Rylie Keach

IN the twilight of her high school years Rylie Keach wants to pass on her skills.

The 17yearold has spent years as a netball coach, junior mentor and kapa haka tutor, despite having to give up both of the passions herself.

She first started kapa haka in 2016 as a way to better connect with her Maori heritage and found she enjoyed the environment.

Members of her family also do kapa haka and she is proud to be able to share the art with them.

Although she could no longer take kapa haka due to a timetable clash, she still teaches the art to primary school pupils, which she began last year.

After shows parents would come up to her and express how much fun their children were having and how proud they were.

Her role as a teacher does not stop there.

Since 2020 she has acted as a netball coach, teaching the year 7 and 8 pupils of the school the skills she used when she played netball.

She started the sport when she was about 5 and played until recently when her friends left and it no longer felt right to play.

‘‘I enjoy being able to pass on what I’ve learnt.’’

In 2020 she became a peer mentor, where she would spend time with individual new pupils at the school and help them settle in.

She enjoys getting to know the pupils and likes helping make their school experience a little easier.

This year that responsibility has increased sevenfold, with her now in charge of settling in a group of seven pupils.

It was difficult at the start as none of the pupils knew each other, but with time they grew close and now she was proud to have good relationships across the year levels at school.

She likes the mixture of responsibility and authority that leadership positions give her and enjoys being a student representative for the board of trustees and for the student council, which gives her a voice in what happens at school.

Her desire to help people is why she wants to become a nurse.

Achievements: Head student (2022); year 7/8 netball coaching (202022); peer support leader (2022); peer mentoring (202021); Maori prefect (2021); house captain (2021); board of trustees student representative (202122); student council representative (201922); SWPB4L representative (2022); primary school kapa haka tutor (202122); Anzac day student representative (2022); kapa haka (201617, 2021); senior netball division champions (2018); St John’s youth (201719); year 9/10 volleyball coach (2021); fortnightly excellence semester 1 and 2 (2021); citizenship award (2021); global youth ambassador project to China (2019); level 1 merit (2020). Role model: Her brother, who has seen success despite all the trials along the way.

Hopes for the future: To studying nursing at Otago Polytechnic.