Recently, I watched a Year 7 student quietly walk through the locker bay after lunch. In his hand was a piece of rubbish that I knew wasn’t his. No one had asked him to pick it up. No teacher was nearby. No friends were watching. He just did it, and I loved that he just saw it as the right thing to do.
Responsibility is often seen in the 'big' decisions—exams, leadership roles, deadlines—but more often it is shaped in the quiet, unseen choices we make when our character is the only witness. As Christian educators and students, we don’t carry responsibility because we have to, but because Christ calls us to live differently.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke 16:10, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much." Responsibility is not a burden; it is a sacred invitation. To steward our gifts. To honour our commitments. To care for one another. To represent Jesus in the way we speak, serve, study, and lead.
As assessments finish up and routines are stretched thin in the final few weeks to the finish line, I encourage our students to embrace three simple truths:
1. Responsibility starts small. Character is built in the ordinary moments. “Do the small things well,” as Mother Teresa said, “because it is those small things that make the big things possible.”
2. Responsibility is shared. We aren’t called to carry life alone. Galatians 6:2 reminds us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ”. When we support one another, we turn responsibility into community.
3. Responsibility reflects Jesus. Every action—finished work, kind words, honesty, effort—is an opportunity to show Christ. Colossians 3:23 encourages us: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
When we choose responsibility even when no one is watching, we step into the kind of integrity that quietly points others to Jesus—and slowly transforms our hearts from the inside out. My prayer is that we would be a school community known not only for our achievements, but for our faithfulness in the small, unseen moments.
Just like that quiet Year 7 student, may we choose what is right—not for recognition or applause, but because Christ is shaping who we are becoming. May our everyday decisions reflect the One we follow, and may our faithfulness in the little things honour Him in big ways.
Mrs Hayley Ferris
Head of Secondary
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