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Kate Shevland has been at Orewa College for 38 years, 24 of those as Principal, so it will be a wrench for both Kate and the school when she retires at the end of this year.
Kate, 71, says although the announcement was made to the school early this month, retirement has been in the wind for some time and she found herself just waiting for ‘the right moment’.
“You get to a point where there are so many Government reviews on, and I wanted to be there to complete them all, but in the end decided there was never going to be a good time and I’d just have to leave some of that to someone else.”
She says managing growth has been the biggest challenge, and will continue to be an issue for the next person at the Principal’s desk. This brought changes to the school’s buildings, and also the controversial shrinking of its enrolment zone two years ago.
During Kate’s watch, she has also seen the college incorporate Years 7 and 8, and says the quality of staffing and the Board of Trustees continues to rise.
Providing a broad range of activities, sports and arts has been a focus and is becoming harder due to cost. She says this is especially important for those who may not head to university. She has seen the number of students remaining to Year 13 increase from around 50-60 percent to 80-90 percent and Kate says there are stronger links between the school and workplaces.
Students no longer sneak out to the field for a smoke, and Kate says they are more confident to talk about issues that affect them.
“Schools have to understand that family dynamics and work demands are more complex and people have come to rely heavily on schools.”
The college was the first in the region to phase in compulsory devices, starting in 2012. Kate says it has not been easy.
“Parents and society know the challenges of technology but we could see it was the way to go. It meant that most NZ schools were well set up for online learning when we went into lockdown.”
One of the biggest challenges she sees ahead is the development of where online learning fits in with teacher and student-directed learning.
“The online aspect has become very strong and we need to step back and say ‘what’s the role of the teacher’?”
She says being “the face of the school” has been pretty full-on – “As Principal, there is an expectation that you will be able to answer any enquiry in five minutes. You never know what may come up.”
While she has tried to create balance in her life, she is looking forward to having more time for friends and family, as well as doing volunteer work in Puhoi where she lives, gardening and, eventually, travel.
“I’m doing my best to gradually ease out this year, so it isn’t so much of a shock. It will be difficult because you put your heart and soul into it and you’re involved with people all the time.”
The college has begun the process of recruiting a new Principal, with the aim of having the new person in place at the beginning of next year.
