Kumar always attended board meetings equipped with data-driven reports, he said.
“Everything is ‘how can we do better for the kids ... this is not working, what can we do to improve it?’” Roseman said.
Deputy principal Bindy Hannah, who has been at the school since 1991, will become principal next year.
Roseman said Hannah’s passion for the school was “obvious” during the interview process, and they were excited to have her as principal.
Speaking to an auditorium filled with staff and students on Wednesday morning, Kumar said during her whakanui (celebration) that she would miss “the laughter, the energy, and the buzz”.
There had been “more school bells and assemblies” than she could count, and it was time for her to “graduate”, she said.
“You’ve taught me far more than I could ever teach you about patience, perseverance, and how to stay calm when things start to go a bit crazy.”
Kumar spent most of her career at Gisborne Girls’ High School, aside from a few years at Rotorua Boys’ High School in the 1990s.
Kumar had been a deputy principal for 10 years before being appointed principal in June 2015.
One thing Kumar said she was most satisfied with was the student-led strategic three-year plan, which the student governance council developed and board of trustees accepted.
The plan would be put into the kura’s new strategic plan, which governs the school’s direction.
It was built on the foundation of the previous four years, which involved the school’s first student-led strategic plan.
“By listening to our students, we are better able to ensure the educational opportunities that we provide are a good fit for your futures. This links to our school vision: Whāngaihia te āpōpō – Empowering rangatahi for life,” she said.
Kumar said she was also pleased about making the nearly 70-year-old kura “a better environment” through maintenance and upgrades, which had been a priority for herself and the board.
Kumar noted how much technology had changed since she started teaching, from chalkboards and whiteboards to big TV screens used as teaching devices.
“When I first started teaching, photocopiers were a luxury. Our copy-and-paste tools were scissors and glue.”
Notes were once sent home with students in the hopes the message would make it out of the backpack. Now the school emailed parents.
“A lot has changed since then for the better.”
Trends had also come and gone, including hairstyles, uniforms and “skirt length, to name one current example”.
There were also curriculum reforms ... and “here we go again with that”, she said, citing it as one of the things she would not miss.
“The latest round of curriculum and NCEA reforms seems way more frenetic, disorganised, and lacking in true consultation than ever before.”
She encouraged teachers to keep pushing back because they knew what students needed to be successful.
“As I step away, I know the school is in good hands. It will continue to grow and thrive,” she said.
“I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines, preferably somewhere with a coffee that stays hot all the way to the bottom.”
Her career had been “more rewarding, more challenging, and meaningful than I could ever have imagined”.
“To everyone who’s been part ... of my journey, thank you.”
Hannah told Local Democracy Reporting that she was excited for Kumar because she had worked hard as principal.
Hannah had been acting principal when Kumar was away for a term a couple of years ago and loved it.
“We’re both 65 ... I could have retired too, but I decided I’ve got more to give,” she said.
She loved the school and the students were her favourite part.
“Every morning for the first hour, I go to every class and just say hello to the students and welcome them. It’s an opportunity every day to check in and make sure the student is all right.”
Student representative Reremoana Maynard-Wilson and head girl Olivia Robertson-Reiri gave speeches at the whakanui.
Maynard-Wilson said that through her role she had seen “the immense mahi” Kumar put into Tūranga wāhine behind the scenes.
Robertson-Reiri said students had experienced the privilege of Kumar’s passion and dedication to the kura.
“You’ve committed to an environment that makes us proud to call ourselves Girls’ High School students.”
