New horizons for one boarding family

Three sisters from Swan Hill (Victoria) share their boarding experiences
in the latest issue of Australian Country Homes 

New friends, fresh challenges, many more opportunities and a host of other exciting prospects are foremost on the agenda for 16-year-old Caulfield Grammar School Year 11 student Maeve Sheldrick. Maeve grew up on a beef cattle and cereal crop farm near Swan Hill, close to the Murray River in north-western Victoria, and at the beginning of this year she joined the boarding community at Caulfield Grammar School’s Morcom House.

In doing so, Maeve is following in the footsteps of her older sisters: Scarlett, aged 18 and now a first-year occupational therapy student at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, and Greta, aged 20, who is in her final year of nutrition science at Monash University, also in Melbourne. The family also includes 22-year-old Rory, who recently graduated as an architect.

“I saw how many opportunities my sisters had at Caulfield Grammar School so I was keen to experience them myself,” Maeve says. “I am appreciating becoming more independent and being pushed a bit harder academically. The teachers are very welcoming, supportive and understanding of the struggles of a new boarder. I’m lucky to be sharing a room with another new student so we’ve been able to navigate the transition together.”

Caulfield Grammar School has 3570 students from Early Learning to Year 12. Because it is spread across three campuses –Wheelers Hill, Malvern and Caulfield – the school doesn’t feel as large as the numbers suggest. The relatively small cohort of 90 boarders (from Years 9 to 12) coming from rural and international backgrounds can experience the Caulfield Campus boarding house as a home away from home.

The School’s vision is to foster responsible global citizens and it offers 40-plus subjects for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), as well as more than 30 music and drama ensembles, more than 30 sporting options and a host of specialist clubs and tours.

Among the many opportunities offered, Maeve is relishing the chance to play netball and also take up touch football for the first time. She also plans to extend herself “beyond her comfort zone” by participating in a dance program called Up Stage. She has her sights set on health sciences, possibly physiotherapy, as her career.

“I like the structure of regular prep time every evening,” she says. “I also appreciate that there are tutors available in the library after school and during prep to provide help if we need it, when we need it.”

This is a sentiment Maeve’s sisters, Scarlett and Greta, echo as they also appreciated the dedicated homework time set aside each evening during their final two years. “I think it helped me establish a good routine for my university studies,” Greta says. “When everyone is studying at the same time it’s motivating to keep up.”

Greta also says that the move to living in a share house with two other former boarding friends was also eased by the Caulfield Grammar School experience. “Having lived in Melbourne for a couple of years, I was familiar with navigating the city, crowds and the public transport system,” she adds.

Scarlett, who is living at University College in Carlton, thinks the boarding experience was great preparation for college life. “I was well prepared for meeting new people,” she says. “It’s much easier the second time around and I’m also used to communal meals and embracing city opportunities. I became more interested in school once I moved to Caulfield Grammar School. I was a bit too comfortable in Swan Hill and I’ve learned to extend myself.”

The Sheldrick sisters also appreciate the School’s flexibility that allows them to keep in touch with each other. With appropriate passes approved, Maeve can leave the School to visit her sisters or attend sporting or social events with them. Scarlett and Greta can also visit the School after class or on weekends, which allows them all to maintain their close connection.

“Of course, I miss my parents and life on the farm,” Maeve says. “But Swan Hill is only four hours away, so I can go home for long weekends. Even though the meals are not the same as Mum’s cooking, I have to admit the food is pretty good.”