The new Elim Christian College principal is an all-rounder in life and high-achieving academic with abundant enthusiasm for educating and preparing teenagers for life after school.
Julian Adamson, who spent his teenage and young adult years in Mellons Bay and enjoys football and taekwondo, has started at Elim and the Times visited him last week.
He’s arrived from Blenheim in sunny Marlborough and comes with energy, friendliness and clarity about how he’d like to lead and guide Elim.
The 47-year-old knows he’s got big boots to fill, following on from Murray Burton, an exceptional nationally recognised school leader who has just stepped away after 22 years.
“I’m not Murray, which is important. I’m not here to be Murray. But he has left such a legacy,” says Adamson, who’ll have contact with Burton in the latter’s mentoring role.
“This is a high-performance school. It’s in a wonderful place, in terms of its special Christian character and success which the students enjoy, which gives me freedom to come in and get to know the place.
“There’s nothing I need to rush to change. Obviously, I bring my own ideas, but the first priority is I can get to know people and the place and build on that.
“I’m really big on finding personalised pathways for students. My philosophy is, as we get to know families and students really well, we discover what it is their plans and purposes are for the future and how do we support that.
“That can look very creative especially in the senior end of the school, in terms of programmes and courses,” Adamson says.
“No student will leave here without a really positive exit plan.”
Adamson’s a keen student as well as teacher and principal, and it wasn’t immediately apparent to him that he’d end up in education.
“I was never going to be a teacher,” he says. “My parents were involved in education, and I saw how hard they worked.
“But when I finished at university, I said I’ll do my teaching qualification, that’ll open doors and I’ll be able to travel.
“As soon as I started doing it, I loved it. I’ve always been passionate about education.”
He teaches physics and chemistry as subjects, “but I’m not in education for physics”.
“I love being in education because I can influence young people’s lives.
“Teenagers are so full of optimism, plans and exciting potential. I like to help them out on their life journey.”
Born in Christchurch, Adamson moved to east Auckland with his family and spent his teenage and young adult years here, attending Howick Intermediate and Macleans College, and did his first degree at the University of Auckland in pharmacology.
A masters’ degree in educational leadership through Auckland University followed, and he’s now working on his doctorate through the University of Canterbury.
“It’s the learning, I love to learn new things. I love to say yes to opportunities. My whole doctoral study is around purpose in special character schools,” says Adamson.
“The keys strengths here [Elim] are an amazing staff, such a talented team, and I strongly believe in getting the right people.”
He’s been in Blenheim for the past 16 years in a variety of senior leadership roles in schools – Marlborough Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges, and the past six years at Richmond View, helping to build a new secondary capacity at that school. The proprietors are Elim Church Blenheim.
He says here has been a 300 per cent growth at Richmond View.
“Just like here, long waiting lists. You see that across the country in special character schools.
“Parents are crying out for special character education. Great values. Students are here to learn. We want excellence for our students, but we want that with Christian character.”
Adamson is appreciating being back on familiar territory.
“This is an old stomping ground for me, east Auckland. I know this area well and have family roots here.
“I’ve been a Christian since I was 14, a long-time member of the River of Life Church in Ben Lomond Crescent, and the Elim Church in Blenheim.
“So, I’ll be here at the local Elim Church in Botany and I’m looking forward to getting involved.”
He loves his football, too – “masters’ old guys league football, I’ve played soccer all my life” – and taekwondo.
He plays musical instruments, “guitar, bass and drums, and trombone”, and like many, was taught by the late-great Rodger Fox at Macleans College.
“Elim is a very musical school. There are some very talented students here.”
