9 Reasons I Enjoy Our Swimming Carnival So Much – Jennifer Oaten
Our Swimming Carnival is a key component of the McAuley Shield, and we are thrilled to have been able to reschedule. To ensure our girls had the chance to participate, we had to pivot to a two-venue model; our competitive swimmers competed at HBF Stadium. The remaining students participated in our newly created Splashtacular at the College. All of the College’s carnivals are important as they are such a great way to build community amongst our students and staff with the added bonus of earning points towards the much pursued McAuley Shield.
9 Reasons why.....
- The celebration and acknowledgement of our talented swimmers who had the opportunity to challenge themselves and do their personal best.
- The support by teammates and friends throughout the day. Watching swimmers congratulate each other and showing great team spirit.
- Watching excellent leadership by our 16 House Captains. They were constantly encouraging students to participate and ensuring there were no empty lanes.
- Witnessing other students stepping up as leaders given the two venues.
- Seeing our Year 7 students start the day with nerves but showing great courage. By the end of the carnival, demonstrating the great Santa spirit…. they can do anything they set their minds to!
- Watching all our students participate in some way, so everyone student contributed to the overall team result.
- Seeing the interactions between different year groups in each House and watching new friendships form.
- Celebrating and respecting our students’ diverse talents and abilities and how each student is valued. Including advanced swimmers doing the butterfly, students who competed in the novelty events, students who helped as officials, and students who cheered for their teammates.
- The sound of laughter and smiles, so many happy girls!
We believe in the sense of belonging, and contributing as a valuable member of a team is an important part of positive wellbeing. I am sure many felt this on this beautiful sunny day.
I am incredibly proud of our students – what a wonderful sense of community and House spirit I experienced today.
A very big thank you to our Head of Sport, Emma Wood, and the many PE staff who did a wonderful job developing the alternative format and organising and coordinating the day to ensure it was such a success. Thanks also to the House Co-ordinators and all staff for their involvement.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
