MAKING IT HAPPEN TOGETHER

 

The Making it Happen Together campaign is an initiative of the Transformation Committee.  It focuses on Hilton as a community and aims to encourage good neighbourliness, concern for others and the embracing of diversity.  We hope that the campaign will sensitise all of us to the need to be committed to community in a conscious and pro-active way.  The campaign has been in the planning stages for some time, but recent events in our country (and some within this school) make its timing particularly appropriate.

 

We hope that Tutors will discuss aspects of a healthy community and the need to embrace diversity in their meetings with Tutees; that Housemasters will encourage this focus in House Prayers; that the theme may be taken up in Chapel and that the community in general will grow through this experience.

Postcards

 

A special notice board will promote the campaign.  Also, as an aid in keeping the focus on the campaign, we have produced postcards.  The idea is that any member of the wider school community – boys, all staff, service providers – can source a postcard and send it to someone in recognition of a positive gesture.  We are talking of “random acts of kindness”, actions which reflect concern for others, show sensitivity or empathy, or reflect a genuine desire to welcome the diversity of our Rainbow School.


In the most recent edition of the Fleur-de-lys newsletter, the Headmaster’s contribution included the following:


In recent weeks there has been a great deal of coverage about human rights abuses and incidents relating to people who have a total lack of respect for one another.  These have ranged from politically motivated atrocities, to families being locked away in dungeons to the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.  On a smaller scale, but of significance to us as a school, I have had cause to discipline boys as a result of their having a distinct lack of respect for one another.  Some cases have related to boys confusing their ‘right’ to respect with the need to earn it.

We will, through the efforts of our Transformation Committee, be launching a project related to the recognition of random acts of kindness.  I believe that this will go some way to ensuring that our boys focus on helping and building people up rather than ‘cutting’ each other down. 
 

James A Garfield, 20th President of the USA, once said “There are men and women who make the world better by being the kind of people they are.  They have the gift of kindness or courage or loyalty or integrity.  It really matters very little whether they are behind the wheel of a truck or running a business or bringing up a family.   They teach the truth by living it.” 

 

This holds true for the Hilton community as well.  It should really matter very little whether you hold a position of authority or seniority – each person should be respected, each person valued and appreciated.  The words from the above quote that stand out for me are ‘courage’ and ‘integrity’.   It takes courage to stand up for what you believe is right.  It takes a great deal of courage to stand up against a friend when you know he is doing wrong, and more often than not, it takes a great deal of courage to follow and acknowledge the ‘right way’ of doing things.  Integrity refers, quite often, to honesty, a perfect state.  We expect our boys to have integrity – to behave in an honest and forthright way – and these are traits that, I am afraid, are beginning to fade from society today.  We will work hard at encouraging our boys to ensure they do not fade from a Hilton boy’s way of doing things.

 

I urge all to reflect on how we treat those we come into contact with, ensuring that we are always respectful and that our actions never challenge another’s dignity.

 

DAVE LOVATT

Headmaster