I remember being dropped off at 8:00 am sharp on a Monday on my first day of school. Looking back at my parents, all I could think was , "No! Don't leave me here, please, I'll do anything.” Once I was sure that they had abandoned me in this scary place, I decided to go explore. Walking into the junior school was terrifying. There were so many people looking at me weirdly and I wondered what I was doing wrong. Suddenly, one of my friends ran up with a big smile on her face. I smiled back and thought maybe, just maybe, I could enjoy this.
Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa. My name is Naomi Homan and I have had the privilege of being the head girl at Cathedral Grammar for 2025. This year has been amazing. I have made so many new friends, accomplished so many goals and most importantly, kept just enough sanity for high school. My time at Cathedral Grammar has made up 8 years of my life and I couldn't find a better way to spend them. From tiny little year one me who was scared of nearly everything to me now, standing up on a podium and speaking about my experiences. Don't get me wrong- me now is still a little scared of public speaking! I cannot express enough gratitude for how much Cathedral Grammar has shaped me into who I am today.
Everybody needs mentors and guides in life and this is what the wonderful teachers at Cathedral Grammar are. Thank you so much to all of you who have encouraged me throughout my journey at this school. You are all true professionals and I cannot express how much your enthusiasm and passion for teaching has inspired me.
I have such special memories of all of my junior school teachers, and I want to thank you all for making my younger years special. To Mrs Dark for letting me take Camembear to Fiji; I still remember all of the adventures we went on. To Mr Cording, who showed me that maths isn't so scary if it's being taught by a talking broccoli that sits on top of the whiteboard. To Mrs Lill, who encouraged me to get up and speak in front of all of the parents at the school open day. That was my first time ever doing public speaking and I think I made you proud. I hope I'm doing the same thing today!
To all the specialist teachers, Mrs Gray, Mrs Holt, Mrs Oram, and Mrs Harrington. You are all such phenomenal people. Thank you for all the work you do to make our day to day school life more fun and interesting for everyone.
To Chaplain Teresa for sharing your wisdom with us through our weekly chapel services and RE lessons. The school's Anglican values have guided me through my duty as head girl and I am sure they will continue to guide me through life.
To all of the Prep School teachers- thank you for sticking with me through the highs and lows of my journey. I hope there were more highs than lows for you!
Thank you to Ms Du Toit for letting us do an entire social science unit on chocolate (one of the best things I have ever done in school), to Mr Larsen for teaching us civix, to Mr Lean-Massey for having the most fun and the scariest maths lessons at the exact same time, to Mrs Jones for taking us on that amazing rafting day, to Mrs Leith for all the fun-filled English lessons, to Mr Brooke for all of the maths lessons which always had me guessing if you're being serious or not and last but not least, to Mrs McCormack who has helped me so much with assemblies and school events and just navigating my busy schedule.
And finally I would like to acknowledge Mr Thelning for giving me the opportunity to step into this prestigious role and to develop myself in every aspect.
Of course, I would not have been able to fulfill this role to the same exceptional standard if it had not been for the other heads, Hamish, Amelie and Kiran. Thank you so much for your support, encouragement, camaraderie and professionalism. I am truly grateful for all of you. Our termly lunches were always a highlight for me and hopefully for you too. I'm sure we will stay connected no matter where we end up in the future.
I would now like to congratulate the head students for next year …… I hope you all make the most of this position and gain as much experience as possible. Look forward to the lunches out and baking for the Monday meetings. By the way, Mr Thelning's favourite food is banana bread with chocolate icing. Keep that piece of information close to heart, (it will make you his favourite).
To everyone in this hall, well done, you deserve this. Even if you don't get the award you were hoping for, remember that that doesn't define what type of person you are. At the end of the day, your attitude, the way you act, your effort and the fact that you keep going even when life is difficult, these are the qualities that make you extraordinary. Every single one of the challenges that you have overcome this year will have sculpted you into the person you are today. Keep learning and growing and be proud of who you are and what you have achieved.
As we reach the end of the year, it's so difficult not to think about everything that brought us to this moment. All of the laughs, smiles, lessons and friendships. This speech has been so challenging to write because there are so many moments to look back on. I physically cannot sum up everything, all of the laughs, all of the failed google presentations, all of the build up games that we've played, all of the lessons and learning curves, all of the times that I thought we couldn't do it and ended up doing it anyway, all of the things that have happened at this amazing, wonderful school, with all its amazing and wonderful people. So I'm going to try to sum everything up as well as I can with one word.
My time at Cathedral Grammar has been all about memories. So, to my fellow students, thank you and goodbye. Remember everything that you have done for the school, all of the achievements that you have accomplished, all of the smiles and the laughs. Remember the friendships and let's stay in touch, no matter where life takes us next. To everyone who has helped me on this journey, I am so grateful for you and the special part you played in my life.
I started thinking about how to write this speech while sitting in a cafe and waiting for my parents to pick me up. On the coffee table next to me, I spotted a book and the title was how to write a speech. I opened it and the first thing I saw was a quote, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. That is exactly how I feel today. Yes, it's sad to be leaving behind all of the classrooms, friends and experiences that I have had at Cathedral Grammar, but I'll keep on smiling, because everything that I have done, all of the successes, all of the failures, all of the memories has helped shape me into the person I am today. So, to the Cathedral Grammar family, thank you. Thank you for being the community I have been a part of for 8 years. Thank you for all of the memories, friends and lifelong connections that you have given me. To all my classmates, thank you for putting up with me for all this time. I hope we don't grow apart during high school. And finally, to everyone here, remember, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
Nga mihi nui, thank you.
- Naomi Homan
