Principal's Update 27 June 2025

Dear Members of the Marcellin College Community,

As Term 2 draws to a close, I want to express my thanks to our staff, families and especially our students for a term marked by learning, growth and connection. Whether in classrooms, on stage, in sports or through daily interactions, you have brought our College’s mission to life with commitment and character.

This week, I have had the privilege of representing Marcellin College at the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference in Boston. With the theme Better Together, the conference allowed us to reflect on how boys learn, connect, and thrive and how schools like ours can continue to support them to become men of courage, character, and compassion.

A proud moment for our College came as two of our staff - Mr Simon Annett and Mrs Sarah Moss-Holland - shared our evolving Pastoral Program with the international audience. In their session, Cultivating Culture and Connection: Strengths-Based Pastoral Care and Shared Values, they explored how Marcellin has drawn on research and reflection to reimagine how we support boys through the lens of our Marist HEART values: Humility, Excellence, Acceptance, Resilience and Trust.

Now in their second year, these values are taking deeper root in the life of our College. They are becoming more than principles we promote - they are becoming habits of the heart that shape how we relate to one another, how we teach and lead, and how our students grow. Every act of courage, kindness, honesty or determination seen across our campus is a living sign of this transformation.

The conference itself has been rich in insight and inspiration. General Mark Milley, former Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, challenged us to reflect on our influence as educators. He reminded us that real leadership is not defined by authority, but by service, and that the values we model shape the world our students will inherit.

We were also deeply moved by Shabana Basij-Rasikh, co-founder of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA). Her story of founding the country’s first girls’ boarding school under Taliban rule - and continuing her mission in exile, was a powerful reminder of the transformative and liberating power of education, particularly when grounded in hope, resilience and belief in the dignity of every child.

While Hugh Jackman was unable to attend in person, he introduced the final keynote speaker via video — Australian mental health advocate Gus Worland. Gus offered an emotionally resonant call for all of us working with boys to lead with empathy, build safe spaces for emotional honesty and continue creating cultures of connection. His message affirmed the importance of what we do: forming not just capable learners, but good men - men who can listen, trust, care and stand up for others.

This experience has reminded me that working in a boys’ school is a profound privilege. It calls us to understand the specific needs of boys, not to limit them, but to open them to a wider horizon of possibility - to help them grow into men who lead with heart.

Thank you once again for your support, partnership and trust throughout this term. I wish all our families a restful and renewing break, and I look forward to all that awaits in Term 3.

‍

God Bless,
‍

Marco Di Cesare
Principal

‍