David Hill/LDR
Jo Fissenden is the new principal at Kaikōura High School.
Kaikōura High School’s new principal aims to deliver a ‘‘localised curriculum’’ when she takes the helm next year.
Board of trustees presiding member John Wyatt said the school wanted their rangatahi to be the best reflections of themselves.
‘‘Jo [Fissenden] and I share a goal for Kaikōura to be the most admired small school in the country,’’ Wyatt said.
Having a “localised curriculum” is a big part of that, he said.
“We want to be a great rural high school delivering what is needed for our community and being relevant for where we live.’’
Jo Fissenden has been filling in as acting principal since principal John Tait left in term two.
Originally from Christchurch, Fissenden attended Burnside High School, one of the largest schools in the country.
A year 7 to 13 school, Kaikōura High School is one of smallest high schools with 218 students at the start of the year.
Fissenden has taught at Kaikōura High School for 16 years, with three of her children attending the school.
Despite the demands of her new role, Fissenden said she has negotiated with the board to remain in the classroom, teaching the senior biology class.
‘‘I am keen to still be connected, and it will be cool to have that perspective with some significant changes being made to NCEA,” she said.
‘‘I think it is important to remind yourself of what is happening in the classroom and in education.’’
She said she is not anticipating making major changes to the school, but a localised curriculum and being transparent with parents were her top priorities.
‘‘The feedback we have is that parents don’t feel comfortable coming into the school and we have taken that on board,” she said.
RICKY WILSON/STUFF
Kaikōura High School visits Arapaoa Island to learn about efforts to restore the pāua population wiped out by the November 2016 earthquakes. (Video first published in 2018)
She said being in a small, rural school community had its advantages in making connections and offering opportunities to students in the community.
But there were also challenges in recruiting staff, as relievers were hard to find, forcing the school to close several times in the last two years due to staff sickness.
Students and staff also had to travel long distances for sporting opportunities and to access specialist appointments.
Fissenden first came to Kaikōura as a masters student doing research for two years at the marine biology laboratory, which has since closed.
After training as a biology and science teacher, she taught at Marlborough Boys’ College, before returning to Kaikōura to raise her family.
