A Great Come Back!
It was great to return to Boarding at the start of 2023 with a fresh new look, as just about all of the units had been refurbished and were looking nicer than ever. Term 1 was an exciting one with trips to Adventure World, Greek and American themed dinner nights, trips to Busselton and an Australian food cooking night to show our Gap Year students a little taste of Australian classics. Thanks to Harriet, who designed and ordered our Boarding Jumpers for this year.
The design is a plain and simple one which everyone really liked. The 2023 Boarding Executive has already come up with a few different ideas for the year to come including; more dinner theme nights, themed socials, shopping trips to Mandurah and Perth and ideas for this year’s Quiz Night.
Sienna :: Head Boarder, Year 12
What a Great Start!
It has been great start to 2023 with quite a few new Boarders joining us. It is awesome to see how friendly and welcoming all the Boarders are and to see the friendship groups expand. One of the key things that has helped everyone get to know each other is our theme of “CONNECT”. This has allowed all students, staff, and the Gap Year students to bond well. We have been very lucky to be able to do some great activities in Boarding, such as a day trip to Adventure World in Perth, playing a big hide-and-seek game down the back of Palmer Oval, watching the Hockeyroos play against China in Bunbury and many more. My focus for Term 1 was the Boarding Jumpers. I came up with a simple design this year and the Boarders were happy with it. They arrived at the start of Term 2, just as the cooler weather arrived! It has been a good first Semester for 2023 and I look forward to the rest of the year as the Boarding Executive have some great ideas planned.
Harriet :: Associate Head Boarder, Year 12
Belonging in Boarding
This year we welcomed many new Boarders to our community. As Harriet mentions, it is gratifying to see the way our Boarders have reached out to make their transition easier. We also welcomed Dr Rachael Williams and Ms Caroline Cooper in Boarding as new Residential Staff members. Their fresh eyes and new and innovative approach have been very appreciated, be it having the chance to do mosaics and other craft on the weekend or working towards more equestrian opportunities and being locked in an escape room with our Year 7 students for two hours!! You can read what they have enjoyed about Boarding in this article.
Refurbishments of the Student Units were completed at the end of Semester 1. The Units have a lovely contemporary look, with a lighter, more homely feel. You can get a glimpse of the new units in our online virtual tour. On behalf of the Boarding community, I thank our Operations team for their diligent work which expedited this process. The highlight for me this semester was having Joel Whitwell come and speak with our Boarders in Term 1. “When strangers would stare at Joel Whitwell, his mother would tell him they were only staring because of how beautiful he was. Joel looked different to other kids growing up, he was born with craniofacial deficiency and had only one ear and one eye. Nevertheless, growing up in the Harvey community of Western Australia gave him the courage to go out into the world and show his true colours.” Joel spoke of the importance of love, support, equality and resilience. It was palpable just how much his story resonated with all of us.
Our Boarders enjoy a diverse and busy recreation schedule and I look forward to the Boarding Student Executive having a greater voice in the various activities we offer. I extend a sincere thank you to the Boarding staff who are always willing to work varied hours and go beyond their duty for the ultimate benefit of our Boarders. It is this sense of community and belonging that creates an intrinsic motivation for all to give, look out for each other, and provide support and mateship.
Mr Justin Forbes :: Head of Boarding
