From the Principal

It would be fair to say that just about everything we seek to achieve in life requires effort. Being clear about the goal, committing to a challenging routine to get better, struggling but persevering to make progress, celebrating achievements and mapping next steps – effort counts, effort matters.

The concept of effort cannot neatly be explained in terms of a single skill, an isolated attribute or an exceptional character trait. When exploring effort, we often encounter other words, other qualities – like perseverance, persistence and resolve. We often link effort with grit, tenacity and resilience. And very often we link effort with hard work.

We believe effort is a consistent decision to improve and grow with every incremental step forward, no matter how small. And, at Clarendon, we embody effort by showing a commitment to self‑improvement, persevering through setbacks, striving to raise the bar and a determination to support others.

Every day and in so many ways, our students demonstrate their persistence, their effort – their focus on the process when in class or completing homework, their endeavours in co-curricular activities, their commitment to supporting community causes.

Effort and persistence are as much about community as they are about achievement. Our students understand the importance of making an effort to be kind, ensuring that others are included when playing games or helping a classmate when they are stuck. These efforts bring the community together.

We see effort in action when our students give their all in House Athletics, when our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group engages with our broader community and ensures that we are living our commitments, when our football team clashes with Loreto in the 21st year of Players for Pink, when our students run Lap of the Lake, when our boarding students and staff consciously build a safe, inclusive and welcoming culture, when our musicians and performers grace the stage, when our crews compete in Head of the Lake, when our students collaborate to ensure everyone thrives when hiking at Yuulong or on camp or when our students go the extra mile to support local communities impacted by fires.

More broadly, we celebrate the efforts of our parent groups in making their important contributions to our Clarendon community. Our Junior School Parents Group, Parents & Friends, our rowing program’s 1920 Club and Friends of Performing Arts embody persistence and effort.

Every contribution reflects a commitment to improvement and our collective wellbeing. It is through sustained effort, mutual support and resilience that our community continues to grow and flourish.

In this June edition of ringaroo, you will gain insight into what motivates, inspires and challenges some of our Old Collegians, parents, volunteers, students and staff. And you will learn how the opportunities and experiences a Clarendon education provides supports students as they strive to improve.