Scotch College

From the School Captain June 1999

From the School Captain

The introduction to 1999 and the feeling of settling back into the routine of Scotch life has ended now, and the major part of the school year is upon us. Refreshed from the Easter break and the successes of Term 1, Scotch is busily working its way into Term 2, probably the most hectic term of the year.

Congratulations to the swimmers and divers, led by Toby Armstrong, Eric Lee and Jim Fowles, who have once again won the APS Premiership and retained the All-Schools championship. It is the ninth time in the last ten years that we have won these titles and the eighth time in the last ten years that we have won both in the same year. The row of pennants in the Glenn Centre is a very impressive reminder of our dominance in the pool.

Our orienteers and lawn bowlers also had very successful seasons and were able to add to the school's trophy cabinet. The Barwon Club had a good day at the Head of the River on the last Saturday of term 1. The 1st VIII put in a wonderful performance in the heats and semi finals to qualify for the A Final. Against tough opposition we finished third, an outstanding result and a credit to the crew who put in so much time and effort over the last 12 months. The other highlight of the day was the victory of the 6th VIII who streeted the field to win their A Final by 4 lengths.

A congratulations and thanks must be extended to all boys at all year levels and the staff who coached the various sports for their outstanding dedication and efforts during the summer season.

The Cadet Bivouac was held on the first weekend of term 2 and was a great success, highlighted, one cadet leader commented on, by the lack of rain for the first time in a few years. The Year 9's enjoyed themselves and now have some idea of what to expect when Main Camp rolls around at the beginning of the September holidays.

The World of Arts

In the world of arts we have an exciting program ahead of us. The May Concert was once again an excellent evening's entertainment and an enticing prelude to the Foundation Day Concert, to be held early in September. Both the Middle School and Senior School plays are to be performed in the near future too. The younger boys will be involved with Ruyton in the production 'Two Weeks with the Queen' and the senior boys will join with St. Catherine's to put on the Scotch directed musical 'Whistle Down the Wind', while some boys are also involved in the PLC production 'Pirates of Penzance'.

As you can see, there is such a diverse range of activities going on at Scotch at all times of the year. With this, the boys must balance their schoolwork and the Year 12's are preparing for mid-year exams. Boys in all other year levels are also working towards their mid-year exams. Good luck to all.

Senior School Forum

I would finally like to make mention of the Senior School Student Forum. This was introduced last year and is now starting to develop recommendations and proposals on a number of issues regarding the school.

Many ideas have been put forward, with the tuckshop and the new timetable being the major areas currently under review as a result of student input. It is pleasing to see this new aspect of Scotch having an impact and hopefully results will be seen shortly.

This Forum is a voice for the students and I ask all boys to continue to contribute strongly so that it remains an effective structure and changes can be made to improve the school for everyone's benefit.

Tim Downing, School Captain