WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY ... Early morning mist greeted us, followed by an awesome sunny day ... Matt Dahl, our Head of School for 2015 challenged the boys to be remarkable leaders, and to leave a legacy at Hilton ... “Enter these gates with humility, determined to contribute to, and to take advantage of, all that this institution offers, and depart knowing that you are well equipped to forge your future in the world.” Good morning staff and boys. Welcome back. Every time I enter the McKenzie gates I am humbled by beauty, when I drive past our fields I am reminded how privileged I am, as I pass the seven houses, the chapel, the Crookes block I am lost in such pride, pride to be at such an amazing school. This time however, when I entered the gates it was different, not only was my form one blazer a little bit tighter, or my shoes a little bit bigger, but it sunk in for the first time that this is it, these boys in front of you have made it, we have looked, listened, learned and lived the Hilton way, and finally it is our time to lead Africa’s flagship school. It fills us with great excitement to lead you boys, we as a Matric leadership team will do everything we can to make Hilton a better place, we will lead this school for you and not for ourselves, all I ask is that you trust us in doing so. The Hilton College of today has been built up over a period of 143 years. The hot showers and tarred roads which we take for granted, were unknown to early Hiltonians. While today a Hilton boy swims in a modern tiled pool, his counterpart of sixty years ago and more swam in the farm dam. While a motorcar brings the Durban boy to Hilton in just over an hour, ninety years ago the trip took two days. What I’m getting at is that Hilton has changed, but the spirit of the school has not. I think many of us take the motto underneath our Fleur-de-Lys too lightly, Orando et Laborando, its something Hilton College prides itself in, through prayer and work. Let us constantly remind ourselves of this motto throughout the year. Grade eights I’d like to welcome you to Hilton College, the boys sitting around you and the staff in front of you, will become your family. You will all be experiencing mixed emotions, my advice to you is to just take it all in, the beginning is hard, but learn as much as you can. You are no longer the big fish in a small pond, but you are still leaders, we need you in order to reach new heights. To the rest of the boys, you’ve all sat here before, some for the 5th time, and some for the 2nd, don’t let this time be like the last, I encourage all of you to make this year different, those regrets you left the gates with last year or the year before, this is your chance to live those regrets and leave at the end of the year knowing you played your part. I’m sure all of you are aware that last year Hilton introduced the mentorship program, and as I mentioned to the new boys, this year we want to take this program to new heights. The Matric leadership team , have comfortably bought into the idea of molding our new boys into true Hiltonians, through this system, but boys this system will only work if the entire school buys in, so I encourage you boys to get on board, from the beginning. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” These words of Bill Cosby reminded me that we all can succeed. If we just conquer our hindering trepidation of failure. So I encourage you to actively partake in school life. Give of your best at all times. Push yourself to do your best in all aspects of the school, if you’re a B average student, push for an A, if you’re a C team hockey player, work towards playing B’s. Lets make 2015 a year where we push ourselves, too many of us fall into the trap of laziness, we forget why we’re here, we forget what responsibility we have. Constantly remind yourself of your goals, share them with your friends, and help each other to achieve them. I have no doubt that this year will be a busy one, yes at times it gets a bit much, if so then don’t be afraid to take a break. Having said this, I encourage every boy to use his time wisely, Hilton pushes us and pushes us, but we need to realize that this is to prepare us for life outside the gates. Get involved in different aspects of the school, join the debating team, take part in Olympiads, use our estate, play an instrument, join our choir, the more you do the more fun your year will be, and it will serve you better in the future. In ending I’d like to wish all the boys and staff a happy year, good luck with what lies ahead, and may 2015 be a year, where we leave a legacy so deep, that it will never be forgotten. Thank you. Matt Dahl
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 10:59:11 +0000
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