“While this is a constant cycle that is hard to avoid, boarding teaches you how to navigate the low periods and ultimately use it as a learning lesson for future experiences.”
We have been boarders since Year 7.
Over the past five years, we have found one of the most valuable lessons that boarding can teach teenage boys is the ability to self-navigate and overcome challenges.
Entering a boarding house is the first time many boarders have stepped away from the comfort and security of their parents and guardians. Although this can be a daunting experience, one of the things that this unfamiliarity creates is the ability to organise yourself. With a larger workload than previous years, a greater number of commitments, and the absence of parents and guardians, you are required to quickly learn the basic skills of organisation. While this may take a while to learn, after a few weeks the boys will be well and truly on top of their daily routine, academic load, and external commitments. Likewise, the unfamiliarity of boarding and the constant challenges high school throws at you will provides boarders with the ability to overcome challenges. During their time in boarding, they will be faced with the highest of highs, and sometimes the lowest of lows.
Boarding also teaches you how to act within a community. Along with their academic and co-curricular load, boarders have to maintain their own personal area while working with their friends to keep their House neat and tidy. Boys work together to make sure multiple essentials to living are maintained. Each morning we empty the bins and then clean the dishes in the evening after prep (homework sessions). Boys are also required to manage their assortment of clothes to ensure the washing within the House runs smoothly. All these shared chores teach you how to work within a community. You learn not only about personal responsibilities, but the importance of working together, sharing the workload and its significance in maintaining a well-functioning community. Considering plan to attend university or get a job, boarding prepares them not only to be self-sustainable beyond school, but how to function within a community. While boarding will come with its challenges, it is a very memorable experience which allows boys to leave Toowoomba Grammar School as men of good character with the strength and resilience to face challenges in life, and knowing the importance of giving back to others.
But the boarding experience offers so much more - boys make lifelong memories and friends that, like their skills, will last and serve them far beyond the School gates.
Fidelis in Omnibus
by Stuart Officer and Alistair McKay - School Prefects and boarders
Latest Blog
Making a Positive Impact with Homework Assistance
The Anglicare Homework Assistance Program (HAP), run in conjunction with Darling Heights State School, sees many of our boys volunteer their time on Wednesdays after class to help many young refugee and primary school students facing challenging times with their homework, or to chat and play games. Our boys thoroughly enjoy meeting, supporting and learning about the lives of the younger children. This forges community connections and fosters inclusion for the Darling Heights students; it also…
Fresh Faces Guide - TGS Sportsmen into the Fray
With their dedication to excellence and player development, TGS athletes are in good hands as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of competitive sports.
Honouring Tradition, Preparing for the Future
They will invariably be inspired by effective teaching and the satisfaction of personal achievement will always be motivating. At Toowoomba Grammar School, the power of high-quality instructional practices has resulted in the development of a strong academic culture that has endured for nearly 150 years. Preserving core principles provides stability and continuity. However, we must be open to continuously adapting our methods so that our students are well-prepared for the ever-changing world…
We See You - Mitchell Wilkes
That was the heart-wrenching diagnosis for Year 10 student, Mitchell Wilkes, right on Christmas in 2021. Mitchell’s mum noticed he wasn’t reading properly and had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with his eyesight. A trip to the optometrist revealed a thinning in the retina, and further tests showed that Mitchell had a genetic condition called Stargardt Disease, a juvenile macular degeneration illness that results in slow central vision loss.
Correcting our School's official record commemorating World War I and World War II
On the eve of our 150th year, we're calling on the School's alumni, parents, past parents and greater community to aid us in correcting the record of our involvement in two watershed geopolitical events of the 20th century. For the last four years Toowoomba Grammar School Museum Volunteers, Mrs Ann Hallam and Mrs Sue Palmer, have been updating the School records on Old Boys, staff and Trustees for the World War I and World War II theatres of war. Over the years several staff and volunteers have…
A Pioneering Woman of TGS
My late husband was a teacher, and our four children are all teachers, which we encouraged them to do because it is the best job in the world. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for 36 years, working under four Headmasters: Mr Bill Dent, Mr Hugh Rose, Mr Peter Hauser and now Dr John Kinniburgh. I still drive into the School each day and smile, looking at the beautiful place it is — magnificent ovals, gracious trees and historically significant buildings. It is difficult to express the…
NZ Rugby Tour success, more than winning matches across the Ditch
The teams were undefeated and it was a trip the players will never forget. This tour was years in the making and heralds a new era of touring and hosting different rugby schools to give our players opportunities for growth as athletes and as people. Head of Sport - Rugby, Mr Lincoln Clapham, explained they selected 46 students to take part in the ten-day tour and began training last year. From Term 1 onwards, the squad trained twice weekly on the oval plus two and sometimes three gym sessions…
Aussie Teen Reading Habits Revealed
I was recently sent an article, summarising some research from Deakin University around the reading habits of teens in 2024. Some of it was, as the title suggests, surprising. Some was not. However, all of it was built around the importance of reading, and supporting our teens to read, which is something that every one of us should do. While we tend to see our teens as digital natives, recent research from Deakin University suggests that the average Aussie teen reader would rather flick through…
Now More Than Ever
The one-of-a-kind Indigenous artwork is emblazoned across the shirts for the First IV Tennis team, jerseys for the First XI Football team and First XV Rugby team and First V Basketball team's singlets. National Reconciliation Week is a significant date on the calendar for all Australians, running from Monday, 27 May to Monday, 3 June. The incorporation of this Indigenous design in our uniforms is a significant milestone for our School, especially for our 47 Aboriginal and Torres Strait…
