RETURN

As an Anglican school informed by the teachings and example of Jesus, serving others, especially those less fortunate, has always been a part of St Mary’s culture. Over time, this has taken on many forms and by 2019, our Service Learning Program included a number of trips to Indigenous communities for our Year 10 students and a Cambodian experience for our girls in Year 11.

I am delighted that we will be able to recommence the program in 2023. Based on a model called Service In Action that I created during my time as Director of Service Learning and Leadership at Christ Church Grammar School, the four ‘pillars’ include educational exchange, cultural awareness, learning through service and leadership development.

While away, our students live in community, which is a rare opportunity, and they effectively act as teacher aides as they help with literacy, numeracy, IT skills, health and physical education, and other activities that the teachers or the community may ask for assistance with. The girls also try to learn more about the community’s history and culture and engage with children, staff and parents at after-school events.

This year, 23 Year 10s will enjoy an Indigenous immersion experience alongside boys from Christ Church Grammar School and Hale School in places like Looma, Tambellup, Marble Bar, Kununurra, Nullagine and One Arm Point. Twelve Year 11s will join boys from Christ Church Grammar School in Cambodia, where we have partnered with the outstanding Cambodian Children’s Fund for the last decade.

The feedback and outcomes from these experiences over the years have been wonderful. Many former students talk about service learning being a lifechanging experience and go on to include serving those less fortunate than themselves as an important part of their lives. It will be a privilege to see these programs up and running again and I look forward to meeting and working with the impressive young people who will volunteer their time and their talents in the service of others.

The Reverend Richard Pengelley

Did you know that 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit? The rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity in Chinese culture, and therefore 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope – and that feels just right to me. After three difficult years where the St Mary’s community has been tested, I am optimistic that 2023 will be a year of great joy and positivity.

As we open up following COVID restrictions, we will be reimagining and reigniting our exchange programs, our cocurricular activities and, of course, the endless possibilities for our outdoor education program at Metricup – an extraordinary 84 hectares of opportunities. These are just some of the things that I would consider to be the ‘icing on the cake’ for a wonderful, well-rounded and exciting educational experience for all of our students.

It will also be the year that we see our new Creative Arts and Design Centre completed. After being enthralled by our Wearable Art students at last year’s

Speech Night, we are all excited to see how high the creativity bar can continue to be raised with a new arts hub to spark our girls’ imaginations.

If the Year of the Rabbit is also about longevity and prosperity, I am excited that we as a community will be building on the successes of the past to engage hearts and ignite curious minds as we begin to gather support and funding for the next major project of St Mary’s Masterplan 2019-2030 – the new Science and Technology Centre. This new facility will help us to continue developing curious girls who are driven to find solutions for a better tomorrow.

On behalf of the Board of Governors, I thank you for choosing to be a part of the St Mary’s community and to be part of providing opportunities for the next generation of young women to make their mark on this world. Here’s to a year of hope and grand ideas.

Elizabeth Carr (’81) AM Chair, Board of Governors