St Patrick’s College Certare Bursary

St Patrick’s College is excited to announce the creation of a new annual bursary which will acknowledge great achievements by Year 10 students.

A generous donation from a man with close familial connections to St Patrick’s College has enabled the creation of the ongoing Certare Bursary, being offered to at least one Year 10 student each year.

“Certare”, pronounced ker-TAH-ray, is a Latin verb meaning “to strive” and was chosen by the benefactor to highlight the importance of effort and perseverance in a boy’s development.

The purpose of the Certare Bursary is to support selected students from families of relatively modest means to complete Years 11 and 12 in a way that “fosters their own development and contributes markedly to furthering a positive College environment”.

The bursary will be administered by the St Patrick’s College Foundation with recipients to be selected by the College Principal in consultation with senior staff.

The bursary will be awarded towards the end of the recipient’s Year 10 studies and will take the form of a partial remission of College tuition fees of at least 50%. The bursary will apply for the recipient in both Years 11 and Year 12. A current Year 10 student will be the first beneficiary of the Certare Bursary in 2020.

The Certare Bursary aligns strongly with the College mission to “raise fine boys to the status of great men”.

Director of Community Development Mr Paul Nolan said the new bursary has been designed to help Year 10 students for decades to come.

“The Certare Bursary has been designed to recognise and help foster the qualities of boys who have demonstrated a better than average level of aptitude and dedication in areas likely to further both their own development and a positive College environment,” Mr Nolan said.

“It is anticipated that the boys will come from families of relatively modest means and must be a current student of St Patrick’s College.”

Mr Nolan thanked the donor for initiating contact and then working closely with the College to ensure the bursary would reflect both his desires and the College’s aim to recognise excellence.

“We anticipate that with prudent management of this generous donation, the College, through the SPC Foundation, will be able to ensure the Certare Bursary remains in place for decades to come,” Mr Nolan said.

“We are truly grateful that someone who thinks so much of the College has presented us with such an incredible gift.”

The Bursary will not be open to applications but will be determined annually by the College.

In determining the recipients the Principal is required to take into consideration a student’s co-curricular and academic achievements, his leadership capabilities, his attendance and behavioural

records, his commitment to enhancing the College culture and his willingness to show respect and care for others.

In keeping with the theme of “to strive”, the Principal may also consider the likelihood of any potential recipient continuing with tertiary education upon successful completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education.

Successful recipients must not be a beneficiary of any other College scholarship or bursary program.

All enquiries about the Certare Bursary should be directed to the College’s Development Office, and in particular the Director of Community Development Mr Paul Nolan at (03) 5322 4450 or at pnolan@stpats.vic.edu.au

Similarly, anyone wishing to make a contribution to the SPC Foundation is urged to contact Mr Nolan.

Additional information about other scholarships and bursaries available at St Patrick’s College is available at stpats.vic.edu.au