Head of Senior School

Dreamers and Realists

"There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You'd think the dreamers would find the dreamers, and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true. You see, the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists, well without the dreamers, they might never get off the ground." — Modern Family, 2011

Being an avid Modern Family fan I often reflect on this quote from the Punkin Chunkin episode in 2011. As I write we are preparing for our March Out event where we recognise the contributions of our Year 12 cohort and wish them well in their time beyond school as they are welcomed into the Old Scotch Collegians fold.

Collectively, they have been an incredible group who have faced many challenges, navigated their way through a year that few could have predicted and come out stronger for it. As a community we have celebrated their success and supported them when things have been tough, but it is the students who have demonstrated resilience, drawn on their creativity and been willing to look at things from a different perspective to allow them to grow and achieve in the manner in which they have.

Some of them could be labelled 'dreamers' and this aspect certainly came to the fore during the brief time when our students were working from home due to COVID-19 restrictions. It was fantastic to see the activities they adapted in order to work in an online environment and the new initiatives they proposed and then adjusted and improved to suit the circumstances. These applied to activities in Mentor groups, study situations or simply the way they used various platforms in a positive way to maintain communication with their friends. A few great examples were the manner in which the Year 12 boys ran the online World's Greatest Shave and the 'trick shot' competition which gave all students a way to stay connected, but also express themselves and have a bit of fun at the same time. Yes, there were also some ideas that were beyond reach and this is when the 'realists' were able to keep things in check and suggest a simpler way forward.

Most of us probably lay somewhere in the middle of the scale of 'realist' to 'dreamer', but we need those who think differently to us to keep challenging us, to help us look at things from another perspective or, when needed, to make us realise that, at times, our expectations may require adjustment. As we farewell the Year 12 cohort of 2020 I would like to thank them on behalf of all the Senior School staff for their contribution to making our community a better place, by daring to dream and by soaring to new heights. As a cohort they have been wonderful to work with.