Timaru Boys’ High School
RECTOR – DAVID THORP
WE ARE REALLY LOOKING forward to 2021. However, despite the disruptions and worries of COVID-19, we still think 2020 was a successful and fun-filled year.
I am starting my second year as Rector of Timaru Boys’ High School and I feel so lucky to be part of our wonderful school community. When the lockdowns and other restrictions were in place, I was thoroughly impressed with the way staff, students, and parents pulled together and found solutions to all our issues, such as the logistics of online learning or the Covid restrictions on sports training. As a group, we were resourceful, resilient and extremely supportive of each other.
I think that the tone and character of Timaru Boys’ are a reflection of our Aoraki community. We are provincial in the sense of being a supportive and egalitarian group, but we believe in setting high expectations and striving for excellence. Our school curriculum is based on the needs of our students – we have a full range of academic subjects, including four Senior Sciences for those seeking a university pathway, and we have extensive and meaningful courses in Technology, Construction and careers-based learning for those interested in trades and other vocations.
At Timaru Boys’ High, we know that boys will engage with learning when they have a positive working relationship with their teachers – this is a focus for our staff. Also, we feel that extra-curricular involvement in Sports, Arts and other shared activities is vital to developing healthy, happy young men. We want boys to learn how to work productively in a team and to get on with their peers, which are probably the most important skills for the 21stcentury economy (not to mention a happy life). Our facilities for Sports and Arts are impressive and the range of extra-curricular activities on offer would compare favourably with many, much bigger, urban secondary schools.
TBHS is a school for everyone – this is one of its strengths. We believe that diversity makes us stronger. Our students are all unique individuals but, regardless of whether they are boarding in the hostel, living in Timaru city or travelling to school on a bus, they quickly become part of our warm and welcoming school family.
The school motto is ‘Mā te Mātauranga te Mana’ – Knowledge is Power. We never lose sight of what we are – a place of learning – but we are also a place that allows young men to make mistakes, build character and develop as leaders. Growing good men is an important but difficult task – a task that we at TBHS relish!