Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last term, deputy senior prefect Alexander Humphreys talked about the “dancing man” – a video of a man dancing alone at a music festival, who was eventually joined by a second person, then a third, and so on.

Deputy senior prefect Matt Dyster built on this story at assembly on Wednesday.  He focused on “the second man”, the person who gave the outlier, the dancing man, his support.  To be “the second man”, to step up and commit, often requires bravery, courage and a willingness to expose yourself to judgement.  But there is real power in offering support. At Newington, support means boys have the confidence to perform on the sporting field, on the stage, in co-curricular activities, in the classroom and in their social life. Boys who dare to be the “second man”, who support the individual who raises an issue, start the movement that brings about change.  It takes courage to stand out, but never underestimate the bravery of supporting those who do.

I hope the boys take this message with them as they head off to Sport this weekend. During some of last weekend’s fixtures a few boys let themselves and their team mates down as their behavior was well below the standard we expect.  The issue was discussed at assembly by senior prefect Lachlan McIntyre, who urged boys to use self-control and not act on impulse. Everyone has heard of “that school”, he said: the one with no regard for the rules, that plays dirty and starts fights. “That school” will not be Newington. We expect our boys to play hard, but play fair, and to respect opponents, officials and spectators alike. This weekend, please be the “second man” – the one who steps up to do the right thing.