Senior School

Term 3 is all about decisions in the Senior School, “What subjects do I take next year? Am I really interested in that pathway? What career suits me? What do I do after I finish Year 12? Do I need an ATAR?”  All important and tough questions for 16 to 18 year old students with limited life experience to make. So how do they do it?

They ask questions and research but also trust that the support of the Senior School staff will be there when they need it most to help them. The teachers and our Career Advisor, Mrs. Mascaro, readily provide opportunities for students to seek advice about subjects or careers they are interested in. It is important that decisions are made by being informed, and understanding the process. It may not always be the right one but part of the learning experience is to learn from mistakes. Things can be corrected and changed. Student initiative and determination in combination with the right information leads to personal success … whatever that looks like, it is individual and unique to each student.

Sharron Frame

Head of Middle and Senior School

Years 10 and 11

On Friday 22 July, the Year 10 cohort was off timetable for their Wellbeing Day. The girls and boys were split into separate groups for the day, and they explored separate topics that were appropriate to tackle within their respective groups. The boys were visited by The Man Cave where much progress and growth occurred. It was a fulling day where many myths about ‘being a man’ were debunked, and students had an opportunity, in a safe space, to express themselves and work through some of the challenges they face. It was a great opportunity to unite the boys and brought out a sense of comradery amongst them.

The girls had a guest speaker from Tomorrow Woman who helped them work through some of the challenges faced by our young women in an ever-changing world. Students discussed obstacles they face in their daily lives and saw the commonality of some of the issues faced by students in their age bracket and cohort. It was a good opportunity for our girls to bond, and break down some of the barriers that exist between them. The girls also spent part of the day in a self-defence workshop, where they got to get up and learn some techniques to defend themselves in certain situations.

Manoj Patel

Years 10 & 11 Coordinator

Jake Thompson:

Going into The Man Cave I didn’t expect much. All it was to me was just another one of those pastoral programs where they preach about the importance of mental health and then we go home and have a nice weekend. However, I couldn’t be more wrong.

Meeting Lindsey and Theo, two young men who, at the start of the day they brought us into the ‘man cave.’ At this point what came next started to become unknown and I became quite sceptical of what was to come. However, the two young men told us their stories and mental health challenges, which for many of us boys, instantly helped them gain our trust.

At this point, we spoke of some of the qualities that we boys would need while in the ‘man cave’ and the importance of having positive mental health. Some of the qualities that we agreed on consisted of confidentiality, no judgment, and compassion, to name a few. We also faced that six men a day in Australia die from suicide which is the biggest killer among young men.

After taking a break at recess we played classic childhood games like octopus and red-light green-light. Although we were pitted against each other, everyone had fun and it was the kind of banter and fun that a lot of us needed.

Going in I had a nervous feeling. I had that feeling where you know what’s next but you are not prepared for it. Everyone knew what came next was going to be emotionally confronting and daunting for many. The next two hours would probably go into being the most impactful two hours of school that I’ve ever done.

After asking confronting questions like, “how everyone was during COVID” and “who found it tough during these times”, we were only just scratching the surface of what was to come.

Moving on, we sat in a circle allowing time for boys who were willing, to open up. When I say open up, I mean talk about things that have troubled them, guilts they need to rid themselves of, or even accomplishments they want to talk about. During this time there was a lot of silence and a large majority of the boys were too scared to talk about their problems, however, given time something will always happen, and it did.

One by one, students started to open up about their challenges, and not just students even Mr. Patel opened up about challenges through COVID, building respect and personal connections for a lot of students.

I saw a side of many students that I hadn’t seen before. Not just insight into their personal life. But I noticed their courage to speak when everyone was scared, their compassion for boys to express a much-needed love and leadership that I would never have guessed, from the people that lead.

By lead I mean the ones that showed the other boys that it’s ok to cry and let your friends see that you love them and are truly there for them. After a bit of time, I gained the trust and wanted to take the plunge of expressing my troubles. Which was scary, but in ways, exciting as I had never been one to share about my life in that way and, in all honesty, I did cry; I cried a lot. But it was the most liberating thing I’ve ever done. After it, I felt healthier, energised, and ready to take on the world.

After opening up and being able to listen to other boys open up, I felt this sense of unity that I hadn’t ever felt before. It was a sense of brotherhood that, although having two brothers, it was a feeling I hadn’t really felt before.

When the bell went, I was sad as I was ready to get more off my chest but didn’t want to talk as I wanted everyone to speak and get some stuff off their chests. But what I said was already enough for me to feel a sense of clarity I hadn’t felt before, I felt physically stronger than I ever had before and, most importantly, I felt truly motivated which I hadn’t felt, ever really.

Although the Man Cave wasn’t over, in a sense it was for me. The difficult part was over and the rest was more of a bonding period, to become closer to each other.

I didn’t know how I would feel about what happened during the Man Cave. However, I felt stronger, with a sense of clarity, and the motivation to actually make a difference and make my life, the life I want it to be.

Seeing a different side of the year level I was with, gave me the realisation that I wouldn’t know how to live with myself if one of the boys in the year level was one of the six, and I hope that all the boys gained the same benefit that I gained. If not, then hopefully we can continue pastoral programs like The Man Cave in order to help every boy, and give them a chance to open up about their troubles instead of bottling them up.

Not only did we unify as boys, I and many of the boys gained a newfound respect for Mr. Patel. For many of the boys, they had just looked at Mr. Patel as the authority figure that you didn’t want to get caught by, wearing the wrong uniform. However, that changed. During the Man Cave, we saw a different side of Mr. Patel. A trusting and compassionate side that in all honesty, I didn’t know was there. I can now say with confidence that I’m looking forward to the next year and a half with Mr. Patel and I’ve gained a strengthened optimism for the future and the future of all the other boys in my cohort.

Jessica Peraic: 

On Friday 22nd July, the Year 10 girls participated in a She Code workshop, as well as a self-defence class. The workshop was an eye-opening experience; it was surprising to see the depth of the topics that were unpacked. We unpacked the stereotypes and pressures of being a woman, in particular a teenage girl, in our present society. It was both comforting and surprising to identify all the similarities between us and the pressure we receive from others and place on ourselves. It was also disheartening, in a way, to see how many people struggle, and how little anyone notices. As women there is always a subconscious pressure to meet the standard of pretty, skinny, etc; nearly every one of us feels that pressure in one way or another, throughout our day-to-day lives. There are so many internalised and stigmatised issues we deal with daily, and it’s hardly ever talked about. It felt relieving to share these issues with my peers and we all felt much less alone by the time the workshop was over. Overall, even though we discussed some very “heavy” topics it was an empowering workshop, and I learned a lot about my peers.

The self-defence class was a more practical and light-hearted activity. We learned both verbal and practical ways of defending ourselves in a dangerous scenario. It was great to learn some ways we can protect ourselves if we ever were to encounter a dangerous situation. It certainly provides peace of mind to know how to keep yourself safe. Something new for me was the verbal ways of defending yourself, and I learnt that in some cases using firm ways of speaking or yelling to attract attention, can be enough for an attacker to back off. This class was definitely a change of pace from the earlier workshop, and it was really beneficial for us all.

Manoj Patel

Years 10 and 11 Coordinator