Head of Middle School
Moray Expeditions are in full swing for our Year 8 boys at the moment. Each pair of Year 8 classes, and their Homeroom Teachers will head down to Moray, ride in the canoes, climb on the high ropes course, navigate their way through the bush with just a map and compass and camp out under the stars. They will all come home tired and dirty but their depth of knowledge about each other - including their teachers, the shared experiences and the sense of achievement in doing something difficult are fabulous building blocks to long term collaborative friendships and bonds that extend well beyond their College life. Moray and the Outdoor Education Programme, as much as any curriculum area, contribute to our College motto of Preparing Boys for Life. Once your son has eaten, washed and possibly slept, and has given his version of life on camp, a good question to ask might be "What did you learn about yourself that wasn't clear before you went away?"
At the heart of a Baccalaureate school lies the concept of Service. Our objective in Preparing Boys for Life is to instil in boys the importance of giving back - without being asked to do so. One of the delights this year has been observing the number of last year's Year 12 boys who have returned to the College to act as sport coaches during Summer and Winter sport and who give their hours in the Residence in Senior School. In Middle School this was highlighted at Assembly last week when we featured the Australia's Biggest Morning Tea that ran with boys cooking and catering for parents with money raised going to the Cancer Council. Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal there was a steady stream of boys to my office with ideas to help support the Nepalese children and we have now devoted Week 5 to a Support Nepal campaign where a series of activities for boys to contribute and participate will run all week. The activities are threefold: aiming to highlight Nepal as a country and culture, the role and non-government organisations such as Red Cross and their rapid response to global emergencies and to raise funds toward victims of this disaster.
Arguably the most attention at Assembly was given to Alistair Watters (8.3O) who earlier this year submitted a proposal to the Guinness Book of World Records with a record attempt proposal that has now been accepted. On Thursday 17 September Alistair invites us to attempt to break the world record for the most people in a beep test. No easy feat this, particularly given the target number is anything over 545 participants! The purpose however is Alistair's attempt to raise awareness and funds for the Samuel Morris Foundation (Preventing childhood drowning and supporting non-fatal drowning survivors) and PMH. It is a brilliant and innovative idea and an example of service as a part of our character.
Mr Richard Ledger
Head of Middle School
