Message from the Chaplain

My words to our scholars at this week’s Scholars’ Assembly…

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9)

“Be strong and very courageous”. These are the words of God to Joshua at a moment of transition. Moses, the leader of the Hebrew people for more than 40 years has recently passed, and the mantle had fallen upon Joshua to lead the people into the Promised Land.

New challenges can make us feel weak and unsuitable, and not very courageous at all! But God told Joshua to be strong and courageous because he had around him and behind him, all the resources he needed to be prosperous and successful.

The returning scholars in our midst today are likewise in a moment of transition. The structures of school have fallen away behind them. The familiar patterns of year groups, houses, sport, co-curricular activities, even the routine of where to sit for lunch, are gone.

But what remains are the things that we a celebrating today, not your results, but the processes that lead to that final product. What you have are the habits of diligence, iteration, perseverance and the pursuit of excellence in your individual chosen fields. It is these which you need to carry with you, long after anyone asks you what mark you received in school. These can be a source of strength and courage for you because you have the confidence to know you can get the hard work done when the hard work needs doing.

You have also achieved what you have, whilst maintaining a balance of other interests and responsibilities. For some it was being a head of house or senior prefect, for others it was pursuing your sporting goals at the highest levels. For some it came while managing difficult personal circumstances, or while choosing to invest in the wellbeing of others through service.

If the best indicator of future performance in past performance, then you should feel that you can take these next steps boldy. Not because you are certain of the outcome, certainty wouldn’t require any courage, but because you aren’t, and yet you know that you have handled the challenges of school well (which once seemed daunting). By the same processes, you can prevail again in the face of new ones.

Our school song’s second verse encourages us to pass on the torch, from our time to the next, with a brighter light than what we received. You are all a bright light to those seated in this hall around you. That is your legacy here. You have you own efforts, and the investment in you, of your families, mentors and teachers to thank for that.

Go with our congratulations and our confidence. Be flexible amidst the options that you have earned yourself. Take the time to find what you are passionate about. Invest your aptitude and experience there. Seek to serve rather than be served. Continue to pursue character over reputation; being rather than seeming. Be strong and courageous.

You have all sung, many times, Schola nostra, floreas saecla in futura, ‘our School, may you flourish for future generations’. Thank you for doing your part in your generation. Schola nostra, our school, now honours you as we sing the school song, with the joy that your success gives us.

Reverend Rod Farraway