Principal's Foreword

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Tēnā koutou,

It is hard to believe that we have already completed a third of Term 2 already. Time truly does fly past when you’re having fun, learning at John McGlashan College.

I would like to share a feel-good story, along the lines of this year’s theme of ‘Respect for Others.’ We received a phone call from a member of the public who told us that her elderly mother had been walking through Ross Creek when a group of McGlashan boys ran past. The boys carefully made room for her on the path, and many even took the time to wish her a nice day or an enjoyable walk. The elderly lady was very impressed by the boys’ respectful and thoughtful behaviour. The boys from 9DOS were certainly displaying respect for others.

On Tuesday, nearly 200 boys headed north to compete against Timaru Boys’ High School. Although we came in second place overall, the day was full of great sportsmanship and camaraderie. A Year 8 student who played chess against a Year 13 from TBHS summed it up perfectly when asked how his match went. He said that “…even though I lost, it was still a fun game.”

Josh Grieve has recently arrived back from competing in an international junior track cycling competition in Malaysia. He powered to gold in the Team Pursuit and Elimination events. The commentator dubbed him ‘the big man from Otago.' In the Omnium competition, he was leading after two of the four events, and ended up in 6th place in the highly competitive field. This is an incredible result and we wish him well as Josh is away again soon, representing New Zealand at the U19 level at the world cycling championships in the Netherlands.

At this week’s assembly, our Shakespeare team performed their scene from The Taming of the Shrew, Receiving a huge applause from the boys. With Nationals in Wellington coming up soon, we wish them every success as they prepare to show their talent on the big stage. The assembly also highlighted Pink Shirt Day, promoting kindness and standing up against bullying. It was fantastic to see so many boys wearing pink supporting this important message.

If you were near the college on Wednesday or Thursday, you might have heard chainsaws roaring. It wasn’t a rugby match, but our Gateway students completing their annual chainsaw course. Also this week, our Year 13 Agribusiness students are off on a field trip to Twizel, Kurow, and Geraldine, where they'll explore a range of agricultural enterprises including a distillery, a cheese factory, and a salmon farm.

Last weekend, five bands and two solo acts from JMC competed at Smokefree RockQuest. Huge congratulations to Chris, Jamie, and Leo from Deaf Raccoon, who have been selected for the regional finals on Saturday, June 28. You can catch their performances on the JMC Music Department YouTube Channel. You can also check out the special NZ Music Month Episode of Fletcher's World, featuring Supergroove.

A big thank you to the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, who have started drum lessons for some of our boys. We’re looking forward to seeing our pipers and drummers come together for a performance later this year, so once again, stay tuned on this.

Kā mihi,

John Veitch

Acting Principal