Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community,
Welcome to the month of May, a month which is dedicated to Mary and the month in which we celebrate the role of all mothers and all those who fulfil the role of mother within our society. Many would say that in a world which places a priority on paid work, that the role of the mother in being the primary carer and love giver to children is underrated and underappreciated. May that not be the case. Taking Mary as our model, may all mothers enjoy the love and appreciation of family on this special day.
May is also the last month of autumn and my barometer of seasons — the maple tree outside my office — is still very green with only a tinge of yellow. I await the falling of the leaves as winter approaches, and hopefully some rain comes with it.
The last fortnight has seen a few milestones, a major one being the Student Progress Interviews conducted last Monday evening and all of last Tuesday. It is a substantial undertaking to close the College, but an important one, and I trust the opportunity was worthwhile with the discussions supporting the learning for each and every child.
A second milestone was the first of the three Debutante Balls, with the remaining two occurring this weekend. This, too, is a substantial undertaking and I appreciate the efforts of the Parents and Friends' Association, the College staff and staff at Sassi Dance who make these events so special. To witness the pride and joy on the faces of parents and grandparents is rewarding.
This last week, however, another milestone has left me reflecting. Our first fully student-led College Captains Assembly for the year, which was fully planned and implemented by our College captains, prefects and student leaders, was held last Tuesday. The format of the Assembly was indeed a celebration of College life and the College community and it included:
- The College Sports Prefects, who updated the student body on sports successes this year, including the Swimming Carnival, EISM and the presentation of the Cup to O’Neill house which won the Athletics Carnival
- A vignette from the College play Pink Panther Strikes Again, which will run from 10-12 May in Centennial Hall
- The College Captains addressed the student body about their understanding of the concept of ‘Respect' within the College 2018 theme “Whilst knowledge may empower, character builds respect”
- An update from the SRC and College Vice Captains, who spoke about their work around the World’s Greatest Shave.
A highlight of the assembly was a presentation by past student and Olympian Casey Wright (class of 2012) who competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in the events of women's Sprint Classic and women's 10km free cross-country skiing. Casey is studying in Alaska, but she took the time to record a substantial interview which to me highlighted how proud she was to be an Old Collegian of MLMC. Her clear message to our students was to continuously work towards your goals and never give up on your dreams.
As I walked away from the Assembly, a staff member asked me if I was happy with the Assembly and expressed “how good was that?” It caused me to reflect about the success of the Assembly and success itself. Was the Assembly successful? Indeed, it was. How could it not have been? It was a student-focused and student-led Assembly, full of student participation and with students celebrating and congratulating each other on their successes. The Assembly discussed sporting success, work in social justice, performance arts and the celebration of an old collegian. Indeed, a success.
Success has been a focus of late as I continue to interview Year 12 students. With each one I discuss the subjects and the course they are currently undertaking and ask them to discuss their plans and how they would define success and, of course, the answer is different for each and every one of them. For some success is an ATAR of 98 plus and entry into medicine. For others it is an ATAR of 75 plus to become a teacher or a nurse. Others talk of the entry into TAFE and trades, or the police force. For each and every one of these students, success is different and success is self defined. Success is goal dependent. Success is about taking dreams and putting steps in place to achieve them. Success is ensuring that dreams become goals and not fantasies. We are, indeed, fortunate to celebrate the wide and diverse community that makes up Mount Lilydale Mercy College.
Yes, the student-led Assembly was a success, as was the process of the Student Progress Interviews and Debutante Balls.
God Bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
