Naming spaces and places at school
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ, like many schools, has the opportunity to name its buildings, facilities and spaces to commemorate important links, events and individuals in the life of the College, its history and traditions.
Recently we named our new art and music facilities after Dominican artist Fra Angelico. Our Oratory Space, for example, is named after the title our Founder St John Bosco gave to his school – an integrated and creative home, school, playground and parish in Turin. Our K-6 Kitchen is named after Don Bosco’s mother Mamma Margaret.
Through the naming of buildings, facilities and spaces, the College reinforces its identity and uses this as another medium through which to tell the story of our founders, their associates and saints who came after them. It also allows us to transfer the story of the Catholic Church.
Some time ago the College developed a policy to ensure that buildings, rooms, grounds and facilities are named in a manner consistent with our purpose and history as a Catholic school in the Salesian and Dominican traditions.
Recently at our Whole College Staff meeting we devoted time to thinking about what we might call some of our spaces such as our library, our driveway, our ovals bordering on Tolosa Street and our creek.
The staff named lots of worthy and esteemed figures in the Salesian and Dominican stories such as St Mary Mazzarello, co-founder of the Salesian sisters; Blessed Phillip Rinaldi, successor to Don Bosco and the first Salesian Cardinal and loved pupil of Don Bosco, Giovanni Cagliero.
Some of our Dominican saints were discussed such as St Thomas Aquinas, St Rose of Lima and St Martin de Porres. Students will be asked for their ideas as well.
This coming week our K-6 staff will be working together on potential names for each of our K-6 classrooms. We hope to name our classrooms after our saints and those who have been named as blessed or have been venerated by the Church. We hope that this will be an embedded way our students can learn about their classroom patron each year.
If parents at this stage would like to make suggestions to add to our initial list for consideration and discussion please don’t hesitate to contact me via email: bgilligan@dominic.tas.edu.au
Ms Beth Gilligan - ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ Principal
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition