Co-Curricular

Mr Richard Foster

Co-Curricular

From the rugby field to the stage

Our society and work culture have undergone a massive shift. We no longer have one job or stay with one company for our entire careers, and we don’t expect to. Young people entering the workforce today need to be adaptable, they will have many careers, interests and passions, and they will succeed and fail at many things. Life has become about curiosity and discovery, and, at Scotch, we embrace that.

Our Co-Curricular programme is part of the all-encompassing education we offer at the College. It provides a breadth of opportunities that lead to personal growth and development. We offer students the chance to connect and collaborate. They are given great avenues to discover new passions, build and develop skills in these areas, and learn through action and reflection. Through these experiences, they develop many essential life skills, including but not limited to:

• leadership,

• collaboration,

• risk-taking,

• problem-solving,

• teamwork and

• time management.

There are so many Old Scotch Collegians who demonstrate this breadth and agility in their careers, but I would like to recognise just three of them who are following their own unique paths. Past student and 2022 Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe artist Sachio Ingrilli (OSC 2017) was awarded the EY People’s Choice Prize of $5,000 after visitors voted his work, Perspective, their favourite out of 70 artworks by Western Australian, interstate and international artists. The 23-year-old is studying Honours in Mechanical Engineering and Physics at UWA and applied his engineering skills, including 3D modelling, computer programming and manufacturing, to create his first-ever artwork in an unconventional way.

For Perspective, Sachio arranged 3.2m-high stainless steel posts that combine to display two distinct words – ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – when viewed from different vantage points. At school, Sachio was on the Student Council, a member of the Pipe Band and Drumline, and played Badminton and Volleyball. He was very strong academically and received Academic Honours and Colours and the FG Medcalf Proficiency Prize and WR Dickinson Leadership Award.

Taigh van Schouwen (OSC 2019) is another past Scotch student who embodies this dexterity in aptitude and interests. A talented rugby player and athlete, Taigh seriously injured his ankle when he was in Year 11. The unfortunate accident resulted in multiple surgeries and squashed his dream to become a professional rugby player. Undergoing rehabilitation, Taigh began teaching himself guitar through YouTube and writing songs. Skip forward to 2022, and he’s won the TikTok-based music competition UNDSCVRD, is supporting The Veronicas and has signed a three-year management deal, under his stage name, Taigh Wade. It’s an impressive transformation when you recall that the first time Taigh sang publicly was at the Inter-House Singing Competition in his graduating year.

Front row: Harry Gilchrist (OSC 2019), Rohan Dick (OSC 2018) and Matthew Moore (OSC 2019) performing in The Wedding Singer

Recently, Rohan Dick (OSC 2018) was cast as the lead in WAAPA’s musical, Mack & Mabel, to be presented from 10–16 June at His Majesty’s Theatre. As a student, Rohan was an all-rounder, willing to give everything a go and is one who has pursued his passion for performing arts in a big way.

These are the stories we need to be telling as we encourage our students to try new things and explore new avenues. You don’t have to be just a footballer, musician, debater or drama student. You can be more than one thing. And how do you know what you like if you don’t try? Imagine if Taigh never sang at Scotch – in what was the winning performance of the competition. Imagine if he’d never been encouraged to.

As Scotch Director of Co-Curricular, I want to emphasise how important discovery is for young people and how a big part of this is being given these opportunities. Opportunities like performing arts showcases and music soirees; junior to senior inter-school sport programmes, STEM programmes; community service opportunities; local, interstate and international tours; outdoor education offerings; chess tournaments; mock trials, debating, public speaking; and Round Square experiences and exchange programmes. These are simply not opportunities that all young people are afforded. They’re a privilege that we hope our students will take every advantage of as they seek and pursue their interests and passions.