Today, Friday the 16th of March is National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence (NDA), a day where schools across the country unite as one, to find workable solutions to address bullying and violence. This year’s theme for the NDA movement is ‘Bullying, No Way!’.
Our girls have banded together, to imagine a world free from bullying and violence, supporting one another through our culture of Sisterhood at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
“The school represents sisterhood through amazing integration throughout all the year levels.”
Sisterhood at Melbourne Girls Grammar pervades the entire community. It is an unwavering support network, spanning year levels and generations. Our girls support and empower one another, allowing each girl to be herself, and to have the confidence to speak freely and strive to achieve more.
We asked our MGGS student leaders to share their perspectives on what sisterhood means to them, and are pleased to share their words with you below.
“The concept of sisterhood permeates our MGGS community, where every girl can depend on the unwavering support and encouragement of her fellow sisters. MGGS girls inspire courage and compassion in one another, which continues to strengthen our sisterly bonds.”
Miranda Hoffman, Year 12, CAS Captain
“Sisterhood means that you are able to feel comfortable, vulnerable and confident around each other”
“From a House Captain’s point of view, I notice sisterhood every day when a younger girl says hello to me in the hallway, or sends me a very kind message telling me how excited they are for House Drama.
What I love about our culture of sisterhood is that it has no age barrier. Of course, the older girls strive to be a model for the younger ones, and kindly lends a hand when they need help. But I cannot count the number of times when I have been congratulated, supported and cheered up by a girl younger than me. These heart-warming gestures and messages are what continues to strengthen the sisterhood at MGGS.”
Dawn Lee, Year 12, Hensley House Captain
“The concept of sisterhood permeates our MGGS community, where every girl can depend on the unwavering support and encouragement of her fellow sisters.”
“Sisterhood means that you are able to feel comfortable, vulnerable and confident around each other. It means accepting each other for their flaws and knowing that no matter what, you’ll always be by each other’s side. It is like a second family and you know you will have the support of these people in your life forever. The school represents sisterhood through amazing integration throughout all the year levels.”
Abbie McKay, Year 12, Batman House Captain
“To me sisterhood is this incredibly uplifting support. Sisterhood holds me to a high standard and empowers me to be better than I was through their support and encouragement. My sisterhood has allowed me to challenge myself because I know that even if I fail they will be there for me.”
Lella Lee, Year 12, CAS Vice-Captain
For me, sisterhood is having a second family that is ever present. They make you feel as if you can rely on them and that you are relied on.
Henni Roxburgh, Year 12, Clarke House Captain
“It is a domain where each girl is embraced for their individuality, encouraged for their ambition, and supported in their weaknesses.”
The MGGS Boarding House is filled to the brim with lots of emotion; evoked and shared by the sisterhood of girls there. It is a domain where each girl is embraced for their individuality, encouraged for their ambition, and supported in their weaknesses. Within the sisterhood, each girl can be a leader, but also appreciates following the leadership of her fellow sisters. There is a unique intimacy that connects girls of different ages, backgrounds and interests. These bonds are fuelled by compassion, making the act of supporting one another an enjoyment rather than an obligation.
Evie Mullins, Year 12, Boarding House Captain
The connection within a sisterhood of girls, witnessed every day in our school community, coupled with the intricacies of a sister-sister relationship enable our girls at MGGS to receive support, compassion and care on a daily basis. There is something incredibly unique about a relationship between sisters, ranging from a role model dynamic, to one of friendship, to one of support and comfort in tough times, and every girl should know that there is always a sister to turn to for guidance, kindness, strength and encouragement. A simple greeting to girls on the gate in the morning, chatting to girls in line at the T-Bar, helping a girl who may seem lost, assisting a friend with their homework – all these small acts of kindness display just a few representations of the sisterhood seen daily throughout our school. As women, particularly in a community such as MGGS, we must be there for one another without fail, in order to ultimately grow and flourish in society.
Isobel Nicholls, Year 12, School Vice-Captain
As a school, it is our commitment on this National Day of Action to support our sisters, and say ‘Bullying, No Way!’.