Boarding News

As many of our boarding families would be aware James Couper announced at the end of 2020 that he would be taking long-service leave throughout 2021. On the back of this time away from the College James has recently resigned his role. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the enormous time and effort that James has dedicated to the boarding school and Marist College Ashgrove over the 15 years of his tenure. Working as a Teacher, Supervisor, Boarding Coordinator and finally as Head of Boarding. James made an impact and most importantly was respected by students, families and staff alike. James certainly always embodied the true Marist virtues of, Simplicity, Love of Work, In the way of Mary, Presence and Family spirit. We extend our best wishes to James in his next adventure. 

I would like to share a piece of writing (below) James wrote during his time as Head of Boarding in 2020. His message then still certainly resonates now more than ever and certainly places emphasis on many of the values we have continued to install this year.

Reflection

Many years ago, Thomas Merton, arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century, wrote:

“I cannot treat other men as men unless I have compassion for them. I must have at least enough compassion to realise that when they suffer, they feel somewhat as I do when I suffer. And if for some reason I do not spontaneously feel this kind of sympathy for others, then it is God's will that I do what I can to learn how. I must learn to share with others their joys, their sufferings, their ideas, their needs, their desires. I must learn to do this not only in the cases of those who are of the same class, the same profession, the same race, the same nation as myself, but when others who suffer belong to other groups, even to groups that are regarded as hostile.”

A deeply contemplative and spiritual man, Thomas Merton provides a real challenge for the way that we are all called to live in our communities.

Discrimination, exclusivity, ignorance, selfishness and indifference are attitudes that harden the heart and lead to the suffering, pain and potential of others going unnoticed.

Teaching our young men in the boarding school to be in tune with the lives of each other, not just those they choose, is a key component to building a community that cares for, supports and challenges all members in a spirit of unity and brotherhood.

This ideal for the young, in some ways, is countercultural to today's over-emphasis on self, which too often leads to a lack of identity and a mindset of comparison, self-doubt or helplessness.

On the flipside, displays of compassion and genuine interest towards all people can provide the tonic for improving one’s own outlook and approach to daily life. It involves a spirit of awareness and an understanding that our own stories are inextricably linked to the stories of others. In doing so, perhaps leading to a realisation that, in fact, others play a significant role in helping to make us who we are and who we can possibly be.

Boarding school provides the perfect environment for young people to learn the significance of the other – to walk alongside boys from all walks of life sharing in each other’s joys, sufferings, ideas, needs and desires.

Around the Grounds – Week 6

La Valla Residence

This weekend saw us return to a full residence, and there was certainly lots of excitement and noise as each boy returned to the dorm. Many students had tales of their adventures back home and are trying to adjust from roaming wide-open spaces to their small La Valla room. Mr Temperly commented that he could feel his blood pressure returning to its normal heightened level as the residence filled with energetic teenagers! We have been very lucky again this week to receive a few more lockdown treats from some of our boarding families and the boys have handled the restrictions and rules without complaint. It is made easier when there are so many activities that we can now participate in within the school grounds, and we are grateful for the pool, mountain bikes, our gym and our creative Recreation Officer, Mr Blair Whitlock.

The gardening competition has hit a small snag as the cockatoos massacred the established plants, there is talk of the need to include a scarecrow in our vegetable garden. There may also have been some problems with the student beds as boys argued over what was a weed and what was a plant... unfortunately, they did not neatly label their plants as Mrs Sedgwick did! Having said this, the student garden is well ahead in terms of growth; it must be the secret ingredients from the farms! The next week sees a big push with our academics; the work that we do this week will make a huge difference to how we feel during assessment weeks.

Montagne Residence

Boys entered back into the residence in dribs and drabs over the past week post lockdown. There were some positive and some not so positive stories of how 'at-home' learning went, but the supervisors and I are glad that almost all boys are back. Our photo wall is coming along quite well with many family and special moments gracing our entry wall. Still plenty of room for more images, so keep sending them through! Guitar Hero has vamped up its popularity again, which is good to see. Recreation on the weekend kept the boys busy with the gym, pool and mountain biking all getting a workout. The Novelty Olympics was also well-received by the boys. The new week started yesterday with the boys celebrating Ignatius' birthday. Two cakes again to celebrate the milestone – even Mr Bullock and Ms Wasson hung around to sing (and eat cake).

Hermitage Residence

This week saw the conclusion of a very testing period for our Hermitage boys - fingers crossed it remains that way! Ryan Johnson, Kyran Bryant, Dom Winkels, Dom Forbes, Braith Crossingham, Tyrell Wolmby, Marley Chan and Harry Doyle all remained in Montagne Residence, where boys enjoyed a new group of boys to get to know. These boys enjoyed hanging out and playing table tennis with the Montagne residents. We thank Mr Mulligan and the Year 8s for hosting our Hermitage men.

In addition to these boys, five other boys returned to school at the start of the week and were hosted in Br Terence residence. Alex McNamara, Zek Anderson, Hugo Tully, Nathan Lam and Matt Peng all got a brief snapshot into what life will be like in a senior dorm. The boys got to learn how to use the washer and dryer on-site, which is a wonderful life skill for these boys. The seniors were very accommodating this week, and we thank Mr Mathison and the Br Terence residents for looking after our young men.

With the ongoing issues we are currently facing, the boys should be commended on their ability to get on with things. From face masks to online learning to lockdowns, the boys have shown a great resilience that only challenges like these allow for. As the week came to a close, it was great to return back to our 'home' in Hermitage residence and have most of our boys return for the start of Week 6.

Fourviere Residence

The Fourviere faithful rose to the challenge once again with those in residence returning to physical classes in the day school wearing masks whilst those yet to return to boarding and in isolation persisted with online learning for another week. An enormous thank you to the wonderful teaching staff who continue their excellent efforts in catering for all, simultaneously delivering learning experiences through face-to-face and online platforms.

The boys were particularly grateful for the return of physical activity this week, spending time in the weights room and on the fields and courts, welcoming training as term three sports practice got underway once more. No doubt everyone is looking forward to a possible return to competition soon.

Come Friday, there was an air of excitement with the lads aware of the return of those in isolation and the dorm erupted with cheers in the afternoon as the 'quarantined five of Fourviere' returned to us with beaming smiles after their 14 days in the makeshift Hermitage isolation ward! With limited interaction across residences at present, a major positive has resulted in the growth of a wonderful camaraderie amongst the Year 10 and 11s of Fourviere, particularly born out of their afternoon touch games together. Thank you to all the boys for being involved in something so positive during this time.

The weekend saw more boys return and a great range of recreation activities on offer, including weights room, mini Olympics, campus bike rides and a dorm liturgy led entirely by a number of the Year 10 boys. We look forward to welcoming back the last few lads over the coming days.

Br Terence Residence

The return to face-to-face learning for the majority of the boys – albeit hidden behind masks – was the major focus of the week. It was pleasing to see the boys turn their attention to their academic priorities following the interruptions of the previous weeks. Our Year 12s completed their short exam block while our Year 11s concentrated on being organised for the remainder of the term with a Study Skills session in the library.

In and around the residence, the boys made regular use of the newly acquired coffee machine and continued with their games of touch footy on the oval. The return to sports training and the re-opening of the weights room also provided welcome relief from the confines of the residence. Census night proved to be an interesting experience for the staff on duty with many of the boys having to resort to Google Earth to remember their former residential addresses, and fortunately, Ms Livingstone provided a 'how-to' guide to assist the boys with answering the questions.

This week also saw Ethen Tsiamalili, Sam Schmidhauser and Connor Lyons short-listed for College Captain and present to their entire year group which prompted much discussion and banter amongst the Year 11 boys. At the end of the week, it was great to see the return of our four residence members who survived their 14 days quarantine and returned in good spirits.

Boarding Recreation - Mr Blair Whitlock

Several of our boarders’ clubs picked up again this week as we are able to resume co-curricular activities that take place on-site. Sport training was also back, which was a real positive as teams prepare for the AIC to restart in a couple of weeks’ time.

On Friday we played our usual games in the gym, which the boys always enjoy! Badminton, basketball, dodgeball, mini-soccer and volleyball are the go-to games. The Year 12s continued with their Friday night BBQ, which has become a staple weekend activity and gives the older lads some independence with their food.

Saturday started with a bike ride around the perimeter of the school grounds. The younger lads from the Geoffery houses had the early slot before the older boys took the bikes for a spin late in the morning. We also had the indoor gym courts available for those keen before a late morning study block to keep the boys engaged with their academic work. It’s starting to feel a little warmer at the moment, and we opened up the pool on Saturday afternoon for the boys to cool off. We got the paddleboards out, which always leads to some creative thinking. The younger lads thought it would be a great idea to try and get as many boys on a paddleboard at once; I think there were about seven dangling off at one stage. While the seniors lined about ten boards up in a row and ran half the length of the pool! Saturday finished off with a quick round of karaoke in the Cyprian Pavillion for the younger fellas, which is always a good laugh.

On Sunday morning, we had the music centre and weights room open before another late morning study block. The final activity of the weekend was the Novelty Olympics that we had planned a couple of weeks ago. The boys were split into teams and had to nominate athletes to take part in a wide variety of events ranging from Lawn Bowl Shotput to Egg and Spoon races and an 800m Velodrome around the oval. There were many controversies with busted chains, caught eggs and dodgy Shotput technique but the teams were evenly poised on 8 points apiece heading into the final Goalkicking event. The boys started on the 10m line and headed back in 5m increments with two attempts at each distance. After several clutch kicks from Sean Green to keep his team in the game, it was Dom Forbes who drilled a 30m droppie to take the gold and free pizza for his team next weekend.