Captain’s Corner | Vice Captain, William Cook

For about three weeks now, I have been hosting my wonderful French exchange student Arnaud. Through Arnaud, I have been able to look at Terrace through the eyes of a stranger. Through Arnaud, I have been able to gain appreciation for a lot of things I take for granted.

One of the most immediate shocks he noticed was the level of school spirit and pride. His first week at Terrace was in the lead up to the Terrace Nudgee round which meant that the College was alive. It was very interesting to hear Arnaud excitedly recount how the entire school got to gather for assembly and even shout a war cry at the end. He could instantly appreciate the school spirit that courses through the veins of our school. This was something completely foreign to him, his school is simply a place of learning.

He witnessed this school spirit at rugby training later in the week in the way that every team (even the mighty 6ths!) committed to their sport. He saw this school spirit on Saturday by the quality of support and the courage of the players. He saw this school spirit through the interactions between Terracians. He remarked to me the connectedness of our year and how it was so different from the many isolated groups that go to his school. This is something that made me incredibly grateful and proud to belong to the Terrace Family.

House Choir, an event with a totally different tone saw Arnaud experience the same feeling of connectedness. Whether it was the nervous excitement that builds before you step out onto the stage, or the pride seen as houses chanted their name after belting out a medley of songs that are normally only found in Mum and Dad’s CD collection. He even got to see that the crazy, wondrous spectacular of House Choir drawing enormous support from GT’s extended community, all brought in by the infectious Terrace spirit.

This same school spirit was also evident at the academic medals assembly on Tuesday, where the hard work of so many boys was recognised. Celebrating the success of others is something we do well at Terrace. Every clap at that assembly was genuine. All the congratulations in the hallways are sincere. I think this is the true sign of a community, the ability stand together and strive for success and to celebrate another’s successes as much as your own. This has impressed Arnaud and made me truly grateful to be a Terracian.