HEADMASTER S SPEECHES

Transcription

1 HEADMASTER S SPEECHES Excerpts for Class Use 1. HOME November THE SOUL OF THE SCHOOL November BELONGING November LOVE December BE OF GOOD HEART November LOVE IS A CLIFF AT YOUR BACK November THE MAN YOU WILL BECOME November TO KNOW AND DO GOOD November A LIFE OF PURPOSE November A WORLD OF VALUE November THANKFULNESS November ARETE November LENGTH, BREADTH & HEIGHT OF LIFE November SERVICE, LOVE & DISCIPLINE November ENDURING VALUES November HOPE November IDEALS November BEGINNING ANEW November EXPECTATIONS November 1999 HAMILTON BOYS HIGH SCHOOL S AP IE NS FOR TUNAM F ING IT S I B I

2 S AP S I HOME I speak often of our position as one of the very best schools in New Zealand, in sport, in cultural activities, in our academic success, and in our focus on service and character development. The successes of the year which we have shared reflect this reality, this level of excellence both regionally and nationally. We have so many things to be proud of. But for me, what sets us apart, what makes us special, our real point of difference, is our willingness to love others, and to be cared for by others in return. Those qualities, in fact that make us a family, and which give Hamilton Boys High School a sense of being, not an institution, and not just a school, but a place which has those qualities which we associate with home. The word home evokes many emotions in us all. Almost 2000 years ago, Pliny the Elder, a well-known Roman statesman and scientist stated that Home is where the Heart is. A simple statement, yet one which holds the truth within its simplicity, which is a key to us understanding those elements which make Hamilton Boys High School a special school, what sets us apart, and what has made 2016 another stellar, successful year. Home is the place that you love with all your heart, the place filled with those you care for, those who support, those people who are important to your happiness and self-confidence. But the same statement also states that your home is where you place your heart, your centre, the core of your being. It is a place in which you care enough to make a difference, to make home better and stronger, more complete. To the Zuni tribe of American Indians, home is a living thing, it is a part of every individual, it is the group with which one lives and loves, the bond felt by those who belong, who share the home, in the past, the present and the future. Our school is more than us, those of us who are here this morning it is a world which includes those who have gone before us, those whom we share our lives with today, and those who will follow in years to come. For each person who is part of our world and shared experience, this must be, for him, a home with all of the qualities that a home possesses. T.S.Elliot, one of my favourite poets, spoke about the word love when used in the context of a family. There s no vocabulary, For love within a family, Love that s lived in, But not looked at, Love within the light of which, All else is seen The love within which, All other loves find speech. This love is silent. Silent, because it does not need to be spoken of, it is just there. It is the basis for all other loves, it is the light within which everything else is seen. And it is love which one associates with home, that place which Frederick Robertson describes as: Home is the one place in the world where our hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we are able to tear off that mask which the world forces us to wear, and where we pour out the joyful truths of full and confiding hearts. It is the place where expressions of tenderness are uttered without any sensation of awkwardness and without dread of ridicule. I began this morning by asking what matters most in the verities, the truths, that we believe in as a school? The answer lies in the sense of the school as a home, that place where your hearts are sure, where you can be confident in yourself, where you can be happy and secure. The reason each graduate today can leave with real pride, is that he has been a part of the home of the school. He has developed the knowledge, skills and understanding which are an integral part of a good education. But he also leaves recognising the moral values which guide us, recognising that Hamilton Boys High School is the place where he belongs, now and in the future. And this truth is emphasised in the words of Pascal Mercier, where he states: We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave our home, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there. Recognise the verity, the absolute truth, that Hamilton Boys High School is your home, and that it will always remain so. Because what we love is home home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. A wise man said that a good speech has a beginning, a middle and an end, the best example of a great speech being I love you. And that is how I close. Because we do, in truth, love you. HEADMASTER, MRS S HASSALL EXCERPT FROM PRIZEGIVING SPEECH 2016 HAMILTON BOYS HIGH SCHOOL IE NS I B FOR TUNAM F ING IT

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