Forty Grade 8 students gathered in the Junior School gym wearing their aprons, fidgeting on their feet, waiting to serve for the annual New Parents’ Dinner. This was an emblematic celebration of new boys embarking on a new journey in the Saints community. Before the dinner started, chefs were busy preparing dishes lying on long tables. Some staff members and Grade 11 and 12 students helped boys understand the procedures of the night. Students from both the Junior and the Senior School were volunteering at the event, sending out food, collecting dishes and cleaning up the venue.

Parents and guests invited enjoyed their dinner in the midst of the music played by band members. It was not a grand banquet hall with a sparkling chandelier and delicate marble tiles, but Mr. Ryan Chapman, who is currently substituting Ms. Heather Morris for the service and charity coordinator and had been at the dinner the whole night, affirmed that “the best part [of the dinner] was having all the volunteers coming. It was just absolutely spectacular to have so many Grade 8s and, of course, some Grade 11s and some Grade 12s too… I was especially impressed that all of you guys worked so hard and [were] so dedicated… it was just wonderful to see that positive spirit and that positive energy in the room”. This is such a positive comment that will encourage boys to make every effort to continue contributing to the school.