Nau mai haere mai!
At Geraldine High School we take great pride in celebrating the many ways our students demonstrate our values of Belonging (Tūrangawaewae), Growth (Tipu Ake), and Resilience (Tū Kaha). Over the past few weeks we have seen some outstanding examples of these values in action across sport and academics.
One of the most exciting developments for our school has been the rapid success of our newly formed rowing team. Starting a programme from scratch is never easy, and it requires a huge amount of commitment from students, coaches, and families.
At the recent South Island Secondary Schools Rowing Championships, our team achieved an incredible milestone by winning two bronze medals:
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Girls Under 18 Novice Double Sculls – Bronze
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Girls Under 15 Double Sculls – Bronze
For a programme that is only just getting underway, this is a remarkable achievement. While the medals themselves are significant, they also represent something much bigger – the collective effort behind the scenes.
Success in rowing is never just about the athletes in the boat. It is also about the coaches who volunteer their time and expertise, the parents who travel to regattas and support training, the wider group of rowers who train alongside each other, and the community members who back the programme. These medals belong to the entire Geraldine High School rowing whānau.
Most importantly, the journey these students have taken reflects our school values. It takes Resilience to train early mornings on the water, Growth to keep improving technique and strength, and a strong sense of Belonging to build the kind of team culture that supports one another through every race.
We also congratulate Riley, who has recently been selected as a Training Reserve for the Timaru United Under-15 Youth Development League (YDL) team for the upcoming season.
This team competes in the Football South Development League (FSDL), which is the highest level youth football competition in the Football South region. The league provides a high-performance environment where talented young players train and compete against the strongest youth teams from across the South Island.
Riley has been given the opportunity to train with the U15 squad, which is a fantastic achievement and an excellent development opportunity at this stage of his football journey. The team trains twice a week and will compete against leading youth teams from across the region throughout the season.
Opportunities like this reflect Riley’s commitment to improving his game and show the Growth and Resilience required to perform at a high level.
Congratulations also go to Arran Wall, who achieved a silver medal in Division 5 at the New Zealand Junior Squash Championships. Competing at a national event and coming away with a medal is an outstanding achievement and a testament to Arran’s dedication to his sport.
While we love to celebrate sporting achievements, we are equally proud of our students’ academic success. Recently we held our Academic Assembly, where we recognised the many students who achieved Merit and Excellence endorsements in their NCEA qualifications in 2025.
These students are outstanding role models for others in our school community. Achieving an endorsement requires sustained effort, strong study habits, and the determination to push through challenges. It reflects exactly what our values stand for: the Belonging that comes from being part of a supportive learning community, the Growth that comes from striving for excellence, and the Resilience needed to overcome setbacks along the way.
It was also a privilege to hear a powerful message from Alex Avery, who spoke about the importance of setting goals, working hard toward them, and learning from the challenges we face along the way.
What stands out most when we look across rowing, football, squash, and academic success is that our students are continuing to challenge themselves, support one another, and take pride in representing Geraldine High School.
Whether it is on the water, the sports field, the squash court, or in the classroom, our students are showing that when we live our values of Belonging, Growth, and Resilience, great things can happen.
We look forward to celebrating many more successes throughout the year as our students continue to grow stronger, together.
