From the Principal’s Desk – 06 December, 2018

Dear Parents,

I seldom publicly comment on movies that I have seen but after watching the new biopic about the band Queen called “Bohemian Rhapsody” this weekend, I have to say I left feeling inspired. Many critics have commented on the inaccuracy and artistic license taken with regards to timelines and the glossing over of some events but this is not what that moved me.

What inspired me so much was the age-old classic story of someone living their truth. Bohemian Rhapsody is a story about someone believing in their abilities and making their dreams come true despite what the naysayers and obstacles they find in their way. Most impressive though, is the final scene, depicting the Live Aid event that Freddie Mercury and his bandmates played in 1985. In this scene, you watch a man who not only relishes in his abilities but enjoys and feeds off his ability to entertain people. Someone who receives and appreciates the instantaneous accolades of the 100,000 strong crowd who are genuinely moved by arguably one of the “greatest showmen who ever lived”. How amazing it is to live and experience your dream.

Those of us in education have a duty and responsibility to encourage our students to DREAM BIG, to allow them to think of a world of numerous possibilities and the many “what if’s”. Education has to be more than just teaching a subject or prepping a student for an examination – we are preparing children for life and as such our curriculum has to go beyond the required curriculum documents. The key to encouraging our children to dream big and look after and feed their talents is teaching them that having a dream does not mean that you will actually achieve it. This is only possible with lots of hard work, dedication, having an action plan and being willing to experience failures and successes along the road.

Too few get this balance right and that is why some people never move from just having a dream to actually realising and achieving it. This is what Bohemian Rhapsody reminded me of. We all have the right to dream and dream big but we all have a responsibility to work for it and make it a reality. It is an important lesson that we can hope to teach our children and the future generations – being able to live your truth and be who you were meant to be, is something so worthwhile and meaningful. If we can achieve that imagine what we can do with our talents….. So to all the little “Freddie Mercuries” out there – live your truth, live your dream!

Kind regards,

Grant Ruskovich