Sunny Days

On both Saturday and Sunday my family visited the beach.

Saturday morning, we drove all the way down to Orewa Beach up North. We just sat in the sun enjoying the warm, rays of sunshine and the fresh wind. Orewa Beach is one of my favourites because of the actual beach itself. There are hardly any sharp shells that pierce into your feet or rough rocks that hurt to walk on. Another thing I like about the Orewa Beach is the water. It's clearer than most beaches in Auckland let alone New Zealand.

The next day we decided to take my dog out for a joy ride. We didn't know where we were heading but somehow we needed up at Omana Beach. What a sight! There was a beautiful scenic view of the beach. Omana is simular to Orewa but not as nice. The beach is much smaller but they are looking after one of New Zealand's endangered species.

Overall I had an amazing weekend.

Beep Boop

With all the new technology being released, some of us are forgetting how to be safe on the net.

Many programmers have created all sorts of applications for people to chat online. Some online games even feature a chat for gamers to communicate with each other whilst playing. Online communication is becoming a massive thing, it's more common nowadays to talk online rather than irl. Irl is text language for, "in real life". I probably didn't even need to explain what it means because more than 50% of readers would've already known.

Having positive and smart relationships onine not only make you seem like an approachable person but keeps you safe.

Anime, Anime, Anime

Yesterday Leanah took Riiana and I out to explore the Armageddon Exposition at the ASB Showgrounds.

We went last year but we didn't really understand what it was and we couldn't buy a lot of things because we took such a little amount of money. This year was completely differnet. We had more money, we knew what we were doing, there were more stalls and we arrived before the doors open. Once the doors open everyone that was there went all over the place!

The first thing we did was scout out the shops and stalls we wanted to visit then we went outside to figure out our game plan. Everything had a minor discount because yesterday was the last day.

VROOM VROOM!

New Zealand is the first country to celebrate Bentley's 100-year anniversary. The expensive car brand, is turning 100!

In celebration of the 100 year milestone, news reporter from Seven Sharp, Michael Holland took a Continental GT on a cruise through the central North Island. He met some Bentley enthusiasts with some ultra old and seriously valuable Bentleys.

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

On a Friday afternoon, Riiana came to my house and raided my fridge. Sadly, Leanah (my other best friend) couldn't make it because she was sick. Riiana stayed over for, four days.

At first we did absolutely nothing but chill in my room and use the internet. When night fell... we were ALIVE! The atmosphere changed from a boring birthday party to a fun night at Rainbows End.

We started laughing about funny posts on the internet and weird dances we were doing. Eventually we made a funny video with a weird and distorted audio. Throughout the process we couldn't stop laughing because of the audio and the things were we doing whilst recording.

That went on for awhile and we did something simular each night. Overall I had an amazing four days with Riiana.

Where Have You Been All This Time?!

As the NZ Herald describes, "It began with a woman losing her dog and ended with a man being bitten." 

A woman in her mid 20's had been out drinking when she realised her tiny, pet pooch went for a stroll without her knowledge. This all happened in Dunedin, New Zealand. The missing pooch was being cared for in a bar by the name of Albar in Lower Stuart St. 

Before the woman retrieved her dog, one of staff members heard the woman yelling. She got ahold of her dog but the poor staff member was bitten on the way out! 

In my opinion, if you're not cable of drinking whilst looking after your pet, you shouldn't do it in the first place. You'd have to choose one or the other... Drinking or quality time with my pet?

Getting Creative with Graphics

Today at Tech, all the groups did a switch-a-roo. My group went from food to graphics with Miss Ferguson. 

Since it was our first day with Miss Ferguson, we had to introduce ourselves by creating a google drawing and adding photos or gifs of things we like and things that represent us. The background had to be our favourite colour and everyone needed to add at least 2 GIF's. 

I had a lot of fun creating my google drawing. I added lots of images and way more than 2 GIF's. It really made me take time to think about myself for change, instead of thinking about everyone else. My favourite part was finding the images and decorating the google drawing. I loved how I could just play around and experiment with google drawings.

Miss Ferguson said, "We'll be designing juice cartons." Which sounds intriguing to me. I can't wait!

To see my GIF's in action, click here!

Ouch! That's Hot

Today Frank and I made mince gravy with potato salad.

Method:
Step 1 - Boil 2 cups of water.
- Peel and chop 6 potatoes then add to the boiling water.
Step 2 - Fry mince and onion until brown. Take off the heat.
Step 3 - Boil another pot of water. Once boiling, add half a cup of mixed veggies. Take off after 5 minutes.
Step 4 - Get one cup of water, add one tbsp of Bisto and flour. Mix till smooth.
Step 5 - Re-heat the mince, add the Bisto mixture and continue stirring. Add little bits of water to smooth out.
Step 6 - Drain the potatoes and mix with 2 tbsps of mayo.
Step 7 - Serve on a plate.

Oh No! Ahhh!

Today my class had the opportunity to return to the Vector Wero Whitewater Park. This time instead of rafting and learning about water safety, we did kayaking.

Like before, we had to gear up. Wet suits and boots were supplied and ready for us. Before we placed ourselves in our individual kayaks, one of the mentors demonstrated how to get in the kayak and how to use the paddles. Finally it was time to leave land... We each sat in our kayaks and once everyone was ready we all took off.





At first it was scary but after a few strokes I gained confidence. It was hilarious watching others tip! I tipped a few times myself but it was just as funny. My favourite part of kayaking was when we were all falling out.

What do You Call a Cow With no Legs?

Ground Beef!

Today I paired up with Kain for Tech. Together we made mini mince pies.

Method: 
Step 1 - Pre-heat your oven to 200°c.
Step 2 - Fry one proportion of mince.
- Dice half an onion and add that to the pan.
Step 3 - Once both ingredients are golden brown, add in 2 TBSP of flour and 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir for 5 minutes or until bubbling. Remove from heat.
Step 4 - Evenly slice two sheets of puff pastry into 4.
- Place 4 pieces of the pastry onto a lined tray.
- Evenly distribute the mince mixture onto the 4 pieces.
- Add cheese to each pile.
Step 5 - Using the remaining pastry, gently cover the mince and cheese.
- Use a fork to seal the edges.
Step 6 - Put the tray into the oven, keep on eye on it.
Step 7 - Remove from the oven once golden brown.

You can wait till cool or eat it hot.

(Sorry for the bad quality photo.)

I'm Such a Good (W)rapper

Today we were running a bit late for Tech... Lucky enough though, my group made chicken wraps.

Method: 

Step 1 - Dice a bundle of lettuce.

Step 2 - Slice or dice a small tomato.

Step 3 - Spread mayonnaise on a medium sized roti.

Step 4 - Place lettuce, tomato, cheese and a handful of shreded chicken on one half of the roti.

Step 5 - Roll the roti starting from the side with the filling.

Making chicken wraps doesn't take a lot of time and can be sutible for all ages. You can customise this wrap by adding more or taking some ingredients away. 

As you can see, I cut my thumb on my right hand. Take this as a very valuable lesson... Always be careful with knives, look at what or where you're cutting and have parental supervision especially if you're unexperienced with knives.

Lake What?!

Out of all New Zealand's popular lakes, Lake Tekapo might be in for a slight name change.

Reason being, it is spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling should be "Lake Takapō".  According to Mackenzie District Deputy Mayor, James Leslie, the lake's name has no special meaning in it's current state.


Personally, I've never heard of the lake before. I think the slight name change would take a while to get used to.

What an Egg!

Today is our first day back at Tech. Frank and I joined forces and made mini quiches. In the oven they smelt so good!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
Ham
Cheese
Puff pastry






Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
Step 1 - Whisk 4 eggs and 1 cup of milk until well combined.
Step 2 - Slice and dice the ham.
Step 3 - Grab two muffin trays. Using a brush, evenly distribute a little bit of oil.
Step 4 - Using a circular cut out mold, cut out 9-12 pieces from the puff pastry.
Step 5 - Place the puff pastry in the muffin tray then evenly distribute the ham, cheese and egg.
Step 6 - Put the muffin trays in the oven until a nice, brown crust forms.
Step 7 -  Take the trays out and let cool.
Step 8 - Ready to serve.

What an Old Bag!

During the winter holidays I made many happy, sad and angry memories.

On the first week of the holidays I turned 13 years old! My family and close friends celebrated my birthday 8 days earlier because on my birthday weekend I went on a little business trip down to North Islands, Wellington! My parents and I spent two days in hotel that was once a police department. It was exciting but the one thing I really disliked was the elevator. It was old and nosiy.

While in Wellington, we visited Te Papa. The musuem of Wellington. There were 6 levels to explore and two very tired family members trying. By the time we reached the really drains your energy.


Overall, my time in Wellington was super exciting. In general, I had an amazing holiday!

Yum!

Chocolate Muffins!

Today Frank and I made chocolate muffins... Because of what we used I'm going to call it Triple Chocolate Muffins. They are sweet with a subtle taste of bitterness which cuts through the chocolate and adds a new element to the desert.

Method and Ingredients:
Step 1 - In a big bowl combine 1 1/2 cup of self rising flouring, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa and 50g of chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.
Step 2 -  In another bowl combine 1/2 cup of oil, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of yoghurt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 1 egg. Stir until well combined.
Step 3 -  Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold the two mixtures, do not stir or whisk.
Step 4 - Line two muffin trays with muffin wrappers. Heat your oven at 180°c.
Step 5 - Put one tablespoon into each muffin liner. If there is extra batter, evenly distribute it into the liners.
Step 6 - Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Step 7 - Once out of the oven put on a cooling rack.
Optional - If you want you can add chocolate syrup to your muffins.

It's Hard to be a Potato When...

You're surrounded by kumara.

Today at Tech Frank and I made Kumara Frittatas.

Ingredients:
1/2 of a big kumara
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 onion
Optional - Mixed herbs

Method:
Step 1 - Peel the kumara and grate with cheese grater.
Step 2 - Dice onion.
Step 3 - Whisk 4 eggs and 1 cup of milk together.
Step 4 - Mix vegetables and egg mixture together.
Step 5 - Prepare a lined baking tray and pour the mixture in the tray.
Step 6 - Bake at 200° for 15-20 minutes.
Step 7 - Take out and serve while hot.

Frank and I make some pretty tasty dishes!.

One, Two, Three... PADDLE!

Friday 21st of June... My class and I had made memories worth remembering. 

We went to the Vector Wero Whitewater Park in Manukau. It was very exciting because one, we knew very little about this place and two, we were travelling all the way to Manukau! Once we arrived at our destination, I was dazzled. 

My favourite part of this trip was when we had to stand up while going down stream and when we went spinning. It was thrilling and made my heart race. Overall, I enjoyed every bit of what we did. 

Mission ImPASTAble!

Today at Tech Diego and I made Spaghetti Carbonara.

Ingredients:
A handful of spaghetti
3 slices of bacon
1/2 of zucchini
1/2 an onion
1 small carrot
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup of cream
Dried herbs
Water

Method:
Step 1 - Boil three cups of water in a pot. 
Step 2 - Grab your pasta and snap in half. Add into the boiling water. Remove and strain when soft.
Step 3 - Heat up a pan with oil. Dice up the onion and add to the pan.
Step 4 - Peel the skin off the carrot. Scrape off bits of the carrot using the peeler.
Step 5 - Cut the zucchini in half, length wise. Scrape off bits of the zucchini.
Step 6 - Add in the remaining vegetables to the pan and stir.
Step 7 - By now your pasta should be cooked. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Mix with tongs.
Step 8 - Turn the heat off and add the cup of cream, herbs and grated cheese.
Step 9 - Heat up the pan. When the mixture starts to bubble take it off the heat and turn the stove off.
Step 10 - Bake three slices of bacon at 200°c for about 5 minutes.
Step 11 - Take the bacon out and chop into small bite size pieces. Add and stir into the main mixture.
Step 12 - Serve the pasta mixutre in a bowl. 

S-so C-cold

It's been 3 weeks and 1 day into winter and... My gosh! Most mornings I can't feel my toes. My friends are frozen still and numb. My family... They all stay in bed for an extra 5-10 minutes or put a heater on and sit in front of it.

Temperatures are dropping all over New Zealand leaving cold, foggy mornings and in some areas and cold, snowy days in other places. According to the NZ Herald, "Temperatures are most likely to fall 3-4°C across New Zealand this week compared to the weekend." 

In Auckland temperatures will reach up to 17° and slowly drop. 

We're Surrounded by a Massive Ghost!

New Zealanders living in Auckland are experiencing paranormal activity!

This morning when I woke up and looked outside the window I was very surprised at the sight. This ghostly mist has a short, three letter name... Fog. We're surrounded by a ghost like mist that's very hard to see through. This paranormal activity is so dangerous that over 70 flights In New Zealand were delayed or cancelled. This unsuspected ghostly visitor has also made our Friday very cold and chilly.

Beef at Tech... What Went Down

Today at Tech Mrs Tuipulotu accounced that "We're making Sliver Corn Beef with Vegetables." Frank and I decided to partner up this time. Surprisingly, Frank and I make a pretty good team. 

Ingredients:
1 good chunck of silverside (beef)
3 Small potatoes
1/4 of cabbage
1 carrot
1/2 of a onion
1/4 of cauliflower
1/3 of broccoli
Salt
Pepper
Water

Step to Step Process:
1. Heat up a pan with 3 cups of water.
2. Slice and dice the Silverside, add the diced meat into the pan.
3. Dice the potatoes into small finger size pieces, add to the pan.
4. Slice the cabbage and onion, add to the pan.
5. Slice up the cauliflower and broccoli. Add into the pan.
6. Make sure to mix the ingredients every now and then.
7. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Let simmer. 
9. If the water line is lower than your vegetables add in another cup or two.
10. Take of the heat and serve.
Optional - You can eat the soup with bread.

Today was really fun working with Frank. Our food was very tasty also!

Rippa Rugby!

Yesterday was our last sesson of Rippa Rugby with coach Corey. We had 6 fun sessons on the field with Corey. To be honest, when I first heard about Rippa Rugby I didn't have a clue as to what it was. I had little suspicion as to how to play, but I was still very clueless.

Coach Corey taught us many techniques and skill sets such as how to throw and receive a ball, how to pick up the ball from the ground and how to successfully place the ball on the ground without considering it as a knock on. Throughout the six Tuesdays with Corey I have learnt a bunch and enjoyed myself just as much.

Eggs, Bacon... SAUSAGE!

Today at Tech I partnered up with Kate to cooking an English Breakfast in Mrs Tuipulotu's class. The ingredients listed below is enough for two people.

Ingredients:
Bread (4 pieces)
Sausage (4)
Bacon (2 slices)
Eggs (2)
Baked Beans (1/2 can)
Oil

Procedure:
1. Toast the bread on a flat metal tray in the oven at 200°C until golden brown.
2. Put a little bit of oil in the pan. Fry the sausages and bacon together in a pan. When the sausages have a nice brown colour on the outside take them out followed by the bacon.
3. Crack one egg at a time into the pan. Try not to scramble the eggs. One minute and each side then remove onto a plate.
4. Using the same pan, heat up the baked beans.

Since we were cooking for two we each had two pieces of toast, two sausages, one egg and halfed the baked beans. This week we were not only looking at how to cook but how to make our food look presentable. Waht I did was place everything one my toast starting with the baked beans followed by my bacon and egg. For my sausages I put them on the side.

Optical Illusions

For the past few weeks, my class has been learning about how to draw optical illusions and how 3D perspective works. Most optical illusions must consist of straight lines and shading has to be on point. 3D perspective art must have straight lines co-responding to the direction they're coming from and once again, shading must be on point.

I have really enjoyed drawing out different types of optical illusions. From drawing 3D stars that trick your mind to a twisty, 3D heart. I think the hardest one for me was the star because there were so many lines to keep track of and they just ended up going everywhere.

Celebrating Samoan Language Week

On Sunday the 26th of May was the beginning of Samoan language week in Aotearoa. There are many events happening around the country to comemorate the Pacific culture. Acording to KiwiKidsNews, Samoan language week is the first of the seven Pacific cultures to be celebrated this year.

The theme for this year is "Weave an environment for a better future." I am Samoan myself so I feel like this week my culture really gets to shine. I also love the fact that we, as students, are encouraged to embrace their true colours culturally. Take for example, my school. On Friday our principal, Mrs Hamilton, is allowing all Samoan children to wear their traditional cothing.

I love learning and celebrating all sort of cultures.

Lalaga le si'osi'omaga mo se lumanaʻi manuia!

🙌🤝👍

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Riiana, Leanah and I presented the teachers with 6 different posters based on New Zealand Sign Language Week.

Not only did we present some NZSL posters, we also made 3/6 of our own. One poster entirely made specifically for Mrs Brough, another with words the juniors commonly use and the last one filled with signs the seniors should learn based on their learning criteria.

We presented the teachers with our posters during morning tea. Riiana and Leanah did all the talking while I repeated in sign language. It was challenging and fun learning NZSL. I had to learn many different signs according to what was being said. 

In the video below, we are displaying two posters which we coloured in. We also printed out a small poster with medical signs for Mrs Shortland. Our first presentation was on Monday:

On Tuesday we presented the teachers with the posters we had made for the students.

Then there was another... on Wednesday Riiana and I presented Mrs Brough with her very own poster. It consisted of words such as, thank you, boss, email and other computer and manner phrases. 

Hard Material Work at Tamaki College

Today at Tech was very hectic. There were students walking all over the place, tools everywhere and one very busy teacher.

Like I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, I am making a key rack. It is so close to being complete! I just need to think of something I could add to it to use up all the excess pieces of wood. Although this isn't necessary, it feels like my project just needs something extra. Today I was able to screw hooks on with the help from Mr Grundy, of course.

Mr Grundy also set us up with another task for when we're waiting for his help or if we are waiting for our glued projects to dry. Our new task is, in simple terms, "Write instructions on how you made your final design". I decided to change it up a bit by writing how to make any design in general.

Hopefully by next Wednesday I've come up with an idea for the extra piece of wood and how to put it to good use.

Ruapotaka's ANZAC Service

Ruapotaka School held its very own ANZAC ceremony. It was hosted by the student leaders Riiana, Leanah and myself. When we have our services we welcome parents and family to join us. We also invite people from the RSA to watch us and give us their feedback.

I started our ANZAC service with our school prayer followed by our school waiata. After that, I lead the singing of the National Anthem. All the students, teachers and parents joined in. I then invited Mrs Hamilton to the stage to read out the Declaration.

We had three different ANZAC contributions. I was a part of this. I wrote a soldier profile. Flight Lieutenant T. G. Culling. Each class made a wreath that was laid out in front of the crosses we had displayed.

Following the laying of the wreath, I introduced Riiana to the stage to recite a poem called "In Flanders Fields". After that, we had our second and third ANZAC contributions. We had a new student from Room 10 who read out a narrative about being a child waiting for their father to come home from the war and two lovely students from Room 6 who read out why we have The Last Post. Straight after that, everyone stood for the playing of The Last Post and then we stood quietly for the one minute silence.

Lastly, I welcomed Leanah to the front to recite the Remembrance poem and to close the service. It was a major learning experience hosting something so important. Our service was a complete success too! The lady from the RSA said “This is the best school service I’ve been to.” Which was really nice to hear considering all of us worked so hard to fulfill high expectations.

Kiwican - Week 1

This is day two of term 2, Tuesday 30 April. Today at 11:30am my class went to the Multipurpose Room to have a lesson with two ladies, our tutors. Their names were, Miss Tuia and Mrs Mac. Mrs Mac was filling in for another tutor, Mr Matt.

They had a theme, topic and a few activities in stored for us.

Theme: Integrity - (meaning) being honest

Topic: Honesty

For our first activity we got to know each other. We stood up in a circle going around saying our names then, we played 2 games of Bang. It was like our tutors were playing a memory game, it was hilarious! After that, we sat down to talk about what we feel and what we should do if someone is cheating and not following the rules when playing a game. Most of us replied "stop playing" which you could do but why should you have to stop playing if you're not the one cheating? That was a question that raised a good point.

We played two other games. One which was pretty chaotic and one that changed our General Knowlege.

Bing Boom Ping - Sammy V

 Yesterday afternoon Ruapotaka School had a very special visitor. His name was Sam Verlinden, but he had a street name which was Sammy V. Sam took a major in the music industry and decided to write and conduct his own songs.

He had an interesting back story. He narrated his story with actions. According to Sam, he wanted to become better at singing to impress a girl so he read everyday to find new words for lyrics.

I thought it was interesting and new having someone who chose a music career and it all started with just reading and practise. I truly think he has inspired many of us, especially the juniors to continue reading everyday.

Wher, wher, wher! - Week 6 at Tech

Today my class went to Tech.

My group was and still is with Mr Grundy. Our task from day 1 was to create an item that has a purposeful use. First we had to draw 8 designs that would work, then following that we had to choose one design that we thought was the best and wanted to construct.

Now, at this point we are all working with 320 mm wood blocks. For whatever design we are making we have to get our measurements one hundred percent correct. For instance, I'm making a key rack. I've decided to make the back of it 170 mm long so, therefore my piece for the actual keys is 150 mm long. Mr Grundy is always stating that we need to be very precise and careful, one crooked line or cut could change the whole project.

So far I'm up to chiseling my piece of wood to create a joint.

My Ball!

Everyday, aside from Wednesday, Room 12 does daily sport. We play all kinds of sports such as, soccer, touch, softball, netball and (a new addition to our collection) volleyball.

Sadly, my class cannot play volleyball. The reason being that we have too many students. Playing volleyball with everyone in my class when they are present can be catastrophic. 

Volleyball is a game that consists of 12 players with a total of 6 people on each team. My class has 29 students so that's roughly about 14 students on each team.

In general, I've been enjoying playing sports with my class. So far this term we've played softball, touch, soccer and volleyball (but there were quite a few of us away). The majority of us are very energetic and spirited. 

Ooo! I Know Your Password

Our teachers decided to have a few refreshers about being Cybersmart. I've chosen to research and write about smart and protective passwords.

To be able to make a protective password that no one will crack, you will need to figure out what the most common passwords are. This includes names, birth dates, pet names, family and phone numbers. You may be wondering why these aren't such good passcodes. The reason being that children in school or adults in work may know some of your personal details. 

Have you heard about the internet sensation Momo? Well, the people behind Momo are extremely skilled hackers. They steal people's information and use it against them to cause self harm or worse. It is really important to make sure your password is something you can remember and one that is impossible to crack, even by very skilled hackers. 

Interschool Softball

Yesterday was a big day for Leanah, Caylee, Madisyn, Leaaepeni, Tristan, Konzay, Frank, Alamoni and I. We all went to Mount Wellington War Memorial Park with Mr Reid for a softball competition.

We have been preparing for a week and a half. Personally I kept my mind focused on hitting the ball and catching. Our team was a bit different from the rest. The reason being that we didn't use gloves when fielding. Every team we faced were taken by surprise. 

Our first match was against Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Puau Te Moananui a Kiwa. The game started at 10. It was a good game to start the day. Each game was 30 minutes long which didn't feel as long as it was.

Overall we played 5 games. My team and I had an amazing time.

Now, I'm aiming for the volleyball team at the end of the term. 

More Learning?

Today, Wednesday 20th February, I am taking an assessment for someone who is going to tutor me.

My parents have decided that I need a tutor to push me further in my learning. This is also going to help me find new limits and extend my ability to learn.

All I know about my tutor is that it's a female and her name is Sarah. I've never had a tutor before so this will be quite strange and new for me.  

Watch Your Fingers!

Today was our first jam-session at Tech.

My group was with Mr Grundy. Same teacher but different activity. This time we will be working with... wood. That's right. Wood. So far we were instructed to draw a few sketches, quote in qoute, 'blue prints' for a final design. What are we designing? Well, since we're working with wood, we have to design and construct an item with a useful purpose.  

My top three designs were, a book like box, a little jewellery holder and a picture frame. 

Who's The Head Prefect?

Last year we had to say goodbye to the year 8 prefects. It was sad to see them go.

A new year has begun and new Prefects have been selected. Working alongside me this year we have, Madisyn, Agueer, Frank, Sione and of course, Riiana and Leanah . It turns out that I was chosen to be Head Prefect.

Many know me as Jessica or Jess. I am 12 years old turning 13. I have a humorous love for art and sleeping.

As the head prefect I am expected to be a positive role model. Someone who always tells the truth, someone who has manners and someone who is inspiring or encouraging but honestly, the list could go on forever.

Knowing that a lot of students and the teachers can trust me and support me throughout my last year in intermediate makes me happy. This year is going to be one of my wildest. My parents want me to get into a good college with benefits of a great future. Right now I could care less about college because all I need to worry about is where I'm at now. Pushing myself until I can't, working my bottom off until I'm satisfied with my results. My current goal is to be 'Better Than Before'. A phrase that's been by my side ever since I started at Ruapotaka, will stay with me until I'm satisfied and need a well deserved break. Until that day comes I'll be working hard.