Yet another busy school year has concluded with 2021.
In typical Chisholm fashion, it has again seen a return to the vibrant educational activity and lots of success and achievement. Our wonderful College continues to go forward, in new and responsive directions, with innovation and vision for our learning, and always with ongoing appreciation of our values. It is good to reflect back, positively about our place and our work and feel that we are indeed Child-focused, and Christ-centred.
2021 has been another year of extensive academic success and achievement along with the holistic elements that complement a well-rounded Chisholm education through other important areas such as Christian Service, developing leadership and demonstration of our Chisholm values. Some of these aspects are captured here in this annual collation but in many cases, there are simply too many to mention independently.
From First Prize Award winners in the Catholic Schools Angelico Arts Exhibition, outstanding performances in Music in this year’s Catholic Performing Arts Festival, an array of incredible talent and works from our Practical and Creative Arts, reaching new heights in our already very strong sporting achievements (including winning the top school in NAS Sports for the year) right through the weekly array of opportunities that arise. I am at times simply in awe of what Chisholm students achieve, what they produce and who they show themselves to be. Thank you. I feel very proud to share in your journey here, as Principal of our College.
Related and most significant is the fact that our staff constantly encourage all of our students in their own way to have a go, to engage in the many opportunities and try their best, irrespective of what they may or may not see themselves as good at. It’s this critical role and dedication, the genuine care and guidance, so prevalent and apparent in our staff that often unearths the real success stories – even if they don’t always result in an engraved medallion. Once again on behalf of all of our community I express my sincere thanks to our staff for all that you do for us.
This year Chisholm will see a larger number of staff changes than usual as some of our long serving staff leave us to head to retirement or promotion to other positions within our system, certainly well deserved.
John Hackett and Julie Davis both from our Maths Department retire at the end of 2021, John after 31 years, and Julie after 25 years serving Catholic Education.
John Laurito will say farewell as he takes up the role of Vice Principal at Mater Dei College in Edgewater. George O’Brien will take up a new Deputy Principal role at Emmanuel Catholic College and be joined there by Trevor Price as the Head of Mathematics. Belinda McCagh will take up the Head of Humanities position at Newman College. Samantha Ashman has been appointed as the Director of Music at La Salle College and Anna Greene will take up a Head of Year position at St Norbert College.
We also thank you and farewell to a number of other shorter-term staff and temporary appointments that will finish this year and wish all of those taking leave in 2022 all the very best.
So, as we reflect and give thanks for all that has been achieved in 2021, we also must look forward. The challenges and upheaval posed to everyone in the past two years appear to be transitioning into a new way of living and dealing with a world changing Pandemic. We have largely been fortunate in many ways to this point, but we remain cautious. There is no doubt that unknown and constant challenges still lie ahead but we remain forever hopeful and pray to emerge and recover beyond these times, even if it is to a new normal, in our lives.
The understanding of what it means to be life-long servers with the capacity to be adaptable and resilient, is growing daily in its significance, for all of us. It’s hard to imagine that the 21st century is already a fifth of its way through. The changes that are happening around us socially, environmentally, technologically, are far reaching.
Through it all, our faith, our moral compass and our discernment of what is right will continue to be tested. As young people, as parents, as educators, we cannot let our learning, our values and our conversations with God, diminish.
There is no doubt that in spite of these challenges our College continues to thrive. It has a strong culture of learning, and despite its scale, gives attention to the individual care of each student, embodied in an understanding of what it takes to be a good Catholic school. We will continue to strive for new ways and seek to serve our community in the best ways possible as we plan for ongoing improvement and a positive future.
Mr John Bormolini
Principal
