PNBHS NEWS

First Full School Assembly - Friday 1 February

 
Picture of Ella Mitchell
First Full School Assembly - Friday 1 February
by Ella Mitchell - Friday, 1 February 2019, 12:38 PM
 

First Full School Assembly - Friday 1 February

At the first full school assembly for 2019 the Rector, Mr Bovey, reinforced some key messages for our young men, which we would like to share with our wider school community:

“You are all aware of our school’s vision and values. I say ‘our’ on purpose, by the way, gentlemen. Because it is all of us who make the school what it is. And you know that we expect each and every one of you to work as hard as you can to achieve your own personal goals; we expect you to use your time here constructively; we expect you to grow into fine young men; we expect you will leave this school and go out in to the community as fine young men. So often we hear in the media about the negative behaviour of people your age – we don’t often hear about the large number of young men who do the right thing. We expect you, the young men of Palmerston North Boys’ High School, to do the right thing.

It is also a difficult time to be a young man. So much in the media in recent times has been about the poor behaviour of some men, and it is poor behaviour, behaviour which quite rightly has been condemned. Much of it is to do with the #MeToo movement, which has exposed the reprehensible behaviour of some men in high profile or powerful positions towards women and, in some cases, men. Actor Idris Elba said that “The #MeToo movement is only difficult if you’re a man with something to hide”. And while he is right – because men who have behaved well, and treated people respectfully and with dignity – in other words, treated people properly – those men do indeed have nothing to hide. And yet it isn’t perhaps that straightforward for young men who are coping with a developing sense of their own self, of what it is to be a young man, who are unsure of what society expects of a young man in 2019, when they are getting constant negative messages in the media about masculinity, and about being a man; about how badly behaved so many men are.  

Our focus on character education is something that our school community have given us a clear mandate to pursue; to have a coordinated programme that seeks to achieve our vision and to guide you in terms of building the character you need to become a good man. Much of what we do will support what you have already been taught at home; but some of you may not have had that guiding hand. Our aim, as would no doubt be your parents, is that you do become good men, men of whom we can all be proud. Men who have nothing to fear from those who rail against masculinity because they do the right thing and treat people with respect.

The author Somerset Maughan said “We’re constantly striving for success, fame and comfort, when all we really need to be happy is someone or something to be enthusiastic about”. And he’s dead right – if we can find that something that gives us that spark, that we really want to do well in, that’s half the battle because you will work hard if it is something you care about or enjoy. There will be times during the year ahead when that won’t be the case, but it is at times like that that you will need to show some resilience and tough it out.”