Endings

In the last few days I have attended three school closing evenings and a college graduation. Last week on Thursday afternoon I made a frenetic start to my visits by handing out awards for all students completing Prep to Grade 1 classes in the lower primary school program at Wahroonga. Then followed Wahroonga senior primary school speech night, and on Monday night this week I enjoyed the speech night for Avondale Primary School. Tonight I will attend a Macquarie College event. At the senior end of the scale I listened to John Hammond engage Avondale College graduates with reflections about “The end of the beginning”, and watched them “strut their stuff” as they collected their degrees and diplomas with pride last Sunday.

Creative expression can add a dramatic effect to a school speech night or college graduation. I particularly enjoyed the creative blue light expressions of “Grace Like Rain” at Wahroonga and “The Lord’s Prayer” at Avondale Primary Schools, and the War March of the priests at Avondale College. In the schools the indispensable choirs and even a string orchestra added their own musical artistry. Then there were the fun-filled picture galleries of tributes to Year 6 leavers and the year in review. A school speech night has now become a sophisticated sight and sound show.

Closing events reveal a lot about schools and colleges, and I am very pleased with what I have seen this year. These events give you a feel for school or college tone, behaviour management, the level of academic attainment, school values, administrative organisation and countless other aspects of school or college life. College class presidents or school captains make quality speeches. Along with the prefects school captains hand over their legacy of responsibility to their successors with maturity and grace. Principals farewell staff with affirmation. Classes, choirs and recipients of awards file to and fro in response to clockwork organisation. Amidst all of these events students show their engagement with events moment by moment. As I witnessed these symphonies of events I was again impressed by the ways in which school and college administrators and teachers meet the huge logistical challenges of speech nights and graduations. Coordinating one of these events would keep me awake for nights.

These special events have once again given us at SPD a year-end snapshot of the scope, the power and the quality of Adventist education. We are glad that we got around some of them. This will be our last blog for 2008. Best wishes for the Christmas period from Ken, Gilbert, Tammy and Barry. Get a good break.


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