Message from the Principal
“A remarkable life”
Our new school purpose is to ‘Be your own remarkable’ which inspires us to create a school where each and every student engages in remarkable learning. The death of Physicist Stephen Hawking this week at the age of 76, made me think about this notion of remarkable. I think Stephen Hawking is someone who has engaged in truly remarkable learning over his life. Some key points about Stephen Hawking:
- He has been dubbed one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein
- He was given three years to live when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963
- His work ranged from the origins of the universe, through to the prospects of time travel
Some of his best known predictions were termed ‘Hawkins radiation’ which transformed the idea of black holes from inescapable gravitational prisms into objects that instead shrink and fade over time.
What is amazing is that he continued to produce such volumes of quality work despite his debilitating illness. The power of his intellect was contrasted by the weakness of his body that was significantly impacted by the disease.
A fellow scientist stated that ‘his illness made his achievements near super human. How he manipulated Einstein’s equations in his mind when he could no longer hold a pen, can’t be imagined’.
He was born on 8th January (exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo) and he died on what would have been Einstein’s 139th birthday.
Stephen Hawkins is someone with incredible and unusual talent and intellect. But I think he also had unique levels of determination and resilience, to not only continue his work with such a serious illness, but to be a great teacher and share his love of science and the universe with the world. I think he is someone that captures our school vision of ‘engaging in remarkable learning to achieve at high levels and be the best they can be’.
Stakeholder Survey Reminder
We need your feedback. On the 5th or 6th of March all parents should have received a brief KGV Stakeholder Survey request via email. The survey closes on midnight this Monday 19th March. If you have not already done so, please take five minutes to complete the survey. Your feedback is important to us as we seek to make the school even better for the students and community we serve.
Kind regards
Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V
