Number 4 - 26 February 2015 From the Deputy Headmaster/ Head of Senior School Quad Play It was my pleasure to attend the Quad Play on Thursday last. The play this year was As You Like It by William Shakespeare, a superb challenge for a young cast. There are several of Shakespeare’s plays which are riotously funny, and this is one of them. This provides both a challenge to the cast, which must find within itself wonderful comic timing and characterisation, but also for a young audience. I often get the sense seeing young people at one of Shakespeare’s comedies that the first task of the company is to make them aware it is okay to laugh! The cast of As You Like It managed this very well. At the risk of singling out members of an ensemble cast, there were some wonderful performances in this production. Freddie Young was entirely convincing as the romantic lead and Callum Johnstone a suitably stern older brother to him. Andrew Udovenya had wonderful stage presence as Touchstone, the jester, and both William Coote and Patrick Burnett were regal as Dukes. Jack Condie was a melancholy Jacques, and performed the most famous soliloquy in the play, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” with considerable relish. Andrew Pizzi, as a lovelorn shepherd, was a wonderfully comic realisation of unrequited love. Special mention must also be made of Maddy Warrell, Maddy Galea and Courtney Slatter all of whom contributed enormously to the comic energy of the production. They were supported by a talented ensemble cast. They were also supported by a substantial crew, and I would be loathe not to mention the role the crew played in the success of the production. Much of their work happens in the background, but it is no less important to the eventual realisation of the play. Particular congratulations must be extended to Sharon Mulready, as director, and Alison Brunton as assistant director. Endless hours are invested in making a production such as this a success. Their success in doing so was clear to all on Thursday night. Academic Assembly Last week, the Senior School assembly celebrated the academic life of the school. Those who achieved Academic Colours in both Year 11 and Year 12 2014 were awarded their colours. In addition, 10 students were awarded Academic Distinctions. The approbation of the assembly was overwhelming, and just recognition of the efforts of those honoured. The following students were awarded Year 11 Academic Colours on the basis of their A+ Grades in the Year 11 Examinations in 2014: ...cont’d/.. Year 12 Academic Colours go to the top 10% of the year group based on ATAR: The following students have been awarded Year 12 Academic Colours: (In ATAR order) Year 12 Academic Colours ATAR Marcus Choi 99.20 Justin Ha 99.20 Henry Kiellerup 99.30 Robbie Bergin 99.50 William Allen 99.55 Piyusha Bannaheke 99.55 Nicholas Edwards 99.55 David Titeu 99.55 Jordan Stonier-Watson 99.60 Henry Storey 99.65 The following students, in addition to receiving Academic Colours, also receive MGS Academic Distinctions. Academic Distinctions are given only to the top 5% of the year group based on ATAR scores: Year 12 Academic Colours and School Distinctions ATAR John Mainland 99.70 Damien Wu 99.70 Matthew Bowes 99.75 Marcus Soon 99.80 Charlie Weeden 99.85 Charles McMillan Summons 99.95 Hugo Umbers 99.95 For Year 12 Academic Colours , Year 12 Academic Distinction and Proxime Accessit 2014: Michael Zeng - 99.95 For Year 12 Academic Colours , Year 12 Academic Distinction and the co Academic Head of School for 2014: William Chiang - 99.95 For Year 12 Academic Colours , Year 12 Academic Distinction and the co Academic Head of School for 2014: Mel Shu Nick Evans - 99.95 Headmaster’s Reflection Whilst comprising only a small proportion of our total student cohort, boarders offer a great deal to the heart and soul of Melbourne Grammar School. The 114 students boarding at MGS, from Years 7 through to 12, form an integral part of our community. Students board from homes across Victoria, southern New South Wales, through to a variety of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Last Sunday, the Boarders’ Family Day commenced with a Service in the Chapel of St Peter. Planned and organised by the boarding students themselves, the Service contained a variety of prayers and personal reflections on the concept of ‘identity’. The honest and genuine feelings expressed were memorable. There was standing room only as parents enjoyed the Service, led by Senior School Chaplain, Reverend Hans Christiansen. The Service was followed by a meeting of the Boarders’ Parent Network, led this year by President, Mrs Colleen Henderson, who has two boys boarding at the School. Presentations from the Heads of School; Director of Boarding, Mr Michael Shaw; and an introduction from the new Director of Students, Mr Geoff Guggenheimer; was followed by an informative talk by the School Nurse, Ms Hayley Hubble. One aspect that emerged from this meeting was the desire for strong interaction between boarding and day students at the School. Many day parents currently help by driving boarding team mates to a variety of sporting venues, which is greatly appreciated by the School. Other day parents invite boarders to their home for the weekend, which is a wonderful gesture. Following the BPN meeting, families gathered in the boarders’ quadrangle for an enjoyable barbecue lunch. It was interesting to talk to a number of new boarding parents and gain insight into their first interactions with MGS. Suffice to say, this was overwhelmingly positive. I believe that the School has made significant improvements in recent years with regards to boarding. We are especially fortunate to have so many Grammar teachers being involved in the pastoral care of our boarders. I commenced as a Boarding Housemaster in Perth nearly 30 years ago. Looking back on my time, I was often forced into the role of ‘gatekeeper’, restricting students to the boarding campus for the vast majority of each term. The ethos now is very different in the way in which boarders go out more frequently and families are warmly welcomed. A recent initiative from Mr Shaw enables our boarders to sleep in and take ‘brunch’ on Sunday mornings, rather than an early breakfast, which I know has been very well received. Families and guardians are invited to join boarders for certain meals as well. In summary, boarding is in excellent shape at MGS and long may that always be the case. Roy Kelley From the Director of Leadership For the Love of the Game In the lead up to last year’s soccer World Cup one of the television stations screened a documentary about the increasing professionalism of junior soccer in Brazil. It was suggested that soccer is now seen by many Brazilian players and officials as more of a business than a sport. Elite training academies, or ‘talent factories’ as they are more commonly termed, have sprung up across the country. Children as young as seven are brought into these academies and systematically trained by teams of coaches, psychologists, medical specialists and nutritionists. In a country obsessed with soccer but afflicted by widespread poverty a child prodigy who becomes a professional player is a valuable asset. As such parents are easily swayed when an academy shows interest or an agent offers wads of cash for the signature of their nine-year-old son. Of most concern though is a recent trend towards exporting young Brazilian players to European talent factories set up by some of the world’s most famous and wealthy clubs. Young children are uprooted from their families to spend up to a decade of their lives living and training intensively at these clubs. If they make it by their late teens the club stands to earn substantial compensation from transfer fees. Many children do not make it though and are subsequently discarded, often with very little to fall back on. The documentary featured interviews with a number of Brazilian officials and former players, not all of whom were happy about the direction the national sport is taking. It was felt that aspiring professional players are increasingly focused on the monetary rewards rather than playing for the love of the game. While I am not suggesting that junior sport in Australia has reached such a level of professionalism, I have noticed a significant shift during my twenty years as an educator. More is demanded of junior coaches who in turn may demand more of their players. Pre-season is starting earlier, facilities are expected to be stateof-the-art, training has become more scientific and gameplay more tactical. Junior athletes also seem to be getting talent identified younger – drawn into various representative teams, combined sides and high performance squads. For many children this sporting landscape is more positive than it is negative. Opportunities abound and the standard of competition is second-to-none. But throughout my career I have encountered many young people who can find this quite overwhelming. Often because they need to juggle so many competing demands and commitments. I have also seen too many promising junior athletes crippled by injury or suffer from burnout, a number quitting their chosen sport once they leave school. At MGS, sport is a significant part of the School culture and co-curricular programme. There is no doubt that our facilities are excellent and the APS competition amongst the best in the country. While playing ‘A’s’ or ‘Firsts’ level sport is something for students to aspire to, the strength of the programme is in its breadth and depth. As an example, last weekend fifteen different sports and a total of 106 fixtures were played across the three sub-schools. This degree of involvement ensures that participation remains a primary focus. Of course a sports programme of this size requires an extraordinary amount of organisation. It also relies heavily on the contribution of coaches. I have not worked at a school where so many teaching staff coach or manage teams. Amongst other benefits such involvement provides an important pastoral perspective. Occasionally tensions surface when seasons overlap or students are caught between competing demands. To mitigate this the School and the APS have developed a number of policies which are not only designed to protect the integrity of the competition, but most importantly the welfare of players. It is my hope that as the nature of junior sport in this country continues to change, the very essence of sport is not lost. Nathan Jessup From the Chaplain Searching for Identity Last Sunday I presided at the Boarders Family Eucharist. The Chapel was full and it was great to see and meet so many of the families, some of whom had travelled considerable distances to be there on the day. The theme of the service was Identity. At the service our students spoke powerfully about the search for their own individual voice and the importance of the Boarding House in shaping their identity. Forming an identity and finding one’s calling takes time and can change throughout one’s life. Often major turning points in life make us question our lives and we may come closer to discover who we are and what we are meant to do. Senior school is for most people a beginning place of deep questioning. At school we may come to discover individual talents and find new interests, all of which help shape us as individuals. At Senior School we may also come to know what we are definitely not interested in which can lead us to discover what we love. My personal search for my calling began in Senior School years ago and it was then, through the influence of brilliant teachers, that I discovered a love for philosophy and religion. In Greek and Indian philosophy knowing oneself is the beginning and end of all the wisdom. ‘Know Thyself’ is the inscription written at the entrance to the ancient Apollo Temple in Greece where the Oracle of Delphi resided. Throughout Plato’s writing and the Greek tragedies we find again and again the dictum: Know Thyself. Likewise in Christian and Indian philosophy, particularly, in Buddhist teachings, knowing oneself is continually emphasised. Knowing oneself in Greek, Indian and Christian thought is not a narcissistic project. For when we truly know who we are, we come to know others and that generates humility, compassion and a longing to help others. Sunday evening I attended the funeral Service of the late Bishop Barbara Darling. Bishop Barbara died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 67. Barbara was a woman of deep integrity. Barbara was among the first women to be priested and the second woman to be consecrated Bishop in Australia and she was Bishop to Anglican Schools in the Melbourne Diocese. She was a person who was grounded in her Christian vocation to love others and she lived her calling beautifully. The packed St Paul’s Cathedral was a testimony to the way Barbara touched our lives. Barbara always had time for other people, even when she was busy with many things. Her being was love and servant-hood and her life of dedicated service was an inspiration to many. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Blessings, Rev’d Hans Christiansen Student News Drama The Year 9/10 Elective Drama class attended a Street Theatre workshop at Malthouse Theatre on Friday. The workshop was conducted by Penny Baron from the company Born in Taxi. The boys explored the methodology of performing in the street. The workshop was pitched at a high performance level and the boys responded impressively. A lot of the work involved working as a group and finding ways to tell stories non verbally. The boys were not only extremely focussed throughout, but were also prepared to take the kind of risks necessary to work as a group. The fruits of their labour will be in evidence at Arts Week. Ned Manning (Drama)
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