College Headmaster’s Report The psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970) once wrote: “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” If Maslow were writing today, I am sure he would be more careful to use inclusive language, but for a boys’ school, his words are just fine: “What a man can be, he must be” — if he is to be “at peace with himself”. As I come towards the end of my first year as Headmaster of the school that I attended as a boy, I find myself challenged by, and still gazing in wonderment at, the incredible opportunities this College creates for boys to develop their talents in so many diverse areas. De La Salle provides a wide range of opportunities for boys to become the men they can be — good leaders, academics, life long learners, musicians, artists, tradesmen, sportsmen and so on. Above all, De La Salle provides an environment wherein boys grow to be caring men, at peace with themselves. This is the same caring school I knew as a boy, the school I attended with incredible pride and in which I grew to become the man I knew I must be. Yet it is also a very different school. Whereas once the only music was provided by very good choirs, there is now a full range of orchestral and popular instruments - and still a choir. Whereas
once “art” was painting only, De La Salle now offers ceramics, photography, robotics, claymation, electrotechnology, drama, Rock Eisteddfod and many more creative and artistic pursuits in which students may develop their talents. Whereas once the simple choice was between the “Tech Drawing stream” and the “Latin & French stream”, there is now a bewildering array of subjects and an extraordinary breadth of choice, especially at senior levels. The problem is not lack of choice but understanding what the multitude of choices actually offers! Underpinning all of this, is the relentless Information and Communication Technological revolution which generally has made access to knowledge easier but also creates other challenges. The constant listening to music on ipods has the potential to alienate students from one another. I have read of bullying by SMS messaging, but have yet to witness it in any serious way. Plagiarism is now a practice that has become all too common. One Year 11 student asked me a bemusing question during the year that made me realise the subtle dependency the internet is creating. Quite unabashedly he said: “You write a lot. Do you write it yourself or get it off the internet?” Just as mental arithmetic gave way to calculators, one would hope that the ability to express oneself is not replaced by internet searching and downloading. In the press recently, one person was publicised for making a business of selling student essays for a few dollars. Unfortunately that person is only one among many. “What a man can be, he must be” said Maslow. I can’t be what someone else is. I
cannot fake who I am. I have a unique life journey to undertake. During the year, when discussing morality with Year 12 students, I asked the question: “Why be moral?” They gave me the answer, after some discussion: “Because you have to live with yourself.” We talked a lot about integrity and liking who we are. There is no more important pride for an individual than the satisfaction of knowing oneself to be a good person. Within the De La Salle community of parents, teachers and students, there is a precious climate of mutual respect and confidence in which the boys relate to adults not only as mentors but as friends. The social service activities of the College, the Mission Action Day, the Social Justice Mass are some of the important events that remind us that good people care for others. The major potential problem that I see today at De La Salle, with its vast array of opportunities and activities and wide range of sports and other co-cur-
Mr Matthew Breen, Seamus Scanlan, Tim McKenna, Jonathon Matthews, Br Bill
