Lisl Prendergast has been principal of Sacred Heart College since April 26, 2000 when she was officially received as the new Principal after a Maori welcome (Powhiri). The college leadership was formally handed over from Sister Valerie Lawson to Miss Prendergast at this ceremony.

Miss Prendergast is a graduate of Victoria University (English and History) and she has a Masters degree in Educational Administration from Massey. She also has a Masters degree in Education from the Educational Institute of London University, where she was a Commonwealth Relations Trust Fellow 1991 - 1992. During this time she visited a wide vairety of schools in the UK and Ireland.

As a teacher Miss Prendergast taught English, Classical Studies, Art History and led adult trips to Europe in the latter subjects.  She enjoys travel and has wide interests including photogrpahy, reading, horse riding and sailing.  She is also a passionate musician who enjoys traditonal folk music and delights in the humourous, the unusual and the untold story that needs a ready raconteur.

Miss Prendergast was born in New Zealand but has a strong Irish heritage on one side and an English heritage on the other.  She is committed to Te Reo Maori and to the partnership.  She has studied Te Reo Maori as part of a Dip. T.E.S.L. at Victoria University.

Miss Prendergast's vision for Sacred Heart College embraces the College's Mission Statement and is committed to enhancing the fine academic, sporting and cultural achievements that this college is known for.  She is proud of her Catholic heritage and believes in the power of prayer, the life of the spirit, and a commitment to service which was at the heart of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.  She is also proud of the staff of this College.  She sees them as the heartwood - The Poutokomanawa of the school (the centre post). She wants the staff to have the very best professional development and to know that the school supports them in their pursuit of excellence.  Her educational vision is for:

  • a life of the spirit
  • a time for contemplation and reflection
  • a sense of community
  • social justice
  • social mobility
  • a core of essential values
  • a sense of fun

She believes laughter should be a daily experience and that gospel values should underlie all the day to day relationships within the school community.  Her hope is for all the community to pursue wisdom.

"Happy is the person who finds wisdom and the person who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold.  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her."

Sacred Heart College commends this pursuit of wisdom or 'virtue and knowledge' to its students.  The leadership of the College, the Management team and the whole college community is totally committed to this pursuit.

 

Highlights from Miss Prendergast's Speech at Senior Prizegiving 2008

"2008 has been a year of many highlights. It is hard to know where to start but events that spring to mind are our 1st equal place with Sacred Heart Napier in the O'Shea Shield, our win in the Te Toa Hockey tournament, our very creative production "Reality Dreams", our win in the regional Nga Manu Korero speeches in all four sections, a visit from a New York based Irish violinist, our farewell Mass for Sister Jo at the end of last term, the trip to New Caledonia for our French students, seeing Josie Leota, Head Girl 2002, share the stage in Sydney with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Look, the list could be longer but suffice to say, thank you girls because you are the ones who achieved this.

Finally this evening we come to a special tribute to a really fine educator. Our Deputy Principal Jenny Buist is leaving Sacred Heart College after thirteen and a half years of dedicated service. Jenny has been, to use an extended metaphor from the gospels, "a rock on which one could build a very sound educational home."

 

Oversea Travels 2003 - 2008

In July 2003 Miss Prendergast travelled to Scotland for the International Principal's Conference. Principals from Finland, Belguim, Ghana and the United Kingdom to name a few were present. In the second part of her trip Miss Prendergast visited schools in Germany and Ireland to help facilitate a student exchange. Earlier in 2003 Miss Prendergast had also visited China and Japan.

In 2006 Miss Prendergast led a group from the Mission Colleges of New Zealand on a pilgrimage to France. Before the start of the pilgrimage proper Miss Prendergast and Sister Josephine Kane visited Sturry in England where the Foundress of the Mission Colleges Euphrasie Barbier is buried . Some of the places of interest that the group visited in France were Lisieux, home of Saint Therese, Caen, the birthplace of Euphrasie Barbier, St Rambert en Begey, Lyons, Chartre, Leon and Moissac.

In 2007, while on Sabbatical Miss Prendergast visited Ireland, Scotland, and France.....
An extract from Miss Prendergast's report to the Board of Trustees " The best parts of my trip have been the times when there was a little space apart and silence. Today on a walk through the woods I saw a deer and in the highlands I was able to photograph an 8 point stag. These special moments have been magic......"

In 2008 Miss Prendergast attended a Catholic Secondary Principals Conference in Adelaide Australia. As well as attending the conference Miss Prendergast also visited an interesting new school called the Nazareth Community. It is two Catholic Secondary schools and three Catholic Primary which have combined. Ultimately there will be 1600 students on two campuses, one primary and one secondary . Miss Prendergast also visited two Aboriginal community centres.  Finally, to quote from Miss Prendergast's report on the conference.......
" We were reminded at this Conference that Jesus called ordinary folk and that there was a human quality to his ministry. He also had a fundamental trust in Providence and he always started from where people were at. We were reminded several times that we are in a sense modern missionaries but we need to approach with a sense of reverence as "God was there before we even arrived on the scene.". We cannot approach with arrogrance. We need to use local or even teenage culture to spread the gospel."