Part of Something Greater

In my Junior Prizegiving Address last week, I shared a message about being part of something greater than ourselves, and read a passage from a letter that I recently received from the son of a former St Peter’s student:

I have been meaning to send these historic books back to St Peter’s for several years. They were given to my father William Mountjoy Squire as prizes when he was a student there in the 1940s. He sang in the choir and played cello, and I know he had fond memories of his time at St Peter’s. He passed away in 2015, aged 79. His love of music was profound, and he passed this on to me and my three younger sisters. I hope these beautifully bound books are useful additions to the archives!

I am sure that, in reading the words above, you sense the gratitude of a son towards his father for instilling in him a lifelong passion for music, first developed here at St Peter’s 80 years ago. I wonder if, like me, you also feel – in reading the words – an overwhelming sense of being part of something greater than yourself. There have been a few times this year when relatives of former students have returned treasured items of the School. At these times, I am invariably filled with a sense of pride and privilege of being part of a school with such a rich history and whakapapa.

The highlights of this school year are multifarious, and there are hundreds across every subject area, as well as in sport, performing arts, service, and across so many cultural and cocurricular groups. These are highlights held by students and staff alike and I would like to thank all who have brightened the school year for others in 2023.

I hope that, alongside the pride of parents and wider family members, our prize-winners this year feel the pride of the whole school for their efforts. In my address, I invited all prizewinners to consider the people that may have lifted them up when they needed it, smoothed their path when they saw no way through, or illuminated the way when darkness fell. Their parents, friends, classmates and wider peer group; teachers, coaches, administrators, and property teams who, quite literally, have prepared the environment for them to thrive and win. It is important that our prizewinners feel as proud of themselves as we all are in them, and acknowledge support from wherever the source.

Linked to this, it is important that those who have not received an award this year to consider the role they may have played in helping others to shine, and to know there is credit in this too. If we subscribe to the idea that integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking, then it will be very hard to win an award for integral acts, because so many, by their definition, are unseen. Indeed, there are so many prizeworthy acts that happen on a daily basis at St Peter’s – by students and staff alike – that may sometimes seem to go unnoticed. But each one is a contribution to our culture, to what it is to be St Peter’s, and to what it means to be part of something greater than yourself.

St Peter’s is a school that combines an abiding love of tradition with a fearless embrace of progress. We were this in 1936, and we will continue to be this in 2024 and beyond. We will continue to be guided by our motto – Structa Saxo – a reference to the rock that is Christ and to the stability that comes from our faith in Him. Through this, we will continue to treasure the Christian Special Character of this school, that infuses and drives the nature of our interactions.

We will continue to offer a holistic education, balancing positive experience and excellence in all settings. We will continue to proudly position ourselves as a boarding school, and not merely a school with boarding. And we will continue to be a school that values sustainability, just as we were in 1936, as a school with a farm. In 2024, we will continue to serve up all that it means to be St Peter’s, and within this, there will be some change – evidence of us ‘embracing progress’.

In just a few weeks, the new school year will start and we will welcome around 200 new students to St Peter’s, around 100 into Year 7 and 100 into Year 9. Our new Year 7s will be full of excitement and some trepidation and we all have the responsibility to make them feel safe and welcome from day one, and flourish soon after. In my prize-giving address, I offered the following messages to our advancing cohorts:

Year 7

Year 7s, you advance into the wider school next year, because both in and out of the classroom, in Maths, in sport, in performing arts, in your interactions with each other, with senior students, and with staff, you have invited and, in some cases, demanded this belief in you. We know that some of you are operating at a level beyond your years, and so we aspire to put you on a trajectory for this potential to be further nurtured and maximized. At the same time, there will be the necessary guard rails and guiding lights in the form of staff, senior students and senior leaders, to guide you all. In short, and to use the words of our own Matua Carlson, “it’s going to be cool”.

Year 8

Year 8s, as those 100 students join your cohort next year from schools not just around the Waikato, but from further afield, you have the perfect leadership opportunity, to balance affiliation and responsibility. I encourage you to think about this over your summer break. What role will you play in helping new students feel a sense of belonging and affiliation to St Peter’s, and how will you inspire in them the will and responsibility to meet the expectations and standards of a school of 88 years? Year 8s, we have seen and we believe in you to continue to show this leadership.

Year 9

Year 9s, next year, as you enter year 10, you commence your commitment to the St Peter’s Diploma, a bespoke two-year course of study across curriculum areas to guide you towards success in your chosen senior academic pathways – the NCEA or IB. Over the next two years, you will have an even richer learning experience – across Year 10 and 11 combined – than those who have gone before you. In this regard, you will be pioneers, and we invite a pioneering spirit from you next year, through your engagement and aspiration, both in and out of the classroom.

Year 10

Year 10, you will be the first cohort of students to receive a St Peter’s Diploma – and one of the few Year 11 cohorts across the nation, who will have a bespoke and rich learning experience that will set you up for success in which ever pathway you choose in future years. The time, planning and creativity that has been invested by teaching and learning teams across the school in this project has been exhaustive and I know, at times, exhausting, but it has been developed with a passion to inspire learning, and lift our sights above the norm. Year 10s, this unique program has been created for you.

The point is, we all arrive back next year into a new school year. In 2024, our students will all be a year older, a year closer to a life beyond school – it will be a year in which we can all expect more from each other in terms of respect, engagement, aspiration and leadership. I have seen these values all around me in my first year at St Peter’s – they are values that were celebrated in prizegiving – and they are values that will position the school prominently as we head towards our centenary year in 2036.

I would like to extend my congratulations to all prize-winners, and to those who played a valuable supporting role. I would like to thank our students and staff for a year of great learning, not least for myself. And to all of our parents and caregivers, I would like to thank you sincerely for your support and partnership, and for your ongoing trust in St Peter’s, as a school of opportunity and potential. I hear these words from you often.

I wish all in our community a Merry Christmas, a joyous New Year, and a safe and enjoyable holiday period. I look forward to welcoming all students back to campus on Thursday 1 February.