23 February 2022
It was wonderful to launch the 2022 St Peter’s College’s CEO-in-Residence Program on Thursday. Designed to connect our students with dynamic leaders of industry, innovation and enterprise, this engagement program provides students the opportunity to hear first-hand what practical skills have helped our guests succeed in their chosen field. For our first session we were privileged to welcome Ron Beevor, Mellissa Larkin, James Sarah, Adrian Tembel and Thomas Walker who shared the following tips for success: try to uncover all your strengths, discover your passion, put yourself out there and take risks, and never stop learning or trying to do better.
These messages resonated with our students who are regularly challenged to seek out feedback in everything they do and respond accordingly. Through co-curricular endeavours, one can work hard physically and receive tangible feedback, in terms of achievement, that is easily understood. This balance of effort and reward is more difficult to translate to academia, with the feedback horizon often further away. Once understood that the same ‘push hard, be rewarded’ principle, that applies to physical endeavours also applies to one’s academic work, students bring out their best in assessment regimes.
I thank the leaders who have agreed to participate in our CEO-in-Residence Program throughout the year and encourage anyone who is interested in collaborating with our students in their career discovery and planning to contact Ana Christensen on achristensen@stpeters.sa.edu.au.
Our multicultural community enriches our SPSC community and we welcome opportunities to celebrate this diversity. The recent Lunar New Year celebrations in the Junior School demonstrated our appreciation of the Chinese culture and the valuable contribution this culture makes to our community. Special performances in Assembly and decorations around the campus formed part of the celebrations. Congratulations to Aarnav Sanghavi (Year 6) who was presented his 2021 Chinese Language Award in the Week 3 Assembly.
I also acknowledge Daniel Jesudason’s (Year 12) wonderful contribution in service to our School and the wider community. Daniel was recently chosen to represent UNICEF Australia as a Young Ambassador for South Australia. In his role he will seek opportunities to speak up for children’s rights. Congratulations on your appointment Daniel and thank you for your significant efforts to improve the world we live in.
Following outstanding performances at the SA Track and Field Championships on the weekend, I congratulate the following students who have qualified for the upcoming Australian Track and Field Championships to be held in Sydney in March: Jonathan Harris (U18 800 m and 1500 m), Josh Moro (U17 Long Jump, 400m and 400m Hurdles), Ethan Allison (U16 Triple Jump), Gman Paye (U17 100m, 200m and 400m), Andrew Maenda (U16 100m and 200m), Lawson Jones (U16 Pole Vault and High Jump) and Stephen Lacroix-Sneyd (U16 800m and 1500 m).
As the SA Health COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift we look forward to welcoming our volunteers back onto campus. Thank you in advance to all parents who commit considerable hours of volunteer time behind the scenes for our various friends and support committees. Your time, care and dedication to advancing the endeavours of our students, whether it be through the arts, sport, service or wider co-curricular programs is greatly appreciated. I look forward to enjoying the welcome cocktail evening with you and our wider parent community on Friday 18 March. Be sure to book your tickets here.
Tim Browning
Headmaster