Dunstan High School’s head girl and boy delivered inspiring speeches to the hundreds of family and friends who attended the senior prizegiving earlier this week.

The dux for 2025 was awarded to Amelie Sutherland-Harris and Proxime Accessit awarded to Jasper Wearing.

Head girl Madie Hill reflected on the expectations placed on her, and how over the course of the year she had changed her mindset to not feel overburdened by them.

“Expectations can feel heavy. They can come from everywhere teachers, parents, friends, and sometimes, most loudly, from ourselves. And for a long time, I saw expectations as pressure. 

“Pressure to succeed, to meet a standard, to never make a mistake. But over time, I’ve come to understand something much deeper.

“There’s a quote I came across this year that completely changed the way I think about it:”

“People have expectations of you because they believe you can accomplish or exceed them — not because they want to see you fail.”

She said expectations weren’t meant to weigh people down — “they’re a form of belief. They’re proof that someone sees potential in you, even when you can’t always see it yourself.

“This year has shown me that expectations can be powerful motivators. They’ve pushed me to give my best, to lead with purpose, and to set an example for others. 

“Every challenge, every success, and even every setback has taught me something about resilience, teamwork, and trust. And through all of it, I’ve grown into someone stronger, more confident, and

more sure of who I am.”

Head boy Andrew Baird talked about leadership and how it meant something different to everyone.

“As I've grown up, I’ve definitely found that my definition of leadership has changed. 

“In my junior years, it meant sitting on stage in a blazer covered in badges, and giving those long, boring speeches that ate into my interval.

“And now, in my last year, I’ve started to realise that leadership isn’t any one big act, it’s a culmination of lots of small things. It’s showing up when it matters, being kind to anyone and everyone and

doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. 

“Leadership doesn’t just happen overnight; it takes time and the right people around you to support and grow it.”

He said his view of what leadership meant would continue to evolve. 

“But what Dunstan has taught me is that leadership is anything and everything. You don’t need a title or a position to show it. It's shown in the small things that are done every day, even when no one’s

watching.   

“Leadership isn’t just found in a few; it is found in all of us. And when we all lead in our own ways, we all grow stronger.”