This week marks a special week across our whole school with R U OK? Week and more specifically in the Senior School with our Arts Showcase celebration.
R U OK? Week
While R U OK? is acknowledged during a focused week, the concept of checking-in on each other in a boys’ school is always paramount to our pastoral support and care throughout the year.
The 2026 campaign focuses on timing, encouraging people not to wait for a specific date or the “right moment” to check-in on someone. If someone is on your mind, today is the day to ask. As research clearly shows, while most people are glad to be asked how they are going, many hesitate out of uncertainty or wait for a formal occasion rather than trusting their instincts. When we know people well, we are more likely to see a change in their demeanour. It is better to check than to dismiss what we think we are witnessing.
Listening to others is encapsulated in an acronym that is very close to my heart, “ALEC“:
Ask, Listen, Encourage action, Check-in.
Mental wellbeing is central to our boys and staff and this week reminds us not to let it be overtaken by busy activities throughout the year.
If you wish to find out more about the week or learn more about how we can support others, go to https://www.ruok.org.au.
Arts Showcase
Music, drama, visual art, design, media and creative expression help young people build resilience, embrace challenge and develop the confidence to begin again.
In Australia, and particularly in our PSA community, we rightly celebrate the value of sport. Our sporting programme is filled with matches, training sessions and the lessons that come from competition. We recognise that sport teaches perseverance, teamwork, discipline and resilience. Yet many of the same qualities are developed through the study of the arts.
Our College’s offerings in music, drama, visual art, design and media, are not simply cultural pursuits. They are powerful pathways for building character and preparing our young boys and men for life.
Recently, I have been reflecting on the idea that “hardship is not a dirty word.” Why? Because resilience, courage and wisdom are rarely developed in comfort. More often, they emerge when our boys encounter challenges, struggle with them and discover that they are stronger than they thought. Trying something new, which may be outside of our natural wheelhouse of comfort, is important for personal and professional growth.
The arts provide a chance to experience safe struggle. A young musician spends months mastering a difficult piece, often making mistakes before achieving success. An actor experiences the vulnerability of stepping onto a stage in front of an audience. An artist learns to receive feedback, revise their work and persevere when the original vision does not quite materialise. A media student refines filming and editing techniques through effort and discipline. A design student develops and refines solutions to a brief, often reworking ideas through multiple iterations before arriving at an effective outcome.
In each case, students encounter frustration, uncertainty and disappointment, but within a supportive environment that encourages growth. This was never more evident than last Friday when I witnessed three Year 12 IB Diploma students deliver their final musical recitals in front of a large crowd.
Importantly, the arts teach students that failure is information, not identity. A missed note, a forgotten line, an unsuccessful audition or an artwork that does not achieve its intended outcome becomes an opportunity to learn rather than a reason to quit. Through these experiences, young people develop self-awareness, perseverance and confidence. They begin to understand that setbacks are not the opposite of success. They are often part of the journey towards it.
There are powerful parallels between sport and the arts. Athletes and artists alike learn that excellence requires commitment, practice and resilience. Both perform under pressure. Both experience success and disappointment. Both learn to accept feedback and strive for improvement. Most importantly, both teach young people how to persist when things are difficult.
As a school community, we should value the arts not as an alternative to sport, but as an equally important arena for character formation. Parents should encourage their sons to engage with the arts, not simply as a pathway to an IB or WACE score, but as a lifelong skill and source of lasting pleasure. Whether on the sporting field, in the studio, on the stage or in the rehearsal room, students learn one of life’s most valuable lessons: they can cope, adapt and begin again. In a world that often seeks to remove obstacles, the arts remind us of the fact that growth frequently comes through challenge, and that hardship, when supported appropriately, can be one of our greatest teachers.
As our Senior School celebrates Arts Showcase Week 2026, let us focus on the lifelong benefits for all the Scotch community through pursuing something in the arts.
Have a great fortnight.
Dr Alec J O’Connell
Headmaster
