From our Chaplains

STEVE WRIGHT, SENIOR SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others? ‘” (Martin Luther King Jr)

With easing restrictions, it has been wonderful to re-engage with some Service-Learning opportunities with our students. To serve others; both within our school and to look outward to those who are disadvantaged and isolated in our local community, is something we greatly value at The Geelong College. Our Grade 6s under the leadership of our Junior & Middle School Chaplain, Leanne have continued to be involved with ‘Eat Up.’ This is a wonderful partnership where our students make fresh sandwiches that are delivered directly to families that may be in need. It is estimated that 1 in 5 Australian children have faced food insecurity in the last 12 months. Our students have a lot of fun in these sessions as they work together for this wonderful cause. Commencing this term, I have been taking a small group of Year 10 students fortnightly to help serve at OneCare. They are an amazing local organisation who aim to provide support to disadvantaged and isolated people in our community. Some of their services include a community meal that they run on Thursdays and a Foodbank on Tuesdays. Our students have assisted the volunteers at OneCare in greeting people with a smile and food items, preparing and sorting the produce, helping in the kitchen or any other tasks that need doing. My hope is that these experiences continue to remind us of the great joy that can be found in the service of others.

LEANNE EARL, JUNIOR AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

Curriculum, the Easter service and Chapels

We’ve had a busy semester in the Chaplaincy department as we have begun to build momentum and reconnect with each other face to face after the COVID lockdowns of the previous two years. It has been wonderful to have the students and staff back on campus, interacting and exploring our learning face to face. In the Junior School we have continued with our Godly Play program, in Term 1 with the Year 2 students and in Term 2 with the Year 1 students.

In Term 1 we looked at the introductory lessons of Christianity, such as the story of Creation and Noah and the great flood and concluded the term with the story of Easter. In Term 2 we again began with the introductory stories of Christianity and concluded with the story of Pentecost. Within the Godly play sessions, the students have the opportunity to listen and watch some of the key stories of the Christian faith and then have personal reflection time to write and draw about the events and what meaning they personally draw from the stories.

Within the Middle School in Year 7 and 8 we have been looking at the life of Jesus, with students creating PowerPoint presentations about the Easter story in Year 7 and in Year 8 researching a presentation on an ethical issue and then a social justice issue. We were delighted to be able to have the whole College come together for the Easter service at the Senior School as we concluded Term 1. Term 2 saw our Middle School students all travel to the Senior School Chapel in year levels for our Pentecost service. During these services we focused on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and our task of working towards making our world the best place it can be, holding out hope and joy for the future.