HIGH LEARNING: Education Minister Hekia Parata and Makoura College principal Tom Hullena pictured during her visit to the school in 2012. PHOTO/FILE
HIGH LEARNING: Education Minister Hekia Parata and Makoura College principal Tom Hullena pictured during her visit to the school in 2012. PHOTO/FILE
Makoura College principal Tom Hullena, who led his school back from the brink of closure to above-average performance across the country, has been accepted to a course at Harvard School of Education.
Mr Hullena will attend the Postgraduate Leadership Course at the prestigious American school in Massachusetts as part ofhis sabbatical leave in Term 2 this year.
Mr Hullena said he was excited at the prospect of travelling to the United States and looks forward to the opportunity for "networking with like-minded colleagues". The rest of his sabbatical leave, he said, will include "researching meaningful, real world learning pathways for senior students as well as some refreshment time".
Andrew Hutchby, Makoura College Board of Trustees deputy chairman, said the school trustees fully support Mr Hullena's sabbatical leave and believe his time at Harvard will benefit Makoura College.
"Tom and his team have done a fantastic job in recent years, and this is particularly evident in the 2013 NCEA results data, which shows that Makoura students achieved above the average national school pass rates in Levels 1, 2 and 3 and in both the Maori and all student categories," Mr Hutchby said.
"So anything the board can do to support this kind of growth is important for our students and community."
Mr Hullena started as principal at Makoura College in 2009 and led the school back from the brink of closure in the preceding year that had been forced through dwindling college funds and a declining roll of barely more than 200 pupils. The school today has a roll of close to 300.
Jenny Gellen, former principal of Waitara High School, will be acting principal while Mr Hullena is on sabbatical leave.
