Kia ora koutou . My name is Rose Martin and it has been my privilege to be Head Girl of TCGS in 2023.
The Cathedral Grammar School is made up of students who have been here since Preschool, some of us have come from a variety of schools around Christchurch, New Zealand and even the world. But on Tuesday 12 December at 12pm, we will start our new phase as high schoolers. Although we are dispersing to different schools, we will always be Grammarians, and the memories we've created here together will always stay with us.
The opportunities we have been given at The Cathedral Grammar School have been phenomenal. My passions are singing and music, and I don’t think there could be a better school for a girl, like me, who just wants to sing. Our Operetta, ‘The Sound of Music’, in this Christ’s College auditorium was a big highlight this year, and our Band Quest performances at Burnside were also outstanding. Of course, I have loved being part of the girl choristers during the past 2 years. Throughout this time the girl choristers have been such a strong team and we have improved so much. I am also really going to miss getting up at 6 am every morning for those 8 am starts.
To the Year 8 girls, we have created some great memories together. A main highlight was Year 8 camp when we walked the Hogsback trail at Castle Hill. The views were amazing. Once we reached the end of the hill, we all slid down the steep slope together between rocks and prickle bushes. Faye managed to slide down the hill at such a fast speed she had to grab onto the roots of bushes to stop her fall. When we finally made it to the bottom, it just became a hilarious memory.
English with Mrs Leith was especially fun. I loved it when we got to make hot chocolate in the middle of English class. I also enjoyed Mr Brooke’s slideshows in science with all the animations to make them exciting.
Getting to work with Ada, Josh, and Conor this year has been tremendous. I loved our online Saturday afternoon meetings where we planned all the upcoming events, all whilst Josh would be also fixing his bike and cooking dinner in the background. This year has taught all of us how to multitask.
Our school pillars are, ‘Do the right thing’ ‘Think, Try, Reflect’ ‘Fearlessly aim high’ and finally ‘Everyone matters’. The Cathedral Grammar School motto is ‘Semper Fidelis’ which translates to ‘always faithful’. The school motto connects to the pillars by reminding us to always stay faithful to our school pillars.
Something that has really stood out for me at our school is that every day I walked through the gates I felt like I was cared for, I felt like the teachers noticed our strengths and needs as individuals, and like one of our school pillars I have felt like ‘Everyone Matters’. I also really appreciate how the teachers celebrate with us when we have successes. Regardless of whether an activity is our strength or we just want to take part, I think the teachers have our backs. So, I want to say thank you for everything The Cathedral Grammar School has given all of us.
Thank you to our teachers for captivating classes, for caring, and for teaching us to be courageous. Thank you to all the Year 8s for the friendship, and the fun.
At 12pm on the 12th of December, we finish our time here together, but our memories will remain part of us forever.
Rose Martin
Head Girl 2023