College Co-Captains’ Message

Wow, what a year. I would have never thought to be granted the opportunity to be a College CoCaptain let alone in a pandemic! Trying to maintain my role as a leader without the physical presence of my community on campus was a real challenge as friendly smiles and approachable demeanors were not entirely doable online. However, despite this and with the help of the Prefect Team we tried our best to bring the community closer together in a safe environment.

“Sometimes you never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”

Following a quote from Mother Theresa, “You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things,” I would have not been able to achieve the best I could from my role as a Co-Captain if it weren’t for the help of my fellow Prefect Team and peers. The first stage of remote learning allowed everybody to reflect and focus on our personal goals, accommodating our interests. This was enriching in the sense and by the time we came together as a team, we were able to unite our individual differences being a voice for the girls at St Aloysius, we brought together our different interests and hobbies whether they be sports, music or academia.

Essentially, this year has taught me how to collaborate and communicate with the St Aloysius community, interacting in and outside of school hours utilising social media platforms and technology. This highlighted the most important thing that I learnt this year, that the spirit of St Aloysius never truly dies even during the state of a pandemic.

Subsequently, this was also highlighted through St Aloysius Day. Although we performed activities within our pastoral groups, we took this year’s St Aloysius Day in another direction where we focused on the girls’ ability to work together participating in various activities organised by the Prefect Team. This enabled students to develop meaningful relationships within their pastoral groups. This ensured that my goal of bringing the community closer together, was achieved. It is memories like these that will benefit the friendly dynamics between the girls in the future, as they reflect on their experiences within high school.

My role as College Co-Captain has been a good one, a memory I will never forget, leaving my mark at St Aloysius the best way that I could. My concluding year at St Aloysius, with the opportunity to represent the community as College Co-Captain has gone faster than I had anticipated. This saddens me, however, brings light to the beginning of my new journey. To end with a Dr Seuss quote, I would have wished to savour every moment of this year as, “Sometimes you never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”

Georgia-Mae Salvo College Co-Captain

It seems like a lifetime ago when we embarked on the application to be a part of the Prefect Team. It was during that process that we learnt the integral values of leadership, compassion, communication and courage, just to name a few. If we thought we knew what those words meant in 2019, we were wrong. If anything, the definitions of these qualities have only been clarified and exemplified in this strange and unusual year.

This year has asked more out of all of us, asked us to all be leaders in our own lives, all facing our individual challenges along the way. Being the College Co-Captain has been a wonderful and rewarding experience. To lead such a wonderful school makes it even more worthwhile. If there is anything I would like to take away from this year, it is the appreciation and gratitude that I have towards the College, that has only grown deeper.

The 2020 highlight reel may be short, but it definitely means a lot more to us. Each day we spent on campus holds the same value to a whole month in each other’s presence. Never have I been more grateful for a formal in January in 40ºC weather. These memories, although limited, have only cemented themselves to become a fonder part of the year that I hold very dearly to my heart. In tough times, it was these moments of happiness that got me through and knowing that soon we would be able to spend time together again.

I am a firm believer that when everything is uncertain, everything that is important becomes clear. This has held true in tenfold in relation to our school community. The heart and soul of St. Aloysius College is its people, and I learnt that the hard way. I cannot express my gratitude towards our community enough. It means a lot to know that we are cared for, a hot chocolate in the mail goes a long way! However, despite the lack of physical interaction, I believe that this year has brought us closer together and taught me to cherish the time spent with those that matter to us. For our cohort of Year 12s especially, despite it not being the year any of us envisioned, we have made lots of memories, even if they were through the pixels on our screens and facilitated by Microsoft Teams. From the conversations that have been held on a Google document or completing Kardashian quizzes during pastoral, this year has forced us to find innovative and creative ways to fulfil the interaction that we all needed; with some of us even going out of the way to connect more than we usually would. Even though these were some unprecedented times, I think we should all be proud of ourselves for the persistence and dedication that this year has asked of us. After all, who else can say that they completed Year 12 in a pandemic?

“When everything is uncertain, everything that is important becomes clear.”

Eunice Abis

College Co-Captain