Principal's Report

One of the things that we should never take for granted at Ballarat High School is the strong link that we have with our community. Over the last few years, our alumni program has gone from strength to strength, and every term sees former students return to share their journeys, to speak at assemblies, or to reconnect with the friends they once shared classrooms with and with whom they walked the corridors of our school. Whether it’s a ‘like’ on a social media post, a willingness to give up time to coach our rowers, or talking to our VM students about the potential each of them have deep within them, the importance of our community is never lost upon us.

This was made strikingly apparent to me last Saturday when I had the privilege to meet the returning Class of 1996. This is a year group that has given so much of its time to encourage our current students to seize the day. Our reunion tours are always popular, providing an opportunity for alumni to walk the corridors again and share stories of their youth, and this was a particularly well-attended event. 

Having not grown up in Ballarat, the deep connection that former students feel toward their school is never lost on me—especially when I reflect upon my own school being turned to rubble a couple of years ago. If my school friends and I were looking for a focal point to reconnect, we would find ourselves in the middle of a brand-new housing estate! As much as it is an honour to be the current custodian of our school, it is equally a privilege to be able to open its doors to its returning sons and daughters and to hear their animated tales of the way things were.

Reunion tours are also an opportunity to see our school through the eyes of others, and I was profoundly impacted by the way in which the Class of '96 saw value in what we are trying to build and achieve for our students. At one point, a member of the party turned to me and said, "If I had this level of support and access to all of these people, I wonder what I might have achieved." This comment came from a place of deep humility—from someone who has made an incredible life for themselves—but it also spoke volumes about a learning community that recognises the struggles students face yet stands firm in the belief that through the support and encouragement of their families and our staff, they can achieve anything their hearts desire. If we don’t share the belief that our students have unlimited potential, then how can we expect them to rise to the challenges they will inevitably face, or be ready for the opportunities life presents them?

As we passed through the buildings of an almost empty school campus, we unexpectedly stumbled across a hive of teacher activity in the Sedgwick Centre. Even on a Saturday afternoon, there were teachers going the extra mile to do what’s right for our students. In preparation for the Year 12 Art Exhibition, the Art faculty had rallied round to make sure artwork was hung just right, installations were ready to be absorbed, and the space was filled with the creative brilliance of our students. 

Every year we marvel at the standard of work our students produce, but this year there were such varied and powerful voices that the alumni and their families were quite taken aback. Creativity is a basic human need, but to be an artist means that you are able to see the world—and your place in it—and articulate this in magical ways that move people. Our teachers have the opportunity to inspire, but they, too, are inspired by the talent and dedication of the students they teach. The messages sent from the varied pieces spoke of a cohort who see the world as a place that needs inclusivity, belonging and kindness.

We must never forget that, for generations, Ballarat High School has produced students who go on to do great things. What makes this all the more valuable is the fact that these gifted individuals are also good people with big hearts and a firm belief in social justice and caring for others. The work that hangs on the walls of the Sedgwick Centre will be the inspiration for the Year 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, and 11s who follow in the Class of 2026’s footsteps.

We sometimes view a self-fulfilling prophecy as a negative, but our school must strive to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of excellence—one in which the legacy of our students becomes the benchmark for those who follow. I know that in every aspect of what we do—from the sciences to the arts, from the applied subjects to the sporting fields, the stage, and the laboratories—our students give their all. What I need them to believe is that they will all find their place, find their pathway, and find the spark that helps them shine. I want our students to realise this in Year 8, in Year 10, and especially by Year 12, and I hope they take full advantage of these supports and opportunities now, rather than looking back on opportunities missed.

I hope our younger students start looking up, noticing what is around them, and in doing so, come to believe that they can inspire those who follow them toward their own path to personal success.

Stephan Fields

Principal