Farewell Mr Peek
Posted on April 14, 2022
The end of term will see the retirement of Mr Simon Peek, Associate Principal after 38 years of outstanding service to Macleans College.
Mr Peek joined Macleans College from Onehunga High School in 1984. By 1988 Mr Peek had progressed to Head of Faculty Social Studies having been Head of Department Geography for two years. Mr Peek was an outstanding classroom teacher and delivered results of the highest order.
In 1991 he was appointed Senior Master, a now out-dated position we would call Deputy Principal. In 1996 Mr Peek was appointed Associate Principal, a position the school was entitled to create due to the rapidly growing student numbers. Mr Peek has held this position for 26 years and made a major contribution to every key aspect of school operations in that time.
One of Mr Peek’s legacies will be the quality of the grounds and buildings we enjoy. The school has undergone a complete rebuild and refurbishment under his guidance. The quality of the modern facilities, fixtures and furniture is thanks to Mr Peek.
Another lasting effect of Mr Peek’s time will be his impact on our curriculum and standards of academic achievement. He was central to Macleans’ decision to take on the Cambridge pathway and he was Chairman of the Association of Cambridge Schools. Mr Peek has also overseen our extension studies and Scholarship programme which delivers outstanding results.
Away from his senior management portfolios Mr Peek has been heavily involved in the extra-curricular life of the school. He coached our 1st XI Football team for 10 years and continued coaching until just recently, when he took over our Orienteering team.
Mr Peek reflected recently on some of the aspects of Macleans of which he is particularly proud. The academic performance is a stand out, seeing Macleans deliver results at the very top of New Zealand schools. The quality of the extra-curricular programme is another highlight – the cultural arts and sports have out-performed for a state school. Mr Peek mentioned the sportsmanship displayed by our students. Another highlight is seeing the children of students he taught or coached now attending Macleans – there are now hundreds of them! He also remembers fondly the Form 7 Camps, field trips, overseas sports tours and beating Auckland Grammar in School Certificate and Bursary. In case you were wondering, Mr Peek was in Rutherford House, and had brief terms as Acting House Leader in Hillary and Rutherford. Mr Peek also had stints as Acting Principal and has worked with all four of the Macleans College principals.
Thank you Mr Peek for your dedication and service to Macleans College. For your expert teaching, sports coaching, support of our academic excellence, curriculum leadership, dedication to seeing our school built to the highest possible standards, commitment to the Macleans values and wise counsel – we thank you.
We wish you all the best for your retirement from full-time work.
Virtue Mine Honour.