From the Principal
It has been an action-packed Term 1, and I have been so proud to see our students flourish in so many ways already this year.
We have had impactful Service Learning initiatives from the Festival on the Fahl, raising more than $15,000 for Mary’s House, to the Year 2 students selling paper pets last week to raise money for the Australian Koala Foundation.
We have had outstanding Arts performances such as the Battle of the Bands on Monday night, the amazing Secondary School Musical a few weeks ago and the spectacular Junior School Red Factor this afternoon.
And we have had a successful Secondary School Summer Sports season, capped off by ISA semifinals and finals victories in Basketball and Touch Football, and silver medals for our Boys Coxed Quadruple Scull and two of our Senior Girls in the U19 Quadruple Scull in a composite crew at the National Rowing Championships over the weekend.
This week, we have embraced the Easter spirit with Easter services in both the Junior School and Secondary School, and I even got to meet the Easter bunny on the Junior Campus this morning before visiting our K-2 classes during their Easter activities.
In the Junior School service, students learned how light overcomes darkness and that the Easter story fills us with hope.
At the Secondary School service, the bible reading from Philippians 2 reminded us to not do things out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, we should value others above ourselves, not looking to our own interests but the interests of the others.
In my message to students, I acknowledged that this call to be humble – to value others above ourselves – is not always easy. It runs counter to our often natural inclination to put ourselves first.
But, pleasingly, when I walk around our campuses each day, I see humility, empathy and servant leadership lived out by students and staff in simple, practical and deeply meaningful ways.
American writer and activist, Dr Maya Angelou, wrote that a true leader “sees greatness in other people. He or she can’t be much of a leader if all they see is themselves.”
Students don’t have to hold a formal leadership position to display servant leadership. In fact, humility – looking out for the interests of others – lies at the heart of our Redlands School Values.
We deliberately set a high bar of expected student behaviour as articulated through our School Values because we know that students can live up to this and shine. And when they do so by showing humility, displaying servant leadership and not putting the interests of others above their own, they further strengthen our special Redlands community.
I wish all of you a joyous Easter season, and I look forward to seeing the students return to campus on Tuesday 21 April, refreshed for Term 2.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Photo caption: Wishing everyone a joyous Easter!