Leaving St Peter’s to serve St Paul’s

Tuesday, September 29th, 2015

St Peter’s College, principal Kieran Fouhy resigned this year after a 27-year tenure, during which the Epsom Catholic school’s roll doubled and its reputation soared.

At 68, the life-long schoolteacher was contemplating retirement and the prospect of spending more time with his grandchildren.

But after becoming convinced St Paul’s College in Ponsonby would benefit from his experience, he will instead become the Principal there at the beginning of next year.

Fouhy, who is married to a teacher and has five daughters who are also teachers, said he hoped to use what he had learned from teaching in boys’ schools his entire career to help St Paul’s.

“Parents of boys want their sons to be good men,” he said. “In my mind, character trumps achievement. And if you’ve got good character in the student body, you’ve got good achievement.”

He was extremely proud of his time at St Peter’s, particularly of some of the initiatives he had introduced, including all boys taking music, and the requirement for each student to do a service outreach.

But he doesn’t expect to cut-and-paste the St Peter’s model.

“There are some things that will be the same – you need routines, structure, rituals of belonging – but this is a unique school with its own history,” he said.

“I don’t know much about it yet but I do know it has potential.

Fouhy’s appointment will coincide with a $7 million classroom redevelopment to be done by 2017.

Five things learned from a life in boys’ schools

To be successful, you need to enrol families, don’t just enrol kids.
Have a single gate. That way you can meet each student as he comes in for the day.
It’s important to gather each morning. It helps to create a sense of belonging.
University Entrance is a key indicator of success, whether or not students go on to university.
Boys never ask for help, they act for help.

– Kieran Fouhy

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