From the Principal
A tradition of questioning
Today, on the occasion of Remembrance Day, Cressida has written about ceremony and tradition, made even more relevant as the current Unit of Inquiry for the 10s and 11s. It is particularly heartening to know that there is a deliberate effort to reflect on traditions, on what they mean and how they in turn reflect the deeper values of our School.
Preshil is one of a very small number of overtly secular schools in Australia, where I believe 94% of independent schools have a religious affiliation.
Maintaining our commitment to a community that does not privilege any one religion over another, and welcomes families regardless of faith, it is an aspect of Preshil that is easy to lose sight of in a society that places considerable significance on the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter. And while these festivals have been largely hollowed out by the commercial possibilities they offer for spending, they still represent the easy and unthinking assumption that everyone celebrates Christmas and understands the significance of Easter. In fact, these assumptions can be excluding and divisive.
For children, these symbols of belonging or feeling excluded can be especially painful.
I love that our children are encouraged to think about traditions and express their own views of how they might enhance the experience for everyone at Preshil, rather than blindly following rituals and habits that are no longer fit for purpose, and serve to limit their ability to question the world as they find it.
I hope the Arlington community will be delighted afresh by the children’s reinterpretation of their end of year festivities.
Marilyn Smith
Principal