Head of Junior School
On Wednesday 18 May, the Junior School held its annual Inter-House Cross Country event. Once again the weather gods smiled on us and provided a wonderful day for running. The commitment of our boys to do their very best was clear for all to see.
Having taken part in four Cross Country events in my time at Scotch, I have witnessed the efforts of the boys as they have challenged themselves to complete the course. This year I saw our boys run better that I had seen before. Out of the six year-levels that ran, four classes had no boys walk during the event and only a few boys overall walked during the race. This is an outstanding achievement, as being able to finish without stopping in a long distance event is the most important goal for most participants.
We inducted our Pre-Primary boys into our Inter-house competition when they ran their first race. The 16 boys ran the 500m course with a determination that defied their young age. They did wonderfully and were brilliantly supported by boys from Year 5 who ran with them and from their parent(s) who cheered them on.
The day marked several acts of kindness and support that illustrated the wonderful characteristics our boys possess. MK (Mikhael Djauhari) in Year 5 gave up his spot in the race to go back to assist a classmate who had fallen. Other boys were encouraging and cheering their classmates to do their best during the races, while some chose to run with their friends and assist and encourage instead of seeking higher finishing places.
Many outstanding performances were witnessed. In Year 5 the record set last year by James Spadanuda was beaten by Jack Cook (7.38.81 for 2km). In Year 3 a new record was set by Rafferty McDonald, beating the previous record by 15 seconds (6.40.19 for 1.5km) and Charlie Warden set a new Year 2 mark (4.22.37 for 1km). Finally, Angus Noble set the first Pre-Primary record of 2.22.35.
Despite these amazing results, the day was not about winning or losing, how fast the boys ran or even about how their House did. It was about challenging themselves to do their very best. The boys as a whole should be very proud of themselves. They performed wonderfully, tried their best and allowed us all to see that they can have a go at the hard things and come out better for it.
Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School
