Year 9 Awards

YEAR 9

Based on the selfish and despicable behaviour of some highly regarded Australian athletes earlier this year, one could assume that the landscape for young men to navigate on their way to adulthood has never been more difficult and threatened by compromise.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for the young men of tomorrow as it was fortunate that around the same time, the Trinity College Class of 2021 decided that they would distinguish themselves from the crowd by setting themselves the goal of living out their selfdesignated trademark of being a United, Respectful, Brotherhood.

All pastoral activities which the cohort participated in then had a purpose in ensuring that students were renowned by all within the Trinity and wider community according to those three key words.

UNITED

This trademark value related to the group’s pursuit for sustained mental health and in giving back to the community whilst developing positive and productive relationships in being Men for all Others.

In association with the weekly Year 9 Becoming Men period, pastoral sessions focusing on goal-setting were well received and students identified vital strengths and challenges that were pivotal to their holistic growth. A Wellbeing Committee was established and members were fortunate to attend the zero2hero Mental Health and Wellness Forum at the Perth Convention Centre, where it was hoped it would assist them in developing the necessary skills required to sustain a resilient, positive and productive outlook to life over the busy years ahead. Of major significance, was the need for adolescent men to successfully manage their relationships and social media usage and express gratitude rather than being concerned with possible short-comings. Students thrived during workshops such as mindfulness, where the committee focused on presenting measures to boost student wellbeing within one of theCollege’s Four Pillars – Faith, Academic, Cultural and Sport. This committee will grow in the years ahead as the mental health of each student remains of paramount importance.

Throughout 2018, each student embraced the Christian Service aspect at the College in a variety of ways. Many boys were involved through meeting their responsibilities organised by Campus Ministry, which included fulfilling roles such as assisting teachers with developing reading skills in local primary school students. Others also dedicated themselves to external service opportunities such as the dozen Year 9 students who, for the second year running, spent 24 hours over a weekend early in Term 4 taking part in Relay for Life and raising a remarkable $3,100 for the Cancer Council.

During Term 3, the Councillors led the collective efforts of all students in their respective pastoral care groups to raise over $2,350 for LifeLink. Following the enthusiastic student response to the LifeLink presentation on Unfair Day, a vortex-throwing competition was organised to generate funds initially and this was then put towards a successful sausage sizzle.

To culminate the year, each Year 9 student donated resources to make a Christmas gift to give to a primary school student who may not share the same level of good fortune and opportunity. Following a Christmasthemed assembly focusing on giving, the boys flourished in putting the present together and decorated the giftbag finishing with a heartfelt Christmas message. A few lucky students then had the opportunity to play Santa as these gifts were delivered to the primary school at the end of the year. The expressions of gratitude and joy on the children’s faces was something to behold and I doubt the students present will ever forget.

Mr Andrew Jenkin

RESPECTFUL

This trademark value related to students developing greater self-confidence and being more self-assured, allowing them to accept others as well as individual differences.