A Farewell Message

from the President

Suzie Rule

 

Two years ago I assumed the privilege of becoming the first President of the new MGC Alumni Association. We were an organisation without members or an executive board. Unlike most schools which are steeped in history, our school was only 20 years old and starting something from scratch seemed like an enormous feat. The first step was to track down graduates to see if they were interested in forming an alumni association. About a dozen past students from a range of year levels attended our first meeting. We agreed upon the association’s goals and objectives and scheduled a date for a follow up meeting. At our second meeting we nominated and elected our board members. The board was comprised of a couple of university students and a handful of young professionals working in diverse fields all of whom were willing to donate their time, skills and efforts to create an alumni association.

 

I got in touch with other schools and their alumni associations to find out how they formed their alumni associations. I was determined to do it right, because if it wasn’t done properly now then it would be a disaster and the next generation would suffer. With my legal training, I was well placed to create the association’s by-laws to guide the association’s operation, and set out its objectives, organisational structure, membership, roles and responsibilities. I spent a lot of time researching and seeing what we wanted to do. We decided that we wanted to create a platform to strengthen connections with past students and encourage them to participate actively in the school community. To accomplish this we created a database to provide a two-way communication link between the school and its alumni. To date, we have 647 alumni registered on our database. We also wanted to organise networking, social events and class reunions for alumni, and publish a quarterly e-newsletter to promote the achievements of MGC students and staff both past and present. This newsletter is our 7th issue and it has been so encouraging to see the positive response from our alumni. We also wanted to provide opportunities for alumni to give back to the school by creating a mentoring program, providing opportunities for alumni to speak to current students, and offer work experience placements to our senior school students.

 

It is difficult for me to summarise in a single message the incredible experiences I have had over the past two years. However, a highlight would definitely have to be organising the school’s 21st celebration. We had an amazing alumni turnout for the event including all of the school’s current and former principals and assistant principals. A truly enjoyable celebration of our school and community. Most importantly though, I have cherished the opportunity to meet and work with such inspiring staff, students, alumni, and friends of the school.

 

As I prepare to leave office, I want to personally thank everyone on the executive board for your support over the past 2 years. Serving as your President has been an honour and a privilege. I ask that you welcome our next President along with all of the new board members. Please continue to support the alumni association. We must each resolve to “give back” to the school to which we owe so much. And please join the MGC Alumni Association Facebook page. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your President and I look forward to our future with great anticipation.

 

Warmest regards,

 

Suzie Rule

Class of 1999