Flourishing
Psalm 1: 3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Last Friday evening, I had the opportunity to attend an event at HMAS Cerberus to launch ‘Navy Week’. The event included a formal reception for guests and Naval personnel in the beautiful Ward Room, along with a Ceremonial Sunset Ceremony. This ceremony is steeped in Naval tradition and includes the firing of a canon, the singing of the National Anthem and a ceremonial guard.
The highlight for me at this event was to catch up with Tabatha Sams. Tabatha was one of our College Vice Captains last year and is a Cadet Warrant Officer in the Navy Cadets. She is the most senior cadet on the base. Tabatha is currently studying for a Diploma of Justice, before heading off to the Australian Defence Force Academy next year. Captain Ben Favelle, the Commanding Officer HMAS Cerberus, had Tabatha join him to take the salute as part of the Ceremonial Sunset and he mentioned Tabatha and her commitment to the Naval Cadets program as part of his address.
It was so good to see Tabatha flourishing in this environment. We are very proud of her and what she has achieved. This year we have as a theme for our campus, “Called to Flourish”. We want to see all students flourish in which ever.
The Harvard Human Flourishing program (How to Flourish) outlines three activities that can help promote well-being. They are the use of your character strengths, acts of kindness towards others and volunteering in the community. I certainly saw Tabatha display each of these in her role as a Cadet Warrant Officer. It reminded me of how important it is for students to be involved in activities outside of their academic pursuits, and particularly in activities that have them giving back to the community. We continue to encourage all students to get involved in school co-curricular activities and our prayer is that all students will flourish.
