From the Principal

Last Friday, our Year 12 graduates, their families and our staff came together for our 2024 Valedictory Dinner. The sweltering weather thankfully did not stop us from enjoying a wonderful, well-deserved evening of celebration to mark the culmination of their 13 years of schooling. As is customary, in my address to our graduates, I offered some parting advice that I have found to be true in my own life. 

I shared with them my firm belief that one must be willing to work hard to achieve success in the areas that truly matter – whether that be an education, a career, a personal passion or a relationship. While luck can play a hand in determining the course of our lives, I’m sure our graduates will come to realise that – more often than not – it is hard work that places them where good luck finds them.

I first formed this belief through my observation of members of my own family, who worked tirelessly – often day and night – to provide a better future for us. Their diligence ultimately opened up valuable opportunities for me and my brother, such as the chance to attend university. I know of many families in our school community where similar sacrifices have been made – whether it be working tirelessly or relocating to our region to provide the best possible life for their children. 

When I started teaching, first at university and then in schools, it became apparent just how vital commitment and perseverance were to the success of my students. I saw that without effort, intelligence and innate talent were so often wasted – but with effort, students could unlock their potential and achieve outcomes they may have never thought possible. Indeed, this belief in endeavour is embedded in our ethos at Girton – encapsulated by our motto Per Aspera Ad Astra. 

However, as I emphasised to our graduates, hard work should not be interpreted purely as the total hours spent or energy exerted on a task. What also matters is that effort is directed towards the areas that are most beneficial to their personal development or notion of success. According to Utkarsh Amitabh, founder of career mentoring community Network Capital, young people in particular need the time and space to explore a range of interests so they can find their niche and identify where to direct their efforts. This valuable advice is echoed in our school’s focus on supporting students to uncover the areas of greatest interest and benefit to them through our expanding elective offerings and co-academic program.  

James Clear’s Atomic Habits highlights another crucial consideration when it comes to hard work: that efficient systems are more conducive to success than dogged effort alone. It is vital – for our students, and all of us – to step back, take in the bigger picture and identify the most effective way to expend our energy and achieve our goals over the long term, rather than simply doing things as they always have been done. We are learning this for ourselves at Girton, with some of our leaders having commenced a project to map our school processes, which is unlocking efficiencies that will ultimately benefit our school community more broadly. By embedding this culture of continuous improvement at all levels of our school, we will ensure we are investing our energy into the initiatives that will help us move in the right direction.

As we approach the whirlwind final week of this dynamic year at Girton, I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to ground myself and connect with our community at events such as the Valedictory Dinner and last night’s heartwarming Service of Carols. Next week, I look forward to ending 2024 on a high note as we celebrate our students’ remarkable accomplishments at our Speech Nights.

Thank you for your support of our end-of-year events, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend with your family.  

Dr Emma O’Rielly

Principal