STUDENT LEADERS

I feel proud to lead such a great group of Year 13 students and the Prefect team this year. I have always looked up to the leaders of this school throughout my years at Dannevirke High School, and now, to finally be one of them, feels very surreal. All I hope to do in this role is inspire the next generation of student leaders in the same way those before me inspired me.

As Head Boy, my role involves many different aspects and responsibilities. These include helping with school events such as interhouse sports, Student Council meetings, DHS Way videos and SADD campaigns. It also includes out-of-school events, such as attending our local ANZAC services, helping at our Family Hui and the Year 7 and 8 Open Evening. By far, my favourite part of being a prefect is being part of the student body. It’s amazing to see how much talent and skill we have here at DHS. Watching our younger students grow into future leaders is incredibly moving, and I hope our Year 13 group has inspired them to take a step toward leadership in the very near future.

This role has been an eye-opener for me. I’ve had so many valuable experiences during my time as a Prefect that have shaped my character and helped me grow. I’d like to give a big thanks to all the staff who have supported me along the way. They are the backbone of this school, and without their encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I also want to congratulate the 2025 prefect group on such an awesome year so far — we have made a great team.

Representing Dannevirke High School as Head Girl for 2025 has been a very rewarding experience. I have admired this leadership position since Year 9 and I am incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to fulfil the role in a way of giving back to the school community. My leadership role within Dannevirke High School has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, build new relationships with people and grow my leadership skills. As Head Girl, my role involves leading the Prefect team, being a positive ambassador for the school values and working collaboratively with staff, students and fellow Prefects to find opportunities for improvement within Dannevirke High School. 

Throughout this year I have been actively involved in supporting and organising various events around Dannevirke High School. I have helped run student-led lunchtime games and 3 vs 3 lunchtime sports to encourage the participation and enjoyment of sports from students. To ensure the school suits all student needs, I have helped gather and report on student voice from the School Uniform Feedback Survey as well as Year 13 voice for the Dannevirke High School Whānau Hui. The Head Boy (Ollie) and I have also organised the Welcome Assembly for the Japanese exchange students and the initiation of the Prefect Blurb in the Dannevirke High School Newsletter, where the Dannevirke community has been informed of the happenings around the school in relation to each Prefect Role. 

Undertaking the role of Head Girl this year has enhanced my confidence and strengthened my ability to back decisions I make. I have always admired leaders who make an effort to say, ‘hello,’ to anyone and show a genuine interested in their experiences. This role has given me plenty of opportunities to connect with a range of students around the school and I greatly value the fact that students feel they can approach me with any of their questions or concerns. Over the duration of this year, I have learnt that people are not a ‘one size fits all’ population and refining my leadership skills by adapting to different situations as well as understanding the needs of those around me, has been fundamental to my growth as a leader.

The support I have received from staff, students and the wider school community throughout my journey in this leadership role has been invaluable. I look forward to continuing the year as the Head Girl of Dannevirke High School, striving to make a meaningful difference at Dannevirke High School.

Being Deputy Head Student at D.H.S has been a pretty awesome experience. My role involves helping lead school events, supporting the rest of the student leadership team, and being someone that others can come to for support or ideas. I work closely with the Head Students, prefects, staff, and heaps of students across the school.

This year I’ve helped run assemblies, house events, and other school-wide activities that bring people together. I’ve learned a lot about teamwork, speaking up, and staying organised (even when things get busy). It’s been cool to be part of a team that’s actually making a difference at school and helping shape what D.H.S feels like for everyone.

I am honoured and privileged to have this role as the Deputy Head Girl of Dannevirke High School. Serving in a leadership role has been a dream of mine since I started in Year 9 and it is my way of giving back to our school.  I would like to be a good role model for students and encourage them to be and do their best.  The many sporting and academic opportunities provided by Dannevirke High School has helped me grow a various range of important skills and values. Personally, I endeavour to be a great leader with an encouraging and positive mindset. A piece of advice from me would be to set goals and work hard towards them.  Make the most of your high school years and live these years to the absolute fullest because you are only here once.

Throughout this year I have actively been supporting the senior leadership team in representing the student body. So far, I have helped organize many school events beside my peers, assisted in leading assemblies, and act as a role model for our younger students. I have been taking part in meetings to share the student feedback and worked on events that can help improve our school. I am incredibly grateful for all the encouragement and support that I’ve received from my teachers and peers, it has played a huge role in helping me grow in leadership and confidence. I’m excited for the rest of the year and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact within our school community.

Hello school and Dannevirke community! In my position as Academic Prefect, I am actively trying to support and enhance our school’s learning environment. I am grateful for this opportunity because it has given me the platform to strengthen my leadership skills, which will be useful for the rest of my life. I feel that this role has opened my eyes to the many opportunities that we have at Dannevirke High School, even as a small rural school. I encourage all students to make the most of these opportunities and their time at secondary school.

My role involves encouraging our students to learn to the best of their ability and make the most of the academic opportunities we have at Dannevirke High School. As academic prefect, it is amazing to see students striving to achieve at excellence level. Although, I am very proud of the wide range of talents we have here at D.H.S and understand that academic success can come in many forms. I understand that everyone is different. We all learn differently, we are all under different circumstances, and we all have different future goals. Therefore, I want everyone to be supported in their own endeavors, and I can help by encouraging and supporting students to meet the academic criteria that allows them to get there.

To do this, I lead by example, try and ensure I am relatable to students, understand how the NCEA system works and work closely with students and staff, with the help of Mr. Noble. I support and participate in school efforts such as holiday school and will be organising study groups during the exam periods. While I am always happy to help students at school, I also provide study resources online. It gives me a huge sense of fulfillment when I can help someone understand something in the classroom, because I know how frustrating new learning can be. 

Pushing students to work hard and reach their full potential is very rewarding when I get to see the sense of pride they feel when they achieve their goals. With the teamwork of our D.H.S staff and student leaders, all  of our students can reach their academic goals if they set their minds to it and take responsibility for their learning.

As prefects, our role this year has been about much more than just a title. We have taken on the responsibility of representing our school community, supporting students and staff and leading initiatives that bring the Dannevirke High School values of respect, responsibility and resilience to life. 

Our duties involve speaking each week in assembly about the values and occasionally showing videos that range from student/staff interviews to educational videos we find online. We also announce the DHS way card winners for a junior and senior student each week, acknowledging a student who show these values in class, and they receive a $20 voucher. At the end of each term, we give out a $50 voucher for a senior and junior student who have handed in the most cards. This allows us to contribute to the school community and also developed our public speaking skills, teamwork, communication and organisation. 

Through this journey, we have grown personally and as leaders. We have learned how to listen actively, manage our responsibilities and remain resilient even when faced with challenges. Working closely with staff, in particular Mrs Higginson and Mrs Menzies and other students. This has strengthened our understanding of collaboration and respect.

What makes this leadership journey truly meaningful is the shared commitment of our prefect team to uphold the DHS Way every day. We hope that our efforts have inspired others to step up, lead with kindness, and embrace responsibility.

"Respect is how to treat everyone, responsibility is the price of greatness, and resilience is getting back up when life knocks you down."

We are excited to continue our journey being the DHS Way prefects for the rest of the 2025 year! 

Thank you, Marcie Downs, Myra Caswill and Lydia Black.

Kia Ora Dannevirke community. My name is Te Hiiri Nikora and I am one of the cultural prefects of Dannevirke High School. To me, this role involves celebrating the diverse cultures within our school community. So far, Shayla and I start and finish our weekly assembly’s with karakia, and have organised a Waiata competition for Matariki ma Puanga. Later in the year, Shayla and I will organise activities based around Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori, as well as supporting our Kapa Haka ropu. We continue to work with the senior leadership team and Whaea Te Amokura Gaffrey to ensure this happens. A big part of this role is creating opportunities for our akonga to feel proud of their identity and encourage others to learn and appreciate other cultures different from their own. 

This role has helped me grow in confidence and leadership. Through it I have learnt how to communicate with staff and our peers, speaking in public and being a leader. I have had to become more consideration to different perspectives of what school means to us and how we approach it. This journey has been filled with so many positive emotions. I am proud of who I am. I am proud to be one of the Cultural Prefects for Dannevirke High School. Thank you. 

As sports prefects our goal is to encourage and inspire everyone in the school to have a go in the sporting events around school. Whether it is becoming champion in athletics or just simply participating in a house event, we want everyone to give it a go! Our goal is to have students in the school to feel comfortable and safe within any sporting environments.

 So far this year we have held our annual athletics, swimming sports, cross country and tug-of-war events, and have seen great success in the number of students taking part. With more events on the calendar, we are excited for more students to get involved!

The house competition in each event has been great to see, with everyone getting into the competitive spirit. As leaders in the school, it has been encouraging to see such great participation and effort being put into the house competitions. 

A new project we have introduced this year is the DHS Sportsperson of the week. This involves each sports team nominating one person from the team who has shown the DHS values of respect, responsibility and resilience, in their games and trainings. Weekly one winner is drawn and announced in the school assembly and wins a prize. It has been great to see so many names nominated each week, meaning our values are an active part of our sporting culture at DHS.

As the sports prefects for the school, we have grown as leaders. We have become more resilient, are able to manage our time effectively and feel very accomplished in the success of sporting events in the school. We have been extremely lucky to have worked with Mr Noble, Miss Eriksen and Mrs Goggin as they have been extremely supportive in helping us with our roles. 

Being the DHS Sports Prefects for 2025 has been huge for us and we are more than grateful for this. We hope to see continued participation and involvement of students in the sporting events in the future.

Thank you, Bayly Castles and Sally Peffers.

Hello, my name is Leah Bray, and I am Dannevirke High School’s internal services prefect for 2025.  This role has given me many opportunities to extend my leadership skills and benefit Dannevirke High School. With my position, I oversee our Students Against Dangerous Driving Committee (SADD). SADD cares about the wellbeing of our communities. Their programmes support youth to influence attitudes and behaviours and inspire their peers to make safer choices on our roads, helping to create a road safety culture. I work under the guidance of Mrs Goggin. Together, we are constantly working on finding new activities and initiatives to share with the school. This year our SADD committee has grown by over 50 members, as we now have a large committee of over 135 members. It has been great to see students and teachers getting behind SADD initiatives. In April, I went to the annual SADD conference in Christchurch, where I spent 3 days with many like-minded students who were keen to make our roads safer and keep our youth safe. I was able to bring back many valuable Leadership skills and initiatives to DHS, which will continue to be presented throughout term 3 with our biggest event coming up.

 I find this role fulfilling, knowing I am taking steps towards preventing community loss and vehicle accidents within our community. I have always admired people who step up and raise awareness for causes that are meaningful. Knowing that I am doing the same gives me a great sense of accomplishment. This role has strengthened my leadership skills opened my mind up to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of making a difference. It’s encouraged me to think creatively about how to engage others, communicate more effectively, and approach societal issues with a solution-focused mindset. I look forward to continuing in my role as internal services prefects and I aspire to make a long-lasting impact on the SADD committee as well as the safety of Dannevirke youth and our community. 

As the Environmental Prefect, my role involves helping our school environment in a variety of ways such as bringing awareness to environmental issues and promoting ways to help the environment. My current project is helping with the garden outside of the cooking room, with me and Cooper (the other Environmental Prefect) trying to find the most effective ways to plant a bunch of vegetables in the garden. I’ve learnt quite a bit about gardening, like what seasons you can plant certain vegetables in, how to stop your vegetables from getting diseases, and what plants work well together. I mainly work with Cooper Knight (the other Environmental Prefect), Ollie Bowie (Head Boy), and Mrs Menzies. This leadership role has genuinely opened my eyes on how we can take care of our environment and make sure it lasts for generations to come.

I feel a profound sense of honour and pride being the Arts Prefect at Dannevirke High School. Being the Arts Prefect is an opportunity to encourage creativity and celebrate the talents within our school community. This year, I have organised lunchtime concerts which have been very successful, as well as supporting the school art competition and music lessons. Towards the end of Term 3, I will be assisting Ms Pene in running the annual school Talent Quest which I actively encourage students to become involved in. In my role, I work closely with Ms Pene and Whaea Mackenzie, helping students discover hidden talents in the arts and performing arts area. This position has helped me grow both personally and as a leader. My confidence in public speaking and communication with staff and fellow prefects has significantly improved. I have also learnt to appreciate the different ways people express themselves and communicate. Overall, this has been a positive and rewarding experience, and it makes me proud to be known as the Arts Prefect at Dannevirke High School!

I have been the Student Representative for the Dannevirke High School Board of Trustees for the past two years. My role involves going to board meetings and contributing on behalf of the students at our school. I have had a say on topics such as school property, uniforms and events being run at our school. This has given me a unique perspective on the governance of our school and how we as a student body can make positive changes. 

I have learned a lot in this role, and it has been great to take a step outside of my comfort zone and gain confidence. The skills I have learnt in governance will stick with me forever and will be useful in everything I do. This experience has also improved my decision-making and communication skills, which has complemented my duties as Head Boy.  My term as Student Board Representative is coming to an end, and I hope the next student representee enjoys their time and learns as much as I have in this important role.

As the Chairman of the Student Council here at Dannevirke High School, I get to work with the student body to sort out fundraising events and make the changes that they want to see. It is so important to consider the opinions of the school community, and through this role I support people who have ideas and suggestions for improvements so our council of volunteering students can democratically make decisions surrounding them.Along with the Secretary and Treasurer, I run meetings every few weeks with the council, and we discuss topics from school uniform preferences to creating scholarships for our leaving year 13s. It is also these meetings where people suggest different charities/organisations, and we choose the one that we think will be best to donate money towards. These fundraisers vary from themed mufti days to bake sales, raffles and more!So far this year we have held a red and yellow themed mufti to raise money for Ronald McDonald house charity, and Pink Shirt Day for bullying awareness. This role has helped me become so much more confident, with a strong sense of leadership that translates into life outside of school. By communicating with other people (staff and students alike), and speaking in front of assemblies, my social skills have also improved immensely. When I first came to Dannevirke High School, I would have never thought that I would be volunteering myself to do something that requires so much socialisation and responsibility. But I truly believe that doing so was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself, and my future.

Kia ora, we have had the privilege of being the Paulsen House Captain and Deputy House Captain for 2025. As Year 12 students, we’ve loved the chance to step up and represent our house this year. Our role has involved supporting our house during key events like athletics, swimming sports, our Matariki waiata competition, and other interhouse events, while helping to build pride, teamwork and strengthening our house spirit.

We’ve worked with our teachers to organise events, encourage participation and make sure everyone feels involved. Taking on this role has taught us a lot about responsibility, communication and how to lead by example, ensuring we’re actively involved and positive about all events.

We’re proud of everything Paulsen has achieved this year and are grateful to have been part of it. A particular highlight has been our ongoing lead in the number of students handing in D.H.S. Way cards. This is amazing and shows that while we may not win every event on a sports field our house shows the school values and does the right thing on a daily basis. As we look ahead, we’re excited to see Paulsen aim even higher in 2026 and continue to grow as a team. Being House Captains has been a highlight of our time at Dannevirke High School so far. Kia kaha Paulsen, keep up the awesome work!

I am proud to be the MacDonalds Deputy House Captain, a role that has given me the chance to develop as a leader and represent my house. My responsibilities include speaking at house meetings, organizing and preparing teams for events, and teaching and leading our house chants to keep spirits high. I also make sure everyone feels encouraged and supported so that we can perform at our best during competitions.

This year, I have been involved in leading major house events such as swimming sports, athletics, cross country and the waiata competition. I am especially proud that MaccDonald house has won all of these events, which is a huge achievement for us. I have worked hard to motivate students, build strong teams, and keep everyone focused and determined. Seeing our house succeed after all the effort we put in has been one of the highlights of my year as a leader.

In this role, I work closely with the students in MacDonalds House, our House Captain Trey Castles, MacDonald Whānau teachers and other staff members who support us during events. Trey and I share ideas and responsibilities, making sure that our house is prepared and united. I have also built strong connections with teachers, who guide us and help ensure that events run smoothly. Working with both students and staff has taught me the importance of teamwork and communication.

What makes my leadership journey meaningful is helping lead MacDonald House to our successive major wins over the year – ending a pretty rough streak. It has been an amazing experience to see how much we’ve grown as a team and how our hard work and determination have paid off. This success has shown me the value of leadership, persistence and collaboration. It has inspired me to continue working hard to make MacDonald House even stronger in the future and keeping this legacy alive.

Hi, we are Camryn and Riley Simmer house captains. Being the House Captains for Simmers has been a great experience for both of us. We have loved the opportunity to lead our house, bring people together, and represent Simmers with pride. From cheering everyone on at athletics day, swimming sports, cross country, and inter-house events, to helping organise teams and keep the team spirit high, we have tried our best to make sure every student felt included and proud to be part of Simmers House. It has been a privilege working together and growing as leaders. We have learned so much about teamwork, communication and what it means to be a positive role model. Most of all, we have had heaps of fun and made memories we will always carry with us. We are so proud of everything Simmers has achieved this year, and we are grateful for the support of our teachers, teammates and every student who get involved and give it their all. Go Simmers!