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Rangi Stories – Kyleigh Lyth

Not only does Kyleigh know each of Rangi Ruru’s 130-plus boarders and their families personally, she is also a mother to Isaac, Noah and Lily.
She has been Rangi Ruru’s Director of Boarding since 2017 and won the 2022 New Zealand Boarding School Association Award for Innovation in 21st Century New Zealand Boarding.

Innovating the Boarding Experience

For me innovation in the boarding environment is thinking outside the box; each student is unique, and their needs are all different. We are constantly introducing new initiatives or changing and adapting to meet individuals’ needs.

It’s also about being open-minded, listening to students and not being afraid to try new things. We invest a wrap-around support with each student, this starts before they even enter the boarding house.

I have implemented home visits from me before students enter boarding, a new entrant dinner where they meet the rest of their future year group, a sleepover in the house and a personal letter from their future senior mentor during the summer holiday before they start.

When they arrive in the house they are connected with their mentor and go through a structured 12-week programme with them. Each new boarder has a wellbeing consultation with the nurse in the first four weeks, and a staff member is allocated to them as a coach.

Staff are a big factor in our innovation. We have a wide range of ages and skills, as I have been purposeful in having a collective group of people who have a diverse range of personalities and a vast set of different abilities and skills so that every student in the house can easily connect and form a solid relationship with a minimum of two staff members.

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Developing Each Student

A big part of the boarding experience is the life skills that students learn. Boarding students learn so much about communication and how to get along with others; they form these amazing connections with each other, and with the staff and teachers.

Many come to us from small country schools, and you see how much they grow and discover who they are as people. You see their confidence bloom and when it comes time for them to leave you know they will be wonderful in whatever they do because they all have these amazing skills of how to connect with people.

There’s huge emotional growth in the boarding house, because they experience so much with such a variety of different personalities; they support each other, learn to understand each other and develop a strong sense of personal values.

Life skills are very intentionally modelled and learnt in the Rangi Ruru boarding environment through our regular year group pastoral care meetings and Clan catch-ups. We also offer various courses like Strength Finder Coaching and Defensive Driving. “Students are encouraged to try and solve their own problems with our support and guidance, taking ownership of the outcomes. We want them to learn from experience, embrace failure and always be grateful and thankful when they have successes.

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Cultivating a Community

I want every student in the boarding house to say with confidence they are valued, loved and belong to our community. I want them to see it, feel it and hear it. Students know the house is a safe place, they know they are all an important part of our community through the programmes, coaching, activities, and events we run.

I can walk anywhere in the house and see the strong sense of belonging each girl has just by hearing the conversations in the hallways, juniors hanging out with their mentor in the seniors’ flats, a genuine smile from someone walking past, the comfort of friends when someone is homesick or upset, singing and loud music playing in the shower block, and the camaraderie of boarders at events outside the house.

With mandatory tech-free time each day, and devices locked away night, students are encouraged to have face-to-face relationships. One of the biggest things I have tried to do is break down the barrier between seniors and juniors; making sure each junior knows everything they need to know about life in the boarding house and has connections across many year groups.

The new student council I implemented sees representation from all year levels, which further embeds relationships across year groups and organises regular social events like themed dinners and the end of year chapel service.

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