Seasons at Stannies Summer Edition 2020/2021

seasons at

stannies TERM 4 | SUMMER 2020

Celebrating Our Spirit

SEASONS AT STANNIES - SUMMER TERM 4 2020 | 1 www.stannies.com

Welcome

From the Head of College It is fair to say that the end of the 2020 school year comes as an enormous relief for many of us. While every year is busy, this one has been impacted by the disruption and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the traditions and rhythms of school life that anchor our experience of the year were cancelled, postponed, rescheduled, or modified in order to meet the ever-changing requirements of effective infection control and physical distancing.

Just getting our heads around all the possibilities and configurations was tiring enough!

However, despite the difficulties, the strengths of the Stannies community shone through and the high quality of our educational, sporting and spiritual programs continued to guide our young men towards their potential.

While we may have done things differently, we saw that through our strengths of community and connection, our boys still achieved amazing things.

The pages of the fourth edition of Seasons At Stannies record not only the “what” of our term but more importantly the “who” and the “how”. It is the Stannies “way” that has allowed us to navigate the challenges of 2020 as well as we have.

This edition of Seasons At Stannies also coincides with the change in Church seasons from Ordinary Time to Advent and Christmas. Advent and Christmas are times of preparation for and celebration of our God entering our world through the birth of His son, Jesus Christ. We can take immeasurable confidence from these seasons as it shows that God is in constant dialogue with His people.

Despite what we may have felt throughout the year, we were not created and left to fend for ourselves. The message of Christmas is that God demonstrated His continued presence in our world and His ongoing invitation for a relationship with us.

We are never alone.

On behalf of the entire Stannies community, may you have a safe and Holy Christmas full of family and friends. We pray that it will be a time of rest and reflection following a very busy and unsettled year.

We can have great confidence about the blessings that 2021 will bring if only we trust in the name of our Lord.

Mr Lindsay Luck, Head of College

Transforming Schools The 4Cs of 21st Century skills let our students create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Collaboration teaches our students that groups can create something bigger and better than one can on their own.

Stannies uses coherence images called creativity cascades, critical reflection crucibles, communication crystals and collaboration circles, as seen here, to bring the 4Cs models to life in the classroom.

TERM 4 2020

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Year 8 Visual and Isaac showing AT off the Sunnyside potato-crop 2Will|Art SEASONS STANNIES SUMMER

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Combined, the 4Cs empower students to become one-person think tanks. Then, when our students work together, they can achieve almost anything!

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Communication and Collaboration are fundamental life skills that students can draw from in their everyday experiences at the College and shape their ability to live, connect with others and work well in their future.

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Stannies Family

Stannies Family

Vincentian Voice

Vincentian Voice St Vincent de Paul Youth Conference Blessed Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was a French author, lawyer, journalist and equal rights advocate who founded, with fellow students, the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The Society was founded in 1833 to help impoverished people living in what were challenging circumstances in the slums of Paris, France. At this time, France had no social welfare system and the poor were left to fend for themselves.

One night in a discussion group, a critic of the Church challenged Frederick to live out his beliefs and not just talk about them, to do something for the people of their time. There and then he and six others decided to put their words into action.

The little group began to meet weekly. They contributed to a secret collection and would then visit the poor in their homes to distribute what they had collected.

They visited the sick, gave out financial assistance, food, firewood, candles and did counselling. These students of 1833 wished to help one another to remain faithful to their baptismal commitment and to carry out, supported by their mutual friendship, one of the essential duties of the Christian life – love one another as God loves you.

Since these modest ideas were in keeping with the tradition of St Vincent de Paul, the little conference chose him as their

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Patron at an early stage. They called themselves the Conference of Charity. To their astonishment, their work grew rapidly and by 1850 their movement had spread throughout France and to 14 other countries including Australia.

A St Vincent de Paul youth conference is a self-run group of young volunteers, often from the same local area, who meet regularly to plan community outreach programs. These are dynamic groups with a clear aim to help make the world a better place.

Young adults run activity days for kids, assist on the Vinnies Soup Vans, conduct home visits, tutor, run and participate in many other works of social justice, as well as social events.

In 1910 Father Maurice O’Reilly, President of St Stanislaus’ College, had a vision for a senior youth conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society at the College. He is quoted as saying to the young men of the College at the time, that the formation of a College Conference “would aid in their personal sanctification; wean them from their natural selfishness; broaden their sympathies; super naturalise their motives in alms-giving and personal service; and in general, prepare them to become in later life, in their own parishes, practical Catholics and good parishioners.”

Father O’Reilly’s vision saw the first SVDP Conference established west of the Blue Mountains and this year the St Stanislaus’ College SDVP conference celebrated 110 years of continuous service to our Community. Throughout the

decades the SVDP Society at the College has inspired many young men to support causes both locally and internationally. During WWII the young men of the society collected reading material and care packages for our armed forces serving overseas.

Our connection with the Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo started in the early 1940s when the Hostel was in its infancy stages having been established in 1938. Over the last 80 years, the members have provided practical help to the Hostel through donations of money, reading materials, used clothing, nonperishable food, personal care items and at Christmas, the College band and choirs would travel down to perform carols for the men.

During the 50s and 60s the SVDP members visited St Vincent’s Hospital, the newly established Aged Care Facility in Bathurst, St Joseph’s Orphanage and also started home visitations for the elderly who needed lawns mowed, gardens weeded and any odd jobs done around the house. It is quoted in an old Echoes from the 1960s that the boys completed these activities with “zeal and good humour and looked forward to the cup of tea and chat with the recipients after a morning’s hard work.”

It was also during the 1950s, under the direction of Father E. Trzeciak CM, that the SVDP members were involved in publishing a Polish Catholic Weekly (approximately 1500 copies per week) for both the Polish migrants at the Bathurst Migrant Hostel and for distribution

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Stannies Family

Celebration

Vincentian Voice

Year 12 Insight

“Charity is the cement which binds Communities to God and persons to one another…” St Vincent de Paul

further afield. It is interesting to note that in 1973, under the guidance of Father Pat Finn CM, the boys undertook the collection of aluminum cans to be sold at the local scrap metal business. This fundraising activity has again been revitalised at the College in recent years and continues to this day.

One of the most significant achievements of our College Society was in 1984 when, under the guidance of Father Stan Barry CM, our relationship was established with the Nausori Conference in Fiji. This relationship with Fiji has flourished and now 36 years on, has expanded to include Natovi.

In 2004 when I commenced at the College, I had the privilege of working with the late Father James Maloney CM and the College Day and Boarding Conferences for the next 10 years.

Father Jim had been a member of

the SVDP as a student in 1942. He was also a former President of the College. His recollections of his involvement in the activities were entertaining and insightful into the workings of the Conference over a period which spanned 70 years. This included delivering soap to inmates at the Bathurst Gaol once a month, having boys slaughtering and plucking chickens for local widows for Christmas Dinner, walking to the Homeless Men’s Shelter on Gormans Hill Road to play an intellectually stimulating game of Chess on the weekend, playing games with the local children at the orphanage and of course running the annual Melbourne Cup sweep in the 1960s to help raise revenue!

Father Jim had wise words for the boys who wished to join our ranks and to paraphrase it was, “we are the doers boys, we have the thinkers who think about what needs to be done, we have the talkers who talk about helping, but

boys - we are the doers, we give our time and our services, we see a need and we act upon that need”.

This, to me, epitomizes the spirit of the Conference at the College.

Over the past 110 years, the members of the SVDP have thought of ingenious ways to raise money and donate items for numerous worthy causes but they have given the most precious of resources – their time. Time to mow lawns, weed gardens, sell raffle tickets, pack food hampers, sell hot chips, collect aluminium cans, wash cars and to visit, sit and chat with someone at St Catherine’s Nursing Home. The list goes on and on.

The Assumption Catholic Primary School Bathurst Year 12 Graduates

If Father O’Reilly was to see our Stannies Conference now I’m sure he would be proud of the values that have been instilled in so many young men who have taken up the challenge to put their Catholic faith into action.

Year 12 Boarding Graduates

Mrs Roslyn King

The Key Values of the SDVP Society are Commitment: loyalty in service.

Compassion: welcoming and serving all with understanding and without judgement.

Respect: service to all regardless of creed, ethnic or social background, health, gender or political opinions.

Integrity: promoting, maintaining and adhering to our Christian values.

Empathy: establishing relationships based on respect, trust, friendship and perception.

Advocacy: working to transform the causes of poverty and challenging the causes of human injustice.

Courage: encouraging spiritual growth, welcoming innovation and giving hope for the future

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Year 12 Graduates

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Celebration

Creativity

Year 12 Insight

Student Voice Stewardship at Stannies

ool Kelso Graduates

Holy Family Primary Sch

Year 12

The Prefect Team with Bishop McKenna and Mr Luck

The role of a Prefect at Stannies is a highly respected and very important one. Younger students in the College look to our Prefect Team as role models and see them as students who are there to help and support them in many different aspects of their school life.

Cathedral Catholic Primary School Bathurst Graduates

Our Prefect Team represents Stannies to prospective student families, current student families, staff and the wider Stannies community. Prefects have general responsibilities as part of daily College life and also take up other roles throughout the year from leading Year 7 Orientation Day activities to hot chip fundraising stalls.

St Philomena’s Catholic Primary Scho

ol South Bathurst Graduates

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Our Prefect Team for 2021 is: Malcolm Bartlett, Joshua Borland,

Dylan Challita, Liam Cooke, Tristian England, Jacob George, Jackson Hughes, Oliver Kemp, Hayden Maher, Mason Martinez, Jack Morrison, Charles Patterson, Bill Statham, Peter Woodhead and James Zhang. Head Prefect is Jacob George with Deputy Prefects Malcolm Bartlett and Peter Woodhead.

2021 Head Prefect, Jacob George

Head Prefect Jacob George shared these thoughts on Speech Day 2020...

“Good afternoon Students, Teachers, Parents, Staff, distinguished guests and members of the Stannies community.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to act as the student voice for the College. I am very grateful to have been given this role, and I have incredible confidence in the Prefect Team of 2021, as well as the Year 12 cohort. We will always act in the best interest of the College. It is a tremendous privilege for us to give back to the community.

The Prefect Team, and Year 12 as a whole, instil a sense of pride and camaraderie between each other, as we work together with our different perspectives and ideas to create a better Stannies. We aim to be a voice for younger students, giving them a chance to engage in positive changes for the College.

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Creativity

Creativity

Student Voice Thank you to all of the staff for assisting in the growth of our year group as we shift from Stannies boys to Stannies men, filled with the characteristics of Vincentian ideals.

To my family; Mum, Dad and Reuben, thank you for pushing me to do my best and unwavering support. To Mr Luck, as leaders of the schools, we hope that we can help achieve your vision for Stannies. Mrs Welsh and Ms Roth thank you for guiding us as a year group for the last five years. Mrs Welsh, you have brought our year group together, regardless of friend group or perspective, you have made us a band of brothers.

We will lead by example and strive for excellence in every avenue that

Student Voice

we pursue. This growth has created a strong year group and your continued hard work and support cannot be overlooked. Thank you Mrs Welsh, you’re our hero and you will always have a special place in our hearts.

to the seniors and aspiring to be like them, as they led by example and acted as role models. As a year group, we will strive to follow the example of St Vincent de Paul and encourage every student to do the same.

Boys, it is crucial for us to celebrate one another. We must respect one another and act with kindness and compassion each and every day.

When we make mistakes, we must own them, as that is what it means to be a Stannies man. This school is a home away from home for not only the boarders but even the day boys, every day we walk through the corridors, we cherish every moment we spend together.

Every time I hear the Vincentius being sung, The Ric ringing out, or the banter between one another, I feel a part of the brotherhood. This brotherhood is what we, as leaders of the school, wish to provide to the students. It fills the community with pride and respect for one another as we all stand side by side united as Stannies men.

I distinctly remember when I first came to Stannies and looking up

2021 Deputy Head Prefect, Peter Woodhead

Malcolm Bartlett: The Prefect Team at Stannies to me is a selection of capable Stannies men that are always involved within as well as outside the school community. They are the leaders of the school and serve as role models for the younger year groups to look up to. This team should be able to relate to the vast majority of the activities of the school, meaning that boys with all different interests and talents have to be involved in order to best represent the school in the wider community.

Most importantly, lead by example and just be yourself, because these two attributes are vital to pathing the way for the future generations of Stannies men to come.

Peter Woodhead: As a member of the Prefect Team for 2021, I have learned that the Prefect Team is a group of people who are motivated team-players who have the needs of others in the community placed above themselves. They are the voice of the students; the ones who face the school community with care, respect and the leadership required, in order to share what it means to be a Stannies Man. They lead by example and all are honoured to give back to the school - but are not afraid to give it a push in the right direction. They are not just role models, but mates; and they take all opportunities available to help others around them with the Vincentian charism that has been passed on between the generations at Stannies.

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Our 2021 student House leaders individually and collectively possess positive leadership skills, a strong Stannies Spirit, good organisational skills, a supportive, caring and fair attitude, a respectful conduct towards House members and the whole College community, are responsible and fantastic role models.

We would like to congratulate the following students:

Thank you very much for this opportunity. Merry Christmas and enjoy your holidays. Together we can make 2021 a great year.”

What does the Stannies Prefect Team mean to me?

2021 Deputy Head Prefect, Malcolm Bartlett

House Roles The role of House Captain and House Vice-Captain at Stannies are positions of responsibility within the College-wide community.

Humility

Honour

Faith

Captain: Deng Diing Vice Captains: Nicholas Lane, Blake Kreuzberger

Captain: Denzil Begley Vice Captains: Jack Besgrove, William Grant

Captain: Fletcher Norris Vice Captains: Jacob Cullen, James Pucci

Compassion

Service

Leadership

Captain: Harvey Thurston Vice Captains: Cooper Earsman, Jack Nunan

Captain: Willis Redden Vice Captains: Jaiden Gunning, Thomas Collins

Captain: Nicholas Parnell Vice Captains: Tyler Sharwood, Preston Turner

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Collaboration

Sport Highlights

Collaboration

Congratulations

2020 SPORTS STARS

Clayton Allen - Basketball

Stannies has continued its proud sporting tradition in supporting students who want to achieve their best at the highest level.

Western Region Academy of Sport Basketball Development Squad

Congratulations to all our individual and team sportsmen.

Jack Besgrove - Softball

Cooper Brien - Cricket

Leo Ferguson - Rugby Union

Jack Gangemi - Basketball

Hayden Maher - Rugby Union

Jack Morrison - Rugby Union 2020 NSWJRU U18 Gen Blue School Boy Team

Softball Australian U23 Men’s Squad, World Cup 2021, NSWCISSC Medallion

2020 NSWJRU U18 Gen Blue Country Team

2020 NSWJRU U18 Gen Blue Country Team

CIS Award

2020 NSWJRU U18 Gen Blue Country Team

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James Champion - Athletics

Jett Chaniotis - Basketball

Jake David - Golf

Will Kelly - Swimming

ISA Champion, CIS State Champion

Western Region Academy of Sport Basketball Development Squad

Western Region Academy of Sport Scholarship

Finalist 2021 U17 National Open Water 5K Swim

Kurt Lansom - Basketball

Cadel Lovett - Cycling Western Region Academy of Sport Elite Athlete Pathway

400m NSW Representative Australian All Schools Athletic Championships

Jack Lynch - Athletics

Thomas Lynch - Cricket

Bill Statham - Rugby league

Joe Sullivan - Rugby Union

Western Region Academy of Sport Basketball Development Squad

Fletcher Norris - Hockey

Silver Medalist National Championships, NSW U18s Advanced Athletes Program (AAP) Squad for 2019/2020, NSWCISSC Medallion

Penrith Panthers SG Ball Squad

2020 NSWJRU U18 Gen Blue School Boy Team

CIS Award

Jackson Tapu - Basketball

2020 NSW Country U18 Mens Team State Performance Program 2020/2021

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Communication

Communication

Inspiring Futures

Youth Council Representatives

A key component of our Elevate Program, Project Inspire is a Stannies and MacKillop College coeducational, co-curricular, talented and gifted program for self-selected Year 10 students.

The Bathurst Regional Youth Council provides a key link between young people in the Bathurst Region, the Bathurst Regional Council and other youth service providers in the region.

This year, 35 students nominated an interest in a wide range of career subjects including music production, aviation, computing engineering, law, design, zoology, diesel mechanic, medicine, health and psychology.

Being a part of the Youth Council involves attending regular meetings, voicing your ideas, developing and working on projects, promoting the work of the Youth Council and assisting with the running of Youth Council events.

The program offers an opportunity of ‘advanced study’ in a specialist subject area. Whilst our main academic goal is to obtain knowledge, Project Inspire students work with a Mentor in developing a project where the goal is to contribute knowledge to a field of study.

Project Inspire brain-storming

Project Inspire Mentors create a professional training environment where students learn the skills to be successful in their fields and gain an understanding of how their disciplines work.

At Stannies, we understand that students’ career goals are evolutionary and Mentors can assist students with the evolution

of their professional career goals.

Mentoring provides an opportunity for knowledge and skills sharing as well as professional socialisation and personal support. Students work in teams and at the conclusion of a three-month mentoring program present their real-world projects to an audience of peers, Mentors and College staff.

The Youth Council is made up of representatives from local schools including Denison College Bathurst and Kelso campuses, Scots All Saints College, St Stanislaus’ College, MacKillop College and Skillset Senior College.

The new Youth Council met for the first time in early November and elected Bathurst High student Zoe Peters as Youth Mayor and St Stanislaus’ College student Joshua Borland as Youth Deputy Mayor.

Committee members include Stannies men Travis Barrie and Ben Davis. All three were members of the 2019/2020 Bathurst Regional

Youth Council and the College especially congratulates Josh on his new role.

Josh says “Being the newly appointed Deputy Mayor for the Bathurst Youth Council, I aim to help bring more dynamic, engaging and fun events for the Bathurst Youth. I aim to make sure all voices are heard inside and outside the Council to truly be the voice of the youth of Bathurst. Being elected into this role is a prestigious honour and I hope to gain lots of experience being a leader and learning more about local government and our great city!”

Brilliance Unleashed Also part of our Elevate Program, Unleashing Brilliance is an extension program for students in Years 7 to 9.

The aim of Unleashing Brilliance is for students to be provided with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a challenging project to deepen their understanding and build on an area of individual student interest.

The students have the option to co-design their project with a group of peers or work individually to extend

on the transferable skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity: Stannies 4Cs learning framework. Students bring with them a willingness to challenge themselves and grow, both academically and personally.

The program also assists participants to develop and model leadership skills, build mutually beneficial learning relationships and benefit from collaborating with others to plan, develop and create.

As an additional learning experience alongside the

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academic curriculum, students need to demonstrate strong organisational

and

time

management skills to incorporate this project into their school commitments and assessments.

The Unleashing Brilliance program begins at the end of Term 1 and students work towards an exciting interdisciplinary project to be revealed in Term 3.

The Unleashing Brilliance program is an exciting opportunity for the students to extend their learning past the regular curriculum and develop critical thinking skills.

Left to right: Deputy Youth Mayor Joshua Borland with Ben Davis and Travis Barrie

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Celebration

Year 7 Insight

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Celebration

Year 7 Insight

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Celebration

Community

Year 7 Insight

Farewell Mr Melville He has helped shape the lives of literally thousands of young men who have walked the halls of St Stanislaus’ College, but after 33 years with the school, Geoff Melville is calling it a day.

Currently the Deputy Head of College, Mr Melville has been appointed to the position of Assistant Principal at Saint Paul’s College Kempsey. Geoff began his teaching career at the College straight from university. He loved the school so much, he never left.

“I’d just finished at UNE, I’ve only had the one employer,” he laughed as he reflected on his tenure. He, along with his wife Therese, have always planned the move north.

Therese’s family are based in Kempsey and own property there.

“Her Dad is in his early 90s running a farm,” Mr Melville said. So when a position opened up at St Paul’s, they saw it as a great opportunity to move there to be closer to her family. He said the timing has worked out very well, with Therese also continuing her career as an accountant on the mid-north coast.

Reflecting on his time at Stannies, he said he has seen many changes.

His first position saw him teaching agriculture and when he arrived at the school, its farm had no fences.

“I was the first Ag teacher here,” he said. “But I had really great support from the parents and the department was developed.

Fences were installed and a cattle and sheep stud was established, with the school going on to show at both metropolitan and local shows.” His career progressed and

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in 1998 he was promoted to the Head of Science within the school.

I’m also really proud of the results that come from the school.”

In 2000 he was Senior Admin Coordinator and in 2002 Head of Curriculum. In 2017 he was appointed to Deputy Head of College. Mr Melville said he has genuinely loved every day and every role at the school. “I do love it here, I love the boys, I think they are genuine and compassionate and think of others,” he said. “There is a great spirit within the school, as a Vincentian school it really embraces the support of others.”

He said that spirit is across all things the students are involved in and he sees the boys growing into really good, young men with incredible respect for others. He also said the staff he has worked with over the last 30 plus years have been beautiful. “The staff are incredible,” he said. “My two boys were here, so I’ve seen the College as both a staff member and as a parent, so I’ve lived the experience.

While Mr Melville is sad to leave, he said he is leaving on a high. He will miss many things, including its Leadership Team and priests he has worked with. “Being here has been a wonderful vocation for me,” he said “I’ve met Vincentian priests who have changed my life.

And Lindsay Luck is an outstanding appointment for the school, he really understands boys’ education, and the school has thrived under his leadership.”

Mr Melville said he was also thankful to the school which had given him such amazing opportunities, including coaching Rugby Union at an Australian Schoolboys level. “I’ve been supported incredibly well by my wife, the Vincentians, the Stannies community, staff, students, parents and Old Boys. My time here really has been an incredible joy,” he said.

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Scholarship and enrolment applications for 2022 now open 2022 SCHOLARSHIP EXAM 10 FEBRUARY 2021

Contact College Registrar via email registrar@stannies.com for details

COLLEGE TOURS BY APPOINTMENT Enrolment enquiries and tour bookings via registrar@stannies.com or 6331 4177

www.stannies.com

Front cover: Peter Woodhead Page 17: Story and photo: Jacinta Carroll. Article courtesy of the Western Advocate, Bathurst NSW

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220 Bentinck Street (PO Box 97) Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 02 6331 4177 Fax: 02 6334 4285 Email: registrar@stannies.com SEASONS AT STANNIES - SUMMER TERM 4 2020 www.stannies.com

@stanniesbathurst