Community Service The Henzell-Ford Families Community Scholarshipsannounced last week are designed to be awarded to students (in the first year to non-CCPS students, but in 2020 and onwards, to any student including CCPS) who will make a significant contribution to the life of the School. They will have demonstrated their good personal character and strong moral integrity in the areas of co-curricular activity or through a commitment to community or cause. This may be through participation in sport, extra-curricular activities, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme, community and School engagement. Successful Applicants will demonstrate a long-term commitment to practice and promote good character and an ability to inspire others to do the same. They will take responsibility for goals and choices, build relationships and be a team player. Over the weekend our staff and Senior School students participated in training for the Kokoda Youth Challenge walk/run over varying durations. CCPS teams will take either the thirty or forty eight kilometre journey which is likely to take between six to eight hours. It is a gruelling challenge, in the spirit of the values gained from people serving in Papua New Guinea at the Kokoda Trail including courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice, in assisting each other to complete the journey. CCPS proudly has six staff assisting our six teams, and the student numbers participating is around twenty percent of all; or one in every five individuals will take on this challenge. It is a credit to our staff for their care and commitment to our students. The Kokoda Youth Foundation (KYF) supports Australians by inspiring them to do extraordinary things. Through hiking endurance events, youth programs and an outdoor education camp, individuals are challenged to reflect on deeply held beliefs, allow limits and abilities to be explored, and they are provided opportunities for growth. These challenges include goal setting and this is a powerful intrinsic motivational force for young people. At a Principals’ Breakfast at University of Sunshine Coast last week, Prof Greg Hill, the Vice Chancellor, commented about Elite Athlete and Music students’ performances, as to how much above the student academic performance means these very busy individuals attained, in diverse Faculties’ subjects, and rarely directly related to their sports (Music students were all in Music subject studies). He considered that this was because these people were goal focused, driven to attain, and very well organised in their time planning. In my own PhD degree, awarded in 2009 from Deakin University, I examined Independent Schools’ students’ involvements in their schools’ co-curricular activities. I noted that students engaged in community service activities achieved significantly above the student academic performance means; and in interviewing a sample of these students, it was clear that the characteristics the Vice Chancellor noted in USC’s elite performing students, were also evident in high school aged people who were well organised, forward planners, and goal focused. In other words, the busiest people in community service were amongst the highest academic achievers, as well as being the greatest contributors to their society, their team or their peers. These characteristics were not so much about raw talent or athletic ability, but about the values that the Kokoda Youth Challenge encourages, of courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice. Members of our community who have learned these traits, will be the high achievers in their future lives and careers. A reminder that tomorrow, Friday 31 May, is a Public Holiday Show Day, so School is closed. Dr Dirk Wellham – Principal