Reflecting on Founders' Day
Recently the College celebrated Founders' Day. One of the highlights was the Pipe Band being joined by around 50 Old Scotch Collegians who returned to school to catch up with their peers and other Old Boys who had attended our school in different eras. The annual dinner that evening was a great success with over 140 in attendance and many stories of the past being shared. What was apparent from these conversations was how much the school had changed over the years, but also how many of our traditions have been preserved and enhanced, to underpin who we are as a College.
In a physical sense, our campus is vastly different than it was 100, 50 or even 25 years ago, as can be seen from the various stages of development of our Senior School in the pictures below.
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There have obviously been numerous additions and changes over the decades, with the most recent being the new Mathematics and Commerce Building. While this is obviously a brand new building, over the years we have also embraced restorative projects across the campus.
When considering different projects with the school architects over the years, the need to acknowledge and protect our heritage for future generations has been at the forefront of discussions, while at the same time making the changes necessary to keep improving our school. This can be achieved in a number of ways. In some cases, it is preferable to protect the heritage to the point where a building is retained in its original state while in others a refurbishment or renovation is a more fitting way of acknowledging the past and also moving forward. Recent examples of this approach include the work undertaken on the PC Anderson Chapel and Memorial Hall. These buildings are now a reflection of what has come before and where we are now.
It is important, especially when reflecting on Founders' Day, to respect, acknowledge and celebrate our past but to also celebrate the changes we have made. These adjustments are not limited to the physical changes to our campus and when doing this we need to embrace our culture while acknowledging the importance of change. At times, we need to adjust the manner in which we do things; it might be a minor tweak or a more significant change, to ensure we continue to grow and provide our school community with opportunities to thrive.
Sometimes we may look back on that change and make further modifications to best suit our needs and, at other times, we might remove something completely and start again. It may be due to our role as a school changing or perhaps the changing needs of a local or global community, but we must always be willing to adapt.
Therefore, as we face the new academic year ahead, we remember those who have come before us and understand the way things have been done previously while also looking at the positive changes we can make so we continue to acknowledge our culture whilst improving it further.