Ringing in Year 7 students

On the first day back from school holidays, students in 7-10 participated in a new tradition called the ‘Ringing In’.

When Maddi Cockerill, Mr Davey and I went to the Salesian Captains Conference held at Xavier College in Adelaide last year, we came across the idea of having a guard of honour for Year 7s. Many Salesian schools have the same tradition and we wanted to bring this back for 2019.

We thought it was a great idea, as it would help the students see what the future of the school would look like in the years to come as well as welcoming Year 7s.

To start the day off, Year 7s gathered in the Savio Centre and we had a small Assembly, where we talked about ways of dealing with the first week of school as well as speaking of what Dominic was about.

The ‘Ringing In’ consisted of the Year 8s, 9s, 10s and the teachers all lining up in a guard of honour from the top of the Savio Centre to the top of the basketball courts.

All of the Year 7s got into a double file line with the Captains leading from the front.

Tom was given the job of holding the Dominic College flag while Maddi, Ella and I held and rang a bell each. These bells weren’t just any ordinary bells though; they are a part of Dominic College’s history as they were used to signify the start and the end of the day, and recess and lunch, when the school was called Boy’s Town, Savio College and Holy Name.

The older students and teachers didn’t just stand there and smile, they also clapped and cheered and this was what really made the Year 7s feel welcomed.

Although it might have seemed overwhelming at first, the students and teachers made them feel a part of the community and that was the main goal.

Overall, the ‘Ringing In’ will be a great tradition which Dominic College has adopted and I hope it will continue for years to come.

Lachlan Rowlands - College Captain 7-10