Flynn Harrington, Aja Topless, Sean Barbour and Lucy Humby are Tauhara College's head students for 2025.
Flynn Harrington, Aja Topless, Sean Barbour and Lucy Humby are Tauhara College's head students for 2025.
Tauhara College head students for 2025 feel they cover the ground in terms of school and extracurricular activities, from academic to sporting, performing arts to cultural.
Heads Sean Barbour and Aja Topless and deputies Flynn Harrington and Lucy Humby were announced at the school’s senior prize giving in late October.
“Between us four we have a pretty good balance, culturally we’re involved … and we always get involved in school culture as well,” Aja said.
She said it was the head students’ role to “maintain and grow” that culture.
“Being students we only have so much control or power over what we can change in the school. So, it’s more important to try and uplift what’s already here and then add ways students can grow as people.”
Flynn said he too was keen to see them work to enhance the everyday quality of life at school and opportunities that engaged students.
Sean added: “It’s definitely about enjoying school and making it a place that people want to be, have fun, alongside doing well at school academically.”
The boys, both kapa haka group members, wanted to use their status to build on student competence in the school’s haka.
“We have a school haka, and everyone should be able to do it,” said Sean, “If half of us are doing it and the others are standing there at the back that’s nowhere near. The power of it just isn’t the same.”
Flynn said: “When you have a teacher leaving or school events that we need to tautoko, it’s always a bit of a scramble to find boys that are confident enough. I really want to change that next year so we’ve got a bigger cohort of girls and boys who can jump in.”
The four students said they knew each other very well, in fact, the whole year was very close with each other.
Flynn said all of the head student candidates worked together on their selection speeches.
“It wasn’t about anybody trying to win, but it was about everybody trying to get the best out of each other.”
As an indication of how well the four head students knew each other, the four reported on their respective strengths.
Tauhara College in Taupo. Photo / Laurilee McMichael
Of Flynn, Sean said: “If you can name an activity that you can do at school and outside of school as well then Flynn’s probably doing it, or his will be the first application form. It’s just ridiculous.”
Of Aja, Flynn said she was a “national dance duo champion” and a “menace” in the performing arts space.
Of Sean, Flynn said he was a “star rugby player”.
“A beast in the first XI football team and attendee of the under 19s national tournament this year.”
Of Lucy, Aja said she was an “all rounder”, being strong academically and in sport.
“[She’s] Involved in the school’s multicultural aspect with Japanese exchange students.”
Looking beyond next year, Sean said he was keen to further his football career, either overseas or in a larger city in New Zealand.
Flynn said he was looking at some combination of science study at Canterbury University that might lead to biomedical research or chemical engineering.
Lucy said she would perhaps travel to Japan before university and Aja was interested in criminology, criminal psychology or law at either Canterbury or Victoria University.
Before that however, they were all excited about what was going to be a “cool year” for the class of 2025 but with a hint of duty for them.
“Being the head students we have to lead from the front. So, we’ve got to have that positive mindset towards school and be really good leaders,” Lucy said.
