From the Head Girls

The meaning of the Royal Blue

Victoria Chen (12O) and Sophie McLeod (12M) Head Girls

Sisterhood. Love. Gratitude. These three words have epitomised every aspect of the spirit and culture of Brisbane Girls Grammar School that we have been so lucky to experience since the first time we walked through the School’s white picket fence in 2016. In a world where the future is unknown, especially with the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, these three words have played a fundamental role in uniting us as a Year 12 cohort, community, and sisterhood through every event of our secondary school journey.

We know the Girls Grammar sisterhood is ever present, which is why this year, we hoped to explore how this driving force makes our School culture so special . Naturally, the idea of a sisterhood guided our 2021 vision and eventually formed the basis of our School motto: When the Sisterhood Unites, the Royal Blue Shines Bright .

Our primary goal and our vision for the sisterhood was to encourage a tightknit community where every student felt genuinely supported, appreciated, and at ease in their own skin: allowing everyone to contribute uniquely to our school’s ‘royal blue’ spirit . In crafting our motto, we chose to define ‘sisterhood’ as the solidarity of people based on shared conditions, experiences, and a sense of belonging .

One of the most valuable lessons 2020 taught us was to love and build each other up through whatever life brings, and this was the spirit that we wanted to continue in 2021. This year, we encouraged everyone to ‘unite under the blue’ and support every student who makes up our sisterhood. Although this looked different for everyone, we welcomed more Grammar girls supporting their sisters at all Grammarrelated events, such as QGSSSA swimming, drama productions, academic competitions, Grammar Goes Green afternoons and Friday and Saturday sporting fixtures. Therefore, by recognising the phrase ‘royal blue’ as part of our Student Council motto, we acknowledged that to us, ‘royal blue’ means more than just a colour.

It is the immediate association we make with Girls Grammar; it is an identity we share in our love for this School and, therefore, an embodiment of us all as a collective. So, when we claimed the royal blue as a sisterhood, we aspired to inspire every student to achieve their full potential and ‘shine bright’ brilliantly, uniquely and with the confidence of knowing they had the backing of the Grammar sisterhood— knowing their radiance originally came from ‘the light within’.

Now that 2021 is drawing to a close, we know that the strong sisterhood will remain and continue to strengthen and develop for many years to come . ■

above Sophie McLeod (12M) and Victoria Chen (12O)