Time to reflect

Sharee Verdon Head of Year

The Class of 2021 coined the phrase ‘shoulder to shoulder’ as a guiding theme for their final year. The cohesion, connectedness, servant leadership and inclusivity demonstrated across all facets of their collective journey was testament to their commitment in this endeavour.

Integral to their success was their able leadership of and through the various senior committees – Events, Spirit, Public Purpose, Student Representative Body, and Academic Support.

The Academic Support committee showed real initiative and responsibility in tutoring younger students through the BLUE program (BGS, Learn, Unite, Excel), and by creating the ‘Grammar Gateway’ as a repository of online resources to support their peers’ learning. During the leadup to external exams, the student-led subject tutorials were outstanding.

Seniors formed the inaugural Language Immersion Group with their BGGS counterparts. Weekly meetings after school enabled them to practise their language skills together. The musical ensemble, ‘Tone Deaf’, gained enormous popularity for their entertaining performances at assemblies.

Responsible mentorship was ably applied by Form Seniors in their work with younger students who genuinely appreciated seniors joining them at lunch for handball games, leading discussions in student wellbeing and just being present to chat.

Such valuable and respectful relationships were enhanced by the work of the Public Purpose Committee who worked on vertical projects such as World’s Greatest Shave, Say No to Bullying Day and Homework Club. The Student Representative Body and Amnesty Club seniors attended a very successful breakfast with their BGGS counterparts to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The Gender Respect Project Group met regularly and led Wear it Purple Day, dedicated to inclusivity on campus. The positivity of the cohort was evident in the respectful and celebratory tone of the Senior Formal and the Seniors’ Lunch, catered for by the School to congratulate seniors for their efforts in mock exams and the fortitude they exhibited during the sudden COVID quarantine in Term 3. Certainly, this tested many but especially our boarders, some who have not physically seen their families for up to two years.

King G and the Spirit Committee did a fantastic job keeping a positive vibe across the campus. There were some highlights to celebrate in the cocurricular sphere – A Few Good Men was a professional production, three gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards were earned by seniors, and the Senior A debating win at King of the Hill against Terrace was very memorable.

The grit and athleticism shown by our sportsmen throughout the year was remarkable; they were unrelenting in their quest for personal bests. Also noteworthy were the number of seniors who volunteered their services to coach younger teams. Such servant leadership has been a hallmark of this cohort.

I would like to extend my gratitude to our team of Form Tutors. The continuity of care they provide is invaluable, whether it be incidental banter or serious Learning Plan Conversations; these teachers have had a profound influence over four years.

After checking their kit bag and forming a support team at ‘base camp’ (their year of entry), the Class of 2021 has now summitted their Everest. They navigated their external exams in a measured and logical manner.

It has been my absolute pleasure to guide this group of 285 young men for the past six years. I am incredibly proud of every single one of them. Their legacy is strong, and I know their impact on the future will be noteworthy.