BOARDING The Cebula Residential Community has been a busy hive of activity with 71 boys navigating the intricacies of communal living along with the challenges of COVID-19 thrown in the mix. I’d like to congratulate them all on the mature and responsible way they dealt with a raft of everchanging mandates. The year began with a series of welcome activities including a weekend camp at Rottnest for our Year 7 and 8s and Boarding leaders. Over the two days and after many overs of cricket and games of football, it was wonderful to see the camaraderie develop, and the new boarders started to feel part of the Cebula family. For our returning boarders, Adventure World proved to be a great way to reconnect after the summer break. Some changes to the weekend recreation program were aimed at getting the boys “out and about”, giving the boys the opportunity to take part in a raft of activities including go carting, stand up paddle boarding, Bounce, Laser Tag, fishing trips, Truck show, football games, movies and a sushi train restaurant experience. For those who love gaming, we’ve been fortunate to have one of our supervisors take on the organisation of a series of inhouse games nights that have proven popular. Next term we are looking at adding a gliding experience day, paint balling, hiking,
and getting a skipper’s ticket to our list of possible weekend activities. The link between mood and food prompted a revamp of the Boarding menus to ensure that the meals are well balanced, interesting and nutritious. Our recent World Burger Day Make Your Own Night was voted the “best ever” boarding meal! The boys were also invited to join a Chef’s Forum so that twice a term they could meet with the catering staff and discuss the menu, their favourite dishes and give their feedback for future menu planning. In the life of any boarding house, celebrating National Boarding Week occurs in May each year. We focussed on celebrating our own boarders as well as raising the boarding profile within the College. Throughout the week, we hosted an Invite a Teacher to Dinner Night and had a former boarder and AFL Player, Corey Gault (Class of 2009), join the boys for a presentation on how boarding life can prepare one for the future. Corey also shared his AFL experiences as a player with the Collingwood Football Club. Boarding inspired Form quizzes and a fundraising sausage sizzle – with proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House, were also part of the Boarding Week.
