Read me first - Proposal for KHS Alumni Association
Dear KHS community
Below is a brief rationale and some initial ideas for establishing a formal alumni association.
If you don't read all of it, here are a few things alumni can do:
It's long overdue for KHS alumni to set up a formal organisation, with the aim of giving back to the school, supporting new graduates and inspiring the next generation of KHS students. No similar organisation currently exists, even though KHS is the oldest high school in the Macleay Valley. (Did you know it was established in 1930 and will celebrate its 90th anniversary in April 2020?)
Alumni can provide direct, tangible benefits to current students and can be a source of prestige for the school and community. They help the community tap into the wealth of knowledge, networks, finances and profile generated by thousands of former students across Australia and around the world. Alumni can show the current generation of students what possibilities are available to them in life – from study, training, and travel, to starting a family, and giving back to the community.
Our 1996-2001 year group has former students as far afield as the United States, Spain, and Columbia, and alumni who have lived in Papua New Guinea, Belgium and Indonesia. We’re spread across most capital cities of Australia, in professions as diverse as mining, state government policy, actuarial services, university administration, education, nursing and aged care, foreign policy and international development. We have alumni who are parents of children going to school in Kempsey and who have a direct stake in the success of the KHS community. And that's just one year group.
Alumni can contribute across a broad range of areas. Our networks can support graduate students pursuing work or further study in other cities or countries, supporting them through the difficult transition to life away from home. We can provide philanthropic contributions to the school and community through foundations and scholarships. We can provide practical information to current students about career experiences and pathways to help students make an informed and inspired decision about what to do after leaving school.
We know that in a community like ours, not everyone is doing it easy. Many students face adversity, and social and economic conditions aren’t always conducive to education. I know this through my own experience, and many others do too. I believe that by sharing our personal stories we can help the next generation overcome challenges they might be facing. An alumni organisation can provide a way to share with students how we found a way through adversity to the next phase in our lives, and demonstrate how they can too.
Technology is making it easier for alumni to connect. Several informal KHS groups are established on Facebook and other online platforms based on graduating year. These groups are important for keeping students connected. Some are already providing support back to the school through volunteering or other activities. But reunions and social media platforms in themselves are not able to harness the full resources of a broader alumni organisation. A more holistic approach across all alumni cohorts would help to focus, organise and magnify efforts.
I have sketched out a phased approach to establish an alumni organisation. This includes: (i) create an informal working group or steering committee, (ii) generate quick-wins while planning a formal organisation structure over 2020, (iii) formally establish an organisation in 2021. I will discuss this plan with the school in March 2020 and convene an online meeting to develop our ideas. I hope you can share, comment and shape the proposal and let me know how you would like to contribute.
Murray O’Hanlon
KHS Year Group of 1996-2001
Below is a brief rationale and some initial ideas for establishing a formal alumni association.
If you don't read all of it, here are a few things alumni can do:
- Give back to the school - through mentoring, workshops, fundraising, scholarships
- Inspire current students to think about their careers, by demonstrating multiple pathways to careers, and promoting an inclusive concept of success
- Help teachers and parents to promote the value of education
- Share their stories of resilience and mentor students experiencing difficulties
- Encourage leadership
- Instil a sense of pride in Kempsey and the school comunnity.
It's long overdue for KHS alumni to set up a formal organisation, with the aim of giving back to the school, supporting new graduates and inspiring the next generation of KHS students. No similar organisation currently exists, even though KHS is the oldest high school in the Macleay Valley. (Did you know it was established in 1930 and will celebrate its 90th anniversary in April 2020?)
Alumni can provide direct, tangible benefits to current students and can be a source of prestige for the school and community. They help the community tap into the wealth of knowledge, networks, finances and profile generated by thousands of former students across Australia and around the world. Alumni can show the current generation of students what possibilities are available to them in life – from study, training, and travel, to starting a family, and giving back to the community.
Our 1996-2001 year group has former students as far afield as the United States, Spain, and Columbia, and alumni who have lived in Papua New Guinea, Belgium and Indonesia. We’re spread across most capital cities of Australia, in professions as diverse as mining, state government policy, actuarial services, university administration, education, nursing and aged care, foreign policy and international development. We have alumni who are parents of children going to school in Kempsey and who have a direct stake in the success of the KHS community. And that's just one year group.
Alumni can contribute across a broad range of areas. Our networks can support graduate students pursuing work or further study in other cities or countries, supporting them through the difficult transition to life away from home. We can provide philanthropic contributions to the school and community through foundations and scholarships. We can provide practical information to current students about career experiences and pathways to help students make an informed and inspired decision about what to do after leaving school.
We know that in a community like ours, not everyone is doing it easy. Many students face adversity, and social and economic conditions aren’t always conducive to education. I know this through my own experience, and many others do too. I believe that by sharing our personal stories we can help the next generation overcome challenges they might be facing. An alumni organisation can provide a way to share with students how we found a way through adversity to the next phase in our lives, and demonstrate how they can too.
Technology is making it easier for alumni to connect. Several informal KHS groups are established on Facebook and other online platforms based on graduating year. These groups are important for keeping students connected. Some are already providing support back to the school through volunteering or other activities. But reunions and social media platforms in themselves are not able to harness the full resources of a broader alumni organisation. A more holistic approach across all alumni cohorts would help to focus, organise and magnify efforts.
I have sketched out a phased approach to establish an alumni organisation. This includes: (i) create an informal working group or steering committee, (ii) generate quick-wins while planning a formal organisation structure over 2020, (iii) formally establish an organisation in 2021. I will discuss this plan with the school in March 2020 and convene an online meeting to develop our ideas. I hope you can share, comment and shape the proposal and let me know how you would like to contribute.
Murray O’Hanlon
KHS Year Group of 1996-2001
Great idea and will happily join. I attended from 1968 till 1973 and now live in Newcastle but very regularly return to see relatives who still live on the Macleay.
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