CHAIRMAN
MR ALEX SLOAN (' 71 ) SCHOOL COUNCIL CHAIRMAN
RESPECT , DEVOTION , VISION AND DEDICATION : STRONG TRAITS IN SCOTCH ’ S NEW PRINCIPAL
As Chairman of the School Council , I was delighted to welcome Dr Scott Marsh to the school as our tenth Principal . Dr Marsh was installed as Principal during a service in the Memorial Hall on the morning of 30 January , which was attended by many members of the Scotch Family .
In warmly welcoming Dr Marsh , and all those attending the service , I said that as the oldest surviving secondary school in Victoria , Scotch has , for over 171 years , been able to develop , adapt and strive for excellence , while never losing its foundations set in the spirit of the ‘ Scottish enlightenment ’.
Critical to shaping that progress , the school has been blessed by the skills , leadership and dedication of only nine former Principals . Each of those nine individuals has left his mark on Scotch , culminating in the unique character of our cherished and beloved school of today , which is perhaps best exemplified by the boys who graduate from it , be they youthful , middle aged or , ‘ shorter in wind as in memory long .’ In pondering those nine former Principals , a number of common traits were evident – respect ,
devotion , vision and dedication . As I introduced Dr Scott Marsh to the Scotch Family that morning I did so with confidence that our 10th Principal does possess these aforementioned traits , and is someone who will lead the school with distinction in the coming years .
I first expanded on the trait of respect . Fundamental to the Christian ethos and principles that underpin a Scotch education , we encourage each boy to understand and appreciate the needs and views of others . In these rapidly-changing times the school continues to reflect values of respect , tolerance and inclusion that have been evident throughout its history .
We only need to look at Dr Marsh ’ s 14-year record at William Clarke College since 2008 to have confidence we have found an individual entirely grounded in a Christian ethos ; someone who has undoubtedly displayed the values of respect , tolerance and inclusion in his role as Principal for the last six years .
Interestingly , William Clarke College is a school with a similar enrolment to that of Scotch , with approximately 1900 students located on a single campus in Sydney ’ s north-west .
2 Great Scot