Toorak Catholic boys’ school St Kevin’s takes action after vile tram chant
A prestigious boys’ school has taken action in the wake of last year’s misogynist chant scandal, as the Toorak college braces for a new television expose.
Education
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St Kevin’s decision to embrace a program to hone better relationships and behaviour in the wake of last year’s vile tram chant has been applauded by the State Government.
The Toorak Catholic college initially passed on an invitation to join Respectful Relationships, rolled out in response to the royal commission into family violence.
The school is understood to have thought it had sufficient existing programs.
Education Minister James Merlino said he was pleased St Kevin’s would implement the program.
“We want to see schools right across the state implementing the Respectful Relationships Program,” he said.
Close to 1500 schools, both government and non-government, have signed on to deliver the whole school program.
The school has told families that staff at its main Heyington campus have attended a briefing for the Respectful Relationships program, which is being rolled out for public and private schools. Of the 1480 schools signing up 220 are Catholic and 59 are independent schools.
St Kevin’s brother Edmund Rice school, St Bernard’s in Essendon, has been an early adopter of the program.
The news comes as the prestigious Catholic boys’ school is bracing for an upcoming Four Corners expose, thought to be scheduled for as early as next Monday.
News of the show has been known around school circles for some time but with an imminent broadcast the headmaster Stephen F. Russell sent out a letter to parents and guardians late yesterday to forewarn parents.
“We are aware that St Kevin’s College will be featured in a program by the ABC Four Corners. It is likely to air on February 17,” the letter says.
“We felt it was important to inform our parents of this program.
“We are currently receiving appropriate professional advice and will be in a better position to respond and communicate with you again, once we see the actual footage.
“Our students will be supported and spoken to on the day after the program in age appropriate addresses and assemblies.”
In the letter, Mr Russell said it would be premature to make further comment until then.
“In the meantime, please be assured that, as always, the care of our students is our first priority.”
The Herald Sun has asked the ABC for details about the show.
While it was thought to have been linked to the tram chant, it is understand to be about another matter.
Last October the tram video came to light of students on a tram on the way to a sports carnival.
The school said it was an isolated incident but days later a video emerged of boys chanting the song on what was said to be the pub crawl.
Lyrics from the chant include: “I wish that all the ladies, were holes in the road.
“And if I were a dump truck, I’d fill them with my load.”
While the school faced a pile on for the conduct and revelations of a subsequent video, insiders believe the actions of a few were not representative of the school.
A number of parents have told the Herald Sun that they believe that the school has faced a tall poppy syndrome. Some have said the school has stuck its head in the sand and not done enough to talk about the important programs it offers to support boys to make wise decisions.
Heyington staff attended a briefing on the Respectful Relationships Program in the past week.
The school, it is understood, initially did not take up the program being offered by the State Government to government and non-government schools.
The school has maintained that it has a number of programs for nurturing the young men at the highly regarded school which has campuses in Toorak and a Year 9 campus on Richmond Hill.
St Kevin’s brother school St Bernard’s College, in Essendon, is a lead school in the Respectful Relationships program, collaborating with nearby Catholic girls’ schools Ave Maria and St Columba’s.
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After the St Kevin’s drama the religious leader of Catholic boys’ school Xavier College weighed into the St Kevin’s College tram chant drama, saying they need to do more to “challenge entrenched attitudes, language and practices that demean girls among boys”.
Jesuit rector Fr Chris Middleton said it was a challenge for parents and schools, and single sex schools to shape culture.
“While I am not convinced that an all-boys’ school context is markedly different from any other context involving young males in our society, I would concede that in a coeducational context, strong young women may be in a better position to directly challenge attitudes and behaviours of their male peers,” he said in November.
The purpose of the Respectful Relationships program is to support schools in promoting and modelling respect, positive attitudes and behaviours and to teach our young people how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence.
“The royal commission into family violence recommended the implementation of Respectful Relationships to promote respect, positive attitudes and behaviours and to teach children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence,” Mr Merlino said.
The 2018-19 Victorian budget invested $22.8 million to continue the Respectful Relationships initiative.