Sophie Conlon
IT HAS become tradition at St Martins Lutheran College for the oldest members of the school community to welcome the new students to school each year.
Being an area school, staff believed it was important for all year levels to be connected and so the blessing of the backpack ceremony was born about four years ago.
Head of junior school wellbeing Robyn Teakle said the ceremony acknowledged both the new reception students, and the year 12s who would soon finish their school journey.
“As St Martins has continued to grow it is important to us to keep a strong connection between our students right across the college,“ she said.
She said all reception students were given a year 12 buddy who presented them with a keychain for their bag and would help them along through their first year at school.
“During the ceremony there is a blessing over both reception and year 12 students as the older students greet, chat and share with the younger ones and in doing so place a specially designed bag tag on their backpack,“ she said.
2023 college captain Alex Laube said he and his peers saw the ceremony as a special event.
“The blessing of the backpacks is a special event for the year 12s as it is the ’old’ welcoming the ’new’ and a great way to symbolise the start of their St Martins journey,“ he said.
Ms Teakle said it was exciting to have the two year levels connecting, and it was great parents could also be involved in the ceremony.
“It was wonderful to have parents along to share in the ceremony and chat with their young ones and their new buddy,“ she said.
