Karamu's principal moving on

FOND MEMORIES: Martin O'Grady

There will be a changing of the guard at Karamu High School.

After seven years at the school, principal Martin O'Grady is moving on.

He has been appointed as the new principal of Feilding High School and will take up this position at the end of January 2016.

Mr O'Grady said he'll take with him "fond memories of a fantastic school".

"Karamu High School was always going to be a hard school to leave, especially as the students have enjoyed so much success in recent years but the time feels right to take on a new challenge and I know I leave the school in very capable hands with the current Board of Trustees and staff."

This week the school, with a roll of almost 900 students, completed an "amazing" ERO review.

Feilding High School has a current roll of 1430 students, a boarding house of 190 students and also owns a dairy farm and sheep and beef farm which they are currently using to develop innovative Agribusiness courses for students.

Board of Trustees Chairman David de Lange said: "We are of course sad to be losing Mr O'Grady but understand the unique challenge that Feilding High School will present to him and wish him well on the next part of his career."

Last October, Mr O'Grady received one of just five National Excellence in Leadership awards.

The Cognition Education Trust worked through more than 600 nominations from early childhood, primary, intermediate and secondary schools, in order to whittle down the country's top educators.

At the time, the modest principal did not take any credit, instead insisting that his win came down to the staff and students he was honoured to represent.

Current deputy principal Michael Leitch will assume the acting principal's role for term one in 2016, while the board conducts a recruitment and appointment process.