Students
Head Prefect
Jenna Bone - The Pie Metaphor
Excerpts from her innaugral whole assembly speech
Standing up here as your head girl is an honour and a privilege I’m finding hard to believe I have gained. This school, over the 4 years I have been here, has been a life force for me, a source of fuel, a fire when I feel burned out. I truly believe that this school is unique. It is incredible. And it is all ours. I couldn’t imagine a luckier student anywhere else in New Zealand. There are other schools, yes. There are other prefects at those schools. But I honestly think that our school is like no other. And for that reason, there is no other head girl in New Zealand like me, because no other head girl could be as lucky as I am, being able to lead a school that I love so much.
There are over 1000 reasons I rate this school as highly as I do, and scream "domeli" until I lose my voice at every single competitive event that exists in the greater Wellington region. And those 1000 reasons are all the students and staff here at east. To save time, I’m going to quickly group us into three categories. And to help you picture these groups, lean back if you will, lean back and imagine East, as a pie.
So, with the pie there is the filling, the base, and the puff pastry top.
First, supporting the yummy gooeyness of the filling is our strong and dependable staff, led by our wonderful principle Miss Houghton, acting as the base, keeping everything in place and stopping the gravy run out the bottom.
Then, there are the insides, the students. They make up the bulk of our pie, all those cheesy meaty bits. They have such a great flavour, a delicious aroma, all the other pies smell us, and they grow jealous, because they can never be a part of that yummy scrummy scent.
Then finally there are the year 13's and the prefects. They are on top of the pie as that wonderfully warm flaky lid, out and about, showing the rest of the bakery how awesome we look.
I think we make a pretty awesome pie, myself. I’d eat us.
The point I’m trying to make is that we are a school that works together in a way that is rare. We have school spirit basically oozing out of our pores. Pulling on the gold and blue uniform which identifies us to the world as an East student is something we do with pride, dignity and joy. Because to belong to east is to belong to a family.
Of course none of this would be possible without the support of our parents. To get to this point, I know that I have really drawn on the strength of my family, and that other girls have done the same. So here’s a great big thank you to you, the parents. The ones who make amazing sandwiches and drive us to school for early morning practices. Those who give endless dollars for school trips and provide the emergency packets of chips for the last minute shared lunches. The ones who put up with our late nights and cranky moods. You are like the plate to our pie. Without you, we fall to the ground. And that would just be a waste of good pie. So thank you for your support.
What really sets our school above the rest is our East spirit. I see the East spirit like a fire, an all consuming flame which burns brightly as we take the light and pass it on.
William Yeats once said that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
And this year we are planning to make a bonfire which will blind other schools, and create a heat that will be felt in years to come. We want to take the light, and make it huge, so in years to come, it can only grow bigger and brighter. And I think we can achieve that because this year we have what I consider to be the best year group to pass through Wellington east ever. I’m talking about the year 13's, the top dogs of 2010. Every single one of these girls sitting in the comfy blue seats at the front of the hall here has survived four years of east. And with those years comes the experience that will help them lead the rest of the school in a year filled with pride and spirit.
The prefects in particular, are amazing. I couldn't have asked for a more dedicated and enthusiastic bunch of girls, and I’m so incredibly happy to have you all leading the school. I’m betting that your parents are extremely proud of you. You probably can't imagine how happy they're feeling at the sight of their little girl sitting up on this great big stage. Now would be a good time to ask for money.
2010. It has come around. And it is going to be over before we’ve even realized it. Have fun. Take chances. This year I challenge each and everyone one of you to do something you normally wouldn't. Some I admire once spoke wise words to me. Someone I look up to. And this person’s name is Yoda. Heard of him, you may.
He once said the words “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” For me, these words go past galaxies, through light-years, and extend right into our East way of life. Here at East, we do not try. Trying to me is a word used by people to excuse failure.
At East, we do. We are do-ers. And when we don’t manage to do the things we wanted to achieve, we do not say we tried to do something and failed. Because that would indicate that we have gained nothing from the experience. Instead, from each un-success, we learn. And from these lessons, which extend beyond the classroom, we go with enthusiasm right on to the next challenge, never trying, always doing, always doing with all our heart and succeeding, no matter what the goal. Because that is the infallible east spirit that runs so strong through each and every single one of the girls who has passed through this school.
With that east fire running through your veins, I know that this year. We can achieve whatever we want to. Because this is east. Thank you.
Search
News
2012 Sports Handbook
Download the new sports handbook with information about registration for all the codes.