Boarding Bulletin Board

by Director of Boarding, Mr Brendon Gilbert

Dear boarding families,

I am incredibly excited to write to you, not because it’s the last week of school but because our boarders continue to make the boarding community proud of their achievements up to the end of the year. Our school provides many opportunities for students to get involved and unearth their strengths and passions and create dreams. The list of student achievements this year has been astonishing, and it continues with the academic prizes in the last week of school. One area I would like to touch on that doesn’t get as much recognition is the inclusive nature of boarding. Over the past few weeks, we have welcomed many new students from across the country into our boarding community. This is a big step for a family, as you know, and it can be daunting being a new boarder. The way that our boarders have welcomed our newest students and transitioned them into our community has been heart-warming. There are no prizes for this; however, boarders who feel a strong connection to their peers and a sense of belonging within the community will achieve their personal best.

Chris Nolan Award Winners and Academic Prize Winners

Chris Nolan is an Old Collegian that exemplified the pursuit of excellence across a range of critical academic programs and College activities. A Chris Nolan award recognises and celebrates the academic achievements of students that rank in the top 10% of their cohort across all subjects. Congratulations to Hugo Johnston, James Parkinson, Eric Yang and Mitch Collins for receiving a Chris Nolan award.

Congratulations to the below boarders that received academic prizes.

• Lincoln Koliba – Dux of Year 9 Art 2D
• Eric Yang – Dux of Year 10 Computing Hardware, Dux of Year 10 Pre-Methods Mathematics, Dux of Specialist Mathematics VCE Unit 1 and 2
• Mitch Collins – Year 11 Dux, Dux of History – 20th Century VCE Unit 1 and 2

It is a fantastic achievement to receive a Chris Nolan award or Academic prize. It recognises students at the pointy end of the College’s academic program who have worked tremendously hard at their studies. However, many other students work just as hard but don’t receive an academic award. After analysing the 2022 Chris Nolan data, I was thrilled to learn that 75% of our boarders made progress within their cohort from Semester 1 to Semester 2. I want to acknowledge the following students who increased their cohort ranking by more than 50 places: Joseph Thomson, Mikey Raggett, Jimmy Duxson, Nick Belleville, Ollie Hannaford, Alec Luznik, Jack Donohoe and Luke Smith. I am thrilled that our boarders have made substantial gains in their academic progress, and I look forward to seeing this continue in 2023.

Boarding Weekend Activities

Over the past weeks, various weekend activities have been offered, including attending the Aquatic Centre, going to the movies, and burning energy at Bounce. Last weekend, we capped off the year with a three-way activity comprising Go-Karts, Ten Pin Bowling, and Laser Tag. There were many highlights; however, seeing the inner racer come out of the boarders when they put the helmet on was entertaining. The staff and boarders have been working together to design a weekend activities program for 2023 that will include many more out-of-town activities, which we will be delighted to offer to our community next year.

2023 New Boarders

On Sunday, 20 November, we welcomed 2023 Year 11 students Connor Weidemann, Dean Harten, Jackson Penny, and Joseph Rabbette. We are delighted that these boys could join us for the Head start program to familiarise themselves with the school and boarding routines. Furthermore, On Sunday, 27 November, we welcomed our 2023 Year 7 – 10 students Cooper Cumming, Year 7; Cameron Belleville, Year 9; Max Hennessy, Year 9; Lachlan Lloyd, Year 9; Paddy Price, Year 9; and Max Bunworth, Year 10. We look forward to welcoming many new boarders who couldn’t make these orientation opportunities at the commencement of next year.

Christmas Dinner

On Monday, 28 November, the boarders and staff were treated to a beautiful Christmas Dinner from Nyarth and the kitchen staff. It was a wonderful celebration of family, inclusion, joy and an opportunity to reflect on the importance of boarding as a second home for our students in their formation as young men.

End Term

School finishes at 3:25 pm, Friday, 2 December and the boarding house will close at 5:00 pm that evening. The boarders must take all their belongings home on Friday so the house can be thoroughly cleaned over the summer break. I look forward to catching up with many of you on Friday afternoon as you pick up your sons and depart for the summer break.

On behalf of the boarding staff, we wish our boarding community a merry Christmas and much joy with loved ones over the summer break.

Warmest regards,

The Boarding Team