It was back to school for students of the country’s national college, Tereora, yesterday morning with a special welcome assembly at the Princess Anne Hall.

The new principal of Tereora College, Mona Ngaau addressed the assembly. Ngaau said she was humbled and very honoured to welcome the students, new staff members and appointments within the school.

“This is our school. We are one family on this vaka, you are on a journey, every single one of you have set goals for yourselves on this vaka,” she said.

“For our vaka to be able to travel to the destination that you want we need to make sure that every part of the vaka is strong, every part – you, us and our families, because we know if one of the parts of the vaka is weak then we will struggle together.”

Ngaau, who served as deputy principal before taking on the top role, reassured the students that the college “is a safe place” for them and not to be afraid to ask any questions.

She acknowledged the former principal, Tania Morgan, who is now the director of the Cook Islands Tertiary and Training Institute (CITTI).

This year, Tereora’s Level 3 students have been given the opportunity to take Level 3 automotive courses with the support of CITTI.