Post lock-down
July 2020
Imagine driving out in the woods with no google maps and your headlights all of a sudden stop working.. Yeah that’s what post lockdown felt like.
Now don’t get me wrong, we were dying to get out of iso and finally be able to see the light of civilization again. But man, for the first few weeks back those early routinely wakeups were a niiiiiightmare (even for us staff). In saying that though, we were pretty lucky to have majority of our students come back considering the numbers that weren’t returning to high schools and other Universities. Yikes. Covid really did a number IYKYK.
So, what did that mean for our second semester? Welp. We pretty much had to start from scratch again. Re-book school shows, reschedule assessments and showcases and somehow keep our students invested and motivated to finish their studies. All easier said than done of course. Living in uncertainty definitely didn’t help our planning but the big guy upstairs opened a few doors for us.
The New Zealand Careers Expo is one of the biggest exhibitions held annually for schools all around the country. The last time Excel attended was 2007. So when the invite came in, I just knew we had to grab hold of this opportunity. With the first half of tour being cancelled due to the Level 4 lockdown, this was our chance to make up for the lost time. And it was a success!! Ended up having the biggest crowd for all 3 days and meeting so many keen, up and coming creatives. Even slightly enjoyed the complaints from other institutes about the “loud crowds of school girls screaming” lol
The cool thing about Excel is 9 times out of 10 you could bump into an alumni that studied there 10 years before you and instantly get along. There’s like this unexplainable family connection that ties everyone together and as corny as that sounds, this video is a literal representation of it. This group of alumni all studied in different years, had never met each other or rehearsed before this and literally winged this. Not the ask them on the spot and still be great (rolls eyes).
Following closely after the Careers expo, we got to perform our first Sunday service for the year at Church Unlimited which was a hit. It makes a big difference when the audience is responsive during the show and I know our team really appreciated it so shout out to everyone who came along and supported!
And we’ve still got more doors to open! We’ll be back with some more updates as we trudge through the next couple of months. 2020 may not be the best year for everyone but if this season has taught us anything, it is to not let worldly circumstances determine our journey and make the most out of what you can do! Its not how you start, its how you finish the race. Hang in there team.