From the Board

From

theBoard

Connection comes from looking back, understanding and valuing the past while creating the future.

Connection between people, generations, and cultures provides the foundation, strength, and spirit of the College. Everyone in the College community plays a role in fostering this connection.

This year, it is timely to look back, to that day 30 years ago when girls formally started at St Andrew’s College. My fellow Board member, Stephanie Bain, was in the first intake of girls in 1992. She came for her final year of school and boarded in Rentoul House with three other seventh form girls and nine sixth form girls (now Year 13 and Year 12).

Stephanie shared some memories with me about her year at St Andrew’s College. She recalled that at the start of the school year the boys, in an effort to figure out how the girls fitted in, carried their books and opened doors for them. The girls, not used to this treatment, were bemused. It only lasted for a couple of weeks until the boys figured out that the girls were just normal people and part of the school community. Stephanie’s fond memories of her year boarding at St Andrew’s include forming close friendships with the 13 female boarders who lived in Rentoul House, ice on the windows during winter, hot water for showers running out by 6.00am, and an earlier curfew on Saturday night than the boys.

Stephanie was struck by how warm and welcoming all the staff and students were to her and the 54 other new girls. She also found that, with so many opportunities on offer, she was very involved from day one and felt like she had always been there. Looking back at her time at St Andrew’s College, she felt that becoming co-educational had opened up so many more opportunities for all students. 1992 was the first year of an in-House Senior Musical Production and a full choir for the Jubilee celebrations, both of which Stephanie participated in. The new co-educational approach built a community that normalised boys and girls learning and interacting alongside each other, and created a real sense of belonging.

For Stephanie, this sense of belonging has resonated as her two sons attend the Preparatory School. For Alexander (Year 3) and Sebastian (Year 1), having both boys and girls at school just reflects normal life. They, along with all their classmates, have participated in the StAC-UP programme which was introduced last year and focuses on treating others with respect and kindness.

We looked back to the near past of 2021 at the College’s 105th AGM on Wednesday 30 June. Last year was another year of exceptional student outcomes and strong financial performance. Notable College achievements included: • strong roll and exceptional student outcomes in academic and co-curricular activities; • completion of the Fitness Centre; • commencement of the Ben Gough

Family Theatre build; • significant inroads into debt from previous building projects; • donations of $845,000 adding to a successful Your Legacy,

Our Future campaign; • a new partnership with So They Can where we are raising funds for a partner school in Tanzania; • 22 gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hilary

Awards – which is a New Zealand school record. At Board level there were three reappointments and a retirement at the AGM. Rob Woodgate and I were reappointed for our third terms, Nick Letham was reappointed for a second term, and Malcolm Johns retired at the end of his second term. Malcolm has been co-opted back on to the Board for a further six months to see this year out.

I mentioned in my last article that we were starting a formal appointment process for the Foundation Trustee positions. After a thorough process we are delighted to welcome Mark Mulholland, Gordy MacLeod and Tom Stanley to the Foundation Board. David Boyd has been appointed as the new Foundation Chair.

It is an honour to work alongside such outstanding Boards of Governors and Foundation Trustees. I am constantly reassured by their calibre, commitment, and desire to serve the school as custodians working to honour the past, protect the present, and find opportunities for the future.

Noho ora mai

Felicity Odlin Board Chair On behalf of the Board of Governors