PRINCIPAL’S Report
I was so proud of our students and staff and witnessed daily their strength and capacity in adapting to the new learning environment, namely their homes. As the school buildings fell silent for months, we looked for connection online and St Cuthbert’s, the agile-minded school that it is, reaffirmed the primacy of the face-to-face, the social dimension of citizenship and the physical spatial interaction with shared place, despite the remoteness.
“Undoubtedly, 2020 was a challenging year but also one of enormous pride for the College. St Cuthbert’s could not have done without its world class teachers and their willingness to adapt, change and continue learning. They transformed a unique situation into one of blessings and opportunities.” My third year as Principal of St Cuthbert’s saw a challenge unprecedented in the College history – the need to implement a remote learning system to allow students and staff across Years 0–13 to work from home, ensuring the continuation of our exemplary education during the COVID-19 lockdowns. I am immensely proud of our team who demonstrated creativity and agility through taking immediate and strategic steps. Through the StCuths@home learning programme we saw our students not only cope but thrive, thanks to the amazing systems which were implemented and supported by the College’s staff. My heartfelt thanks to everyone for their dedication and application and especially to the ILT team whose continual efforts ensured every staff member and student could successfully engage at home.
2
Despite being in lockdown our talented senior girls still managed to achieve in many different fields. The Year 7 & 8 Orienteering team won the North Island Secondary Schools’ championships. The first XI hockey team took out the Upper North Island Secondary Schools’ Hockey Tournament which hosted eight Division One teams and was, in effect, a replacement for the national tournament, Federation cup which had to be cancelled. Our Senior Water Polo girls excelled in gaining selection for the World Under 18s Women’s Water Polo Championships due to be held in Israel but cancelled due to COVID; they went onto play in the New Zealand Women’s Premier League which is a collection of the top Water Polo athletes in the country. One of the Year 13 cohort, Grace Mora, our brilliant young composer, excelled in winning the SGNZ/Morrison Music Trust National Shakespeare Music Composition Competition and was selected to represent New Zealand at the Globe Theatre in London, UK. During our lockdown in August, we held a virtual celebration of our scholars from the 2019 examination season, and there was much to celebrate. In Level 1 NCEA, our 99% pass rate was the best in six years. Across all NCEA levels, our students continued to attain impressively high-level pass rates far above those of schools in comparable deciles. 37% of our IB girls achieved a mark of 40 or more out of 45, this is compared with 14% worldwide. These IB students were recognised at the IB Scholars’ awards at Parliament Buildings in February. The 27 girls from the 2019 cohort who sat the NZQA Scholarship examinations, generated an
extraordinary 52 scholarships. Among these we had two Top Scholars nationally, Joy Tong taught by Robert Griffiths was Top Scholar in Latin and Cybella Maffitt, taught by Naomi Saxton was Top Scholar in Media Studies. It is interesting to note that this is the first time in the history of the College that we have had top scholars nationally in these subjects. This bright cohort of young women had multiple offers of scholarships to universities in NZ and for prestigious universities offshore including Oxford, Sydney, Columbia, Duke and Yale, to name but a few. Perhaps the most significant memory of 2020 for me will, indeed, be of the young women in this year group. Our Head girl, Ruby Sussock’s extraordinary leadership, her grace, insight, empathy and equanimity has amazed us all. Ruby was well supported by our wonderful 2020 Deputy Head girls, Millie Caughey and Nellie McKegg and Head Boarder Tulyahna Pulotu McCarthy. These girls and their peers know how impressed we all were by their commitment to community and generosity of spirit; they truly epitomised our motto, ‘By Love Serve’ But to our wonderful Year 13 girls leaving St Cuthbert’s in 2020, you, the ‘COVID- cohort’, your outstanding legacy will be the care and concern you showed for for young and old. Your online meetings, your phone calls, your online school magazine the ‘Talking Tartan’, your bus buddy duties when nervous little sisters re-entered school post lockdown, and even your enquiries of staff welfare during Level 4 will never leave our memories. Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege than the raising of the next generation. Girls, it has been wonderful to have had you and your families as part of this community and we look forward to staying in touch over the years to come. Ngā mihi nui,
Justine Mahon, Principal, St Cuthbert’s
