Blake Martin - Head Boy

My Role as head Boy involves overseeing the Prefect group at school. I get the opportunity to help coordinate school events whether it be a traditional school-based event like the formal or a community fundraising event like the 40 hour famine that’s just happened. As well I get the chance to be the public figure for the school. I work closely with the staff and senior management as well as the boys at the school to try and achieve the goals at the school that we all want to achieve. A couple of other activities I do on top of that is play and captain the 1st XI cricket and football sides at school. I am also a member of Musical Theatre Oamaru. I also run the Leos club at school.

My goals for this year is to reinstate the history of the school into the boys. I want the boys to have a sense of pride, passion and belonging at the school. I feel that this is an area of the school that had lacked in the past few years but is now starting to grow itself again and my goal is to continue to grow all these things. I want all boys to get equal opportunities to show their potential in whatever it may be there interested in. My last goal is for the year is to boost the cultural area of the school and try and develop a plan to bring that back to where it once was. There are numerous other goals I have but they are more of 5 - 10 year plans which other head boys may be able to carry on.

When i first signed up to be a prefect it was so I could exploit my leadership potential I thought I had. I thought it could be a good way to connect with all boys in the school and put forward some ideas as how I thought I could help school move forward. I also felt it would be a good way to give back to school and give boys all the opportunity’s that they deserve – again something I felt had lacked a few years ago but now again is getting its way back to where it should be. As well reinstating the “all round waitakian” to the boys again is another big thing – all boys at our school should want to be their best academically culturally and sportingly, not just in one or 2 of these areas.

Who is your inspiration in your day to day life? I don’t have a person I look up to as such. I try to be the best I can be rather than try to be like others. I like to look at quotes more than anything to inspire myself and a quote I like to reflect on a lot is “Only those who are passionate themselves can arouse passion in others”. This quote means a lot to me because I don’t see how you can lead a team if you are not passionate about what you are leading.

As you can tell I’m a very passionate member of the school and I’m always up for a chat about anything as many of the boys and staff know, but most importantly I’d love to be able to connect with old boys of the school and the school community so we can continuing rebuilding the school back to where it belongs. Don’t be afraid to either say gidday to me at school, come into school and have a chat or send me an email at 127619175@waitakibhs.school.nz