New Hanover in new makeover

COVER STORY

By GLEN BURUA
WHO would ever think New Hanover High School, in a remote island of New Ireland would become a secondary school in a span of three months?
That is impossible. Well, at least not for the new school principal Fredrick Mahisu who doesn’t see limitations. I was invited by Mahisu to speak to his more than 500 students. He flew me from Port Moresby to New Ireland province. I stayed for one night at Kavieng Club apartment then the next day I got on the boat to New Hanover Island.
New Hanover or Lavongai Island is known for tribal killings. I was in New Ireland the year before, speaking at mainland secondary schools. I heard then that there were killings happening on the island.
What really surprised me was when Mahisu told me that even he was nearly chopped not once but twice by a villager. That was how serious the situation in the island was. That gave an extra responsibility to Mahisu to not only build back the reputation of the rundown high school but also to restore peace among the villagers.
The week before my arrival, the chairman of school registrations in Papua New Guinea Paul Ainui declared New Hanover High School a secondary school. This was after checking his criteria which the school passed by 80 per cent.
I had the chance to speak to the boarding students the following day after my arrival. What shocked me was the eagerness of the students to learn. Even before I reached the stage to talk, students were already seated waiting with anticipation.
I spoke for an hour and 10 minutes. Before the talk ended, it really broke my heart when students were crying. I spoke mainly about the importance of having a vision, the essence of making good choices, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret, the importance of study and lastly, I stressed on the importance of putting God first.
Those five points as I elaborated really hit the students. Some students come from broken homes, some lost one parent, and some lost both their mum and dad. It is tough for them to strive with their education while also deal with their issues.
After the talk, I asked who was willing to be the change the nation needs, and guess what? The whole student body put their hands up.
They approached me at the end of the talk and in their own words expressed how the talk really helped them. Most of them couldn’t hold back their tears.
Most times we blame this generation for the issues happening in communities. Though it may be true in some essence, I for one believe with the right direction, our young people can be put back on the right track. It is so easy to judge a young person by his or her mistakes. But there is a law of “cause and effect.”
We cannot be just treating the effect as every child’s bad behaviour has a cause. Some come from broken homes and they release that pain by having attitude problems. Some have lost both parents and show that pain by being a nuisance in the community. However, if we want to redirect this generation, we need to get to the root cause of what is making them act negatively.
God never created a mistake. Even the worst child in the family, God had a plan for him or her. New Hanover Secondary School is the last hope of many school children there facing various problems.
It was an honour to also learn that the school principal knows the importance of putting God first. He makes sure he nurtures his students with the word of God. I was even amazed by the code of dressing of the teachers. They wear neck ties and truly maintain standard that the principal has set.

The following day after my arrival, I had a tour around the school by myself. A Grade 11 student saw me walking and asked me if he could guide me around. I agreed. In his own words, this is what he said: “Big bro, this school never changed for so many years under the leadership of the old administration. There was so much corruption. This school was so run down. Mr Mahisu has been here for just a short time and really transformed this school right before my eyes.”
When the young student said that, it got me thinking.
I just came back from the United Arab Emirates, Dubai a month ago. And Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world. And every week, new changes happen. Right after that astonishing trip, I came to New Hanover. The developments happening here in New Hanover Secondary School really surprised me.
From my personal perspective, New Hanover Secondary School in New Ireland is the fastest growing school I have ever seen in the country. Not only in terms of facilities but what really caught my attention was how the principal, from being nearly killed twice, had to start change from the community level. He had to create a peace ceremony between two of the nearby villages who were enemies. From then, he had to rebuild the status of New Hanover High School to be a secondary school.
My experience here in New Hanover Secondary School is one I will always remember. I heard that before the peace ceremony, New Hanover High School was a place where villagers came and made noise and drunkards created chaos. Well, now, that is no longer the case. I really enjoyed my stay there and it was so peaceful.
Change is possible. That is what I learnt from seeing the progress initiated by Fredrick Mahisu. The past has gone but the future for New Hanover Secondary School is bright. I won’t be surprised if the school tops the nation in academic results sooner. I can see the potential there.
As the principal always says, “With God all things are possible.”

• Glen Burua is a motivational speaker and author.