Ethos

The ethos of a school is an idea that is often spoken of in formal publications like this, but not readily encountered in the push and pull of daily life. Ethos is something that sounds good but is expected to give way to expediency, or cost.

I am always encouraged by the way ethos is lived out at St Aidan’s and not just paid lip-service. We know our story, and even better, we believe it. We expect that the values of the Sisters will be experienced in both the joys and challenges of our shared life. And we happily share with others that story, because we want them to know it too.

This year brought many opportunities for the St Aidan’s ethos to shape our life together. From the delayed start and all the challenges of a pandemic that emerged throughout the year, through the visceral effects of flooding on our doorstep, and over the doorsteps of members of our community, to some staff changes; we have all been asked to be humble, compassionate, courageous, faithful, resilient and wholehearted.

This is not to say that any of it is easy, or that we always get it right. However, we do know what the St Aidan’s ethos looks and feels like because we get it right often enough. Whether it is a flash mob of senior students dancing with the Year 7s at the Athletics Carnival or the Junior School students writing good luck messages to the Year 12s for their exams, or even families helping families during natural disaster or illness, our values are on display.

Ethos is most often experienced in the small moments that make a difference to one person’s life. Anyone who has been given a second chance, or a helping hand, knows this well. We retell the stories of the Sisters because we know that stories are important in making meaning of this crazy life. I like to talk about the courage of the Sisters in venturing into Northern Queensland in full English-style religious habits, complete with veil and wimple, and encountering the heat, humidity and wildlife of our tropics. I know that many of our staff and students show similar courage in turning up to school each day, ready to learn something new, try a different way of doing things, or face an anxiety or fear.

In the end, the ethos of St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School – the way we do things here – is how we make sense of our common life. Whether we are in the classroom or staffroom, sporting field or playground, library or music rehearsal, or chapel, we try to relate to each other in ways that embody the vision of the Society of the Sacred Advent, which is to prepare a place for God in our own hearts and in the world in which we live. We make room for God, who can be found in every person, to do God’s thing with us, and through us. And we give thanks for being part of this good work.