We know excellence when we see it. Whether it is in sports or business, excellence stands out. We recognise it in individuals by what we see them doing; they stand out. They excel at what they do through their actions, behaviours and attitude.
As we are almost one third into the 2024 academic year, it is important to remind ourselves of the significance of striving for excellence now and throughout our lives. The results achieved are not just a measure of our academic abilities, but also a reflection of our dedication to learning and achieving our full potential.
Excellence is not something that is achieved overnight, but rather a journey that requires consistent effort and determination. It is important to set high standards for ourselves and always strive to do our best, no matter the circumstances. Whether it is studying for SACs or exams, completing assignments, or participating in extracurricular activities, we should always aim for excellence in everything we do.
When we strive for excellence, we feel satisfied with a job well done. We learn from our mistakes and don’t let them define us. We enjoy the process, not just the outcome and remain flexible in adjusting our personal expectations and goals as needed.
How do we strive for excellence?
Peter Edwards, an expert in Leadership Excellence, suggests:
We need to know what we are striving to achieve. We need to be clear on our goals and targets.
We build our skills and knowledge through learning from others – the more we know, the more we can do!
We need to be focused on the journey and not get tempted and distracted by the path of least resistance. We need to be dedicated.
We have to be disciplined and consistent, focused on delivering on our standards of performance every time.
We must have the willingness to have a go and see what we are capable of achieving.
We must have the courage to seek feedback from our peers, asking how we can improve.
Acknowledged source: Peter Edwards – Striving for Excellence Published 2020
Striving for excellence is an approach and attitude; it is a mindset, a desire to be your best. It is an eternal desire that keeps driving our performance and influencing our results. It is a journey, a journey of continuous learning and improvement; wanting to be the best we can be and maximising our potential.
Here are just some of the wonderful achievements of our Senior School students who are striving and achieving personal excellence in several different fields:
Lisa Zhao (Year 7) – Competed in China in Fencing.
Nicholas Ramirez (Year 7) – played in a soccer tournament in Spain and Portugal representing IBERCUP Australia.
Irina Zhang and Liam Chen (Year 7 and Year 9) – represented the Australian National Fencing Squad and attend the North America Cup in Portland, Oregon.
Ronal Weerasekara (Year 10) and Konstantine Dimitriadis (Year 10) – Successfully participated in Discovery Day at Monash University.
Max Worthy (Year 10) – promoted to umpiring 1st grade VFL games. Youngest umpire in that grade.
Benjamin Xie (Year 10)- Competed in a Robotics Competition in Sydney
Elin Vercruysse (Year 10): Competing in National Badminton trials (next tournament is in May)
Keisha Nguyen (Year 11): Competed in a State Gymnastics Competition (placed top 10)
Kayla Sautner (Year 11) and Ahmed Tawfic (Year 11) have successfully received their Bronze Award for Duke of Ed.
Alex Stefanakos (Year 11) has been in charge of Duke of Ed while Mark Jeffs has been away on Long Service Leave.
Jacquline Ring (Year 11) – attended the CFA State Championships in Shepperton.
Oscar Troiani (Year 12) – has been selected for the Maria Island Marine Biology experience run by the University of Tasmania. Over 400 applicants this year and he is one of the 24 offered a place conducting marine research off the coast of Tasmania.
As a School community, let us come together to support and encourage one another as we strive for excellence in everything we do. Let us show the world that we are committed to achieving our full potential and making a difference in our lives and the lives of others.
Ms Janelle Mathias
Head of Senior School (acting)
