Junior School

Term 2 - Week 3 

I am constantly amazed at just how capable our young learners are. Each and every day in the Junior School, I see examples of it, and hear teachers talking about it. It is true - we do set extremely high expectations of our young students at St Patrick’s, yet they continue to surprise and amaze us with the depth of their understanding of our values in action.

Many of our boys across Year 6 have recently submitted an entry to the ‘What Matters?’ writing competition, which provides students with an opportunity to craft a written response based on a particular perspective or point of view on a given topic. Last week, a student submission for this annual competition found its way onto my desk and I was so struck by the depth of the response that I wanted to dedicate this article to the unique piece of writing I read.

Me, You and Blue – by Raul Kandiah (6 Black)

In the desolate 610km stretch between Broome and Port Hedland, in the fly infested, termite mound covered red outback, lies a bright, blue tree. As my family and I were singing along to the tunes of George Ezra’s ‘Shotgun’, driving through the world’s second biggest state in 40 degree weather, there it was…the tree that I almost ignored as I thought it was yet another mirage. At first, we presumed it was just a prank and considered nothing more of it. Only after this repeated blue phenomenon kept popping up in every town did I actually give it a second thought. 

The trees had my attention, and I was intrigued, so I decided to do some research. I uncovered that they represented the Blue Tree Project, and I was amazed to discover that there are 796 painted trees worldwide, with 780 of them located right here in Australia. Kendall Whyte started the Blue Tree Project after her brother lost his battle against mental illness. The objective of these trees is to raise awareness around mental health issues and to spread the message that ‘It is ok to not be ok’. The blue trees prompted me to ask myself if I am ok? I was not even a hundred percent sure if I knew what that actually meant, but at least it made me think about it. 

There was a bottomless pit of information at the click of a button behind the Chrome browser. I learnt that mental health could affect people in many ways and most importantly, I discovered some early signs to look out for. I read about how it takes hard work to make sure our minds are as healthy as our bodies. I guess an apple a day cannot always keep the doctor away! Depression can be like a snake in the grass waiting for the right time to strike in the dark jungle of mental illness. 

When reflecting on the symptoms and warning signs, it dawned on me that it cannot get much worse than being in lockdown and isolating for extended periods of time due to a PANDEMIC! So many people would have struggled with mental health issues during Covid-19. Since I even struggled whilst still being able to chat with all of my friends and family who live overseas, it is hard to imagine what some people would have gone through. Humans instinctively group together and look to each other for support. We all need to make sure that we are looking out for those who may need help, especially people who may not be feeling strong enough to ask for this help themselves. 

It is important to remember that we can maintain our wellbeing through physical exercise, staying positive, connecting with people close to us and most importantly, getting professional help if we need it. I now realise just how crucial it is to make people feel comfortable enough to have difficult conversations. If we can make them normal, then they simply won’t feel as hard.

So, if you ever see one of these bizarre, barren, beautiful, blue trees, then you will know what it actually stands for. Even if you don’t see one, I urge you to still ask yourself and those around you, “Am I really ok?” knowing that ‘It’s ok to not be ok’.

I would like to congratulate Raul on his incredibly personal, insightful and thought-provoking response to the task. The topic he addresses, mental health, has become an increasingly complex one in society nowadays; yet this did not stop him from attempting to unpack it with an extremely well-written, hybrid text submission. Congratulations Raul and well done to all other boys who also took the time and effort required to submit a written response to the competition.

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

May God bless you,

Mr Glenn Stephenson

Director of Junior School