Deputy Principal

Recently I was in a discussion with one of my friends. We were talking about life in general and the challenges we both have encountered in our lives. He came back to the question of “What makes your heart sing”? A challenging question and one that required me to internally reflect on what is important to me.

It made me think of my friendships and took me back to my days at school. I attended another EREA College and to this day my best friends are those that I went to school with. Friends for life, friends who do not judge, who pull me up, not tear me down. Friends who, when life is hard, are there for me. Friends who give you unconditional love.

As we all journey through life, it is important to surround ourselves with good friends. One thing that we try to reiterate to the young men of the College here is that it is okay to be different. I always say that we do not tolerate difference, we celebrate it. It is okay to be different and we do not expect the students to be best friends with everyone in their cohort. They may not realise it now, but the best man at their wedding could be sitting next to them in class or playing alongside them on the football field or playing a part in the College play. 

Recently in a class, a student answered a question wrong and one of the other students laughed at his answer. While I was quick to shut that type of behaviour down, I was also intent on reinforcing why that type of behaviour is not acceptable. We all learn in different ways and some of us take longer to pick up on concepts than others. Once again, it is okay to be different. We should challenge our young men to ‘dare to be different’.

As my life journey continues, I feel blessed. I am surrounded by good friends. Friends that see the best in me. Friends that challenge me if I hurt others. Friends that support me and that are there for me when times are good and most importantly when I am struggling. My friends show me unconditional love and I feel blessed to have them in my life. My hope is that we can continue to teach the students at St Patrick’s College with your support, to lift each other up. That is the quality of young men our students should aspire to be. Young men who are self-aware, reflective, and genuine in their relationships with others. That is the SPC Ideal Graduate.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal