Running Around

I had a meeting with the associate principal of the school during Tuesday lunchtime (forgoing both vocal group and young enterprise meeting) talking about how I should go about talking to students. The conversation very soon led to how to raise school pride, and then developing potential leaders. Instead of restarting another version of the failed Junior Council which really had no specific purpose, a group of year 11 and 12 students could get together and discuss ways of improving the school’s ‘pride’ and profile. This group could also be the stepping stone for students aspiring to become year 13 student leaders in the future. So I was sent to approach people I thought who had leadership potential and ask if they would be interested in joining this group. Most were, but only because they wanted to become student leaders.
The only problem is that I talked to the deputy principal today (I may have gotten my principals mixed up but anyway) and he had another version of what will is planned. He says an anti-bullying committee is being planned as well as one dedicated to improving school pride and its profile. If that will be the scenario, then I don’t think those people will be interested anymore.

Good news though! First of all congratulations to Zippo for getting an excellence in her NCEA Measurement assessment! Well deserved! She’s been learning how to drive up and down the driveway recently, and told me that she nearly crashed into our fence! We wouldn’t be as worried for our fence as much as for their jeep though! It would be more of an excuse to get our old dingy fence replaced! I’m still planning on getting my learners license in the near future. Since the Easter holidays fall during Term One rather than being part of the school holidays, it means we get extra holidays. Since our teachers only day is put together with the Easter holiday, we’ll get six days off school! A few weeks after that and it will be the two week school holiday! Not bad… I’ll probably use the week off to get my learners license.

More good news – Yuk kit’s coming to town in a few weeks! He’ll be staying at our house for a couple of weeks (I think – yet to be confirmed though). He just rang me tonight which was a complete surprise. We talked for several minutes before he got disconnected. It’ll surely be interesting for him to see how much our school has changed (if it has done so at all this year). More news to come soon!

I’ve come up with another idea for the 40 Hour Famine. I could attempt to practise my accordion for 40 hours non-stop. For meals I could get Aonghas to spoon-feed me, and I could try play while I’m half asleep. No one really thinks I would be able to survive it but maybe this is why I should attempt it!

The twins and I had debating meeting with our student coach Elizapeta yesterday after school. The moot of our next debate will be

“That affluent nations should accept more refugees”

We will be the affirmative and will be up against McAuleys College or High School or something like that. I have to check that out, but I’m aware that they’re a Catholic girls school located in Otahuhu. Current rankings show that our team the Rutherford Commanders are ranked 11th out of 57 in the Senior competition, while our opposing team is ranked 22nd. This will be tough.

The debating meeting got a bit sidetracked when the twins demanded that I retold the whole sad story of my tragic social life to our student coach. Upon hearing it, she claimed that

“You [Calum] are a male version of Bridget Jones, only worse!”

I’m pretty sure the story of Bridget Jones ended positively though?

I joined the squash team today, and according to the teacher in charge, if you’re useless, you’ll play against useless people. That was definitely comforting and was enough to get me to sign up for it. Lets see if I can come away being the champion of the useless squash players!