Tracy O'Brien came to Cullinane College when it was merging two single-sex schools into one.
That was seven-and-a-half years ago, when Sacred Heart and St Augustine's colleges merged.
Today is Mr O'Brien's last day at Cullinane.
He is leaving for Kavanagh College in Dunedin, which has a roll of 800 students from year 7-13, compared to the 280 at Cullinane, which is solely secondary.
Mr O'Brien says there is a huge attraction to stay within a Catholic school because he likes the spiritual dimension that opens up the self-reflective side of the students, which brings with it a resiliency.
"We are fortunate that Catholic schools have a special character that students can engage with, and delve into the spiritual, which is important for them to move forward."
And, yes, he is sad to be leaving the students.
He was there at the start and, in a manner of speaking, the school has been his baby.
It was only when he stopped and stepped back, he said, that he realised the unity that now existed in the school.
Which is another reason he feels okay about moving on.
Sacred Heart had a 122-year history and St Augustine's 52 years, so formulating a new identity was tough.
There was a process in the amalgamation of the two schools, and inherent challenges around co-education systems, that worked for both girls and boys.
From the start the momentum was created which moved the school along, but in the third year the challenges became apparent.
There was a lot of work melding the two single-sex cultures and professional development for the teachers to upskill around co-education.
"It was a journey for all of us to find our feet.
Last year there was the excellent Education Review report which Mr O'Brien contends is because Cullinane punches above its weight.
"At a national level, we are doing much better than schools of this type and size."
He said he was proud of Cullinane's strengths and the achievement levels in the school - academic, sporting and cultural.
Cullinane has won the regional Rockquest in the past and this year the Kapa Haka group will go to the nationals.
He smiles as he says,"At a small school, the cream rises."
He says he has formed really good relationships with his students and he's been a teaching principal which has kept him real.
In a small school you have to do a bit of everything. He coached cricket this year and in the past it was rugby. And at weekends he would be out watching the school teams playing sport.
But all schools these days face challenges, and schools had to find new ways to engage with students and their families.
For some students, schools were the most stable support in their lives, and the focus had to be on teaching, learning and good pastoral support.
"We involve families in a three-way relationship to deliver education and we have to be vigilant. Schools have to be safe places to nurture the students."
With that said, Tracy O'Brien is leaving Cullinane in good heart and heading across Cook Strait to become a "good southern man".
Cullinane's first head moves on
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.