A wet and cold end to the week has not dampened spirits or detracted from a most positive beginning to the year.

2018 promises to be an exciting year. 

We begin with four building projects under way so the campus is going to resemble quite an extensive building site. Stage 2 of the gymnasium will be completed by early March, the Art and Technology block by October, the remediated Performing Arts Centre by the years end and the chapel in just over one years time. It certainly has put a spring in the step of our hard working Boards and the staff who have worked so hard to get to this point.

We returned also to news that we have had the best academic results in 15 years of NCEA, so our boys and staff who have worked well together also deserve our congratulations.

Summer sport is well under way and later in the newsletter we will highlight the significant achievements of the rowers at a recent regatta in Twizel. The new coaching team must be thrilled that the boys exceeded their expectations, which augurs well for the South Island and Maadi regattas. The first 11 cricket team has begun its competition and plays its first traditional against Sacred Heart, Auckland this weekend. The annual year 9 cricket camp attracted almost 50 boys which is encouraging for the sport. It is not lost on me the generosity of so many parents who work so hard in the background to ensure the boys get the opportunities.

The boarding school begins with an almost completely new staff. Mr McDowall has overseen a restructure of the boarding school and with the new Boarding Director, Mr Williams has appointed new staff members charged with leading the boarding school. On Sunday through to Tuesday the whole boarding school will travel to Living Springs for a retreat, that will set up their year.

100 senior students played a significant part in welcoming the new year 9 intake this week and the positive feedback from many of the boys and from a large number of parents who attended the powhiri was heartening. Those senior boys will continue to be involved in a peer support programme throughout the year.

Year 13s finished the week with the tie ceremony, where we present them with their Year 13 tie. Old Boys, Harry Flett and Will Chambers spoke and shared their wisdom and advice on how to make the best of their final years. They joined old boy staff members, Mr Freeman, Mr Hubble, Mr Dunne, and Fr Allan in presenting the ties.

At yesterday’s first assembly we “badged” the prefects. They all attended a leadership programme called Marist Youth Leader, joining the senior leaders from 8 other schools from the Marist network of schools from all round the country. There they reflected on the principles of servant leadership. The programme was written by Fr Mark Walls and has run since 2002.

The week guides the young people to identify and acknowledge who they are, what they have to offer and how to be a Christian leader in a Marist College. They reflect on the fact that leaders are made not born, and great leaders commit themselves every day to going above the ordinary, by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, and always at the service of others. Great leaders lead a life of love.

Rahul George, one of the young team that help present the programme and Head Boy of St Bedes in 2013, had this to say about leadership and love which I think is worth sharing…..

“Love is the popular school leader sitting with a lonely student at lunch time. Love is the school that disregards its image for what is just. Love is speaking out for refugees and the homeless. Love is standing up for a student who is bullied. Love is a mother or father who makes lunch for their kids without receiving a thank you. Love is the road less traveled. Love is a verb, it is shared, it is humble and it is courageous. Love hung from a cross and it will change the world.”

Until next week

J.G Boyle