Head of Secondary School
Class of 2019
Over the past week we have had a number of activities to farewell our Yr 12 students, including their Farewell Chapel Service and morning tea on Monday, a “pilgrimage” back to the Junior Campus for students who started in Prep or Junior School, their harbour cruise and beach day Tuesday, their Final Assembly on Wednesday and of course their Prize Giving and Valedictory dinner last night.
It has been a special week for this wonderful Year Group and there have been many people here who have been supporting the Class of 2019 along their Redlands journey. To all of them, I express my thanks. I would also like extend my deep appreciation towards Ms Wang, as Year Advisor, and Ms Shorter, as Assistant Year Advisor, for all of their support for Year 12 this week and this year. I firmly believe that we have an exceptional Pastoral support team of Tutors, Year Advisors, teachers and counsellors for all of our students at Redlands, and I know this has certainly been the case with Yr 12 over their time at school.
Many lovely words, thoughts and feelings have been shared by parents, teachers, staff and students about this Year Group. My reflections for the Class of 2019 can probably be best summed up in an excerpt from the speech I gave at their Farewell Assembly yesterday.
“Today is a special occasion as we, the Secondary School community, farewell this wonderful Year Group. They have been exemplary leaders for our school over the past year, leading by example with their passion and dedication; selflessness and good humour.
A number of their teachers and I were able to see these traits on display yesterday, for one final time, at their Harbour Cruise and picnic lunch at Balmoral, and once again they excelled as a Year Group.
Whether it has been in the classroom, on the stage or on the sporting field, they have achieved so many successes of which they and all of us should be very, very proud.
When you, the younger students of Redlands, look at these Year 12s seated in front of you, I am sure many of you see a “finished product”, someone who has reached the end point of their Secondary Schooling; someone who you look up to; someone you aspire to become one day.
And while each and every one of these Year 12 students has achieved so much and is so worthy of our admiration, what you don’t see is the journey they have taken, sometimes even endured, to get to where they are today. You don’t see the challenges and obstacles; the failures and mistakes; the disappointments and setbacks.
So, to the students of the Class of 2019, in celebration of you achievement and this milestone in your life, I have gotten each of you a graduation gift. The small white stone that is under each of your seats. Let me explain where it comes from.
I first read about the symbolic importance of the white stone in a book written by Charles Handy called The Hungry Spirit: A Quest for Purpose in the Modern World. Charles Handy, by all external measures, was incredibly successful. An oil executive, a world renowned economist and a professor at the London Business School, Handy seemingly had all the trappings and fortunes of a successful life.
However, despite all of this, Handy found himself confused, frustrated and lacking any real fulfillment. So, he set about looking for what he termed as his “white stone” – a symbol for his higher self, representing our inner being and our true character and destiny.
The symbol of the white stone comes from a passage in the Bible from the Book of Revelations which reads, ““To the one who prevails, the Spirit says, I will give you a white stone… on which is written a name, which shall be known only to the one who receives it.”
Year 12s, all of you have prevailed, you have passed a number of the tests life has thrown up at you to get to where you are today, seated in front of us, at the conclusion of your Redlands journey.
However, as you can see on your white stones, your names are not written on them. Your road towards self-knowledge and self-discovery is still in its early stages. Sure, you’ve come a long way since when you started Secondary School way back in Year 7, but your journey is only just beginning.
You have an amazing opportunity to go forward and shape yourselves into the person you truly want to be. Your lives are not foreordained, but instead they are a blank canvas, a white stone, on which you can create your own individual masterpieces.
In one of my favourite movies, The Matrix, the main character Neo meets the Oracle and walks under a sign which reads “Temet Nosce” which is Latin for “Know Thyself”. But you can only truly know yourself through constant exploration and reflection, when you are willing to take risks to challenge yourself to reach previously unknown heights.
I have a white stone on my desk and like yours, it is blank. My name is not written on it. There have been many twists and turns, failures and setbacks on my road to self-discovery and over the years I have learned much. But I also know I have much further to travel and I doubt if I will ever truly reach a point of complete self-knowledge.
So, I encourage you, the Class of 2019, once you walk out of the gates of Redlands for the very last time, to embark on your own quest for your white stone. I congratulate you for prevailing thus far, for overcoming all of the obstacles and challenges you have faced to get where you are today.
But I also hope that you will continue to search for what brings you true fulfillment, joy and meaning in your life without letting titles, or perceptions, or societal pressures get in your way. And maybe this graduation gift of a small white stone might remind you to continue to shape your life in the pursuit of true happiness and to strive to find peace and contentment in yourself.”
SDN Debating
I would like to commend our Yr 7 and Senior Debating teams for competing in the finals of the SDN Debating Competition hosted by Redlands on Friday evening. Special congratulations to our Senior Debating team consisting of Ela Kos (Yr 12), Mackenzie Lofts (Yr 12), Lindsay McNeil (Yr 12), Aleisha Lawrence (Yr 11), Kai Lin Tan (Yr 12) and Sirena Scotting (Yr 11) for taking out the championships and winning the Debating shield for the first time in ten years!
CIS Athletics
The Combined Independent Schools Athletics Championships were held on Tuesday and Redlands continued its success on the track or in the field at this event. While a more detailed summary of results can be found in the Sports section of Note Day, I would like to especially congratulate Alexandra York (Yr 11) for winning the 16 Years Long Jump, Jonah Koppers (Yr 10) for winning the 16 Years 800m and Yr 12 students Wilf McKie, Ellis Teudt, Cameron Pascoe and Antonio Bonandi Penna Coelho for winning the Senior Boys 4×100 Relay in their final race for the School. Congratulations to all athletes who have represented the school so well over this season.
Redlands Vocal Competition
On Monday evening, the Redlands Vocal Competition was held in the Edwards Auditorium, featuring Yrs 7-12 finalists who presented a diverse range of vocal repertoire in creating an outstanding evening of musical performances. Special congratulations to Yrs 7 and 8 winner Phoebe Barnett (Yr 8) and Runner Up Halycon Hunt (Yr 7); Yr 9 and 10 winner Maddison Hunt (Yr 10) and Runner Up Ashley Manovel; and Yrs 11 and 12 winner (and overall Vocal Competition winner) Rebecca Burchett (Yr 12) and Runner Up Poppi Kent (Yr 12).
Staffing Update
Ms Karen Pittard, our Subject Coordinator of Maths, will be taking her well-deserved Long Service Leave in Term 4. We are fortunate to have Ms Chelsea Stockbridge joining the Maths Department in Term 4. Ms Stockbridge has spent this term teaching Maths to our students at Winter School and has previously taught Maths at all levels in a number of well-regarded independent schools in Sydney. In Term 4, Ms Elizabeth Busch will be acting Subject Coordinator of Maths and Ms Martina Blasco will be acting Assistant Subject Coordinator of Maths.
Uniform Shop
A reminder that students will return in their summer uniform from the start of Term 4. The Uniform Shop will be open on Monday 30 September, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October between 9.00am–3.00pm. If you wish to make an appointment, please click here.
Blazers requiring embroidery can be handed either to our parent volunteers from 2.30pm in the Liggins Quad or directly to the Uniform Shop before 3.45pm on Friday 27 September.
End of Term 3
It has been a very busy term and I know that teachers and students are looking forward to a well-earned break. I hope that you are able to spend some quality family time over the next few weeks. I will send a letter in the second week of the holidays in preparation for Term 4, and I look forward to seeing the students return to school refreshed and ready (and in proper summer uniforms) for their final term of the school year commencing on Monday 14 October.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870