Family and pride in school, main drivers for head girl Mackenzie 

Mackenzie Klemick has overcome shyness as a child, to take on the role of St Kevin’s College head girl.

Mackenzie, who turns 17 in March, said one of her goals in her new role was to be “super approachable”, especially for the quieter pupils.

“I started off myself as someone who was so shy, and I couldn’t even talk to anyone.”

Moving around a lot when she was younger, including to Australia, meant she had to overcome her lack of confidence and learn to make friends and speak for herself.

“Also, watching my brother, who’s such a good role model, and was always so confident, and I just kind of, I guess, mimicked what he used to do, to try and make friends and things.”

When she came to St Kevin’s as a year 10 pupil, from Cromwell College, she remembered looking up to the “top six” as role models at the school, and she hoped to emulate that as head girl.

She was proud of her school, and said that was part of what made St Kevin’s so special for her. 

“Everyone’s just so proud to be here and wear the uniform and things, because I know when I went to Cromwell College, you kind of bag your own school. So I like how everyone holds a lot of pride on their shoulders, like, ‘I’m from St Kevin’s’, that’s definitely my favourite thing about it.”

She described the school as “a community and a family”.

Mackenzie’s interests outside of schoolwork include netball and basketball, and she runs - not competitively, but “for myself”. She also enjoyed playing the piano.

She was “super excited”, also a bit shocked when she found out she had been chosen to be head girl. 

“Like, I wasn’t expecting it, for sure. I just instantly thought of my family, because my parents, they didn’t really achieve super highly in school, so they’re real proud of me.” 

Once she finished high school, Mackenzie wanted to follow a career which involved English - maybe journalism, or human resources, she said.

“Psychology in the workplace, kind of thing. Teaching even - I’ve thought about that a lot. I’m not too sure yet.”

Sharing knowledge and helping others motivate head boy

Shreysh Adhikari had “no words” when he found out he was going to be head boy at St Kevin's College this year.

“I was very surprised.”

The 17-year-old, who was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, moved to New Zealand with his family when he was three.

They lived in Auckland for about six months, before spending a few months in Nelson and then seven years in Palmerston North while his father studied.

“Then he found a job down here in Oamaru, and I’ve been here since 2018,” Shreysh said.

The St Kevin’s selection process was carried out with a combination of staff and student input. 

The final eight candidates - four for head boy, and four for head girl, were interviewed by senior staff.

“We finished our interview, and at the end of the day, they sent an email, on the same day, and it said, “would you like to be head boy?”, and I was walking down the drive out of St Kevin’s, I was all by myself, and I was just like jumping. 

“It was very exciting. There [were] no words really.”

His parents were very happy.

In the leadership role, Shreysh wanted to help share his knowledge of how to study with the younger students.

“Just be a tutor in some way, and set something up for people who want to learn, and don’t really get that much support . . . Because I’ve been learning myself, how the human brain actually learns, and how to keep things in our memory, so I’d like to maybe share that with students,” he said.

He had a love of all sports, but basketball in particular, and hoped to garner a bit more adult help, alongside what the teachers offered, to build on an already solid foundation in the sport, he said.

Outside of school, he had a part time job at North Otago Pharmacy, was interested in learning about health and the human body, and wanted to study medicine when he finished school.

It was the teachers that made St Kevin’s College the school it was, he said.

“They are all very understanding, and they teach very well. They give us time and they teach each person a wee bit differently to suit their needs. It’s really like a nice community, and everyone sort of gets along with everyone. There’s not drama.”

He wanted to encourage people to approach him to talk or for help, not just at school, but also in the wider community.

“If you ever want to come and just talk about something we could do in the community, or anything to help out, I’m happy to support and try my best.”