Dear 酷爱成人网 Regional College Community,听
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We are thrilled to announce the House Captains for the 2024 academic year, and we want to extend our warmest congratulations to these outstanding students. This dedicated group of young leaders will be at the helm, guiding their respective Houses to success throughout the year.听听听
Please join us in congratulating our House Captains for 2024:听
House Captains: Zac Spinks and Layne Dixon听
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House Captains: Lily Collins and Jack Latham听
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House Captains: Lachlan Jones and Shannon Townsend听
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House Captains: Chelsea Scolyer and Zahli French听
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These exceptional students have demonstrated leadership, commitment, and dedication throughout the selection process, and we have no doubt they will continue to uphold the values and traditions of 酷爱成人网 Regional College.听听
The House system is an integral part of our school, fostering camaraderie, healthy competition, and teamwork among our students. As House Captains, these students will play a pivotal role in organising various events, inter-house competitions, and other activities that enrich the school experience for all.听
We encourage all students to embrace their House Captains as role models, and to actively participate in the House events and activities that will unfold throughout the year.听
Once again, congratulations to our House Captains of 2024! We look forward to witnessing the positive impact they will undoubtedly make in our school community.听
With pride and excitement,听
听
Mr Sam Johnstone听
Deputy 酷爱成人网: 酷爱成人网 Care and Wellbeing听
Sam Willoughby on the tragic injury that changed his life
The risk of injury is something all athletes must accept as part of their careers, especially those who partake in extreme sports such as BMX. Broken legs. Concussion. Scrapes and bruises. But there are some injuries that are beyond imagining. The kind that doesn鈥檛 just end a career but completely changes a person鈥檚 way of life.听
In 2016, Australian BMX racer, world champion and multi-Olympian Sam Willoughby experienced that kind of injury. Just four weeks after the Rio Olympics, during a routine warm-up in his adopted home of San Diego, he sustained a neck injury that left him with tetraplegia 鈥� paralysis that affects both arms and both legs.听
鈥淚 remember to the point of being upside down in the air and I鈥檝e been in that position 100 times in my life, like it鈥檚 not the first time I鈥檝e slipped off the back of my bike 鈥� and I remember thinking 鈥業鈥檓 going to land on my back and get really winded鈥�,鈥� Sam tells Hugh in this episode of听The Imperfects.听
鈥淲hen I hit the ground and I somewhat came to, I realised that I wasn鈥檛 winded. You naturally do the whole body scan and I realised I couldn鈥檛 feel my legs.鈥�听
Air-lifted to the nearest emergency hospital, Sam says his mind wasn鈥檛 on whether he鈥檇 be able to race BMX again 鈥� it was on his parents and brother back home in Australia, who were about to get the worst phone call of their lives, and on his fianc茅, Alise. Herself a successful BMX racer, he knew their life together would never be the same again.听
鈥淎bout an hour after I鈥檇 woken up, Alise arrived,鈥� Sam says. 鈥淪he put a hand on mine, and I remember saying to her, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e not marrying me; you鈥檙e not wearing a vegetable鈥�.听
鈥淚 regret saying that now but at the time, that was just how I felt. I didn鈥檛 know what to expect for the rest of my life, it just seemed all doom and gloom at that point 鈥� I was just scared and scared for her.鈥�听
But Alise refused to go anywhere. For the next eight months, she, Sam鈥檚 parents, and his brother worked tirelessly to help Sam attend appointments, do his rehabilitation and adjust to his new life in a wheelchair.听
鈥淚 felt like I was just this object, that it was everyone鈥檚 job to keep me moving and I hated that,鈥� Sam says. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been a very independent person 鈥� I quickly became pretty depressed.鈥�听
Then one day, his brother suggested they travel to a NASCAR event two hours away. Initially reluctant to be seen in public, Sam eventually agreed. It was here that he was introduced to a man named Bootie Barker, the crew chief of 23XI Racing who also happens to use a wheelchair.听
鈥淭his guy comes rolling out and he鈥檚 just this bubbly, outgoing guy and he had the same injury as me 30 years ago and he鈥檚 an engineer and he鈥檚 running this multimillion-dollar race,鈥� says Sam.听
鈥淪uddenly, it just opened my eyes. Here he was 鈥� travelling around the country 36 weekends a year, doing it himself, no helpers, driving this big truck. He鈥檚 married, he lives independently 鈥� I was just mind blown.鈥�听
For the first time since the accident, Sam had hope and a goal for the future: he was going to learn to live independently.听
鈥淭he first time I dressed myself, it took 35 minutes and I had to get straight back into bed because I was exhausted,鈥� laughs Sam. 鈥淏ut it got better and better and better. Eventually, I was able to get myself to where I鈥檓 at now, which is living a fully independent life. I look at myself in the mirror and I鈥檓 proud and I鈥檓 happy and love what I do.鈥�听
Through it all, his family and Alise stuck by his side. And then on New Year鈥檚 Eve 2017, he married the love of his life and was able to achieve a personal goal he鈥檇 set for himself not long after the accident.听
鈥淲ith the help of some braces that helped me lock my knees out, I was able to get strong enough that I could hold myself up and stand and walk Alise down the aisle,鈥� Sam says. 鈥淚t was the best day of my life, still to this day.鈥�听
Sam鈥檚 top tips for resilience: Practicing Gratitude听
Sam says practicing gratitude has helped him tremendously in working through any feelings of frustration that occasionally crop up for him in his new life.听
鈥淚 think I just get satisfaction out of little wins every day,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or 25 years, doing up my shoe was something I didn鈥檛 even think about and then I lost that. So when I learned to do it again, it was like 鈥榳ow! That鈥檚 incredible!鈥� It was like I just won the world title again.听
鈥淚鈥檓 just grateful to be able to come down and make a coffee and go outside and have my wife by my side and our little dog. I鈥檓 just a lot more content than ever to be honest and it鈥檚 horrible that I had to lose all of that to realise that, but I think we all have the ability to just appreciate the simple things.听
鈥淣ormal will always be changing but there are a few constants that you鈥檒l always be able to be appreciative of and enjoy.鈥�听