CEO's Update
A little over two weeks ago we celebrated our 2025 MITS Gala Dinner with over 400 people at Carousel, Albert Park Lake. The Gala is a celebration of MITS and our students, and is also our most important fundraising event for the year.
The theme of the evening was “We Are Weavers”, extending on the metaphor of pandanus weaving that we use to give context and meaning to the MITS experience for our students. This theme was given colour and movement thanks to artist Kait James and the Monash University Museum of Art: student artworks from Kait and MUMA’s four workshops provided the vibrant base for the evening’s program and screens through the room.
This year, we experienced a celebration of First Nations musical excellence, from our very own Boarding Coordinator Nate Muir and Year 8 student Harry on the decks before dinner, to the Year 7 and 8 Yidaki Boys with teacher Ben Moodie, and finally to performer Jess Hitchcock taking us through a journey of song, concluding with the powerful and poignant “From Little Things Big Things Grow.”
The most meaningful and moving parts of the evening were without doubt our student speeches: Lexi and MJ providing the Acknowledgment of Country on behalf of Uncle Colin Hunter Jr, Jarlan and Zyianne describing their Kait James-inspired artworks, Christello and Jermaine reflecting on their pride and growth as they near the end of Year 8, and Year 12 Captains Lesharnie and Leah sharing their extraordinary six year MITS journeys. These students wove a narrative of strength, pride and great hope through their words.
With Gala behind us it’s now a sprint to the end of the year, with just four school weeks remaining in 2025. Over the Melbourne Cup weekend every student was out on Country as part of our Boarding Camps Program, at Samaria and at Portsea. Thank you to all our Boarding Staff who helped to make these camps such a great experience for the students.
Today, our Year 7 and 8 students will travel to Canberra for a week of learning across the Parliament, High Court, AIS, Questacon, War Memorial and many other inspiring places. I’m particularly excited for our students to learn how First Nations people and knowledges have informed and inspired through each of these institutions in our nation’s capital. Thanks also to the teaching staff who will make this such a special week for the students.
Our school year will end with our Student Celebration Dinner at the MCG on Thursday 4 December. We are looking forward to welcoming family members to Melbourne for this celebration, in particular the family members of our Year 7s finishing their first year of MITS, our Year 8s transitioning to Pathways Schools, and our Year 12s celebrating Year 12 graduation.
Ed Tudor
CEO