Principal
Excellence and humility are two human virtues that don’t always go hand in hand. When they do, they are a powerful combination and one that we are quite naturally attracted to when we find it in others. It would seem to me that as Australians we are attracted to individuals, such as sports champions, who display these virtues. Think of sportsmen such as John Landy or Pat Rafter from the past. Ash Barty and Emma McKeon embody these qualities in the present day.
At Nudgee College, we aspire to be both. Excellence is highlighted as one of our key values along with faith, community, justice, courage and authenticity. In our context, we define excellence in this way:
‘Excellence is expressed through our aspirations and actions to be the best that we can be in all our endeavours, individually and collectively.’
At Tuesday's assembly, we were able to recognise five Year 12 students for sustained academic excellence with the presentation of Platinum Award for studies. We acknowledged Lachlan Barrett, Elliot Browne, Thomas Malone, Andrew Tora and Harry Roati for achieving a gold award for studies in each semester since they commenced at the College. Being the best that they can be semester after semester, year on year. Outstanding.
Further to the definition above, our description of excellence is framed with humility:
‘We enjoy and celebrate our successes with humility and place effort and commitment into areas where we have the potential to develop and improve.’
Those of us who know each of these young men would know that they are quite humble about their achievements. In part, it is why they are also leaders within the College.
To be both excellent in an endeavour and humble about the ensuing success is not easy for anyone. Ego and acknowledgement tends to inflate our perceptions of who we are and can influence how well we relate to others. Of course, we can remain grounded while also enjoying success when we are mindful that much of our individual success relies on the support of others. For these young men, this includes their parents, teachers and mates.
In a Catholic context, our faith reminds us that it is also true that our success comes from the grace of God and from the talents with which we have been blessed. Remaining grateful for God’s blessings is a pathway to humility. Of course, Jesus had a dim view of arrogance and of those who put themselves above others. He reminds us of this often. The phrase ‘the first will be last and the last, first’ can be found in four major passages of the Bible: Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30.
In conclusion, this week our community was truly blessed by the generosity of many, many people who contributed to our bi-annual Giving Day in support of the Jack Ross Bursary. Raising over $220,000 in one day is both an amazing amount of money and effort. Such generosity will help to shape the lives of young boys who otherwise could not have afforded a Nudgee College education. Such generosity is truly humbling.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal