BEYOND BOARDERS Windows of opportunities

A new RGS Boarding initiative, Beyond Boarders, has three key layers - Beyond the Student; Beyond the Classroom; Beyond the School. This programme aims to give the RGS boarding community the opportunity to expand their own boundaries through varied activities within the School, and outreach in the broader community. RGS Head of Year 12 Boys Boarding Mr Kyle Langman is driving this opportunity.

Kyle Langman was looking for something extra to help grow ambition and personal leadership within the RGS boarding student community. “I wanted to provide the boarders with experiences they were not used to in different environments and develop a programme where the students could experience new things,’’ Mr Langman said.

There are three key components to the programme:

• Beyond the Student – Co-Curricular (commitment to sports and activities within School)

• Beyond the Classroom – Super-Curriculum (attending workshops to broaden knowledge)

• Beyond the School – Outreach (helping others in the community) Students obtain different levels throughout the programme, depending on their commitment to accessing the opportunities.

“This is all about going beyond yourself and your own boundaries. It’s about learning new things, new skills, new knowledge, getting out in the community and helping other people. It’s about learning more about yourself, which in turn, develops leadership,’’ Mr Langman said.

Mr Langman, also a teacher, fully understands the pressures on teachers in the classroom to deliver the prescribed curriculum within time restraints. Leaving little room to meaningfully explore discussions on life, within a lesson.

Fellow RGS teacher Mr Nick Blevin was invited to speak with the boarding community towards the end of Term 2, providing an emotional and passionate insight into his upbringing in Zimbabwe and his family’s move to Australia – a new country and a new culture.

Mr Blevin’s many inspirational messages to the students included the story of the chameleon and how it is a metaphor for a human being.

Left: RGS students helping at North Rockhampton Special School; Right: An attentive audience for Mr Blevin’s talk.

“You know your friends. If they are capable of being one person with you and another when you’re not there – I give you the chameleon. We have all been in those awkward social situations and we do what we need to do to fit in and make your way into a new group of people. Never do that at the expense of your morals and values. Know who you are and be proud of it,’’ Mr Blevin told over 200 boarders in the School’s Auditorium.

“Opportunities like this (Nick Blevin’s talk) help shape your knowledge about things that you might not have known. It helps you grow and gradually become a better person through all the experiences. It’s also about listening to life lessons,’’ Mr Langman said.

Personal finance courses where they can learn about tax returns and bank accounts, listening to visiting lecturers from CQUniversity or helping cook meals for food banks are just some opportunities being presented through Beyond Boarders.

Year 12 boarders this term also visitedt the North Rockhampton Special School, joining the students’ classrooms and play breaks.

Mr Langman said the RGS students were initially nervous because it was “new and scary”, but this was about creating an environment where the students could thrive.

“They did so well. They interacted, showed love, and put their arms around these students. They were shown a different side of the community, they loved it and wanted to come back again.”

Mr Langman said our environment was so “fast paced”.

“Everything is so quick and teenagers can get bored easily. This is about creating the right environment for them and helping them find some time to learn new, meaningful and applicable knowledge.”

Mr Langman wants the boarders to leave School and show their parents and future employers what they have achieved in this programme.

“Beyond Boarders is about looking beyond yourself and realising you can do good things and learn from it,’’ Mr Langman said.

“There are many educators in the boarding environment that are keen to collaborate with the programme from across the world, which opens endless possibilities to share resources, courses, ideas and speakers. It will be amazing for our students to have possible opportunities to work with students from other countries and even spend time in their boarding schools for a short exchange.

“I’m excited to see where this all goes. I’m sure it will go beyond my imagination.”