During assemblies this week, I’ve been using examples from our wonderful Olympians as encouragement for our students. We’ve all been enthralled by the efforts and successes of athletes
in all manner of diverse sports. I must admit I was a little ho-hum at the start of the Olympics, but like many I’ve been captivated by the drama and displays of courage and determination.
The victorious Black Ferns Sevens team is a great example of the importance of creating a great culture as a driver for excellence. Listening to their interviews after the win you get a real sense of how close the team is, their camaraderie and connection to whānau, and how they hold each other to account, expecting and demanding excellence. I really admire their vision that “we have a purpose everywhere we go and that is to leave mana in our wake and that’s through hard work and being humble and leadership.”
great to hear of these stories and share them with students, encouraging them to dream big and follow their passions. We are always keen to hear from our alumni. Please feel free to get in touch with me anytime.
was chosen from works done during her first year at the Elam School of Fine Art. Thanks to Warkworth Oaks and One Mahurangi Business Association for putting on such a great event for our students to participate in.
Closer to home, but with Olympic spirit, Jordon Thomas (now attending Rosmini) has been named in the NZ U18 Hockey squad; our Senior 1 Netball team played Otamatea 1 for the Matoma Cup Challenge winning 30-18; and we are proud to call our Intermediate Girls Hockey team Auckland Regional Champions.
This weekend we will hold our annual Dance Showcase. Over a hundred students from Years 7-13 will be showcasing their work in a range of styles - solos, duos, trios, and group performances. Tickets are available from Student Services. Shows run Thursday & Friday 7pm, Saturday 3pm.
The Olympic motto captures this perfectly: “Citius, Altius, Fortius Communiter” and “Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together.” It is a great example for schools and organisations looking to grow their own culture. I note that often the head coach, Alan Bunting, doesn’t even enter the field at half time, trusting that the team has the capability to sort things out. Now there’s a high
Issue 05 2021
trust environment! As business guru Peter Drucker extols, culture always eats strategy for breakfast. We are proud to claim that Mahurangi College was represented at Tokyo. Former International student, Thomas Plossel, won Bronze for Germany sailing in the 49er class. Thomas also won Bronze at Rio in 2016. I recently received a lovely email from alumni Anthony Graham (Mahurangi 6th Form, 1979), who represented NZ in cycling at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 - finishing in a very commendable 7th place in the 1000m time trial. Anthony recounted how, working for the Post Office in the radio telephone division, it was he who took the first radio call from a boat adjacent to the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, saying it had exploded. He, of course, didn’t know at the time that it was going to turn out, in his words, to be “quite a big event“. It is
My congratulations also to all involved in the exhibition, Art In August, held in the Warkworth Tavern. Many of our students sold work and received enthusiastic feedback from the public. We were also proud to showcase artwork from our 2020 Top Art Student, Willow Whitham. The painting
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Our ‘Secret Garden’ themed annual School Ball was held at the Pullman Hotel on 31 July. It was a magical evening of music, dancing and great food. Thank you to our Head Prefects for organising the memorable night, and to Mrs Johnston for your support. Tony Giles - PRINCIPAL
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