Ms Lynsey Porter, Deputy Principal - Teaching & Learning
Academic Awards Assembly Years 10-12 2024
This week in our Academic Awards Assembly, we celebrated our high achievers who ranked first in their courses during Semester. In the assembly I spoke about why we celebrate these students at the half-way point. Of course, the main reason is to celebrate their wonderful achievements but, as we know, topping a course is no easy feat.
We also celebrated the strength of character that these students have demonstrated. These students have grafted. They have gone beyond the set work and have pushed for more. Whether it’s sticking to their study timetable, even when motivation is waning or taking the time to summarise their class notes as they go so that revision later on in the course is that bit easier, the Semester 1 academic first in course awards not only speak of a top ranking in a subject, they speak to character. To grit, tenacity, perseverance and resilience.
In class, many of our students, particularly in the younger years, will have started to practise measuring their own capacity to demonstrate character in the Deep Learning activities that we have embedded into Teaching and Learning programs. Our Deep Learning work with the Association of Independent Schools provides the tools for teachers to mentor our students to reflect on their own strength of character, measure their own tenacity, perseverance and resilience and set goals to develop that competency.
So why are we pushing this so much? Earlier in the year I wrote about NESA Curriculum Reform. One of the key changes is that – our students not just in Waverley College but all across NSW – will have experiences in the new courses where they actively learn about key life skills that employers are looking for. One of these is certainly strength of character. I challenged our students in the assembly to picture themselves in a future job interview or leading team building session with younger employees where they might be able to use examples of when they have demonstrated strength of character.
At Waverley College we celebrate the strength of character that it takes to drive academic growth and effort. To this end, we also celebrated the students who received the Old Boys’ Union Award for Academic Integrity and Fortitude 2023 at the start of this year by presenting them with the Perpetual Shield that will write their achievements into the history of the College for many years to come. The timing of this was crucial as the second challenge I gave to our students in the assembly was about whether they might contend for the 2024 awards. We will be monitoring academic growth from Semester 1 to Semester 2 to determine these awards so this week, at the halfway point of the year, was the opportune time to set this challenge.
Ms Lynsey Porter
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning
lporter@waverley.nsw.edu.au
