Olivia's assembly speech to the school

Kia ora koutou. For those of you who don’t know me my name is Olivia Gray and I am the Year 9 Prefect.

I thought before I started I’d tell you a wee bit about myself. I actually started high school at another school but it wasn’t a good fit for me. So I moved to Queen's at the start of Year 10. When I moved to Queen's, I remember coming home after a couple of weeks and saying “I didn’t realise you could actually enjoy school.” 

 I recognised pretty early on that this school has a special character that sets it apart from many other schools. The supportive community feel throughout the school, both from the teachers and the students - makes it feel like we’re one big family. And I know that many of our Year 9’s already feel the same way. At the Year 9 parents evening a couple of weeks ago, a few of the girls were asked what their favourite thing about Queen's was, and all of them said it was the people, including the teachers, and the students at other year levels. They said how nice everybody is, even if it’s just smiling at each other in the hallways. This is a really special thing to have in a school.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the Year 9’s this year. You are an amazing group of people and when I see you all it makes me so excited for the future of Queen's when you will be the leaders of the school. It’s awesome to see all of your bubbly faces throughout the school. 

One of the hardest things in high school, not just in Year 9 but in all years, can be talking to new people and making new friends. For some people this happens easily but for others it can take a bit longer. So if you are someone who has lots of friends, try to keep an eye out for people who may not have anybody to talk to. Talk to them, ask them to hang out with you and smile at them when you walk past them in the hallway. Also remember you don’t have to restrict yourself to only interacting with people in your own year level, seniors if you see a junior looking lost or lonely, I encourage you to talk to them, even if it is just for a couple minutes. Small acts of kindness like these can make a big difference to helping someone to feel welcome and accepted. Each person has had a different experience in starting high school, so be sure to watch out for each other.

One of the best ways to get to know people and make new friends is to get involved in some of the many different sport and cultural groups and activities that Queen's has to offer. When I first came to the school I knew a few girls but not that well. It was super scary coming in especially when everyone seemed to already know each other and had their friends. I almost didn’t sign up for any sports or activities because I didn’t really know anyone. But my Mum convinced me to push through the fear and sign up for sports and other activities. Thank goodness she did, because through all the teams and groups I’ve been involved in, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know so many girls throughout the whole school. If you haven’t signed up for any extracurricular activities yet that’s ok. There are still many groups throughout the school you can join, like the Interact club, Enviro group, and winter sport sign ups that are still to happen. 

You don’t have to necessarily have any experience or be really good at something to give it a go. I’m in my last year of high school and have just started playing Futsal for the first time since Intermediate. I'm no good at it, but I really enjoy it! So I encourage you to challenge yourself and put yourself out there and sign up.

I haven’t really talked about the academic opportunities at Queen's, because it goes without saying that we have awesome teachers here who are so passionate and really care about us and our learning. One thing I have learned from my own experience is that if I am happy and feel safe at school, I am more confident and motivated to work hard in my learning. The welcoming, caring, community feel at Queen's has not just made me feel happier to be at school, it has also helped me to achieve my academic goals as well. By working together to build on the Queen's community feel we are supporting each other to achieve our best in our learning as well.

The last thoughts I’d like to say before I finish, is about not taking Queen's for granted. Overall, high school is a special part of our lives, and the memories, friends, and experiences during this time is part of building our character to set us up for life after high school. There is so much on offer, and the pastoral care is just so amazing, and we are really lucky to have that here. So it’s important to be grateful to everyone and everything that is provided for you here.

Thank you.