Colour Me Home
Santa Maria College Boarding welcomed 15 new Year 7 girls in 2023. Moving to boarding school at 12 brings excitement and adventure, but it can also be challenging, with homesickness always in the background, ready to pop out at any moment.
Director of Boarding Jane Murray collaborated with visual artist Kerry Harrison from Small Keys Studio to support the new boarders and their families. Together, they created a personalised mindfulness colouring book called ‘Colour Me Home’. This book aims to alleviate homesickness, foster connections, and promote understanding among the Year 7s.
The book features hand-drawn portraits based on selfies, accompanied by thought-provoking questions about each boarder. Not only did the girls benefit from this project, but their families also received a copy enabling them to learn about their daughters’ new friends and engage in colouring activities. After all, it’s not just the girls who experience homesickness – parents miss them terribly too.
This project proved to be a rewarding experience for everyone involved, playing a vital role in welcoming and helping the youngest boarders settle in.
- Collaboration, Confidence, Curiosity, Featured, Mental Health, Resilience
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.
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