Sum Sum Tsui and Flynn Gartrell
Reflecting on a Year of Leadership: Scots College Heads of College 2025
Published December 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, Scots College bids farewell to its Heads of College, Sum Sum Tsui (attended 2021–2025) and Flynn Gartrell (attended 2019–2025), who describe their year of leadership as an “absolute honour.” Both Sum Sum and Flynn embraced every moment of their time at the College and are looking forward to continuing their involvement with the Collegians community.
This year, the Prefect cohort set three ambitious goals, connection, all-round character, and pride, which became guiding principles for life at Scots College. These values shaped a year packed with events, initiatives, and traditions that strengthened the school’s culture and spirit.
Despite the whirlwind pace of 2025, Sum Sum and Flynn recall several standout moments. House activities such as Hakataetae, House Music, and Athletics Day remained firm favourites, continuing traditions that have been cherished since their Middle School years. Another highlight was Scots College’s “Bloody Good Week,” which included a blood drive saving up to 141 lives, alongside creative activities for younger students such as whodunnit mysteries and card-making for donors.
Yet, if one event truly captured their hearts, it was the Ceilidh – a tradition they have loved for two years running. “We’ve both fallen in love with this tradition and have even been looking for a ceilidh dance troupe to join,” they shared.
Connection was at the forefront during Connections Week in Term 2, which celebrated relationships across all year levels and fostered new ones. Activities ranged from a lively staff-versus-students showdown of Family Feud to joint House events and a competitive multisport game against the Pōneke High Schools team. The year also saw the launch of the Pōneke High Schools Group, a collaborative network of 14 Wellington schools working together on service initiatives, sports exchanges, and social media engagement.
The goal of all-round character was brought to life through leadership in service. Students of all ages participated in projects that supported communities across Wellington, including Year 10 and 11 initiatives, a record-breaking $30,000 raised for Relay for Life, and the revival of the Scots Blood Drive. These efforts reflected the College motto, Virtutem Paret Doctrina – let education build all-round character – and demonstrated the power of service-driven leadership.
Finally, the Prefect team championed pride, reinforcing school spirit and a culture of encouragement. With Scots College’s growing population, the number of teams and groups has expanded dramatically. This year saw strong support for a diverse range of activities, from football and hockey to debating and performing arts.
Looking ahead, both Sum Sum and Flynn are heading to the University of Otago to study Health Sciences – still together, and perhaps still dancing. While they admit they will miss their cohort and the College, they are excited to experience Scots from a new perspective: as Collegians.
“Thank you for laying the foundation for us to grow,” they said. “We are so excited to remain part of this amazing community.”
Sum Sum, Aitken House Hakataetae 2025
Flynn, Glasgow House Music 2025
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