ASA News July 2018

ASA NEWS

July 2018

President’s Message

Welcome to the winter edition of ASA News.

It is at this time of year that the temperature variation across Australia really starts to have an impact. Regardless of where you live, I have no doubt that there are people complaining about the colder weather in June.

Feature Articles Embracing our Anglican Identity . . . . . . . . 6 Finding her Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 From Mars to Antarctica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Ride of a Lifetime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 From Lone Pine to Hutchins. . . . . . . . . . . . 21

President’s Message Having previously lived in Victoria, I am often amused when the Gold Coast residents complain about the cold weather when the overnight temperature might briefly dip below 10 degrees while the days are mostly warm, sunny and low 20s. However, as with most things, winter weather is relative. Teaching in Canada for a year in the early 1980s taught me a lot about the relativity of winter weather.

This edition of ASA News focuses on Anglican Identity. Like the winter weather, Anglican Identity can vary in its expression in different schools to different degrees. In some schools, it is at the forefront of all that takes place, while in others it may be less obvious. That does not mean one is better than the other, but rather reflects the broad spectrum of Anglicanism.

ASA held a Forum in May which examined: ‘What does it mean to be an Anglican school?’ The event was held in Melbourne and facilitated

by The Reverend Dr Daniel Heischman, Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, USA. Representatives from all States, the ACT and many of the 23 Dioceses and schools attended over the two days, discussing our Anglican traditions and what makes us different from other schools. I believe that such a gathering has not happened elsewhere in the worldwide Anglican Church. Dr Heischman led the summit by giving us six lenses through which to focus our discussions.

These six lenses were deemed to be specific but not exclusive to Anglican schooling.

1. Faith – we spoke of faith as being the collision of stories of Jesus with our own stories. We also determined that the journey to faith is usually long and ongoing, so it is difficult to look for an endpoint.

2. Reason – this is one of the pillars of the Anglican tradition. Reason is the lens through which people come to faith. It can remove the ‘rough edges’ of our belief.

3. Worship – provides the rhythm of prayer in our schools. We are defined by our practice, and worship plays a major part in this in our schools.

4. Pluralism – we live in a pluralistic society and we should be prepared to give a reasoned account of our belief, and to stand by it, while respecting the position of others.

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5. Character – we should aspire to model the virtues of Jesus in our lives and our schools.

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Service – it is important to approach service through the lens of the Gospel and respond to human need with loving service where we are. In other words, there is so much we can do for those in our own backyard in order to serve others. A good place to start is with our own families and our own community.

The points listed under each lens above, do not extensively cover the wide-ranging discussions conducted around the tables over the two days, but are simply some examples used in my summary at the end of the Forum. Following this summit, Dr Heischman will produce a discussion paper and Anglican Schools Australia will determine the next step in distributing this information. It was wonderful to have three Archbishops, five Bishops, Board members, Executive Directors and staff of Anglican Schools Commissions, Principals and Chaplains around the tables discussing Anglican schooling. There is so much that is positive about being in an Anglican school. We have a very strong network across the country.

The articles in this ASA News edition have been chosen to highlight some of the ways that Anglican Identity is expressed in our schools. I hope that this publication provides you with some further ideas about what you could do to celebrate being an Anglican school.

Please remember to register for the Annual Conference in Sydney that is coming up in August. This will provide many more ways to celebrate being Anglican and belonging to a national association of Anglican schools.

Thank you for your continued support of ASA. Dr Mark Sly President, Anglican Schools Australia Principal, Coomera Anglican College

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CEO’s Column Imagine the scene: 60 Anglicans of all colours and flavours.

Archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons and lay leaders; chairs of school boards, principals, chaplains and CEOs. People from Sydney to Perth and Brisbane to Hobart locked in a large room in the Melbourne CBD for two days. The purpose…to explore the Anglican identity of our schools.

Anglicans Gather in Summit The vision for this summit was to provide the initial impetus toward a new statement reaffirming and capturing this identity, both for the good of Anglican schools and the future ministry of our Church.

Possibly a recipe for disagreement, dissent and disaster you say?

Not at all. Indeed, since our constitutional inception in 1999 (and even prior to this time when we gathered informally), Anglican Schools Australia’s conferences and other gatherings have been marked by respectful and convivial engagement of Anglican educators from across dioceses and traditions.

While the two days proved a stimulating experience for all participants, it is really only the beginning of a journey to redefine our identity as Anglican schools and then to share the story with our school and parish communities and beyond in a fresh way that is faithful to God’s call to us as educators and church leaders.

Dr Heischman has written of the Summit from his perspective…a must-read article in this edition of ASA News. In upcoming editions, we look forward to sharing with you further outcomes of the Summit’s conversations on the Anglican identity of our schools.

Hosted by Anglican Schools Australia (a Network of the General Synod) and, in what is claimed to be the first time that such a group of dedicated Anglican leaders from across dioceses has gathered to wrestle with the distinct nature and purpose of Anglican schooling today, conversations couldn’t have been more gracious. Certainly there was lively discussion, as would be expected, but all emanating from a common mission and purpose.

Indeed, some important steps were taken towards articulating, in a fresh but substantive manner, what it means to be an Anglican school.

Whether we serve in a school, parish or other agency, there is a sense of people yearning to understand more fully what it means to be Anglican, and to be able to articulate this clearly to others.

A skilful facilitator indeed would be needed to guide the conversations.

One was found! The summit was facilitated by The Reverend Dr Daniel Heischman, Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the sister entity of Anglican Schools Australia, providing support to Anglican schools in the USA. Over the two days we spent most of the time examining six dimensions of Anglican identity in our schools – faith, reason, ritual, service, diversity and character… how we understand them and how we can proclaim them to our communities and beyond. A simple formula was adopted, whereby Dr Heischman presented on each dimension, followed by group discussion at tables, and then a plenary when all in the room could engage with the key points raised.

July 2018 ISSUE •

AVID DISCUSSION: The Reverend Dr Daniel Heischman was the facilitator for the Forum which examined Anglican identity in our schools.

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CEO’s Column

Annual Conference Our Conference is being held in Sydney this August. Now only weeks away, if you haven’t finalised registration I urge you to do so. Phillip Heath and the talented Sydney Organising Committee have pulled together a most engaging program and diverse range of speakers.

will be the 20th anniversary of ASA’s founding, which took place at a conference on the Gold Coast in 1999. Surely a point for celebration… as if we Anglicans needed a reason to celebrate our schools! See you in Sydney.

It is our hope that every Anglican school in Australia will be represented by at least one staff or board member, a goal that we have yet to realise in our short 20 year history. It is significant that ‘Sydney 2018’

The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM CEO, Anglican Schools Australia

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SCHOOL NEWS SCHOOL APPOINTMENTS

DEPARTURES

PRINCIPALS

PRINCIPALS

Mr Steven Davies, St Mark’s Anglican Community School, WA

Mrs Jenny Ethell, Perth College, WA (effective December 2018)

Dr Adam Forsyth, St Michael’s Collegiate School, TAS

Mrs Kim Kiepe, St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, WA (effective December 2018)

Mr Ben Lomas, Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, WA Mr Gary O’Brien, Cannon Hill Anglican College, QLD (effective January 2019)

Emmanuel Anglican College, NSW John Wollaston Anglican Community School, WA Peter Carnley Anglican Community School, WA St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA Swan Valley Anglican Community School, WA

CHAPLAINS The Reverend Thom Bull, Swan Valley Anglican Community School, WA

Mr Joe Wright, Fraser Coast Anglican College, QLD

The Reverend Michael Dasey, Burgmann Anglican School, ACT

CHAPLAINS

The Reverend Paul Harris, Canberra Girls’ Grammar School, ACT

The Reverend Helen-Jane Corr, All Saints’ College, WA

The Reverend Sarah Hobba, Beaconsfield College, VIC

The Reverend Jason Hobba, The Kings School, NSW

The Reverend Canon Geraldine Nixon, St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA

The Reverend Eleanor O’Donnell, Hale School, WA (effective January 2019)

The Reverend Eleanor O’Donnell, Ballarat Grammar, VIC

The Reverend Dr David Wilshire, Canberra Girls’ Grammar School, ACT

The Reverend Melanie Simms, Peter Carnley Anglican Community School, WA

July 2018 ISSUE •

POSITIONS FOR CHAPLAINS

Editor’s Note

Anglican Schools Australia invites principals, chaplains and teachers, as well as chairs, governors and friends of Anglican schools to submit articles for publication in ASA NEWS. We are particularly interested in publishing articles about school Religious Studies, Service Learning and Indigenous programs. We welcome submissions of feature articles of approximately 10001500 words and news articles of 400-600 words, together with a selection of high quality digital images of 300 dpi.

Please email submissions to adann@asc.wa.edu.au.

Submissions are published at the discretion of the Editor.

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Embracing our Anglican Identity Representatives from Anglican schools and the Church gathered in Melbourne in May to discuss Anglican identity in our schools.

Forum facilitator and Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, USA, The Reverend Dr Daniel R. Heischman, outlines both the challenges and opportunities facing Anglican schools and how this discussion will help educators make the case for the value of an Anglican education and ethos.

What does it mean to be an Anglican school? This was the question that brought together school principals, chaplains, school association executives, bishops, and archbishops to a forum in Melbourne on 17-18 May 2018. At the request of Anglican Schools Australia (ASA) Chief Executive, The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM, and the ASA Management Committee, representatives from throughout Australia came to this gathering in order to take a fresh look not only at the challenges, but also the immense opportunities Anglican schools have to articulate and put into action, each school day, the very best of our Christian faith and Anglican heritage.

discussions will provide the material for a follow-up report which I will have the privilege to be putting together in the months ahead.

The conversations around every one of these components were positive, lively, and – from what I could see – thoroughly engaging.

The commitment each delegate felt to the gracious and generous Anglican perspective on education was clear in the degree to which careful, respectful listening took place alongside of the eagerness to share experiences and match ideas with language. One had the feeling that many attending this gathering felt that an opportunity such as this was long overdue.

I was privileged to be asked to facilitate the discussion that took place among these sixty-plus delegates to the forum. Each person came with an eagerness to give tangible expression to what he or she each felt deeply – that Anglican schools are truly unique places and ripe fields for Christian witness. What’s more, these schools are also among the most promising avenues of ministry for the Anglican Church in Australia today.

To provide the context for these discussions, I arrived equipped with a variety of resources – from websites, videos, and position papers – that spoke to the various ways that Anglican schools throughout the world have attempted to address the core elements of Anglican identity.

Delegates were encouraged to react to the words and images they encountered from their brother and sister schools beyond Australia, then to go to work, coming up with their own ways of speaking to the uniqueness of the Anglican schools’ contribution to matters of faith, reason, worship, pluralism, character, and service.

Delegates knew, from their experience, of the challenge of understanding Anglican identity in our schools. Anglican schools worldwide are highly pluralistic environments, places where practicing Anglicans are frequently in a distinct minority. Likewise, the growing secularisation of our society breeds a palpable unfamiliarity with the language and worship of the Anglican tradition. Its uniqueness can be blurred by this unfamiliarity, oftentimes being confused with other types of Christian schools. This prompts an even greater need to find language that is both accessible and attractive in making the case for the value of an Anglican education and ethos.

Those challenges, however, are outmatched by the immense opportunities that Anglican schools provide to a complex culture that yearns for unity, coherence, and spiritual expression. Delegates came ready and eager to explore how Anglicanism might be the most fitting form of religious education and school culture to honor diversity yet bind that diversity together in tangible form and tradition. Our schools’ commitments to rigorous academic inquiry, service to the community, and the building up of our common life and spiritual growth through worship place us in a very unique position to provide the fullest, compassionate and most redemptive educational experience for young people in Australia and beyond.

The delegates spent two long and intense days discussing what it means to be an Anglican school in relation to six key (although not exclusive) components of the Anglican experience of education – faith, reason, worship, pluralism, character, and service. These

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For the moment, I will resist trying to summarise the nature of those discussions. What I would like to share with you now are some of the impressions I was left with from this intense experience with representatives of Anglican schools and churches in Australia.

First, I was struck by the degree to which delegates found this an unparalleled opportunity to talk about something important – our identity as Anglican schools. Oftentimes, in our contemporary world, we approach the issue of identity from a deficit perspective. We question identity, feel unclear about its substance, wonder how we can clarify it in the midst of today’s vast marketplace of competing truth claims and multiple commitments. We all too quickly can equate ‘identity’ with ‘crisis’. These delegates did not approach Anglican school identity from the standpoint of deficit, but rather as something that was long overdue for a full and complex discussion. Many delegates reported that they felt as if they were doing something that touched the core of their reason for working in and expressing their commitment to Anglican schools. The question of identity was seen to be something eagerly waiting to be unpacked, a frontier waiting to be explored and defined.

Secondly, Anglican identity was assumed to be something these delegates did, not just felt or believed. Anglican schools provide a remarkable opportunity to experience the Christian faith on a daily

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Embracing our Anglican Identity basis. In our routine interactions, in the manner in which we treat each other, in the difficult decisions we make, our beliefs are daily lived out, not to mention challenged on a regular basis by the discerning candour of the young. Delegates felt that, when it comes to schools, Anglican identity is, above all, a lived identity, expressed in the ebb and flow of school community life. Few other Christian contexts promise that level of immersion in the daily life of faith.

out and giving tangible expression to one of the principal reasons why we are Anglican – our worship. Delegates saw it as something that binds the school community together, and hence uniquely embodies the spirit of Anglicanism. We are who we are through worship, as Anglicans have been fond of saying for centuries, and I was pleased to see how that was so evident, so eloquently expressed, in the conversations at this gathering.

Thirdly, I was pleasantly surprised by the degree to which there did not seem to be a discernible gap between church and school in this gathering. Perhaps, by virtue of my work in the United States as an interpreter between church and school, I am conscious, on a regular basis, of the ways in which church and school sometimes do not get along. Such gaps may well exist in the Anglican world in Australia, but there seemed to be an assumed partnership between the two Anglican institutions evident among those attending this forum.

School representatives seemed to feel they were “doing church,” in their distinctive way, just as church representatives saw the bridge between church and school to be a natural one.

As WA delegate Philip Goldsworthy remarked, at one point toward the end of the forum: “A lot of diaries were cleared for this event”.

These were busy people, who no doubt had much that was pulling them back in the direction of their schools or dioceses. No doubt they came with much on their minds, each being deeply aware of the wide variety of commitments their work requires. Nevertheless, they came with an eagerness to attend to the matter at hand, bringing with them the awareness that in addressing what it means to be an Anglican school they were touching upon some of what matters most to their work and ministries.

Lastly, while the different core components of our discussions had varying degrees of disagreement or contrasting perspectives (these were Anglicans, after all!), I was touched and inspired by the degree to which there seemed to be not only great commonality but a perceived sense of vitality around the area of worship.

As we talked through what is unique about Anglican schools’ perspective on worship, it was clear to me, through the delegates’ seriousness and sense of urgency about this topic, that they were living

It is quite likely that this event stands out on its own in the Anglican school world, a potential model of how church and school leaders can come together in such numbers to think through the essence of Anglican identity. In that fashion, I hope it will be the first among many worldwide opportunities to give greater time and attention to this vital issue for the future of Anglican schools and Anglicanism in general.

In my humble judgement, God was well served, indeed glorified, through this gathering, and Anglicanism received a renewed spirit, by virtue of these committed individuals coming together.

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Finding her Place This month, ASA News begins a new series on former students of Anglican schools who are now members of the clergy. In our first story, Aila Dann speaks to The Reverend Canon Sarah Leisemann, who recounts her unlikely path to a career as a School Chaplain.

The Reverend Canon Sarah Leisemann says her path from Anglican school girl to School Chaplain has been a journey shaped by God. As the Chaplain and Director of Mission at Queensland’s Cannon Hill Anglican College for the past nine years, Reverend Sarah is the first to admit it is a job she never imagined possible when contemplating her career path at high school.

But she says her experience at school and support from the nuns and other mentors along the way eventually led her to her dream job.

It began with St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane.

After attending school in Nambour, Sarah’s parents wanted to send her to boarding school for her final years of school to help broaden her world, applying to two Brisbane schools.

She says the decision of which school to attend was difficult to make, but in the end she was offered a scholarship to St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, a significant boon to her farming family.

“That was the first time in my life that I ever really left a decision up to God. I recall myself praying in Year 10 ‘Dear God, I don’t know whether I want to go to Somerville House or St Margaret’s but I’ll leave it up to you,” she said.

“So it was like an answer to prayer in my teenage years. God’s heard me, and he’s sending me to this school and he’s given me a scholarship.

God is good.

“It was important for me to know in my mind that I was being sent there for a reason.”

When she arrived at St Margaret’s, Sarah quickly became known as the ‘religious girl’ – a title she was happy to wear.

Already attending church in her home town, Sarah had attended camps and youth rallies in the Anglican Church in Brisbane and was already connected with not just her own parish, but in the wider life of the Diocese.

She continued her active church life at school, a fact of which her classmates were well aware. While the rest of the boarders had to return to school by dark, Sarah was always allowed to stay out late to attend Church events.

As a latecomer to the school in Year 11, she was unable to fill an official leadership position but became the unspoken religious leader of her year group, a position cemented when the group was away on Year 12 Camp.

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During that time Sister Chaseley Anne, one of the nuns who looked after the boarders, passed away. Not knowing what to do, her classmates approached her and asked her to lead them in prayer.

“It was the first time I stepped up to knowing that I could lead people in their religious life and I did the only thing I knew how to do, which was the ‘squeeze prayer’ which we did in a big circle.,” Reverend Sarah said.

“Do you know every girl in that circle said a prayer that night. It was amazing. It was a really moving moment.

“I think the culture of the school made it possible for that to happen.

Nobody ever teased me for being the religious one. I just was. Nobody else was religious, but they were ok with me being religious.”

The other influence from school life that made a big difference were the Sisters themselves.

“The Sisters were fantastic. They just modelled kind of quiet godliness.

I’d hear the bells ring and I’d know they were going to pray and I would feel moved to pray with them,” she said.

It was then that Sarah felt called to the religious life and, unaware of the movement for the ordination of women, she considered becoming a nun.

“In 1989 and 1990, women couldn’t be priests so it never entered my mind that God might be calling me to be a priest. The only thing a woman could do was be a nun,” she said.

“So I think my family was a little surprised when I told them I was going to be a nun. That was my career choice when I left school.”

But a test of that vocation soon confirmed that being a nun was not the right path.

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“I was no good at obedience at that time! The nuns were so good. I moved in there and I learned about their life but I knew that it was not for me,” she said.

Reverend Sarah completed a Science degree before finding a niche in teaching, but the nagging feeling that she should be doing something else never went away. It took advice from another priest for her to consider the profession, before she eventually became a priest in 2006.

“It took someone else to point that out to me, to say maybe, God did call you but it wasn’t to be a nun, it was actually to be a different kind of leader, to be a priest,” she said.

While training to be a priest, Reverend Sarah divided her time between teaching physics and religious studies, confounding her students by insisting the two subjects were complementary.

“I’d teach the students in Grade 8 and 9 Christian Living and then they’d come back to me in Grade 11 and I’d teach them physics and it just blew their mind.

“The idea that Christians just have to put their brain in a box and just believe without actually being intelligent. That’s the first myth I like to blow out of the water.”

And it is the thought that she can help students understand their own calling that drives her.

“I was lucky enough to have people who were prepared to answer my ridiculous questions and to put up with me being me and pushing the boundaries,” she said.

“They tolerated my imperfections and they answered enough of my questions that I got the answers that I needed to confirm my faith.

I think that’s really important that I then provide that for some other young person.”

For now, Reverend Sarah has found her place and enjoys the challenge of working as a School Chaplain supported at home by her husband and 12-year-old twin daughters.

“I have a huge job at a growing school. One of the things we’re underestimating is exactly how much chaplaincy we need in the school. Ours is a highly successful school, a wonderful community and I’m really blessed to be a part of it,” she said.

“I feel that Anglican schools are where real mission happens and I think that as a Church we need to value that.”

After becoming a priest, the school environment was still a natural fit.

For those students who might consider a role in the clergy, Reverend Sarah has no hesitation in recommending her profession.

“I think I’m a teacher through and through. I love teaching and I feel I’m called to teach,” she said.

“I get to tell people every day that God loves them, that their lives are important and what they do can make a difference in the world,” she said.

“Priests have different strengths and skill sets. Some are very pastoral, some are great preachers, some are great at doing liturgy, and some are good at working with the sick or dying: I think my gift is teaching and I best express that in a school setting.”

“I think it’s a wonderful job. I basically have two sermons that I preach: God loves you and what you do matters in the world. What a beautiful message that God’s given me and that I want to share with other people. I love it.”

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Identity

By The Reverend Sarah Hobba

Chaplain’s Column

I have been thinking a lot about identity recently.

One prompt for this was the Anglican Schools Australia’s forum, which stimulated my thinking about the Anglican identity of our schools.

Another prompt has been personal experiences – I have recently moved interstate and a change of jobs lies ahead.

I know that as a chaplain, I have experienced and also observed that students, families and staff have a strong sense of belonging to our school. We have shared experiences that build community identity. Some factors are our foundations, ethos, and the character-shaping values we hold dear. There are also the communal activities like sport, the performing arts and giving back to others through service. These create long lasting bonds and help us discover who we are in connection with others.

With my recent move, I have found that when I’m meeting people for the first time and have been asking questions that reinforce categories of personal identity. I’ve asked questions like “where are you from?” and “what do you do for work?” The answers are important and interesting, but there is so much more to an individual. In our consumeristic society, there is a constant message that our identity is achieved by the right ‘look’. Our technology contributes to this as well, as we endeavour to take and post the best ‘selfie’. Yet these are just a glimpse of the outside and not truly what makes the whole person.

Significant Milestones 2018 marks a significant milestone in each of the following schools: Hale School, WA

160 years

Melbourne Grammar School, VIC

160 years

Melbourne Girls’ Grammar School, VIC

125 years

Walford Anglican School for Girls, SA

125 years

Shelford Girls’ Grammar, VIC

120 years

Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, VIC

115 years

Roseville College, NSW

110 years

The Glennie School, QLD

110 years

Trinity Grammar School, NSW

105 years

Blue Mountains Grammar School, NSW

100 years

Cranbrook School, NSW

100 years

Newcastle Grammar School, NSW

100 years

Mentone Grammar, VIC

95 years

Danebank An Anglican School for Girls, NSW

85 years

St John’s Grammar, SA

60 years

Radford College, ACT

35 years

St Paul’s Grammar School, NSW

35 years

Trinity Anglican School, QLD

35 years

Whitsunday Anglican School, QLD

30 years

Throughout the past few months of change, both the communal and personal aspects of the Christian faith’s teachings on identity have helped me. In contrast to the ‘selfie’ culture, in Jesus, there are no independent body-bits from the body of Christ. Similar to our schools, our identity comes from the communal aspect of being brothers and sisters ‘in Christ’ with others (Romans 12:1-8) and also sharing with all of humanity as image bearers (Genesis 1:27).

We have the support and encouragement of those around us in those times of flux. As we share life together and serve each other, it is often those around us that help ground us and help us hold onto what is true.

William Clarke College, NSW

30 years

St Luke’s Grammar School, NSW

25 years

Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, NSW

20 years

Clarence Valley Anglican School, NSW

20 years

Penrith Anglican College, NSW

20 years

The Riverina Anglican College, NSW

20 years

The Springfield Anglican College, QLD

On a personal level, it is my faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that helps me establish more deeply whom I am. Knowing that each individual is unique (Psalm 139), loved (1 John 4:10), forgiven (Psalm 103:12) and set free (Romans 6:7) - this is our true identity in God. We start to see ourselves the way God sees us, as He knows us and cares for us (Isaiah 49:16, Matthew 10:30). God is also working in and through our lives to transform us (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are becoming who God has created us to be as a whole person, not just the snapshot appearance.

That is a message of great reassurance and hope. For our schools, this is why we aim to focus on the whole person and endeavour for this message to be one our students hear amongst the many competing messages of today’s world.

20 years

Cathedral College Wangaratta, VIC

15 years

Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, WA

15 years

Manning Valley Anglican College, NSW

15 years

St Andrew’s Anglican College, QLD

15 years

St Peter’s Anglican College, NSW

15 years

Esperance Anglican Community School, WA

10 years

Hume Anglican Grammar, VIC

10 years

Mamre Anglican School, NSW

10 years

In the end, these thoughts on identity have made me rethink some of the questions I’m asking when meeting people. Some that I have now included are, ‘what brings you joy?’ and ‘what do you hope for?’. Hopefully, this leads to getting past the skin-deep and I can better get to know the whole person.

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Trades Norwest Anglican Senior College, NSW 10 years

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July 2018 ISSUE •

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From Mars to Antarctica for Gold Coast students Coomera Anglican College, QLD

Visiting the pyramids of Egypt before morning tea, Antarctica after lunch, and an excursion to Mars is all a part of a day for students at Coomera Anglican College with the opening of their newest facility, The Pod. The future-focused centre features the latest in immersive and interactive technology, designed to take learning out of the traditional classroom, with robotics, interactive touch screen displays, 3D printing, writeable walls, a 360 degree climate-controlled immersive environment, smart glass and an indoor drone flying space, making primary students the architects of their learning.

The climate controlled, 360 degree Imaginarium is the centrepiece of the new learning facility, featuring six laser projectors and cinema quality surround sound creating a seamless 360 degree sensory experience without the need for wearable technology.

Specifically designed for primary students, the climate-control technologies add another dimension to the visual and audio experience to teleport students from the icy cold environments of Antarctica to the sweltering Sahara Desert and even off planet to Mars with the flick of a switch or more accurately with the wave of a wand. Actual footage is fused with computer-generated imagery (CGI) for a realistic and immersive learning experience.

Coomera Anglican College Principal Mark Sly said The Pod was a first for any educational facility in Australia, which we believe will meet the needs of our students in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

“This new facility is supporting the way we’re changing our approach to learning which is enquiry-based rather than content-based teaching,” Dr Sly said.

“In a world where the future of education will soon see virtual and augmented reality, robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting and drones as the norm, we identified the need for a facility that was flexible enough to move and adapt to change, but also have some key design elements to address some of the current and expected technological advances.

“With immersive interactive and collaborative learning environments, The Pod will introduce students to future-focused learning, placing this facility at the forefront of the new age of education.

“Coomera Anglican College strives to inspire excellence and we believe we have achieved that and more, by inspiring creativity and imagination in our students’ learning and taking learning out of this world.”

To take a virtual tour of The Pod, visit the website at www.cac.qld.edu.au/facilities/the-pod.

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LEARNING FOR THE FUTURE: Students enjoy the many aspects of The Pod. April 2018 ISSUE •

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NASA Guest Shines a Light on Possibilities A special guest from NASA shared his experiences from the International Space Station with students at Coomera Anglican College, telling fascinating stories of astronauts, space exploration and computer science.

Mr Stephen Hunter, Manager of the International Space Station’s Computer Resources from NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, visited the school for the official launch of The Pod last month.

The Space Centre is home to NASA’s astronaut corps, the International Space Station mission operations, the Orion Program, and a host of future space developments.

With 24 years of experience with NASA to draw on, including computer architecture, networks, software development and integration, imagery hardware as well as all new IT related technology, Mr Hunter brought his skills to the College to work alongside students.

In addition to sharing his stories, Mr Hunter took Junior Secondary students on a virtual journey on board the International Space Station with astronaut Scott Kelly who travelled more than two million kilometres, orbited the Earth 5,440 times and saw 16 sunrises and sunsets per day over 340 days.

With the Federal Government’s recent announcement of funding for an Australian Space Agency, the Australian space industry is estimated to be worth $12 billion by the year 2030.

With one eye focused on the future, Coomera Anglican College believes The Pod will meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing technological landscape and prepare them for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

Coomera students welcome NASA guest Mr Stephen Hunter for the official opening of The Pod.

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The POD

By Imogen Hanley, Year 6 Coomera Anglican College, QLD

Buzzing drones, humming 3D printers, beeping robots and a 360-degree visual experience has now become our reality at Coomera Anglican College. This is thanks to our brand new building, ‘The POD’.

This wondrous facility makes learning fun, highly interactive and inspiring. I am thrilled and grateful to be a student at Coomera Anglican College where I get to use my imagination and creativity every day in the POD. The new learning rooms and latest technology have made going to school every day exciting.

The Think Tank allows us to brainstorm our ideas on writable surfaces where the glass walls change from clear to frosted as required.

It is exciting to watch Drones fly in this room and imagine how this technology will impact our future.

The Maker Space room is where we learn how to program Robots and watch our creative ideas come to life with 3D printing. The new reading spaces in the POD Library are an inviting place to relax at lunchtime and further develop our passion for reading a favourite book.

I love going to school at Coomera Anglican College, and the POD has made every day a new learning adventure.

The Imaginarium transports us into the environment we are learning about in class, whether that be the heat of the Sahara Desert or humidity of the Daintree Forest.

Anglican Schools feature in National Awards Anglican Schools have featured across the board in the list of finalists for the inaugural Australian Education Awards.

Finalists from Anglican schools will compete across 13 of the 25 categories, including awards for individual teachers and department heads, schools and curriculums.

The following Anglican Schools were named in the finalists’ shortlist: Best Co-Curriculum Program

Regional School of the Year

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St Columba Anglican School, Port Macquarie

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Whitsunday Anglican School, Mackay

Snowy Mountains Grammar School

Innovation in Curriculum Design •

Snowy Mountains Grammar School

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St Paul’s School

Primary School of the Year - Non-government •

St Paul’s School

School of the Year - Non-government •

Korowa Anglican Girls’ School

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Mentone Grammar

Boarding School of the Year •

Snowy Mountains Grammar School

Best School Strategic Plan •

Mentone Grammar

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St Paul’s School

• The Springfield Anglican College Best Student Wellbeing Program •

Geelong Grammar School

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Melbourne Girls Grammar

Best Professional Learning Program •

Melbourne Girls Grammar School

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St Paul’s School

School Principal of the Year - Non-government •

Paul Browning, St Paul’s School

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Catherine Misson, Melbourne Girls Grammar School

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Dr Mark Sly, Coomera Anglican College

Department Head of the Year •

Bek Duyckers, Perth College

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Iain Hoy, Tara Anglican School for Girls

Teacher of the Year •

Sarah Jones, St Columba Anglican School

Education Rising Star of the Year •

Ashanie Perera, Melbourne Girls Grammar School

Finalists for Australian School of the Year and Australian School Principal of the Year will comprise the winners of the other school and principal categories and will be announced at the gala event on Friday, 17 August at Dockside, Sydney.

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July 2018 ISSUE •

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campustravel.com.au 17

The Ride of a Lifetime Arden Anglican School, NSW

“To all those who followed my journey I extend a heartfelt thanks and hope that you all go out on your own adventures whether small or large…This ride was a means of raising funds for Open Doors, who are an organisation that are not afraid to tackle daring projects that support persecuted Christians around the world in nations such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Nigeria etc. So far we have raised over $7,500 to support the persecuted church…Once more thank you and God bless you all. Be adventurous and take risks. For now, until my next challenge, I rest.”

Justin McLean

Arden Anglican School alumnus Justin McLean is not your typical 17 year old. In April the 2017 graduate achieved his goal of cycling 5,500km unassisted from Fremantle, Western Australia to Sydney (the Indy Pacific Wheel Race course), arriving home two weeks earlier than originally planned.

While the official Indy Pacific event was cancelled following the death of cyclist Mike Hall in 2017, 53 riders elected to continue the course, with Justin the youngest competitor at 17 years. The event started on Saturday 17th March, 2018 at 6.22am, marking the anniversary of Mike Hall’s passing.

He arrived home almost two weeks earlier than originally planned, testament to his riding ability, determination and God’s grace in keeping him safe throughout his marathon journey.

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Justin’s goal was to raise $5500, a dollar for every kilometre he cycles, to support ‘Open Doors’ but has already surpassed this amount with more than $7500 raised.

On his fundraising page (http://fundraising.pleezpay.com/au/S/ indiapacific-bikeride-39r2) he explained his reasons for supporting the organisation: “I am riding from Perth to Sydney to raise money for ‘Open Doors’. From training, to relief/aid work, to Bible delivery, Open Doors have helped strengthen and prepare some of the 215 million Christians that suffer persecution every day. The persecution that these Christians can face can range from family isolation/ rejection, denied access to basic needs (i.e.: food, water, healthcare etc.), intense violent abuse and even death. Open Doors offer very practical help to these persecuted groups and by donating on this page you help those who are suffering immensely.”

Justin’s ride is a great story of goal setting, courage, resilience, determination, and faith. It is also a story of recognising and using your God-given talents to serve others.

Justin’s Mum, Mamie McLean said Justin had always been a person with high goals, researching and buying the equipment needed for the race.

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1. THE JOURNEY PLAN: The route completed by Justin McLean, cycling from Fremantle to Sydney. | 2. LONG ROAD: A stop during the journey. | 3. FAMILY SUPPORT: Justin at the finish line with his greatest supporters, parents Andrew and Mamie. Photo: Andrew McArdle | 4. JUBILATION: Justin holds his bike aloft after finishing the 5500km ride. Photo: Andrew McArdle | 5. LONG ROAD AHEAD: Justin stops by the side of the road during the journey across Australia.

“He goes beyond what other people think is possible to really push and challenge himself, she said.

“When he bought the one way ticket to Perth, we knew it would be difficult to stop him going.

Mrs McLean said that Arden’s strong emphasis on biblically based faith and putting Christian values in action had helped to shape Justin.

“Justin is an example of what a young person can do when they set their minds to it. What to do when faced with trials and challenges – digging deep to overcome pain and adversity,” she said.

Arden’s Head of Senior School Simon Przydacz said Justin had developed a strong interest in endurance cycling over the past three

July 2018 ISSUE •

years, completing the 550km Sea-Summit-Sea event raising money for Red Kite at age 16, and in the lead up to this event, raising money for the Katoomba Christian Convention, riding Sydney-KatoombaSydney in a day.

“Justin represents the vision Arden has for its graduates. His epic journey, and reasons for undertaking it, clearly reflect many of our core values including Service, Courage, Compassion and Hope,” Mr Przydacz said.

“Justin’s journey is amazing. His character is inspiring!”

Arden Anglican School and all of Justin’s family, friends and supporters are incredibly proud of his goal setting, passion, perseverance, Christian character and fundraising efforts. Congratulations Justin!

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An Interview with Justin McLean What prompted you to do this ride? I know you have previously ridden as a fundraiser for Red Kite.

I have an ability to ride far. It’s uncommon for someone my age to do this, so as a Christian I aim to use this to glorify the Lord, by supporting Open Doors I have the opportunity to do this. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17 What do you love about endurance cycling?

To exist in a bubble, a single point in time, is amazing. The rough road and each pedal stroke and each gust of wind and each hill is fully experienced and the goal is simple; to continue following that line.

Having the knowledge that your legs can carry you wherever you wish. As well as this, the pain that is endured gives birth to growth, discovery and when the day is completed, reward.

What qualities have you found you most needed on this ride to date?

Psychological strength. The body keeps moving if the mind is in it, as soon as doubt and frustration creeps, every ache in the body is amplified and the pace grinds to a halt. My mind has been broken and this is a humbling experience.

What has a ‘typical’ day been like and/or describe some of the experiences you’ve had along the way?

I wake up with the sun and pack down my bivouac, mat and sleeping bag, get dressed and then the fun begins, the pedals start turning and the road scrolls beneath me. I get food and water wherever I can; it changes every day, roadhouses, supermarkets, rainwater tanks, travellers, truckies, grey nomads etc. As long as I’m fuelled I can keep the pedals turning. My day ends with tired legs when the sun sets. With this all said, there really is no typical day, each day has its own challenges.

What have been some of the highlights along the way so far?

Meeting new faces and hearing new stories. There’s a lot of time to speak to people in the middle of nowhere. With a stranger in a single conversation you can dig deeper and learn more than in any conversation with a friend in the city.

Another highlight to point out is just the wonderful messages I’ve received from friends, family and strangers along the way.

What have been the challenges so far and how have you been able to deal with them?

There’s few things more demoralizing in cycling than a headwind, or as some call it, ‘a Dutch hill’. Now imagine headwinds that last for thousands of kilometres. This challenge has forced me to have an

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acceptance of circumstance, to work with that which is beyond my control. You could say it’s a form of patience. This lesson was learnt through harsh psychological defeat and I try to remember it each time I throw my leg over that bike.

What have you learned about yourself during this experience?

The works which you do can have far reaching impact, whether through inspiring others, to self-discovery or to supporting Christians on the other side of the globe. The messages I have received along the way have revealed this to me and I am thankful for each one of them. My actions are not all about myself and their implications are not all immediate.

Did your time at Arden help prepare you to take on this challenge?

For example, encouragement of your faith, encouragement to serve/make a difference within your individual realm etc.

Arden is a community built upon serving others, such is a result of a solid understanding of a Christ centred life. Through my time at Arden I would like to think this has rubbed off on me somewhat, and though I fail, I continue to aim to serve others selflessly.

What made you choose Open Doors as a charity?

Open Doors are a relatively small charity though the work they complete is extensive and radical. Their mission to assist the persecuted church has impacted the way many approach prayer (myself included) and to that they have my utmost respect. To support them in any small way is worth it. My danger and suffering on this ride is incomparable to that of the persecuted church which is far greater and Open Doors continue to offer relief.

Anything else you would like to add?

Set a ridiculous goal and see how close you can get to it.

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From Lone Pine to Hutchins to Honour Anzacs

VOICES: Year 5/6 Pride Choir sang at the service

By Dr Rob McEwan, Headmaster, The Hutchins School, TAS

Each year we commemorate the sacrifices and courage shown by thousands of young Australians and New Zealanders at the annual Anzac Services across this country and on the fields in far-away lands where Australian and New Zealand troops fought so bravely.

So profound has been the impact of war on communities large and small that in the very large majority of country towns you visit, regardless of size, in all Australian States and Territories, you will find in the main street a cenotaph or memorial to fallen soldiers. We have our own memorials marking those old Hutchins boys and staff who served and those who died fighting for this country. They hang in the chapel and in the museum, and the oval we gathered upon for this year’s Anzac Day Service is the War Memorial Oval.

July 2018 ISSUE •

This year our Anzac Day Service was especially significant as we mark 100 years since our involvement in World War I. The service was held on the War Memorial Oval where over 1,000 students, staff and invited guests joined together to honour the service and sacrifice of our original Anzacs, and the generations of Australian servicemen and women who have defended our values and freedoms, in wars, conflicts and peace operations over the past 100 years.

We welcomed Commander Charles Rex (’65), retired, who as an Old Boy left Hutchins in 1963 to commence a long and distinguished career in the Australian Navy from 1964 to 1995. We were honoured to invite Commander Rex to address our school community at this important occasion. He shared with us his story of leaving Hutchins in 1963 to complete his last two years of schooling at the Naval College in Jervis Bay before being posted in Vietnam.

Commander Rex saw active duty in Vietnam as a naval pilot, flying helicopters and overseeing daily missions before returning to Australia and continuing a remarkable career as a navy pilot. We were honoured to have Commander Rex join us for this year’s service, and to unveil a newly commissioned Honour Board to commemorate Old Boys who served with the Australian armed forces post-World War II.

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From Lone Pine to Hutchins to Honour Anzacs At this year’s service, I shared the story of the battle at Lone Pine.

The battle is named after a single pine tree that stood on the top of a ridge. This tree served as a landmark and the area became known as Lone Pine. This fierce battle in August of 1915, saw more the 2,000 Australians and 7,000 Turkish troops killed in hand to hand combat.

This pine tree is a direct link to the Lone Pine found on the Gallipoli peninsula, and represents more than a terrible battle where so many lives were lost, but also the bravery, sacrifice and mateship that are part of the Anzac spirit. This year, State RSL President Mr Terry Roe unveiled a plaque to mark this important tree, this symbol of the Anzac spirit.

Lest we forget.

The solitary pine was destroyed in the shelling but the site remained known as Lone Pine. It was to become a poignant symbol of the Anzac spirit, kept alive decades later in Australia through a son’s love for his mother.

Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith, whose brother Mark was killed in the Battle of Lone Pine, collected cones from the branches used to cover the trenches. He sent them home to his mother in New South Wales, in commemoration of his brother.

Mrs McMullen kept the seeds sitting in a drawer for 13 years before planting them in 1928 and producing two seedlings. One was planted in their home town of Inverell where her sons had enlisted. The other was planted in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial site in 1934 to honour all those who fell at Gallipoli.

Today the Lone Pine is anything but lonesome. Thousands of trees have been cultivated from the Australian War Memorial’s Lone Pine and planted all over Australia. One of these pine trees stands between the two tall hedges on the War Memorial Oval. This pine tree was presented to the School on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2005 by RSL President Mr Ian Kennett and Senator Guy Barnett.

MY STORY: Hutchins Old Boy, Commander Charles Rex (’65) shared his story with students at the Anzac Service

SPECIAL GUEST: Headmaster Dr Rob McEwan with Commander Charles Rex (’65)

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Walford Anglican School for Girls Celebrates Her Best 125 years!

By Rebecca Clarke, Principal and Glen Aikman, Director of Marketing and Community Relations Walford Anglican School for Girls, SA

When Miss Adamson opened her Collegiate School on Unley Road, second house from Fisher Street, in January 1893, could she have imagined what her school would one day be?

As a young, unmarried woman, unable to secure funds to purchase property in her own name, Miss Adamson opened her class in a space converted into a school room in her father’s family home.

From a humble beginning, the school progressed to a larger property and finally a school house on its own grounds which Miss Adamson named Walford after the village in Herefordshire, UK where her mother was born. Amongst her alumni were some of the first women to graduate from The University of Adelaide, and thus, her vision to establish a school that would advance the education of girls and ultimately improve the status of women was already being realised.

At our birthday assembly, held on the anniversary of Walford’s 125th year, all students from Reception to Year 12 considered the story of the School’s early history, and watched the narrative of the school’s subsequent decades unfold in a screenplay of slides. A fashion parade of Walford uniforms across the ages was modelled, we sang Happy Birthday and blew out (safely!) 125 candles on our cake. We raised our newly designed anniversary flag and presented each student with a 125th pin for her blazer as a keepsake of this significant year.

Following on from our special assembly, the celebrations have continued. Our Old Scholars’ Association which happens to be celebrating its centenary this year hosted a birthday dinner for our alumni. We look forward to our 125th Ball which will be held in October.

A whole school photograph has also been taken.

What is most exciting for all members of the Walford Community is the progression of our Master Plan with new projects due to commence during our anniversary year. At the beginning of the year, our junior school students commenced learning in their new STEAM space (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Music), the first of our projects which saw a heritage listed home beautifully restored for student learning. Later this year, we will develop a new Science Centre on our secondary campus, while designs for the Walford Art, Design and Technology Centre, a Black Box Multi-Purpose Theatre and upgraded sporting viewing pavilion at Parks Oval are being finalised.

Our 125th year has given us so much to celebrate and to look forward to in the future.

If only Miss Adamson could see her school now…

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MILESTONE: Ready to celebrate at the 125th Anniversary Assembly

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1. ORIGINAL SCHOOL: Miss Lydia Adamson’s classroom in the early days of Walford | 2. FLYING HIGH: Walford’s 125th anniversary flag | 3. ON DISPLAY: A Walford student pr

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roudly shows off her 125th anniversary badge | 4. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Blowing out the candles on the cake

July 2018 ISSUE •

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Barker Confident in Anglican Identity

By The Reverend Jeff Ware, School Chaplain Barker College, NSW

Barker College has always been an Anglican School.

It was founded by the Reverend Henry Plume at Kurrajong, in the Blue Mountains, and since 1896 has been based in Hornsby. It was named after Bishop Frederick Barker. It was purchased by the Diocese of Sydney in 1919.

‘For Jesus, For Barker’. Our close partnership with the Crusader Union of Australia is a great help to us in this voluntary area. Staff and parents who wish to grow in faith meet with our chaplaincy team, one-on-one, and in groups large and small.

In 2016 Barker College established another campus at Yarramalong on the Central Coast. Darkinjung Barker is a primary school for Indigenous students and is very much part of our Christian mission and Anglican identity where, under God, we seek to form partnerships and relationships which enable us to make something good, just and compassionate happen in our world.

We comfortably identify as Anglican. We sit confidently in this identity.

It is seen as one of the strengths of our school. Our mission is to be ‘an Anglican community, inspiring every learner, every experience, every day’. Our vision is to be ‘a leader in Christian education, characterised by a global vision, inspiring hope’. All new parents, students and staff commence their journey at Barker in our Chapel where we voice our Christian purpose and give expression as to what it means for us to be an Anglican school.

How do we proceed in pursuing our mission and realising such a lofty vision? There are a number of principles that are embedded in our community.

One is the notion that everyone who is part of Barker has something that they can learn from the Christian faith. There is much to be gained for everyone from reading the Scriptures and reflecting upon them.

So, we invite all members of our community to approach the Christian faith with an openness and a willingness to learn, a growth mindset, and we encourage them - wherever they can - to incorporate aspects of Biblical Christianity into their lives at work and at home.

Secondly, we expect that the Christian faith will be the backdrop to everything we do, it will manifest itself in every context. It is our aim that the rich resources of the Christian faith would be gently and thoughtfully brought to bear upon all that takes place in the school.

Thirdly, we are convinced that grace and mercy are at the heart of genuine Christianity. Members of our community are invited to receive these gifts, and all who experience grace and mercy are called upon to extend the same to those around them. As we articulate these three principles, we also try to ensure that they are embodied and run like a thread throughout the school.

Barker is also committed to encouraging voluntary expressions of faith. All students are required to attend Chapel and Christian Studies classes each week, however, we recognise that Christian faith flourishes in a voluntary context. To this end we have appointed a team of youth workers to meet up with students one-on-one, and in groups large and small. Our CRU group describes themselves as

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ANGLICAN FAITH: Students at Barker attending Chapel

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St Mary’s lend a hand at Ronald McDonald House St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA

Year 11 students at St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School are supporting Ronald McDonald House (RMH), a ‘home away from home’ for families of seriously ill children being treated at nearby Perth hospitals.

Students support the house through two initiatives: Charli’s Angels and Home for Dinner.

Charli’s Angels was started by former student Charli Oliver. Each week, six girls spend an hour after school working with the children in the learning centre at RMH. The Bass Family Foundation Learning Centre at RMH keeps students on track with their education during their stay. It brings the children routine and social interaction – helping them through what can be an incredibly confusing and stressful time.

St Mary’s students spend time with the children, working one-to-one with them brightening their day.

The Home for Dinner programme invites community groups, friends or family members to prepare and cook a meal for the families staying at RMH. Parents will often return to the house after a long day at the hospital with their child and preparing and cooking a meal may be the last thing on their minds. The House in Nedlands is fitted with a commercial kitchen and a full-time chef to provide professional catering support.

They provide the kitchen, food and expert catering and the St Mary’s Year 11 students provide the support.

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GIVING BACK: A St Mary’s student taking part in the Charli’s Angels programme at Ronald McDonald House.

The girls who participate are encouraged to dress up and decorate the dining room with an exciting theme. Three groups of fifteen girls are involved in this programme throughout the year. After cooking dinner, they sit down and eat while spending time getting to know the RMH families.

The girls have a wonderful time, creating a very rewarding experience, all while helping seriously ill children and their families.

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School Values Take Centre Stage Arden Anglican School, NSW

At Arden our school values of Love, Hope, Compassion, Courage, Respect and Service derive from a Christian message that offers our students a positive vision for a meaningful and fulfilling life both during and after school.

“These values were first articulated when we refreshed our mission, vision and values a few years ago and we have been looking to embed our values, not only in what we say, but in all that we do,” Principal Graham Anderson said.

Discussing the Values Framework, Junior School Director of Teaching and Learning in the Junior School Tiali Fraser said learning at Arden extended beyond covering core content in the curriculum to encouraging the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and academic development of each child.

“We focus on students developing values, attitudes and habits towards learning that will best prepare them to solve problems and act passionately, creatively, insightfully and critically in and out of the classroom. Alongside this, we aim to nurture the Character of each student,” Ms Fraser said.

“By highlighting Values that we as a school stand for and by actively encouraging the students to demonstrate these Values in their words and actions, we are helping them to reflect on themselves, how they can treat and serve others and what they can contribute positively to situations and to the communities they live in and beyond.

“We aim to develop curious, courageous, compassionate Learners of strong Christian Character.”

Ms Fraser said the resulting framework and school-wide focus on values had challenged students to reflect on their words and actions to ensure that they demonstrate Love, Hope, Compassion, Courage, Respect and Service.

The students have worked on the initial ideas behind the definitions, biblical links and actions. They have considered what the Values mean, how are they exhibited and how they work in certain places such as the playground, classroom, and on public transport.

Ms Fraser said in the Junior School, the Year 6 leaders were responsible for teaching the younger students at assemblies about each Value.

“Challenges have been set such as showing our Value of Compassion through doing random acts of kindness or demonstrating Service by seeking out one of the many service opportunities the school provides,” she said.

“Teachers are constantly on the lookout for ways to integrate the Values into their teaching of the curriculum and into our pastoral and wellbeing programs. Staff have also given their input into the development of the Framework so there is lots of collective ownership of where we are at now.”

When teaching a Value, staff encourage students to think about what a Value looks like in everyday situations. Take Service as an example.

For this Value the students might be asked to consider specific questions and how they could practically respond. Questions might include: How can I put the needs of others before my own needs?, How can I offer help when someone is hurt or upset or volunteer when something needs to be done?, How can I be welcoming, show tolerance and be understanding? How can I use my gifts and talents in the service of others?

In addition to discussions about the importance and practical application of values into everyday life, Arden community members also have an inspiring visual reminder of the values via 18 school values portraits.

Head of Senior School, Simon Przydacz said the student-designed portraits were gifted last year by the Class of 2016.

“The gift is designed to serve as an inspiring visual reminder of the growth and development possible through Arden’s holistic education, when centred on Love, Courage, Respect, Compassion, Service and Hope,” Mr Przydacz said.

“By encouraging increasingly positive approaches to learning and to interacting with others, the focus on our School Values has further contributed to the culture within the school where every child is ‘well known, well cared for and well taught’ not just by the teachers, but by their peers,” she said.

In order to support this vision, students and staff have worked together to develop a Values Framework that underpins how the Arden’s Values are lived out and how the Character development of all students is supported.

The Values Framework includes a definition of each value, biblical links, three or four overarching ways each value is displayed and a list of smaller actions students (and ultimately staff and parents) can specifically exhibit if they are living out each of the Values.

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July 2018 ISSUE •

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New Principal for Googong The Anglican School Googong, NSW

As an educational leader passionate about emerging Christian schools placed in growing communities, Merryn Clarksmith was delighted to join The Anglican School Googong as the School’s new Principal.

Merryn has moved from St Luke’s Grammar School, Sydney, where she was Deputy Principal. She has more than 15 years’ experience in leadership positions in Christian schools, including Head of Senior School at Rouse Hill Anglican College from 2008 and ten years at Sydney’s Northholm Grammar School, where she held the positions of Dean of Senior Students and Assistant to the Deputy Principal, among others.

In her many roles, Merryn has had a keen focus on pastoral care and student wellbeing, supporting students to ensure their optimum engagement in both their learning and life. Her particular passion for teaching student leadership and service has seen the development of many successful programs in several schools.

As an extension to the work she was undertaking in her own school, in 2010 Merryn established a pastoral care network for educational leaders across NSW within the Heads of Independent Co-educational

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Schools (HICES) group. In more recent years, Merryn has been focused on promoting the learning power framework which helps students develop specific dispositions so that they can be confident in negotiating a somewhat unknown future as well as managing life’s many challenges, alongside their academic achievements.

Merryn has a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma in Education (English/ Drama) from Macquarie University. She says that the very core of education has to be the dynamic of the classroom, and this is a place where Merryn loves to be - a place where she can connect with students, where she can see them learn, question, discover, probe, wrestle with a concept to its full realisation, triumph and develop a passion for life-long learning.

Merryn also has a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of New South Wales, through which she was able to really hone her passion for supporting teachers in the development of their classroom practice, as well as negotiate the new accreditation processes. She knows that leadership is ultimately about influence and places value on building strong teams.

Merryn prioritises staff wellbeing and feels very privileged to continue leading, nurturing and encouraging the staff at Googong as the school continues its rapid growth phase. She recognises the privileged role of being an educator, with the daily opportunity to share God’s love with students, staff and parents, and seeks to embed the message of Christ’s redemption in her every day practice.

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St Paul’s Welcomes New Principal

FIRST ADDRESS: New Principal Cameron Herbert at his first assembly at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.

LEARNING JOURNEY: Mr Herbert ‘making an appointment’ with Matilda in the Early Learning Centre.

HELLO: Cameron Herbert meets Lucas at the Early Learning Centre.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: St Paul’s Year 12 students Rachael Emmett, Nadine Karunaratne, Gerard Wilkinson and Cameron Wong with new Principal, Cameron Herbert.

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, VIC

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School has welcomed new Principal Mr Cameron Herbert.

Cameron has come from Western Australia and was previously the Principal of St Mark’s Anglican Community School, a large coeducational K-12 school in the northern suburbs of Perth.

Cameron has thirty years of diverse experience as an educator in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. Prior to becoming a Principal, he taught English at The Southport School on the Gold Coast for six years, where he held the positions of Dean of Students (Years 10-12) and Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning. Cameron also has experience as a Secondary Head of House, Economics Teacher, Middle School Teacher, Primary Teacher and Head of Junior School.

Cameron said he was attracted to St Paul’s by the school’s values, strategic directions and pursuit of excellence.

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“St Paul’s standing as an independent, Anglican school that grew from a rural community’s dream was also appealing to me as someone who grew up as part of a Christian family in a rural community,” he said.

“It is my hope that, as Principal, I will be able to contribute significantly in these areas and help St Paul’s to continue confidently on its path, going from strength to strength as a leading regional school in Australia.”

In an address to students and staff, Cameron talked about his family and his background and why he chose to pursue a career in education.

He thanked previous Principal Ms Lisa Moloney for her seven year leadership, as well as other staff and has been busy meeting and getting to know students.

Cameron is looking forward to developing a deeper understanding of the school’s people and culture.

“By taking the time to develop a deep understanding of a school’s people and culture, I believe that the Principal is well placed to lead astutely and assuredly into the future,” he said.

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Creating Global Classrooms Ivanhoe Grammar School, VIC

Three Melbourne teachers connected educators globally as part of their quest to promote technology in the classroom.

Their foresight allowed fellow educators to fly drones, compete in Sphero Olympics events and brush up on their coding skills together.

Eleni Kyritsis, Corey Aylen and Steve Brophy run Teach Tech Play, an independent online professional community supporting classroom innovation. With other volunteers, they held the third Teach Tech Play conference at Ivanhoe Grammar School in Melbourne on April 12-13. It attracted 250 participants from all Australian states, the UK, USA and the Philippines.

and blocked explicit content, ‘Gamify Life’ had wi-fi free activities and ‘MoveTech’ offered points to unlock new characters after completing various activities.

Steve said the students’ creativity contributed to Teach Tech Play’s intimate feel. He said many presenters sparked fruitful post-conference discussions with fellow educators. “We had a really good mix,” he says.

“The pace was really nice.”

Participants were impressed. “As a graduate teacher this has given me the confidence to teach the digital technology curriculum to the best of my ability,” one said. Another described it as “so inspiring”: “I don’t even know where to begin. Using google as a platform will enable my teaching partner and I to better use technology in the classroom.”

They discussed that delicate balance between embracing technology and becoming dependent upon it. Experts spoke about harnessing gadgets such as Sphero robots and drones to teach STEM subjects, connecting classrooms globally, girls in science and the importance of mindfulness.

Melbourne primary school teacher Ben Lannen explained how to code drones and guide game design from scratch, while New Zealand digital learning specialist Mark Herring revealed how to be a Drone Jedi Master and held a Sphero Electro Tech Olympics session with fellow trainer Adrian Francis.

Keynote speaker, Texan educator Kasey Bell of Shake Up Learning discussed the need for dynamic teaching and learning that incorporates technology and thinks outside the square. Kasey said good teachers are becoming entrepreneurial, which was important in an age with less job security but also for their teaching.

“The idea of going to school to get a job is an obsolete idea,” she said.

“It’s shifting so quickly.”

Dialogic Learning education consultant Tom Barrett challenged teachers to consider the big picture in creating and aligning their innovative vision with practical plans to improve teaching at the ground level.

Tom said innovation was a simple process that we shouldn’t lose sight of.

“It’s generating original ideas that add value,” he said. “We need to be able to exploit ideas that are working really, really well and in the class room as well as being able to explore new things.”

Emily MacLean, a Melbourne independent school Deputy Head of Junior School (Innovation and Excellence), spoke about a courageous change mindset that required agency through great teaching. She said some of her most rewarding teaching moments were unplanned, such as a day that evolved around a major storm.

Ivanhoe Grammar School’s Year 5 and 6 Digital Leaders closed Teach Tech Play with Shark Tank-style keynote presentations about apps they designed to get kids outside. ‘The Limit’ limited kids’ device time

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SAY CHEESE: TTP’S Corey Aylen, Steve Brophy and Eleni Kyritsis

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About the organisers Eleni Kyritsis teaches at Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School and was the 2016 Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria Educator of the year and the 2017 ACCE Australian Educator of the Year.

Corey Aylen is Director of Learning Technologies at Haileybury and is passionate about embedding technology seamlessly into classrooms to empower students.

As Director of ICT & eLearning for Ivanhoe Grammar School, Steve Brophy integrates technology into teaching and was Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria’s 2017 Outstanding Leader of the Year.

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1. ORGANISERS: TTP conference Corey Aylen, Eleni Kyritsis and Steve Brophy | 2. SAY CHEESE: TTP Student Digital Leaders | 3. STUDENT LEADERS: TTP Student Digital Leaders with conference organisers and Ivanhoe Grammar School Principal Gerard Foley

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100 Year Old Chapel Welcomes Creative Expressions of Prayer

By The Reverend Sharon Baird, Chaplain The Glennie School, QLD

The Chapel of St Alban has stood at the entrance to The Glennie School since 1917.

Built only ten years after the foundation of the school, the Chapel continues to be a source of comfort and inspiration to the community.

When you first walk in, every sense absorbs the presence of God, whether it be the sight of the stained glass windows, the smell of the incense which permeates from the pine timber walls or the overwhelming sense of a deep tradition of regular prayer.

Being commissioned as Chaplain in February of this year, one of my goals is to find ways to enrich the Anglican ethos of the school, keeping the traditions but bringing fresh ideas to how we might express our Anglican identity. We are building links with the four

local parish churches in Toowoomba, looking into ways to connect our boarding and day girls with Anglicans from across the breadth of the church. The Chapel is now open all day, every day for staff and students to step away from the busyness of the school day and take a moment in the solitude and silence.

Glennie’s first prayer space celebrated the season of Pentecost, bringing the Chapel to life with flames of the Spirit. Girls from Prep right through to Year 12 were encouraged to colour and write prayers on flames which were then hung in our Chapel. This melding of old and new gave the girls the opportunity to express their faith in a creative way. Prayers of encouragement, prayers for those who are struggling, prayers for increased faith, as well as prayers for our pets and friends filled our Chapel with the Holy Spirit for over a week as each class took time to participate. I am excited by the challenge of new beginnings and look forward to seeing how other schools are living out their Anglican identity.

PRAYER SPACE: The Pentecost curtains were draped over the entrance to the alter

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A Passion to Serve Feeding the Needy William Clarke College, NSW

Students at William Clarke College are demonstrating extraordinary learning and using their God-given talents to contribute to the wider College community via the Food for Friends initiative.

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While the College community has, for some years, provided meals to assist families who are experiencing hardship, this program marks the first time students have taken the initiative to enhance and expand this program, to service the wider community as a whole.

In 2017, Harrison Sanchez was part of the Leadership Support team for the Service Portfolio at the College. The students were given the opportunity to contribute ideas for serving the community and for helping other students develop their passion for this kind of service. At the time, Harrison was beginning his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and wanted to combine his passions of cooking and serving. With the help of his fellow Prefects and Service Learning Co-ordinator Amy Perry, the Food for Friends student afternoons were implemented.

“Cooking for someone else, by its very nature, is a supportive activity,” Harrison said.

“It is about giving up your time to nourish others, both in body and soul. It has been an incredible experience, especially when you see so many students unite to achieve a common goal.”

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Today, Food for Friends runs twice a term on Monday afternoons, allowing students from Years 9 to 12 to come along and cook. Two recipes are chosen ahead of time and ingredients are purchased for both meals. The meals chosen are freezer-friendly so they can be kept fresh before being given to families. Families with food allergies or preferences are also catered for.

Students are able to enjoy the company of one another and can extend their skills and knowledge of cooking, while also using these gifts to serve the school community.

Vice Captain Amir Hashemi Pour praised the program: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community through a small sacrifice of time. It’s a joyous motive knowing that the food will be delivered to families in need.”

The Food for Friends team hope to extend their work beyond the College community in future years by feeding those in need within the local Hills district.

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1. GIVING BACK: Amir Hashemi Pour (left) and Harrison Sanchez at work in the kitchen. | 2. FOOD FOR FRIENDS: Students working together to pre-prepare the meals. | 3. COOK UP: Students at one of the Food for Friends afternoon cooking sessions.

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Arden’s Girls’ Night Unites School Community for a Good Cause Arden Anglican School, NSW

Arden Anglican School female students and staff celebrated their annual Girls’ Night In during May with an array of fun and interesting activities, inspirational guest speakers and great food, all while raising funds for The Cancer Council’s Pink Ribbon campaign.

Pastoral Care Coordinator Kathryn McDonald said the ‘Girls Night In’ event was a wonderful opportunity for girls from each year group to join together, have fun and discuss issues that concern young women in the 21st Century.

“The Female Prefects, led by Captain Olivia Hochholzer and ViceCaptain Lauren McAlpine, and supported by the male Prefects, organised games, activities and a delicious meal to bring Secondary girls together after the school day is over,” Mrs McDonald said.

Following a ‘Western’ theme, the school was decorated with fairy lights, sunflowers, picnic rugs, bunting and flannels. The girls enjoyed a photo booth, bubble soccer, Just Dance, the Hannah Montana movie, a video games room, nerf guns, apple bobbing and a beauty section to glamorise with glitter, bath bombs and hand scrubs.

There was also a clothes swap, raffle and craft, with many girls decorating bags to give to children in Cambodia and Vietnam.

In addition to supporting the Cancer Council, girls also had the opportunity to place sanitary items under the Share the Digni-Tree.

This initiative was started in 2017 and supports homeless women in Australia.

Hearing from guest speakers about topics relating to women’s physical and mental health is always a highlight at this event.

“This year we heard two very helpful talks about how to manage the demands of school and life. Former Arden School Captain Alessandra Dimarco and The Mental Health Co. founder Erin Quinane both spoke engagingly and personally about their experiences,” Mrs McDonald said.

“Alessandra emphasised the value of balancing co-curricular activities with academic pursuits and the comfort that comes from knowing that God loves her personally. Erin emphasised the importance of understanding your own strengths and weaknesses and balancing self-compassion with grit.

“All the girls were taught the phrase ‘PUSH THROUGH’ – with the help of others (‘US’ in ‘PUSH’) and by looking after themselves (‘U’ in ‘THROUGH’).”

The night proved popular with girls of all ages.

Female School Captain and event coordinator Olivia Hochholzer said Girls’ Night In was a great opportunity for the female students to come together as a community and build relationships with each other in support of the wider community.

“The Year 12 girls had a fantastic time organising the event, it united the Year 12 body of girls whilst collaborating our strengths to host an enjoyable night for the rest of the school,” she said.

“Not only did the girls have a fun night of activities and delicious food, but they learnt from two inspiring speakers how to deal with your own mental health and how to help others.”

ALL TOGETHER: Enjoying the night are Maddeison Secker, Anne Thomas, Charlotte Von Stieglitz, Lydia Johnson, Amy Houssenloge, Emily Bell and Anouska Poudyal.

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“Girls’ Night In was an amazing night when we got to come together as the female Arden community to raise awareness for issues that are of particular significance to women. As my last Girls’ Night In I loved being able to come together with the other girls in my year to pull off such a great night. Some of the highlights for me included practicing for the ‘Hoedown Throwdown’ flash mob and seeing how loving and generous the girls at our school are through the Share the Digni-Tree.

I hope that in the future the younger years can continue this important tradition as a way of looking out for each other and helping those in need.”

Morgan Clancy, Year 12

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1. GO WEST: Arden students enjoying Girls’ Night In and dressed Western style are (from left) Eleanor Ticehurst, Renee Joseph and Kiera Butler-Sargeant. | 2. HOEDOWN THROW Goodlace and Kiera Butler-Sargeant. | 3. GIVING: Jacqueline Houghton, Dominique Houghton, Sashrika Pillay and Kristabelle Oo decorated craft bags to give to children in Cam

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“Girls’ Night In was a fun and encouraging opportunity for the girls of Arden to unite. The two speakers were both inspiring and empowering as they spoke about coping with anxiety and stress throughout high school.”

Elise, Year 9

WDOWN: Dominique Houghton, Hayley mbodia and Vietnam.

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Students Bringing HOPE to the Children of Cambodia

Penrith Anglican College, NSW

During the April school holidays a group of 25 Year 10 students and six teachers from Penrith Anglican College travelled to Cambodia as part of the annual service program, bringing hope to the children and their families.

The team visited and worked with HOPE for Cambodian Children, a community based organisation located in Battambang Cambodia.

With the help of donations, the centre’s aim is to care and support vulnerable children and their families in order to help them have a better life through education and healthcare.

This is the sixth year that the College has taken a team of students to Cambodia as part of an ongoing partnership with the HOPE centre.

Students raised money through various fundraising activities during the year reaching a total of $7,195. This was used to purchase supplies such as paint, brushes, piping, sinks, concrete and playground equipment in order to undertake maintenance work at the HOPE

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Centre and some nearby schools. The team also bought everyday essentials for a village in need such as fish oil, cooking oil and soap.

As part of this year’s service trip the team did work at the HOPE school and other schools in the area. They painted concrete garden edges and play equipment; finished laying concrete which was started by last year’s team; tidied up gardens and installed sinks in the students’ bathrooms.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the trip for all the students was the time they spent with the Cambodian children. The team worked running English lessons, playing games, singing and teaching the children dances such as the chicken dance and the hokey pokey.

Students and staff worked hard during their two-week stay with the experience benefiting not only the Cambodian children and their families, but also impacting the students who saw the trip as a privilege and an eye-opening experience.

Students Matia Lackey and Caleb Scerri both described the trip as “an amazing experience”. The trip “opened my eyes to see how different countries and communities are compared to Australia,” said Matia and “how something so little can go such a long way.” Both students said they would love to go back and serve the community further: “Five days helping wasn’t enough”.

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Professor Yong Zhao visits Trinity Trinity College, SA

Trinity College was recently selected as one of three independent schools to be visited by world-famous author and authority on education Professor Yong Zhao.

Professor Zhao had heard about the College’s ground-breaking work in the area of entrepreneurial, student-led education, specifically a student run project with the aim to grow organic, environmentally friendly produce while making a profit.

A class of 30 students committed to work on the project with each student nominating a specific focus area in either construction, marketing, cooking, IT, selling or finance.

After clearing an area of garden, five raised garden beds were constructed. Working with local experts students planted their first crop of coriander, spinach, broccoli and snow peas.

Professor Zhao’s work focuses on the implications of globalisation and technology on education and he is in Australian to partner with schools to establish a transforming schools network, designed to give students the skills and attitude to succeed in the future.

Professor Zhao will continue to work with students over the next year to challenge them to transform this project into one of global significance and deepen the students’ understanding of social entrepreneurship.

WARM WELCOME: Students from years 7-10 work on the project with Professor Zhao.

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Lindisfarne Lends a Hand

ENTERTAINMENT: The Beamish Boyz

Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School

More than 170 Terranora locals gathered at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School recently to support a former student in need.

Former Lindisfarne student, Caitlin Ambrose was sadly diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma in March last year.

After 17 treacherous rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and seven weeks of radiation treatment, Caitlin’s cancer refused to subside.

Having exhausted every medical option available in Australia, Caitlin and her family made the decision to sign up for a trial treatment in the US which specifically focuses on Ewing’s sarcoma.

Luckily, Caitlin was accepted into the trial, however, the cost of the treatment plus accommodation and general expenses are estimated to reach a whopping $180,000.

So, when Caitlin’s friends and family reached out to Lindisfarne, the school was happy to help in any way possible.

“Caitlin Ambrose is a much-loved member of our Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School family and was a proud Vice Captain of St Cuthbert’s

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Caitlin’s brother Dale takes a selfie at the Caring for Caitlin Trivia Night

House during her school days,” said Principal Stuart Marquardt.

“Lindisfarne is a close community and providing support and compassion to Caitlin and her family goes to the very heart of why our school was founded. The prayers of every member of the Lindisfarne family go to Caitlin during this difficult time.”

Meredith Meeves, one of the event organisers and Ambrose family friend, said the Caring for Caitlin Trivia Night at Lindisfarne was a huge success, raising over $14,000.

Praising the school for their altruism, Meredith said: “They have been incredibly generous. They provided the venue, catering and food, entertainment on the night, staff, flyers, they did the sound, the production and assisted with the bar as well.”

“Caitlin is thrilled that her school community is supporting her and sent through a short video describing her battle with cancer thanking everyone for their support. We really are ‘caring for Caitlin’ and this is expressed in these compassionate acts of kindness shown by staff and parents rallying together.”

Caitlin also shared a message on the ‘Caitlin Kicks Cancer’ Facebook page expressing her sincere gratitude for everyone involved.

“Thank you to everyone who organised or attended the Trivia Night fundraiser at Lindisfarne last night it looked like so much fun I’m really sad that I missed it!”

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Thirsty Merc Live at Lindisfarne

By Adele Rowlands-Dealey, Communications Officer Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School, NSW It was the ultimate music lesson for Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School students experiencing a two-day jam session with iconic pop rock band Thirsty Merc.

The one-night-only show at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School came in the wake of the Lindisfarne Recording Studio launch late last year and was a chance for the school’s flourishing music students to workshop with some of the country’s best performers, while raising money to support the school’s service learning initiatives.

“Our students possess an abundance of talent and these Thirsty Merc workshops served as a way to inspire our musicians while harnessing their passion and intellect in a real-world context.”

Thirsty Merc joined Lindisfarne straight off the back of their Take Me Back Tour where they celebrated 15 years together. Bass guitarist, Phil Stack, said they feel “blessed” to have the opportunity to do what they love – make music.

“I try to not take this fact for granted,” Mr Stack said.

“It’s certainly hard work, mixed with a little luck, that I get to make a living out of music.”

Lindisfarne’s Director of Creative and Performing Arts Todd Hardy said the students were involved in a series of collaborative workshops including performance techniques, song writing and improvisation with members of the ARIA award-winning band.

Recalling his days at school in countryside Dubbo, NSW, Mr Stack said that although his teachers were “super encouraging” and pushed him to pursue a career in music, he wished he had the resources available to him that the students at Lindisfarne have.

“Lindisfarne sets high educational expectations for student character, development and performance. For our students to achieve and experience growth in this dynamic and evolving world, involvement and engagement in rich, structured and challenging mentor programs like this are paramount,” Mr Hardy said.

“I had very limited access to these types of workshops and even seeing outside performance like this was scarce,” he said.

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“I had some great teachers [but] I did not have access to the type of music teachers that Lindisfarne has … they were not so equipped with some of the stylistic knowledge that I needed.

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1 & 2. THIRST MERC: The band thrilled the crowd playing at community concert

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MUSIC MAKERS: Lindisfarne students perform with Thirsty Merc at the community concert

“I believe a strong jazz background is fundamental in teaching all types of music and this is not necessarily the case in all schools.”

Speaking of Lindisfarne’s Director of Creative and Performing Arts, Mr Stack said: “I studied at the Sydney Con with Todd Hardy. We did much playing there and after. I’m stoked to hear that Todd is teaching at Lindisfarne. He is a truly wonderful musician and a great communicator with a vast knowledge of styles and the industry and, wow, the students are lucky to have him.”

Mr Stack believes school-based workshops equip students with “musical ammunition” and are a chance for the band to give back to the community who have supported them for over two decades.

“I want them to see that even 20 years after leaving high school, music can feel as invigorating and just plain old fun to do. I get a kick out of seeing things ‘click’ if you will, in the minds of the next generation.

I also just love to see how music moves people,” he said.

“Through taking these types of workshops, I’ve actually gained a better understanding of my own thought processes and how I personally see music. I also gain insights from the students. It is an ever-changing world and music is team sport, after all, so you don’t need to be super experienced to make a difference.”

The workshops concluded with a free community concert supporting the school’s service-based learning initiatives with donations at the door going towards Lindisfarne’s Building Across Borders Vietnam Immersion Program helping to re-housing the poorest families in Southern Vietnam.

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Lindisfarne’s Head of Senior School, Charlotte Lush, explained the importance of service-based learning and how the Building Across Borders Program is preparing students to think globally and act locally.

“In order to develop cultural awareness and empathy, to preserve the planet all humans share, and to better prepare themselves to thrive in this increasingly global community, it is essential for our students to develop a global view,” Mrs Lush said.

“In the Term 3 holidays, we will take a group of Senior students to Vietnam for 13 days. The program includes assisting in a joint project between the Vietnamese government and a world charity to re-house families who have all too often fallen victim to poorly constructed homes being devastated by monsoon rains.

“The integration of an academic program grounded in service-based learning nurtures our students to become responsible leaders on a world stage. We encourage our students to think critically about global issues, making daily decisions which benefit humanity as a whole by implementing changes locally.”

And what better chance of spreading the word than a community benefit concert with world-renowned rock band Thirsty Merc as the headliners?

The first half of the concert featured Lindisfarne ensembles performing on stage with the members of Thirsty Merc, then the Merc lads turned up the volume and performed some of their biggest hits including ‘20 Good Reasons’, ‘Tommy & Krista’ and ‘In The Summertime’.

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From Churchie to the World Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie), QLD

Churchie 2017 Year 12 students Tian Qin and Sean Riksen are on top of the world after receiving offers to study at two of the world’s leading universities in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Tian has been accepted into the University of The Arts London while Sean will commence study at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. The offer to study at two of the world’s leading universities acknowledges Sean and Tian’s commitment to, and success in, a broad range of activities.

Sean and Tian achieved highly in their academic pursuits, but they also made a significant commitment to the sporting, service and pastoral dimensions of the school, embodying Churchie’s four tenets. Their successful applications to world-leading international universities reflects the global focus of Churchie’s academic environment.

During his time at Churchie, Sean was an active participant in swimming, track and field and water polo. He also achieved a gold Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award and participated in a range of

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community service activities such as the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp.

Sean said: “Coming out of Year 9, I was not an A student”, but, with determination and strong mentorship throughout his school years, he has not only achieved success at Churchie but has now opened doors overseas.

Tian was also an exemplary student, involved in music, debating, tennis and Churchie’s gifted and talented programme. When asked why he chose to apply to overseas colleges, Tian said: “Because the colleges in UAL have been widely regarded as the best fashion schools in the world. I wanted to study overseas because I’d like to experience something that is new and exciting.”

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1. LONDON BOUND: Tian Qin starts at the University of The Arts London. | 2. AMERICAN BOUND: Sean Riksen will study at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Anglican Schools Australia PHONE 08 9286 0290 EMAIL asa@asc.wa.edu.au WEB www.anglicanschoolsaustralia.edu.au