When We Lift Each Other Up

Year 10 student Ellen reflects on how showing up for her friends at their grand finals revealed the true power of support, and how giving our time can grow not only others' confidence but our own.

Each week, our students share their insights with their peers in Assembly.

I am Ellen, and I am in Year 10. To support is to give encouragement to someone, so you can grow their motivation and confidence to help them achieve success, whether through a little pep talk before an exam, complimenting their hair or showing up to their sports games.

I experienced this last term when I had my Soccer grand final and, to be honest, I was extremely nervous. However, a few minutes before the game was about to start, I saw two of my friends had given up their time on a weekend to support me, and instantly my confidence grew. Whilst the posters they brought along proved to be highly embarrassing, their support, along with that of my other teammates' friends and family who came to watch, ultimately grew our spirit, determination and energy, helping our team to win the whole competition.

I was extremely grateful for this act of kindness, an appreciation that inspired me to give my support in return when a week later, I attended one of my friends’ Netball grand finals. They had told me it would be a very hard game as they had lost to the other team twice before. However, when they saw about 20 of their friends show up, the support seemed to give grow their confidence and hunger to win. So, with a crowd of students screaming "Go Wenona" and jumping up and down every time a goal was scored, along with the Wenona team posters (shoutout to those who made them because they were definitely more embarrassing than mine), the team was able to pull through and win 35 to 20.

In both these scenarios, the support given, along with the remarkable talent of the players of course, was what I believe grew the motivation and hunger for both teams to win their grand final, proving how vital encouragement and kindness can be in achieving success. But this support did not just come from words or cheers; it came from people giving up their time to show they cared. And that is what makes support so powerful: it makes others feel important, valued and seen.

However, when we give more of ourselves, whether that is through time, encouragement or kindness, we do not just help others to grow; we also grow too. This was demonstrated last term when Year 10 had an all-day seminar called The Day of Hope. At one point we were given sentence starters such as "The person I admire the most is …", "If I had one more day on this planet I would …" and "I admire my parents because …", which we had to finish. Let us just say there were quite a few tears shed, both by the people reading out their responses and by those listening in the audience.

What stood out to me was that, just like cheering from the sidelines, these words of encouragement and honesty were also a form of giving support. They grew a newfound appreciation for our families, friends and passions, and reminded us to be more grateful for the lives and opportunities we have.

Like I have seen across these past few weeks, support is a cycle that keeps on building. One act of giving can spark another, which in turn then inspires another.

When we lift each other up through support, we build more than just connection; we create a community where everyone feels they belong, and that sense of belonging becomes the foundation for a culture of care, strength and shared growth. Here at Wenona, we are so privileged to be part of such a supportive culture, where you can come to School each day feeling valued. So, this coming week, whether it is a big sport final, exams and assessments, or just supporting a friend in need, I encourage you to give more of your time. Because when you give your time and support, you do not just grow your own, but you grow someone else's confidence, success and sense of importance.

*Adapted from Ellen's Assembly speech.