. Mike is always looking out for the greater good of his colleagues, making sure that by asking the ‘curly’ questions, our collective voice is heard. He is also a stickler for “sweating the small stuff” when it comes to disciplining the boys either for not doing their homework, poor classroom behaviour, not picking up litter etc. By sticking to his values and beliefs, Mike certainly upholds all the school values with great pride.

In the Science department, Mike Lowe has been the “constant” for as long as I can remember. Putting in forty years of service to the school and the department is no easy feat. Despite the many changes in curriculum, staff, school policy and other areas over this time, Mike has certainly shown his loyalty and dedication to our department and the school by not faltering once. He has stood by, with conviction, in support of Palmy Boys’ and the department. Mike has always been willing to move along with the various changes and adapt accordingly.

Mike joined PNBHS as a Biology and General Science teacher. In the last eight to ten years, Mike changed to teaching only General Science at the junior and Level 1 levels. He will be sadly missed, both by our staff and the young men he teaches. His passion was priority learners and he worked hard to cater for their needs. Many teaching strategies were trialled in his classes, used and shared with the rest of the department. Even though Mike is a quiet introvert, he always voiced his opinion when he felt he needed to be heard. This kept me honest and on my toes, as he wanted to know the “why” and “how” and “could we do things better?” Mike’s contributions to the Department and his collegiality and collaboration have been invaluable over the years.

He has certainly worked hard throughout his teaching career at Palmy Boys’ and should feel proud of all that he has achieved over the years.

Retirement for Mike will no doubt be full of routine, friends, fun and a whole heap of activities centred around good health and well-being. The many friendships he has made while at PNBHS will no doubt go beyond the gates of Palmy Boys’ and flow into his retirement life as well.

On behalf of the Science department, we whole-heartedly wish Mike and Jenny the very best in their next chapter/ adventure together. New beginnings…….and new “Lowe Downs” to report back on!”

Mr. Lowe has been involved with the school’s co-curricular programme as a Taekwondo instructor throughout his time at PNBHS and has managed Football teams.

We wish Mr. Lowe all the best for his well-deserved retirement after a long period of service to Palmerston North Boys’ High School. 

Given his significant service to Palmerston North Boys' High School Mr. Lowe was given the opportunity to address the school at his farewell assembly.  You can watch his address below:

At the conclusion of Mr. Lowe's address, his service was honoured by our young men with the performance of the school haka.

In recognition of his long service to Palmerston North Boys' High School, Mr. Lowe was invited to present a number of special awards at our Prizegiving, including the awarding of Dux Litterarum to Mitchell Liang.