Wellbeing

Dear Year 12,

Good Luck and never forget the big lessons

With the first HSC examinations underway, it is a timely reminder for us to reflect on the resilience and determination shown by our Year 12, 2021 cohort. We have all experienced the disruption of the pandemic, whether it be schooling, sporting competitions, school camps or family holidays. However, we have also experienced the gift of watching our students unlock a level of resilience and determination that they never knew they had. 

The pandemic has taught us to appreciate that we can survive the uncontrollable, as well as how to think critically about overcoming challenges that we had never foreseen to be problems in our lifetime. We now know that our heroes are found in grocery stores, hospitals, and science labs, and we have a newfound appreciation for the simple things in life that we once may have taken for granted. However, our biggest learning is that our success resides not in individual intelligence, but in our collective contribution to the broader community in which we exist. Without this contribution, we would not have found ourselves in this fortunate position, of easing restrictions and our lives returning to a resemblance of ‘normal’. 

Year 12, you have stolen the show, never failing to surprise us with your levels of optimism, grit, and resourcefulness. As you each endeavour to complete your HSC exams over the coming weeks, know that you have learned more than any other HSC cohort. You have won the race already, because you have learned that hard work, grit, resilience, and empathy are more profound and have a larger impact on our world than any virus ever will. All of which are the qualities that have kept our world spinning in the last 18months.

Kate Cutcliffe 

Acting Head of Student Wellbeing

In Week 8, students will be viewing their performances of the House Spectacular during Wellbeing. Douglas House have shared with us a sneak peak of what is to come! 

Douglas House Spectacular 

The theme for the 2021 House Spectacular was “Through the Decades.” This created an exciting atmosphere of what was to be the central plot to our Douglas performance. As a Year 11 Mentor Group, we brainstormed multiple different storylines but finally agreed upon the love story of a couple through the decades and where pivotal life moments took them.

All the Year 11 students were given set roles: directing year group dances, filming and music, writing the script, costuming, or producing the whole running of the show. Everyone stood up to the plate and got involved. The process of creating the House Spectacular was momentous and an awesome experience for all of Year 11 Douglas. It allowed us to bond and become a more tight-knit group. The creation, although exciting, of course had its ups and downs. 

Creating a script that was funny and would fit into the story line took time, but our great script writers took the opportunity and did the best job possible. Dances were changed in order to suit the storyline and decades chosen for the year groups. Music was a hot topic of debate, and it took some time for everyone to agree on what tunes we wanted the year groups to dance to. We all had to take into consideration the theme and stick to what was being asked of us. Time management became tight towards the deadline for submission. The last week was filled with filming and costume changes to which all of Douglas adhered incredibly well. Finally submitted, all of Year 11 Douglas took a sigh of relief and everyone should be commended on how diligently they worked to get a great end-product. 

The result was amazing! Our video is full of laughter, great music, and dancing with an awesome storyline. The House came together and truly encapsulated the Douglas spirit and showed how enjoyable House Spec can be. 

Kate Murray 

Douglas Vice-Captain