A Message from our Principal

I read an article this week in The Herald that piqued my interest. It was written by Nic Hill, Headmaster of Christchurch Boys’ High School. It was titled “First XV rugby should matter, but not too much”. It was the second part of the title that interested me, because we hear plenty about the first part. Nic began his article with reference to the three boys aged 13 and 14 from elite Sydney school Scots College charged with aggravated sexual assault last month. This created plenty of media interest in Australia on the back of the Sydney Swans assault investigation at a similar time. The question was of course asked whether elitism in schools and sport was creating an attitude of entitlement. Various opinion pieces followed, challenging the place of sport, elitism and character education in schools. Of course, it appears that every school with a marketing slogan at present is looking to ‘create great men of character’, or versions of that theme.

So, what does ‘character’ mean? Is it all about the culture created by having a successful First XV in the school – and, sitting alongside that, the intentional recruitment of many boys out of other schools in the hope that one or two of them may one day fill a position in that team? Or is there a true understanding of what developing character actually means. I don’t believe it is about winning, being competitive, building a brotherhood, and domination, while committing to the huge resourcing that is required for this narrow focus of school life. It should focus first on the softer skills - building empathy, having compassion for the vulnerable in our world, recognising the innate goodness in people, and having integrity and selfless respect, particularly in relationships. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not anti-rugby; I have been principal in a school where the carefully created positive culture of our First XV and Senior A teams permeated and enhanced our school culture, and my own son was one of those young men for whom rugby has been an important part of his life. If we focus on developing the whole person where values create character, then the rest will follow.

I realise the schools who may see themselves reflected in The Herald article would be quick to say that they are also about the arts, and academics, and so on, but Nic asks the question “What do schools reward? What forms of masculinity do boys see celebrated? And what happens when adults build sporting cultures around status, dominance and winning?”. I would follow this by asking - does the dominant culture in a school truly match the slogan? Nic Hill may find he has not made himself popular with the types of schools he is referring to, but I know there will be plenty more schools applauding his courage to put character first.

Nga mihi

Kate Nicholson

(Principal)