
2 minute read
Farewelling Sheryl Everitt
Madame Everitt, as she is known in class, is a French teacher c’est magnifique. She is known for her food, constantstreams of French monologue, her innovative teaching techniques and being a ball of positive energy in her lessons. Her food comes up whenever I ask her students about what they remembered about French; on the last lesson of the week, Sheryl would introduce her students to French delights such as macrons, baguettes, pâté and escargot. Each food produced a different level of enthusiasm as evidenced by the fact that leftover snails were usually available to staff. Also, if Sheryl has forgiven the unnamed department who ate her croissants - which were set out in the staffroom for her Period 5 class - she has kept that a secret. The food showed her exceptional level of manākitanga as, no matter how many students were in front of her, they were cared for through Sheryl’s gift of kai. Sheryl is more than just a teacher - she has been a parent, sports coordinator, cheerleader, Te Kotahitanga pedagogical leader, camp mother, surf coach, and sports team manager. Sheryl’s four children, Nikora, Matiu, Keita and Ruka, have gone through this school and, supported by Sheryl, have succeeded in their sporting, academic and cultural pursuits. Sheryl has poured numerous hours into volleyball and hockey, and even supported Lucas’ brief stint playing rugby. Sheryl treated all the students that she helped through sport with the same enthusiasm, being a role model for our school’s value of whakawhanaungatanga. Being a language teacher, Sheryl has put so much effort into bringing her subject to life. She has taken trips to New Caledonia, allowing students to use their French in real life situations and open their eyes to the possibilities waiting for them in the world. She brought students and teachers from Tahiti into our school and made them feel welcome. When participating in these exchanges she made sure that our students represented Aotearoa with pride. Most of all, I will remember Sheryl’s commitment to lifelong learning. She was the most full time part time teacher you will ever meet. She was committed to school and to teaching French. She spent a half year as an exchange teacher in France in 2018 to immerse herself in the language and culture of France to help her to pass that on to Whakatāne High School students. Sheryl’s relationship with IT is something that I am impressed by, but would never want to replicate. She took the time to stay up to date through a range of changes in IT systems and, despite technology never completely co-operating, she always put a high level of effort into trying to make it work. Sheryl is one of the teachers whose values of commitment, manākitanga and whakawhanaungatanga represent the best of Whakatāne High School, and will continue to inspire myself and others. I wish her well and I am sure we will keep in touch with Sheryl, Steve and the whanau. Henry Morris, fellow languages teacher

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