PRINCIPAL
DR SCOTT MARSH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
EMBRACING A BRIGHT FUTURE
A BRIGHT FUTURE IS CONTINGENT ON OUR ABILITY TO LOOK OUTWARDS AND TO WISELY DISCERN WHAT THE SCOTCH FAMILY CAN DO TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THOSE IN NEED
ABOVE FROM LEFT : BOYS PARTICIPATING IN ' COATS 4 KIDS ' CHARITY INITIATIVE . TOP RIGHT : ' EAT-UP ' CHARITY SUPPLYING SANDWICHES TO SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NEED .
I wonder what thoughts came to mind when you read the title ‘ embracing a bright future ’? Perhaps you thought of Scotch and reflected that our school has a bright future . It is true that we are all privileged to be connected in some way to the Scotch Family and today , benefit from the generosity of those who have come before us .
In reflecting on the title , maybe your mind went to some memories from your past and in so doing , you noted a number of positive memories and some that you would rather forget . In thinking about the past , I wonder how many within our community would think that life ’ s ‘ best days ’ are now a thing of the past . Perhaps it is easy to adopt this position when we think of some of the challenges facing the world today .
I wonder what the people of Ukraine would be thinking as the Russian Army continues to invade and cause devastation to their beautiful country . I can imagine that many people today in Ukraine will only think about the word ‘ embracing ’ in the context of ‘ bracing ’ for another bomb to explode , or ‘ embracing ’ a loved one as they continue to despair at the fate of their country .
In Australia , I wonder how many citizens are managing the constant pressure of rising interest rates and the uncertainty that this seemingly endless path is causing . For many , the future is not that bright as they worry about mortgage repayments . Indeed , what about those who cannot even afford to own a home .
We also know that rates for rental properties are also on the rise , and this is putting pressure on families who potentially are now facing homelessness .
Sadly , many in our society do not hold the view that the future is bright . As we continue to see record rates of depression , anxiety and loneliness , we wonder what is going wrong in our society ; the supposed lucky country . How do we ‘ embrace a bright future ’ when so many things can seemingly point to the opposite across our society ?
I could easily identify the many great aspects of the Scotch Family . I could easily say that our future is bright because we have :
• great students
• exceptional teachers
• invested parents who care about their child ’ s education
• a proud history to be treasured
• wonderful facilities and so on and so forth . However , this is not why
I believe our future is bright . These are all excellent ingredients that can enable many wonderful things to occur at Scotch . However , we also know that individually , each of these items does not necessarily lead us to experience a bright future . Great students are not immune to the challenges of mental health . Facilities alone do not make for a great school . So , how can we claim to be ‘ embracing a bright future ’?
4 Great Scot Issue 169 – September 2023