FORUM
Being in the Forum Committee this year has been one of many great experiences in our years at Havelock North High. Forum is composed of the house leaders, head boy and girl and student representative, led by Mr Wilton. Every Monday we meet to discuss issues and ideas surrounding the school, in the
hopes of enhancing student life.
To kick things off Forum thought it would be a good idea to give the common room a bit of a spruce
up as it looked a bit sad, so in order to set the standard for the year we organised a working bee. This
involved water-blasting the outside, collecting rubbish in and around the school, cleaning the carpet and
scrubbing the walls and ceiling.
Another highlight of being part of Forum was the trip to the Leadership Forum in Wellington, where all
young leaders in the North Island met to hear inspirational Kiwis talk about their life experiences. This year
the theme wasn’t so much famous New Zealanders, but rather, ordinary people who have done
extraordinary things. A stand out speaker was Cam Calkoen. When Cam Calkoen was born, doctors
prophesised for him a life filled with wheelchairs, dependence and restrictions. He was born with Cerebral
Palsy. Through hard-work, dedication, and the power of dreaming big, Cam went on to represent New
Zealand on the world stage, competing in international events for both 100 and 200 metre sprints, and
being recognised as one of the top ten athletes in the world for his discipline. We found his talk very
inspiring and it emphasised the lack of true limitations we face when trying to achieve our goals. Overall
we found the day to be very worthwhile, and ended it with a visit to parliament, where we were able see
the leaders of New Zealand in action, even seeing the Prime Minister’s office.
We were lucky enough to hear Sir Ray Avery speak at Hastings Boys’ High School. After spending his
childhood in English orphanages and foster homes, Avery developed his interest in science at the age of
14 while living rough in London and finding warmth in public libraries. He now mentors young people,
speaking regularly at schools and universities. We found him really interesting. His message of making the
most of each day as we only have a limited number left, was very thought-provoking.
Each year Forum undertakes a project to enhance the school in some way. This year we had the idea of
constructing a giant chess board in an underused area of the school. We wrote a proposal and presented
it to the PTA. However, this is to be incorporated into a larger scale remodelling of the area in the
coming years. Instead of this, we organised a Year 13 gift to the school, an alteration of a 100 block
hallway. We wanted to showcase the sporting and cultural groups in the school by using the photographs
taken throughout the years and framing them.
All in all, this year has been great for developing our Forum group’s leadership skills whilst providing a
bridge between students and staff/PTA. As a group we have really enjoyed this year and hope future
Forum groups continue to make positive changes within the school.
Marcus Yule and Holly Macdonald