After weeks of rehearsals, all of the hard work put in by the boys paid off last Friday at Battle of the Bands. All houses delivered great performances, but Farrell house ultimately took the win with High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco. Next year, the performers will have to work even harder to reach the bar set this year.
More recently, this week’s focus has been supporting the Wear It Purple Foundation, which helps break down the stigma and addresses bullying against queer young people. On Tuesday, the Prefect group sold purple donuts to raise funds for the Foundation, with the donuts selling out before lunch had ended. Today (Friday), we hosted the Seymour College student leaders for the annual Prefect Netball, which we used as another opportunity to raise awareness.
In my own experience, I was fortunate enough to finish Year 12 with mates who were supportive of my sexuality, where it was just a non-issue. They treated me no different to my straight peers.
Thankfully, I’m in a position where I can be open about it, but the reality is that not everyone is as fortunate. Many boys still struggle with their identity’s even after leaving school, highlighting the work we still need to do.
As a community, it’s now time to come together to ensure that the nearly one in 10 Australians aged 16–24 who identify as LGBTI+ feel welcomed within our school and wider community. This isn’t something that can be done overnight, so it it’s important to remember the humanity that connects us.
“Human beings are more alike than we are unalike. And the minute we begin to understand, just the slightest part of that, we recognise ourselves as family.” Maya Angelou, 1989.
Henry Burton
Vice Captain
