Our new Head Students and Prefects were awarded their ties at Senior Prizegiving last night.

Head Students and Prefects were awarded their ties at Senior Prizegiving last Rāpare - Thursday. They are a highly capable team of 18 who already set high standards and model Ngā Uara o Te Aratai outstandingly: Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, Rangatiratanga, Turangawaewae.

In 2024 we will have four wonderful head students representing our kura and ākonga. They are:

1. Cooper Atherton
2. Raniera Babbington
3. Dormay Laufiso
4. Hannah Watson

The prefect team is of high calibre already, who will further represent and model Ngā Uara o Te Aratai outstandingly. They will be:

1. George Ashton
   
2. Ari Brennan
   
3. Lexine Eseo
4. Ruta Fuaolefau Pesefea
5. Kelli Hollis
6. Mikayla Hooper
7. Alecia Kohu-Taukiri
8. Precious Oliveria
9. Jessica Raj
10. Tabitha Scottorn
11. Marama Taumaunu-Broughton
12. Skye Templeton
13. Luke Toone
14. Wysdom Turu

Please read further so you can see the introductory profiles of our new student leadership team for 2024!

Dormay Laufiso is hopeful she can be an agent to help make a change with, "the belief that it can start with me." 

Outside of the kura, Dormay plays a lot of footy. She plays both league and union, and has made the Canterbury representative teams in both codes. "Most importantly, I love spending time with my family. I’m from a family of 9 so it is a big family and I love being around them because I know that they’ve all got my back."

"What I care about the most here at Te Aratai is for our student voices to be heard. If our voices are heard it will be easy for our kura to recognize what is going well and what is not. Another thing I love about our school is the culture we have in our kura. We’ve got a lot of different ethnicities but it’s terrific to see our students come together as one and embrace each other’s culture.

Raniera Babbington is a very busy young man, who loves to compete in rugby, basketball, rugby league, boxing and volleyball. He has joined our kura from the North Island and feels it, "has been an amazing experience for me. I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for me."

What I care about at Te Aratai is all of the cultures at our kura, it is just amazing. Another thing I care about is students' progression through their schooling time at Te Aratai, I am very grateful to have strong friendships with a lot of people from our kura and they aren’t only friendships for school, they extend into our wider community. I’ve had the opportunity to make so many memories here but a highlight for me was being able to travel and the opportunity to represent our school in different sporting events. Leading the Kimihia Kapa haka group this year and being able to go to nationals next year is also very exciting."

Hannah Watson intends to be one of the head students making sure our school is the best it can be. "I applied to be a head student because I wanted to meet new people, gain opportunities and make a difference."

Hannah started as a fresh, young Year 9 student and immediately felt welcome by all the lovely students and staff. She has made so many wonderful connections with many people at Te Aratai. "Some hobbies I have are biking, helping out at my church and spending time with friends. I also have an interest in music, culture and the outdoors. I am also passionate about the environment and hope to make a positive impact in that area."

"The thing I care about most at Te Aratai College is the student body. There is a tight-knit community and I can see that there is a lot of whanaungatanga connecting us." 

Cooper Atherton has taken up the final Head student position for 2024. Cooper's application for the role was because he was inspired by other prefects from recent years and I wanted to help out the school. "I enjoy performing arts, including acting and drumming. I also enjoy hanging out and gaming with my friends. In my downtime, I can mostly be seen watching YouTube or Television. My current favourite shows include Celebrity Treasure Island and Taskmaster."

"Here at school, I care most about making sure everyone feels included. Te Aratai is a very diverse school, so it's important we acknowledge everyone, no matter who you are. I also set out to make sure all opinions are heard. In terms of learning areas, I am most passionate about the performing arts, and making it more prominent in our school. Lastly, I care about making our kura a place people are proud to be a part of. Personally, I am proud to be a part of Te Aratai, and I would love all students and staff to feel as proud of our kura as I am."

Marama Taumaunu-Broughton began at Te Aratai in 2020 as a Year 9 student. "When I started I went through some major changes. Having such a big switch out of nowhere can be really hard but I adjusted."

"As a prefect, mostly I care about the wellbeing of our students, sometimes it can be hard to speak up but I want to help make it so they feel they can speak up. Another, just as important, is helping students to feel included. There are always going to be times when a student steps away from groups because they don't feel included. I want to help them know their worth."

George Ashton is a student who enjoys gaming, acting and listening to music. At school, he is passionate about Business and Computer Science. Coming into this new role, Goerge "cares that students can feel a sense of identity and belonging in our school. It’s been such an amazing journey and I have really enjoyed my time at Te Aratai." He hopes to help others get the most out of their time in our kura. 

Wysdom Turu has taken on a prefect role for our kura because she wanted to help guide and support people. "Another reason that made me apply was the amount of encouragement and support I was given by my whānau and friends." 

When Wysdom gets time to herself she enjoys playing guitar, giving new things a try and spending quality time with her siblings. "What I care about the most at Te Aratai is the cultural diversity and how people are encouraging others to embrace one another's culture. Another one is being able to have the support needed. I am grateful to have people who have my back when I need it the most. "

Luke Toone has come to his prefect role to help improve the schooling experience that new students have. Doing so will hopefully rub off on new students and encourage them to be the best that they can be. "It’s also a way for me to improve myself bit by bit to be able to have more self-confidence."

"My hobbies range from a lot of different things, on and off constantly, at the moment my main hobbies are things like playing the guitar and playing online video games with friends. Here at school, I care most about making sure everyone knows that they aren't alone and that if anyone needs help with something, no matter who you are, there's someone who can help."

For most of Skye's time in school, both primary and secondary, he has been playing various musical instruments, which have become a major part of his life. "Along with this, I spend a large amount of time walking along the hill trails around where I live, which has left me with a love for the world’s natural beauty."

"At Te Aratai College, I most often find myself attracted to helping out wherever I can in the music and drama departments, or participating in the events they hold, since both of those subjects, and many of the people involved in them, have been a major part of my life for a fair amount of time. I also find myself in the library, doing my best to convince other people to take books out so that I can have something more to do than sit at the librarian's desk, and so that more of my fellow students can develop a love of reading."

When Ruta Fuaolefau Pesefea first came to Te Aratai (Linwood College) she found it really tough to get to know anyone at school,  "Especially when I didn’t speak the language. But year after year it became easier for me to get to know those around me. It is also really exciting to see every year change and I can't wait for what 2024 will look like for Te Aratai College." 

"The highlights of my time at Te Aratai so far have been the opportunity to explore things I haven’t done before, like our road trip to Mt Cook. Another highlight was being able to perform at the Polyfest, Festival of Nations and being able to get involved in different Pacific Islander speeches during Term 3."

Mikayla Hooper was attracted to a prefect role because of the chance to be able to create meaningful connections and to be able to create a safe and positive environment for her peers. Mikayla has been at our kura since Year 7 and had the honour of being a part of all three sites. "There have been challenges along the way, but I have support from my peers and teachers."

"The people here are very easy to get along with including the staff and students. As well as making the school a safe and positive environment, I also care about the performing arts, drama in particular and the non-performing art of painting."

Kelli Hollis has been at Te Aratai since year seven and over that time she has got to know many of the teachers here. "While my time here has not always been easy going, it’s my teachers and friends here that have helped me through my learning journey and kept me on my feet. My highlights recently have been watching and taking part in projects in the Arts and Drama departments of the school and setting up the Festival of Nations with the AKC, a group focused on inclusivity and volunteering that I'm a part of."

Kelli put her name forth for a prefect role because she thought it would be fun to get to know more people and also create positive change throughout the school, and school community in a leadership role.

Ari Brennean was interested in a prefect role, "Mainly to be part of the prefect group and put me more out there and interact with people I might not normally interact with."

"My time at Te Aratai has been a pretty great one but the most memorable times I’ve had here have been through drama. I found my love for performing arts here, and as someone who was a very quiet kid, it has been a real benefit to help push me out of my comfort zone." 

Ari is already busy tackling things outside the comfort zone. Currently, she is training for the Coast to Coast next year, and in her downtime trying her hand at crochet and baking. 

Tabitha Scottorn arrived at Te Aratai (Linwood College) in Year 9 in 2020. "After a few friendship dramas, not the best grades for a while, and my personal health taking a few hits, I’ve finally started to find myself. With the support of a very good friend whom I love and appreciate very much and the help of a reader/writer who has significantly improved my grades to a place where I can be proud of my efforts, even managing to get a few awards here and there."

"Next year, I will be one of the new prefects. What attracted me to the role was wanting to get myself out there, meet new people, be able to get more involved in the school community and have the option to make decisions for the betterment of the school, as well as the opportunities that could extend from here."

Having to meet and help new students attracted Precious Oliveria to join the student leadership team. "Because I see lots of new immigrants just roaming around and don’t know where to go or don’t know where they belong, I am concerned about their sense of belonging as well as how they manage their well-being to meet other new people."

"My journey at Te Aratai is good so far because I have learned a lot of things about the people and the school community as well. My highlight is when the Festival of Nations happened, where we got to perform and share our own cultural dances."

Jessica Raj has joined our school this year and we are excited for her to join the leadership team in 2024. "What attracted me the most is to help encourage the new students into the new environment and to gain self-experience for my future ahead."

"Things that interest me are swimming, going to the gym and spending leisure time with my whānau. The things that I care about are the opportunities for learning and the continuous encouragement by the teachers."

Lexine Eseo cares about the well-being of the students, especially when they are new. "New students tend to be very shy and quiet at first but as they adjust to the new environment, they become more active and participate in many events. I love how the school has many physical activities like volleyball during lunch every Friday. It helps students gather and play together."

"I was attracted to apply for this role because I was inspired by previous prefect leaders. Another reason is, I wanted to gain experience for my future. I lack in some aspects, but I am willing to work hard and improve."