Boarding

This term in boarding is all about milestones

Over the past few weeks the senior boarding houses have gathered to celebrate a significant milestone for our Year 12 boarders through their House Dinners. Wolaroi, Weymouth, Loader, Miller and New Houses have been able to host our wider community of parents and caregivers and celebrate the year that has been in each of these houses. 

These events offer a unique opportunity to gather together as a community and celebrate the connections that bind each member of the house together. They also act as a focal point to farewell our Year 12 students, some of whom have been in their house for five years and have developed from young adolescents to fully grown young men and women during their time in boarding. 

Despite this being a time of farewell for our Year 12 boarders, all in our community have reached significant moments throughout this year and have more to come. Some students are nearing the completion of their first year in boarding which can be both an extremely rewarding and challenging time for anyone. Some students are about to take up leadership positions; about to start their studies for HSC; many of our boarders and their families are heading into the harvest period and some of our boarders are about to leave this boarding community and begin their lives beyond school.

Many of the activities in boarding for the remainder of the term are targeted at celebrating these achievements. We look forward to the Year 12 boarders celebrating with their day school housemates at their House Lunches next week. There will be a Trivia Night in the last week of term all culminating in the wonderful events of the Graduation Ceremony in the final week. The whole boarding community will gather to play in our Touch Football Gala Day on Sunday 17 September where we also acknowledge the new Boarding Leaders for 2024.

Whilst milestones are important, we learned a long time ago that the process of reaching them is far more rewarding than simply ‘hitting the mark’. The end of a particular phase in a person’s life journey is not as important as all the events and experiences that got them there or as important as the quality of the people they encounter along the way. The greatest gift our borders receive whilst they are students of Kinross Wolaroi is the friendship and comradeship they receive from one another. These life-long friendships are more valuable than any HSC result, any sporting achievement, or any amount of money. 

Boarding is a unique journey and can be one fraught with challenges but also great delights. We hope that all our boarders will leave us having developed in their skills, knowledge, and character. If they can look back on their time at Kinross in their boarding houses fondly then all that time away from family and the comforts of home will have been worthwhile.

Kate Callaghan, Head of New House

James Perrin, Head of Wolaroi House