Chaplain's Corner

Chat show at Chapel

It was my pleasure to host something of a chat show during Chapel with our School Captains - Linus and Isla. We explored this year’s school theme of Respect, and I started by asking about this term's focus: Respect for Self ...

 

Linus and Isla, you heard me last week talking about what it means to have respect for self, that it is important to begin with a self-definition, or self-identity, asking yourself questions such as Who am I? Whose child, am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? But I guess there is more to it than just doing a self-identity check. Linus, there surely must be more things that one does to demonstrate that he or she is growing in respect for self.

You are right Fr Gift. I think we can understand what Mrs Campbell is trying to achieve in having Respect for Self as our Term One theme – I believe she wants to instil in us, certain behaviour characteristics, or habits that she wishes to see in St George’s students as we mature into young adults.

Isla, as School Captain what are your hopes in this Term 1 theme?

To simplify things for our fellow students, we can look at the word respect as an acronym. Linus and I are agreed that every letter stands for something that each and every one of us students should strive to achieve as we complete Term One together.

So, for example Fr. Gift. Take the letter R. Immediately, it strikes me that R stands for Reliable: People who respect themselves take responsibility seriously and spend the time to show others that they can be relied upon, that they can be trusted. That’s important in being reliable and showing respect.

That is deep! Isla, would you like to go any deeper in your insights?

 Indeed Fr Gift. Think of the letter E, E stands for Excellence. When you have respect for self you do not settle for mediocre or for anything less than your best. You take yourself seriously. You are aware that everything you do, even the littlest things, defines clearly who you are, so you desire to do your best in everything. Was it not Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “Even if you were asked to sweep the street, sweep them thoroughly so much that if angels were to pass by, they would pause and ask, who is this that swept their job so well!” So to everyone here, let’s all pursue excellence this term as a whole school!

 S stands for Special. We are all Special, we need to have boundaries, we need to know what to say Yes to, and what to say NO to. We need to stay true to ourselves to demonstrate respect for ourselves and maintain our morals and values in all that we do. We cannot tolerate anything that compromises our values in what we do, what we say or how we behave.

This takes us to the P for Present. Be Present, no matter how bad your day started, get up, stand, and show up. Be present, be interested, especially in the many activities offered here at school, in class, PCG, sports, drama, chapel, extra curricular—everything, all these things help to make us the best people we are going to be. Being Present  is key!

You guys are really on fire; you are saying things that are so profound. I am so proud of you. 

Oh yes, we care for our school, we care for these students. I would also like to add that the next E means Empathy. Empathy is about caring for others. Respect for self does not mean being selfish or making life  only about yourself. That is why next term, Mrs. Campbell wants us to focus on Respect for Others. So, we invite all of our fellow students to look after one another, to care about each other and our school, to be compassionate, to practice unconditional acceptance for others and to celebrate difference, that is the St George’s Spirit we want to see in abundance in and around the school this term. 

Isla, do you want to go even deeper on the letter C?

Definitely. C stands for Commitment. If you have respect for self surely you want to succeed in what you do, in your academics, in your sports, really ultimately in your life. We are all here because we have a future we are dreaming of, and I hope and pray for success for all of us for today, for tomorrow and throughout this year. When you undertake a task, you must be committed. In academics you must study, do your homework, collaborate with others, in sports you need to exercise a lot, you need to strive to have a mindset that pushes yourself harder and harder. You may take the donkey to water, but the donkey itself must decide to drink or not to drink. It is your choice. I choose commitment and I hope that you will too as it is through commitment that you’ll find success

Sadly, our time is limited. I could talk to you guys all day long, but we must finish. Linus, you have the last word.

Fr Gift, last year you spoke about everyone wearing a watch. T is for Time. It is important for us students to always know what time it is, and to value time and make sure we spend our time wisely. People who have respect for self, do their best to be in and on time, to show respect for their time and for the time of others. We all need to spend our time wisely.

Thank you, Linus, thank you Isla, you guys are fantastic School Captains. I am so proud of you and all of the other Student Leaders; you are just amazing. Audience, what about a round of applause for these fabulous 2024 School Captains?

Fr Gift Makwasha

School Chaplain