In a bold move to strengthen relationships with the Marist Brothers' Star of the Sea Province, Marist College Canberra launched its first Staff Immersion to the Solomon Islands from 30 September to 9 October 2024. Twelve teachers joined the immersion, including eight from Marist College Canberra, three from Canberra Girls Grammar School and one from Sacred Heart College Adelaide. The group spent ten days visiting schools they helped build and interact with in Honiara and Guadalcanal. These include St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School, Mercy School at Burn’s Creek, Laumanasa Community and Rural Training Centre, Divit Training Centre at Visale, the Christian Care Centre at Tenaru and Amoana Christian Academy, in Rifle Range, West Honiara.
A highlight of the immersion was time spent with students in classrooms and actively contributing to teaching and learning in Science, English, Film Studies, Geography, Physical Education, Agriculture and Art. These opportunities opened important dialogue about classroom practice and explicit instruction techniques including checking for understanding. Pen Pal letters were delivered on behalf of the Year 4 Marist students and photos of Australian life and culture captivated the imagination of the young learners. The group also facilitated an in-service for staff at St Joseph’s Tenaru on Marist pedagogy and explored how Marist spirituality could be nurtured with students.
The culture and climate had a lasting impact on the staff who quickly adapted to the warm reception and even warmer weather. The group was greeted with a friendly welcome at every turn by the school staff and students, local retailers and members of the public. In addition to teaching and learning, staff also immersed themselves in local arts, food markets, snorkelling WWII shipwrecks, chocolate tasting at Amazing Grace cocoa plantation, a rosary procession, learning sign language at San Isidro Centre, bumpy banana boat rides along the shore, Sunday Mass at the Cathedral, reading books with young people at Matariau Village and exploring the rich history of the Solomon Islands at the RAMSI museum and WWII memorial.
‘Let Your Light Shine’ is the motto of Mercy School and the positive outcomes of the staff immersion demonstrate this is not merely an aspirational hope for young people, but an inspiring and lived reality for the people of the Solomon Islands.
Nathan Ahearne
Assistant Head of School - Mission and Identity