Senior School Speech Night 2012
The Hutchins School Speech Night was once again an outstanding event where the whole school community came together; a performing arts extravaganza and celebration of academic success.
The Headmaster’s Speech provided a summary of the year’s achievements and a snapshot of the School’s plan for the next five years.
Headmaster’s Speech: Middle and Senior School Speech Night 2012
Distinguished guests, members of staff, parents, grandparents, friends and especially students of The Hutchins School, it is my pleasure to address you this evening and celebrate with you a most successful year.
I am delighted to report our 166th year has indeed been very successful. We began 2012 by congratulating the Year 12 2011 on their outstanding academic results.
We note with pride that by measure of the Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking from a possible 99.95, 21% of our students achieved scores of 95 or better and 38% of students received a score of 90 or better. That is, 38% of students were in the top 10% of the State.
In so doing, the class of 2011 had 26 students who achieved perfect scores in one or more subjects; five students were placed in the top 1% of the State and another eight students were placed in the top 5% of the State.
This is a laudable achievement and underscores the continuing depth of academic strength of The Hutchins School in state and national academic rankings.
In taking the opportunity to congratulate Nanak Narulla, Charles Hayward and David Titchen for their scores of 99 and better I wish also to note that the great body of last year’s students were represented in first round offers to tertiary institutions of their choice and our best students were recipients of offers and scholarships from universities and vocational training institutions.
At Hutchins we are proud of our teaching and learning outcomes across a diverse and challenging spectrum of academic, vocational and co-curricular opportunities, and I happily state that I am proud of that which our students achieve in a broad field of endeavours.
I look forward with confidence to this year’s graduating year demonstrating similar outcomes and taking pleasure in realising their post-school ambitions.
Our success is not only achieved in classrooms and, while academic pursuits are very important, so too is the careful attention to more the development of young boys as they grow into young men.
The enduring lessons and pastoral advantages of attending a school with a strong co-curricular program is not to be underestimated.
As well as in academia, The Hutchins School Co-Curricular program in 2012 has been very successful.
Notable performances though out 2012 were:
Successes:
- A successful Cricket tour to England with wins against Eton College, St Edwards Oxford, South Wilts. Cricket Club, Butterflies CC and Hampshire CC
- Our Cycling – continues to develop a most successful program
- While the Dance Troupe achieved much at state Dance Eisteddfods and the Sydney Dance Eisteddfod
- Drama productions were challenging, powerfully executed and most professionally directed and produced
- Music success in the Clarence and Hobart music Eisteddfods again were a highlight
Finals were played out by:
- Australian Rules Football 2nd XVIII
- Debating Team Years 11/12
- Rugby under 18, 1st XV
- Soccer 1st XI
- Tennis 1st VI
- Water Polo played the Southern Schools Finals
- The Athletics team were National Bronze Medallist
And in 2012 Champions were:
- The Athletics team as Aggregate boys Junior Champions, Senior Champions at SSATIS competition and , Pennant Age Group Champions in U14, U15, U16 and Open
- Cross Country won the Junior, Senior and Aggregate Boys’ Champions
- Rugby were U14 Champions
- Sailing were State Champions
- Tennis teams were the 2nds and 3rds SSATIS Champions
- Sports Shooting won the John Lord Shield for the 4th year in a row.
- 1st VIII won Head of River for the 5 consecutive year and rowing successes continued throughout the underage crews as well. Rowing crews won the Tasmanian All Schools and Northern and Southern regattas. At National level:
- Sam Heron won a silver medal in the Australian U19 Single Scull event
- Will Fergusson and Richard Giblin won a silver medal in the U19 Double Scull event
- The 1st VIII won a bronze medal in the Men’s U19 event
This is an extraordinary list of successes and may be underlined by the fact that six Honour Badges were awarded in our Awards Assembly this year.
In 2012 there have been many opportunities for involvement by students to promote their physical and mental wellbeing. Co-curricular activities at Hutchins remain strong and I thank coaches and staff who support Head of Sport, Mr Finch and Head of Outdoor Education, Mr Todd Blackhall.
Thanks too go to our parents and non-staff coaches. We have over 100 outside coaches and supporters and without the assistance of these unselfish and generous people our co-curricular programs would not go ahead.
In a pastoral sense, in classes, teams, clubs and societies and about the School generally it is at Hutchins you find encouragement to happily join in and be part of new friendships; to experiment with and enjoy new experiences with a variety of students and staff and, in a supportive and happy community, simply to enjoy becoming a young man.
As preparation for adult life The Hutchins School deliberately challenges students intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually as they experience teaching & learning in classrooms, in the wider national and even global environment. – students have come from or been to Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, England, Germany and France.
In 2013 Hutchins will host students from many of these countries at our student Science Conference, we will receive the All American Boys’ Choir and in 2014 Hutchins and Collegiate will join to represent Australia at the Centenary of ANZAC Day at Villers-Bretenaux, Belgium. Such are the challenges and opportunities we are pleased to bring to our students.
It is in this sense of challenge that our school has carefully planned the environment in which teaching and learning includes the classroom but also is able to introduce to boys the wider academic world as a consequence of developing technologies which support the valued work of teachers and students at Hutchins.
Teaching and learning anywhere, anytime within any community is today’s reality and with careful management such opportunities enhance education outcomes for boys.
The overarching goal of the School’s Information, Communications and e-Learning Technologies strategy is to enable a safe, secure, yet innovative and dynamic learning environment that provides all students and staff with opportunities to learn with appropriate technologies.
I am pleased to report that Hutchins is a judicious leader in this field of technology assisted teaching and learning.
In order to facilitate such an advantage, many of our staff will seek from 2013 to enhance their performance and map a pathway of professional development.
Mr Wayne Brown is appointed the new Director of Staff Performance and he will encourage a wide range of professional development opportunities.
Students, staff and parents have had the benefit of Hutchins' access to high speed broadband for the past 3 years and now, by creating a powerful, reliable and safe environment, we are able to introduce a bring your own device aspect to student learning and further enhance our website as a common place for the entire Hutchins community.
Similarly the new Hutchins School Social Media Centre carves a new path for integrated social media management at The Hutchins School.
The Centre has been created to provide a carefully managed space for our whole Hutchins community to connect, learn, be inspired by and engage in informed conversation about educating boys.
The Centre goes live today, and we can now say we own our space in the social media sphere.
Planning for the future of the School is the work of the Board and the Executive and the Board has been a very busy and most supportive group and I thank Chairperson Lance Balcombe and the Board for their enduring support for the work we do.
As you have heard, Mr Balcombe retires from the Board at the end of this year and it is appropriate that as a Hutchins community we thank him for the sacrifice of the extensive hours, expertise and commitment which he has given to The Hutchins School Board and its committees.
Mr Balcombe has seen during his term the evolving of a more refined governance structure. He has been ‘hands on’ in relation to the direction of the School, bringing thoughtful and experienced analysis which has been of great support to me as I have set about providing for the Board the strategic direction of the School.
An experienced and committed Board member, Mr Balcombe’s corporate, administrative and financial skills have come to the fore and I wish to record my respect for these skills and for his competence which I have witnessed as we have grappled with the complexities of issues which must be considered in challenging times.
The School and this Board owes our retiring Chairperson a debt of gratitude and I ask you to please join with me in demonstrating that appreciation of service.
The work carried out by the Board the Executive, Staff, Members of the Foundation, the Hutchins Old Boys’ Association and the Parents’ Association has in 2012 contributed much to make successful our vital process of futures building and to bring to a successful conclusion the current Strategic Plan.
This year has seen the Executive and the Board busy developing the next Strategic Plan and it is a pleasure to note the launch of our new Strategic Plan for 2013 – 2015.
Where The Hutchins School will raise its sites and focus on executing these strategic intentions by using existing structures such as; Executive Project teams, The Heads of Faculty, Staff learning Communities, Heads of Houses, key stakeholders such as the Old Boys, Foundation, Parents’ Association, and also by developing alliances with government, corporate entities and the University of Tasmania.
For a year of extraordinary effort to Deputy Headmaster, Mr Alan Jones, Head of Senior School, Mr Duncan Warlters, Head of Middle School, Mr Ian McQueen, Head of Junior School & ELC, Mrs Jenny Manthey, Business Manager Ms Jenny Self, my PAs, Mrs Carol Marshall and Ms Shannon Cavanagh, OH&S Advisor Mr Darryl White, HR advisor Mrs Alex Terhell and to our accounts, cleaning, grounds and maintenance teams may I pass on a huge “thank you”.
Our Development Office of Mr John Devine, Jenna Vance and Sarah Caddick has continued to enhance the innovation, quality and conduct of events and has set new standards for our print and electronic communications. For their tireless work we are all indebted.
Just noted is that critical ingredient present in all great schools and that is a dedicated, energetic and talented staff.
To our Hutchins staff, thank you for your preparations for: the hundreds of lessons professionally delivered, Australian Curriculum implementation, your own performance reporting, taking up professional development, camps, coaching, new assessment & reporting formats, the four term year, kind moments of pastoral care and friendship, Faculty contributions and in consequence the on-line mapping of all that we teach at Hutchins.
I know I speak on behalf of all students, and particularly students of Year 12, when I pass on our gratitude and sincere thanks to all staff for a job well done.
In acknowledging that commitment it is my privilege to thank Mrs Robin Short, Mrs Janet Waters and Mrs Julie Arnott for their enduring commitment to outstanding service at The Hutchins School. Mrs Short and Mrs Arnott each has given 27 years and Mrs Waters 25 years of their lives to educating boys at Hutchins and I invite you to join me in acknowledging that commitment and our wishes for their happy and long retirement.
To the young men of Year 12 who are about to leave us for a wider community and soon to cross the stage, become a new Old Boy, and then into the foyer for a final war-cry I draw your attention to a reminder that at Hutchins our collective mission has been to emphasise that sense of self-leadership, leadership of others and service to a wider world, and I urge you to carry those attributes into your communities beyond Hutchins and serve them well.
The Hutchins community has united in the purpose of providing a supportive and stimulating community to develop your character and you have rewarded yourselves and us with an exceptional year of achievement.
Your Year 12, 2012, has witnessed you step up to engage and commit to involvement; to giving your best, especially in times of doubt and adversity; you have deliberately made others feel included and made newcomers welcome; you have taken on studies, and co-curricular activities with energy and been helpful to the benefit of others; you have served others and not yourselves.
Well done. Year 12 we are proud of you.
What you have done here has mattered. You have left your mark and added to the history and culture of this great school.
Many of you will leave behind much of which you and we can be proud, especially the lessons given and standards set of manly behaviour for us and others to follow.
Our School Captain, Sam Johnston, has been a wonderful example of what I have just said – he has together with Vice-Captain Will Fergusson, acted with decency and with a quiet strength been committed and engaged with peers and staff alike. Sam you, like your peers, have given your best at all times – even when it was tough to do so. You have allowed others to feel included, made newcomers welcome, taken on studies and co-curricular activities with energy and been helpful to the benefit of others and, above all, you have served others and not yourself.
Sam, I congratulate you and Year 12, who like your leadership team, have been the expression of what it is to be a good man and for that we are pleased with what your year has achieved.
I am indeed proud of you.
Ladies and gentlemen I am now pleased to announce our team of student leaders for 2013.
Gentlemen, as your name is announced, please move to join our 2012 School Captain on the stage:
The Leadership Team in 2013 is to be:
- Captain of Buckland House: Mackenzie Clutterbuck
- Captain of School House: George White
- Captain of Stephens House: Oliver Lane
- Captain of Thorold House: Maxim Devine
- Captain of Burbury House: Oscar Beattie
- Vice-Captain of School: Timothy McQueen
- Captain of School: Edward Burrows-Cheng
From Catherine and me to all members of our community we wish you a most blessed and happy Christmas and a thoroughly relaxing, refreshing and safe holiday.