Those time-skips are pretty hard on the senses. Here we are in 2016 and already in February! Only 321 till Christmas :)
It's been a challenging start to the year on a personal level with the passing of my Nana just before Christmas and the multitude of entertainment personalities joining her in the firmament. All of them were people I grew up with and thought would be there forever. Sadly, they are not. Time passes, and friends and family come and go. What remains is their legacy. The memories and monuments to what they did and, more importantly, who they were.
I guess that's what I'd like to start building with MBR. A legacy.
I am incredibly proud of all of you. You are filled with potential and have already begun to build your legacy. You will be remembered at Kuranui (and beyond) for what you do and, as Martin Luther King Jr put it, "for the content of [your] character."
Our school ethos sums it up well: “Be the best you can be! Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me maunga teite!” Essentially: Strive for great things, and if you must bow, let it be to a lofty mountain.
Pursue the very best for yourself in every area of your life - in accomplishments, in character, in relationships. These are the hallmarks of greatness.
As I have seen recently, "You don't have to be great to make a start, but you do have to make a start to be great."
