From the Principal

This week, I want to start by acknowledging the service of our SALT team (Sound and Light Team). They turn up each Tuesday morning for Band rehearsals and are there to run the sound and light for our Assemblies and special events. They are a small team who serve faithfully, giving their best each week. I have appreciated watching the more experienced team members also mentoring the younger students.

One of the challenging things about a role such as theirs is that the part they play typically goes unnoticed until there is some sort of ‘hiccup’. When this does occasionally happen, I admire their calm and problem-solving focus.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:12

This week, as part of our staff devotions, we have been focusing on discernment. I shared an example from my studies of history. It was the case of a local disturbance in NE India in the late 1960s that then grew and spread through the wider region into the early 1970s. The incident was like a spark that grew into a blaze because of wider social, economic and political factors. I used this example to try to illustrate how complex any situation can be.

All of us would have experience of seemingly small incidences becoming heightened and intensified. When teens may have a disagreement, there can often be an escalation as others weigh into the situation. ‘Helpful’ friends may share what they have overheard or seen online, adding more fuel to the flames. The degree of hurt an individual may experience as a result of one comment can seem out of proportion but may instead be symptomatic of a build up from past experiences. Indeed, I would also argue that many of us would not be fully aware of how our responses are influenced by layers under the surface.

We only ever know part of the story. In any situation, we will have our perspective shaped by our experiences and the voices of those around us. As we try to model and foster humility, we also want to encourage students to consider the importance of keeping an open mind to learning and towards others. We can never make assumptions about motives or that we know the mind of others.

In the context of curriculum, we want to also help, particularly Secondary students, to understand that human knowledge continues to evolve. That is why ongoing research and innovation in different domains is invaluable. It is important that we maintain a sense of curiosity and wonder and continue to explore.

At the same time, we recognise that God is all-knowing. I am reminded of the passage from Job 38:4-7:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  

Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions?  Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line  across it?

On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?"

God also knows us fully. He continues to work in each of our lives, to draw us closer to Him and help us live the lives to which we are called.

Jodie Bennett

Principal