2025, Term 2, Edition 9 - Chaplain - Casey Grammar School

The Power of Resilience: Reid and Trist House Chapel

We recently shared in our 2025 Reid and Trist House Chapel, exploring the theme of resilience. Students in each House contributed by creating leaves that formed trees representing the growth that can be possible.

It was a wonderful opportunity to see the students of these Houses in action. We enjoyed a slideshow of students' Semester 1 participation, heard reflections from our Captains, and explanations of the newly created House Artworks. We also enjoyed the talents of the seven students who came together to create a fantastic version of I’m Still Standing.

The highlight for many was our powerful guest speaker, Firooza, who moved to Australia from Afghanistan only three years ago, without being able to communicate in English. Three short years on, she presented to us - her biggest audience so far - about her journey.

Grateful thanks to our Heads of House, Mr Brown and Mrs Schreuder, as well as our House Captains: Tara, Keava, Karina and Jasmine for all of their work behind the scenes in making the service possible.

Below is a reflection on her presentation by our Sports Captain.

At our recent House Chapel, which took place on World Refugee Day, we had the privilege of hearing from Naomi from Embrace Sanctuary Australia and Firooza, a young Afghan national women’s cricketer and refugee.

Naomi shared the vital work that Embrace Sanctuary does in supporting refugees like Firooza, helping them rebuild their lives in Australia. Firooza shared her remarkable journey of leaving Afghanistan at 18 due to the return of the Taliban. Despite facing significant challenges, including arriving in Australia with almost no English, she has continued to pursue her dream of playing for the Afghan National Women’s Cricket Team.

Her story really resonated with me, as it reminded me of the importance of perseverance, resilience, and the belief that no goal is too far out of reach. Firooza’s journey highlighted to me that sport is about more than just physical skill - it’s about heart, determination, and the ability to push through various adversities.

As an athlete, I often face and experience challenges like many others, but hearing Firooza's story made me reflect on how much I take for granted. She overcame the unimaginable, yet still worked her way up to represent her country on the national stage. This reminded me that regardless of the obstacles we face, it’s essential to keep pursuing our dreams - even when they seem impossible.

Whether it’s in sports, school, or personal life, the mindset Firooza shared pushed me to continue striving for excellence, no matter the circumstances.

Sienna
Year 11 Student

Year 2 Class Chapels

Last week we had the pleasure of all three Year 2 Class Chapels sharing their learning from the term. Mrs Mathews worked with the students to prepare their songs, create artworks and practise readings to share with parents and special friends.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to explicitly name and celebrate the ways we can live out the ‘Fruit of the Holy Spirit’ as we show qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control.

Sincere thanks to Mrs Mathews, the Year 2 students and all our special guests for joining us. May we all look for ways that we can live out the Fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives with one another.