“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Nelson Mandela

It has been a pleasure to greet students at the Heyington Gates this week with the joy of learning on campus still etched in the memories of the girls following the past two years. Their smiles, enthusiasm and warm greetings for friends and teachers were clearly visible.

Commencing on Monday, our Year 12 students embarked on their leadership journey, firstly welcoming the Year 7 Cohort into the Senior School, assisting them with their school bags filled with new books and the necessity of (many) colour-coded folders. It was so uplifting to see the bright, young faces of our Year 7 girls, feel their straightforward, uninhibited pre-teen energy and their pride in now being members of the Senior School.

The Year 12 cohort then travelled to Trinity College, at the University of Melbourne for their two-day Leadership Retreat. I enjoyed listening to the Opening Address by 2017 School Captain, Mackenzie Leyden, who returned to St Catherine’s to share her post-school leadership reflections.

Mackenzie openly admitted to her somewhat stark recognition of the gender differences upon commencing tertiary life, as she navigated the coordination of various college-based activities, tutorial discussions and her now evolving professional life. Mackenzie proposed that in having a ‘seat at the table’ she did not need to have the loudest voice nor the strongest opinions for her leadership to have an impact. Today, she purposefully leans into the skills, her strength and self-awareness, that she honed as a Year 12 girl at St Catherine’s, to actively participate and influence. Mackenzie has returned to university this year to commence Honours, majoring in politics and communication. I look forward to watching her journey over the coming years.

The first week of each school-year is always a time that provides me with a distinct feeling of humility as I ponder the significant history of St Catherine’s School, as each student commences her new journey for the year ahead, I reflect on the many girls who have come before them, their stories now all entwined within the rich tapestry of St Catherine’s.

Schools are remarkable places. It is interesting that despite the academic workload, students seem to love their Senior years as the best of all, and love retelling, with more and more embellishment as the time moves on, the hilarious stories of school adventures, or the seriously awkward mid-adolescent moments.

Despite the excitement of finally being the Seniors on campus, some may wonder in less certain moments if they are up to it all, and can be fearful they are not. Indeed, there will be ‘wobbly’ moments of self-doubt and self-consciousness, but I know with confidence, that the girls are always capable, and with the support of their parents and School walking beside them, they can achieve so much.

As teachers we understand the precious gift entrusted to us, not only the gift and responsibility of educating young women, but also wisely preparing them for their futures. We recognise and appreciate this role as our contribution to the soul of society, so eloquently articulated by Nelson Mandela in the quote above.

As I look around St Catherine’s this week, and watch the young women entrusted into our care commence their journeys, like that of the thousands of alumnae before them, I see their hard work and caring, courageous determination.

Our young learners taking their first steps into formal education in our Early Learning Centre, our Barbreck girls enthusiastically discovering their unique passions and interests, and our Senior students, emerging as young women eagerly awaiting their chance to step into the world around them, they are all so perfectly capable of being the soul of society as they are already the heartbeat of our School community.