Celebrating Harmony Week has become a special event on the WRSC calendar. This was evident from the moment the school gates opened on Thursday 21 March with dozens of students arriving proudly dressed in their traditional cultural clothing for the day. A sea of colour welcomed us that morning, with students representing Lebanon, Samoa, India, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Scotland, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Malawi, The Philippines, Germany and Australia’s First Nations, just to name a few.
The festivities kicked off at lunchtime, when we welcomed acclaimed Senegalese musician Lamine Sonko to the College. Lamine led an enthusiastic group of students in a drumming workshop that could be heard all over the school grounds and created a joyful atmosphere which continued into session 5 for our whole-school Harmony Day assembly. This began with a beautiful Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, performed by Kaelun “KB” Brown, his son, and Year 12 student Shanikwa, who shared in a heartfelt speech what her identity as a young Aboriginal woman meant to her.
After the ceremony, we moved to the College gym for a whole-school assembly which included an invigorating guest-speech by Lamine, a piano performance by Year 9 student Jacq, and our annual multicultural parade. This assembly was run entirely by our newly-appointed SRC student leaders. We couldn’t be prouder to have such mature and responsible student leaders at WRSC and this assembly was the first of many that they will run in 2024.
Harmony Day is a crucial reminder of the importance of togetherness, cooperation and acceptance. At WRSC, by celebrating this day with such enthusiasm, we hope to send the message to our community that everyone is welcome at our school – and not just welcome but celebrated. The way our students embrace this day year after year shows that our vibrant and diverse community has so much to be proud of. We’re already looking forward to next year’s celebrations!