Senior School
Mental Health and Wellbeing Portfolio
By Prefect (Wellbeing Portfolio) Bill McCart.
At a large and busy school like Churchie, youth mental health and wellbeing are growing priorities for the boys, staff and our community. As we enter the year, the 2024 seniors aim to maintain the momentum of previous cohorts by enhancing and broadening our approach to mental wellbeing at Churchie.
Our goals for this year include promoting all the wellbeing services offered by Churchie and beyond, destigmatising wellbeing issues and encouraging help-seeking behaviour. Throughout the year, the seniors, prefects and wellbeing ambassadors hope to implement some of these initiatives:
- expand the role of each house’s Student Wellbeing Ambassadors, making them a more visible and accessible part of each house community
- publicly promote mental health services (like the myChurchie Wellbeing page and SchoolTV) at house meetings and school assemblies.
- Create surveys to gauge the boys’ opinions on mental health in the school and improve their mental health literacy.
From sleep to stress, from exercise to self-esteem, there are so many ways we can improve our understanding and support of mental wellbeing. Through these initiatives, we aim to further develop a culture of open-mindedness and establish pathways for this culture to grow in the years to come.
Term 1 formal boarding dinner
By Vice-Captain and Head Boarder George Ward (Year 12).
On Thursday evening, all boarders assembled outside School House in their Whites for Term 1’s formal dinner, providing an opportunity to celebrate the term and the boys’ achievements. Guest speaker President of the Old Boys’ Association Mr Grant Menzies, enlightened the boys on the opportunities and value of the Old Boys network while reminding us of the unique connections we have in boarding. The night concluded with reflections from House Captains Marcus Pearce and Angus Stinson on their respective houses’ achievements. A special thank you must go to Mr Stansbie and the Chartwells kitchen staff for organising the event.
University Showcase
The Churchie Career Development Centre recently invited 13 universities from across the region to the inaugural University Showcase in The Centenary Library. Year 12 students attended a short presentation from the universities on how to apply to university and prioritise their preferences, as well as opportunities available with scholarships and overseas exchanges.
Students were then invited to move outside to the exhibition area to speak with the university representatives individually at their displays, gaining invaluable insight into university pathways.
We would like to thank the universities for their time and guidance and the Career Centre for providing this opportunity to our Year 12s.
Beth Gilpatrick
Careers Counsellor and VET Coordinator
Rod Olsen
Head of Senior School