Principal's Report

When there are no words to express the emotions that well up inside, sometimes silence is the most appropriate response.  As I wandered around the school last Friday morning, there was an eerie silence as more than 1,000 students passed each other on the way to class.  You could hear the shuffling of feet and that was all.  Where laughter, banter and smiles should have been, it was replaced with solemn looks and moist eyes.  Over the course of the day, some noise returned to our school, but it was subdued.  Smiles returned, but not the smiles of fun and happiness.  They were half-smiles; empathetic gestures towards each other as if to say “I know a little of what you’re going through”. The news of Sam Chilton’s death has rocked our school community over the past week and we know the ripples of emotions will be long felt for many of our staff and students as we continue to grapple with our tragic loss.  Our hearts, our minds, our thoughts go out to Neil and Tracy and all of Sam’s family now and into the future.

Having just returned to school from Sam’s funeral, I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and grief from so many in the Warrnambool community.  I consider Warrnambool College to be more than a school, but rather a family that is constantly trying to get along and help each other to be the best they can be.  When one of our family is tragically taken from us, we all grieve together.  As I listened to the reflections offered today by those in the Allansford Cricket Club and the Warrnambool Motorcycle Club, I heard the same themes of family, love and loss coming through.  Sam had such a positive impact on so many others that he played, learnt and lived alongside.  He lived his 15 years to the full and it is this model of Carpe Diem that we are encouraged to reflect upon as we consider our own way of living and loving others.

On Monday this week we hosted our annual school swimming carnival.  In some respects, it was exactly what our school community needed, giving us a chance to pause in our grieving and focus our energies into physical pursuits.  As I saw Belfast, Sam’s house, enter the pool area I felt a wave of energy come with them.  This is a house that has never won the swimming sports, but they brought optimism and expectation with them.  At the funeral today, one person reflected that if there’s anything we should take from Sam’s death, it is that he was willing to have a go at pretty much anything and we should do likewise.  At the pool on Monday I saw so many students put in their all, whether they were strong swimmers or not.  On occasion someone would struggle to finish the 50 metres, but their peers would cheer them on and give them the mental fortitude to finish.  Towards the end of the day I found myself in the pool.  Swimming isn’t a strong suit of mine, and yet I had students badgering me to give it a go and the staff team was one short.  The first 35 metres felt great.  Then my breathing went out of sync, my arms started to flail rather than glide and the last 5 metres felt like I was only moving down rather than forward.  But eventually I made the wall and the next staff member was away.  I was so exhausted I couldn’t get out of the pool unaided.  But I’d taken the inspiration of our students to put in my all and had a sense of pride in finishing.  I was also pretty chuffed to be part of the winning relay team!  At the conclusion of the day, the winning house was announced.  Perhaps, despite never winning it in the past, we shouldn’t have been surprised when Sam’s Belfast house emerged victorious.  They didn’t win every race, but they had more participants in the pool.  Perhaps in some ways they’d honoured Sam’s memory and the way he lived life to the full.

As I’ve written these reflections I’ve had to stop twice to wipe away the tears that I can do little to quell.  I know that many will be feeling sorrow much more acutely than me.  So, put your arms around those you love, show flexibility for others when they they’re not sure what to do with the waves of emotions that overcome them, and live your life in the biggest, fullest and most meaningful ways to bring joy to self and others.

Sincerely,

Dave Clift

Principal