A boarding parent's perspective Prema Sexton Mother of Grace Sexton (Year 11 boarder)
On Monday 28 January 2019, time stood still. Grace left our family farm in Cuballing and set off to begin her greatest adventure yet: Grace was heading off to boarding school. We packed the car full to the roof and squeezed into our seats for the journey to Perth. It was the strangest of days for me; one of the happiest, but also one of the most heart-wrenching. While we were saying goodbye to local friends and connections, we were also on the way to fulfilling our hopes and dreams for Grace. I think the anticipation of exciting opportunities and growth went some way at least to balancing out our fears. Belonging to the Penrhos community was something we had always strived for as a family, we always dreamt of Grace being able to access a range of subjects and innovative learning environments, and Penrhos had an outstanding reputation in the boarding community, so we were thrilled when Grace secured her place at the College. We knew she would have all kinds of opportunities to grow, to thrive and to become a strong young woman; we knew she would experience a wide range of academic and sporting offerings, and we knew she would be welcomed into a diverse and vibrant community that celebrates individual successes and strengths.
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THE PENRHOSIAN
As a mother, I felt for a long time that the days I had to farewell Grace would not get easier. The first term we spent apart consisted of long-awaited visits ending with long, tearful drives back to Perth. There were late-night phone calls, more tears, and those inevitable moments filled with guilt and wondering as we asked ourselves ‘have we done the right thing?’ Fast forward to 2022 and it all seems so distant - those hard moments seem so insignificant now. With the positive support of everyone at the Penrhos Boarding House, my ‘mummy blues’ quickly calmed as I learned to step back and appreciate all the ‘growing up’ our daughter was doing how much she was enjoying it! It was important to us that Grace would feel part of a bigger boarding ‘family’ while also having her own personal space. The design of the Boarding House definitely helped with this over the years, with the College’s focus on independence really shining out for us. Our daughter was encouraged to stand on her own two feet and, in doing so, she found the confidence to start making some great decisions and find new networks for herself. The connections Grace made with fellow boarders, day students and across the wider community are what helped her continue to transition so well from our
