Learning Achievement Awards Assembly

Learning is rarely a straightforward process. Learning requires courage, tenacity, ingenuity, imagination and hope. In order to learn, we must be prepared to fail, and we must become comfortable with errors and mistakes. And in order to learn, we must build authentic connections and relationships of trust with our teachers and classmates. At last week’s Learning Achievement Awards Assembly, we gathered to celebrate those students who have demonstrated significant leadership through their own engagement with the process of learning. The students who received these awards had been recognised and nominated by their teachers, from their observations of the positive demeanour and dispositions that they bring to our classrooms.

On the podium for the duration of the awards ceremony was a replica of the red Door of Mercy, which stands at the front of the House of Mercy in Baggot Street, Dublin. When Catherine McAuley first opened the doors to the newly built House of Mercy in 1827, she was sending a clear invitation to her own community to heed the calling of our faith to care for the vulnerable. It is this same calling that we echo in our own school today. The calling of Mercy and the calling of our education at Sacred Heart College are one and the same - to use our resources and our learnings to build a world of justice and equity for all, with a special care offered to the vulnerable. The students that we recognised and celebrated at our awards ceremony are congratulated for the ways that they lead us towards this calling. 

Particular congratulations are offered to Reeve Smith, who was nominated for Learning Achievement Awards in 5 of his Year 12 subjects, including VCE Mathematical Methods, VCE Specialist Mathematics, VCE English, VCE Health and Human Development and Year 12 Religious Education.

Within the assembly we heard a guest presentation from past student Nicholas Matters (class of 2015), who shared some anecdotes and wisdom from his own story of ongoing learning beyond the school gates. Nicholas now performs as an operatic tenor, and his presentation was well-received by all students and staff.

Spirit of the Sacred Heart Awards 

The Spirit of Sacred Heart Awards are presented each school term in recognition of how individual students give living witness to what it means to be a person of Mercy. They are designed to acknowledge students who demonstrate each of the Mercy Values, and to celebrate the many ways in which these values come to life in our community. At our recent Semester 1 Awards Assembly, we congratulated the students on receiving a Spirit of the Sacred Heart Award for their actions in either Term 1 or Term 2. All names and photos are in the Awards Booklet.

Learning Achievement Awards Booklet

We were also pleased to recognise and congratulate Ms Felicity Comte as the recipient of our Semester 1 Staff Spirit of Sacred Heart Award recipient. Felicity works as a Learning Support Officer in our Junior School, where her tireless efforts to support students and staff are greatly appreciated by all.