Kia ora everyone, my name is Leon, the Student Trustee on the Waimea College Board of Trustees. I thought that it could be pertinent to provide a student perspective on how Waimea College has fared during the first term of 2022.

Every school in New Zealand, and most in the world, have had a difficult start to 2022, and yet, despite enduring three years of Covid-related tribulations, the Year 13 cohort this year is having a great start to the year, as is the rest of Waimea College. The new Year 9s that we had the pleasure of meeting at the start of the year are a great bunch. The look they have in their eyes on their first day of school provided quite a kick of nostalgia to all Year 13s who were there helping them to figure out which class was where and who their teachers were.

It has also been great to see so many Year 9s joining in debating, many of them having done the debating module at Waimea Intermediate, which was taught by some of our very own Waimea College debaters last year. Speaking of debating, after years of attempts, Waimea College finally won the Kahurangi Malborough Regional Debating Championship, dethroning Nayland College in the process.

Despite the difficulties of Covid, all the student leaders have been engaged in a stunningly efficient effort to produce assemblies, ensuring we keep morale and school spirit up. The quality of these productions and the organisational abilities of our Head Students and Captains are a marvel to behold. They have all been a visible presence around the school, helping Year 9s to find classes, picking up rubbish, and providing great role models to the rest of the school.

The April 4 loosening of Covid restrictions, which allows for up to 200 people indoors, offers exciting opportunities and perhaps will see the renewal of assemblies and House events, which many of us regretted not being able to do at the start of the year. If all goes smoothly, we intend to make sure that these events are the best Waimea College has to offer, since our Year 9s have never experienced them, and our Year 10s were only able to attend a few House events before they were no longer possible.

Times have been tough, with year groups being sent home causing obvious issues in learning. Yet all our teachers seem ready to face this challenge; the transfer to online learning being a non-issue in almost all classes. We’ve faced these challenges before, and an end seems in sight. But despite it all, it has been a great start to what is going to be a great year for our good school.

Semper Contendite,

Leon Caslavsky.