Inside Out
By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal
The Disney Pixar Movie Inside Out (2015) was released at a time when I was still watching movies with my now two adult children. We loved Pixar Movies - Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E…… and the DVDs (yes DVDs) filled our TV cabinet.
Each Disney Pixar Movie carried a special message. Messages included friendship and jealousy through toys; an underdog tale of standing up to bullying; a look at fear showing that laughter is more powerful than screams; a story of profound love, anxiety and learning to let go; a look at family dynamics, midlife crises, and embracing your unique strengths. Some of the messages were definitely, in my opinion, for the adults watching, but there is much in these movies for us to all learn about life.
The movie Inside Out takes this a step further by looking inside the mind of a young girl navigating change. Its core message is important: our emotions, even the challenging or uncomfortable ones, all serve a vital purpose in helping us grow up (or grow), connect and build our character.
Over the most recent weekend, I was reflecting on the ‘Joy’ parts of my role here at the College. There is much pure joy for me in watching our community thrive. I see it when I watch our Senior students perform in the Theatre, Drama and Dance Exams; I hear it when I meet with our College Captains and Vice Captains and hear their passion, advocacy for themselves and their peers, and their desire to make the world better; I see it on ‘Speak Up Stay ChatTY Day’ where student-led activities bring our community together; I see it when I stand on the sidelines watching our students play netball with determination; I hear it when I listen to our older student coaches engage beautifully and like professionals with their younger peers; I especially see a deeper, more mature kind of Joy in moments of adversity - like watching our Senior girls and boys AFL players lose in tough close matches, but they remain gracious in defeat although extremely disappointed.
But as Inside Out reminds us, joy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Growth requires us to face challenges and navigate the moment where things don’t go perfectly.
Lately, we have faced the challenges of students who continue to fall short of our shared College community expectations. We see this in a group of students who continue to wear our uniform poorly, students who disrespectfully use our shared toilet facilities and students who behave poorly when dressed in our College Uniform. Furthermore, the digital landscape presents its own challenges. The inappropriate use of mobile phones during the school day, and the impulse to post thoughtless, at times harmful to others, negative content to social media sites distracts from the learning environment and, as I mentioned, can cause real harm to our community.
Crucially, this digital responsibility applies to all of us. When parents/guardians post frustrations or unverified accounts about school matters on public or group social media sites, rather than engaging with us directly, it undermines the very community we are trying to protect. Just as the characters in the movie must work together to guide Riley through her challenges, we too rely on a vital partnership to guide our young people.
When you chose our Catholic College for your child, you made a commitment to partner with us. Supporting our expectations, including uniform pride, public behavior, phone boundaries, and respectful online communication, is a crucial part of that agreement. When we hold our students, and ourselves, to a high standard together, we aren't just enforcing rules; we are teaching respect, accountability, and pride in our community.
Thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring our students represent themselves, their families, and our College with pride and respect both offline and online.
Enjoy the weekend.
