The Principal's Report
There have been two events or issues this past week which have given me cause to reflect on what we do at De La Salle and the terrific young men with whom we are blessed to be able to work.
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Last Thursday’s Valedictory Mass and Dinner at the magnificent St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Sofitel Hotel respectively were significant events for the graduating students and their parents. It was very heartwarming to see the familiar faces of our Year 12s coming forward to accept their graduation certificates with such pride and faces beaming with a sense of accomplishment.
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As I often am in these instances, I was again reminded of the inherent goodness of De La Salle’s young men and the overwhelmingly positive relationships they forge in their time here and the wonderful contributions they make to the College. As ever, some students sail through school with apparently hardly a care while others experience significant challenges and at times have struggled to cope. It is evident on occasions such as the Valedictory that their hard work, their efforts to do the right thing and the support from staff have brought individual success for our graduates.
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Linked to this is another negative report in the media this week in relation to boys’ schools. This serves as a reminder that while our students, their behaviour and reputation is by and large very positive, the intrinsic hallmarks of respect, responsibility, accountability and good decision-making must remain high priorities in the College’s support and mentoring of our young men. Our staff, especially those in positions of leadership, go to extraordinary lengths to educate our students well beyond the academic landscape. Building on our tradition of developing empathetic, respectful, quality young men is imperative.
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This week I received two glowing reports from members of the public describing lovely examples of De La Salle students’ respectful, selfless and kind behaviours. Sadly, this was balanced – and I rarely get these – by two further examples of disappointing behaviour and language on the train. It is through working in a supportive spirit of cooperation, respect and accountability that De La Salle staff, parents and students ensure our young men understand both their rights and responsibilities and flourish as we know they can.
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