Over the last two weeks I have been reminded on a number of occasions of the privilege it is to be part of the St Peter’s College community. My first encounter occurred at the end of the National Youth Leadership Summit run by our 2024 School Captains, James and Ryan. It was inspiring to listen to the commitments the captains of each of the visiting schools made for 2024 and a reminder of the strong leadership and good work our young people do in our schools across Australia. What struck me though, was at the end of the day when our leaders offered participants a tour of certain parts of the School. As I watched this group walk around our grounds I was struck by their level of interest and how they were capturing our School grounds with their phones. It was a reminder of the beauty, history and heritage that surround us each day.
This rich history is also on show through our 2024 Summer Intercol where we continue our rivalry with Prince Alfred College across a range of sports. The spirit of competition is an important part of being a member of a team and indeed a school. Key to this is the manner in which our boys participate and how gracious and humble they are regardless of the result. Watching the volleyball game, there was high intensity yet both sides and indeed the crowds from both schools demonstrated that we can be rivals yet show respect for each other.
The volleyball match is just one example of excellence I have witnessed across this week. Another moment occurred at the Head of the River where the SPSC boys clapped a crew from Pembroke as they made their way to shore after a gruelling race. In that moment the boys acknowledged the performance of students from another school and in so doing, showed an understanding of one of our core values of respect. Respect towards those who have trained all season for an event, respect and acknowledgement that regardless of the result it is important to recognise the effort that goes into preparing for the big performance.
On Friday mornings the Hill Wing roars to life with our musicians rehearsing for their big events. This was another example of the excellence I have seen in action. Each of the bands is learning and developing together. When I looked into each rooms it was great to see that many of the boys practicing were also the ones out last night supporting their peers at Intercol or indeed competing. This example is indicative of the all-round skills that a student can develop at St Peter’s College. It was an absolute thrill to hear the music coming out of the Hill Wing and the best way to start the day.
Maintaining excellence can at times be a challenge. We all have moments where we reflect and consider that we may not have been as good as we wished. Through these moments we learn and through learning we are better placed in the future. Our Positive Engagement and Support Policy is indeed in place to support our students to learn from their behaviours and to seek excellence. When we do not quite get it right we look for the positives to support behavioural change. This year I have spoken to students about once they have knowledge of something they have choices to make and once they have choice they have actions. Our goal through our Positive Engagement and Support Policy is to help each boy seek excellence and in so doing be reflective to attain the knowledge that will lead to positive actions.
As we come into Holy Week we are called to reflect on the life of Jesus. Indeed, it is also an opportunity for us to consider and deeply reflect on the impact we have on others in our community and how we will demonstrate excellence in all that we do.
David Nolan
Deputy Headmaster/Head of Senior School