As the end of the year draws closer and students start to arrange plans to go on holiday and hangout over the break, one thing becomes obviously clear. It will soon be time to say goodbye to Pakuranga College’s very own Year 13s. The ones that may have been your peer supporters – maybe you knew them when you were in your junior/early senior years. Maybe you were one of the many teachers that taught them. Maybe you are their tutor friends, sad to see them leave. Or perhaps you are a Year 13.
It’s a fairly simple concept. We come to college for five years, and are then set out into the world to make something of ourselves. We are awarded credits for sufficient knowledge. Five years seems like a long time (especially for the juniors), but looking back on my past 2 and ¾ years of education, it feels like such a short span of time. I sometimes even forget I am this old! Looking at my white shirt and going “Woah! When did Year 10 end?” Time flies when you’re having fun.
And now, their time has come. They have been prepared all year for their journey beyond college, and soon it will be time for them to leave the warm nest that is Pakuranga College, and fly away to make something of themselves. What sort of plans do they have in store? What do they strive to do, to be, once they leave Pak? Are they excited, nervous, unfazed? What advice do they want to give before they are gone? I have gone ahead and asked three Year 13 students these very questions, trying to get more insight and information into what it is like to be a Year 13.
I first interviewed Marcus Barrett, a Year 13 student in Rimu. I’ve known Marcus since I started school. He invited me to play card games with him and two other students. Since then, I have always sat at that table and I always play card games. (I usually don’t win, but that’s not the point).
I firstly asked him about his future, his plans and what he wants to do when he is older. “I am going to take a gap year before I go to uni. Long term I want to live in California. I want a career in music composition.”
But when thinking about one’s future, you must also think about where their dreams came from. I then asked him about his college life. “My favourite subject is Music, because I love music. My favourite teacher is Mr Breed”. In one word, he described his college life as “chaotic”.
Finally, I asked him what advice he would give other students. “Get stuff done, don’t be last minute about your career choice. Make sure you pick the right subjects. I regret not taking the subjects I needed because I only figured out what I wanted to be this year. I messed around in Year 11, struggled to figure it out in Year 12.”
The second student I spoke to was Aaminah Ali, a Year 13 student who will be unfortunately leaving us at the end of the year. Many would know her from her involvement in a range of clubs and activities around the school. She is a valued member of the school, and it will be very sad to see her leave.
“I think like most people, I’m nervous and excited about leaving Pakuranga. It’s definitely going to be a daunting experience but I think moving into the real world is the natural next step so we just have to keep going through the journey.”
She further gave statements about her favourite aspects of college life, favourite teacher, subject, and how she would summarise her college experience in one word. “My favourite subject at Pakuranga was History. I love the subject because we get to look at such a wide range of events that have happened in history and I especially love looking at things I wouldn’t know much about otherwise. This year I enjoyed studying the atomic bomb from WWII because we looked at different perspectives, and I learnt things I wouldn’t have thought of before.
“My favourite teacher is my tutor teacher, Dr Sajjanan, because even though she’s never taught me and she’s only been my tutor this year, I wish I’d had her for longer. She’s a really amazing human being who cares about all the students she comes across.”
In one word, she described their Pak life as a “rollercoaster”, which I can only assume most students would agree with.
“Advice I would give for juniors, I’d say to have fun while you can. Try new things and make new friends because by the end of the five years, these are the things you’ll remember. For Year 12s becoming Year 13s, I’d say it’s definitely worth giving everything a shot because you have nothing to lose. Make the most out of school life.”
Lastly, I spoke to Rhys Jones, most popularly known in Tōtara House. Walking around campus with his exceptional style and bold nature, and my personal role model. I spoke to him first about what he wants to do when he leaves Pakuranga, and what his future looks like for him.
“I am going to take a gap year, then learn how to teach and go to uni. I think I am going to live with my parents forever. I strive to be a public nuisance and do some theatre outside of school.”
Once we spoke about his future, we spoke more about his time here at Pakuranga College. His favourite teachers, his favourite memories, as well as some advice he would give other students on their Pakuranga College journey. I asked him how he feels about leaving Pakuranga, and his response made me think more in-depth of how I would feel when I leave. “It feels like you don’t want to do something, but feeling content knowing it’s something you have to do. You feel small knowing no one will realise you’re gone. It’s like “oh!” I dunno what to do with myself. Waking up and not having a set place to go.”
“My advice would be to find somewhere in the school that you can devote yourself to. School can be more than just coming to your class. I regret not doing that sooner, if I could I would go back and give the Drama department my 110% for all five years.”
“My favourite teachers are Mr BW and Mr Waters. I look up to Mr Waters. He is my inspiration to be a teacher. Also, Miss Hart because she holds me to a higher standard than I do, making me strive to be better.”
“Something that scares me about leaving Pakuranga is just the concern of what is going to happen to my friendships. I don’t know if we’ll keep in contact, what will happen to those ties. I am concerned with who I will have around.”
“My favourite subject is obviously Drama. Honestly, it was the subject I found myself giving my all to and having fun giving my all to. It is my passion and I love doing it.”
I enjoyed this part of our chat the most, when I asked Rhys some of his best memories. These are just a handful of the ones I managed to write down fast enough, and a small amount of the ones he could think of. Listening to these I realised that Pakuranga College is a place we will make some of our best memories, and it made me happy to hear some of his.
“Me and Macence went jousting with pool noodles. Formal fridays. Food tech, where we added too many chilli flakes and gassed the class.”
Talking to these seniors gave me a newfound appreciation for the school, and allowed me to take away from valuable lessons. It’s amazing how quickly these five years pass, and I feel we all will feel similarly to them when it is our turn to say goodbye.
Good luck to all the Year 13 students, we will miss you all, but wish you all the best in the real world.
Bon Voyage, Year 13s!
Ashleigh Jordaan – Year 11
