Gena Bagley, 23 July 2026
The Castle on the Hill Through Students' Eyes
With Year 12 English students dedicating a large portion of their year to honing their writing skills, practising writing about a scene they know well was a valuable exercise in translating familiar sensory details into sophisticated, controlled written expression.
With Open Night next week, it seems especially fitting to share these pieces that capture some of the unique qualities that make OBHS what it is.
Maddix Smith
The tower block of Otago Boys’ High stands proudly in the centre. Its high walls dominate the Dunedin skyline. By day OBHS is a thriving hub for learning. As the dull ringing of the bell wafts through the quad, a stream of students flows out the archway. The tower watches from above, like a silent guardian. As the afternoon fades to evening, the sun goes down below the hills, casting a shadow over the campus. The tower's windows catch the last fleeting glimpse of sunlight, reflecting it like a mirror. But as night falls, when all the students have gone home, the place begins to glow. Over a city of bright lights, one stands out above the rest. The cold grey stone is washed in brilliant colours as the lights flicker on. From the streets below, the tower becomes a lighthouse, as if guiding those brave enough to still be on the streets. The tower has seen the city rise from nothing into what it is today, overlooking it now as a proud parent. It seems to whisper, its polished white walls telling stories of the past and what is to come. Wrapped in a cloak of light, the castle on the hill overlooks its kingdom as if protecting it. And then, as the sun rises back over the ocean, the floodlights switch off. The nocturnal beast falls back into its slumber as kids begin to make their way through the archway.
Jack Yeoman
Otago Boys’ Castle stands above all others while overlooking his city below. Schoolkids flow through his archway as the sun rises. Otago Boys is finally awake once again. I make my way slowly to my very first class of the term as the hustle and bustle of students swarm past me. Amidst catching up with familiar faces, I realise the first bell is set to ring any second now.
Hurriedly, I burst through the old creaking door just as the school's shrieks ring out through the hallways, signalling the day has now begun. I slump down in my chair, ready to deal with whatever task my life will hold for the coming weeks. The first assignment seems simple enough: “Write approximately 300 words describing Otago Boys’ High School”. Attending this school, walking through that archway, for roughly four years now, should make this a simple task. However, as I sit there racking my brain for an ounce of remembrance about my school itself, I come up blank. It finally occurs to me that the key aspect that makes a school is the people within its walls. Strip away the students and teachers, and suddenly the school returns to the asylum that lived for generations. I slowly think about the school from this newfound perspective, and it helps me see the mundane landscape for more than just what he shows, more than just his structural integrity and grey skin. Memories flow back from his golden auditorium with its boundless moments of funny senior assemblies, performing for rows and rows of fellow students, and back to my very first day, not knowing what my coming years would hold. His sea-blue classrooms, each holding individual lessons and experiences that, whether willingly or unwillingly, will stick with me for years to come. Finally, my personal story-ridden spot and its years of memories, hand-crafted by the castle itself. So after sitting in my chair for what feels like days, this new outlook helps me see my school for what he truly is. Otago Boys’ is not simply a place of learning and growth; it is a place of connection, whether it be strengthening the old or welcoming the new. My castle is where boys become men and students become lifelong friends. As I look back on my teenage years later in life, I will always be thankful for the memories made in this castle on the hill.