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Joseph Ward Junior High School was huge with four teaching blocks with vertically arranged syndicates of about two hundred and fifty students in each. They were named after ocean birds; Gannet, Petrel, Tern and Shearwater and had their names prominently displayed on the buildings that incorporated six Year 7 and 8 home classrooms as well as a similar number of classrooms for the Year 9 and 10 levels. As well, each syndicate had its own science laboratory and art room. As well as these two-storied blocks there was a gymnasium, a music and performing arts block, technology block an auditorium, library and administration block.
There were two deputy principals of the same grade, two assistant principals also of the same grade was well as heads of departments in the Year 9 and 10 levels. In the office there was an executive manager who dealt with accounts and board of trustees business who ran the school almost like a commercial enterprise.
Karla took it all within her stride for in many ways it was similar to Tui Park School except that the students were older. They wore a yellow polo top school uniform with navy blue shorts for the boys and a choice of skirts or shorts for the girls.
There were differences in the syndicates depending on the attitude of the four deputies or associate principals who ran them. This was something she would have to work on as, in her opinion it was all very well having minor differences within the syndicates but they ranged from being quite conservative to being almost as liberal as Ethan's Luxton Road School. Also, there was competition between the syndicates that was more than in just school sport. They competed in drama, music, art and other areas. Karla wondered if this was too competitive but decided to see everything in action before she made a final decision on changes if they were necessary. Each syndicate had their own courtyard though the main sports fields and courts were used by everyone. In some ways it was similar to Tuckett Area School except that all the syndicates included all four age levels with Year 7 and 8s being in composite classes and the two upper years run on a high school system of students moving between rooms for their subjects.
A problem came to the fore not long after she began in mid-January and two weeks before the students arrived. At this time, all the classes were made up from the year before except for the two hundred and thirty new arrivals in Year 7 from the zone's contributing schools. There were also out of zone students to select as well as students whose parents had recently moved into their zone and had the right of automatic enrolment. If these numbers were too high the out-of-zone students would miss out and have to attend intermediate schools to the north or south.
Executive Manager Vivian Derran, a woman close to retirement age seemed efficient and co-operative and explained in detail what the school procedures were.
"So the class lists for the whole school are made up in December so the pupils know where they'll be in the new term? The new entrants from the contributing schools are also on the lists but it is only a tentative placement?"
"That is correct, Karla." Vivian had only begun using her first name after Karla assured her that it was what she wished. "We find that this is necessary as there are numerous changes that need to be made, parents deciding to send their children to a private school, those out-of-zone students hoping to get in here and all the families who have shifted into our zone during the Christmas holidays. The other class levels are affected, too but not to the extent of the Year 7s."
"So how's it going?"
"Busy. We can only take twenty out-of-zone Year 7s this year, that's down to half of last year." Vivian grimaced. "There were a hundred and three out-of-zone applications and we need to tell the successful ones by the end of the week."
"So it is just a random choice?"
"Oh no. Michael always has a say."
Michael White was the Deputy Principal in charge of Petrel Syndicate.
Karla frowned. "And why is that?"
"He's always done it. Mr Fessey, our last principal just delegated everything to him."
"I see, and if it is not random, what criteria does Michael use?"
Vivian shrugged. "Oh the usual, reports from their last year's school, how they would fit in here and so forth."
"How they would fit in here? In what way?"
"Michael likes the sporty ones and gives preference to those that were in the contributing schools rugby, netball, swimming and athletic teams."
Karla stared at the other woman and felt annoyed. "Does he now?" she retorted.
Vivian flushed. "He's a sporty sort, you know."
"And he has made up a list?"
"The tentative one, yes."
"I want to see it plus the list of all out-of-zone students who have applied for places this year."
"You want it now?"
"I do," Karla replied. "As well, I want any reports from the contributing schools about the students involved."
"At once," Vivian replied. "I'll bring them up on your computer."
Karla relaxed a little. "Thank you Vivian, you have been a great help. You may find that my priorities are different than Owen Fessey's but it is nothing personal."
"Of course not, Karla, it is only to be expected." The elderly woman hesitated. "Owen was sixty-seven and clung on too long, I guess. I'm not saying he wasn't a good principal but he did allow Michael and to a lesser extent Sandra to make most of the executive decisions."
Sandra was the other DP in charge of Gannet Syndicate.
"Michael thought he'd get the principal's position here but didn't even make the short list," Vivian continued. "I think most of the staff were pleased that somebody like yourself won the position. The rumour that local intermediate principals had been short-listed made the staff nervous."
"So somebody unknown is better than locally known ones?"
"Once you were appointed everyone found out about you. The Facebook pages were running red hot for a while."
"I never noticed." This was only a half truth, for Ryan had found several AWJR references on the internet with opinions about her including the one that called her The Iron Blonde.
"Let's say that you are like a breath of fresh air that this school needs," Vivian continued.
"Thanks," Karla replied. " I appreciate your comment."
*
KARLA AND RYAN'S NEW home had once been a mini-market with an attached house. The commercial area was divided into two shops with one being let out as a hair dressing salon and the other became Ryan's new branch of Spider's Revenge. He still had the Wellington outlet but would probably consolidate on this North Shore store when the Wellington contracts ran out. Prices in this part of the country were steep, hence the choice of this property rather than having a separate house. It was also only two kilometres away from Karla's new school and being across the suburb, the traffic problem was not too bad. Alexis had been enrolled at a commercial pre-school and fitted in well. Now three, she was as chatty as ever.
Ryan was now in Karla's office gazing through the electronic criteria used in allocating the incoming students into their syndicates and individual classes. All the junior school, that is the Year 7 and 8 students were placed in the four syndicates and individual home classrooms with five combined Year 7 and 8s home rooms in each syndicate. In theory, the allocation of students was random but they did take into account, gender, nationalities, siblings at the school being in the same syndicate, mainstreamed pupils and the contributing school they originally came from. Also there was a variation for the four newly graduated teachers on the staff who were given easier students to manage. It was a complicated program but had been professionally written and had served Joseph Ward Junior High since the school was opened five years earlier.
After spending an hour reading the script, Ryan glanced up at Karla who had just returned to her office. "It's been altered," he said with a grin. "Somewhat crude but effective."
Karla glanced at the two screens of complicated symbols that were really meaningless to her but pulled up a swivel chair and tried to look intelligently at the section Ryan had highlighted in yellow. "You'd better explain it to me."
"Well you know the original aim was to have similar classes throughout the junior school, same gender, abilities, national identity etcetera but amendments were added to make the newly graduating teachers have fewer problem children and a few other things."
Karla nodded.
"In the Petrel Syndicate there has been another weighing added. Students who did well in sports at their contributing school have a higher chance of being placed in that syndicate than the other three. It can even be changed so say good rugby or netball players end up there. At a rough guess forty percent of all the talented sporting students end up in Petrel rather than the normal twenty-five percent. That is more than enough to give them the edge in inter-syndicate sports events."
"And fits in with the out of zone placements. What's the bet, good rugby and netball players are encouraged to enrol here and they are given priority in the selection procedure."
"I could check it out," Ryan said.
"Not yet. Firstly can you change the weighings so Petrel Syndicate has no advantage with sporty students."
"Dead easy. I could make it the opposite and put all the nerds in Petrel, if you wish."
"It's tempting," Karla replied. "Very tempting."
*
MICHAEL WHITE REMINDED Karla a little of Don Trow. He was twenty years older than her and came across as being somewhat arrogant. She stared at him across her desk and came to the point straight away.
"The allocation of the new Year 7s has to be redone by the end of the week," she said. "There is a discrepancy in the weightings."
"How can there be?" he almost flustered. "It has worked perfectly over the last five years."
"Amendments were made to the program to give your syndicate a bigger proportion of high ability sports students than the other three syndicates. The weighting has been removed from the program, Michael. However, all syndicate and class lists for Year 7s now need to be revised."
He looked surprised and lost some of his self-assurance. "Nothing sinister was intended," he mumbled.
"But it was! Why should your syndicate have an advantage in that direction and where would it stop? Place all those who are arty in one syndicate, the misfits in another or all the Asian children in a third. It is unethical, Michael." She was annoyed and knew that he knew.
Michael's face drained of colour. "So we redo the lists?"
"Yes. Also, no out-of-zone students will be given priority because of their sporting ability. They will be treaded fairly and be randomly selected. Understand!"
"But some were encouraged to apply for a placing here on the understanding that their sporting opportunities would be enhanced at Joseph Ward Junior High."
"That is cancelled. You can either revise the lists or I will get another staff member to make the out-of-zone selections. I do not care what other schools in our area do but I am not allowing this to happen here. If parents do not like the fact, they can send their children to one of the private schools around that cater for so-called sports ability."
"You're the principal," White muttered.
"I am," Karla whispered. "And with it goes the responsibility to be as fair as possible to all students, staff and parents." She glowered at him. "I am a hands-on principal, not just a figurehead in this upmarket office. I hope you appreciate that fact."
"I'll have it all done and ready to be emailed out to all the students by Friday, Mrs Spicer. Can Vivian assist me?"
"Certainly."
Karla sat and watched her deputy principal leave the office. From all reports on the man she had seen he was a good teacher and administrator who perhaps resented her appointment but that was life. She glanced up as Vivian came into the room.
"I've never seen Michael so humbled," she said. "Wants me to help revise the Year 7 placings and the out-of-zone selections. Is that okay?"
"It is," Karla replied. "So what else have we got scheduled today."
"The usual," Vivian replied. "Those sub-contractors laying the new carpet in the canteen haven't arrived. I called them and said it had to be done before school began next month... You have to keep onto these guys you know. As well there's the..." She continued on with a summary of items that needed doing before the new academic year began.
*
LIKE MOST SCHOOLS IN New Zealand, the new first term started on the first Monday in February with a teachers-only-day when all the staff arrived but no students. It began with a short meeting to welcome Karla and other new teachers. She gazed around the staffroom that was really similar though bigger than the one at Tui Park with tables and wall couches for the close to ninety teachers and support staff. About a third of the teaching staff were older than herself with three in their sixties, all except twelve were women and she was pleased to see several were Maori women and another two, Indian. There was also a young Chinese woman who, Karla knew was a fourth generation New Zealander. Of the men, only two were younger than herself. The support staff except the caretaker and groundsman, were all women and ranged from twenty to sixty something in age. In many ways it was a similar composition to the staff at Tui Park.
Around the walls of the staffroom were scenes of the four birds that represented the syndicates, other landscape pictures, a couple of aerial views of the school and a noticeboard with timetables and events posted on it.. There was a long canteen-like counter with what appeared to be several full-time waitresses. They were Karla found out, from the school canteen that was run for the students by a private company over in the performing arts block and were also contracted to provide morning and afternoon tea or coffee in the staffroom. This was different for usually it was the staff with help from students who were responsible for refreshments for the staff.
Everyone had just left for syndicate meetings when Vivian came up to her. "There's a gentleman from The Ministry of Education calling from Wellington, Karla."
Karla grinned for she guessed who it might be and took the call in her office.
"What is it John?" she asked.
"Hi Karla," John Cosgrove said. "How'd you know it would be me?"
"A calculated guess, John. The answer is no."
"Oh come now, can't a guy just call up his favourite principal without there being an ulterior motive?"
"Okay, what is it then?"
"I just called to thank you for being on the ball."
"About what?"
"It didn't take you long to find out that your DP was poaching all the best sports kids on the North Shore and enrolling them at Ward. There's been complains from intermediate principals up there ever since your school opened. Suddenly, this year it stopped. Now I just put two and two together and..."
Karla grinned and told John about the computer weighting and out-of-zone selections.
"I see so hubby helped you, yet again?"
"He did. Ryan's very resourceful. If the ministry needs anything to do with computer programming done, he's the man for the job."
John laughed. "Okay. I really just called to give you that bit of news. All the best in your new principalship. I'm sure everyone will be eating out of your hand within hours."
"Thanks John. 'Bye now."
It was good to hear his voice.
*
THIS YEAR THE JOSEPH Ward Junior High roll topped a thousand for the first time including two hundred and fifty-four Year 7s and another forty new pupils at the other three levels. As well, there were four newly graduated teachers, one in each syndicate, another two new teachers and Karla. She sat on the auditorium stage and surveyed at the sea of yellow polo tops and navy blue shorts for most of the girls had opted for shorts rather than skirts in the hot Auckland weather.
After a formal welcome by Michael, Sandra and Jon on behalf of the board of trustees, Karla stepped forward to speak.
"I am just one of two hundred and ninety-seven new faces here today," she said to the hushed auditorium. "I welcome you all to your new school, our new school and to the eight hundred and eleven students who are returning to school this year, I thank you for this wonderful welcome, the school choir, the musical items ... everything. I am proud to be here and hope that we all have a successful journey throughout our stay at Joseph Ward Junior High. Shortly you senior school students will go to your allocated rooms and the Year 8s to your last year's home room. Year 7s will remain here and be introduced to your new home teacher and told where your new rooms are." She smiled. "Don't worry if you get lost. I've been here two weeks now and still end up in the wrong syndicate building from where I intended to go. It's lucky they have their name on the outside...."
A chuckle went through the audience. She spoke a little longer before she sat down and watched as the syndicate leaders began directing students to the various syndicates. It was quite a moving occasion but she found herself thinking about Brandi Shellard who could be doing something similar a thousand kilometres to the south at Tuckett Area School. It was so far away yet in other ways, so similar. She had had an email from her as well as Sonya saying that the builders had arrived and the new secondary block down there was on its way.
As the students dispersed she glanced up and saw Ryan standing by a side door. He had Alexis in his arms.
"What are you doing here?" she asked after she walked across to the pair.
"Alexis wanted to see Mummy's new school and all the big kids," Ryan replied. "Makayla at the creche said it was okay for her to leave for such an important event."
"Hello girls," said Karla to a group of lingering girls who looked to be about fourteen. "This is my husband Ryan and my little daughter, Alexis."
"Hi Alexis," one of the girls who reminded her of Coira from Ryan's school bus, said. "Welcome to Joseph Ward Junior High. Your mummy is a very important lady here."
The End
See Ross Richdale's catalogue for more of his novels including Wisps of Clouds, the novel about Karla's earlier teaching career.
http://www.rossrichdale.com