Recently, following an interesting conversation I had with someone I know well, I was accused of being ‘Woke’ as a way of ending the discussion.  We often hear that term bandied about, usually as a negative description.  I have been really unclear on what ‘Woke’ means.  So, I asked ChatGPT.  Clever thing that it is, it gave me the following description –

‘The term “woke” has its origins in African-American English where it refers to being aware of systemic racism and social injustice…The term “woke” gained widespread use in 2014 after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the subsequent protests about police brutality and racial inequality. The term was used to describe individuals who were aware of and engaged in social justice issues, particularly around race and racism…The term has become somewhat controversial, with some people embracing it as a positive term and others using it as a pejorative.”

If that’s a valid description, I’m pretty happy to be ‘woke’! Isn’t it even

more worrying for us as a society, that those who are passionate about social justice and the care for those who are marginalised, have a word put on them that is widely understood as being bad?  If the description above is accurate, I hope that Shalom is widely described as a ‘woke school’. I hope our young people will be ‘woke’.  I’m pretty sure that Jesus of Nazareth was pretty ‘woke’ as well.

The 2023 Catholic Schools’ Race Day is on this Saturday.  Tickets sold out a few weeks ago and, I’m sure, it will be another great day.  A big thank you to all of our sponsors and the organising committee.  Mr Peter O’Beirne does a fantastic job in leading that committee and shouldering much of the effort of organisation.

The Parents & Friends Association has been re-structured.  The need to raise money for the school and to deal with numerous fundraising ventures is no longer a part of the Shalom P & F.  We are looking for it to be a venue that looks at providing parents a chance to input and learn a bit more about the development of young people at Shalom.  The first meeting for the year is Tuesday 14 March at 5.30 pm in the staff room.  We no longer need to have monthly meetings but we will offer these gatherings as a chance for parents to provide feedback about issues of interest.  Please come along – no one will try to rope you into a job!!

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal
mcmahond@shalomcollege.com