Headmaster's Weekly Address

Dear Parents

A week can be a busy, enlivening and memorable period on a regular St Kevin’s calendar, but this last week, in our Centenary Year, has been at times frenetic, pulsing with life and historically significant.

Was it only last Thursday that we gathered as a Eucharistic community to celebrate our Centenary Mass? Our boys were superb, making the Mass so uplifting. Dr Barclay wrote the music for our Centenary Mass and ensured our students were well-rehearsed. Old Collegian, Archbishop Mark Coleridge (SKC 65), as our principal celebrant and homilist, was inspirational. The music and choral contributions were of such a high standard that we must consider releasing a recording. To Mr McGirr and Mrs Power, thanks for the leadership and preparation you undertook in collaboration with your Ministry Team colleagues across the College. Past Headmasters, former Board Chairs, and many others, were so fulsome in their admiration of our boys.

The student celebrations that afternoon were fun as was hoped. Our expedition into the world of crypto-currency with the issuing of ‘Edmunds’ to purchase food and drink was both different and successful. Who would have thought the disco world of my university days would capture the imagination of our Glendalough boys so well? My thanks to all staff involved and particularly Mrs Pauline Ryan and Ms Tammy D’Souza for all their work to bring this student celebration to life.

The SKC Mothers’ celebration running concurrently was also a wonderful event. My thanks to the Mothers’ Association, led by Ms Rachael McGarry, for all the work to enable another celebration of SKC community. By the time I returned to school to prepare for the Board Committee meetings, there was further excitement. The stained glass window, completing the extension and refurbishment of the Chapel of St Kevin, had been installed. The windows will be blessed at Friday morning Mass tomorrow. All are warmly invited to attend Mass, commencing at 8.00am. Over the weekend, the parents of Year 12 gathered at the Noonan home where Mr Jones generously represented the College Leadership Team. Our Rowers headed to the Olympic Course in Sydney across the weekend and have returned with medals! The crew of William Cornwell, Angus Hart, Oscar Ryan and Christopher Johnson, coxed by Oscar Sinni, won the Under 19 Men’s IV. Christopher Johnson also made the final in the Championship Schoolboy Single Sculls race.

The Academic Awards Assembly on Monday was yet another event redolent with tradition and history. Presenting the Academic Awards for 2017 were two former Duces, Dr Joseph Santamaria OAM (SKC 41), our senior Dux and Mr James Maccarrone (SKC 13), the 2018 Victorian Rhodes Scholar. Twenty-five other duces were in the Assembly to honour the Class of 2017 and their academic achievements. Mr Maccarrone spoke eloquently of the importance of good choices and the need to thoughtfully reconsider direction. Executive Director of EREA, Dr Wayne Tinsey, presented the senior student leaders of 2018 with their badges after which our College Captain for 2018, Sam Cato, spoke fluently and thoughtfully of the value of persistent effort, even after initial failure. Refreshments on the Plaza followed.

The open invitation to Past Parents saw a lively crowd gather to mark our Centenary in Boyd Egan Hall on Wednesday evening. Whilst all this ran, classes were taught, sport training occurred, play rehearsals continued as did dancing classes. The Social Justice Partnerships were supported and boys enjoyed their SKC 2018 school days. Omnia pro Deo.

Kind regards

Stephen F Russell
Headmaster

2017 Awards
The Br Purton Accounting Prize Endowed in memory of the late John Paul Fanning (SKC43)	Hugh Carroll (Year 12)
The Br Chapman Biology Prize	Alexander Phan (Year 12)
The Business Management Prize Endowed by the late Mr & Mrs Bryan Hoy (SKC40)	Nathan Shannan (Year 12)
The Br Kenny Chemistry Prize Endowed by the Estate of Professor T O’Donnell (SKC40)	David Wang
The Economics Prize Donated by St Kevin’s College Old Collegians Association	Benjamin Toohey
The J P Bourke English Expression Prize Endowed by the Estate of Anastasia Bourke	Dante Di Paolo Samuel Ellul Patrick Gigacz William Harris Jordan Smith Vikash Yogaraj
The Br Cusack French Prize Endowed by the Hunt Family	James Robertson
The Br Tevlin Geography Prize Donated by the Estate of Dr J G O’Donoghue (SKC24)	Jackson Ward
The Global Politics Prize	Maxwell Thomas
The History: Ancient History Prize	William Vanderslik
The History : Revolutions Prize Donated by the Scott Family	Lachlan McKay
The Information Technology Software Development Prize Endowed by the Marburg family	Thomas Bufardeci (Year 12)
The Japanese Prize Donated by the Morgan family	Akira Abe (Year 12)
The Br Hughes Legal Studies Prize Endowed by the Naughton family	Thomas Pollock
The Donald Hamilton Rankin Prize for Literature Endowed by the Estate of Mr D H Rankin	Patrick Gigacz
The Mandarin Prize	Alan Zhang (Year 12)
The Bishop Eric Perkins Prize for Further Mathematics Endowed by the Estate of Bishop Perkins (SKC32)	Gilbert Battistella
The Mathematical Methods Prize	Giles Feltrin (Year 12) Albert Shen Je Min Suh
The Br Marlow Prize for Specialist Mathematics Endowed by the Estate of Sir Bernard Callinan (SKC29)	Albert Shen David Wang
The Music Performance Prize Endowed by the Stevens family	Joshua Park (Year 12)
The Physical Education Prize Endowed by the Estate of Mrs Tanya Travers	Samuel Crowe (Year 12)
The Physics Prize	Benjamin Byrnes
The Dr Edward Ryan Psychology Studies Prize Endowed by Dr E L Ryan (SKC38)	Thierry Fong (Year 12)
The Product Design & Technology Prize Endowed by Mr M Meere on behalf of the Estate of Mr Bernard Cummins	Simon Harris
The Religion & Society Prize	Patrick Daly
The Br Duffy Studio Arts Prize Endowed by Dr Kynan Eng (SKC91)	Thomas Pollock
The Br Breach Theatre Studies Prize Endowed by the Past Mothers’ Association	Michael Lew
The Visual Communication Design Prize Endowed by the Senior Mothers’ Association	Henry Leng
Year 12 Academic Excellence Award Awarded for achieving an ATAR of 99 or above	Benjamin Byrnes Dante Di Paolo Samuel Ellul Dominic Holden Jacob Mackenzie Hugo Mitchell Andrew Ng Thomas Pollock James Robertson Je Min Suh Maxwell Thomas
The Victor McMahon Performing Arts Award Endowed by the late Mr Victor N McMahon (SKC19) for excellence and outstanding  commitment in the Performing Arts	Samuel McCabe
The Ruby Tout Public Speaking Award Endowed by the late Miss Ruby Tout	Patrick Gigacz
The Nettlefold Champion Sportsman Award Endowed by the late Mr B W Nettlefold QC	Cameron Hodges
The Frank McDonough Award for Courage & Perseverance Endowed by the McDonough and Greenham Families. An annual award presented to  the student who has faced the challenges of life and schooling with courage and  perseverance	Harrison Dawe
Edmund Rice Medal Awarded for the full use of one’s gifts in the academic, cultural and sporting life of the  College, together with an active concern for the disadvantaged	Phillip Borg Jarrod Nolan Hugo Stephenson
The Ken Ogilvie Memorial Prize Awarded at the Headmaster’s discretion to senior students whose contribution to the  quality of life at St Kevin’s College has been substantial	Andre Coten Dante Di Paolo Patrick Gigacz
Proxime Accessit Endowed by Friends of Art	Benjamin Toohey
Dux of the College Endowed by the Senior Mothers’ Association	Patrick Gigacz Albert Shen David Wang
The Alan Shelton (SKC39) Memorial Prize Endowed by the Shelton Family for outstanding endeavour to develop scholastic and  sporting ability and qualities of leadership within the College	Matthew Lynch