Santa Monica

After what can be called a ‘challenging’ 2 years, Santa Monica is back in ‘full swing’, the students are out in the surf again and the campus is alive.

For the students coming down to EasternView, we see them rising to the occasions and challenges that are presented to them as a part of their Year 9 studies at St. Bernard’s. For over 20 years this has and will continue to be a key time in these students lives, a modern day rights of passage if you like, where they have formative experiences in stepping up from being older children, to young adults.

The program is structured with intentional experiences over the 4 weeks. Sequential learning of concepts around engagement, leadership, environmental stewardship, communication and St. Bernard’s ‘3 R’s’ it leads naturally into a time of their lives where the students are starting to ask bigger questions and be challenged to become better versions of themselves. The staff are right there with the students in all the day to day activities, role modelling the behaviours we instil with them and demonstrating these concepts.

In the surf, the students are challenged to not just catch a wave, but to learn how to act in an aquatic environment safely with their peers. On the bikes, the guys are challenged with the desire to act recklessly or to be able to safely assess risk. We build from these experiences over those 4 weeks are as we do, we see the groups being able to take more responsibility for themselves, for others and for the wider communities to which they belong.

Service Learning has been a huge part of our program this year. In surrounding community groups, the boys dedicate their time to helping others. Partnering alongside members of the Surf Coast communities, they chat with these locals and gain skills, knowledge and wisdom, usually far greater than just on the task at hand.

We love the growth and development at this time of a student’s schooling. Like seeds, we sometimes don’t see the growth for a while, though under the surface they’re building strong foundations, gaining nutrients and then, all of sudden at an exceptional rate we see them flourish and rise up to that which is presented to them.