From the Leader of Wellbeing
Student Leaders Assembly Address – Harmony Week
Good morning, Mrs Sampson, Mr Hodges, staff and students
We want to tell you a story about someone small, vulnerable, and surprisingly wise, someone who has captured the hearts of millions around the world. His name is Punch the Monkey.
Punch is a young Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. He’s only eight months old. Shortly after he was born, his mother abandoned him, and the zookeepers had to step in to raise him. They gave him a stuffed orangutan toy to comfort him, and he carried it everywhere, dragging it behind him like a little security blanket. Videos of Punch and his toy went viral, and suddenly the whole world fell in love with this tiny, gentle creature.
But behind the cuteness was something harder to watch.
As Punch grew, the other monkeys in his troop began to push him away. They excluded him. They dragged him, rejected him, and made it clear he didn’t belong. And even though the world adored him, in his own community, Punch was alone. And when I heard Punch’s story, we couldn’t help but think of us, of school, of friendships, of the way we sometimes treat one another.
Because in every year group, in most friend groups at one point or another, there is a Punch.
Someone who feels left out.
Someone who is talked about behind their back.
Someone who is pushed out of a group chat or friendship circle.
And most likely, unfortunately, most of us have probably felt like Punch before.
And in almost every friend group, there might be a “leader” or someone who sets the tone for everyone else. Then there are the ones who follow the group, even when they know someone is being left out. The ones who stay quiet because speaking up feels risky.
But in reality, we are not adults; we are adolescent women. This means that we don’t always have the life experience to know the right thing to do all of the time. But if you notice yourself acting like one of the ‘mean’ monkeys, a disruptor of peace and harmony, not being a Sister to one another, it is important to show maturity and learn from your mistakes, by taking responsibility and doing all that you can to not engage with others like that again. That’s what our school years are for – maturing and learning.
So the real question today is this:
Who are you in Punch’s story?
- Are you Punch – the one who feels excluded?
- Are you the leader – the one others copy, for better or worse?
- Or will you be like his little orangutan toy – the girl who reaches out in support, even when it’s against what everyone else is doing?
Because I promise you, some of you in this room are like Punch, who are in need of an orangutan, some are like the ‘mean’ monkeys, and some are like the monkeys that welcome Punch with open arms, who laugh with him, not at him and love him despite others shunning and rejecting him, they welcome him with open arms. We all want to belong. We encourage you to empower others, no matter what.
Ensure no sister is ever left out or behind.
Use your gifts of compassion and communication, and develop the courage to stand up and support others, the voiceless.
Have the courage to include someone who stands alone and call out mistreatment when it happens.
Now that we are at the end of our high school journey, we’ve realised that nothing is ever truly worth the hurt inflicted on everyone involved in these situations, and it’s important that as children of God and as Marist sisters, we treat everyone with respect and kindness, standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Because when you get to where Jess and I are, and all the seniors here today, you don’t want to look back in guilt, but you want to look forward in peace.
In Colossians 3:15, St Paul urges us as a Catholic community to
‘let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body’
Because the peace we build here at Marist Sisters’ College Woolwich is the peace we carry into the world.
So today, as we continue to celebrate Harmony Week, let us all be mindful of the impact of our words and actions not just on ourselves, but on others in the wider community. A lot of things are not okay! exclusion, racism, gossiping, and rumours are not okay! But what is okay is INCLUSION, EMBRACING DIVERSITY, JUSTICE, RESPECT and that everyone here has a strong sense of BELONGING
So today, we’re asking you to think of Punch.
Think of your Sisters’ who feel like him.
Think of your Sisters’ who look to you as a role model, guiding them in the right direction.
Think of all your Sisters’ who need you.
Make a conscious choice to be the one who reaches out, welcoming and accepting everyone.
