Leadership with Service

Class and Deputy Class Representatives at Kerikeri High School are the leaders and spokespeople for their class. They are responsible to their Form Teacher, Year Level Dean and fellow students.

They represent their class, promote good communication, actively present their class’s ideas at Year Level meetings and School Council meetings, and report back to their classmates. These students take a leadership role in matters concerning their class, and work with the Form Teacher to ensure the smooth running of the class.

Students go through an application process run by their Year Level Dean. Class Representatives are selected twice yearly.

Year 10 and Year 12 students have the option of attending a five-day 'Winter Challenge' at the Hillary Outdoors Centre, Turangi, in the beautiful wilderness area of the central North Island's Tongariro National Park. Year 12's go during the July school holidays, and Year 10's go early in Term 3.

During their time on the programme, students work in small groups with a trained Hillary Outdoors instructor. This creates strong bonds essential to developing relationships of trust, self-belief, and resilience. Students explore the alpine and bush environment and learn a range of outdoor skills such as abseiling, caving, bush skills, kayaking, and mountain climbing in the snow.

Activities are selected each morning to suit both the weather forecast, group interests and learning styles of each group. Students may have the opportunity to stay overnight on Mt Ruapehu, depending on the climbing conditions.

The KERI (Kiwis Enjoying Reading Interaction) programme has been running at Kerikeri High School since 2002. Its aim is to make reading an enjoyable shared activity for Year 7 students who have been identified as reading at a level which could prevent them achieving their full potential at school, and who have the potential to improve their reading skills with regular reading practice.

40 Year 13 students volunteer and are trained in the 'Pause, Prompt, Praise' method of reading support. They then offer an hour of their study time per week to be tutors and work with Year 7 students.

This is a very rewarding experience for all involved.

Year 12 students have the opportunity at the end of the year to sign up as Peer Support Leaders for the following year. Then in the week before school starts, the Year 13 Peer Support students take part in a two-day Leadership Training Camp where they learn to lead small groups of Year 7 students in weekly activities throughout the first term, gaining valuable experience in group leadership and management.

Peer Support Leaders attend the Year 7 Camps to Urupukapuka Island, leading activity sessions, supporting the younger students and assisting staff.
Valuable links are formed between the Peer Support Leaders and the junior students, and we appreciate the contribution our senior students make to these camps and Tutorial activities.

The training undertaken, and support given by Peer Support Leaders is recognised with two National Certificates and a Leadership with Service Cornerstone.

The Student Council, chaired by the Head Girl and Head Boy, meets regularly so that students can have input into the running of the school.

The Student Council represents all students and is involved in some school decision making and assists school-based groups with funding. Money raised from activities such as Work Day and Non-Uniform Day, goes towards supporting student activities.

Membership of the Student Council is made up of the four Head Students, a Prefect representing each year level for Years 7 - 10, a Class Representative for Year 11 and Year 12, and one member each from a range of student groups across the school.

Student Librarians play an integral part in the running of our school library. Not only do they issue, return, and reshelve books, they also serve as positive role models, embodying a love for reading and an example of responsible leadership.

By suggesting, encouraging, and discussing books with other students, our Student Librarians contribute to a richer, more engaging reading experience. They foster a sense of community among readers, promoting the library as a welcoming and inclusive space where students feel ownership and pride. This connection raises the library's profile among students and supports a culture of reading across the school.

Our programme is structured to provide opportunities for both junior and senior students to participate. Senior Student Librarians commit for three terms, volunteering one interval or lunchtime each week to support the library. Junior Student Librarians join for the last term of the year, gaining early experience in responsibility and teamwork.

Offering readers a leadership role within the library is truly rewarding, for them and the school community.

The Student Sports Council was formed to give the rangitahi of our school a voice around how sport is run both internally and externally at Kerikeri High School.

Students who are selected to be part of the Council look at ways to improve sporting events and activities, how to increase participation in sport across the school, and they also support the running of a variety of events on our sporting calendar.

The Kerikeri High School Student WAKA Team is a vibrant, student-led group which includes students from Year 7 to Year 13. This Leadership with Service group meets fortnightly, and the students involved exemplify Kerikeri High School's WAKA values; We are Learners, Act with Respect, Keep Ourselves Safe, and Always Proud.

Members of the Student WAKA Team are actively involved in promoting a positive school culture and in organising school-wide events including Anzac Day commemorations, Pink Shirt Day, Daffodil Day, and promotes Matariki and Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Everyone is welcome to become part of this roopu.