Principal

Class of 2025: Student Leadership Investiture

Last Friday, we held our student leadership investiture. We are so proud of our new Student Leadership Team led by George Lahoud, Gideon Benedict and Joshua Malone.

A brief biography of the three of them is included here:

George Lahoud (Captain)

George comes from a large Lebanese family consisting of over 14 smaller families with all his cousins, aunties and uncles. Within his household there’s his Mum, Dad, younger sister and himself. 

George joined St Patrick's College in Year 7 after attending Christ the King in Bass Hill from Kindy to Year 6. Throughout his time at the College, he has been involved in all aspects of school life, particularly in soccer and debating, having debated all of his years at the College and played 12 years of soccer, including a few seasons as a defender in an NPL 1 team. His most fond memory this year was winning the 2024 championship with the mighty Revesby Rovers.

His favourite subjects at school have always been Mathematics and Science, specifically Physics, and Chemistry. 

Looking ahead to 2025, he hopes to make next year a great year for all of the student body. He wants it to be a fun year with experiences and memories that boys will remember long after they leave high school, and he looks forward to working with the student leadership team and the student body, to make this vision a reality.

Gideon Benedict

Gideon is one of four siblings, and he is the younger brother to his twin sister. His older brother Joshua finished in 2021, and his older sister graduated in 2022. Gideon’s twin sister is at Santa Sabina, and he commenced at St Patrick’s in Year 5 coming from primary school at St Joseph’s, Enfield.

He has been involved in various College activities, such as the College choir and now the College band, orchestra and jazz ensemble. He has also played various sports for the College such as cricket, soccer and athletics and cross country. This year, Gideon starting debating and public speaking and had a very enjoyable season. 

In his younger years, Gideon also participated in social justice activities like FIAT and going the extra mile in his SOL service. He has volunteered at Chalmer’s Road Special School and was part of our Peer Support Program. Gideon is proud that SPC has provided him with many memorable moments that he cherishes.

Academically, Gideon has always loved the sciences with their fun practicals and investigations especially now in Year 11 with Biology and Chemistry. 

Gideon hopes to increase the camaraderie and bonds within our school to really bring out the St Patrick’s spirit in all areas of College life. In school sports, music, drama and education. To allow for everyone’s light to proudly shine bright.

Joshua Malone (Vice Captain)

Joshua also comes from a large extended family. In his household are his parents Chris and Belinda, and his two brothers Hamish (Year 10) and William (Year 8). Joshua credits his family as having played a major role in becoming the young man that he is. He has had many cousins travel through the College, the Manenti’s and Gray’s and they have also been a key part of his time at St Pat’s. 

Before coming to SPC in Year 5, Joshua went to St Mark’s Catholic Primary School in Drummoyne. Joshua is proud of having been selected to play in our First XI Cricket team in Year 8 and for the First XV for the last two years. Joshua now plays Cricket as a contracted First Grade player for Mosman Cricket Club and he was also selected as part of the NSW Under 19s Cricket team. Joshua hopes to continue to build from the work of the 2024 Leadership group but is excited for the Class of 2025 to make their own mark on the College community. He looks forward to working alongside George and Gideon, as well as the rest of the team to not only make it a great year for Year 12 but for everyone in the College community. 

The full list of student leaders in 2025 is listed below:

Reflection On Leadership 

(address at Student Investiture, 20 September 2024)

Today, I am very pleased to celebrate this investiture ceremony of our student leaders, as well as commend those who are passing the leadership mantle onto the next batch of student leaders. You have done well under the excellent guidance of your parents and teachers. Soon, we will have our Black-Tie ceremony which signifies the passing of the baton: each student wearing a black tie is a student leader. 

 

Our College Touchstones are the guiding compass for our school. Inclusivity, Justice and Solidarity, Liberating Education and Gospel Values. Our Touchstones are not some aspirational list. They are our College’s non-negotiables in the classroom, on our campus and when we are away at fixtures or learning opportunities. They are a reflection on the man that Edmund Rice was back in Ireland and his core beliefs. The beliefs that inspired so many men to join in his work in Ireland and all over the world.

But if our Touchstones are the non-negotiables of our school, it means that as student leaders, you must join with your teachers to guide your peers and juniors to respect and accept each other, to stand up for injustice, to be disciplined about the power education has to transform our lives and of course, living out Jesus’ gospel message. This is what we expect from each and every student leader, for as you take on the leadership challenge, heavy responsibilities come with the role.

 

What does it mean to lead your peers according to our Touchstones?

 

If you’re not filtering all the major decisions through the lenses of our Touchstones, it may not be the right decision to make. 

 

If we can’t see them reflected in the way your team operates, the expectations you have of the student body, the way you act at training or in competition, or the way that you serve students and treat your teachers and coaches, it isn’t an appropriate way to conduct yourself.  

 

If you’re not willing to guide or even discipline someone who repeatedly violates our code of conduct, you are straying from the Touchstones. 

 

If you are unwilling to be disciplined yourselves, you have strayed from the Touchstones.

 

You see, Touchstones aren’t just aspirational; you must live and breathe them in and throughout your culture of your journey through your final year of schooling. The same goes for your class culture. Each day, when you are in class as student leaders, you must be living out the College Touchstones.

 

So, when you get an opportunity to meet, plan and develop a theme for 2025, take a hard look at your team’s culture, identify and fix the things that aren’t working and better leverage the things that are, so that you can best serve your peers, your teachers and coaches. In your own leadership work, ensure that every day, you live the College Touchstones and break the barriers that keep us doing the same thing every day, without deep reflection on what we do and why we do them. That is my wish for you all as student leaders.

 

The second part of my speech today is about using the right lenses to view our work as leaders. To be an effective leader, we need to learn and know when and how to use the following:

 

As a leader, we need to know when to view our work through a telescope. There are times when we need to take a long-term perspective on our work and fix our eyes on the goals even though they may seem far off. Hold onto your leadership vision in order to surmount temporary obstacles and setbacks. Keep your faith and belief in yourself, that you can do it. As a leader, you should not be derailed or easily distracted, but you are to fix your eye on the horizon where you desire to journey to, with your team.

 

Sometimes, leaders need to view our work through a microscope. We must know when we need to focus on the details before things spiral out of control. A leader who cares about the quality of the work done, also cares about the small details that mean much to others. For example, a leader who organises a get together but forgets to ensure that the food ordered caters to the dietary needs of his mates, neglects to take care of their needs. Attention to detail is very often, a sign that you care for others and the work that you do.

 

Occasionally, when obstacles occur, leaders need to view our work through a periscope. Periscopes are instruments used to peer around what may be in our way, and they are often used in submarines so that the submarines may navigate around obstacles or check the environment. Leaders need to possess a periscope mindset.

And finally, leaders may sometimes need to view our work through a stethoscope. We need to listen to our own hearts and the hearts of people whom we serve. We need to check in with our conscience to ensure that we are doing things in the right way, and that we are working on the right things. We need to use the stethoscope to listen to the hearts of others to make sure we are serving them in a way that is respectful of them.

 

The challenge is that we must use all four lenses, telescope, microscope, periscope and stethoscope as leaders, sometimes at the same time!

 

If you only use a telescope, you focus so much on long term goals that you forget about looking after the present and how to achieve the long-term goals.

 

If you only use a microscope, you become too consumed with the details and are always caught up in the small details, losing sight of the big, long-term goals.

 

If you only use a periscope, you may find yourself always dodging obstacles and difficulties. You may end up losing your way and be scared to take a risk.

 

If you only use the stethoscope, you may end up making decisions based on your feelings and feelings of others. Will you be able to make difficult, but necessary, decisions?

 

Therefore, it is extremely important as a leader to know when to use the right lens and to be self-aware about when you are over-dependent, using only one type of lens.

 

Through what lens are you currently viewing your work right now? How different would it look, if you viewed it through another lens? Do take time to reflect on these questions, and I wish you all the best in your journey of leadership and service to our College.

Farewell to Year 12

(address at Year 12 Graduation Assembly, 25 September 2024)

Year 12. On your last day of school, I would like to offer you some words of wisdom. Some people look towards public figures, or politicians for words that spark inspiration. Anyone who knows me would also know that my passion is music. So today I will be drawing on inspiration from the lyrics of some of the most talented artists in the world

 

In the song Three Little Birds, reggae legend Bob Marley sang the uplifting lyrics “Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright”. Many songs have echoed this message, from Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry be happy” to Timon and Pumbaa’s “Hakuna Matata”, which roughly translates to “No worries for the rest of your days”. Even though we all tend to worry from time to time, the simple fact is that dwelling on the past doesn’t change things. It does quite the opposite. Worrying about what you haven’t done in the past will stop you from focusing on what you must do in the future. So, as you enter the final stages of your schooling lives, my advice to you is to focus on what you have to do to get the job done. Get that HSC done! 

 

The apostle John reminds us “Everything is possible for one who believes” and Jesus was very clear, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die”. We are resurrection people and no matter how bad things get, in time, there will be a new dawn; you’'ll move forward and be stronger for it.

 

Lyrical genius Marshall Mathers III, AKA Eminem also inspired me today. He penned those lyrics “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. Opportunity comes once in a lifetime”. Everyone only gets one shot at life, so make the most of it. If an opportunity arises, don’t hesitate to grab it with both hands. Trust me, you have the advantage of having youth on your side. As a young person, you are about to enter into a world of opportunities. So put yourselves out there, get out of your comfort zones. But just remember, if you go for an opportunity but fail, pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, learn from your mistakes and try again. Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back. The worst thing you could do is get to a ripe old age and look back on all the opportunities you let slip away. As the late, great Robyn Williams once said “Carpe Diem”. Seize the day. Our scriptures reinforce this message: "Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from Him”. So go - make your lives extraordinary.  

 

And finally, my last piece of advice comes from a little band you may have heard of called The Beatles. Now, there are a plethora of inspirational songs to choose from in The Beatles songbook. But the one message we need now more than ever is this; "All You Need is Love". This is Christ’s message to us all. When Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

You only have to turn on the TV to realise that there is so much hate in the world today. With the rise of internet trolls and people turning their backs on those in need, it is easy to forget that we are all just the same at the end of the day. As a young generation, you have the opportunity to turn the tide. Be accepting of others. Be kind to one another. Be the person who lifts others up, not tears others down. And make sure that if you love someone, let them know about it. There is a room full of family and friends here today who love and adore you. Make sure you take the time today to let them know how much you appreciate them. Be the love generation.

 

It has been a privilege to be the Principal to the departing Year 12's over the past 4 years. What makes it even more special is that almost all of our Year 12's have been at SPC since Year 5.  From blue caps to black ties.

 

At the start of my speech I said sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect words to say goodbye. So I’ll keep it simple and say this. Year 12, I’m proud of you. I’m proud of each and every one of you. I’m proud to be your Principal, and I’m proud to be your trusted friend beyond school.

 

I close in the manner that I always do and for this last assembly, let us boom out our response so it is out of our mouths and straight to God’s ears.

 

Live Jesus in our Hearts. Forever.

Staff News

• Next term, Mr Andrew Viney will be going on Long Service Leave. In his absence, Mr Matthew Herro will assume the role of Acting Head of TAS.
   
• Ms Gillian Daley returns to her role of Director of Identity this week after her secondment to EREA’s renewal team. We thank Mrs Jasmine Porter for successfully undertaking her role during Term 3 and also Mrs Melanie Vescio, who assumed some of the RE teaching duties that arose due to the secondment. We farewell Mrs Vescio as her temporary contract draws to an end, and we wish her well for the future.

In Memoriam

• Old Boy Monsignor John Usher (’57) passed away on 20 September. A priest in the Sydney Archdiocese for over 50 years, he graduated from SPC and pursued tertiary studies in commerce and accounting. At the age of 25, he made the decision to take up a religious vocation. After being ordained in 1972, Mons. Usher pursued further studies in Social Work, later becoming Director of Centacare for 25 years. He served 33 years at St Patrick’s Parish, Mortlake and was Chancellor of the Archdiocese. Recognised for his contributions, he received the Luceat Award, an OAM and became a Prelate of Honour. Mons. Usher was known for his kindness, social justice advocacy and ability to connect with all. 
   
• Last Tuesday, Old Boy Ian Henry (Class of 1956) passed away at Bathurst Hospital after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Karel.  He was a proud old boy as well.
   
• We pray for Mrs Meagan Compton (Stage 3) on the loss of her mother this week.  

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero