Wellbeing Report – August 25, 2016

What Makes St Patricks College Special And Different?

Year 11 Social Justice Experiences

Over the last two terms, nearly every Tuesday and Wednesday, Year 11 Religion classes travelled down to Melbourne on the Tuesday and worked locally in Ballarat, helping a variety of different people across society. In total, 10 classes of students, accompanied by two teachers each time, committed to learning something more about how the world works differently for others; in essence learning about others’ lives and the challenges people have to endure in their lives.

The day begins with a celebration of Mass, usually led by Fr James Kerr. Once arriving in Melbourne the boys learn about how common homelessness is in society and are blessed to meet wonderful volunteers who make a difference in the lives of homeless and needy people in Melbourne and this continues the next day in Ballarat. Mr Michael Toohey, our Student Formation Coordinator, meets with the boys before they go and debriefs with each class on their return on the Wednesday. Michael is particularly gifted at drawing out of the boys the impact that the experiences have upon them and what they have learnt about the world. The boys are challenged to reflect upon the positive role that they can play in the lives of others beyond the gates of St Patricks College.

This is what makes St Patricks College special and uniquely different. The work of meeting and providing food to the homeless, meeting people who are so committed they give up their lives to volunteer, and seeing and hearing about the challenges that others face teaches the boys empathy. In the Christian world we would say this is living out the message and mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ challenged the status quo, called for all people to do more for others. It was my absolute privilege to observe my Year 11 class take this opportunity, completely. The boys were filled with compassion, served meals to homeless people, and some boys left the service tables and spent time talking with homeless people. This last action was no doubt the greatest gift for people who often feel invisible in our society.

At St Patricks we believe these experiences are key for the boys to really assess who they are and what type of lives they would like to lead into the future.

Thank you for allowing your sons to experience such a worthwhile life lesson.

2017 Student Leadership Voting –

Currently our students and staff are in the process of voting for students to lead in both the Student Council (Year 12) and Student Congress (Year 7-11).

Nominated Year 11 students have been invited to apply for leadership roles. A shortlist of these students will be interviewed early next week by Mr Crowley, Mrs Ryan, Director of Senior School, and myself. These appointments play a really important role in student voice and empowerment at St Patricks College.

By the end of this week we will have also voted for leaders in year levels 7-11. We highly value a distributed leadership model at St Patricks and these younger students will also play a vital role in representing the voices of all our students.