Principal: Government changing the rules

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 313, 14 November 1989, Page 4

Principal: Government changing the rules

Last Friday was Ruapehu College's senior prizegiving, where principal Harry Cast made his "state of the College" speech:

This time last year I reported on the year of 1988; 1989 has been an even busier year and on some days it feels as though it is three years since the last prizegiving, in other days it feels like last month. Prizegiving celebrates the successes of the year, it recognises achievement and it is also a chance to review ;the previous twelve months, and what a twelve months it has been. Pupils at Ruapehu can be proud of their achievements and of

equal importance they can share in the many group achievements. 1989 started with our highest participation rate in the athletic sports and from that point on, the school activities maintained a high involvement and good competition. Inter-collegiate swimming, athletics and cross-country not only saw our biggest teams ever; we also had some excellent results, and excellent support from parents and staff. Our many sports teams competed in major competitions often taking on (sometimes beating) much bigger schools; throughout the winter our teams took to the fields and courts, often travelling long distances to do so. In academic competition we had some pleasing results in national and regional competitions. One 6th form student won a place in the summer school of Physics in Christchurch, we had speakers in regional speech finals and our cultural group has con-

tinued to develop. In maths our Mathex teams did particularly well with a 5th form team coming second, one of our 4th formers finished in the top 100 of a national maths competition and across the tasman the Australian Mathematics competition results were pleasing. We hosted two Australian Rotary exchange students in term two after two of our students spent term one there. Next year we have five students going on the Youth to Everest expedition; an opportunity of a lifetime to explore parts of the Himalayas. Joseph The Joseph production showed the wider community the many skills in . singing, music, dance, acting, art and design that the college has. One of the sporting highlights would have to be the hosting of the North Island Secondary School Skiing Competition, an event that is now the biggest ski competition in the Southern Hemisphere. For a school such as ours to organise an event with over 500 competitors and an equal number of officials and supporters, is an achievement we can be proud of. It would be the equivalent of all the Auckland Colleges combining to organise the Commonwealth Games; or all the colleges in Christchurch organising the Winter Olympics. Winning that competition obviously was a bonus. When preparing notes for this speech, I started to list the exstudents and students I know who have repre-

sented New Zealand over the last year. We have had six recent or current students representing New Zealand in a variety of events, Pony Club Internationals, skiing, youth representatives in cultural areas and gymnastics. I challenge any school of our size to come near that achievement, including schools that through various means attract students from outside their area. All of our New Zealand representatives are locals and all have been at this school. In 1988 we were looking at what the changes in education had to offer - now we can see them and wonder where they will stop. Extra work The Government must realise how much extra work they have created for teachers, school administrators and the new Board of Trustees. Some of the changes are long overdue and are welcome - greater independence and the greater control of our educational destinies are the big. advances. In recognition of the additional tasks staff are involved in the Government has rewarded us in their usual generous manner - most staff received a $5.00 per week salary increase and a rent increase of between $65.00 and $85.00 per week. They also legislated to remove conditions won at the negotiation table after the stopworks early in the year; conditions that were designed to maintain the standards of the profession. With actions such as this I can only question their commitment to equity and to the maintaining of viable rural communities. Unfortunately I don't think the present opposition's policy is Turnpage6

Principal: Government changing the rules

From page 4 really much different and changes that have occurred will not be reversed. Despite the difficulties the Government has created in education, and in rural areas in general, Ruapehu College faces the future with confidence. We have a staff that is committed to providing a viable, competitive educational environment; a staff . that puts in extra time and does the extras to give our students every opportunity possible. At the end of 1988 we had two vacancies, one a general class teacher, the other a Deputy Principal. Mr Knight and Mr Parker arrived to fill these positions and once again we were fortunate to attract staff of a high calibre. 1989 will see minimal staffing changes; Mr Hawea will be travelling to North America (he has been on study leave this year) and Ms L Kane leaves on promotion to McKenzie Basin Col-

lege in Fairlie. Although it is sad to lose teaching staff it is to our credit that staff are able to leave here on promotion. Ms Kane came here as a new teacher for one year, five years ago - she now leaves to become a Head of Department in another school. Care Our students have a range of abilities and backgrounds but they show care for each other and through the Hapu and Whanau system there is a strong support system that helps promote a learning environment. The Board of Trustees are working long hours and putting forward ideas that will see the continual development of the College. Despite economic restraints put on us they too are committed to the continual development of the college ensuring that the good work done by the Board of Governors is continued. In physical terms the College buildings and grounds are a credit to

those involved in their maintejnance. However the students attitude to their environment is also an important factor; many of the gardens have been put in by students and the respect for the buildings has always been a feature of recent years. As part of our finances for 1990 we have been allocated a grant for repairs to vandalism. Vandalism is a rarity here and to the Board of Trustees I suggest the following; money that has been allocated to pay for vandalism, if not spent, be used to provide extra facilities for students. I feel strongly that benefits the students accure come back to them. What will Ruapehu College be like in five years time? Firstly, most of the people on the stage will have moved on; either staff or Trustees members, in the hall probably all of the students would have completed their secondary education. Our gym will have been redecorated, we will have a fitness centre, perhaps we will also have a squash court. Our buildings will continue to be developed, our library will be rebuilt as will two of the laboratories and hopefully the swimming pool will have gone.

Community use Academically we will continue to provide a wide range of courses, with the wider community used more as a resource, this includes transition education, community education, Link courses at the Community College and Taranaki Polytechnic. As well as developing these further we will continue the improvements made in the levels of academic attainment; we can see the improved results of recent years and one of our main goals will be to continue to work towards all students fulfilling their academic potential. I have few reservations about changes in education, they are as follows: The first would have to be the dramatic rate of change - in many situations the new Ministry of Education is having to define their jobs as they go along, schools are constantly receiving more information correcting or redefining previous information. Changes should be fully thought through and organised before we have to implement them. We seem to be playing a game in which new rule changes keep appearing. Finance and the possible short fall is an ongoing concern of all

schools. If the Government honours its promises and the total savings in the restructuring is passed on to us then perhaps the shortfall will not occur - I am however very skeptical and fear that in the 'hidden agenda' these changes are for cost cutting. Principal employer One of the changes in education has been the role of the principal - I have been placed in the position of becoming an employer; a subtle, but still major change over the 'old' system. The role is changing also in that I am becoming more of an administrator; at the moment some schools are not advertising for principals, they are advertising for chief ex-

ecutives. The change in name perhaps indicates what these colleges expect of their principals. My final 'grizzle' would be in the expectation of the Government to use the education system as a means of compensating for inequalities in society. Schools are one of the few organisations that have to have written policies to correct perceived inequalities. I feel this College does a good job as a 'compensator' of inequalities, but trying to quantify our achievements in this area is very difficult. Perhaps I should be called a chief social engineer - because sometimes I feel that is the direction in which schools are being pushed. To our senior students

I wish you well for your futures, you are facing uncertain times, but challenging ones. You have contributed much to the College in their time here, the developing leadership skills that have emerged over the last year have had a considerable impact on the College. Please do not lose touch with the College, when you are back in town, call in, have a look around and look at the changes. My final advice to all the assembled students, whether you are returning or not "Aim for the moon, if you miss you will at least hit the top of the tree; aim for the top of the tree and you won't get off the ground."

Harry

Cast

Principal