Ashburton College
ROSS PREECE, PRINCIPAL
LOOKING TOWARDS OUR FUTURE
it is exciting that our new build has begun. In early 2019 it was announced that Ashburton College would receive a $ 60 million dollar rebuild. This was necessary because our old buildings were not fit for modern learning, plus our roll will grow significantly over the next 10 years. The prediction is that our peak roll will be 1,600 students. Roll growth is welcome as it enables a comprehensive curriculum and menu of sporting and cultural activities. The number of subdivisions opening up, the employment opportunities, and the burgeoning rolls of our feeder schools all point to this predicted peak roll becoming the reality. It is a really exciting time to be planning for the future of Ashburton College.
As a school we have two overall drivers to take us forward. The first is a recognition of the importance of cultural responsiveness and continuing positive relationships with our community. Strong community support enables our college to thrive.
Our college is increasingly ethnically diverse. It is a source of pride to us, as a school, that our students embrace diversity, and our student body welcomes those who have differences to themselves. Acceptance and understanding also extends beyond ethnicity to areas such as our Rainbow Youth and those struggling with anxiety or mental health.
Our second driver is based on our College Vision that ‘learners will be engaged in learning for life, and they will be collaborative, connected and creative’. As a school with a forward focus, we recognise the importance of these ‘three Cs’. The old mantra of read, remember, recall and recite is lessened with anytime, anywhere information being available to all. The real challenge for schools is around creating programmes that foster creativity, collaboration and an ability to connect. Schools have been very good at evaluating a learner’s ability to read, remember and recite. The question may well be – do we need to measure how creative a person may be, or ask whether they can collaborate?
Again, there are exciting times ahead but, of course, we understand that any change creates uncertainty, and that uncertainty often leads to anxiety. Whilst we can appreciate the need for change, we also understand that any change creates challenges and possibly some angst for those participating.
Finally, I would like to recognise our student leadership, particularly over the last three years, during lockdowns and Covid restrictions. Our leaders have been brilliant at connecting with and supporting their fellow students via numerous social media platforms.
On behalf of all our students, ‘tino pai’.