UPPER SCHOOL
MR TIM RAYNER HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
THE CLASS OF 2021 : PERSEVERANCE AND POSITIVITY
REMARKABLE RESILIENCE IN A YEAR OF MANY CHALLENGES
Last year , The Oxford English Dictionary stepped away from tradition . This was not something such an esteemed intellectual body had done before , nor was it expected . It was a relatively small action , which will have gone unnoticed by the majority of the Englishspeaking world , but it spoke volumes for the times we find ourselves in .
Instead of announcing one Word of the Year , the lexicographers at Oxford announced several . Why ? Well , in the words of Casper Grathwohl , the President of Oxford Dictionaries : ‘ I ' ve never witnessed a year in language like the one we ' ve just had . The Oxford team was identifying hundreds of significant new words and usages as the year unfolded …’ From the word ‘ lockdown ’ to the Black Lives Matter movement , 2020 was clearly a momentous year , bearing in mind language reflects society . At the end of that year , many thought 2021 would be less volatile , but in reality , it was not to be .
The resilience shown this year by the Class of 2021 has been remarkable . The cloud of uncertainty has hovered above their heads all year and online learning became the norm , not the exception . Having experienced an uncertain 2020 , the boys started the year with optimism , and while we again entered a world of lockdowns and online learning , SACs were sat and portfolios completed .
Attendance during online classes has been exceptionally high . The students knew they had to be there , that their teachers were waiting , and that learning was to be done . Digging deep , boys focused on their studies and worked collaboratively with their teachers , despite the hurdles that faced so many .
Our School Captain , Nik Tsourvakas , and our Vice Captain , Alex Meggitt , have led from the front with the able assistance of our Prefects , in true Scotch spirit . Working closely with Mr David Brown , our Dean of Students , they have maintained a positive outlook and have been behind many of this year ’ s initiatives and fund raising . Movie on the Main did provide an opportunity to get together for a good cause , and Charity Week again saw boys camped out for the night
to raise money , so despite restrictions good work did occur .
An incomplete Winter Sports season perhaps epitomises the year . So many of our boys just want to play with their mates in their final year of school and it was a great pity that this was cut short several weeks before the final round . Equally , cancelled concerts and performances also meant that boys were unable to experience the same rights of passage as their predecessors . And yet , they continued to be optimistic in looking forward to the possibility that the next event could take place .
Restrictions have meant the school year could not be the same as that which many Scotchies had experienced in the past . There have had to be compromises and changes , but we are all stronger for that . Presentation Night became Presentation Afternoon , without an audience of parents . Year 12 Chapel was held online , and while the boys were unable to sit in the Littlejohn Chapel itself , they were able to listen to our Scottish Presbyterian Chaplain give a blessing and sermon , for their final time of the year .
The Torch Ceremony was live streamed to boys viewing at home , while Year 12 boys passed the torch , as their predecessors had done for decades before , received their school gift and prizes from our Principal – for some the end of a 13-year journey , starting at the Junior School . Our Valedictory Dinner was finally secured , after numerous reincarnations , and the Class of 2021 will now be sent off in fine style come December . Not only did staff work tirelessly at maintaining such events , but OSCA and parents stepped in and lent their shoulder to the wheel .
The Class of 2021 will be remembered for their perseverance and positivity . At such times of adversity , the glass can be seen as either half full or half empty – so many of our boys stayed positive and this helped enormously in carrying them forward . As I write this today , when many boys have just attended their first VCE examination , English , their journey at Scotch is nearly complete . Parents and staff are rightly proud of their achievements .
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