Celebrating and Reflecting on 2020

No matter which way you look at it; the start of the 2020 school year still feels like it was just yesterday. I am now starting to worry that the old saying, the older you get the quicker time goes, may well have substance. The only solace is that in speaking to many of the boys and their parents, they also feel that 2020 has disappeared in a blink.

Last Saturday, we celebrated what I feel is the most significant night of our school year, the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner. The timing of this is unique at Scotch in that the boys return after exams and leavers to share in one more celebration. The night is special because it does not focus on individuals, rather on the whole cohort. The theme for the chapel and dinner was 'We cant predict what may lay ahead' – very appropriate given what has transpired in 2020. On behalf of the whole community I extend our best wishes as our Year 12 valedictorians commence a new journey in their lives; a journey that will no doubt hold many highlights, challenges and surprises.

We now begin preparing for the Junior School Speech Afternoon and the Middle and Senior School Speech Nights that will bring the year to a close. These events are special in that they represent an opportunity to review our year and celebrate in the successes of many. These events are yet another opportunity to join in celebration.

As we commenced the liturgical season of Advent on Sunday past, it is important to recall what this time of our year means to a College founded on the Christian message of the Uniting Church. The Uniting Church in WA highlights that the Church year begins with Advent, observed on the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. Advent has two foci related to the general theme of the coming of God in Jesus Christ (adventus, Latin, meaning arrival). The first emphasis is on Jesus' final coming in glory and the need for Christians to be vigilant and ever ready, because no-one knows the "time or the hour". The second is on the immediate preparation for the ministry of Jesus embodied in John the Baptist and his preaching. The Gospel readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent always prepare for the Christmas season by recalling the events in the life of Mary and Joseph prior to Jesus' birth.

Once again thank you for your support at this very hectic time of the year and I look forward to our ongoing celebrations.

Dr Alec O'Connell
Headmaster