Rush House News

And just like that… another term has come and gone. The term was packed, with many students working to find the balance between their sport and their studies. I thought that I would highlight some key events that the boys in Rush Rampage took part in during Term 2.

Theatre Sports – Rush Team

The Rush House event, that contributes to the House Cup, is Theatre Sports. This is always a popular event. Each House forms a team that takes part in improvisational games – they know the rules of the games but aren’t given the topics until the day (a bit like Thank God You’re Here or Whose Line is it Anyway?). It requires a high level of confidence, as it can be difficult to get up in front of others to do Theatre Sports, so I appreciate the boys that formed the Rush team for 2024: Dom Forbes, Isaac Roach, Max Bathersby, Will Anderson, Archie Hrstich and Gian Netzler. Round 1 was against Foley House, and although we didn’t make it through, the judges said to me after that it was very close and the boys did extremely well. 

Jersey Boys

The Marist College musical was an absolutely amazing production. As a Drama teacher, I can appreciate the hours and hours of work that went into bringing this show to life. There were amazing performances from many of the cast, but I wanted to especially acknowledge the work of the three (out of four) leads who were Rush students: Cooper Mattews, Vincent Butten and Eamonn Kneen. Very impressive – well done!

Rush House Community Mass

The invitation for Wednesday Morning Community Mass was extended to Rush House on May 22. It was good to see many staff and students in attendance. Parents, you are always welcome to these events too. I was hoping for five boys per Pastoral Group, which would have been 40 students; however, we were in excess of 50 on the day. Some of the students were able to gather for a photo at the end of Mass. 

Paddington Respite Centre visit – Year 7 students

A few Rush Year 7 students had the opportunity to attend Paddington Respite Centre as part of the MATES program. This visit aimed to provide companionship for the elderly residents, and foster important social development for the students. The boys had positive stories upon their return, and I would like to thank the following students who embraced this opportunity: Joseph Kuruku, Alex Holding, George Pink, Billy Cass, Isaac Gervais and Julian Bishop.

Constructing Birthing Kits – Year 12

As part of the College’s International Women’s Day initiative, Year 12 students were involved in packing birthing kits, which provided valuable medical resources to vulnerable groups, as for many women in parts of the world, pregnancy and childbirth is still extremely risky due to the lack of safe medical care. The Year 12s approached this with maturity and an understanding of the importance of the task.

Push Up Challenge

Champagnat Day was celebrated on Thursday, June 6th. After the Mass and the blessing of the new Primary School building, the College participated in the Push Up Challenge - an initiative that was led by the College Wellbeing captains. Together, staff and students completed 3,249 pushups, which represents the number of people who lost their lives to suicide in Australia in 2022. Thank you to all who got involved on the day.

Tug Of War

The Champagnat Day festivities also included the Foley House Tug-of-War competition, which is an event that contributes to the House Cup. We had a win against our friendly-rivals, Slattery House, in Round 1, but we bowed out before the Semi-Final. They boys acknowledged that we were missing some of ‘key players’ for an event like this, but given that, they all worked together well. Thanks for the boys who represented Rush House –  we had 3 students per year level to make up the team.

Athletics Day

For a variety of reasons, we had quite a few Rush students absent on Athletics Day, so I would like to thank those who were present for stepping up and competing in the events on the day. We finished 4th (slightly behind 3rd place), which was an amazing achievement considering we had low numbers across a few of the year levels. The teamwork, support and participation was very pleasing to see. 

Year 10 Respectful Relationships Seminar

On Monday 17  June, Year 10 students participated in an all-day seminar run by Your Choicez, that explored respectful relationships, healthy masculinity and the impacts of pornography. Students were presented with information, and then had an opportunity to reflect in their smaller House groups. I accompanied the Year 10 students, and was impressed with their approach to the discussions around some pretty substantial and important topics. There were many lessons that came from this presentation that supported what we have been studying in our ASH (wellbeing) lessons this term. 

On the last day of Term 2, we celebrated with a House BBQ, where Rush house were able to share a sausage sizzle and popper together in recognition of their hard work this term. The last day of term was important for Year 11, as they participated in the RACQ Safe Driver program. It was also a special day for some of the Year 12s, as we had the Mother and Sons Lunch at the Hilton Brisbane. It was a nice opportunity for mothers to proudly sit with, and share a meal with, their sons. This was a reminder of the ‘lasts’ that our Seniors will be involved in as they enter their last semester at the College.

I hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable break, and I look forward to working with everyone again in a couple of weeks. 

God bless,

Scott Minogue