iServi News | 2 August 2019 | Term 3, Week 2
John Coutis: Inspiration and Inclusion
This week we were privileged to have John ‘JC’ Coutis address members of our community, presented by our Parents and Friends.
We were honoured to have a presenter of John’s calibre attend the College on Wednesday evening to share his remarkable story. John is a global speaker who motivates others through the telling of his incredible journey through life. John was born with a severe physical disability in which doctors gave him little chance of survival. John not only defied medical opinion, he has thrived.
John spoke to the fully engaged audience about the challenges that he faced throughout his life given his physical difficulty. He led us through his journey from childhood to the present where he now travels the world to spread his inspirational message. John spoke about respect and the importance of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself. This is a tenet that John lives by, which was obvious though the way that he interacted with everyone present before, during and after the event.
John spoke of the importance of facing our challenges. If we choose to ignore or avoid challenges, then we just create larger problems for ourselves in the future. He said that we all should have the courage to face our obstacles and the confidence that we can face whatever comes our way. John is proof of what can be achieved through facing one’s challenges head on. John also promoted the fact that we all have value – no matter what may have happened to us along life’s journey. We will all face trials and hardships, but this will never undermine the true value of each of us.
We talk long and often to our students about the importance of setting goals. It was terrific to hear this message strongly affirmed by John. In navigating the challenges in his life, John would always set goals and harness self-belief and determination to achieve them. John also suggested that goals need to be written down so that we have a constant reminder of the challenges that we set ourselves. I have written recently about the need for students to have high expectation of themselves, so in setting and working toward their goals, students need to always bring great effort and application along with high levels of self-accountability.
During his presentation, John highlighted the importance of being resilient. He said that this is an important attribute for everyone but in particular for the younger generation as they navigate an increasing challenging world. John talked us through the time he had to be resilient in managing life’s difficulties and encourages us to do the same. A key focus for us with the introduction of the Berry Street Education Model is to build student resilience. The capacity for students to effectively manage the difficulties that they will inevitably face through life’s journey will support their personal growth and development.
This special opportunity to hear from a world-renowned speaker was made possible through the considerable efforts of our Parents and Friends Executive team. We are most grateful to Mrs Tania Cleverly, Mrs Margaret Diodato and Mrs Maria Carlino for their initiative in delivering this genuinely engaging event at our school.
We are very grateful to College staff for their support of the event. We also thank the large number of parents, families, friends, students and staff for attending this special evening.
John’s book is available on both Kindle and paperback, and anyone wishing to order a copy can do so via: https://www.johncoutis.com/the-book/
Sibling Enrolments
Families with current students are reminded that siblings who wish to attend the College in Year 7 2020 and 2021 should apply now.
Mr Jeff Allen
Principal