We often refer to our school as a community, and the name sits proudly amongst the four pillars of our mission; Community, Learning, Excellence, and Faith. But why are communities so important?
Strong communities are critical because they’re often an important source of social connection and provide a sense of belonging. Participating in a community bonded by attitudes, values, and goals is an essential ingredient to enjoying a fulfilling life. The absence of social connections can have profound effects on our overall health. Studies on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that loneliness was one of the factors with the greatest psychological impact on people’s health. The impacts of low social connection on health can include things like high levels of stress and anxiety leading to poor mental health and wellbeing. Ultimately, communities give people a supportive group to help them cope with difficult challenges, to band together to solve problems, and to celebrate moments of both joy and loss.
Our symbol for community in our College logo is the circle. We are a Catholic community. A body made up of many different people, united by a common bond of love. Because of the enduring strength of this bond, and the life-long commitment it implies, one of the best ways of describing our community is that it is like a family travelling together through life. Like every human family, we have our ups and downs, our good times and bad. We have a heritage from which our values and behaviour codes have come. We cooperate through a variety of roles and functions. We have our special times of celebration, as well as the mundane activities of day-to-day life. What is different about this family-like bond, however, is that it is not based on race or blood, but on a spiritual bond of faith. And it’s that faith that holds us together as a family during challenging times.
Mr Mark Brockhus
