Boarding News

It was wonderful seeing a full fixture of sport running at Kinross Wolaroi over the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with boarding families as they came to watch their children play. The catch ups, the laughter and the sideline cheer were back, something we have truly missed. We are looking forward to having our boarding house social functions again, where families can get together to reunite or possibly meet for the first time. Our boarding community has always been inclusive, fun and supportive. We are very excited to bring back these social events so please keep an eye out for the 'Save the Date' notices. 

As I wandered around School on Saturday a few things I observed stuck in my memory. I watched a Weymouth boy sitting next to the main oval trying to put on his socks. As I walked past, the boy stood up hopping around on one leg (trying to avoid wetting his sock on the morning dew). With the other sock in his hand, he still made the effort to greet me with a handshake, "Mr Begg!" He sat down again intent on finishing the job. I walked on a little bit further and watched. The friendly young man had obviously chosen a bad spot. At least another six parents happened to walk past him, separately, but in relatively quick succession. Every time, without fail, he clambered on to his one foot and greeted people "G’ Day Mr …, G’ Day Mrs … !" I'm not sure if he eventually did get his sock on before the game – but it’s a classic example of the school spirit and sense of community shown by our students at Kinross Wolaroi School. Clearly, he has missed seeing the parental interactions at games too.

On another field the under 15’s were playing. The team were behind and they were finding the game physically demanding. The boys’ shoulders were rounded and frustration levels seemed to be rising. A Year 12 student from Wolaroi was sitting on the hill and identified that the team was struggling. He ran down to the side of the field cupped his hands around his mouth and called out firmly, "Hold your heads high boys, keep going!" With that, their heads lifted, shoulders straightened and the team played their hearts out.

For the last two weeks our focus on the boy’s site has been ‘Culture’. The Collins dictionary defines culture as, “the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action." We were fortunate to have the NSW Waratahs train at KWS for two days last week. We took the opportunity to enlist Shannon Fraser (Coach) and Sam Wykes (15 years in professional Rugby) to run a workshop with our Year 10, 11 and 12 male students. It was a brilliant experience for our boys as they worked through the concept of culture, values and identity. We have since followed up with a workshop where the boys developed a set of core beliefs (in addition to our school values) that demonstrate the kind of people that they want to be. It is said, “culture comes in with the tortoise and out with the hare,” so the boys know it will take time to nurture, cultivate and develop. 

During my time in boarding at Kinross Wolaroi, I have seen many students come and go. I know that students are not defined by a number, they are remembered for how they treat others – for caring enough, for helping others, for making people feel valued and appreciated and for being the kind of person that others enjoy spending time with or look up to. We continue to ask the students the question, "what do you want to be remembered for?"

Mr Anthony Begg