Campus Minister | Ms Nikita Bedwell
The past fortnight has presented many challenges and sadness for our Terrace Family and our global human family with the pandemic, floods, and the invasion of Ukraine. Amidst all this, our Ash Wednesday liturgy provided us with a moment to pause and be still as a united, loving and supportive Terrace Family. Our Ash Wednesday liturgy theme was ‘my heart dares to go beyond,’ a further extension on the Year 12s theme for the year Dare to Go Beyond. Our reflection calls us this Lenten season to have hearts of sincerity through giving, hearts of humility through fasting and hearts of reflection through prayer. Students have committed to living this through their House Friendship Groups.
On Tuesday, we also came together to celebrate International Women’s Day. Students and staff provided photos of a significant female role model in their life. These images came together to create a Women’s Wall, shared on screens around the College. This initiative invited students to reflect on the impactful women in their own lives, be it mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, family friends or teachers. The Women’s Wall allowed us to acknowledge and thank the remarkable women across our wider College community who have helped shape our Gentlemen of Terrace.
An important value in developing Gentlemen of Terrace is respect for women. As a young woman and new staff member, this has been my very early experience at the College. I am often asked by friends and family what the students are like. My consistent response is ‘they have a respectful gentleness about them’.
I think it is profoundly special to know I am not only using these words to describe our Gentlemen of Terrace, but to describe our next generation of men. These men are shining beacons of hope for the future. This is a testimony to the boys themselves and a testimony to our College Principal and leadership team, our teachers, non-teaching staff, and importantly, our parents and families raising our Gentlemen of Terrace.
In a society that devalued women, Jesus challenged the culture. International Women’s Day and Ash Wednesday provided a reflective space to Live Jesus in our hearts.