Wise words with...

NCS students display great initiative

'Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.' 1 Timothy 4:12

Quite often young people in today’s world receive criticism for being lazy or selfish or for being preoccupied with their own pleasures and pursuits. They frequently receive ‘bad press’ in our media outlets and there can be a tendency for adults to assume that all young people behave in this way.

I am confident that you already know that this is not the case and that we must be very careful not to come to negative conclusions about all young people based on the inappropriate behaviours of a few. In case you may still have a few lingering doubts in relation to this topic, I thought that I would take this opportunity to share just two examples of the wonderfully positive contributions that are currently being made by many young people at our school.

The first relates to our recent ‘Colours for Compassion’ Fun Run event, held at school on Tuesday 14 June. We were blessed with beautiful weather for this outdoor event and our main oval and surrounds were a sea of movement and colour throughout the afternoon. However, the aspect that I would wish to emphasise here is the initiative and leadership qualities displayed by our secondary school leaders that deserves both praise and recognition. Ultimately, this event raised over $2300 for the important work of Compassion and this was an excellent outcome. It is important to note, however, that the idea for this event and much of the enthusiasm generated was a direct result of our secondary student leadership team, especially Jono W and Eden R.

Without their enthusiasm, this amazing school community event would never have occurred. Certainly this was an excellent example of today’s young people demonstrating profound concern for the welfare and safety of countless other children in countries throughout our world. These needy children endure poverty and a lack of educational pathways that can rob them of a fruitful future. Our NCS senior school leaders knew this and they decided to organise an event that would make a genuine difference. Congratulations on a job well done!

The second area that I wished to bring to the attention of every member of our NCS community relates directly to our secondary school production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.

If you are a parent or carer of a child who was a member of the ‘Charlie’ cast or crew, you will already be well aware of the incredible commitment of time and energy that these young people put into the successful presentation of this event. This commitment did not just occur over the past few months but began way back in Term 2 of last year when the auditions for the cast were held. Since that time, a sizable group of students have been tirelessly working as members of the team, dedicated to presenting a memorable performance. They have been willing to use their gifts and talents, whether this be in the areas of acting, dancing, musical expertise, set design or sound and lighting, in order to ensure that the final product would be able to bring great pleasure to the viewing audience. 

This production has now been presented and I can say with great confidence that it was a wonderful success! No doubt, many who are reading this edition of the NCS Bytes also were in attendance at one of the three evening shows or at the mid-week matinee. I am confident that you will fully concur with my very positive assessment of this amazing event. 

My wife and I had the privilege of attending the Saturday evening show. This was the final presentation evening and I had the pleasure of inviting a number of special guests. These guests included Mrs Fiona Phillips, our Federal member for the seat of Gilmore and Mr Nathan Asher and his wife and three young children. Mr Asher will assume the role of Head of Secondary at our school from the commencement of Term 3. 

One of the reasons why I particularly enjoy being present on the final evening of the production is to be able to witness the expressions of thanks provided by our students at the conclusion of the show. These thanks are extended to a large number of staff, parents/carers and community members who have provided their talents and expertise over a considerable period of time to assist our students to bring this wonderful production to fruition. Once again, I am greatly encouraged to see our students so warmly and sincerely conveying their gratitude for the assistance provided. 

Our invited guests were also greatly impressed by the wonderful array of musical and theatrical skills that the cast and crew of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ displayed throughout the evening. They commented to me on numerous occasions that our students were to be commended for their talent and enthusiasm. 

I trust that what I have shared here has been both a helpful and encouraging reminder that Nowra Christian School, in partnership with parents and carers, is helping to produce a new generation of young people who are already making valuable contributions to the world around them. I would encourage you to continue to pray for every one of our students that they would embrace positive opportunities to use their God-given gifts and talents to enrich the communities around them.

As this will be the final NCS Bytes for Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all NCS families well for the holiday period. I trust that there will be times for rest and refreshment for our students and staff. I would also pray for safety for any school families who will be travelling during these holidays. Thank you for your contributions to a successful Term 2 and our staff will look forward to the return of our students to school when Term 3 commences on Monday 25 July.