‘There’s a power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.’ – Michelle Obama
Throughout Semester Two, our focus and theme as a Middle School will be the idea of finding your voice. The role of a high-quality education is that we are moved beyond the academics that allow us to write with fluency or successfully solve a challenging equation. It encourages us to take our knowledge and use it for the betterment of ourselves and others. At Bacchus Marsh Grammar, we foster an education for life. We want our students to consider how they can find their articulate, informed and kind voices and how they can use these for good. Our school values of Respect, Kindness, Leadership, Confidence, Discipline and Ambition require a strong voice; one that speaks with kindness and respect, and one that brims with confidence. It is a voice that can show discipline and restraint when needed, shares words with ambitious thoughts and one that leads others with compassion, humility and intellect.
On Saturday 9 July, Woodlea Campus hosted a Teeyan event. It is a wonderful example of how members of Bacchus Marsh Grammar, as well as local communities, own their unique stories and use their authentic voices both individually and collectively. Teeyan is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon and focuses on daughters and sisters. It is a celebration of culture, community and identity. Women celebrate through dance, songs, shared conversations, language and performance. Many of the young people attending last Saturday’s Teeyan event were BMG students and it was amazing to see so many celebrating their culture, language and identity through dance and song performances. For staff, it was a chance to hear these students’ individual and collective voices, to learn more about their culture and community and to celebrate through language and dance. We felt privileged to have been invited to attend and we hope that we can attend more of these significant days. On Saturday, there were many confident voices including students who were confident to use their authentic voice, celebrate their unique story and share that with others.
By Mrs Hunter & Ms Maitland-Smith