Developing confidence and leadership skills through physical education Meet Our Wonderful Head of PE and Health It was clear when we sat down with Head of Faculty for PE and Health, Amelia McKibbin, that she’s found her passion in life.
“My Dad is a teacher so teaching is in my blood, but growing up, I had a fantastic PE teacher at school who inspired me to love the subject. I really enjoyed going on school camps when I was younger, and when I look at the incredible opportunities on offer at St Cuthbert’s, I wish I had been able to go on a programme like Kahunui, which is life changing for our students. “Underpinning our programme is Hauora, the Māori concept of wellbeing. There are four dimensions; physical, social, spiritual, and mental/emotional. Traditional PE catered to the physical, but at St Cuthbert’s our PE and Health programme is holistic, focussing on developing every dimension of our girls. “For me, and my team, while PE encourages our students to be active throughout their lives, it is also fundamentally about teaching them to have confidence in themselves, how to relate to one another, work as a team, and to strive for their personal best, no matter their ability. I just love watching our PE students grow as individuals too and some eventually become school leaders.” Current Head Girl Carmel Ah Chong has taken PE as a subject right the way through Senior School and says, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time as a PE student, even more so at a College where we’re fortunate to have state-of-the-art facilities, supportive teachers, and incredible experiences, such as our trip to Rotorua, and our AUT Millennium visit. “For me, PE extends beyond its stereotype of ‘a subject only for sportspeople’. During both our practical and classroom sessions, we are able to hone our leadership and communication skills, learn how to work with a range of people, and gain a deeper understanding of the value of our health. In my opinion, the development of these aspects is beneficial for everyone, regardless of whether you play sport or not.
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“Ultimately though, the one thing that I think separates PE from other subjects, is the life-long friendships that you make. Most of the Year 13 PE students have taken the subject since Level 1 and after surviving a few lockdowns and mountain biking trips in the hail, we are closer than ever as we embark on our last year in this fantastic subject,” says Carmel. Amelia adds, “While we do have future Olympians and elite sportswomen come through our PE and Health Faculty, we also have future mathematicians, science majors, and students who have a wide range of interests and possible career choices. PE and Health as a subject helps prepare students for life beyond the school gates, through developing their resilience and selfesteem, and also gives them the tools to support their mental wellbeing. “We really encourage our students to set personal goals for themselves. We have such a varied group of students in class at any one time, with different strengths and abilities across the various modules. No matter their individual ability in a particular area of PE, we want every student to step up and share their strengths and skills, and if they don’t have the skills, to put their hand up for help. We support our students to discover skills they didn’t realise they had, and if they struggle with an aspect of PE, that, in turn, teaches them resilience and to reach out for support. These are important life skills. “I had a parent say to me recently that watching her daughter develop confidence in her body and skills through our PE and Health programme has been life changing, as it’s helping her to break out of her comfort zone to try new things, and to set some higher goals for herself in other academic areas. “The Year 9 Aquathon is a classic example of personal goal setting; no matter what their skill level in swimming and running at the outset of the training,
