19 May 2023
The following Address was delivered by School & Allen House Captain Stewart Anderson at Muster to celebrate National Boarding Week
Official party, staff, and students. This is a very special week for our school community and for one House in particular. The House I am of course referring to is the mighty School & Allen, aka the best House, aka the House that put everyone else to shame last week in Muster with our singing prowess. And before anyone tries to discredit us by mentioning the standings, just ask yourselves who’s been given a slot to speak at muster? I can sense about 90% of the audience feeling a bit disgruntled; I understand, the truth can be hard to swallow. Unfortunately, being the best House doesn’t quite constitute a presentation at muster but this week being National Boarding Week does. As the name suggests, it is a week where we celebrate and recognize our boarding students, and deservedly so. This school has had boarders for almost as long as it’s been a school, so it’s only right to appreciate and continue that legacy.
Boarding isn’t always fun and games, there are challenges we face that day students probably take for granted, adjusting to living away from home at a young age isn’t always easy. Thankfully our amazing network of support thanks to the incredibly hard-working team of staff help to make it feel like a second home. Not to mention our great student leaders. So, it goes both ways, there are also things we take for granted that day students don’t have access to. Living on campus gives us an advantage academically. Being forced into a good study routine has a lot of merits and walking from my bedroom to the classroom is incredibly convenient.
What I’m trying to say is that there are aspects of our lives that are different, with pros and cons for either side. Despite these differences, we’re all students of this great school. From 8:35am to 3:30pm we can study the same subjects in the same classrooms and be taught by the same teachers. It’s important to remember what unites us, because only then can we celebrate our differences. And if you haven’t already, I encourage you to get to know some of us.
In the Boarding House we have boys from across the state, across the country, across the globe, living under one roof. Everyone has an amazing story to tell, which is why in the Boarding House we often have boys present them during our house musters. Today you’ll hear from two of our boarders, Nathan Spry in Year 12, and Andrew Lillecrapp in Year 10. And at the end we’ll be sharing a video compiling footage sent in from all our boys.
Now, before I hand over to Nathan, I want you to remember, all Houses are equal, but some Houses are more equal than others.
Stewart Anderson
School & Allen House Captain