Prepared for the opportunities
Year 8 boarder at St. Stanislaus’ College, Isaac Barrett of Coonamble loves everything about boarding and the opportunities it presents. It’s said he bleeds the Stannies blue and white.
Founded in 1867, the Bathurst school fondly known as Stannies, is the oldest Catholic Boys’ Boarding School in Australia and the only Vincentian school in Australia.
Isaac talks about his experience of boarding at the school.
I think Stannies is helping me grow into a respectful, young independent man, teaching me to be more respectful and tolerant of others.
High expectations
What did you hope to gain from boarding at St Stanislaus’ College?
When I first walked through the gates of Stannies I thought “Wow! this school is awesome! Imagine all the opportunities I will have here.”
Being from a small country town in the Central West of NSW I wasn’t aware of the opportunities that boarding schools offer. One of the opportunities I was sure of was I wanted to gain more independence. I’ve only been at Stannies for a year and I have certainly gained this already.
What interests have you been able to pursue at the College?
Coming from the small country town of Coonamble, there were many interests I wanted to pursue at Stannies – one of them was more opportunities at rugby.
Rugby is a main sport at Stannies. The tradition goes back 152 years when this great school began. Coming from a farm, I was very interested in agriculture and wanted to extend my knowledge in Ag.
Settling into a new environment
What’s it been like leaving home to live with other students as boarders? Were you prepared for it?
In the first couple of weeks leaving home was tough for me. Whenever I started to feel homesick or wanted to be back at home on our farm, I’d just think about the opportunities this school will give me to keep me going.
I think I was prepared for boarding school, having two older brothers who attended the school was a big help to me because they gave me the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the College.
My parents are always positive about things, which helps me concentrate more on my school work instead of worrying about what’s happening at home.
What kind of things have you done to help you settle into your new ‘home’ environment at the College?
One of the main things for me would be to ring home frequently just to hear my family’s voices and know that everything is going well with them. Dad and Mum would let me know how things were on the farm. Dad would tell me what he did that day and this would help me a lot, because we are currently heavily impacted by drought and just knowing what’s going on helps me.
My parents are always positive about things, which helps me concentrate more on my school work instead of worrying about what’s happening at home.
What are some of the challenges you face as a boarder? How are you working to overcome them?
When I came into Year 7 some of the challenges I was worried about was making new friends coming into a boarding school with boys you’ve never met before. I wasn’t sure what they would be like but after a few days these boys were all my mates and now they’re my brothers.
Set up for life
What’s the best thing about being a boarder? How would you describe it to someone who knows nothing or little of boarding?
I think the best thing about boarding is just being with mates every day – many of these boys that we board with will become mates for life.
Boarding teaches us how to monitor our study times, how to be respectful to everyone around us – teachers and students. These characteristics will help us in life because having gone through College as boarders, we’ll be more advanced than other students and we’ll know how to cope with difficulties we wouldn’t face until later in life.
Do you think boarding is helping you grow as a person, or changing you in some way? If so, how?
I think Stannies is helping me grow into a respectful, young independent man, teaching me to be more respectful and tolerant of others. With our parents not being around, they can’t help you with every little problem so you need to learn to be more independent. Boarding teaches you so many life skills that you’ll need for the future. Since being at Stannies my confidence in academic and sporting commitments have grown. I think the key to success is to believe in yourself and Stannies has certainly allowed me trust myself a lot more.
What do you think are the most unique parts of a boarding experience that you’ll take with you in life?
The most unique part of boarding at Stannies for me would definitely have to be the Vincentian Charism. Stannies participate in many activities that help the community and my favorite would be the Green Team. The Green Team is a team of Stannies boarders who go out into the community and help elderly people look after their gardens and lawns. This is a Team that I’m looking forward to joining when I move into Year 9. These kinds of activities that Stannies participates in to help the community are a true reflection of the teachings of St Vincent de Paul.
What advice would you have for someone thinking about boarding as a schooling option?
For someone thinking about boarding as a schooling option I would definitely encourage you to go for it. The opportunities that Stannies, in particular provides students, is amazing – from academics to co-curricular, to sporting commitments. Stannies is a school for all kinds of boys from different places, families and faiths.
Meet the staff at St. Stanislaus’ College at the Tamworth Boarding Schools Expo, July 26 and 27, along with 30 other schools – all under one roof for two days.