Chloe Wood - Year 9 Prefect Speech

Kia ora, I’m Chloe, the Year 9 prefect. I would like to start with a quote, unfortunately this one isn’t from Michelle Obama, but I think it is something she would definitely say ‘We don’t truly know who we are until we know what we can do’

By trying new things we allow our minds to not only learn about the said new thing but also gain personal development by exploring the activities we find interesting and the things we are fascinated by. Of course if you want to try a new activity like sailing, golf or cricket and you wind up not liking it, as long as you give it a go that's all that matters, plus you actually find out knowing just that little bit more about yourself that you didn't know before. And who knows, by trying that one thing, you’ve been too scared or nervous to attempt, you may end up finding your one true passion. 

Another benefit of trying new things is that you gain more self-confidence and a study done by Dr. Joe Rubino of the Body Mind institute shows that 85% of the world's population suffer from some form of low self esteem. There is however, an easy solution to this world wide problem. By simply applying a positive mindset to every situation, you gain a sense of accomplishment that you tried your hardest.

When I moved to New Zealand I was nervous and scared, but within the first couple of weeks of joining a new school I plucked up the courage and decided to audition for a role in the school musical, it was called history rocks, which is very true and why you should all take history at some point throughout your time here at Queen's. I ended up getting one of the big parts playing a male history teacher who befriends his students and teaches them the love of music all while in a history class, that experience and process was one of the best and I am so so glad that I pushed myself to audition even though I didn’t know many people and was the newest addition to Churchill Park School at the time. But by doing that one big and scary thing I gained confidence which allowed me to stand here in front of you all today, and also act like a fool everywhere I go, which most of my teachers and peers are well aware of. I guarantee if you keep an eye out for me in the corridors you'll most likely see me doing some quite unusual things.

Of course when wanting to try something new, nowadays there is some kind of mental block that prevents us from trying new things, unless somebody we know is also doing it. This is due to the fact that we simply don’t want to be the only person turning up to the event, practice or game because we might feel silly and or awkward and so we tell ourselves that if nobody I know is going then I’m not going. Throughout the week I might have a hankering for a caramel cookie slice or a choccy muffin from the canteen but if no one else wants to go then I won't which leads my cravings to simply go unsatisfied which is a bummer but i'm sure my bank account always had a huge sigh of relief when this happens.

When you trial for that volleyball team, go to the first interact meeting or say your first line in that musical you auditioned for, you are putting your brain into a unique situation and you are forced to think differently and more creatively. I can assure you there is nothing better than adding an exciting experience to the memory bank, even more so when your first thought of trying that new experience was terrifying. 

A psychologist called Richard Walker said ‘people who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions'. Which is why Mr. Clark encourages you and a friend to try cricket, why Ms Signal-Cambridge encourages you all to go to an interact meeting, why Whaea encourages you to join Kapa Haka and why I encourage everyone to try something new this year, even if the thought of trying it may be a little off putting. 

I’ll finish off by saying “as cringy as it sounds you only live once so make the most of it” BTW that quote is said by the one and only Daisy Kitto-Thomas. 

Thank you and have a fab weekend.