Shield Agents
Special Character
MARVELOUS
Special Character - O’Shea Shield Awards
An outstanding competition and the boys did their very best to
compete against bigger schools that have a strong and successful
O’Shea Shield tradition. We were competitive in all events except
Junior Prepared and Oratory where we gained Merit.
S
t Bernard’s College staff put in
a lot of time and effort during
the initial preparation and in
the intense two week lead up
to the event and this was appreciated.
Students were released from classes
in the two weeks prior to the competition to attend practices and perform to
other groups and this required a lot of
effort on their behalf and their teachers which paid off in their fine performance at St. Patrick’s College.
The Team
The team atmosphere was always one of
inclusiveness – no stars & no one left out,
the communication between each other was
supportive and always encouraging to enable
everyone to give their best performance. The
participants were present for each other’s
events and were a closely knit group.
Our ‘blooding’ contingent who accompanied the
team (as supporters and future team members)
have seen first-hand what O’Shea Shield is all
about and the high standard of preparation that
is required to perform well. This, it is hoped, will
stand our team in good stead for the future.
Staff who were there for the full event, including
the overnights were Nick Wilson and Maria
Fouhy. Peter Fava, Michael Fowler, Petra Jaeger
and Jean Howell came in over the course of the
weekend. David Sefton was planning to come,
but was struck down by the flu and was unable
to attend, but tendered his apologies.
Summary
The group of younger boys have the potential to
go a long way in future competitions. This year,
we have staggered our team in terms of year
group representation, so that we don’t leave a
gap that needs to be filled if all our team was
Year 13, which represents just over 1/3 of our
team this year. In order to gain award recognition (cups or the Shield), we have needed a
culture shift within the College to excite more
St Bernard’s College 2013
boys about the possibilities
of O’Shea and where that
might take them. The plan
is happening and we are
starting to see the results of
this undertaking.
The participants have grown
tremendously in motivation
to do well, knowing what the
standard of O’Shea Shield is.
The two teachers, while tired,
had a great time working collegially and pitching in to help
the boys do their best. The administrative
work and logistical planning of getting the
team to SPC and back was executed by
Nick Wilson. The coaches have to be commended for their commitment to prepare the
boys. We were also aware that we have had
a young team and we hoped that the target of
achieving in the top 6 this year and we did that.
Next year we hope to improve again.
An achievement ethos - that of gaining recognition at O’Shea - has been instilled in the boys.
Much work has and continues to be done with
identifying and grooming candidates as early
as entry into Term 1, Year 9. Given the high
academic standard that we are attracting into
Year 9, these boys need to be given an early
opportunity to excel. The Religious Education
Department and the English Department have
a huge integrated role to play so that teachers
from both departments commit themselves
to set up these opportunities.
Finally to all those who supported the
team in any way, this support is much
appreciated – teachers, coach’s parents
and caregivers, and Trustees. A s V6