Principal’s Address

Administration

It has been my absolute privilege to be part of our magnificent school throughout 2006. In this report I wish to provide a brief review of aspects of Trinity life whilst alluding to current successes and future challenges. Since our inception in 1894 a formal Christian Brothers presence at Trinity has been a constant reminder of our heritage and a link to the founder of the Brothers, Blessed Edmund Rice. That formal presence concluded when Br Robert Callen left at the end of 2005 and thus the year 2006 is an important milestone in Trinity’s history. I am pleased to advise that throughout 2006 the College has continued to give authentic expression to the values and charism that have served us for 112 years. Our challenge now is not only to preserve the past but also to ensure Trinity continues to evolve as an Edmund Rice college. What is happening at Trinity is mirrored throughout the country. The four Edmund Rice Provinces (we are part of the Holy Spirit Province – WA/SA) are in the process of forming Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA). This process of change extends beyond governance issues and is both exciting and daunting. Trinity is a wonderful school but we are faced with certain challenges. We live in an era of rapid economic and technological development when schools have become more complex than ever before, adopting the language of business with ‘strategic planning’ and ‘mission statement’ becoming part of the education vocabulary. Education is a lot more complicated than it was in the past. A senior Christian Brother put it beautifully when he said ‘schools were pretty simple to run in my day. If you were a big bloke and it looked like you could handle 100 kids they made you head of Year 8. If you were a big bloke with a booming voice and it looked like you could handle 1,000 kids they made you headmaster!’ (perhaps CBC Fremantle appoints principals by this criterion!). In the past few years education has been constantly in the news and often for all the wrong reasons! In Western Australia the educational landscape continues to change and as teachers we feel at times as if we are political pawns grappling with the conflicting demands imposed by the state and federal governments. I marvel at the dedicated Trinity teachers as I sit back at meetings and listen to them speak. Their constant overarching concern is to deliver the best possible education as they engage in healthy debate with healthy divergence of opinion about the merits of an outcomes based approach. Then they just roll up their sleeves and get on with it. There is no doubt that at all times the staff wants what is best for our students.

Mr Robert Henderson

Principal Another challenge for Trinity is financial. My background is in teaching economics and one of the first questions we learn in elementary economics is ‘How do I best allocate my scarce resources to satisfy my many needs and wants?’. This question is particularly pertinent to Trinity. Colleagues from other PSA schools often ask how Trinity manages to deliver comparable services on half the fees. The answer is ‘with extreme difficulty!’. Over the past decade one way that the College has been able to keep fees comparatively low is by increasing student numbers and gaining the benefits of economies of scale, but we are now at saturation point with plenty of enrolment applications but no room at the inn! It is an economic imperative that our finances are well placed to deal with the obvious infrastructure needs: the possible transition of Year 7 students to Middle School; the refurbishment of Gibney Hall and the Chapel (now under way); improved performing arts facilities (an absolute necessity – I marvel at our brilliant teachers and performers, but we do not have facilities of a comparable standard); development of the playing fields at Waterford; having a suitable maintenance program for buildings over 40 years old. It is a long list! A Middle and Senior School fee of $6,000 is the 2006 reality; in 2007 it will be closer to $7,000. Our fees will never be as high as those of other PSA schools but should be in the range equivalent to 65-75% of them. This is a significant issue for the future.

The Trinity Passion

Turning our attention to more positive matters, when we interview prospective teachers we sometimes ask ‘what are you passionate about?’ and there is much to be passionate about when discussing the young men of Trinity. Statistics concerning low youth attendance and participation in parish life reminds us of the prime importance of being, first and foremost, a Catholic school. The primary purpose of a Catholic school is evangelisation – to bring the good news of Jesus to the people – and our faith formation programs incorporating Religious Education, Campus Ministry and Christian Service continue to flourish. When we have fine young men like Justin Russell and Tom Gryta wanting to become Catholics before they complete Year 12 great joy and pride is brought to our College, and we are blessed to have Fr Michael (even if he does support the Western Bulldogs!). I urge our students and families to pray! It was Sr Joan Chittister who said ‘…prayer is not meant to change the world. It is meant to change us so that we can change the world…’. I love the fact that our Kairos initiative has already spread to CBC Fremantle and St Norbert College. Term 3 we hosted over 500 representatives from Edmund Rice ministries from around the state and I lost count of the number of delegates who commented positively about the courtesy, grooming and maturity of our student helpers. Our students are not only courteous, groomed and mature but also very talented. Academically Trinity’s results are very good and we constantly strive for excellence. Last year the TEE results placed 82% of our students in the top two-thirds in the state, with 48% of those in the top one-third. These results were complemented by very good statewide testing results in Year 9 and the Junior School. More and more standardised testing is being introduced and we are responding by developing devices to monitor and track the progress of individual students. The message for students is that although our results are impressive there is no magic formula for academic success. As Albert Einstein once said ‘it’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer…’. In 2006 our music and sporting achievements have been phenomenal. Our music, dance and drama ensembles were awarded the Catholic Schools Zenith Music Award and Trinity won the athletics; both successes were for the third year in succession. The Trinity football 1st XVIII won for the fourth year in succession; Trinity was the only school to have a top three finish in each of the ‘whole school events’ (swimming, rowing and athletics); and we came second in the swimming – our best result ever! These successes roll easily off the tongue but the achievements are exceptional. All the students, staff, coaches and parents involved are hereby acknowledged and applauded. As Catholics we are sometimes apologetic about our success. We shouldn’t be! These results come about

Administration

Administration

through a combination of talent and sheer hard work. I believe that it is important to acknowledge success and strive for excellence in achieving one’s personal best and this is a recurring theme at Trinity. Persistence is the key. The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places; the choice is whether to stop and park or continue our journey down that road. Perhaps we can learn from Michael Jordan, the world’s greatest ever basketballer, who said ‘I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life…and that is why I succeed.’

I love the fact that on the Year 8 Quest Retreat the senior students tell their stories to the Year 8s. By the end of the retreat I was so impressed with the Year 12 students that I tried to recruit several of them as prospective teachers! Our senior students constantly provide an outstanding example to the younger students and their pride in Trinity is infectious. The model of Quest is fantastic; outstanding young teachers led by Mr Osnain training outstanding senior students, who in turn guide the Year 8s. I love hearing stories about our students going beyond the call of duty. At the Athletics Dinner, Director of Sport, Steve Leahy related a terrific anecdote. A Year 10 student, Joshua Hicks, was expected to break two PSA records in his age group but graciously agreed to run in a higher age group to maximise points for Trinity, winning both middle distance events in that higher age group. On the way home the athletics team stopped off in the city for some food and somehow Josh missed the bus home – so he ran and beat the bus back to Trinity! My wife Robyn and young daughters, Mia, Zoe and Abbey, must tire of me coming home with stories about our students, but the fact that I feel compelled to tell them says a lot about the magical spirit of Trinity. At Speech Night this year I had two quick messages for the boys. The first was that at the PSA Inters this year I was a spectator of not only our competing athletes but also of my fellow spectators in the stands. As such I observed that in a disciplined, controlled environment Trinity students rise to the occasion. Their participation in support of our athletes and the sportsmanship they demonstrated was far superior to that of some other PSA schools.

My second message to the boys was that the challenge is to translate this very high standard to less controlled environments. Specifically, the culture of bus misbehaviour must change. We all know that, although some improvement is already evident, there is room for significantly more and this is an area with an opportunity for strong student leadership to be displayed in future years. As I leave Trinity I wish to make some brief acknowledgements. To the students – thank you for making it a pleasure for me to come to work every day. Trinity is by far the best school I have worked in and this is largely because of the quality of its young men! To the staff – thank you for your outstanding dedication and loyalty. We have worked hard but equally we have shared lots of laughs and enjoyed each other’s company. Who could ask for more than that? To the parents – thank you for your positive endorsement and support as exemplified by the leaders of our parent bodies: Leanne O’Dea (Board Chair), Marilyn Harries (President of the College Auxiliary) and Sharon Staude (Chair of the Parent Council). I thank you for your love of Trinity and unqualified support. I congratulate Mr Banks and wish him well, knowing that he will be an excellent Principal. It has been said ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans’. In complete disregard of that warning I plan that one day I will return to Trinity.