Boarding 

This week we continue to highlight and celebrate the strengths and passions of our boarders. This week we draw our attention to Samentha Kwan. Samentha is a Year 12 student who has a passion and gift for art. I think you would agree Samentha’s work is something to be celebrated and we may be fortunate enough to continue to see her work in the future. Below is an interview with Samentha.

My home is based in Hong Kong and as an 18 year old boarder I love to draw. I started to have an interest in drawing since Year 9. After I fell in love with drawing, I started to practise it so much that I would even draw in class time on the free papers I found. Today, I continue to work on my passion of drawing. The style of my drawing is based upon Manga which dates to the 12th Century. Currently I am studying

I arrived at Hamilton and Alexandra College in Year 10 and at that time I already had a great passion of Art, primarily because I started to get into Japanese Anime so much. Their characters are lively and most important are very appealing to me. So after arriving at College, I joined the drawing class in Year 10 which strongly enhanced my drawing skills from a hobby to a potential career. It is certainly an aspect of future professional life I would like to get to know more. My favourite type of art is, and always will be, in the manga-style character drawing. I believe this is the main reason that I started to love art and continue to develop characters in this style.

South Australian Conversations

This week I was fortunate enough to be provided the opportunity to meet current families and prospective families from our boarding community. I was amazed by the country-side, the passion our families have for the rural living, and not to mention the endless hours dedicated to working the land. After avoiding a few sprayers on the road, I met up with Dr Hirst in Boardertown, Naracoorte and Penola at local cafés. There were such a number of people who were Old Collegians or who had known of the College and proceeded to introduce themselves, reacquaint or reminisce stories. I would like to thank all of the parents and families who attended the Naracoorte dinner or the café conversations. I now have a very good understanding of the busy-ness of farming life and the challenges of meeting up so if you were unable to meet us and would like to, please contact either myself or Susie Holcombe and we can arrange a time for a visit to your area.

Dinner Dance

From a boarders’ perspective the Dinner Dance was something extra special. Many of the boarders invested significant time and energy in their preparations. I thank the efforts of all our MODs in helping out our boarders. There were countless trips to beauty salons, hair stylists, dress shops and last minute alterations in the Boarding House. The boarding staff as well as visiting families were so proud of how the boarders immaculately presented themselves and proceeded to enjoy the evening with friends. I also thank the families who stayed the night in our parent accommodation and were able to be a part of the pre-dance excitement.

Casual Boarding

Have you ever considered casual boarding? With our after-school programs in full-swing and our day school students taking these opportunities with determination our boarding houses can offer a comfortable place for an evening or two. When a casual boarder finishes their after-school commitment they are able to be picked up by our driver and brought back to the boarding house. Here they are able to enjoy dinner, academic assistance, super supper (on a Wednesday), a warm and comfortable bed for the night and then breakfast and lunch the following day. Casual boarding is becoming a popular choice for families and their children of all ages.

If you would like to trial boarding, experience the benefits of casual boarding or simply enquire about boarding in general please do not hesitate in contacting Susie Holcombe or myself.

Andrew Monk