Deputy Principal

Staff Development

Celebrating excellence in girls' education

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit” - Aristotle

Mount Alvernia strives for and celebrates excellence in girls’ education. This is exemplified in our mantra - ‘Watch her flourish’, and this has never been more apparent than at the various celebratory end of year events that have occurred in the past couple of weeks.

It has been such a joy to see the many young women recognised for their achievements. Not only for academic excellence, but in all forms of excellence – from the classroom, to spiritual, cultural, sporting, and social aspects that characterise learning in our Franciscan community. This affirms my strong belief that educational excellence is significantly broader than a ‘result’ from an assessment item or a ‘result’ at the end of Year 12. While this is, of course, a significant part of the educational journey, we recognise this is but one aspect of many parts. Through relationships, connections, and diverse and broad educative experiences, true learning occurs, and excellence is achieved. Excellence, in its many forms.

What was clear is several of the students who were acknowledged at each of the various awards, music, sport, and cultural evenings are highly involved and committed to a wide variety of areas across our community. These young women have actively sought experiences that strive to develop them in a holistic manner, and no doubt would classify their lives as quite busy. The Benjamin Franklin quote, “If you want something done, ask a busy person”, comes to mind. And undoubtedly these young women would be exactly that. What is interesting is this has not been to the detriment of their academic performance. In fact, quite the exact opposite.

What I do find interesting is the tendency to feel the need to pull back from the ‘other’ educational experiences under the perception a focus on academic performance and excellence alone will garner results. What is evident, through the young women gaining recognition, is these ‘others’ are often the very things that contribute to and complement their academic success. It is about our young women finding their strengths and what excellence means for them in all forms of their development, that we realise the young women of Mount Alvernia College truly flourish.

Daniel Crump