This year Aquinas took on the opportunity to raise awareness and funds for mental health and wellbeing. In total we completed 248,189 push ups and raised nearly $5000! Congratulations to Year 7 Bryan West who managed a total of just over 36,000 push-ups on their own. Many Aquinians learned about mental health and wellbeing through the app, through daily facts in tutor and in mental-health based assemblies run by the wellbeing council.We had a lot of fun and we can’t wait to beat this target next year! If you or a loved one need help, you might consider some of the support services listed on https://menshealthwa.org.au/directory-2/

At Aquinas we are focused on building a boy’s character through not only our Character Education Curriculum but also the various opportunities we can provide boys to grow their character, especially through service to others. At the start of this year we were gifted the opportunity to work with Special Olympics Australia, an international organisation which provides sporting opportunities for people with an intellectual disability or autism. In discussions with Tara Schwarze the State Manager for Special Olympics Western Australia, Aquinas agreed to support and hold three events this year and plan to continue our partnership into the future. Three events were decided up, swimming was held on 14^th May, Basketball held last Sunday 28^th May and a soccer tournament will be held on Saturday 17^th June. These events are part of the pathway for athletes aiming to representing Western Australia and Australia in future Special Olympics events.

In partnering with the Special Olympics we have provided Aquinas students an authentic and very powerful opportunity to serve others by helping run the competitions as well as competing side by side with the Special Olympics athletes during the events. The following boys should be congratulated for giving up their time to volunteer at these events. Tara and the other organisers were very complimentry of the swimming and basketball volunteers and I know they will be just as complimentray and impressed with the boys assisting at the upcoming soccer tournament.

On Friday April 28^th and Saturday April 29^th, the Schola Cantorum had the honour of performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Concert Hall. Whilst the Schola had done this twice last year, this 2023 performance was particularly special – the choir were involved in the world premiere of a piece of music called The Tides of Longing, written by Perth composer and rising star of the Classical Music world, Lachlan Skipworth.

The Tides of Longing tells the story of a refugee who travels to Australia by boat, and is performed by orchestra, adult chorus, boys chorus and a single actor. At about 35 minutes in length, the music takes the audience on both a physical and emotional journey, as the protagonist survives storms and relives the horrors that he has fled on his journey to Australia.

The Schola were featured prominently at four different sections of the piece – as well as beginning and ending the whole piece, they also sang two different solo sections. One of these, called Ayee Bird was so well received that it will now be recorded as a stand-alone piece to be heard on ABC Classic FM. The fact that these sections were composed specifically for the Schola makes them even more special.

These two performances, which were to a combined audience of about 3,000 people, prepared the boys in the Schola well for their upcoming tour to England and Ireland, where they will perform seven times inside two weeks.

Hugh Lydon
Director of College Schola Cantorum

Photo credit Linda Dunjey