OURS Week 7 Term 3 2023 - Melbourne High School

Principal’s Report

Adelaide Exchange – 113 years strong

This week I travelled to Adelaide with 67 students and 7 staff to participate in the Adelaide High School Exchange. The Exchange has been an annual event since 1910 and has only been interrupted by two world wars and two pandemics.

In 1910 there were two sports – football and rifle shooting. The rifle shooting was dropped many years ago and over the years other sports have been included with the current competition involving football, soccer, rowing, badminton, table tennis, basketball, cross country running and volleyball.

Although we did not bring the cup home, it was a great event and the level of engagement, positivity and sportsmanship was amazing. No matter what came their way, the boys played with so much tenacity and grit. In the end it came down to the last game and unfortunately it was not our day.

Events such as these also remind us of the many lessons learned through our sporting exchanges including the opportunities to demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and resilience. Additionally, these exchanges often establish life-long friendships extending future personal and professional networks.

A sincere thank you to Michael Chandler, our Chef de Mission, and to the coaches – Helen Bekos, Paul Drew, Mark Goody, James Guthrie, Sonya Mullholland, and Rob Sette.

Class of 1988 – 35 Year Reunion

This week we welcomed our class of 1988. It was a lively group with plenty of laughter and banter. A special thank you to alumnus Mark Bozinovic who set up a live stream which enabled overseas and interstate classmates to be part of the celebration.

Mother and Son Night

Thank you to Andrew Sloan for overseeing this event and to Bill Jennings for facilitating. Bill has a long association with Melbourne High School. His programs have been developed over more than a decade and have involved schools across all sectors and demographics. The primary aim of the program is to strengthen the connections between parents and their adolescent children.

We received 146 feedback responses after the night, most were positive. I have included a few below.

‘I think that it was an insightful experience to
be able to share significant milestones and
moments of my life with my mum and see each of
those moments from her perspective.’

‘I think that at first it was a bit awkward but
everyone thawed to the idea eventually and I
was able to have some meaningful conversations with
other parents and students.’

‘I believe that it was a valuable experience to talk one-on-one
with my mother. Beyond the endless school and homework, we often have
little time to actually chat with one another…’

‘It was good getting to learn more about the
experiences of some of my friends and peers at
school and what my parents felt like and deal
with when I go to school.’

10 L Millgrove Camp

This week 10L were on camp. The staff and students braved the cold and wet weather and had a great time.

The 10L boys worked together extremely well, showing great respect for each other and a positive attitude in all activities. One half of the group completed a mammoth bike ride on Thursday setting a new record with the number of points they gained by finding checkpoints in the local area.

The staff noted that it was great to see them collaborating so well and then celebrating their achievements as a group, knowing that they had done their best.

Due to the heavy rain on Tuesday, the river run was particularly challenging but as you can see from the picture below, it did not seem to phase the group at all!

School Council News – What do we mean by “the school community”?

Our School Council President has provided a brief reflection.

A term often used at MHS is “the School community”. This entity is nowhere defined, but includes, at different times, all, or some of the following cohorts: students, teaching staff, administrative staff, parents and friends, old boys, the Melbourne High School Parents and Friends Association, the Melbourne High School Old Boys’ Association, the Green, Maroon and Black Patrons Club, the Melbourne High School Foundation Ltd, the Melbourne High School Council, the Rowing Fraternity, and Friends of Music.

It is a positive sign when two or more of these entities get together. At a recent School Council meeting, we were fortunate to have a presentation from two members of the MHS Foundation Board, Mark Taft and Noel Moloney. Their presentation provided valuable insights into the Foundation’s significant efforts in fundraising, awarding scholarships, providing grants, and other valuable activities.

The School Council is eager to establish a stronger partnership with the Foundation, and we are excited about the potential for this collaboration to bring lasting advantages to the School community in the years ahead.

Henry McLaughlin
President, MHS Council

In the ensuing months, I will be organising several forums with members of the MHS Community to strengthen our alignment and adopt a more strategic approach to fundraising, marketing, and community engagement.

Dr Tony Mordini
Principal