Boarding News

It was great to see our Year 12 boarders receive such a special farewell at the end of last week. On Thursday night we had the boarding graduation for the boys and their families in the newly refurbished Cyprian Pavilion. This was a great celebration and there was certainly a lot of pride and nostalgia in the room. The Marist boarding experience of this group of boys was displayed on the big screen through many photos and videos, as well as some excellent speeches from the boys. After the dinner, the boys spent their last night together in Br Terence Residence and they savoured this opportunity. The next day saw more great celebrations with the Graduation Mass, the guard of honour and farewell from the rest of the school and the Graduation Dinner on Friday night. The Year 12 boarders of 2024 finished their time at Marist College Ashgrove on a high with the Marist family spirit wrapped around them. We wish them all well with their future. 

Only a few days of school remain for the rest of the boarders and I know everyone is looking forward to a well-earned break. There are exams and other assessments going on for many of the boys and our tutors and boarding staff have been providing lots of help to the boys. We have planned a Christmas dinner for our entire boarding community next Tuesday night and then some final packing and cleaning up before school finishes. 

When I look back over this year in boarding, I feel very fortunate to work with such a great team of staff. Our boarding, nursing, laundry, cleaning and catering teams all work cohesively to look after the boarders and provide them with the best experience. I wish to publicly thank all of these staff for the great contribution they have made this year. I also feel lucky to have such a great bunch of boys to look after in boarding. They are all different in their own ways but each contributes to the collective sense of family that is so special in our boarding community. The grounded nature of our boarders, their sense of humour and their willingness to support everything at Marist College Ashgrove makes them a unique part of what makes our school so special.

Boarding Recreation

Mr Blair Whitlock

Week 7 boarder recreation kicked off with the final boarder's arvo feast of the year outside reception. We are very lucky to be supported by so many generous parents in the Marist community and a special thanks goes to Tanya Roberts and Nicole Maye for organising these throughout the year. Later that evening some of our older boarders headed down to Southbank to watch the new Gladiator movie. It was one of those rare occasions where the sequel was just as good as the original with the whole group raving about it on the way home. 

On Saturday we headed out to Redcliffe for a couple hours of fun at the inflatable Aqua Warrior water park. It’s always a favourite and the boys enjoyed endless wipeouts on all the different slides and courses. Once the rain subsided we fired up the BBQ’s and had a sausage sizzle for lunch before heading back to Ashgrove for the afternoon. An hour in the pool & weights room kept the boys active until dinner with a quiet evening in the dorms to round out Saturday. 

On Sunday morning we walked up to Mater Dei to take part in a community Mass. It was a nice way to start the day before heading over to Boondall for a Pool Party at Nudgee College. There were several other boarding schools in attendance and it was nice to see many boys catch up with friends, sisters, and cousins and make new friends throughout the afternoon. With assessment and exams around the corner, it’s sure to be a busy end to the year for many of our boarders.