On Tuesday 8 November the College held the Year 11 Academic Awards Assembly.

At this assembly Lucas Kirkland was awarded the Year 11 Pastoral Care Coordinator Award.

The citation from the Mr Mitchell is below:

A special welcome to the Parents and extended family members here today. We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today to celebrate the achievements of these young men.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the award recipients today. These awards are the result of persistent positive application, discipline and overall hard work. Thery are well earned.

Congratulations Gentlemen.

Each year one of the responsibilities of the Pastoral Care Coordinator is to identify, award and celebrate a student from the cohort who has demonstrated the qualities and characteristics consistent with what we stand for as a College and community in the Edmund Rice tradition. Qualities and characteristics like selflessness, respect, responsibility, discipline, caring and compassionate.

This is a challenging award to give, such is the quality of the young men that sit amongst us today, but each time I sat down to deliberate on the recipient, each time I sat with Mr Marsh to discuss the award, one student continued to enter the topic of discussion.

Whenever this young man’s name is mentioned or raised in discussion, respect immediately comes to mind. It doesn’t matter whether you are closely connected to this student, a teacher or a fellow peer, a younger member of the College, associate or a stranger. He treats all with the utmost respect.

This student quietly goes about his business and in doing so achieves all the one percenters. He is consistently immaculately presented and always punctual to classes. He works to the best of his ability, drawing out every bit of productivity he is capable of. He is often found working at the end of the College day in the Narandha Learning Centre. His self-discipline and commitment to his studies cannot be questioned. While he strives to achieve his best, he is more than happy and willing to assist his fellow peers. He is selfless in so many ways.

He has managed to balance his strong commitment to his studies with participation in the College sporting program, representing the College in Cross Country running and hockey.

‘Becoming a man for others’ is a moto our senior students are encouraged to explore and live by. This young man eptomises what this moto is all about. He conducts himself in such a way that he is a fantastic role model to his peers and the junior members of the College. His qualities made him a valued member of the Peers Support Leader program this year, where he made a potentially difficult or challenging transition to secondary school, a positive one for our Year 7 students. He has always been a student who has given of his time and at a time where the pressures of senior studies begin to escalate he has maintained his giving and selfless nature, applying for and successfully being appointed a senior student leadership position.

With the College Christian Service Learning program, this young man has completed approximately 100 hours of service to the community, earning him the Justice and Solidarity Badge. This enormous commitment has comprised of involvement in the previously mentioned Peer Support Program, Try Year 7 for a Day and Tour Guiding, heavy involvement in Surf Life Saving NSW, participation in the Orange Sky Winter Sleep out where he also donated money to the cause.

Throughout 2022 the College has encouraged the members of this cohort to be Men of Honour, to honour another. The recipient of this award has demonstrated this commitment through his actions – actions demonstrating respect, understanding, compassion and acceptance.

As these young men move into their final years of the secondary schooling, they look to a future full of possibilities and where those possibilities are endless. With the morals and values this young man possesses coupled with his drive and determination the future looks very bright for him.

As a College we are about producing good young men and there is no finer example than this year’s award recipient Lucas Kirkland. Congratulations Lucas.

Mr Mitchell
Year 11 Pastoral Care Coordinator