Last week was the end of an era and the beginning of a new one as we introduced our three new houses. Over the coming weeks I’d like to take a few moments to explain how we have ended up with Team Endeavour (Lions), Team Discovery (Eagles) and Team Endurance (Sharks).
To endeavour to do something is to set out to achieve something potentially difficult. It is that moment where you decide within yourself to accomplish a goal, whilst recognising that obstacles are going to come along the way. Through Team Endeavour we are establishing in our students the idea that to achieve great things you don’t have to be the brightest, best, biggest, strongest or most creative etc, you just have to be a person with the strength of character to press on toward the goal no matter what. In fact, there is very little you can’t accomplish if you set your mind to a task and resolve within yourself to never give up.
All of us are familiar with the story of the Captain Cook and the ship HMS Endeavour to some extent. We learn about Captain Cook’s voyage that saw him amongst other accomplishments map the east coast of Australia and make the historic landing at Botany Bay. What most of us don’t know is the story of the ship itself before and after it’s historic mission with Captain Cook. To be brief, Endeavour was originally built as a lowly little flat bottomed coal carrier, designed to transport coal around Britain. Her flat bottom was well suited for carrying large amounts of coal in shallow waters, but horrible on open ocean voyages. After four years of work, Endeavour was acquired by the British Navy where some minor internal modifications were made before she set off with Cook and his crew on the three year famous voyage that saw HMS Endeavour record the transit of Venus in Tahiti, circumnavigate the South Island of From the Principal New Zealand, map the East Coast of Australia and circumnavigate the globe. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a small, inadequately designed ship. After all that, Endeavour went on to fight in the War of Independence in America where she was eventually scuttled in New York Harbour in 1778, and remains there to this day.
We’re often pretty quick to pigeon hole each other, and even our young people. It is usually what we see on the outside that determines what we believe someone to be capable of. Can I challenge us to look past what we might see with our eyes, and look to what God says about each of us. We are all valuable and created for a purpose. God has put dreams and desires in each one to drive us and spur us on, especially for when things get rough and we might start to think that we weren’t adequately built for the task. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. With Team Endeavour (The Lions), we are reminded that we have God who tells us to be strong and courageous, because He is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9). You are capable of great things!
When we speak to our children, students and each other, let’s speak words of life that encourage and strengthen. I believe each of our students at PCS are capable of great things. Let’s work together to ensure that they believe that also, and just watch what happens.
Go the Lions!
Have a great week
Glen