BOARDING
The Power of Gratitude Boarding has been an integral part of life at St Catherine’s from its earliest days in Castlemaine in 1896. In an advertisement in the Mount Alexander Mail on 7 December 1895, our Founding Principal, Miss Jeanie Hood wrote that she would “receive boarders…at a dwelling in Templeton Street,” on Tuesday 4 February 1896.
As part of the celebration of the School’s 120 anniversary this year, an invitation was extended to all past boarders to join us at School for an afternoon tea in our newly refurbished café in the Mary Davis Centre. Nearly 160 former boarders who attended School between 1942 (at Warburton due to the Second World War) to 2013 at Illawarra, participated in the function with many stories shared about boarding. A group of current boarders offered to be guides for the afternoon and enjoyed showing the past boarders our current boarding facility as well as providing them the opportunity to explore their old dormitories in Sherren House. During Term 2, we dedicated the week before the mid-year examinations to Random Act of Kindness Week. We also created a coloured paper Gratitude Tree on the back window of the Dining Room. Everyone was asked to write on a post-it-note something that had gone well for them each day and attach it to the tree. Every
boarder was also provided the name of a secret person in an envelope and their goal was to treat their boarder to a random act of kindness. Many blocks and boxes of chocolates, small posies of flowers and messages of support and friendship were left anonymously on girls’ beds and outside their doors. Two notes left on the Gratitude Tree by girls in recognition of this week were: “really appreciated receiving such a cute card and flowers” and “got a lovely gift from my secret person.” During dinner the following week everyone had the opportunity to share who their secret boarder was and we all decided this would become an annual event. The Gratitude Tree is still there and the girls continue to add their messages! Another highlight on the boarding calendar each year is our annual Staff/Boarders Dinner. This provides an opportunity to invite our academic staff and the general staff who work with the boarders to dinner at Illawarra. Following
on from our highly successful Bollywood Dinner last year the Boarding Captains decided on the theme – An American Diner. The table decorations, music and menu all recreated a diner from the 1950s and the annual quizzes were hotly contested. The boarders love the chance to share their home with their teachers and each year the dinners become even more successful. Throughout St Catherine’s School’s 120 year history, boarders have played an essential part in the growth and development of our School. During Miss Langley’s time in the early 1900s, it is written in the School’s history that “boarders similarly remember the intimacy and warmth of Sunday afternoons when, at 3.00pm, they assembled and went to Miss Ruth Langley’s sitting room.” Today the boarders love to join the staff on the couches in the lobby to talk, help with jigsaws, share stories and chocolate as well as happenings at School. Perhaps some things never change. Mrs Sue Collister Director of Boarding Services
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