The Last Word

By Isimeli Tuivaga | Posted: Monday October 10, 2016

Term 4 brings with it the end of the schooling year, but we should not see it this way and hope for the end. We should cherish each last opportunity that comes our way as the year is coming to an end.

This term our theme is excellence, the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.

As we head into our final term we must remember, that it is the finish, not the start that defines our character. Excellence is not a skill; it is an attitude, a desire, a passion.

This time right now, this term is where we showcase our excellence, our ability to hold our standards high up until the very end. If school was a meal then term 4 would be the desert, though it is short and sweet we must not let ourselves buckle under the stress of a strenuous and long year.

As seniors we must push forwards and finish the year strong, because as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other students permission to do the same, as we work hard and tirelessly, the attitude of excellence is automatically rubbed off on to others.

We as a school must recognise our own talents and remember that it’s not your talent that matters, it's what you do with that talent, it is how much further you push yourself in order to become more than who you are. That is what really matters. Putting in the hard yards, sacrificing what you are for what you potentially could become. Excellence is not being ashamed to do that resubmission, it's turning up hungry and ready to bust out that last exam on a Friday afternoon, that is excellence boys.

Sometimes the journeys we take are what really reflect our capacity for excellence. Leading into exams and final internals we must make the preparation and process of performance the best it could possible be. We shouldn't allow the pressures of the results dictate our journey. We must prepare well, study hard, work hard, play hard, consult teachers and finish the year strong.

It is crucial however to remember what is really driving you, that final result, that end score, that 1st place finish, that dream, that goal, that pursuit for excellence. The end is almost as crucial as the journey but regardless of the result, of the outcome, we must know that as long as you gave all that you could, that if you performed to the best of your ability then that is what truly makes us excellence students.

And yes like many last words before me and like many last words after me, I will finish with a quote by Colin Powell, "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude". Cheers.