Preece, who pointed out that the boys' fight was dealt with six weeks ago, said calls to resign were "sadly part of the job'' for any principal.
He was concerned about possible industry knock-on effects such allegations could have in attracting future principals nationally.
"I've been a principal for 17 years so it's not like I'm new at this game,'' he said.
"What does scare me is that the number of people who aspire to be principals is dropping.
"That's a real issue. If you look at disinformation type of stuff getting out there, principal aspirants might be looking at that and be thinking, 'no, thanks. I'll just stay as a DP (deputy principal)'.
"That is a real worry.''
Preece said he would always listen to and seek the opinions of those he respected when it came to evaluating his own performance.
"I've had a number of messages from staff today, saying 'you are doing a really good job','' he said.
"And I've had about 10 messages from the ministry (of education) and another colleague, saying, 'hey listen. It's just unfortunate. It's your (school's) turn (to attract negative national media attention) but it will be someone else's turn tomorrow.''
But Preece, principal at the college since 2017, admitted he was concerned that his school's image had taken a hit with the latest bullying drama claims.
He said the "vast majority'' of students and families knew Ashburton College was a ''great school'' but that he was unable to give his side to bullying allegations because of privacy issues involving all parties.
"We regret that some parents have a negative view of the college, but there are thousands of college students who have had a successful experience. Bullying is part of life.
"Fourteen and 15-year-olds, particularly when you throw in social media, are not good at moderating their own behaviour.
"They learn with their own experience. It's just a huge frustration.''
Unfortunately, bullying claims attracting national attention are not new for the college.
Last year, there was an independent investigation into long-term bullying allegations involving a teacher against students and staff in the college's Te Whare Manaaki special needs unit.
The investigation cleared the teacher of all allegations, which stretched back at least three years.
In 2018, there was a violent group attack on a boy, while in 2017 a young girl had her head stomped into the ground in a vicious attack captured on camera.
In 2015, three students were also suspended after putting a cloth bag over a boy's head and telling him, "this is just like Isis", the terrorist militant group in the Middle East.
As the fallout continued from the latest accusations, Preece stressed that he would always remain focused on protecting the school and its students and that the college's bullying messages never changed.
"If you have an issue with bullying, the first thing is to tell somebody and then we can deal with it.''
- Ashburton Guardian
